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We are the 0bservanc3. We See many timelines.
We do NOT own Harry Potter, nor any characters seen within this timeline.
Read on…
And see how even small changes in a single life can change the world.
A Very 'Not So Different' Story Ch. 2) What to do with Harry?
We left our story at this particular point in time:
Arriving at the Potter's home, Hagrid… and then McGonagall, burst into tears. The home was wrecked and on fire, with visible interior destruction. Dumbledore quickly apparated inside, and, seeing the dead body of James Potter, ran as fast as he could upstairs. There, he found the corpse of Lily Potter, the cloak worn by Voldemort, and completely unharmed, Harry Potter. Grabbing the baby as softly as possible, he then apparated outside, just as the house collapsed.
And that is the beginning of the tale of Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived…
This, is what happened next:
(OCTOBER 31, 1981 : GODRIC'S HOLLOW: AFTER THE ATTACK)
"Albus, what are we going to do? He found the Potters. FOUND THEM! They were under the Fidelius, and you know that no wizard nor witch has ever broken that charm without the knowledge kept by the Secret Keeper! You know what that means don't you? Sirius Black betrayed the Potters! I-I don't…" Minerva sputtered out of her emotional rant, sickened by her grief. She could not believe that Sirius Black, a life long friend to Lily and James, had betrayed them. It was unthinkable! Had they really been so blind?
Albus Dumbledore stood beside his deputy headmistress and half-giant friend and thought… scratch that, he thought hard. Like Minerva had stated, he could not conceive any other possible explaination as to how Tom, or Voldemort as he went by nowadays, could have found the Potters without Sirius's help. He, and many of the Order, had been there when he enthusiastically accepted the role of Secret Keeper. Could some Death Eater have used the Imperious Curse and forced the secret from him? No… the Secret of a Fidelius could not be taken by force. Or was it as Minerva suspected, and he had secretly held true to his family's legacy of being Dark?
Dumbledore internally shook his head. Right now, there were too many assumptions and too little actual facts. He had no right to condemn Sirius on such little evidence as he had. The Magical World was full of things that weren't what they seemed. Right now, he had to check and see if Tom was really gone, or if the prophecy had really come true, as he feared it did. The repercussions of such a course would be disastrous for the future of the Magical World.
"Hagrid?" He called. "Could you take…?" Holding out Harry towards the half-giant. He didn't want to take the babe into the ruins of his family's home, especially when the dead bodies of his parents were still there as well. All they needed was for a stray Death Eater to apparate here to see if their lord was finished, and Harry would begin to cry. That would not end well, even with the larger than usual amount of magical people calling Godric's Hollow home.
The half-giant started in surprise. Dumbledore wanted him to hold onto Harry Potter? After what he just went through!? He'd be lucky if the babe didn't bawl at the sight of him! But, just the same, he would do what he could. 'No child should 'ave to go through wha' lil' 'arry 'as.' Hagrid thought as he lumbered over to the ancient headmaster.
"If ya thin' it be okay wid McGonagall sah. Lor' knows she'd be be'er than me a' this!" Hagrid remarked as he took possession of the, as yet unknown to them, only survivor of the Killing Curse. In fact, Minerva did mind that Albus wanted to give Harry to Hagrid. Not that she didn't trust the half-giant… she did! But, Harry needed a… gentle touch after what he had been through, and Hagrid, as soft as a soul as he was… was… well… a half-giant! He could accidentally kill the infant.
"I need Minerva to scan the area. Who knows who or what could come after the Potter's home now? Everyone knew they were a very rich and prosperous House. When word inevitably gets out that Tom has… "removed"… them, scavengers and looters will come in droves to obtain their wealth." Dumbledore stated as he calmly moved towards the destroyed house, as a still very distraught, but now understanding McGonagall left to place minor wards around the parameter. 'If the prophecy was true,' Dumbledore thought, 'Then Tom should have killed Harry after he had murdered his parents.' There was no doubt that Tom, or Voldemort, had killed the older Potters. The question was, why was Harry still alive?
Scanning through the rubble of the Potter's home, Dumbledore saw very little signs of a struggle. Most damage seemed to have been caused by an explosion spell. Then, he came upon a charred door, or pieces of a charred door, that looked like it had been under a barrage of Severing Charms and the Fiendfyre Curse. With further inspection, Dumbledore noticed an imprint on a slab of wall that looked suspiciously like a person's. What had Tom done before killing the Potters? Finding no physical evidence of what went on after Voldemort's invasion besides the dead bodies, Dumbledore decided to try and see if his magic could pick up anything.
