Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The wonderful author J.K. Rowling is. If I did own HP, Sirius and Dumbledore would be alive, and certain people who died in Deathly Hallows wouldn't have died. If I had my way, it would have been only Death Eaters and nameless or very minor, unimportant people on the Lightside who died. So please don't sue.
Summary: I was seized by a plot bunny a couple of days ago, where the Dursleys are abusive to Harry and he gets rescued and attends a different school of magic. Myrddin is the Welsh form of the name "Merlin" and I thought it would sound better to call the school "Myrddin Academy" rather than "Merlin Academy. In this fic, Dumbledore is very manipulative, and readers will likely end up hating him. I orginally wanted to make him good, but with a tendancy to manipulate things and blind himself to things for the greater good, but as the fic progressed, he ended up more like Umbridge. This chapter contains minor SPOILERS for book seven. Oh, and the other chapters won't be as long as this one.
Harry huddled on his matress in the cupboard under the stairs, doing his best not to cry. He had just been beaten with a belt by his uncle for the incident at the zoo. He still couldn't understand how the glass on the snake exhibit had vanished, but it had and Uncle Vernon believed that he had something to do with it. It didn't help matters that Dudley's friend Piers had said, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?" As a result, upon reaching home, Uncle Vernon had hit Harry with a belt, then locked him in the cupboard, saying, "You'll be in there for a month except for school and chores. And don't expect any meals, either!"
Of course, Harry really wasn't going to get no meals at all. He would still have lunch, at least during the school week, because his teacher would get suspicious if he turned up at school without lunch. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon might keep him from school a couple of days on pretense of illness and lock him the cupboard, but they wouldn't go beyond that. He couldn't miss too much school, or the authorities would come looking.
Harry wiped away a tear that had fallen and muttered, "Why is it that my aunt and uncle are somewhat decent in public, but then treat me like a slave at home?" He really could not understand it. They loved and spoiled their son Dudley, but treated Harry lower than dirt. If he displeased his uncle in some way, he could expect to be yelled at and hit with a belt, at the very least. Sometimes there would be added being locked in his cupboard when he didn't have school or chores, being given extra work, and/or going without meals. His aunt rarely hit him, except for slapping him when she was really angry, and yelled at him the rest of the time. Dudley bullied him, at school and at home, and called him "freak" and "waste of space" like his parents did.
Harry suddenly thought back to all the times that he had really angered Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. First there was the time when he was six. Aunt Petunia, tired of how messy his hair was, and how it never seemed to change despite many haircuts, had taken a pair of sissors and cut off most of his hair. He had been practically bald, except for his bangs, which she'd left to hide the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. He had expected the other first-graders to laugh at his haircut, but it had grown back the next day. Aunt Petunia had yelled, Uncle Vernon had hit him with a belt, and he'd been locked up in his cupboard for the day. He had also been given extra chores for the rest of the week and had to go without dinner for a week.
Then in second grade, Harry had brought home a note from the school nurse, saying he needed glasses. Of course, the Dursleys had to buy the glasses, so as to not arouse the suspicion of the nurse and his teacher. However, the glasses had been the cheapest pair in the shop, costing ten pounds. Uncle Vernon had been angry over the expense and shouted at Harry for several minutes. Then Harry had been beaten with the belt every day for a week, and had to do extra chores and go without meals (except for lunch) for a month to pay for the glasses.
The third and last major incident had occured last year in fourth grade. Harry had been running away from Dudley and his gang, and somehow ended up on the kitchen roof. He had intended to jump behind the trash cans behind the kitchen. Harry supposed that the wind must have carried him in mid-jump, considering how small and light he was. He had to take home an angry note from the headmistress saying he had been climbing the school buldings. He'd been given two weeks in the cupboard, a beating, and no meals for a week.
