Chapter 3

Consternation!

"This better be damn important waking the entire neighborhood in the middle of the night!" Vernon Dudley bellowed as he stomped toward the front door in his bath robe and holding a baseball bat. He swung the door wide and came face to face with the biggest human he ever saw. He stood there thunder struck for a full minute. Then he noticed the witch and wizard standing there in full regalia.

"Petunia." He finally managed to squeak

Petunia had managed to reach the door way to the hall and clapped her hands to her face when she saw who was at the door. "Get them inside." She hissed.

Vernon retreated far enough into the entry way to let them in and get the door shut, but it was a tight squeeze with Hagrid whacking his head on the light fixture. But Vernon showed no intention to let them further into the house. "What's the big idea of dragging us out of bed in the middle of the night." Petunia hissed.

A cry from upstairs seemed to unfreeze Vernon's mouth. "There you've gone and woken up the baby, and it took me an hour to get him settled down. This better be good."

Dumbledore seemed to sag under a huge weight. "Oh, it isn't good at all. You better have a seat. This isn't going to be easy."

"I'm not moving one inch until I know what this is all about." Vernon said forcefully as he began to get his stride after the initial shock and he realized he had what he considered a great equalizer right there in his hands. Nothing to compare with those puny switches the two smaller specimens were carrying and who could possibly fear that ridiculous pink umbrella that huge oath was carrying. So he raised the bat in a threatening gesture.

In a flash, the "oath" whipped the umbrella straight toward the "sweet spot" on the Louisville Slugger. "Expellerraimous!" The half giant shouted. The bat ripped out of Vernon's grasp and crashed into the screan of the telly where it poked out at a comic angle and sent shards of glass every which way.

Dumbledore reached up and gently brought the big man's arm down. Then he flicked his own "switch" and the bat gently withdrew from the set and eased its way to stand gently in the corner and the glass began to return and the splintered wood side of the set along with the mettle side of the picture tube reformed itself with a sucking thump as the gas that was ejected from the tube from the bat's insertion was reintroduced to its proper chamber. "Hagrid." He gently said. "There's no danger here. Just keep that...umbrella of yours in check."

"But I have seen the damage one of them things can do and he looked ready to use it."

"Just relax and we'll just ease in here and have a nice set down and quiet talk. Won't we." He gave Petunia a pointed look.

"Vernon, we better hear them out. Surely they have some re reason for barging in our home in the middle of the night. This is Professor Dumbledore from that freak school Lilly went to. I don't know who these others are." Minerva visibly tensed as though to protest..

Just then the bundle gave a lurch accompanied by a squab. Hagrid removed the sling from over his head and cradled the bundle against his chest and began to gently move it up and down humming a rather odd tune considering his size. It sounded vaguely like a lullaby. The bundle settled right down. In fact, the crying from upstairs got quiet right in cinque with the bundle Hagrid was carrying. "Very good.' Whispered Professor McGoneagel. Filleous will be proud of how well you got that calming charm down.

"Oh, 'tis notin, Professor. I use it all the time on stressed creatures ."

McGoneagel took the bundle and made her way to what looked to be the most comfortable chair in the livingroom. She sat and continued to sooth the bundle. She looked up and began, "There's just no easy way to do this, Albus. Lilly and James are dead."

The blood drained out of Petunia's face. "Dead!" she exclaimed. "That can't be. She's got magic and so does that boy she ran off with. Surely they can protect themselves better than to end up dead."

"Problem is, Valdimort has Magic, too.." Dumbledore groaned.

"He's that fruit cake Lilly was going on about back when she was in school. Surely she had since enough to say away from that creep with a new baby."

"It's a rather long story and I beg you to hold questions until I finish. This is Hagrid and over there on the chair is Professor McGoneagel and Harry."

"Harry!"

"Please." he raised his hand and Petunia got quiet. As the tale unfolded Petunia paled and grew very still while Vernon turned red in the face and became very agitated. .

"So that's what we're up against." he said as he brought the tale to a close.

"And we're suppose to take in their brat." blustered Vernon.

"Weren't ya listening?" Hagrid exclaimed. "He's a baby. He needs family."

