I woke to the sound of a car backfiring close to the house. I quickly turned to go back to sleep only to hear the door bell go. Listening to the two whales upstairs wake up, "who the bloody hell is waking me up on a sunday at bloody 6 in the morning" thumping down the stairs causing dust to cover my head. The front door could be heard slamming open " WHO THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU TO WAKE UP DECENT FOLK AT THIS UNGODLY HOUR ON A SUNDAY" I could already visualised Vernon going purple.
"I am here to see your nephew" I heard a woman with a slight Scottish accent calmly state although sounding strained mentioning nephew.
"Nephew?…." Vernon sounding confused for a moment.
"YOU!" I heard Petunia screech from the top of the stairs. "Finally coming to take him, use us to dump your unwanted goods on our doorstep then wait till now to collect him, all I had was a bloody letter and a baby on my door step one night. No way to contact anyone to explain we didn't want the child, we didn't want to watch things that were from your world. No all the letter said your sister was murdered, your nephew survived but he needs to stay with you as he is in danger from your world. That was it nothing explaining why there wasn't anyone else, no way to contact to explain what happened to my sister. All I knew was that…" She spat "MAGIC!… destroyed my family killing my sister and my parents, it was your world who took my sister and changed her, made her think she was above everyone who didn't have it, well I wouldn't let the magic take my family away so we did EVERYTHING to keep it away from us… so come and collect it" Quickly I heard her come down the stairs, unlocking the cupboard she came in leaning towards me, I then clearly saw her face and that one time I saw that it wasn't emotionless towards me but tears, "I'm sorry…" she whispered staring directly at my eyes "you have my sisters eyes" she closed her eyes quickly kissing on the ridge of my nose, "Forgive me Lily". She grabbed my arm dragging me towards the door, I grabbed the supply list shoving it in my pocket then shoving my glasses on.
I soon found myself shoved into the Scottish woman as she took a few steps back to keep balance I heard the door slam behind me. Silence soon followed only the mutterings of Vernon caring for my Aunt as she wept. I closed my eyes touching where she had kissed me, a few tears left me. I quickly breathed in out and calming myself. I pushed these memory's to be dealt with later in the sanctuary.
I steadied myself taking a few steps away from the woman. "Erm...hello nice to meet you?"
She looked at me for a moment pale faced, then the colour slightly returned to her face, smiling "Hello Mr Potter, I am Professor McGonagall, I received your letter...I think we both need something to eat" she said but I suspect drink is more on her mind.
She soon grabbed my hand leading me away from four privet drive.
It took about twenty minutes till we arrived at a cafe near the local train station. Walking in we quickly settled in a booth in the corner of the room, we had just sat down when a young waitress handed us a menu asking for drinks we both ordered black tea, the professor asked that my one be small while hers a large one. The waitress quickly left, we both browsed the menu in silence.
Time passed in the cafe the background noise of customers coming and going, the train rattling the windows occasionally. We soon received our coffees and ordered a small English breakfast. By the time the breakfast arrived the only sound from the table was the both of sipping our tea, this continued through the meal.
The Professor once finished quickly ordered a large pot of breakfast tea, once received she thanked the waitress, then poured a cup for each of us. "Mr potter I would like to apologise for what you have had to suffer for these ten years" I was about to interrupt when she held her hand up "I know it doesn't help you its just…" She closed her eyes held her fingers to her nose in obvious frustration. She muttered "Dam that man, Harry I am going to tell you a lot of information in a moment some will surprise you, upset you and what I desperately wish is for you to just listen. Is that okay with you?"
I stared at her for moment, I could see the tension throughout her body. Finally I will have answers. "Yes professor but can something to note down any questions I have" Hearing my answer she raised an eyebrow muttering something claw, she then reached into her pocket grabbing what could only be a wand waving it a couple of times, then pointing it at the spare napkin and changing it to paper and another into a pencil. "Thank you"
"Your welcome Harry and for now Harry you can call Minerva if you wish" She said while smiling. "Now your story is famous in our world while some people have added nonsense the bare facts are this, we had been going though a terrible civil war one side fighting for tradition using the ability to oppress through violence and dark arts, the other side fighting for new blood of the magic world and to stop the practice of most traditions viewed as dark. Now I was personally not on agreement of either side but the amount of violence from one side forced those to either fight against oppression or accept and bend before their leader Lord Voldemort, I must urge you not to state his name in our world harry too many he harmed which caused even his name feared to be heard. Now the war had been going on for years many families destroyed or very few left had survived the death eaters, lord Voldemort's soldiers. One day unbeknownst to many a prophecy was told which stated one would come to stand in the way of Lord Voldemort, sadly a death eater heard this and passed it onto him, causing him to hunt for this chosen one. For one year the war changed suddenly families were not targeted but there very children, many died. The Potters, James your father and Lily your mother, were warned they would be targeted because of you. So using rarely used magic which allowed their very location a secret which only kept by one. So time passed the war grower closer with Lord Voldemort about to win. Then one day he had found the secret of The Potters and killed both your parents however due to something even to this day we don't know how you destroyed the body of Lord Voldemort." I gasped tears had long been falling from both of our eyes.