Harry stared at the dark light in his cupboard and whispered, "I wish I could be rescued. I wish that someone will come and take me away from the Dursleys, or that one or both of my parents come back to life. If you exist, God, please grant my wish." Recalling what he had learned in class about the Greek and Norse gods, he added, "And if it's Hera and Odin and the rest who exist, then please grant my wish." He wasn't really sure about the existance of the Greek or Norse gods, but he asked them to grant his request just in case.
Suddenly a bright light flared for a second and Harry seemed to feel a heavy and powerful Presence about him. There was no voice, but he sensed that Someone, prehaps God, had heard his wish and seemed willing to find a way to grant it. Then the Presence disappeared and Harry lay on his matress, feeling comforted, which hadn't happened the previous times he made the same wish. Then again, he hadn't been asking any Higher Power or Being to grant his wish before.
Toward the end of July, Harry was left with batty, cat-loving neighbor Mrs. Figg while his aunt and uncle took Dudley to London to get his Smeltings uniform. Harry enjoyed it, for Mrs. Figg was nice to him, but not too nice. He had the sense not to reveal how nice she was, for his aunt and uncle wouldn't have let him return there. He watched some television, was given a delicious lunch, and for a change, didn't have to look at the photographs or hear the stories of all the cats Mrs. Figg had owned. That was mainly because Mrs. Figg had broken her leg tripping over one of her cats and wasn't as fond of them as usual.
The next day, Harry went to get the mail and to his utter shock, found a letter addressed to him. He stared at the letter in shock, certain that this was a mistake. He had no friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the library so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet, here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:
Mr H. Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'.
He was slowly unopening it at the kitchen table when Dudley spotted him and shouted, "DAD! The freak's got a letter!"
Uncle Vernon snatched the letter, sneering, "Who'd be writing to you?" He shook the letter open with one hand and glanced at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge. "P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.
Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise. "Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!"
They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smeltings stick. "I want to read that letter," he said loudly.
"I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."
"YOU WILL NOT!" yelled Uncle Vernon. Then in a slightly calmer tone, "The letter was addressed to you by mistake! Now go to your cupboard, boy!"
Harry, feeling angry, left the kitchen and went inside his cupboard. He had been wondering if the mysterious letter would have anything to do with his wish of escaping the Dursleys being granted, but now he had no idea.
Several minutes later, the doorbell rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it. Harry opened the cupboard door a crack and saw a tall woman with graying dark blonde hair, square spectacles, and dressed in a navy blue skirt, white blouse, and blue jacket at the door. She looked severe, and very angry, but there was still a hint of kindness around her. "This is Number Four, Privet Drive, residence of a Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dursley, correct?"
Aunt Petunia nodded. "Yes, I'm Petunia Dursley."
"I am Rhiannon McIntyre," said the woman. "I am the Headmistress of the Myrddin Academy of Magic." She pushed into the hallway and headed for Harry's cupboard. Aunt Petunia stared at her, openmouthed.
Madam McIntyre flung open the door and stared at Harry, who had fallen back on his mattress. "So, the address was correct." She whirled around and looked daggers at Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who had come out the kitchen. "How dare you treat your nephew like this? When I saw the address for Harry Potter, I realized that something was amiss and came personally to deal with it, rather than assigning it to one of my staff. Lily and James Potter would turn over in their graves if they knew that their son was sleeping in a cupboard and is no doubt being abused as well. In fact, seeing as they're in Heaven or someplace similar, I wouldn't be surprised if they do know about this. They're probably wishing they could come back to life and hex you, or could return as ghost and haunt you."
"What-?" asked Uncle Vernon weakly. "Who are you?"
"I am Rhiannon McIntyre, headmistress of Myrddin Academy of Magic. You don't know me, but I'm sure your wife has heard of the school. After all, her sister was given an acceptance letter to the school, though Lily chose to attend Hogwarts instead due to some influence by a friend of hers who was wizard and was planning on attending Hogwarts."
