"Chapter One,"read Sirius, "The Boy Who Lived."
"Who is the boy who lived?" asked James.
"Well, Prongs, I would assume it is your son, as the whole book is about him," replied Remus.
"Oh yeah but them why would the chapter be called 'The Boy Who Lived?' of course he lives, what else would the book be about?" shot back James.
"Just keep reading," interrupted Harry, "You'll find our soon."
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,
Harry clenched his fist.
of Number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
"Why are we reading about these people?" demanded Sirius, "They sound boring."
"You'll find out very soon," replied Harry though gritted teeth.
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.
"Nonsense?" James said. He looked angry. Sirius kept hastily continued reading.
Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings,
James, Sirius, Remus and Ron snorted. "Grunnings?"
which made drills.
"What's a drill?" asked Sirius, confused.
"I thought you took Muggle Studies," Lily said.
"Do you think I actually paid attention?" demanded Sirius, "I just took it to annoy my parents!"
Lily sighed and explained what a drill was.
He was a big, beefy man with hardly and neck, although he did have a very large mustache.
"Very attractive," drawled Remus.
Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on neighbors.
Lily frowned. "That sounds like my sister," she commented. Then she remembered, "She's engaged to a man named Dursley that very much sounds like this person."
Harry said offhandedly, "Oh yeah, that's your sister."
Lily glanced at Harry, waving Sirius to continue.
The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.
"I already hate this boy," James said, "I bet he's going to be a git."
"You're on. One galleon," replied Sirius instantly.
"What- I- but" sputtered James.
"Are you afraid you'll lose?" taunted Sirius.
James glared and said, "Deal. One galleon."
The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret,
"Mrs. Dursley has blue hair and a purple mustache but wears a wig and shaves off her mustache every day!" said Sirius hopefully.
"Dudley was adopted and his birth parents are drug and alcohol addicts and that's why Dudley is so messed up!" said James.
and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.
"Awwww…" whined Sirius, "No blue hair…"
"I'M RELATED TO THIS WOMEN?" yelled James.
"James, if you're married to me and this is my sister, then she would be your sister-in-law," Lily explained as if talking to a dumb person.
"Oh… right..." James said.
Sirius scratched his head and continued reading.
Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister,
"Unfortunately," muttered Harry.
"What was that?" asked Remus.
"Nothing," he said hastily.
but they hadn't met for several years: in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband
"WHAT?" yelled James.
were as unDursleyish
"Is that a word?" asked Ron.
"NO!" yelled James and Lily together, James mad and Lily just resigned. She knew Tuney had always wanted to be a witch, but she never thought this hate would last. She sighed and looked back up as Sirius continued to read
as it was possible to be.
Lily was close to tears. She no longer was upset about being close to Petunia, but the fact the Petunia was so full of bitterness. James wrapped an arm around her and glared at the book.
The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street.
"Probably that they are normal, as they know how to dress as muggles and they aren't stupid enough to dress in wizard wear." Remus scornfully said.
"Remus… you're talking to the book…" said Sirius slowly, scooting away from him.
The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him.
"You are a very caring uncle," said James sarcastically, still fuming on the inside. Good-for-nothing… I'LL SHOW THEM GOOD FOR NOTHING! I'LL HEX THEM INTO THE NEXT CENTURY! But if I do that, the people of the next century would have to put up with him…hmm I'll have to plan this out with Sirius and Remus…maybe a visit on the full moon…just to scare them…
"James…?" Lily asked, looking a bit concerned as he stared malevolently into the distance grinning evilly.
This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.
"A CHILD LIKE WHAT EXACTLY?" screeched Lily.
"Mum, it's ok," Harry said gently, trying to calm her down.
When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.
"HAH!" yelled James, startling everyone as they thought he was still brooding, "I WIN, SIRIUS, HE'S A BRAT!"
"No…" said Sirius, "You said he was going to be a git, not a brat. Plus babies do that all the time; scream when they are wrestled in to high chairs."
"Oh, he's a git alright," mutter Harry darkly. Hermione shushed him.
None of them noticed a large tawny owl flutter past the window.
"Owl post?" asked Ron.
"I suppose so," replied Ginny, "It's the most feasible idea I can think of."
At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing cereal at the walls.
