3rd May 1989
The following morning started with a lot of confusion and disappointment. Harry woke, reaching to the side of his bed where his glasses had been placed the night before, not to met by their table, but by a wall.
A wall?
There hadn't been a wall beside his bed since he lived at the Dursley's.
Oh no Harry thought opening his eyes to discover that somehow, by some magic unknown, he was back at the Dursley's in The Cupboard Under the stairs. How am I here?
"Hurry up Boy! Up you get." Came Petunias harsh voice through the door, accompanied by a sharp knock. Boy? Surely not? Then again, Harry hadn't slept under here since he left for Hogwarts? Something wasn't right. "Come on boy!" She hammered one last time before Harry heard her foot steps receding into the kitchen.
"I'm coming," He groaned reaching round for his glasses and opening the cupboard door to clamber out. The war was over just for him to go back to the Dursley's and be treat like their slave again. Determined to find out what was happening he walked into the Kitchen to begin making their breakfast, what if, after all it was all a dream?
A vivid dream but a dream all the same.
"Boy!" Screamed Uncle Vernon when Harry approached the counter to make breakfast.
"I'm here Uncle Vernon?" Harry replied, unsure as to why Vernon was shouting. "What's the matter?" He finished turning to look at the calendar to be greeted by a blaring sign saying 1989. He was back in 1989? He was 8? This wasn't something that Harry had ever heard of before.
"You know perfectly well you should be packing your things, not cooking our breakfast!"
"Vernon! Leave the boy." Petunia interjected, seeing Harry's confused look on his face. "We told you, you've a lady coming to pick you up today."
"A lady? Which lady?" Harry replied, who would be coming for him. However, he was not going to complain, if it meant he got to leave the Dursley's then so be it.
"We don't know that boy! We know there is a woman coming to take you from us. We showed you the bloody letter." Vernon snarled as Harry tried to think whether he had seen such a letter before.
"Here." Petunia handed him the letter as Harry fought back the tears as he was met by Dumbledore's writing once again.
Dear Mr and Mrs Dursley,
I'm writing on behalf of a friend and Harry Potter. On 3rd May 1989, a woman (whose identity of now I am required to keep anonymous) will be coming to collect Harry from your home to live with them.
After this ladies arrival, you will no longer be required to look after Harry Potter, and will no longer be his guardian.
I suspect this will be happy news to you and the lady will arrive around 11am.
Yours sincerely
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Dumbledore was writing on behalf of a woman? Who? McGonagall? Molly Weasley? No other women came to mind – someone was coming for him.
"So, I'm leaving?" Harry asked, making sure he was clear on the message.
"Yes boy! You're leaving. Goodbye. Good riddance. Now leave and pack!" Vernon shouted as Harry scampered out the room to pack his items, not that there were many of them everything was as he remembered, Hand me downs from Dudley. He didn't have to be told twice to get out of the living room, given that's all he ever really wanted. He quickly packed all his belongings into a small bag including the small photo of his mum he had from when she was a child.
During one of the Dursley's outings, when Mrs Figg had been too ill to care for Harry the Dursleys had left him home alone, under the orders to make their tea. Whilst they were out, he had snuck upstairs into his Aunt and Uncles room discovering the very photo, taking it and sneaking back downstairs to hide it before they returned. Since, he'd kept it close by and under a loose floorboard, so his Aunt wouldn't find it.
Once completed, Harry climbed out of the cupboard, pulling his bag with him to sit at the base of the stairs. The woman was said to arrive in the following ten minutes and Harry couldn't wait. Hundreds of questions ran through him mind at the time as he sat and waited. Who would she be? What would she look like? Why was she coming for him? What if she's late? He couldn't understand the fact someone was coming for him, he wasn't going to have to live through this again. Wasn't going to have to live through the years if abuse from the Dursley's.
"Boy!" Uncle Vernon's voice brought him out of his trance wondering about the woman.
