An old man approached Privet Drive, his beard and hair growing long down his back
An old man approached Privet Drive, his beard and hair growing long down his back. Everything from his clothing (robes) to his worn shoes was unwelcome in Privet Drive, but fortunately everyone who lived there was asleep. The old man, Albus Dumbledore, clicked a silver cigarette lighter and all the lights flew from the streets incase a resident was to look out their window. Dumbledore chuckled as he caught sight of a tabby cat sitting on the brick wall outside Number 4 Privet Drive.
'I should have known you would be here', said Dumbledore, 'Professor McGonagall'. But the tabby was no longer there; instead, standing beside Professor Dumbledore was a strict looking woman in green robes.
'Albus', Professor McGonagall said curtly. 'Is it true? The rumors, the stories?' Professor Dumbledore nodded.
'It is all true, the good and bad news.'
'You mean the Potter?' gasped Professor McGonagall. Professor Dumbledore bowed his head sadly. 'Lily and James Potter? Dead?' said Professor McGonagall clapping a hand to her mouth. 'But what about their daughter, Matilda? Is it true she survived? Is it true she defeated You-Know-Who?'
'Yes, it is true. She is coming here to live with her relatives', said Dumbledore, indicating Number 4. Professor McGonagall's expression turned stony.
'Here!' she exclaimed. 'Not with these people! I've been watching them all day; they are the worst sorts of Muggles I've ever seen. They will explain to her nothing of our world. Matilda Potter will be a legend; every child in our world will grow up knowing her name. I would be surprised if today was known as Matilda Potter day in future!'
'Exactly', said Dumbledore solemnly. 'Enough to turn any child's head. Famous before she can walk and talk, famous for something she can barely remember. It's much safer for her to be living with her relatives.' Professor McGonagall looked like she wanted to argue still, but she didn't.
'Hagrid's bringing her' said Dumbledore, looking up at the sky.
'Hagrid! Do you think it's wise? To trust Hagrid with this sort of thing?'
'I would trust Hagrid with my life', said Dumbledore simply.
The silence in the air was ripped apart by the sound of a roaring engine. An enormous motorbike dropped from the sky, but the motorcycle was nothing compared to the man sitting on top of it. The man was a giant; two times bigger than an average grown man with bushy black hair, a bushy black beard and tiny glittering black beetle eyes. In his arm was a small bundle.
'Hagrid, did everything go well?'
'Little tyke fell asleep as we were flying over Bristol', said the man, Hagrid. Professor Dumbledore took the small bundle from Hagrid and Professor McGonagall looked over for a better view.
In the bundle was a baby girl, one-year-old, and fast asleep. She had a tuft of black hair, and a mysterious lightning-bolt-shaped scar on the high left side of her neck. Professor McGonagall pointed it out.
'Is that where-?'
'Yes', said Dumbledore softly. 'She'll have that scar forever.'
Dumbledore walked over and set the baby down on the doorstep of her aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Dumbledore put a letter down next to the baby. It was addressed to Petunia and Vernon Dursley, the inhabitants of Number 4 Privet Drive.
Professor McGonagall and Hagrid turned around to leave, but Dumbledore stayed back for a few moments longer.
'Good luck, Matilda Potter', he murmured as he turned around and disappeared with a swish of his cloak.
--
Ten years went by and Matilda Potter still lived at Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, but she was currently asleep; though not for long if her aunt has anything to do with it.
'Get up', screeched Aunt Petunia, rapping on the door for the cupboard under the stairs, which was where Matilda lived.
'I'm up, I'm up', murmured Matilda. Matilda had shoulder blade-length straight coal black hair and bright green eyes. She had a small lightning-bolt shaped scar on the high left side on her neck. Matilda was slender and tall, a little underfed, but there was no denying she was extremely pretty. Her eyes, despite living in a cupboard for ten years, had a bright spark to it. Her skin was slightly suntanned from working in the yard in the middle of the day most of the time, but suited her.
Matilda, or Mattie, as she was usually called, had lived with her aunt, uncle and cousin, Dudley, for the last ten years ever since her parents died in a car crash, as her aunt told her. But Aunt Petunia, Mattie's mother's sister, never talked about her sister.
'Are you up yet?' screeched Aunt Petunia again.
