I thought it would be funny to write a new version of the Harry Potter-series where all the characters changed gender, which means that all the males become females and the other way around. Of course I'd have to change other aspects of the story as well to make it work. You'll discover those along the way. I hope you'll like this one.
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley-Evans, a seemingly perfectly normal married couple in Surrey were the last people one would expect to be involved in anything unusual.
They lived in a completely normal, English house on Privet Drive. They had normal jobs and a normal one-year-old daughter named Dory.
This little happy nuclear British family were the least suspicious people you could find, if you asked their neighbours. Little did they know that the Durlsley-Evans-family were the keepers of a very big secret. It was that kind of secret that was anything but normal. It was that kind of secret that people wouldn't believe to be true if they heard it.
Perry, the husband, who worked as an accountant, had a brother, a real freak of a brother. He was - unusual, to say it nicely. They never talked about him, or his wife who was as much a freak as he was. Even though Perry's brother had tried to stay in touch multiple times. They never replied to his brother's letters, and as far as Perry's wife knew they never read the letters anymore either. But that was not true. Perry read every single one of them, but he made sure to keep that little bit of information from his wife.
Anyway Perry knew that his brother had a daughter about the same age as his own. But neither he nor his wife or Dory had seen her. They wanted to keep their precious little girl away from that kind of people. They were confident anyone would do the same in their shoes.
It was a cloudy tuesday morning. It was the first of November, which meant a hell of a lot of paperwork from October month for Perry today, as he would be stuck in his office until dinner-time and then he would probably have to take the rest of the files home with him.
He hated his job. That frek brother of his probably had a much fancier job swinging with a stick all day. According to their parents, that he hadn't heard from in a while now, his brother had married into a wealthy family. The freak had even taken her last name, how pathetic was that? He on the other hand had kept both his and his wife's names as the gentleman he was.
Perry shook his head. He had promised himself not to think of all the crazy things his brother was doing while he lived a good, normal, respectable life.
He smiled when he came down intot he kitchen and saw his wife feeding their little jewel in her highchair. After he had grabbed his briefcase and kissed his wife goodbye he went to kiss his daughter but was shocked when she landed a punch to his jaw. A pretty powerful one for a one-year-old he had to say. It didn''t hurt though and he just laughed and patted her on her blonde, curly head.
Perry's wife, Veronica was walking to the grocery store with her daughter. She was enjoying the short stroll when little Dory tugged at her dress. "Look mommy," she said, laughing, and painting at a grey cat sitting in front of the Privet drive sign. "The cat's reading".
Veronica narrowed her eyes and looked at the cat. It indeed appeared as if the cat was actually reading the sign. But that couldn't be, she immediately told herself. She knew from what her husband had told her that strange things had happened, which he didn't like to talk about and neither did she, which was why they pretended that everything was normal. But a cat reading a sign was absurd. The cat was only looking at the sign. It couldn't read it; because it was a cat.
"Don't be silly dear," Veronica told Dory and took her hand and urged her along. "Cats can't read".
"Miav," the cat said and turned its head away from the sign to stare at the two people instead.
"Shoo!" Veronica hissed. "Go home!"
The cat didn't move a muscle and Veronica hurried Dory along without looking back.
Perry felt like cursing when he came into the office. The drive to work had been hell. The constant traffic had resultet in the ten-minute drive to stretch to twenty minutes and when he had finally pulled into his parking space outside he spotted people wearing cloaks. In broad daylight.
Wasn't trick or treating supposed to be last night?
But none of the people had any bags with treats in them or anything of the sort and these were adults too.
Perhaps they were some of his crowd. But what would they be doing here among ordinary people? And they even had the audacity to dress like that. He thought Leonard had told him something about them wanting to keep their cover and melt with the crowd.
Perry shook his head. That was it. From now on he was determined not to think about his brother. He didn't have a brother, he didn't have a sister-in-law and he most certainly didn't have a niece.
It was very dark when Perry's car pulled into the driveway outside number 4, Privet Drive. He had brought a big pile of files with him home to finish after dinner. At least he had a nice, hot, homecooked meal to look forward to.
Inside he was greeted by his wife with a peck on the cheek and she told him to wait in the living room and that dinner would be ready in five minutes.
Perry nodded and went into the living room where he sat down and turned on the TV. Nothing but depressing news.
Hours later, outside the Dursley-Evans house there was a gray cat sitting on a stone fence across the street. It wasn't moving at all, it was just sitting there, staring straight at the number 4 house. If any of the house's inhabitants had looked out all they would have seen would have been two eerie-looking yellow dots. The feline eyes that were locked upon them.