Aunt Petunia looked very pale, but nodded slowly when her husband looked at her. Harry stood in the doorway, looking and feeling puzzled. Academy of Magic? His mother had been accepted there but attended some place called Hogwarts? She had a friend who had been a wizard, despite the fact that magic didn't exist, other than in books and sleight-of-hand tricks?
The woman turned to Harry and said, "Please call me Professor McIntyre. Now gather your things and come with me. I am taking you away from the Dursleys." She turned back to the Dursleys and snapped, "If you try to stop me, I will hex you and then report the child abuse that has been going on to the police."
Harry's few things were quickly gathered and packed in a paper sack. He then followed Professor McIntyre out the door and to her car. He wasn't exactly certain what was going on, but he guessed that his wish had been granted and he was being rescued.
After they had driven away from Privet Drive, he was handed a white envelope with the same address that had been on the other letter. The seal was merely a white sticker, with a pair of crossed wands and a book over it that had a sapphire and ruby on one page and a diamond and emerald on the other. In tiny print around the edge of the sticker was "Myrddin School of Magic".
Harry opened the envelope, unfolded the letter inside, and read:
Myrddin Academy of Magic
Headmistress: Rhiannon Aileen McIntyre Deputy Headmistress: Kathleen Branwen O'Leary
Dear Mr. Harry James Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Myrddin Acadeny of Magic. Enclosed is a list of all necessary books and equipment. If you wish to attend, please send a return reply by owl no later than the 31st of July. The school term begins on the first of September. The exact location of the school will be revealed to you then, and the necessary transportation will be arranged.
Sincerely yours,
Rhiannon McIntyre and Kathleen O'Leary
Harry stared at the letter in shock, then looked at Professor McIntyre. "Is this a joke, Professor? Magic isn't supposed to exist. And even if it did, I can't be a wizard, can I?" Then he cringed, as the Dursleys hadn't liked him to ask questions.
Professor McIntyre, glanced at him, then turned her attention back to the road. If she had seen the cringe, she did not comment at all. She answered calmly, "No, this isn't a joke, Harry. You really are a wizard, and you've been accepted to my school."
Harry then remembered the odd things that occured and nodded slowly. "Was the letter I got earlier this morning from your school? Oh, wait, it can't be, because the seal was different. I wish Uncle Vernon hadn't taken it from me."
"I believe that the letter you received earlier was from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's somewhere in Scotland, and many magical people in Britain attend there if they don't choose to attend Myrddin School or get an acceptance letter. Hogwarts is one of the best schools of magic, along with Myrddin Academy. Your parents attended Hogwarts, though they both received acceptance letters to my school as well."
As his parents had attended Hogwarts, Harry was more inclined to attend Hogwarts, despite the fact that the Headmistress of Myrddin School had rescued him from the Dursleys. However, he still had some questions he wanted answered before he made up his mind about which school to attend. "Er, Professor McIntyre, does that mean that my aunt and uncle knew about magic?"
"Of course," snapped Professor McIntyre. "Your aunt was disappointed over not having magic and wrote a letter to Mryddin School to ask if she could attend. I suspect she wrote one to Hogwarts as well. I suppose when she found out she couldn't attend, she decided to hate magic and consider your mother a freak. Which is most likely why she was so horrid to you. I can't believe Albus Dumbledore was so blind as to think that you would be best off at the Dursleys."
"Who is Albus Dumbledore?" asked Harry.
"Oh, he's the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He was the one who left you at the Dursleys." Harry suddenly felt that prehaps Hogwarts wasn't such a good choice after all. "Not that Dumbledore is a bad person," said Professor McIntyre. "He is firmly on the good side. However, he can be somewhat manipulative and can blind himself to certain things and only looks at the greater good. Since your mother sacrificed herself to save you, he probably did some spells so that you would be protected at the Dursleys because your aunt shared your mother's blood. He obviously didn't realize that you wouldn't be protected from your relatives."
"My mother sacrificed herself to save me?" asked Harry, looking puzzled. "Does that mean she covered me with her body so I would survive the car crash?"
