Winter turned to spring, and with it, Hermione shed all those stuffy jackets. The scarves sometimes stayed on, so did the beanies, but never both in childish capriciousness. She'd pull one or the other off. A year and a half and Hemione was finally starting to mimic words and sounds. Ma and Da being the most frequent ones but ya and na were both close contenders. More words were starting to follow. It helped that Diana would ask for Hermione's opinion on things and repeat the words for everyday items as she used them.

Little Hermione was certainly enjoying the cheerful everyday delights of childhood. One could not say the same for another young boy.

It was an extremely ordinary day, the exact kind of day that the Dursleys liked. Good weather, good behavior from Dudley and a possible deal for Vernon. The Grangers also thought it was a mighty fine day in October. Doctors Granger and Granger each left to their own respective practices. Lawrence to his new dental office and Diana to the hospital. Or at least, this would've been their routine had Diana not taken the weekend off. Instead, she thought up of various activities to busy both herself and her young daughter with.

It was later that evening that found them both watching a movie and munching on their respective snacks. Ice cream for Missus Granger and a baby biscuit for Hermione's nearly full set of teeth. Not only were her gums a little sore (molars!), but she was also in the stage where she thought that biting down on everything was incredible fun. By now Hermione could most certainly walk, and walk she did.

But as it was, Hermione was just beginning to doze off when brilliant lights lit up the night sky. She startled. So did Diana, who was not expecting this display. She turned towards her daughter, "Do you want to go see what that is? Let's go look at the lights, sweetie."

Hand in hand, they stepped out to the front of their house and observed the night sky. Another round of lights filled the air. Blues, greens, reds. The occasional purple and pink. Diana was bewildered. It was very amazing and noteworthy but highly unusual. It was October 31st, yes, but Halloween wasn't nearly as popular in Britain as it was in the United States. They could see some neighbors peeking out of their doors and windows. The Grangers brought out some blankets, set them up, and laid down on them, watching the eye catching display. They remained that way until Lawrence came back from buying some groceries after his work. He joined them after he was done.

"Bit unusual, innit?" He asked quietly, seeing as his daughter had again nodded off.

"Very. Looks rather nice though. What do you think it is?"

"Well, I dunno. I'm not sure what to make of it. It's not just here either. I could see 'em all the way from my practice and at the store some minutes away." He scratched at the short stubble of his beard in thought.

They folded up their blankets and carried them and Hermione back inside, ready to settle in for the night. Their neighbors two houses down, the Dursleys, were not having as great a night as theirs. When the light show had gone on, Petunia and Vernon had been peeking out of their window surreptitiously. They were slightly appalled that their normal neighbors were interested in such a display.

And if their little Dudley was entertained, well, that's because he didn't know any better. Come to think of it, none of their neighbors knew any better save for Petunia, who had told Vernon. They retired to bed early since even the very thought of magic put Petunia (which put Vernon) in a foul mood.

Shame on the neighbors!

Despite going to bed in a terrible mood, the Dursleys did not wake up as such. In fact, it was another perfectly normal day. Or it would've been. Breakfast was made, Dudley was fed, Vernon was off to work. As Petunia kissed her husband goodbye, she spotted a grey tabby cat watching her from the middle of their green lawn.

She said nothing to Vernon but once he was gone, she approached the cat in quick steps, wanting to scare it off with the sudden movement. When that didn't work, she stopped a few steps from the cat, bent over slightly and hissed, "Shoo! Go on!"

When that also failed to produce any results, Petunia pursed her lips and stared at the cat from where she stood. Amber eyes stared eerily back. The cat didn't move a muscle.

In fact…

Petunia didn't think she saw it move in their entire exchange. It was… not normal. Unnaturally so. Metaphorical bells started to ring inside her head. She straightened up from her position with such a speed that it was a marvel that her back failed to pop. She eyed the creature in familiar suspicion. She was about to point a finger and give it a stern talking to when she realized how that would look.