"No way he's bringing that mess down on our head. I don't hold any stock in any prophecy." Vernon insisted.

"Neither do I, well completely," explained Dumbledore. "The trouble is that Voldimort holds a great deal of store in them. He thinks Harry here is potentially more powerful than he and he will stop at nothing to kill the child."

"But he's gone." Petunia moaned. "You just said he's gone."

"But his followers aren't and they are bent on revenge and very dangerous."

"All the more reason for you to get out of here and take the whelp with you. I won't let you endanger my family for a bunch of freaks."

McGoneagel"s eyes flashed dangerously. "Which is it, sir, brat, whelp, or freak? That's three slurs on the character of a one year old you've uttered in less than a minute. Make up your mind if you have one."

"Minerva, calm yourself. Mr. Dursley, you're missing an important point. Right now your family is in danger regardless of whether you take the child in. The charm that protects Harry if you take him in is very powerful, unbreakable in fact, until Harry reaches 17, at least for anyone intending harm for Harry. It works with the intent of any intruder. It also gives you, your wife and your child the same protection. If Harry can't claim this as his home and soon, the charm will evaporate. If that happens there's no protection for anyone.

"I don't give a fart in the wind about whether the b... kid is protected. I'd be a fool to let him near us."

"You don't understand. They'll do anything to get there hands on him including kidnaping and killing his relatives in a most gruesome manor one at a time to force us to relinquish Harry. We're banking on getting the Voltimort problem and all his henchman sorted out long before Harry turns 17."

"You mean to say we are marked just because Petunia is Lilly's sister? That's crazy."

"I agree, but it's fact and you have to know it. We can also give your family all kinds of assistance raising Harry. The Potter's are an old family and well respected as well as having plenty of assets set aside for Harry's care and he is the sole surviving Potter. Also, as Harry grows, he will begin to show magic we call accidental magic. He can't control it and if not handled correctly it can be most dangerous for him and those around him." Albus began to choke and have difficulty speaking, like some great emotional upheaval were occurring.

"Albus, what is it?" Minerva soothed.

"Oh, just how sad it makes me to think of Lilly and James, gone."

Minerva gave him a penetrating look. Albus didn't lie well, at least to her, and he had been dealing with the aftermath all day and was willing to bet he hadn't shed a tier or had a single speech problem all day. After a moment, she let it slide, but she kept it in mind for further thought.

As Minerva explained what she had in mind in the way of assistance Albus gently cast a wandless soothing charm and added a gentle compulsion aspect to the conversation. This just had to work. When it was done in about an hour the Dursley's were on board with the plan. They had set up a regular visitation plan and automatic deposits to the Dursley's bank accounts. Minerva would be the visitor at least once a month and the school healer once a month. Molly Weesley was tentatively volunteered to alternate between Minerva and Poppy Pomphry giving a four week weekly schedule with Andrameta Tunks set to be an alternative if for some reason one of the others couldn't take a turn. After a couple of patronouses were returned from Molly, Poppy, and Andrameda the plans were agreed to.

None of the three adult magical's was thrilled with the medieval attitude Vernon couldn't seem to overcome. Minerva seemed satisfied when Albus suggested the healer's portrait which hung in St. Mongos be borrowed and placed in the nursery and her duplicate be placed in Poppy's office as a monitor.

With that bit of tension sorted out they moved upstairs as there wasn't adequate furnishing. Minerva transfigured a well worn desk in the spare room into a baby bed for Harry. and a comfortable rocker to match the one already in the nursery so both babies could be rocked at the same time if need be. Petunia was concerned for a time thinking the furniture wouldn't fit and if it could all be shoe horned in the room would be too crowded. Strangely enough, after Minerva was done the room was plenty large enough with room to spare - enough room for the boys to grow and spread out. It might be a good for Dudley to have a playmate. And with a built in baby setter at least once a week, she just might be able to get on top of all the house and yard work. And withe a little extra money she could get the cleaners in occasionally to do the heavy cleaning. Yes, this might work well, she thought. It's not like they just dumped Harry on us. They're willing to pitch in to ease our life. Now if I can just get Vernon to ease off.