"Do babies through cereal at walls?" demanded James.
"When they are having tantrums, yes," replied Lily.
"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.
It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map.
"An animagus?" asked Ron.
"Probably. Or maybe just a strange cat," replied Lily.
"Cats that aren't animagus usually don't even look at maps unless to sit on them," Ginny told everyone.
For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen -then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight.
What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - No, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.
"Animagi can," Ron said unhelpfully.
"Thank you Captain Obvious," replied James.
"Hey!" protested Sirius," I'm Captain Obvious!"
"No Sirius," said James softly, as if talking to a stupid person, "You're Captain Oblivious."
"Oh yeah," replied Sirius stupidly. He paused a moment, then continued reading.
Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove towards town, he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.
"One minded person, eh?" said Ron.
"People usually only have one mind, Ronald," Hermione reminded him.
"My name is not Ronald!"
"But it says 'Ronald' on your birth certificate and on the door to your room," replied Hermione sweetly.
Ron humphed and fell silent.
But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else.
"WHAT?" yelled everyone.
"Oops…" said Sirius, who had read the sentence as, "But on the edge of town, he was driven out of his mind by something else."
Everyone glared at him until he started reading again.
As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.
"Cloaks are normal!" said Ron hotly.
"Not to muggles," Hermione whispered in his ear. Ron had the dignity to look embarrassed.
Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the get-ups you saw on young people!
He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes
"Humph."
standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something ... yes, that would be it.
"No imagination," said Remus, "What a boring man. Why are we reading about people who are clearly muggles?"
Nobody answered, but Remus wasn't really expecting an answer.
The traffic moved on, and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings car park, his mind back on drills.
"Really likes those drills, eh?" James said.
Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning.
He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though the people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.
"Why are wizards and witches being so careless today?" asked Lily in astonishment, "I mean, owl post in broad daylight, and dressing in wizard wear!"
"You'll see," said Harry softly to her.
Most of them had never seen an owl even at night time. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled a five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.
"Sure likes shouting."
He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun
"Or twelve," mutter Harry.
Ron snorted.
from the baker's opposite.
He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This lot was whispering excitedly too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.
"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard -"
"What about me?" asked James worriedly.
"It could be about me," Lily reminded him.
"What about the Potters, then?" James corrected himself.
"- yes, their son, Harry - "
"What about Harry?" demanded Lily.
Mr. Dursley stopped dead.
"YAY! He's dead!" cheered Sirius and James.
"I wish," mutter all the people from the future.
Remus, who didn't hear them, said, "It's a figure of speech. He's not really dead."
"Awwwww…" said James and Sirius.
Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought
"OMG HE CAN THINK!"
"Padfoot please tell me you did not just say 'OMG'"
"I could tell you, Prongs, but then I would be lying."
better of it.
He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking... No, he was being stupid.
"Isn't he always stupid?" asked Sirius.
"I think he is, Paddy," replied Remus.
Potter wasn't such an unusual name.
"Oh yes it is. I don't know anyone else names Potter."
He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry.
"Well I'm sure you're wrong!" snapped Sirius.
"Sirius, you're also talking to the book," said Lily worriedly.
Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey.
"EWWWWWWW!" screeched Lily.
"I'm glad I'm not called Harvey. It's is such a stupid name," Harry told her.
Or Harold.
"Verycaring uncle you have, Harry." Remus told him.
"I'm glad he never saw Harry before. He might have corrupted him." Lily replied.
There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that...
"LIKE WHAT?" yelled James.
"It's ok. She's been cold toward me since I got my Hogwarts letter. I think she's jealous of me, since she sent a letter to Dumbledore asking to go to Hogwarts," Lily told him softly.
James gaped at her.
but all the same, those people in cloaks...
He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon, and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.
"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.
"That must have hurt."
"What, running into Dursley and falling down, or Dursley saying 'sorry'?"
"Both, Paddy, both."
It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realised that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice
"Flitwick? He has a squeaky voice," asked James.
"It could be Prongs, it could be."
that made passer-bys stare: "Don't be sorry my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last!
Silence. Sirius shakily began reading again.
Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating this happy, happy day!"
"You-Know-Who is-is gone?" asked James.
"But-but how could he be gone?"