Suddenly the streetlight nearest to the cat went out. The cat finally turned. It watched as all the lights went out one by one.
The cat jumped down from the fence and was suddenly no more. Instead an elderly man had taken its place.
The man had a long black beard that almost reached his chest. And the clothing he wore was very strange. He was wearing a pair of square glasses on his pointed nose.
"Good evening Professor McGonagall," said a female voice.
"Good evening Professor Dumbledore," the black-bearded man replied as he saw an elderly woman emerging from the shadows.
"It is a good evening," Professor Dumbledore replied. "Very quiet here".
"Are the rumours true then?" McGonagall asked. "About The Dark Lady?"
"Her name is Mary Gaunt as you know, Midas" the elderly lady replied.
"Yes well you are the only one that dares to use her real name," Midas replied.
"The fear of the name itself will only increase the fear of the thing you fear, that I ahve always said".
"I am aware of that, Alberta" said Midas, "but that is only because everyone knows you are the only witch she fears".
"Oh, stop it, you are making me blush," said Alberta.
"Anyway," said Midas, "are the romours true?"
"They are," said Alberta. "I am afraid so. Both the good and the bad".
"So Leonard and Joanna, they are really gone?"
"Yes," said Alberta. "But so is The Dark Lady. She has mysteriously disappeared".
"And the girl?" asked Midas.
"Rubina's bringing her".
"Are you sure that was a good idea. I mean Rubina Hagrid is -"
"One of the most trustworthy people I know," Alberta replied.
"I know that, but even so-" Midas began but the elderly woman held up a hand to silence him. "She should be here by now".
Suddenly they heard a loud, buzzing noice from the skies. They both looked up and were surpised by what they saw. A tall figure on a flying motorcycle.
"Ah, there she is," said Alberta.
"Oh dear," said Midas.
The tall figure landed smoothly on the ground and took off its helmet to reveal a woman about fifty years old with a wild mane of black hair.
"Sorry about the wait professors," she said. "didn't wanna to fly too fast, gotta be gentle with the little one". She passed a small bundle to Alberta. "Fell asleep when we flew over Bristol".
Alberta looked at the little girl in her arms. She looked so peaceful, like an ordinary baby, safe for that lightning-shaped scar on her forehead.
Rubina started crying.
"What is it now?" asked Midas.
"It's just so sad," she said between sniffs. "Little Harriet is all alone, she's only a little baby, and Leonard and Jane, both dead, it's just so horrible". Rubina blew her nose again.
Midas patted her back. Or lower back actually, he couldn't reach any higher. "There there," he said. "It's happened, all we can do now is to make sure the girl is in good hands".
Rubina blew her nose one final time before nodding. "Sorry," she said. "Let's get on with it, professors.
"Why have you brought her here, Alberta?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"This is her only family," Professor Dumbledore replied.
"What?" McGonagall exclaimed. "You can't seriously mean that you're going to leave ehr with these muggles!"
"It is her best option, Midas," Dumbledore replied calmly.
"I'm sure there are plenty of wizarding families more than happy to take her in," McGonagall replied.
"Of course there are, she's famous," Dumbledore replied. "It won't be long before every child in our world will know her name. It is better for her to grow up far away from all that".
"I regret to say that you've got a point," McGonagall muttered. "But I'm telling you these people are the worst kind of muggles I have ever seen. I saw their little girl throwing a huge tantrum on the street because her mother refused her a candy cane, I'm telling you, having little Harriet grow up with them is-" but Dumbledore broke him off. "Trust me, this is for the best. I've written them a letter that explains everything to them".
"You think they'll take her and raise her as their own just because of a letter?" McGonagall said in disbelief.
"It will be alright," Dumbledore assured him. "She will be fine. And one day she will undrstand everything. But until then let her have a normal childhood".
"Do what you think is best," McGonagall said in defeat.
And so the elderly woman placed the slepping baby on the doorstep and placed a letter on top of her.
"Now we must go," Dumbledore said. "I think I will go join the party at Hogwarts. I have cancelled tomorrow's lessons. I suggest you two do the same. We can''t stay here".
McGonagall nodded.
"Then I think I'd better go find young Serena Black and give her her motorcycle back then," Rubina said. "Bye professors".
"Good luck Harriet Potter. The girl who lived".
This chapter was almost exactly like canon, sorry about that, but this is just the beginning. I have to say I'm quite satisfied with Petunia/Perry in this, I hope you are too. It was fun to write. Most of the characters will keep their original last names but some I will have to change like naming the Dursleys Dursley-Evans instead, I thought simply naming them Evans would be blasphemy.