Chapter [III] Something New
On a cloudy Sunday morning, Jamieson resumed his usual weekend chores, hearing the family car pull up to the driveway just as he finished his last few chores, Jamieson pats his clothes a few times before sprinting towards the door, opening it.
The family had just returned from church, which Jamieson was glad they didn't bring him along on. They brought him along once, which was more than enough for him to know it wasn't a place for him, for various reasons.
Just as he had closed the door once all three members had came in, another set of knocks came from the door. "Huh...?" Jamieson lifts a brow, wondering who could be behind the door, considering how the Dursleys would always inform him if they had visitors, giving a specific set of instructions to the boy for every different guest, which Jamieson had memorized by then.
"Answer the door, runt," He hears his step-father's voice from the living room as he turns the knob. "One sec," He answers, gently pulling the door open, only to see a rather petite, old woman to greet him with a warm smiley.
"Good morning, dear. Is this the Dursley's resident?" The woman asked, standing at the same height as Jamieson. Mind you, Jamieson is just as tall as you'd think a recently-turned-11-boy to be, which is quite stout.
"Y-Yes?" He reluctantly answered, trying to figure out who the person was.
The amount of people who ever visit the Dursleys is little, meaning Jamieson had not only memorized their faces by now, but also the specific sets of instructions as mentioned before, and this woman was definitely new. 'Did they meet at church...?' He wonders, remembering how the Dursleys would sometimes bring oddballs from the church, though the woman in-front of him looked quite sane, he had learned not to judge a book by its cover.
She might be even kookier than the family.
"Can I speak with Mr. and Mrs. Dursley?" She asks, Jamieson immediately figuring out that the family didn't know her, knowing full well that anyone who knew these wretched humans usually calls them by their first names.
"Can you wait one moment?" Jamieson asks, seeing the woman nod in response, Jamieson retreats back into the house, "She wants to speak with you guys!" He shouts, "Tell her to come in then, idiot!" He receives in response. Fighting back the urge to roll his eyes, Jamieson opens the door wide and invites the small, aged lady into the house, leading her into the kitchen.
"Do we know you?" Mrs. Dursley asks, ever in her polite tone as the woman entered the kitchen, Mr. Dursley who had joined his wife in the kitchen turned his short-necked head towards the stout woman.
"Probably not, I'm Mrs. Sprout from Hogwarts, you've probably never heard of it," She introduces herself. For the first time in his entire life, Jamieson watches as his step-mother's eyes expands in horror, "Jamieson, into your room, now," She hisses, her voice hinting danger, prompting the small boy to rush back into his 'room'.
Jamieson could hear angry shouting from Mrs. Dursley and calm responses from the old lady, though he couldn't quite make out what their conversation was. A million questions raced through the boy's head. Mrs. Dursley wasn't one to argue with guests, let alone shout, as she has an 'angelic' image to keep up within the neighbourhood, so whoever this person is definitely triggered something within her, which intrigued Jamieson, since he's the only one who usually triggers her almost daily.
Soon, the screaming stop.
Jamieson hears soft footsteps down the corridor and towards the front door, hearing the front door creaking open, he knew the lady was leaving. Jamieson opens his door sneakily, just enough to hear what the lady was saying.
"Well, Mrs. Dursley, know that I am not the last. Until the message reaches Young Potter-Diggory, the school will not stop. Have a good Sunday," The lady informs with a small smile before having the front door smashed close in-front of her.
Before he could even re-emerge from his sad excuse of a room, the door was swung wide open by a scared looking Mr. Dursley, which was a rare sight for the boy. "Pack your things boy, we're leaving in 10 minutes," The plump man rushes out, running upstairs to their room in a hurry.
"Mommy, where are we going?" Jamieson's stepsister asked, following her mother upstairs, both his parents seemingly in a hurry, making Jamieson wonder just who that woman was, what she could have possibly said to send both parents into a frenzy, and who Potter-Diggory was.
Deciding to was not time, Jamieson grabbed a duffel bag and shoved all of his clothes, which weren't many, inside, waiting for the rest of his family by the car. It took more than 10 minutes for the rest of the family to finish packing up, being held back by their daughter's tantrum after being denied of bringing all her toys to their little 'trip'.
With a roar, the car started, taking them an hour drive to a completely different suburb, far from their original housing area. Jamieson recognized the house as their cousin's, having visited it only twice previously.
After a quick conversation between the Dursleys and their cousin, they were allowed in, and quite literally for the first time in his entire life, Jamieson got his own room, which was rather spacious albeit empty. 'Huh... I kinda miss my old room...' Jamieson thought, having a bit of comfort with the closed walls, he had to adjust for the night.
The sun dawned on them, feeling as if the day went a lot slower for Jamieson, since he wasn't yelled at or told to do any other chores. He knew that none of the other family members aside from his step-father, step-mother and step-sister knew about his free-labour at home, meaning they couldn't force him to do anything outside of their own house.
The next morning came, rather quickly, after quite an uneventful night for Jamieson, which was new for him considering he'd usually be tired by the time his head had hit his pillows.