Closing his tired eyes, the old headmaster focused his magical core, and released a small, concentrated burst in a circle around him, much like the muggle sonar. When the burst reverberated against Minerva's wards, what he found both shocked, and amazed him! If he was right, and he usually was, then something extraordinary happened this night! Ancient magic was used, and a Dark Lord was slain!
By the account of his magic, Dumbledore recognized that Tom had cast the Unlocking Charm on the Potter's front door, then the Killing Curse, probably on James. Then, he had used the explosion spell that caused most of the lower level damage. After that, his magic confirmed that Tom had cast a number of Severing Charms and the Fiendfyre Curse. Then, after a surprising, and worrisome length of time, broken only by the snake summoning spell, and a sudden burst of uncontrolled magic, probably Tom's attempt to frighten Lily, he had cast another Killing Curse, most definitely on her. What shook the headmaster to his core, his physical one this time, and puzzled him, was what happened next.
By the echoes he was receiving, some unnamed ancient magic had sprung from the dead body of Harry's mother and entered him, unsuspected by Tom. When Tom had cast his next Killing Curse, to finish off the Potter line, and end the prophecy for good, this same ancient magic had absorbed the dark magic. Then, it exploded from the infant, heading and suddenly stopping at the location Dumbledore assumed Tom was standing, which meant he had been hit by the rebound. This was a miracle, albeit a bittersweet one.
Tom was gone! Not dead, for he picked up some interfering magic holding the disposed "lord's" soul from moving on, but he could just as well be for now. He had to tell Minerva! This was their chance at a reprieve from the War, a chance to rebuild the Side of the Light to a proper fighting force for when Tom would no doubt return.
"MINERVA! MINERVA! COME HERE!" The ancient wizard shouted as loud as his aged vocal cords could without the aid of magic.
(WITH McGONAGALL)
As the Head of Gryffindor House left Dumbledore and the half-giant Hagrid behind, her mind was still reeling. How could this happen!? They were so careful! Only trusted Order members were present when the Potter's selected Sirius as their Secret Keeper. Then, only the three of them, not counting baby Harry, were there when the secret to the Fidelius was created. McGonagall shook her head to dissipate these terrible thoughts.
She couldn't think of this now! She had wards to place, and since He had for some reason spared Harry, she would do everything she could to protect the boy!
Now to
Before McGonagall could even draw her wand, she felt the telltale sign of someone, or something, apparating to the spot only a few spans in front of her. 'No… They couldn't be coming already! This just happened! And there is no Dark Mark in the air!' These thoughts blazed through McGonagall's head as she prepared a charm to stop whatever came down. Imagine her surprise when the only thing that appeared was a simple snake. Or was it? He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named was said to be fond of using the reptiles in his dark doings. Better be safe than sorry, and a wordless charm wouldn't cause too much disturbance, would it?
'Diff what is that thing doing?' McGonagall had begun to recite the charm that would sever the snake in two when she had seen it begin to… write?… on the dirt on the ground!? Now doubly on guard, for no regular snake could write in English, let alone any other human language, the witch crept closer. The now obviously magical snake finished writing and laid on the ground, seeming to be waiting for McGonagall to read what it had written.
When McGonagall was close enough to read what was written, she gasp. The snake had not only written in English, but what it had written was mind numbing. In clear, or as clear as a snake could write in dirt, the snake had written:
Female two-leg;
One of the two speakers had asked me to return to this place after my mate birthed her brood
As this speaker is now gone, I will relate what I am to do to you
The hatchling that was left in the nest is to be given my smallest offspring as a protector
A large amount of human magic was given to me to assure that this occurred
Where is the hatchling? Bring him now
McGonagall was beyond shocked now. Speakers? Wasn't that what she had read snakes referred to those who were Parselmouths? If that was the case, then it would seem that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named had left a snake to…protect the youngest Potter? That made no sense! 'Wait… "One of the two speakers"?' Was there another Parselmouth that had accompanied He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named tonight? Had this other double-crossed the Dark Lord and sent his or her own servants to protect Harry? She had to tell Albus!