Petunia Dursley, the most normal of neighbors, talking to a cat on her lawn in the early hours of the morning. Absurd! Giving the cat her most withering glare (the ocher abyss stared right back), she turned around and headed straight back into the house, mumbling about the unnaturalness of that cat and how their kind was going to haunt her.

Fortunately for the silver tabby, Dudley screamed for his mother's attention soon after she shut the door closed, making her forget all about drawing the curtains shut.

A stone gargoyle coming to life, the tabby moved across the lawn quick as silver. A better watching spot would suffice if that's how Petunia would react every time she was spotted.

And so, Minerva McGonagall observed. She caught Dudley's tantrums through the window, and even heard it from across the street. However, that wasn't saying much as her senses were enhanced in her current form. Or was it? That boy certainly had a set of lungs. She was up on the roof (sunbathing, though she would deny it if pressed), where she could hear Petunia going about her business in the house but also the neighbors'. The window would open and close, the hedges would brush against each other as Petunia tried to spy on the neighbors without giving herself away. Another tantrum from Dudley. She leapt off the roof, onto the hedges, and onto the empty property next door.

It seemed identical to all the other houses in the vicinity. In fact, it was. Same color, same architectural plans, same lawn. She magically opened a window (she may've been in her animagus form but alohomora was a simple spell for her, even without a wand) and took refuge from the sun for the time being. She silently explored the house. She may or may not have jumped onto the kitchen counter. Going from room to room she tried to imagine how the inside of the Dursley house would look like but gave up quickly enough.

Exiting through the same window she came from, she repeated the same jump as before to the roof of the vacant building. Flattening herself, she could easily see her target inhabitants from the kitchen window while mostly remaining hidden.

She would continue to watch carefully but her mind was already made up.

These were the worst kind of Muggles.

.

It was dark when Minerva once again changed her spying spot. Her new spot was from across the street, away from the closest streetlight but directly across from 4 Privet Drive. The sky was surprisingly clear, the moon showering any night owls that were out and about with its radiant rays. The Dursleys had long ago gone to bed, and so had the couple on the other side of the unoccupied residence.

The differences between the two families could not have been more striking.

It was by some incredible and severely disappointing stroke of luck that Harry Potter was not related to the family on the right, rather than the one on the left. Minerva was growing more irritated by the minute as she compared the two families. An undercurrent of something was beginning to grow and flow within Minerva's head.

Then, something in the periphery caught her attention. It wasn't something bright or startling in the distance but quite the opposite. Minerva turned her head around to face the direction of the stealthy disturbance and watched as the night seemed to get darker and darker. Instead of feeling unsettled, she felt oddly comforted. There was only one person (that she knew of) that could do what they were doing to the lights from the light posts.

Albus Dumbledore.

Minerva hadn't heard the distinctive pop of apparition but she certainly heard the soft steps as headmaster walked towards her. He continued walking, only stopping when he was opposite from the Dursley's house, just like she was. Hand outstretched, she silently watched as he held the dark green lighter open, the unknown magic calling out to flowy insubstantial wisps of luminescence. Deluminator, he had mentioned to her once. Light seemed to seep away in the periphery of her vision, just as it had before.

Satisfied with the murkiness of the night, Minerva shifted back into her human form, standing next to Albus when the transformation was done. She blinked at one of the temporary residual effects of her animagus form, the ability to see in the dark.

"Oh, hello Minerva. Didn't see you there," Albus greeted her in a low voice, gently smiling at her over his half-moon spectacles.

"Of course you didn't. What gave it away?"

"No other cat would sit so stiffly."

"Hmm."

The corner of his lips inched upwards at her noncommittal reply but then the rest of his smile seemed to gradually disappear as the reason why the both of them are there caught up to them. They stood side by side, turning to face Harry Potter's future house and home. Another moment passed before Albus sighed.

"I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

"As do I, Albus." She shook her head.

"Lily and James Potter, I'm assuming you've heard rumors?"

