Written for The Houses Competition: Round 1: Let Us Start at the Beginning
House: Slytherin
Position: Muggle Studies
Category: Drabble
Prompt: [Dialogue] "Yer a Wizard." (Alts: "You're a wizard." "You are a wizard.")
Summary: James and Lily decide to tell Harry about magic after being in hiding for 10 years.
Word Count: 856
It is said that the couple in Number 7 Main Street were by all means a perfectly normal family. Mr. Potter, worked as a police officer, and his wife, Mrs. Potter was a nurse at the local hospital. They had two children, a boy named Harry, who was ten, and a girl named Daisy, who was eight.
Truly, the Potter family was a perfectly normal one, if a little distant from the neighborhood. They hardly spoke to neighbors except when called upon, as their jobs usually kept them busy.
In truth, James Potter and his wife Lily Evans-Potter were far from normal. They were actually magical.
James could still remember the day they went into hiding in the Muggle world as if it was yesterday. Voldemort had been gaining more and more power, and a prophecy had been told just a few months before their son was born; therefore, the Potter family decided to escape to the Muggle world. It was a tough decision, as they decided to go full Muggle, which meant using as little magic as possible in their day to day lives.
Luckily for them, their friend Sirius decided to join them, with Remus following soon after. It was probably ironic that they moved on October 31st, not knowing that Voldemort would be defeated a year later by Neville Longbottom.
It was hard to adjust at first, but they got used to it. Their children did not know about magic and they prefered to keep it that way. Death Eaters still ran amok, after all, and (luckily) the accidental magic the children did display could easily be explained away.
Years passed in the blink of an eye for James and Lily, and soon, they were staring at the Hogwarts letter for their son. Now came the decision about letting him go to Hogwarts.
"Hogwarts would teach him how to protect himself," James protested.
Lily was still torn even after they debated for a good hour about the subject. James was on board with the idea, as he knew what was out there. Both he and Lily had been talking to Albus Dumbledore, who believed Voldemort would come back. If he did return, James wanted his son to be able to defend himself.
"True. And he could finally make some friends. He doesn't talk about it much, but he did once admit that he felt lonely at school," Lily replied, wringing her hands in front of her.
"He told you and not me? I'm offended, Lily-Flower! Betrayed, I say! And by my own son, too," James exclaimed, causing Lily to giggle at her husband's antics.
Once she calmed down, James asked, "Should we tell him then?"
"Let's."
Harry Potter came home after what he thought was a perfectly normal day.
School had been the same, as usual. He read books in the library during lunch and his parents picked him and his sister up after work.
However, Harry could tell there was something off with his parents. They seemed nervous about something, though they tried to hide it. Harry knew it was about him as they kept glancing at him, and he tried not to get nervous himself. He thought about asking but wanted to wait until his sister wasn't there. He loved her, but this seemed to be something between Harry and their parents.
When they got home, they asked Daisy to do her homework while they talked with Harry. Daisy only shrugged before complying, leaving Harry and his parents to sit in the dining room.
Harry noticed his father was fiddling with something, but before he could ask, his mother spoke up.
"Harry, there's something you need to know," she started, "About us and about you."
"What is it?" Harry asked nervously.
His parents glanced at each other before his mother drew in a breath and said three words to him.
"You're a wizard. Your father is, Remus is, and Sirius as well. And your sister and I are witches."
For Harry, it was like the world tilted sideways, before everything became so much clearer. It explained a lot, actually- about him, his sister, his uncles, and his parents.
Some things always went a bit too well to be coincidental, like when the plants his mother bought grew a bit too fast and seemed fresher than ever, especially since the same plants had been dying a week ago.
There was also that time in 3rd grade, when one of his bullies (something he never told his family about) tried to cut his hair but instead, his hair broke the scissors. And his sister, when she fell down the stairs one time but ended up perfectly fine if a little confused.
His parents were still talking, and Harry tried to listen to them. He heard about half of the conversation and was about to tune them out again when his father asked him a question.
"Harry, would you like to go to Hogwarts?"
Harry had never said yes faster in his life. Maybe now, school would be a bit less lonely. And maybe, he could finally get the friends he so wished for.