"What Uncle Vernon?" He shouted back as Vernon came storming through.
"Why can't you answer the door when you're sat right beside it?" He shouted as Harry turned to the door when another knock came to the door.
A knock at the door!
The lady was here!
Jumping up from the bottom of the stairs, Harry took a breath before opening the door. He was leaving.
"Open the door boy before they knock the door down!" Petunia barked as Harry smiled at the memory of Hagrid knocking the door to the hut down in his memory.
"Sorry." Harry quickly answered opening the door in front of him and looking to see who was on the other side of the door.
"Oh god…" Petunia gasped, collapsing in shock.
"What are you doing here?" Vernon screamed all the while Dudley continued to eat whilst watching on the scene confused as to who had appeared and Harry stood, completely frozen in shock.
"What are you doing here?" Petunia had reawakened by now and was the first to find her voice. However, her tone came out completely curious compared to Vernon's anger.
"Hi Sis, well, that's confusing to explain." She replied as Harry looked between the two.
"Hi Mum." He spoke up as Lily crumbled in front of him, tears beginning to run down his cheeks.
"Harry, my dear, hello." She cried, pulling him in for the tightest hug she could manage. Harry returning one just as tight. "I imagine you're really confused right now my angel." Harry could only nod. He was overwhelmed with emotions. Ecstatic to be leaving the Dursley's, confused but overall, just overjoyed. Never did he think he'd ever get to meet the woman that had given birth to him, but something had somehow prevented Voldemort from killing her this time.
"James?" Petunia asked, seeming to lose her voice.
"Also, a complicated one to explain as well." Lily answered briefly. "I wish I could tell you more Petunia, I have lots to explain, I know. The ministry have us under strict instructions that we can't say anything yet."
"You're meant to be dead!" Vernon exclaimed before turning to walk back into the living room followed by Petunia and the young potters. "The wizard said you were dead."
"Wizard?" Dudley exclaimed pulling himself away from his food temporarily.
"Dumbledore? Yes, well he did believe us to be dead for a while." Lily replied, ignoring Dudley's outcry.
"Wizards are real?" The young boy shouted again, slightly annoyed at the fact he'd been ignored by his dear parents.
"No Dudders, they're not." Vernon replied scowling at Lily Potter.
"But you said wizard?" Dudley asked once more.
"It was a slip my boy." Petunia added as Dudley nodded, turning back to his food once more. "You have A LOT of explaining to do dear sister."
"I know, I will tell you when I can."
"Ok, now get out of my house before I call the police!" Vernon shouted as Lily turned towards the door.
"Vernon!" Petunia shouted at her husband. That was new. That had never happened before.
"Yes tunie?"
"Don't Tunie me! I'm annoyed. My sister comes here after 10 years, whilst we believed her to be dead and you ask her to leave? Not going to happen Dursley. If I want my sister to stay, she'll stay." Petunia shouted whilst Harry and Lily fought back their laughter at the scene unravelling in front of him.
"Petunia, we're going to have to go. We've somewhere to be but when I can I'll get in touch and I'll explain everything." Lily interjected the argument.
"Ok Lily. Bye sis, Bye Harry." Petunia waved as Harry returned to the hall to collect all his belonging, his face falling when he seen his Mum's reaction.
"Got it." He announced as Lily shook her head.
"Surely that isn't everything?" She exclaimed as Harry nodded. "Well we shall just go and buy you some more clothes."
"Bye Aunt Petunia, Dudley, Vernon." Harry stated before turning to walk out the door in front of his mother. "Bye Privet Drive."
"Goodbye Harry." Aunt Petunia replied as Harry's jaw fell. He just smiled and waved in return as he followed his Mum down the street.
He was finally leaving Privet Drive once and for all. Leaving his aunt uncle and cousin behind. He was finally getting the childhood he had always craved and was finally going to be a Potter.
His parents were here and he was going to be a potter!