"I have," she repeated her earlier action and continued talking, still thinking about the loving family that were most certainly not the Dursleys, "They're not just rumors, are they?"

"No."

Another moment passed as they waited for seemingly nothing. Again Minerva spoke up. Quietly, almost hesitantly, "Albus… do you really think Harry will be safe here?"

"Safe from who? His pureblooded distant relatives that would continuously fight for custody of him? Had the Ministry gotten there before we did, they would've handed him off to the highest bidder. Hidden away, Harry will be much safer from the influences of the Ministry and his distant relatives. Not a soul has a clue about Lily's muggle family. This way he will be much safer from any Death Eaters who wish to seek to retaliate against him for Voldemort's death. I expect to see a trend of rogue Dark Wizards in the coming years."

Minerva flinched at the name. Old habits die hard, it would seem. Part of her question was answered at least. She decided to try again. "But Albus, will Harry be happy here? I've been watching them all day and they seem awful. They're nosy and spy on their neighbors, which leads me to think that they care more about their image and reputation in this neighborhood than anything else." She finished with a huff. She might not have been as close to the Potters as others undoubtedly were but she refused to leave a magical child in the presence of Muggle relatives with rather questionable characters. The Dursleys as though they read off their actions from a script and performed them just as stiffly.

When Dumbledore stayed quiet for a few seconds longer than just an old man collecting his thoughts, Minerva's fears were not assuaged. Finally he spoke up, seeming to struggle in choosing the exact words to say.

"As you know, Lily Evans was a Muggleborn witch. She had a close relationship with her older sister before the discovery of her magical abilities. They wrote to me, you see, asking if Petunia could study at Hogwarts. You know the answer. Anyways… to my knowledge, their relationship never got better before Lily passed but I'm hoping that Petunia will put aside her misgivings about magic to house young Harry and love him as his parents would've. He's the only link to her now and surely that has to count for something."

Come to think of it, Lily probably would've loved Dudley if the roles had been reversed. But Minerva didn't want to think of it because Lily was gone, and Harry was here. The two sisters seemed as different as could be. She recalled Dudley kicking Petunia for sweets and throwing tantrums. Really, what kind of environment would Harry live in?

"How are you going to explain it to them?"

"Well, I've written them a letter."

"A letter?! And just how long is this letter? That's a lot to explain."

"Not as long as you might think. Just the basics."

"The basics? He's famous, that doesn't quite cover the basics."

"Ah, but don't you see? He's famous for something he won't even remember. Every witch and wizard and children will know his name. It's enough to warp anyone's mind. He's a child, Minerva. He doesn't need more burdens. He'll be better off here, not knowing until he's ready."

She could see that Dumbledore had a point. Harry would be better off not knowing he was famous, she could agree with that. But she couldn't agree that Harry would be better off with these relatives. One particular thought struck her mind.

"How is Harry getting here?" she glanced up at Dumbledore. He hadn't moved from his position and seemed to be observing the night sky for something.

"Ah, Hagrid is bringing him."

"Hagrid? Is that...wise?"

Finally he turned to look at her. He gave her a look, "I trust Hagrid with my life."

She nodded but continued with her worries, "I thought you were going for subtlety?" As soon as she had finished talking, she started to hear faint rumbling. "What is that?"

Judging from Dumbledore's blank expression, he had no idea either.

000

2/5/2020 A/N - I am aware that there probably are some inconsistencies with canon, such as Minerva sort of knowing that the Potters were dead? Or something? But also.. Why else would she be watching the Dursleys all day... Some dates might be off, trying my best to keep a straight timeline but at the same time, I don't really care… Headcanons/Fanon are fun. Anyways, here's this chapter since the last one was apparently in September.

Holy cow, thanks to everyone who favorited/reviewed/followed. I'm always happy to see that people enjoy what I write. Leave a comment maybe? Constructive criticism is appreciated!

To one of the Guests, the one with the wand malfunction comment - that would be hilarious. Darn pesky timelines and paradoxes!