"Car crash?" demanded Professor McIntyre. "What do you mean by a car crash? Your parents didn't die that way."
"That's what Aunt Petunia said before slapping me for asking questions when I asked her how I got my scar," responded Harry.
"Let me tell you the truth. First, there was a very evil wizard who went by the name of Lord Voldemort. Now, in the wizarding world, many people are afraid to say his name, so they just refer to him as 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-who-must-not-be-named'. Or as the 'Dark Lord' among Voldemort's followers, who are called Death Eaters. Now, your parents were fighting against Voldemort, and on Halloween night in 1981, when you were just a year old, he appeared at Godric's Hollow, the town where your parents were hiding. Your father, James, tried to fight back, but he was killed. Then Voldemort went after you, Lily, your mother, refused to let that happen, so Voldemort killed her. Your mother's sacrifice saved you in that when he tried to use the Killing Curse on you, it bounded off and hit him. Many believe that Voldemort is dead, but some, including me, believe that he merely lost his powers and much of his body and so fled. Because you were the one to defeat Voldemort, and is the only person to survive the Killing Curse, you are famous in the wizarding world, and are known as the 'Boy-who-lived'."
Harry's mouth fell open. "I'm famous? Just because an evil wizard tried to kill me and couldn't?"
"Well, yes," replied Professor McIntyre. "And because you defeated him, and you were only a baby then. A very smart baby, but still a baby. I didn't know your parents very well, but one of your parents' friends is a teacher at Myrddin Academy, and said that at the age of one, you could already fly on a toy broomstick and say several words, and not just 'mama' and 'dada'. You called your godfather 'Unca Pa'foot', Padfoot being his nickname from school, and your father's other friend 'Unca Mooey', as Moony was his nickname."
"I have a godfather?" asked Harry. "Then I should be living with him, Professor McIntyre."
"Your godfather was accused of being a supporter of Voldemort and the one who betrayed where your parents were hiding," explained Professor McIntyre. "I personally think he was framed. Another friend of your parents, Peter Pettigrew, confronted Sirius Black, and supposedly was blasted into tiny pieces by Sirius. The biggest part of Pettigrew that was found was a finger. Twelve Muggles were killed as well." She glanced at Harry and seeing his confused look, she clarifed, "A Muggle is what witches and wizards call non-magical people. Anyway, because of what Sirius supposedly did, he was arrested and sent to Azkaban, the wizarding prison, without a trial. That is why you aren't living with him, though I believe your parents' will named him guardian."
"Well, if he's prison, that explains it," said Harry. "But I still shouldn't have been sent to live with the Dursleys. I bet my parents wouldn't have wanted that." Then he cringed again.
"Harry, I'm not going to hurt you," said Professor McIntyre patiently. "The way the Dursleys treated you was wrong. Once I take you to see Dumbledore and explain what has been going on, he'll immediately make plans to make sure you never have to go back there again. And then you can decide whether you want to attend Hogwards or Mryddin School of Magic."
"Why was Voldemort evil?" asked Harry. Professor McIntyre then went on to explain about purebloods, halfbloods, and Muggleborns, and how some purebloods thought Muggles were lower than dirt and Muggleborns were little better. She added that Voldemort thought like that and had gathered many purebloods who thought the same to him, and it resulted in a war. Harry had learned a little bit about World War Two and Nazi Germany in school, and realized that it was similar.
Once Harry fully understood the matter, Professor McIntyre questioned him about his life at the Dursleys and learned the full extent of abuse. She had suspected the abuse, since Harry was living in a cupboard, but hadn't realized that it had gone so far. By the time Harry was done, she was livid with anger, but took care not to show it to Harry.
Finally they arrived in London and she parked outside the Leaky Cauldron. She pointed out the pub to Harry, who noticed that nobody else seemed to see it, and led him inside. The barkeeper grinned upon seeing Professor McIntyre and said, "Hello, Professor McIntyre. Are you wanting lunch? Or going to Diagon Alley?"