She allowed the both of us to settle down, I used that time to write down some questions, while I did this she drained her tea before pouring another cup for herself. "Now within a day our world had heard how you had killed Lord Voldemort and the war stopped. People came out celebrating, cheering your name The Boy Who Lived. However although the war stopped the death eaters many of them still hidden were a danger to you, so Professor Dumbledore leader of the opposition of Lord Voldemort decided it would be best hide you away from the fame and possible dangers so we place you with your Aunt. In hindsight we did a terrible thing to you that day dumping you like we did however we were all tired of the death and destruction our world had been through, so once you were given to your aunt our world left you believing you safe and loved for. Our world decided we wanted to move on, wanting to bury our dead, mourn them in peace, then forget the war as much as possible. So that's what happened death eaters caught who admitted guilt were sentenced quickly to Azkaban to be forgotten, while those who brought out any excuse and generous amounts of gold were pardoned with a slap on the wrist. So over time our world ignored the horrors done through the war allowing corruption to take hold strongly in our government The Ministry."
Silence followed for a long time except for me writing down the occasional question, and Minerva sipping her tea.
"Minerva thank you for telling me this, I can tell it was difficult I really appreciate this" She lightly smiled at me hearing this. "I just have a few…" looking down "erm actually a lot of questions" Scratching the back of my head. She nodded her head while smiling as if an attempt not to laugh at a hidden joke.
"Honestly most of these questions I will research myself but my situation I need to understand better. I can sort of understand how dangerous it was for me in your world if I stayed in the beginning at the end of the war, however when I first started primary school I didn't know my name, thought it was freak as that was all I had been called. now in the...non magical world we have child services to check up children in difficult situations, within the first day of school I was investigated, my malnourishment and abuse was reported I was taken somewhere however I can only remember entering the car, then suddenly I woke up in the cupboard, however three days had passed. The abuse also stated to get worse sometimes blatantly obvious such as a broken arm, it got reported then three days of blank and the cupboard. This happened twenty times I counted marking a tally in the cupboard. I then gave up escaping, so I hid the abuse although by then people seemed to just think I was accident prone and deserved it from the rumours spread by Aunt Petunia and Vernon." I paused taking a breath.
"This has taught me a very strong lesson" I stared at her straight in the eye, "Adults cannot be trusted without benefit if they have power over others, this benefit may be a small surge of gratitude from a thank you or a hug, or it could the pleasure to cause suffering or control. I acknowledge that with sufficient connections with others whether emotional or political the benefits can be smaller." I closed my eyes remembering how painful it was to see others cared for while I was the freak of the town to be ignored at best or beaten and blamed for everything at worse.
I could see this upset Minerva but honestly we had just met all I have seen are three viewpoints of a very complicated issue, my aunt, myself and Minerva. "I can see you were probably close to my parents as to how this is effecting you but sadly I am not close to you as this is my first meeting with you. I am being blunt with you because although I can see your viewpoint, I am not silly enough not to understand there is always a bigger picture." Breathing deeply trying to keep the anger in control, some of the utensil were starting to shake on the table. "I AM...trying to keep calm but all I can see is a world who has used me as a figure head as some hero but that same world ensured I was abused, ensured I would be downtrodden, bloody manipulated my very life so I would be be guided to some would be goal to become the saviour of your world as clearly Mr dark lord is still alive, as you let slip the body destroyed while the rest of the world thought him gone. From Mr bumbledore with too many names and titles it can be seen he is grandmaster of puppetry giving him enough power to ensure I was abused. So I can see the civil war never ended rather the claws are sheathed, the tongues unleashed all in preparation for the conclusion of the war that never truly ended." My eyes glowed with fury as all the lights in the cafe short-circuited allowing Minerva to see all to clearly that I would be no ones pawn that I would shake the board and truly make a new world for all to see.