"Is he dead?"
"No. I wish he was," mutter Harry under his breath. Luckily, only Hermione heard him, and kicked him.
"Idiots," Lily said, startling everyone, "Calling a muggle a 'muggle' in his face."
And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle
"How did his arms fit around it?" joked Sirius, trying, and failing, to remove the tension in the air.
and walked off.
Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was.
He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.
Remus snorted.
As he pulled into the driveway at number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.
"I bet it's McGonagall!" said James, relieving some of the tension.
"You're on! How much?" asked Sirius.
"Hm… 5 galleons!"
"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.
The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.
"Hah! It's definitely McGonagall!"
Was this normal cat behaviour, Mr. Dursley wondered?
"No."
Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.
Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learnt a new word (Shan't).
"That's wonderful."
Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living-room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:
"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern."
The news reader allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"
"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee
"Dundee?" snorted James.
"Shush!" Lily quieted James.
have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain that I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars!
Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early-
"No, it's just the defeat of Voldemort, a bit better than Bonfire Night." Remus said.
It's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."
Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...Mrs. Dursley came into the living-room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"
As he expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.
"NOT NICE PETUNIA! DIDN'T MUM TELL YOU THAT PRETENDING PEOPLE DON'T EXIST IT NOT POLITE?" yelled Lily, on the verge of tears again. Her patience about how biter her sister had become was wearing thin, and it was starting to show. James soothed her, though inside he was just as mad.
"No," she said sharply. "Why?"
"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."
"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.
"Well, I just thought... maybe ... it was something to do with ... you know ... her lot."
"Her lot?" yelled James, letting his anger out and abandoning the picture of a level-headed girlfriend-soother.
Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name 'Potter'.
He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now wouldn't he?"
"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.
"What's his name again? Howard isn't it?"
"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."
Lily snorted "How can it be nasty and common if you liked the name Harry as a child?"
Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."
He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it was waiting for something.
Was he imagining things?
"I though he said he didn't approve of imagination."
Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did ... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.
The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind ... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on. He yawned and turned over. It couldn't affect them …
How very wrong he was.
"Oh great. Foreshadowing. We have something to do with this lot, don't we?" Lily asked Harry bitterly.
Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed in the next street, nor when the two owls swooped overhead.
In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.
A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.
"IT'S DUMBLYDORE!" yelled Sirius.
"How do you know? It could be any wizard," Lily told him.
The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.
Nothing like this man had been seen in Privet Drive. He was tall, thin and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.
He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak which swept the ground and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.
"HAH! TOLD YOU! NANANANANA!" said Sirius, dropping the book. He stood up, jumped onto the chair in which he was sitting upon, putting his hand on his nose and wiggling his fingers, and sticking out his tongue at Lily.
Lily sighed, picked up the book, and said, "So immature." She began reading.
Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."
He had found what he was looking for in his inside pocket.
It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.
"THAT IS SO COOL!" yelled James.
Ron gave a little smirk, reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Deluminator.
"Yes, yes it is cool, wouldn't you agree?" Ron started laughing as Remus, Sirius and James all leant in to get a closer look.
"OMG WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" demanded Sirius.
"HE SAID 'OMG' AGAIN! REMUS, GET THE TAPE!" screamed James, jumping on Sirius. Remus sat there watching them for a little while, then with a small pop! a roll of duct tape appeared in his hands.
James and Sirius wrestled, rolling around the room. Harry watched them and then in the spirit of the moment shrugged his shoulders and jumped into the fray.
"Harry!" yelled Ron. He putted the Deluminator in his pocket and leaped in. With Harry, James, and Ron against Sirius, they managed to wrestle him down, pinning down his arms and legs. Remus ripped off a bit of tape and stuck the tape firmly over Sirius's mouth.
"You could have just silenced him." Hermione remarked. Lily and Ginny nodded. The boys looked at each other, the the girls and shrugged. They then proceeded to pull out their wands, and tie Sirius up magically. James picked up the book and started reading as if nothing happened.
He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left in the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him.
If anyone looked out of their window now, even the beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street towards number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat.
He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.
"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."
"HAH! I'M RIGHT SIRIUS GIVE ME THE MONEY!" yelled James.