"ALBUS! ALBUS! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!" McGonagall proclaimed… at the exact same time that Dumbledore requested her presence as well.
(WITH DUMBLEDORE)
Dumbledore had heard Minerva's proclamation, and wondered what she could have found that would need his assistance? No! What if a Death Eater or some other supporter of Tom's had made their way here already! As fast as he could, the elderly wizard strode out of the rubble of the Potter's home and to where Minerva's shout had come from.
Hagrid was tense, all this yelling was getting him all worked up, and couldn't be good for little Harry, right? And what could either professor have found that need to be shouted for the whole world to hear?
Dumbledore, meanwhile, had made his way over to Minerva, and was similarly shocked at her discovery. A rather large snake was laying on the ground next to… was that writing?… on the ground. What had happened now!? Quickly reading the message, Dumbledore bent over and observed the reptile, which observed him right back. What a curious creature. Doing a quick scan, he could find only a hint of dark magic on the snake, and that was rapidly fading. What was going on?
"It seems that Tom was betrayed by one who shared his abilities, wouldn't it Minerva? As of now, I can only think of one thing to do..." McGonagall waited for the decision of the man she respected more than any other. "We shall let the snake see Harry, if only to observe what will happen."
"But Albus-"
"If it should show any sign of malicious intent towards Harry, by Tom's instruction or not, I can assure you, I will intervene. After what I have discovered, a Parselmouth on the Side of the Light is not so strange a thought." And with that, Dumbledore nodded to the snake, which nodded back, and walked off towards Hagrid. Minerva was again shocked. What had Albus himself found in the ruins? If she kept being surprised, she would need a medi-wizard from St. Mungo's to check on her old heart!
(WITH HAGRID)
Rubeus Hagrid did not like this, he did not like this one bit. First James and Lily Potter, two of his dearest friends, were murdered in their own homes. Then, he, Dumbledore, and McGonagall find their year old baby alive after what was obviously a very devastating attack. And after all that, both Dumbledore and McGonagall go off after shouting back and forth and look to see what's what! Leaving him to protect Harry… by himself!
Soon after Dumbledore goes to see what McGonagall is shouting about, he sees both professors heading towards him. Maybe now answers would be given, and they could get Harry the attention he no doubt needed. Even Hagrid knew that young ones needed near constant care. Hadn't- No, best not to think of his little Aragog here, he'd wait till all this was sorted to go see his old friend.
"Wos goin' on 'ere Dumbledore? Ye an' McGonagall 'ave been runnin' an' shoutin' arou' since we go' 'ere. Shou' I be worri'd?" Hagrid was getting agitated as well.
"Hagrid, we have a new development. Now, I'm sure you won't like it, but we have to see if what I suspect is really true or not. Will you allow us to do this? It seems a serpent was given previous instruction to return here after the attack and gift young Harry with one of its hatchlings. We will allow this snake to do what it was told. If it turns out that what it says is true, then the Dark Lord had a serious unknown working against him, and Harry will receive extra protection. If the serpent lies, and tries to harm Harry, well… a quick Severing Charm will end it. This will not require Harry to be placed in any possible danger, as both Minerva and I will have our wands drawn and ready." Dumbledore said. If Hagrid didn't know about the snake's purpose, he might do something… rash. He had been a Gryffindor after all. And for all their bravery, those of Gryffindor were well known to charge forward without thinking too clearly.
Hagrid was taken aback, mirrored by the fact that he cradled the infant Harry closer to his chest. What was this! Let a bloody snake near Harry when everybody knew, KNEW, that the Dark Lord used them for unspeakable evils! Even as the half-giant was eternally grateful for Dumbledore allowing him to stay at Hogwarts as its Gamekeeper, and equally eternally trusting of the old wizard as well, this was outlandish and insane! (Who said Hagrid had a small vocabulary?) Furrowing his enormous eyebrows in concentration and confusion, Hagrid took a small, for him, step away from the two in front of him.
Dumbledore was, for the moment, glad that the half-giant had not done anything too impulsive. A step back was hardly the worst he had thought Hagrid would do in light of his announcement. But even if his old friend was not openly running away from them, he was no doubt seriously thinking on the matter. He had to do, or say, something to persuade Hagrid that everything was alright. But what could he say? To his relief, Hagrid provided his own answer.
