Hey, guys. Here's the first proper chapter of what I hope to be a decent-lengthed story.


It was eight o' clock at night, the day after the Potters, and You-Know-Who, had been killed. There was a cat on the wall of number six, Privet Drive. It watched the few passersby with a look of mistrust – usual to a cat, but unusual to the street. The owner of number six, Mrs. Walsham, swatted at the cat with a broom. Once. After that, she couldn't find the broom, despite her conviction that she had just been holding it.

The cat sat on the wall of number six until the lights of the houses blinked out, some early in the evening, and others only after the man of the house had fallen asleep in front of the telly and his wife had put out the lights. When the last of the houses were darkened, and only the streetlights cast light on the silent street, did the cat stretch and leap over the fence to number four.

A loud crack came from further along the street, and the streetlights disappeared one by one. When the street was almost pitch black, a single spark of light flashed into existence, illuminating the smiling face, long white beard, and half-moon spectacles of the most powerful wizard in the world. He smiled at the cat, crunching on a candy in his mouth before greeting it with a nod. 'Professor McGonagall.'

The cat became a woman, tall, black-haired, and tight-eyebrowed. 'Albus,' she said. 'These Muggles—'

She meant to say more, but four cracks sounded through the blackness. A wand flashed into her hand. 'Albus…' she said.

The wizard turned, the light vanishing from the tip of his wand. 'They were not invited,' he said, and she began speaking protective enchantments, blueish forms springing from her wand and forming layers on layers of shields around her. Albus Dumbledore, she could see from the faint light of her shield spells, was not crafting such magics, but held his wand at his side. 'Albus,' she hissed. 'Are we under attack?'

'I'm afraid so, Minerva,' he answered, staring into the blackness, but made no move to defend himself.

A spell burst from the darkness, a red jet of light that splashed against her wards, tearing a gap in her enchantments. She felt it through her magic; that had been a very Dark curse. 'Albus,' she hissed again, but an orb of blue energy shot toward Dumbledore, spun around his head, and shot back off into the darkness.

'Wands down!' a voice shouted from the darkness. 'And you, drop the shields.' The voice was distorted by multiple voice changing charms. Death Eaters. The followers of the now-dead Dark Lord.

'Voldemort is defeated,' Albus said to the darkness, and Minerva tensed at the name, though she restrained herself from gasping out loud. Really, You-Know-Who had only been dead for a few hours, and the fear of his name was enough to make a less cautious witch drop her wand.

'Lies!' came a scream from the darkness, and even with the Voice-Change-Charm Minerva could tell it was Bellatrix Lestrange's voice. 'Lies!' she screamed again, and then, 'Avada Kedavra,' one of the few spells even a powerful wizard could not cast nonverbally.

The green light screamed toward Dumbledore. Dumbledore raised his wand and conjured a metal shield into the air. The Killing Curse exploded against the shield.

'Bellatrix,' Albus sighed, and flicked his wand. Four golden lines shot from it into the darkness, illuminating each Death Eater as if from a spotlight. He flicked the wand again, and a Corieus Morganis washed over all four of them. Their wands appeared in his hand and the Death Eaters fell to the ground, still lit, but the light was dim.

'Minerva, if you would be so kind as to…' He walked to the wall of number four and sat down. 'Bind them…'

'Incarcerous incarcerous incarcerous incarcerous,' Minerva muttered, and the four unconscious Death Eaters were bound tightly in magical ropes. She cast a modified Flagrantus on the bindings as well, which would activate only if they struggled, and turned back to Albus, who was sucking on another lemon candy. 'Why did they come here, Albus?'

'Their dark master has been killed, they heard, and they were afraid. They thought to take revenge would be the wisest course – though, of course, I am not the one on whom they should take revenge.'

Another light appeared, and Dumbledore clicked his Deluminator once, and a ball of light shot from it to the nearest darkened streetlight. 'Here comes Hagrid, Minerva. He has young Harry.'

A flying motorbike, on which sat the largest man anyone would ever see, roared from the sky and landed in front of the two. 'Professor Dum'ledore,' Hagrid said, straightening and revealing Harry in his arms. 'Professor McGonagall.' He grinned down at the mumbling baby. 'I've got Harry here, Professor,' he added unnecessarily, holding the child out to Dumbledore. 'And young Sirius Black's motorbike.'

'Thank you, Rubeus,' said Dumbledore, and he took the child and walked toward the front door of number four.

'Wait, Albus,' McGonagall said. 'There's something I wanted to say – these people, they're the worst kind of Muggle, you can't leave the Boy-Who-Lived with them. The father is a selfish, violent beast, the boy is just the same but spoiled as well, and Petunia… Petunia is nothing like her sister, Albus. You cannot simply leave Harry here.'

'Mrs. Figg will be watching over him,' Dumbledore said. 'She will ensure no great harm come to him. But the protection of Lily's love, Minerva – it is a far greater enchantment than any I could create. He will be safer here than even at Hogwarts.'

'Safe from what, Albus?' Minerva asked. 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is dead!'

'Is he, indeed,' the wizard said, and continued toward the doorstep. Professor McGonagall froze, stunned, shocked, as Dumbledore placed the child gently on the doorstep. 'Impervius,' he said, and 'Thermus,' and 'Repelus Optium,' and finally 'Somnium.' He placed a note on the baby's blanket.

'Albus,' Minerva said, but the great wizard turned away from the child and shook his head. 'Trust me, my dear.'

And she did – implicitly – but she felt that the boy would do better at Hogwarts, or with another wizarding family who would be only too happy to take the child and treat him as the Savior of the Wizarding World, as he was.

'Let us go,' Dumbledore said. 'Dedalus Diggle has been letting off magical fireworks in front of the Hog's Head, and I believe I will join him.' Minerva frowned slightly – the muggles had been noticing the celebrations – but she accepted his offered arm. 'Will I see you there, Rubeus?' Dumbledore asked.

'Maybe, Professor. I'll just say goodbye to young Harry, 'n then return the bike to Sirius. G'night, Professor.' Dumbledore nodded, and he and Minerva Apparated away, the four Death Eaters vanishing as well, to the DMLE.

Hagrid watched the baby on the doorstep, hidden behind the rosebushes, until the sun rose, the milk was delivered, and Petunia Dursley opened the door and almost stepped on the boy.

'Vernon!' she screeched, waking Harry. Hagrid crept to his motorbike. 'There's a baby on the mat!'

'Chuck it away,' Vernon shouted from the kitchen. 'What does it want?'

Hagrid shot into the sky, the bike's built-in enchantments hiding it from muggle eyes.

'It's Lily and James' boy,' Petunia answered, her voice unnaturally soft. 'They're… they're dead.'

'What?' Vernon roared from the kitchen. 'Where are the kippers, darling?'


Welp. That's it for chappie one. Like and subscribe.