She knew from eleven years before that these Muggles were horrid, but how did it get this bad? The older witch with tightly wound hair was perched at the door and could hear them yelling. Minerva didn't expect them to treat him higher than that of anyone else, but do they treat the poor boy so horribly?
The only reason she was here, at 4 Privet Drive was because, like every other Hogwarts students- save for the muggle-born students who were given given a personal visit- were sent letters through owls and we're expected to respond. After the first owl came back without any news, they sent more and more. After five days straight with no reply or news, she insisted on visiting herself. Lips pressed to a thin line, she knocked on the wooden door. "Go answer the door, boy!" a voice bellowed and after a long moment, the door creaked open. When no one appeared in the door, she had to look down to spot a short boy with unmistakable messy hair and caramel colored skin. So much like his father, she thought. Nearly identical, save for the gems that he held in his eyes. Lily's eyes.
Oh, but this boy, he was far too thin. The clothes he wore were ginormous and did nothing to conceal his delicate frame, malnutrition weighing in on his size. His glasses- taped glasses- were even hanging loosely to his face, a tiny hand having to push them to the bridge of his nose, but all too carefully so not to break them. Shame.
"Who is it?" The hoarse voice barked. Harry looked her up and down, taking in her appearance; she was wearing her best robes in a light green, her hat neatly pointed and set straight on her head. Her wand securely tucked into said robes, she talked to the child in front of her.
"May I come in?"
"Uncle Vernon might not like that."
"I'm sure he'll make an exception." She stated pointedly. When he didn't move or speak, someone came through the room. It was a walrus of a man, purple at the face and rounded at the belly. He reminded her of a blown up toad after a failed transfiguration attempt.
"Who the ruddy hell are you?" He said, squinting at her through beady eyes.
"My name is Minerva McGonagall. I'm here to talk about Harry Potter and his future attendance at Hogwarts School." The man- Vernon, stared at her, mustache bristling.
"He is not attending that school. He will go to a normal school like a normal child. He will not be associated with- with that." He spat the last word, as if he were cursing.
"What is it?" Harry inquired, emerald eyes glistening with interest at the prospect of a secret. Vernon's face shifted to a darker purple and he snapped his eyes to the boy.
"You! To your room!" McGonagall all but gasped as the boy in question trudged to the cupboard under the stairs and climbed in, closing the door. Vernon walked over and reached to locked the door! In a sudden act of rage, but keeping her manners, McGonagall snapped her hand out, grabbing his arm before it could locked Harry into the small space. Vernon looked to where they were connected and tore his hand away as if she burned him. "Now see here! You came into my home-"
"Yes. I came into your home to collect a boy you were supposed to be keeping safe. You were supposed to raise him as if he were your own until it was his time to come to Hogwarts and learn about being as strong a wizard as he can be. Here, all this time, you've been treating like an outcast in his own home!"
"How could a boy who looked like that fit into this family!" Vernon had turned a brilliant combination of deep purple and a shade of red due to anger. At the sound of yelling, through the door came a woman Minerva knew to be Petunia. A horse-like who was too bony to be healthy, she just stared.
"And you! Your own nephew, and you couldn't take care of him? What would Lily think about how you're treating her own son?" An anger that was new to her was rising up in Minerva. Lily and James had died saving their son and thus took away a great evil from the world and these Muggles were treating their son like trash!
"Lily was a freak. She married a freak and they birthed a freak!" She gave a quick glance toward the door of the cupboard, but it gave no reaction. Not even a sound, which told McGonagall that Harry was all too used to hearing words like this- or maybe he was used to not hearing about his parents at all. With a great sigh, the old witch pulled out her wand, opening the door, causing Harry to fall out and spill onto the floor. She smiled inwardly, realizing he was pressed against the door to listen better. With a final decision, she decided what to do. Shed explain herself to Albus later.
"Come, Harry. Pack your things." she said with finality. As he leaned into the cupboard once more, Vernon grabbed him by his oversized shirt.
"He's not going anywhere!" He hissed. "When we took the boy in, we decided that we weren't going to stand for that magic mess."
"Oh, of course he's coming with me. You're treating him like he's common trash! He's going to live in the castle until his school year starts. He can either come with me, or I can obviously get the muggle police involved. I'm sure they'd take in the way he is versus how you treat your own son. Take in that he lives under the stairs and is too thin for anyone to be healthy. Take your pick." with a grumble, he let Harry go, who ran to her, looking up at her. "Get your things, boy." Typical, these muggles. It's easy to see how to get to them based on how they treat Harry. Anything out of the ordinary- say the police at their door- and they panic.
He held up a tiny bag worth of clothes, and that's it. "This is all I have." Glaring at the couple, who were huddled into the corner, she tucked her wand back into her robes and escorted Harry out of the house and down the road. "Where are we going?"
"We're going to get you your appropriate necessities and you're going to go live in the castle."
"Why?"
"Harry, I think it's time you learn about who your parents actually are and how they died."
"Aunt Petunia says that they died in a car crash. I'm not allowed to talk about it."
"Well, I'm not your blasted aunt and I will tell you anything you want to know. Now, let's get what you need."