Note: the first bit starts off somewhere in the middle of the first chapter of the first book if you're confused.
"And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."
"You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall., jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore – you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they're got this son – I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"
"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."
"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous – a legend – I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future – there will be books written about Harry – every child in our world will know his name!"
"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"
"No, I don't," said Professor McGonagall icily, "I don't see how anything could be worse than staying with these muggles!" Dumbledore opened with mouth to interrupt, but Professor McGonagall continued angrily. "You couldn't find anyone as incompetent to raise a child like Harry! There's hundreds of wizarding families who would fight to adopt Harry! I don't see why-"
"Minerva!" shouted Dumbledore, before speaking again, in a much calmer voice, "If you feel so strongly about the matter, what do you think we should do?" Professor McGonagall, perplexed by Dumbledore's sudden change in his attitude, paused for a moment before beginning again.
"Well I guess we could leave him with someone in the Order. The Weasleys know how raise good children – their oldest just started at Hogwarts, and I don't doubt that he'll get Prefect, if not Head Boy, when the time comes," she said cautiously.
"Well then, let's leave him with the Weasleys. They'll be delighted. I can set them up with a weekly payment from Harry's trust account, and they could take him off our hands." Dumbledore said brightly. Professor McGonagall was still trying to figure out the cause of Dumbledore's sudden change of mood when he spoke again. "But soon you'll see why I wanted him away from this." Professor McGonagall quickly stood up, sensing that perhaps it would be a good idea to leave.
"Goodnight Dumbledore," she said, swiftly turning and disappearing with a loud crack, Dumbledore's strange words still echoing in her head.
Professor McGonagall appeared with a loud crack on a large grassy hill. Looking around, she saw a mass of people slowly walking down to where a large house – almost a mansion – stood, a rather impressive structure compared to the small farm house that occupied the space before. Even though she was a fair way from it, she could make out the large lettering on a banner: 'Happy 11th Birthday Harry!' Every few seconds, a new person arrived. The Knight Bus was doing a good trade, spilling out people before darting off again to collect more. She watched the strange procession of people laden down with strangely shaped parcels – she could've sworn she heard one hissing – and some with quills and parchment for the famed boy to sign as well as a smattering of reporters eagerly looking over the heads of the crowd, cameras in tow.
Professor McGonagall started as a loud pop came from only metres away. A smiling Dumbledore appeared next to her, clad in brilliant blue dress robes.
"Come for the party, my dear Professor?" he asked, eyes twinkling with mirth.
"And you haven't?"
"You can never be too old for parties," he said happily "And I'm personally presenting him with his Hogwarts letter." Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows.
"I thought I sent that last week," she said worriedly, "Was there something wrong?"
"They sent it back, and asked if I was available to come to the party," he replied, "We better get down there now, before we get run over." Professor McGonagall nodded and started to walk down towards the house, disguising her hurt. She was the one who sent the letters, or charmed them anyway, and they went and sent them back to Dumbledore! Was she not important enough? "Lovely set up they've got," said Dumbledore, gesturing towards a large tent where people were currently lining up to get in.
"I've seen less at a wedding," replied Professor McGonagall, gazing at the decorations, "They've put that money to good use."
"The house certainly has changed a little," Dumbledore said. Professor McGonagall snorted in a most unladylike manner.
"Last I saw it, it was little more than a renovated farm house." She said.
"I did rather like it that way," Dumbledore replied absentmindedly.
Inside the tent, Mrs Weasley stood behind a small table, stacked with presents. As they fought towards her, they noticed house elves grabbing presents and moving them towards a much larger pile near the back of the tent.
"Dumbledore!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, her elaborately pinned hair wobbling dangerously on top of her head, "Good to see you! Have you got the letter?"
"Of course Molly," he said calmly.
"Oh and Professor McGonagall too! How good of you to come," she continued, "Have you brought presents?"
"As if I would forget," Professor McGonagall replied, pulling out a heavy rectangular present. Dumbledore shook his head.
"A book Professor?" he asked "Everyone knows little boys like chocolates more than books." He placed an oddly shaped present on the pile.
"If I'm going to be teaching him, I expect him to know some things." She retorted.
As they got closer to the back of the tent, they noticed the very boy they were talking about. Harry Potter sat on a large chair, almost a throne, on a large platform surrounded by presents.