'Nearly,' called back Mattie.
'Well hurry up! I want you to take care of the bacon, and don't you dare let it burn! I want everything to be perfect for Dudley's birthday!'
Mattie groaned; Dudley's birthday, how could she have forgotten? If it were up to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dudley's birthday would be a national event. 'What did you say', snapped Aunt Petunia, hearing the groan.
'Nothing, nothing', said Mattie as Aunt Petunia left. Mattie was lucky she found some clothes that belonged to her mother or otherwise she would have been stuck with her Aunt's terribly old-fashioned clothes. Mattie found them up in the attic when she was assigned to cleaning it one day. Mattie pulled on a pair of faded jeans with a few tiny rips in the side and a white shirt with short sleeves. She put her locket on; the one thing that had to be pried from her cold dead hands. It showed a picture of her parents on their wedding day with their best man and on the other side was a picture of her parents holding her as a baby. On the back was an engraved rose, to match her middle name, the name "Matilda" was encrypted in beautiful cursive writing on the front of the heart-shaped locket. She had had it ever since she was a baby, the only thing to remind or tie her back to her parents; there were no pictures of them in the whole house.
Mattie put the locket on and walked halfway out the cupboard door only to be pushed back in by Dudley who ran into the living room.
Mattie walked back out and into the kitchen.
'Brush your hair', barked Uncle Vernon, an enormous man, the opposite of his bony wife, as a morning greeting.
'Morning to you too, Uncle Vernon', said Mattie dully. Uncle Vernon eyed her nastily from over the table. He treated Mattie much worst than Aunt Petunia, who, as much as she loved Dudley, always wanted a girl, as opposed to Uncle Vernon who wanted a boy to follow in his footsteps.
Shortly after Mattie got to work on the bacon, Dudley shuffled in, his eyes hidden by Aunt Petunia. As Aunt Petunia released her hands to show Dudley the small mountain of presents that the table was stuttering to hold, his expression held not joy or even gratitude. He instead counted his presents quickly and turned to his parents in disgust.
'There are only 36 presents! Last year I got 37! Give me more!'
'Diddy darling, when we got out, how about we buy you two more presents? How's that Popkin?'
'So I'll have thirty- thirty'-
'Thirty-nine, sweetums'.
'Oh, all right', said Dudley, grabbing a handful of bacon that Mattie had just set down. Uncle Vernon ruffled Dudley's hair as Aunt Petunia went to answer the phone. She came back looking very put- out.
'Bad news Vernon, Mrs Figg broke her leg, she can't take her', she said jerking her head in Mattie's direction. Dudley looked from his mother to his father like an idiot, his mouth hanging open.
'We could phone Marge', offered Uncle Vernon.
'Don't be silly Vernon, she hates the girl'. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon often spoke about Mattie as though she wasn't there, like she could understand them.
'What about your friend- Yvonne?'
'On holiday in Majorca' said Aunt Petunia grimly.
'You could just leave me here', piped up Mattie. Aunt Petunia looked scandalized.
'And come back to find the house in ruins!'
'I won't blow the house up', said Mattie, but no one believed her; no one ever did.
'We could take her to the zoo and leave her in the car', said Aunt Petunia thoughtfully.
'That car's new, she's not sitting in it alone!' Dudley however had started crying, though no tears could be seen. All he had to do was scrunch up his face and wail and he could get anything; he hadn't really cried for years.
'Oh, Diddy darling, don't worry. Mummy won't let that awful girl ruin your special day.'
'I-don't- want- h-her t-to c-c-come', wailed Dudley, giving Mattie an evil smile from behind his mothers back. 'She always ruins e-everything'.
'It's okay, Piers is coming', offered Aunt Petunia helpfully. Dudley stopped crying and sniffled. 'Don't worry, if she comes, Piers is always there'. Piers Polkiss was Dudley's best friend, a boy with a face like a rat. Piers was a stupid prat, and the most disturbing part was that he had a crush on Mattie.
'All right', sniffled Dudley, but I don't want her to make me look stupid.'
'Don't worry, you don't need me for that', said Mattie quietly from behind the kitchen counter. Aunt Petunia heard her and shot a glare at Mattie, who looked up and smiled.