"Wai' a mo'… I kno' was' goin' on 'ere. You been curs'd o' some such!" This sudden, and entirely faulty logic should have been suspected of Hagrid. Sadly, neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall had thought of this particular outcome. Especially when Hagrid raised his umbrella, which had recently been hanging from his wrist by a cord, towards the two. This was bad. Ol' snake skin mus' 'ov lef' some surprise for ye! Stay ba'!"
Dumbledore immediately stopped all movement, even breathing. He knew that Hagrid would normally never even think of harming another with magic, but this was an exclusive moment in time where he felt that that outcome was highly possible. Hagrid was holding the only remaining object in this world that truly represented two of the only people who had wholeheartedly accepted him, half-giant and all, and he was not about to let anything endanger that object… Harry. Giants had an unprecedented instinct to protect their young, or anything else they deemed precious, ferociously. Hagrid was now, aware of it or not, channeling that instinct. Now… how to defuse this situation and get everyone to a safer place?
"Hagrid… is there any way that Minerva or I could convince you that neither of us are under any curse or enchantment laid by the Dark Lord?" Hopefully the half-giant's test would not be too difficult, and easily passed. This was wasting precious time! Hagrid thought hard, his eyebrows knitting together furiously. The gears in his head were turning on a completely different speed than usual. What could he test them on that would prove if they were or were not under a curse or spell? The compulsion curse was easily identifiable, but hard to break by an outside force if cast remotely. The mind bending hex was nearly unrecognizable but easily broken. What to do, what to do!?
After nearly twenty minutes of thinking, and still warding off the suspected cursed Dumbledore and McGonagall, Hagrid came to a decision.
"I wan' M'Gonagall ta spill 'er mos' embarrassin' secret, an' Dumbledore ta cut off 'is beard!"
This threw the elderly witch and wizard for a loop. Outrageous! What could Hagrid possibly be thinking? There was no way McGonagall would tell that secret in front of Albus and Hagrid! Possible magical wounds be damned! Dumbledore was likewise wondering what his Gamekeeper was thinking. Cut off his precious beard!? Only as a last resort… or for the Greater Good… and since this circumstance met neither requirement, the he was not inclined to follow Hagrid's order.
"WHAT! RUBEUS HAGRID! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD DEMAND SUCH TERMS FROM US! US OF ALL PEOPLE!" McGonagall exploded. She was incensed beyond belief at the gall of the half-giant. Again, Minerva thought about what Hagrid was asking, and only got madder.
"I too am shocked at what you are asking of us Hagrid. Short of dueling the other, I had thought you would ask us to do any number of other things to prove our innocence. But shave my BEARD! Absolutely not!" Dumbledore was also not very happy. But, while their emotional outbursts could have been seen as ludicrous in the face of an overprotective half-giant holding a magical umbrella to their faces, it was just what Hagrid had been hoping for. Had they been under some dark compulsion, they would have either complied with his demand, so as too obtain their goal faster, or outright attacked him… which would have been bad. He probably should have thought that out better than he did. Oh well…
"O' I'm so s'rry Profess'rs," The half-giant let out a great explosion of air as he relaxed, now sure that the witch and wizard in front of him were truly in their right minds. "I 'ad ta be sure tha' you were truly you. An' I am now… ta be sure! I knew M'Gonagall wou' not do as I as'd, and wa' sure tha' you wou'nt cut yer beard Profess'r Dumbledore. Bu' under a compuls'on curse o' some such, I knew you'd act differ'ntly."
Dumbledore was pleased that the half-giant trusted them again, if he had every truly not. McGonagall was worried that Hagrid had set such an easy test, for what if they truly had been cursed? They both could have easily defeated Hagrid, and then killed Harry. She knew that the half-giant had taken a considerable risk in trusting them in these uncertain times, but was glad he had. But she was still angry at what Hagrid had demanded! While McGonagall went from fuming to accepting and back again, Hagrid slowly walked over to where the Eastern Brown was laying. Best to get this over with.
As all this was going on, the Eastern Brown, whose name was Seris, was watching the two-legs, exasperated by their idiocy. Had he wanted to kill the redheaded speakers hatchling, he would have tried by now. Two-legs were just plain stupid sometimes. After a short argument, and a yelling from the female two-legs, the giant two-legged one lumbered over to him. Finally!