"You're right, he looks like he does enjoy chocolates more than books," Professor McGonagall muttered to Dumbledore. She was not wrong. The boy sitting on the throne was rather large, if not very overweight. His dark hair and face were definitely James' but the bright green eyes that stared lazily out over the party were Lily's and the rest of his body was probably a combination of Mrs Weasley's great cooking and the large number of chocolates hidden under wrapping paper surrounding his chair.
"Hello Dumbledore!" Xenophilius Lovegood had managed to sneak dangerously close. The eccentric wizard was one for engaging in long conversations about some strange and usually non-existent thing.
"What brings you here?" Dumbledore asked politely.
"I've got a really good idea for an article. Someone sent in a while ago about a rumour that the real Harry Potter's living with his aunt and uncle, and the one here's just a fake." He said excitedly.
"Do you know who it was?" asked Professor McGonagall. The wizard missed her glare at Dumbledore and continued talking. "I'll leave you two to it then," she said, stalking away and loosing herself in the crowd. Suddenly a voice boomed through the tent.
"Harry will be opening presents, but first, I think we have a special guest to present something," the guests all peered over one another as Dumbledore strode towards the raised platform, holding the letter in his hand. The crowd cheered as Dumbledore handed over the letter and Harry tore it open. The voice echoed through the tent again. "Harry will be at Diagon Alley for school shopping on the third of August." Then the sound of ripping began again as Harry started on his large pile of presents. Professor McGonagall watched as Harry ripped open toys, chocolates, even broomsticks in a never ending cycle. A house elf would run up to him with a present, then he would rip it open and give it to another house elf who would place it into a pile of opened presents. She noticed after a while, that two piles were forming. One large one full of toys, food and expensive presents and the other full of books and clothing. After the last present had been opened, Mrs Weasley went up to the raised platform to talk to Harry, who had begun to look through the first pile of presents. The guests were in a hushed silence as they tried to listen to the conversation. Then Harry started bawling and it wasn't hard to hear him.
"But I don't want to go talk to them!" He screamed, "I want to play with my stuff!" Professor McGonagall listened with interest, but at that moment, Mrs Weasley whispered something to him and he immediately walked down the stairs reluctantly. Professor McGonagall fought through the crowds to test her theory, but luck was not on her side. She eventually gave up and retreated to a far corner. A crowd of young redheads stood there and she realised that they were the rest of the Weasley children.
"Good afternoon," she said to one of the younger looking boys, "Are you starting Hogwarts this year?" The boy nodded and put out his hand.
"Hullo. I'm Ron." He said, before gesturing at the girl beside him "This is Ginny, she'll be starting next year, and that's her friend, Luna." Ginny was unmistakably his sister, with her long red hair, her friend was definitely not related, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in a bright green dress, with a strange necklace on. Professor McGonagall had heard that Xenophilius had a daughter, and she didn't doubt that this was her. Just as they descended into an uncomfortable silence, Percy strode over.
"Good afternoon Professor," he said smoothly "What brings you here?"
"Harry's birthday, of course. I was trying to speak to him, but there's a rather large crowd, don't you think?" Percy's face fell slightly and the rest of the small group fell into silence at the sound of Harry's name. Professor McGonagall heard a quiet muttered 'bloody perfect Harry getting all the attention' from Ron and she quickly left, going back to try her luck in speaking to Harry. By now, most of the crowd had thinned, and she made her way to Harry easily.
"Hello Harry, I'll be teaching you at Hogwarts this year," she said. Harry looked at her, bored.
"My arm's sore. I can't sign anything." He replied.
"Don't worry, I just wanted to talk," she said, fighting to keep her place in front of Harry while people tried to get his attention.
"I don't want to talk," he said rather rudely, "I want cake. Go away." And at that moment, a huge cake was levitated through the room to a table placed in the very centre. It was a work of art. Frosted wizards fought along the bottom of the cake, causing a marvellous light display, while a game of Quidditch was played across the top. People looked at the five layer delicacy in wonder. Unfortunately the small boy did not.
"You said it would be bigger!" his screams echoed across the tent, "I want another!"
Professor McGonagall turned in disgust, and walked away. As she walked out, she nearly ran into Dumbledore.
"Would it be too childish to say 'I told you so'?" he asked.