"No thank you, Tom," she replied. "I need to use your fireplace, please." He nodded and gestured behind him.
She led Harry over to the fireplace and explained the Floo Network and how to travel by Floo powder. She concluded with, "We are going to stop at Hogwarts to see Dumbledore. So throw a pinch of Floo powder in the fire, say, 'Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts,' and step inside." Seeing Harry's nervous and uncertain look, she added, "I'll go with you. The fireplace is big enough for both of us."
They did so and a few second later, tumbled out the fireplace in Dumbledore's office. Harry picked himself up and stared around the office. Professor McIntyre brushed the soot off his clothes, then off hers. "What a pleasant surprise," said Dumbledore pleasantly. Harry turned to stare at him. "Rhia, I didn't expect you to visit. And bringing Harry Potter with you. Lemon drop?"
Harry accepted and popped a golden sweet in his mouth, but Professor McIntyre refused. "I have some things to discuss with you, Albus. You apparently made a very huge mistake when you left Harry with his aunt and uncle." She went on to describe exactly how the Dursleys had been treating Harry, from all that he had told her.
When she finished, Dumbledore said calmly, "It is a pity that his relatives were less than kind to Harry, but what do you expect me to do, Rhia? He can't live with his godfather, as Sirius Black is in Azkaban. And with the wards on the Dursley home, that is the safest place for him besides Hogwarts. I'm afraid Harry will have to remain at the Dursleys, during the summer holidays at least, and I will warn the Dursleys that they are to treat nephew decently."
"Excuse me?" said Professor McIntyre icily. "I told Harry that he never had to go back with his abusive relatives again! Now you're saying he has to go back during the summer holidays! And if you think the Dursleys will heed your warning and be nice to Harry, short of having their memories modifed or being put on the Imperious Curse, you are greatly mistaken."
Harry's eyes widened and he clutched Professor McIntyre's arm. "Please don't send me back to my aunt and uncle," he begged.
"Don't worry, Harry," said Professor McIntyre soothingly. "I have no intention of that happening."
"Rhia, you know as well as I that Voldemort isn't really gone," said Dumbledore. "He will return someday. Furthermore, there are Death Eaters that escaped being arrested. Harry is safest at his relatives when he won't be at Hogwarts."
"Do you honestly think I'll let Harry attend Hogwarts?" she demanded. "Or that Harry will even be willing to attend after you've just said he has to stay with his relatives? He'll want to attend Myrddin Academy of Magic now. And I will see to it that he can live at the school. Several of my teachers are married with families, so Harry would be able to live there."
"Myrddin Academy won't be as safe as Hogwarts, Rhia," said Dumbledore.
"Actually, it's safer, seeing as most of the wizarding population of Britain doesn't know where the exact location is like they do with Hogwarts!" snapped Professor McIntyre. "Other than the staff, those that know the location, like the students, can't tell anybody else that doesn't know without it sounding like gibberish!"
"I want to attend Myrddin School of Magic," said Harry timidly. "It sounds nicer and safer, and Professor McIntyre says a friend of my parents' is a teacher there."
"See?" asked Professor McIntyre. "Harry wants to attend my school, not Hogwarts! You can't stop him!"
"Harry Potter won't be attending Myrddin Academy," said Dumbledore firmly. "He will attend Hogwarts, and during the summers, he will return to live at the Dursleys. I will make sure of that. Now, so you and Harry won't object-" He reached for his wand, but Rhia was faster.
"If you think to Obliviate Harry and me, or put us under the Imperious Curse so we'll obey you, think again," she snapped, her wand pointed at Dumbledore. "I thought you were a reasonable and good wizard, but you've just proved to be a meddling old fool who wants to manipulate things into happening your way! You'll likely use Harry and mold him so that he can go fight and defeat Voldemort for you! I know what the prophecy says, but I have no intention of using Harry as a weapon! It's up to him to decide what to do about Voldemort. No wonder Minerva McGonagall resigned and came to Myrddin Academy when she heard about the Transfiguration opening there."