Hagrid slowly set young Harry on the ground, while Dumbledore and McGonagall drew their wands and aimed them at Seris. 'Oh Pleassse.' Seris thought. These two-legs were so serious and tense, they needed to relax. Slowly making his way towards the infant, Seris felt the unfamiliar sense of human magic building inside him. While it was alien to him, it felt warm, and not at all unpleasant. Reaching the boy, Seris stopped moving, flicking his tongue out every few seconds to taste the air, and also the hatchling in front of him. Yes… this was the same hatchling that the red-haired speaker had asked him to help protect. The instinct to protect young was slightly unknown to him. His kin usually abandoned their hatchlings after they hatched, leaving them to survive on their own. His own mother had been an exception to this, raising him and his six hatch-mates through their "childhoods".
Carefully, as not to alarm the magical two-legs above him, Seris began to slither around Harry until his body began to shape a perfect circle, with the infant in the exact center. Seris had no idea what he was doing, the human magic was directing his every move now. When Seris had formed a complete circle around Harry, he paused. The magic was pushing him to do something, raising an old memory of an ancient ceremony that he was supposed to do. Suddenly, it came to him… a Binding. The magic wanted him to perform a Binding between his hatchling and this small two-leg. Now Seris began to worry. The Binding was what a magical two-leg would use to create a link between him or her and an animal. It allowed the magical to store magic of any sort in said animal, for further use and/or to give the animal special traits.
But the Binding was also dangerous for this same animal. A magical two-leg could use the bond to cause terrible pain to his or her bonded. Usually, Seris would not care what a magical two-leg did with his or her bonded. But… this was his hatchling, and his mother's strange protective instinct had been passed onto him. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the decision to stop was not really up to him anymore. Now that he had thought of the ceremony, and how it was performed, the magic in him forced his body to begin.
With a burst of the magic, the only unhatched egg of his mates clutch was summoned to Seris. With a nudge, Seris sent the egg slowly rolling to Harry's feet. When it had stopped swaying back and forth, Seris's body began to move, still keeping to the circle he had earlier created. The magic coursed through his body, making Seris feel as never before. Then, it made him speak.
"Young hatchling… I Sssserissss of the Great and Proud Race of the Sssserpentssss… here do by magic mosssst ancient and pure, bind my lassst hatchling to you. I do thissss of my own free will and of sssound mind. He will be your firssst companion, but never your lassst. He will protect you from any danger, and will hold any sssecret." As Seris preformed the ceremony, great amounts of the magic inside of him were being unleashed, flying into and through both Harry and the egg. The observing wizards and witch were speechless. The snake was circling Harry, hissing who knows what, and magic at levels that should not be seen in any animal short of a true magical one, such as a Phoenix or Unicorn, was bursting from it.
"In accordance of with the lawsss of our Mother Earth and Her magic, from which your power, and our livessss ssspring from, I hereby Bind this hatchling to you for life! Never can thisss be sssevered unless you or he diesss. Now hatch, my offs sssspring, and greet your life-friend!" With the ending of the ceremony, most of the magic left in Seris shot out and struck the egg. Instead of obliterating it into hundreds of shards of shell and goo, the magic was merely absorbed by the egg. With this done, Seris broke the circle, and tired as he had never been before, was suddenly banished back to his mate and remaining offspring by the last of the magic that resided in him. He hoped the small two-leg grew and took care of his young one.
With the snake gone, McGonagall and Dumbledore sprang into action. McGonagall began casting as many diagnostic spells on Harry as her friend Poppy, the Nurse and Matron of Hogwarts, had taught her. Dumbledore began laying the most advanced wards around them as he could. The snake may not have intentionally harmed Harry, but that magic it had done was sure to have been felt by every magical resident of Godric's Hollow. This was potentially problematic. Hagrid once again raised his umbrella and began to fugitively scan for possible threats.
McGonagall gave a small wail, and both Dumbledore and Hagrid, now forgetting his scanning, jumped to her side. Worried by what she could have found, both wizards looked at the infant Harry, trying to discern what caused McGonagall to shout. Harry looked to be fine, no limbs falling off or skin peeling off. No suspicious lights in his eyes or glowing aura of dark magic to be alarmed of. Before Dumbledore could ask what had scared his deputy headmistress, he saw the problem. The small snake egg was HATCHING! A large crack snapped into existence down the right side of the egg, and it began to wobble on its base. Hagrid, frightened of some sudden danger, made to spirit away young Harry. Dumbledore, anticipating this reaction, laid his hand on the half-giant's rather large arm, stopping him from snatching the small babe from the egg. Confused, Hagrid looked to the wizard he trusted most in the world for an explanation.