The tied up Sirius could only roll his eyes and struggled against the bonds that held him. James leaned down, put one hand in Sirius's pocket, and pulled out 5 golden coins. He examined the coins, then put them into his pocket.
He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked.
"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."
"You'd be stiff too if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.
"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."
Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.
"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls ... shooting stars ... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle.
"Who's Dedalus Diggle?" asked James.
Remus pulled out a little black book, flipped a few pages muttering "Diggle, Diggle…" then said "AHA! He is 5'7", Hufflepuff, 3 years above us, brown hair, green eyes, got E's on his Potions and Herbology OWLS, a T on his History of Magic OWLS, and A's on everything else. No O's. He currently works at the Leaky Caldron." He closed his book.
Lily, Hermione, Ron and Harry goggled at him. "Do you keep records on everyone?" asked Lily.
"Of this time."
James started reading again.
He never had much sense."
"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."
"MMMMM! MMHMHM! MHMHMHM!" Sirius yelled, or tried to yell.
"AHHH!" James fell off his couch. "When did you get here?" he asked Sirius, who was currently sitting on the floor next to a pile of ropes.
"Mmm," replied Sirius.
"Would you like me to take off that piece of duct tape on your mouth?" asked James sweetly.
"MMMMM!" exclaimed Sirius, nodding vigorously. James leaned over and rippedthe piece of tape off. Sirius howled, jumping about the room screaming, "OWWWWWWWWW!"
Lily silenced him and tied him up again.
"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes swapping rumors."
She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on: "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"
"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"
"A what?" asked James.
"A lemon flavored hard candy," replied Hermione, glancing at Ron and Harry, who were desperately trying to contain laughter.
"A what?"
"Dumbles stole my words!" complained James.
Lily reached over and took the book out of James's hands.
"A sherbet lemon. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."
Ron burst out laughing at that. The past peoples looked at him oddly. Ron turned red and muttered an apology.
"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for sherbet lemons.
"I should think not," exclaimed Hermione.
"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"
"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like your self can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."
Lily flinched, but no one else did.
Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was un-sticking two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice.
"It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's
Lily flinched again.
name."
"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half-exasperated, half-admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the one You-Know - oh, all right, Voldemort
Flinch.
- was frightened of."
"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort
Flinch.
"Alright, Lily, why do you flinch? You aren't afraid to use the name!"
"Habit, I guess. I'll try to stop flinching."
had powers I will never have."
"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."
"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."
"Urg. Too much-" started James.
"-information," finished Remus.
Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now.
It was plain that whatever 'everyone' was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did not answer.
"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour is that
Lily, who had read a little ahead, gasped and started to cry. "Lily flower, what's the matter?" asked James. Lily simply pointed to the book. James picked up the book and continued reading.
Lily and James Potter
"You can't deny that you are married to James now, Lily," Remus teased, but looked a little concerned.
are - are - that they're - dead.
James dropped the book and put his arms around Lily. Remus looked at Harry, willing it not to be true. Harry nodded sadly. Ginny hugged him.
When Lily got under control, she said, "Why did you say that I was the best mother? You never even knew me."
"Because, Mum, you gave up your life so I could live mine," Harry responded quietly. After five minutes of silence, Sirius (who had wiggled out of the ropes and desilenced himself) picked up the book and resumed reading.
Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.
"Lily and James ... I can't believe it ... I didn't want to believe it ... Oh, Albus ..."
Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know ... I know ..." he said heavily.
Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.
"YOU BETTER NOT HAVE KILLED MY SON, MOLDYWARTS!" screamed Lily.
"Hah. Moldywarts. That's good," said Sirius weakly.
"Lily, he can't have, one, if he died now, the book would be over, two, he's sitting right here, and three, um, I don't have a three." James told her.
Lily glared at him until he told Sirius to start reading again.
"But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone."
James and Lily looked proud that their one year old son could defeat Voldemort, but also sad that they had to give up their lives first.
Dumbledore nodded glumly.
"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done ... all the people he's killed ... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding ...of all the things to stop him ... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"
"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."
"Oh you knew alright. Took you a few years, but you got it in the end," whispered Ron to the future people.
Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took out a watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"
"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"
"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle.
"NO! NONONONO!" screamed all the past people.
"Harry, please tell me its not true!" Lily begged Harry.