The first thing waking him up that morning was a few knocks at the door. Rushing downstairs past his cousins and newly awakened parents, Jamieson opened the door slightly to find a slim, glass-wearing middle-aged man looking down at him.
"Are the Dursleys here?" He simply asked, prompting Jamieson to raise a brow. Peaking back into the house, he sees his parents both give him a death-glare.
"Y'know what, they just left for their morning jog, which could take... maybe 2 hours from now," Jamieson answered, knowing full well if he hadn't lied right then, he'd probably be dead once the stranger left, even if they're currently at their cousin's abode.
"Right... I'll be back by then," The man simply turned around and left, not even questioning who would go out on a jog at 5AM in the morning, with the sun not even up yet. Jamieson then shuts the door turning around and seeing a relieved look on both of his parents.
"Swanson, baby, tell your parents uncle and auntie have to leave early, alright?" Mrs. Dursley quickly informed the young boy, who had came down for a glass of water, prompting Jamieson to pack up as well. Jamieson immediately picked up on the hint, understanding that they had to leave again, but not getting why.
Who are these people? And why are the Dursleys so afraid of them?!
Are they loan sharks or something?
The sun hasn't even risen yet and they're already packing up and... running?
A million theories ran around Jamieson's brain as they made their way across town to another cousin's house. By the time they arrived at their next location, the sun had already been up for over an hour.
Sure, Jamieson wished that his life would change for once when he blew out that birthday candle, but he didn't expect it to change like this. It feels like they're being hunted down!
For the next 4 days, Jamieson was met with a lot of different people looking for his parents. Sometimes he had to lie about their whereabouts, sometimes they jinxed themselves when his stepsister answered the door before he could, but it was always the same outcome.
The entire family would pack up and just run.
"Mommy, how long do we have to run? I'm tired of moving!" Jamieson's step-sister cried. It was true though, even he was getting annoyed at having to constantly move from one place to another, having used to his old place.
Sure, he loved the new sights, but it didn't even last long, considering how fast Mr. Dursley was going... Almost as if he didn't even care about the speed limit anymore.
"Until they stop coming, now shut up," Mrs. Durlsey groans, earning a huff from the girl, who returned her eyes to her phone.
All of them except Jamieson had a phone, even though his step-sister was younger than him, he didn't care though. He noticed how their eyes are constantly glued to their phone, which he felt sorry for, since they were missing out on how beautiful the world around them was.
"We'll see if they find us after this," Mr. Dursley grinned devilishly as they drove down the road, turning left which led into a forest.
After another 30 minutes of silent driving, they ended up in a house situated in the deep-middle part of a forest, literally in the middle of nowhere. "There's no line here, daddy!" The younger step-sister exclaimed angrily, once again earning another eye-roll from Jamieson.
"We'll have to be here for as long as it takes for them to stop coming," Mrs. Dursley sighs, all of them unloading their trunks and making their way towards the house. The house itself looked like it was well taken care of, which Jamieson was ecstatic about, since he wouldn't have to work his bum off trying to clean it. He didn't even bother asking whose house it was or who cleaned it, he was just glad that they finally had a place to settle down until this whole thing sizzles out, sharing the same mindset with his step-father for once, which was 'Nobody should be able to find us in here,'.
He would try to ask who these people were, but seeing how his step-parents reacted to them, he knew it would be a death-sentence to even bring it up.
Literally a few seconds after entering the house and shutting the door, their main door was blown apart. "Eek!" Both Mr. and Mrs. Dursley cried in fear, leaping further into the corridors, the little step-sister immediately running behind them, with Jamieson being closest to the door, he immediately jumped and turned around.
Once the dust had settled, they could finally see the figure standing by the door.
A well-dressed, middle-aged man, sporting a beige suit set, silver hair perfectly styled back and a well-maintained mustache. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, enough running," He warned in low tone, tucking what Jamieson thought to be a stick back into his suit-pockets.
"It is 1st of September, Jamieson will personally hear the message from me," He hisses, his voice low and served as a warning before stepping forth. "Are you uh... A loan shark?" Jamieson fearfully asked, prompting the silver fox of a man to lift a brow, seeing the man raise his brow to his question.
"Read this, please," The man handed Jamieson a letter, which Mrs. Dursley attempted to snatch. "I'm warning you old man," Mr. Dursley piped up, raising his fists as if he wasn't an old man, "I'm a black belt in karate and taijutsu!" He hissed.
"And I have a N.E.W.T in Defence Against the Dark Arts, so step back," The man hissed and whipped out his wand again, which Jamieson got a good look at and realized was not a stick.
Jamieson unfolded his letter, reading the contents, which wrote:
Dear Mr Potter-Diggory,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1st of September. We await your arrival as a response.
Yours sincerely,
Dolevia McDonald
Deputy Headmistress.
"I... I think you have the wrong person...? My family name isn't Potter-Diggory...?" Jamie asks, not even knowing what his real family name was. He always assumed it was 'Dursley' since he was adopted by them.