"So that's where Minerva went?" asked Dumbledore, looking shocked. "She never told me, Rhia."
"Why would she?" inquired Rhia acidly. "She was extremely annoyed at your leaving Harry with the Dursleys when she had told you that they were the worst sort of Muggles and that it was mistake to leave Harry there. You wouldn't listen, and that incident made her lose faith in you. She stopped being loyal to you, and when she found out two years later that I was hiring a new Transfiguration teacher, she resigned her post at Hogwarts and applied. I hired her and she's been teaching at Myrddin Academy since. Your actions also alienated Severus Snape, you know. You couldn't save Lily, his best friend before he accidentally did something that drove a rift between them. He then decided that you were a meddler, and decided to transfer his loyalties to me. He applied for the open Potions post, though he would have preferred the Defense Against Dark Arts one, and I hired him. And he was even more annoyed with you this morning."
"Excuse me?" asked Dumbledore, blinking. He looked very shocked, and there was no twinkle in his eye.
"Before I left to collect Harry, I held a staff meeting," explained Rhia. "The entire staff is aware that the address for Harry includes 'Cupboard under the stairs.' Needless to say, they are all shocked that Harry doesn't have a proper room, and are suspecting that the Dursleys might have abused Harry in other ways as well. Severus may not have been any friend of James Potter, but he was friends with Lily, and does not like the fact that her son might have been abused. Any animosity he might have felt toward Harry for being James' son is gone, and right now, he and the rest of the staff are very annoyed with you."
Dumbledore looked even more shocked, and made a feeble protest. Rhia ignored him, and took Harry's hand and Flooed out of his office before he could react and try to stop them. A few seconds later, they tumbled out the fireplace in the staff room. The entire of the staff were gathered there, for they were curious to find out what happened with Harry. Professor McIntyre introduced the staff to Harry, then informed them that Harry had been abused. They all looked horrified and shocked that the saviour of the wizarding world could have been treated like that, and Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, looked ready to leave then and there and tear Dumbledore limb from limb for the mistake he made in leaving Harry at the Dursleys.
Professor McIntyre calmed everyone down, and had the school Healer, Madam O'Malley, check on Harry and tend to his hurts. Professor Snape left with them for the Hospital Wing, for he had to provide some healing and nutrient potions. The rest of staff went about their business, but they were still horrified over how Harry had been treated, and made at Dumbledore for making such a mistake.
The staff members are: Charms, Deputy Head, and Head of Sapphire House- Kathleen O'Leary, Tranfiguration and head of Ruby House- Minerva McGonagall, Potions and Head of Emerald House- Severus Snape, Herbology and Head of Diamond House- Haruna Yamatato-Patil, Defense Against Dark Arts- Remus Lupin, History of Magic- Eoin McIntyre (Rhia's husband) Astronomy- Lyra Anthony, Divination- Selene Lovegood, Arithmacy- Shang-Yun Chueng, Muggle Studies- Arthur Weasley, Ancient Runes- Amira Farohoud, Care of Magical Creatures- Rubeus Hagrid, School Healer- Bridget O'Malley, Librarians- Xenophilius Lovegood and Ling Tian Cheung (wife of Arithmacy teacher), caretakers- Leah and David Sternberg, Christian chaplain- Sean O'Malley, rabbi- David Sternberg, spiritual guide for Muslim students- Hakim Farohoud, spirtual guide for Hindu students- Adam Patil (husband of Herbology teacher)
When Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts, the Headmaster of Myrddin Academy at the time contacted him. After much questioning, and a look at Aragog, he concluded that Hagrid was innocent. Aragog was given a home in a sectioned off area of the woods near Myrddin Academy, and Hagrid was allowed to complete his magical education there. Upon graduation, Hagrid remained at Myrddin Academy as assistant caretaker and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, and later took over the post when the teacher retired.