"Let us see what will come of the snake's little show. I cannot feel any trace of dark magic or intentions from the egg and am curious as to what the point of all that was. As none of us are Parselmouths, we cannot know what the snake said before it left, but no threatening action was taken against Harry or us. Have faith Hagrid. We will once again stand guard as this develops and protect Harry."
Not happy, Hagrid snorted, but took a step back. Dumbledore and McGonagall again drew their wands and pointed them at the egg, prepared for anything… they hope. More and more cracks appeared on the egg, and a faint odor of lilies wafted up to the observing wizards and witch from a hole that appeared alongside one of these cracks. Not understanding the significance of the smell of lilies, none of the three watching that night would realize until years later the secret of Lily Potter. After three minutes of watching the egg crack and shake, a small tail began to protrude from a widening hole near the bottom of the egg. With his tail out, the newborn hatchling shook furiously, wishing to be free of his tiny prison. With a last quake, the eggshell split in two and the snake was officially born.
Blinking, the hatchling flicked out its tongue, instinctively wanting to know what was around it. It sensed that there were three large two-legged creatures surrounding it, and promptly froze. Looking down at the tiny newborn, Dumbledore also blinked. The hatchling had with no warning, froze, making no movement. Had it been frightened? After waiting for it to move for some odd minutes, McGonagall gave a frustrated grunt and stalked off. All this worry over a frozen hatchling! As she moved away, Hagrid took a step forward, wanting to see the little bugger that had just been brought into the world. The poor thing looked terrified!
"Profess'r Dumbledore sir, I thin' ye be scarin' the li'l bugger. It was jus' born ye kno'. It 'as no idea wha' we are an' wha' we mean ta do ta it. Take a step back no' an' le's see wa' 'appens." Hagrid explained to the old wizard. For most people, the actions and behaviors of creatures that weren't human were mysteries. But for Hagrid, who had worked with creatures, both normal and magical alike, since childhood, and keep some himself, these behaviors were easy to understand. Dumbledore, knowing that Hagrid had this natural way with most creatures of the world, followed his advice and retreated slightly from the hatchling. It presented little threat to Harry as it was.
Feeling one, then the other two two-legs slightly move back from him, the hatchling "unfroze" and resumed tasting the air. What a strange world it had been born into. Then, as if pulled by an unknown force, the hatchling turned and gazed at a rather small two-leg… and felt the Bond solidify. Just having been born, the hatchling knew nothing of Binding, nor speakers, nor magical two-legs and those that were not. What it did know was that the small two-leg in front of him was more important than the world. Testing out its new muscles, the little snake made wobbly progress closer and closer to Harry. Reaching his toes, the newborn snake began what it knew would be a tiring climb up to the two-legs head.
Alarmed that the small snake was suddenly climbing Harry, Dumbledore reached for his wand, which he had put away after the larger snake had disappeared. Hagrid was now the one that held the arm that was reaching out. Dumbledore looked into the eyes of the half-giant, and read the look of mirth that resided in them. If Hagrid thought that a snake climbing on Harry as an infant was safe., then as long as Harry made no sudden moves, he assumed that it was safe. Now, to make plans for Harry. He needed a place to stay, to live, to enjoy his childhood. For Dumbledore knew for sure now that prophecy had come true. Neither Hagrid nor McGonagall had noticed, but a small scar had been etched into right side of Harry's forehead. Voldemort had marked his equal, as the prophecy had foretold. And that meant that he was not truly dead, as suspected, and would rise again. Until then, Harry had to be kept safe, away from all influences magical, as not to be corrupted by those who would try and turn him from the Light. He was their only hope.
"Hagrid, I want you to stay here and watch Harry and the… snake. If it does anything suspicious, take it and destroy it. Nothing can endanger Harry. McGonagall and I will be elsewhere and will contact you when we have everything set. Until then…" Dumbledore moved off towards McGonagall, and when he had her attention, they both apparated away, leaving Hagrid all alone with a year old infant with a small snake climbing on him.