The doorbell rang and Dudley stopped his fake tantrum at once as Piers walked through the door. Piers threw a small wink at Mattie that no one else saw. Mattie looked disgusted and rolled her eyes.
Five minutes later Mattie was sitting between Dudley and Piers on the way to the zoo in Uncle Vernon's car. As they made their way along the roads Uncle Vernon began ranting angrily about some of his favourite subjects like, Mattie, weirdo's, Mattie, homeless, Mattie, drunks, Mattie, unemployed. Today's subject was motorcycles.
'Bloody hooligans, racing up and down the streets', ranted Uncle Vernon as one overtook them.
Mattie remembered having a dream about a flying motorcycle last night, but she decided not to mention it to the Dursley's. The Dursley's hated anything out of the ordinary, even if it was in a dream.
As they entered the zoo Mattie made sure to stay away from Dudley and Piers. Dudley was easy enough to avoid as people screamed as he rolled them over when he walked down corridors and aisles. Not that Dudley would hang around with Mattie anyway. It was Piers who was the problem. It was shortly after lunch did Piers create a problem for Mattie.
As Mattie watched a few dingoes (her favourite animals apart form crocodiles, foxes and monkeys) Piers came up beside her and put his arm around her shoulder, which she quickly moved out of reach from. Piers looked annoyed and made another few attempts before Mattie left altogether to look at the bears in a large pit.
'Mattie', said a voice and Mattie turned around to see herself vis-à-vis (face to face) with Piers.
'What is it Piers', said Mattie annoyed.
'Thought you might want to give your old pal Piers a kiss', smirked Piers.
'Sure', said Mattie.
'Really?'
'No', said Mattie, turning back to the bears.
'Oh, come on, Mattie', said Piers slyly. 'Come around, why don't you.'
'Er, go away, why don't you', said Mattie, irony in her voice.
It was when Piers grabbed her shoulder and turned her roughly around that Mattie lost control. She shoved two fingers deep into Piers gut, causing him to be sent into a spasm, giving Mattie the opportunity to knock Piers sideways by swiftly knocking his foot aside with her own.
'Manhandle me again Piers, and I will throw you to the bears without mercy', growled Mattie walking away. Piers got up grudgingly as Dudley walked over to announce they were going to the reptile house.
The reptile house was full of snakes, lizards, small animals and everything that turned Aunt Petunia a sickly green. Piers were giving a boa constrictor, which was asleep, a hard time.
'MOVE!' demanded Dudley, knocking on the glass constantly.
'It's asleep!' said Mattie.
'This is boring', said Dudley, he and Piers moving away.
Mattie stood next to the glass where the snake was awakening.
'Sorry about that', said Mattie. 'It must be annoying to be lying there day after day, people always pressing their ugly faces in on you.' Mattie didn't know why she was talking to a snake, but what the snake did next amazed her. It winked.
'Can you hear me?' asked Mattie amazed. The snake nodded, rising its head. 'Sorry, it's just- I've never talked to a snake before. Do you come from Brazil?' The snake nodded again. 'Was it nice there, do you miss your family?' The snake jabbed its tale at a sign- This species was bred in captivity.
'Oh, so you've never been to Brazil before?' The snake nodded. Before Mattie could say another word she heard a yell come from Piers.
'DUDLEY, MR DURSLEY! COME HERE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT THIS SNAKE IS DOING!' Dudley and Piers greedily knocked Mattie onto the floor in a hurry to see the snake. Within seconds the two jumped back; the glass had gone. The snake slithered out of its cage and took a few playful snaps at Dudley and Piers ankles, both of whom jumped back.
'Thanksss Amigo. Brazil here I come' whispered the snake to Mattie.
'No problem', she said breathlessly as the snake slithered out the door.
After Aunt Petunia was made a strong cup of tea by the zookeeper and Dudley an Piers babbled like idiots did they drove home in the car, the trip being mostly held in silence.
'But Mattie was talking to it, weren't you Mattie', said Piers after he and Dudley swore the snake had tried to suffocate them. Though he didn't turn around, Mattie could see Uncle Vernon's face go red.
After they got home and Piers was well out of the house did Uncle Vernon collapse on the living room sofa and Aunt Petunia run to get him a brandy.
'You- cupboard- no meals', puffed Vernon, pointing at Mattie.