"Sirius is going to be godfather! He'll take care of Harry! I'll- I'll write it into my will! And if Sirius can't take him, I'll- I'll have Moony take care of Harry, and Wormy take care of him when Moony is transformed!" James yelled. Everyone froze and looked at Lily.
Lily tossed her hair and said, "You think I haven't noticed? Of course I know he's a werewolf. He's gone once every month, and it just so happens that it falls on the day of the full moon every time." She looked at James, "I understand why you would call Remus 'Moony', but what's with the other nicknames?"
James said, "Me, Sirius, and Peter are Animagi. I'm a stag, hence Prongs. Sirius is a dog, hence Padfoot. Peter is a rat, hence Wormtail."
Lily nodded, took the book, and continued reading.
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've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets.
"GIT!" yelled James.
"No, BRAT!" yelled Sirius back.
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? You think you can explain everything in a letter? 'Dear Dursley's, there is a manic in the wizarding world called Voldemort. He has killed your sister, Lily, and her husband, James, and tried to kill your nephew, Harry, but failed. He might come back and try to kill Harry again and maybe you too. Please take care of Harry. Sincerely, Dumbledore.' Yea, that will work great!" said Lily, her voice full of sarcasm.
"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?
"You think like Minnie. Scary," Sirius said, looking at Lily.
These people will never understand him!
"You got that right."
He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in 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?"
Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course.
Sirius and James's mouths hung in a big 'o'. "Minnie backed down!"
But how is the boy getting here Dumbledore?"
She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.
"Ew."
"Hagrid's bringing him."
You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"
"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.
"So would I!" exclaimed everyone.
"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"
"It was a purple dinosaur, coming to eat you all!"
A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorbike fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.
"OMG I WANT ONE!" Sirius screamed.
James looked wearily at Remus. Remus waved his wand at Sirius.
Sirius was enclosed in a clear box. "He can breathe and hear us, but we can't hear him, and he can't get out," explained Remus.
If the motorbike was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of dustbin lids and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins.
"Hagrid!" yelled James.
In his vast muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.
"Harry!" yelled Ginny.
"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorbike?"
"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorbike as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it me."
Sirius started banging on the walls of his clear prison, looking excited. "The motorbike is mine!" he mouthed. Everyone ignored him, though Harry looked quite amused at seeing his "dogfather" so alive. He always had a haunted look in his eyes from Azkaban. It was also funny to see him trapped in a box.
I've got him, sir."
"No problems, were there?"
"No, sir - house was almost destroyed but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we were flyin' over Bristol."
"Awww…" cooed Ginny and Lily. Ron made a gagging noise. Ginny whipped out her wand, and sent him to the now extended clear box with Sirius.
Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.
Harry fingered his scar.
"Is that where - ?" whispered Professor McGonagall.
"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."
"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"
"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground.
"Strange…"
Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."
Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned towards the Dursleys' house.
"Could I - could I say goodbye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid.
He bent his great shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.
"I take offense to that comment!" Sirius said within his prison. Ron laughed. No one else heard them.
"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall. "You'll wake the Muggles!"
"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead –
Lily started to sniff.
an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"
"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep,
"YOU LEAVE MY BABY ON A DOORSTEP!" screeched Lily.
took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.
"Minnie cares about you Harry! So does Dumbledore!" said James, awed. A chess board appeared inside of the clear prison. Sirius and Ron started playing chess.
"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."
Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice. "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."
Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself on to the motorbike and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.
"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.
Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street.
He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.
"Good luck, Harry," he murmured.
"I needed it," Harry muttered. As Ginny rubbed his back he added "Not that it helped much."
He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.
A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley. He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"
"That's the end." Lily said.
They sat quietly for a while. James took the book and said, "I'll read next."
Ok, so the amount of alerts and favorites in the past two(?) three(?) days have been absolutely incredible! You all are amazing. Now I will say I am a full-time college student with a part-time job. I know some authors who update everyday. I wish I could but I can't. I don't have a definite update schedule, but I'll try my hardest to do a chapter a week, but there are no guarantees! This was the last chapter written by Kirby1234, so from here on out it's all my writing *sweat drops* No pressure right? Anyways I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you soon.
~Jasmine Indigo Sappihhra~