"The letter is never wrong, I have personally been assigned to send this message, like many others who have approached your parents in the past few days. I'm assuming they never told you about the wizarding world," The man furrows his brow, glaring at the Durleys behind Jamieson.
"That's not true! The wizarding world isn't real-," Mrs. Durlsey began, only to have the man interrupt him, "I assure you Mr. Potter-Diggory, it is very real. Something... happened to your parents, and they are no longer here. Since they didn't have any close relatives, neither did your grandparents, we had to go all the way back to your great-grandparents' relatives, which is why you were adopted by the Dursleys," The man paused, expecting some sort of negative reaction from Jamieson.
"I... S-So the wizarding world is real...?" He asked, seeing the man nod, he turned towards his step-family, who were all cowering behind Mrs. Dursley.
"Now, I must inform you that this option is not mandatory. You can simply reject going to Hogwarts and live your life as a muggle," The man sighs, lowering his wand, watching the young boy shake his head.
"I'm going," Jamieson answered simply, seeing his step-parents frown.
"No you are not, my bloodline has had enough freaks going to that school," Mrs. Durlsey warned, her voice laced with anger as she tried to stop the boy, only to have the stranger pipe in, "Though you are his step-parents, you have no rights to stop him. His decision to enroll in Hogwarts is his own," The man smirks, watching Jamieson pick up his duffel bag.
"I've had enough living with you. I've never known the world since I was born, I didn't even know my family name was Potter-Diggory!" Jamieson paused, feeling as if all the anger pent up was starting to spill out, he tried his best to control himself. "Who knows what else you have hidden from me?! I'm going to Hogwarts!" Jamieson exclaimed, turning towards the man.
He wanted to leave with the stranger, even if it means being kidnapped under the pretense of going to a world of wizards and magic, he wanted to get away from the Dursleys.
"The letter says I need to get on a train on King Cross Station at 11am... H-How are we gonna get there in time? It's all the way on the other side of the city," Jamieson asks, Mrs. Dursley running forth, "Don't you dare you runt!" as she reached out. attempting to grab Jamieson's arm.
"Hold on tight Mr. Potter-Diggory, this will be your first experience with magic, and it might be unpleasant," The man smirks, waving his wand with a simple flick.
All of a sudden, Jamieson's world turned black. He felt as if his eyes were gouged out and pushed back into his skull, his ears hearing numerous things, from car honks to the sound of a thousand people talking at once, his chest feeling as if it was being squeezed by someone.
Suddenly, they appeared in a marble bathroom, Jamieson feeling like he was about to vomit in just a few seconds, he gripped onto the man's wrist, who held him steady for a bit. "Oh Merlin," He gasped, taking a few deep breaths and controlling himself from vomiting.
After a while, he finally regained his composure and looked around, finding themselves in King Cross' male toilet. He remembered the place, even though he'd only been there exactly once.
"Alright Mr. Potter-Diggory, we're here. Remember, board the train before 11am if you don't wanna be late. You have exactly one hour left," The man smirks. Before Jamieson could reply, in a single blink the man disappeared again, leaving him alone in the bathrooms.
Jamieson shook his head and washed his face, deciding to freshen up and follow the newly given instructions, he made his way towards the train platforms.
"Platform 9¾...?" Harry wondered, confused as to where it could be since there's only platform 1 to 10, with no in-betweens. He waited for a bit before spotting a red-haired family approaching a wall between platform 9 and 10. After a pause, the members ran through the wall one by one. Literally through the wall.
Jamieson gasped and finally caught onto the message. "Platform 9¾ is between 9 and 10!" He exclaimed in a low voice, taking a deep breath before imitating the family, running straight through the wall and ending up in a different area, hearing the loud steam engine of a scarlet-painted train.
"Wait... Steam engine trains? What year is this?" He asked, looking at the giant contraption in confusion, remembering how he saw on a history channel once that steam engine trains stopped functioning a few years ago, completely replaced by electric trains.
The only ones that were still running were the ones in theme parks.
"All aboard! Train leaving in 5 minutes!" He hears someone yell. Turning his head towards the source of the sound, he spots a tall boy, looking like he's 17 years old or so, wearing a black robe with a blue coloured tee underneath, making a gesture towards one of the train's entrances.
Jamieson quickly picked himself up and sprinted towards the entrance, seeing other students do the same thing, he quickly made his way into the train. Jamieson passed carriages after carriages, feeling as if it was forever until he finally arrived at an empty carriage, he settles down and finally takes a break.
Feeling as if his eyes weighed an anvil, Jamieson slowly slipped into the dream world as the train's whistle blew, signaling the journey would begin soon.
'Finally... rest,' Were the last things in Jamieson's mind before falling asleep.
The poor boy hadn't gotten enough rest at all, having to go from one place to another with only an hour or two break in between, since the strangers seemed to always find them, no matter where they went.
Thank you for reading so far ya'll, again, your views and reviews are greatly appreciated. ^^"