(NOVEMBER 1, 1981 : NUMBER 4 PRIVET DRIVE, LITTLE WHINGING, SURREY, ENGLAND : THE NEXT DAY)
Away from the terrible and horrific events that occurred in Godric's Hollow, a small muggle family of three were waking up for the day the next morning. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. But unfortunately for them, today would be a very strange and mysterious day. As the Dursleys were waking up, Mr. Dursley, whose name was Vernon, lumbered down to the kitchen and grouchily made himself a cup of coffee. His wife, Petunia, had spent all night keeping their son, Dudley, happy. The little "wonder" was a year old and still wanted to be rocked to sleep nearly every night. When this happened, Petunia was always testy the next morning, and in an effort to continue life in relatively good health, Vernon would let her sleep as much as she wanted to.
Turning on the telly, Vernon was immediately greeted by a rather distressed newsman discussing strange flight patterns of owls? With a bah, Vernon Dursley finishes his coffee, goes upstairs to get dressed, and goes to work, only noticing a rather grey cat sitting across the street. Ten hours later, he returns to his home after a day at work, his wife awake and taking care of their child. After giving Petunia time to herself by watching Dudley for a few hours, the Dursleys go to bed, ready to start the next day the same way as this one, hopefully without freakish owls. But… that night…
Along the street known as Privet Drive, a very old man could be seen suddenly walking out of previously uninhabited shadows. Privet Drive, in an effort to keep its crime free street… crime free, had been gifted with a single lamp post in front of every house. This would not do for one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Tonight, they needed darkness, if only for a little while. So, in true Dumbledore fashion, he pulled out a strange looking cigarette lighter. Of course, it was no ordinary lighter, or a lighter at all! It was his Deluminator, and it could help him with his light problem, so to speak. Clicking on the little invention, it began to do its job. With a pop! the Deluminator sucked in the light of the nearest lamp, and continued to do so as Albus walked down the Drive.
Looking left, then right, Albus smiled as he saw just the person… or cat, he was looking for. "I should've known you would be here Minerva. Not satisfied to just be recon eh? Well, no harm done if you wish to see little Harry off." The cat that Albus was so calmly chatting to leaped into the air, and transformed into Minerva McGonagall, who was not happy.
"Good evening Professor Dumbledore. I can only assume you plan to continue through with this ludicrous idea of yours?"
"Ah Minerva, you and I both know that the life Harry would lead in our world would be no real life. Hounded every step by the Daily Prophet and its reporters, countless Houses trying to entangle him in political webs for their own benefit, and let's not forget the fact that there are still Death Eaters lurking about. No, living here would be the best for him I believe." Dumbledore tried to console his deputy headmistress before continuing. "As previously stated, Hagrid will be bringing Harry along shortly."
As if waiting for his cue, a loud Vroom! was heard as Rubeus Hagrid descended below the cloud line on a magical flying motorcycle. The half-giant seemed to be enjoying the ride as he executed some rather dangerous looking maneuvers on the cycle. McGonagall gasp as Hagrid made a particularly sharp turn to level out from a large loop.
"Do you think it wise, to trust Hagrid with something as important as this? Why not have Arthur, or even Alastor, take charge of Harry?" McGonagall usually had more trust in Hagrid, but with some things, the half-giant acted like a child with a new toy. And as Albus had said, Harry was too important to lose.
Dumbledore only answered in typical Dumbledore fashion, a twinkling of the eyes and, "Ah Minerva, I would trust Hagrid with my life."
By this time, Hagrid had decided to land, and came in with a roaring finish. The backend and bottom of the motorcycle sparked blue and green as the magic that kept it flying was forced to work overtime as the inept-at-driving/flying half-giant tried his best to stop the motorcycle. Or maybe the sparks were caused by Hagrid dragging the back half of the motorcycle on the ground, acting as a braking system. Anyway, after a very long skid, the magical motorcycle and its two passengers finally came to a stop with Hagrid making the cheery greeting, "Profess'r. Dumbledore, sir. Profess'r M'Gonagall, ma'am! Good evening'!"
"I trust there were no troubles Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked.
