Summary: Alternate Universe. What would Harry's life have been like if the Dursleys were more-or-less okay with magic? A tad corny, but work with me here.
Warning 1: Several characters have completely different personalities from their book/movie counterparts.
Warning 2: I am not British, and so attempts to make this sound British will probably be horrendous.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story, except for a few incantations which I made up. Anything recognizable from books or movies belongs to JKR.
Chapter One: Discovered on the Doorstep
Petunia Dursley shrieked with alarm at the sight of the bundle on her doorstep. Within seconds, her husband Vernon was downstairs, wielding a lamp from their bedroom like a sword. The bundle began crying.
"What is it, Petunia?" Vernon demanded, lowering the lamp. Petunia picked up the bundle, shaking. A letter fell out. Wordlessly, she passed the bundle to Vernon and picked the letter up.
Mrs Petunia Dursley4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
Dear Mrs Dursley,
I regret to inform you of the demise of your sister, Lily Potter, and brother-in-law, James Potter. I realise that this will come as a great shock, but they were murdered in their home last night. It has been determined safest for their son, your nephew Harry, to remain with his blood relatives, rather than sending him to an orphanage. As he has no relatives whatsoever on his father's side, he will be staying with you and your family.
Many charms are in place to ensure that no harm comes to your home or family so long as he stays there, minimizing any risks. Dark wizards are after your nephew, but rest assured that we have taken every precaution to ensure his and your safety. Blood magic will protect you all.
Regretfully,
Albus Dumbledore
Petunia dropped the letter as if she had been burned, backed away from it, and slammed the door shut.
"What is it, Petunia?" Vernon repeated.
"Lily's dead," said Petunia numbly. She couldn't believe it. Lily was dead. Her sister, one of life's constants. True, she hadn't gotten along very well with Lily, but she had never thought about her being gone, either. Tears began leaking out of Petunia's eyes as she took her still-wailing nephew from Vernon's uncertain grip.
Vernon frowned. He could guess where this was going. "That's her son?" he asked warily. Petunia nodded. Now Vernon knew where this was going. "Why would we have to take him? Can't he go with one of… their kind?"
"The… the letter said he would be safest with a blood relative. There isn't anyone else."
"I'm not having one of those freaks under this roof!"
"VERNON DURSLEY! Harry is a baby. It's not his fault that he was born abnormal. If we can get him to control it, I'm sure everything will be fine."
"What about Dudley? It's not safe for him!"
Petunia hesitated. "I.. I think that there may be something odd about Dudley already."
"WHAT?"
"He throws his toys around all night, but they're all in the cradle in the morning. The taps keep getting blocked whenever he doesn't want to take a bath. If he doesn't like a type of baby food, suddenly all the jars of it are missing. I've wanted to tell you, but I was worried it might be too stressful."
"So, instead, you decide to tell me now. Bloody brilliant of you, Petunia. When could be a less stressful time then right after finding out we've been burdened with your sister's child?"
"What other choice do we have? I refuse to send my blood to an orphanage."
"Fine. Keep the little weirdo. But I refuse to have any more to do with him than I have to." Vernon went back upstairs. "I'm going to work."
Petunia sighed and looked down at the baby. As his wails had not met results, he had quieted down, and was now whimpering. "Where Mummy?" he pleaded.
"Your Mummy's gone," Petunia whispered. "Your Mummy can't come back."
After a few minutes, she put him in Dudley's playpen in the living room, and then went up to get Dudley. When she went upstairs, she found her son sitting up in his cradle, staring at the door. He'd been doing that a lot lately, no matter how early she came in. Both boys were unnaturally silent as she put them in the playpen together.
"Hi," said Dudley finally. Harry didn't respond. Dudley grabbed a large teddy bear, dragged it over to his cousin, and dumped it in Harry's lap. There was no reaction. Dudley crawled to the other side of the playpen and began playing with a toy boat. Harry suddenly clung to the teddy as though his life depended on it.
Around mid-afternoon, the doorbell rang. Petunia, upon answering, discovered a man whom she had met once before, when her parents had convinced her to attend Lily's wedding.
"Remus Lupin?"
"Hullo, Petunia. Er… I realize that I'm not really welcome around you and Vernon but… well… I'd like to see Harry," he stammered.
Petunia nodded. It might be good for the oddly quiet boy to see a familiar face. "Come in. Tea?"
"If it's not to much trouble."
Petunia led him into the living room. Normally, she wouldn't have let anyone wearing robes into her house, but she had met three of James' closest friends at the wedding, and Remus had struck her as one of the most trust-worthy people she had ever met.
"Moony!" Harry cried, pulling himself into a half-standing position with the walls of the playpen. Remus lifted him out, and Harry clung to him. "Where Daddy?" he asked. Remus looked as if he were about to cry. He whispered softly into Harry's ear, and although Petunia couldn't hear what he said, she did catch an 'I'm sorry,' and assumed that Remus was apologizing for not taking Harry in.
"Thank you," Remus said softly to Petunia, putting Harry back in the playpen. "Um… if you need a babysitter or something for him, I'm in the neighbourhood." He handed her a slip of paper, with his name, a street address and a telephone number on it. "Strange coincidence, but, erm." He awkwardly stopped talking. "I'd better go." He darted out the door before Petunia could say anything.
Two weeks later found 4 Privet Drive to be a completely different home. Petunia had gone through all the photo albums, and any with Lily in them were framed and placed on the mantelpiece or walls. The empty room next to Dudley's had become Harry's bedroom, and Remus Lupin was visiting regularly. Dudley and Harry had become almost inseparable, and both were bursting with 'accidental' magic. Few days went past without one or both of them levitating something, changing a toy's colour/size, or (in Dudley's case) deliberately braking something and then fixing it by magic. No amount of baby-proofing could keep the breakables unbroken.
Then, on the exact two week anniversary of Harry's arrival, the front lawn was mobbed with wizard reporters. Vernon had to call in sick because they couldn't open the door without reporters trying to get inside.
Remus, who had Apparated into the living room when Petunia called him to ask for help, quickly figured out a solution.
"ALRIGHT, CLEAR OFF, ALL OF YOU!" he roared through an open window. "YOU'RE BREAKING THE INTERNATIONAL STATUTE OF SECRECY, TALKING ABOUT ALL THIS IN A MUGGLE AREA! GET OUT, BEFORE THE LOT OF YOU END UP IN AZKABAN!"
The reporters looked stunned for a moment, before Disapparating as one.
"Thanks, Remus," said Vernon. He had quite warmed up to the wizard, after the frosty first meeting.
"No problem. I was never too fond of the Daily Prophet. You're lucky none of them thought to Apparate inside."
"If they had, then they could have been arrested."
"True."
Crash! "Dudley!" Petunia shrieked. "I said not to touch Mummy's vase!"
A/N: So, what do you think of my first attempt at Harry Potter fanfiction? (Keep in mind that the story isn't done, and granting me the artistic license to change character attitudes.)
A) Excellent, this is even better than your other stories!
B) It's good, keep it up.
C) It's okay, but I prefer your Animorphs fics.
D) NO! IT'S HORRIBLE! DON'T EVEN TRY TO FINISH THIS, DELETE IT NOW!
E) You are a horrible writer, whose fics totally stink, and should not be allowed on or anywhere else. (If you select this please explain why the heck you read this far.)