"Oh no sir. 'ad to wait till the li'l snake wa' nice an' comfy, but I got 'im ou' all righ' 'efore the Muggles started swarmin' around." The half-giant reassured. "Li'l tyke fell asleep as we 'ere flyin' o'er Bristol." Getting out of the motorcycle, Hagrid carefully handed Harry to Dumbledore. "Try no' to wake 'im. There you go." Hagrid had found a small basket, and had swaddled up Harry and placed him inside.
"Albus, do really think it's safe leaving him with these people? I've watched them all day. There're the worst sort of Muggles imaginable. They really are-" McGonagall tried to object. "The only family he has." But Dumbledore would not listen to his deputy. As Dumbledore and McGonagall walked the last few steps to Number 4, she noticed the newborn snake had found its way up to Harry's chest. Knowing that the Dursley's would try to kill the thing without any real reason to, McGonagall preformed a small, but world changing transfiguration. With a flip of her stealthily drawn wand, McGonagall changed the snake into a pure silver necklace, which she then silently magicked around Harry's neck. She then applied a very heavy non-removal spell and a slight stinging spell that would keep anyone but Harry from taking the necklace from him.
Stopping at the porch, Dumbledore tenderly laid the infant Harry down and, not noticing, or not believing any harm done by, the necklace, placed a single letter on his chest. Turning, he went to comfort the now crying Hagrid. "There there Hagrid, its not really goodbye after all. You'll see Harry plenty of times after he comes to Hogwarts."
With that, Dumbledore bids goodnight to his deputy and his gamekeeper, and apparates away. Hagrid, still sniffling, kick starts the motorcycle and with a mumble of, "Bett'r get this back,", flies away. McGonagall, unlike her two comrades, was not quite done tonight. Looking at the snake-that-was-also-a-necklace, she placed one more spell on it. She connected Harry's just immerging magical core to the necklace by just the smallest sliver. As the boy grew, his magic would be slightly siphoned off by the necklace, and when he could, Harry would be able to transfigure the snake back into it original form, and it would already be a magic filled familiar.
Now, one last thing to do. Letting our a particular low-pitch magical hum that only magical people or squibs could hear, McGonagall waited. Soon enough, Petunia Dursley opened the door to Privet Drive Number 4 and looked to see what was making that strange noise. She would later wish she hadn't. Standing there was the same woman who had come and told her sister that the freakish things she could do were things of magic. This was the woman who had ripped her sister away, and left her with only two sentences…
(SMALL FLASHBACK TO LILY'S ACCEPTANCE LETTER'S ARRIVAL DAY)
"… and that is why you shall be coming to Hogwarts. Any relevant questions Ms. Evans?" A younger McGonagall asked. She was always surprised how many muggleborns there were every year starting Hogwarts.
"I have one." Said Petunia Evans. "Can I come too? I wish to learn." She was slightly frightened by what her sister could do in moments of anger or fear, but the school the woman was describing sounded like a place of wonders. She wanted to go too. If Lily could, then so could she! McGonagall turned to the other young girl in the house. Unlike Lily, this girl had black hair and had no distinguishable traits.
"I'm terribly sorry dear, but you are only a muggle, and muggles do not have any magic. As sad as the fact is, you will never see Hogwarts. Good day." And with that, McGonagall left the Evans's residence and disappeared around a corner. Petunia was stricken. She wasn't good enough! Her sister was a FREAK, and she gets special treatment!? This is what started Petunia Evans's hatred of magic.
(END FLASHBACK)
"YOU-" Petunia Dursley hissed, even as she turned pale in fright.
"Yes, me. Now listen hear Mrs. Dursley. This child is your nephew. Everything you need to know is in the letter on his chest. If I find ONE scratch on the boy when I come to check on him, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will not have enough body parts to go on to call what I will do to you a homicide! Do I make myself CLEAR!?" McGonagall was in full professor yelling mode, and it worked, Petunia was scared stiff. With a tsk and a quick whisper of "Obliviate", McGonagall erased enough of the memory to leave only a very strong sense of 'do not let Harry come to harm'. With that, McGonagall finally left Privet Drive Number 4.
She didn't see that Petunia Dursley was still slightly dazed from the Memory Charm. She also didn't see that because of this daze, Petunia closed the door without bringing Harry inside.
So there sat Harry James Potter. One year old, orphaned, with a magical snake-necklace, alone on a porch in Surrey, England. What a way to start a legend.
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