Harry felt a lump in his throat. He couldn't dodge the feeling of foreboding. He found the visage of the lean, pallid man with his almost-entirely black ensemble to be nothing short of eerie, if not outright ominous. His oily black locks hung past his chin, and his dark eyes appeared to see right through Harry. And the voice – the cold, deliberate monotone – was perhaps the most unsettling of all.
"Hello, Harry," the man said. "I am Professor Snape. I represent an order of wizardry and witchcraft, one that your mother once belonged to." Snape's face remained stoic, even though feelings of anguish and regret ravaged through every fiber of his being. "You knew my mother?" Harry interjected, hoping to perhaps divert the subject. "Yes, Harry, she was a… dear friend of mine, and I miss her terribly. But she is not the reason I have come to see you." Harry looked down in disappointment.
"The incident at the reptile garden earlier did not go unnoticed by the Ministry of Magic, the governing body of the wizarding world, and I have been dispatched to discuss this with you." Snape's thin lips curved into the slightest of smiles. "The gift that your mother had– is your gift, as well." Harry looked at Snape with shock. "So, what you're saying is, I can do magic?" Snape nodded slowly. "That is correct. And I have a proposition for your consideration."
Snape then unbuttoned a pocket in his trenchcoat, and produced a sealed envelope addressed to a Mister H. Potter at 4 Privet Drive. "You can either stay here with the Dursleys, and live a comfortable yet ordinary life, Harry," he said rather nonchalantly. "Or, you can open this envelope, and discover more about our world. I can help you truly unlock your gift. I can help you control and hone your powers. This is your heritage, so I would imagine you would not need much prodding from me."
Harry took the envelope with some hesitation, and proceeded to open it. The contents read thusly:
"Dear Mister Potter,
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 1 September. We wait your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress"
"This can't be real," Harry whispered to himself. "Oh, it is quite real," Snape replied, who picked up on Harry's mutterings. "And what about my cousin Dudley? Does he get a letter too?" Harry asked innocently. "Surely he can learn magic with me." Harry looked at Snape's perpetual expressionless façade. "No, Harry, he cannot."
"Why not, sir?" Harry implored. "Dudley… is not invited. That decision was not yours to make, nor mine, but it is final." "Then I'm not sure I want to go to Hogwarts then. I've known him all my life and…" Snape, finally showing some semblance of humanity, placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry," he said with equal amounts of firmness and gentleness. "Perhaps you need some time to think this over. This is a life-changing decision and making such a hasty, rash decision will only fill you with regret. Believe me, I've been there myself. I will return in two weeks' time in anticipation of your final decision. Will that be sufficient?" Harry nodded silently. "That's a good lad," Snape told Harry. "Should you decide to accept the invitation, I will then provide further instructions the next time we meet. Until then, farewell, Harry Potter." Snape got up and left the house without making a further sound.
Harry took the letter up to his room and read it over and over again. Dudley was still busy with his new toys to pay much attention to Harry, to his relief. Harry wasn't ready to share the information in that letter with anyone else, at least not yet. The shock factor still hadn't gone away, not fully, but when he had some time to come to terms with it and accept the fact that he was a scion of a wizarding family, he would discuss it with his relatives. He stuck the letter under his pillow discreetly and joined Dudley with his toys.
Dudley didn't feel completely comfortable about what that man wanted from Harry, and started prying for some answers. "Hey Harry, what did that man want? He seemed a little menacing to me." "I – I'm still not entirely sure myself. Can we talk about it another time? I'm not keeping anything from you, I just need some time to process what happened myself. I promise." Dudley gave Harry a look of support and understanding.
The next morning, Harry showed Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon the letter he got from Snape. "I think it's high time that we all sat down, and had a little chat," declared Uncle Vernon.
"I remember Severus Snape," said Aunt Petunia. "He was a friend of Lily's many years ago. I admit I wasn't the kindest to him, or her when they were together," she said, with a flush of shame on her face. "It was nothing but jealousy though. Pure childish jealousy. I envied their gifts, and their bond. I was always the third wheel. I always hoped, if even for a moment, that I had their powers." Tuney's eyes grew misty. "I truly wish I had more opportunities to tell Lily that I loved her and that she meant the world to me. We were rather distant when she died, and I just wish I had one more minute to tell her that she was always my baby sister and that I loved her dearly. I miss her so very much."
"When we took you in, Harry, it was one last chance to show Lily how much I cared about her. Because there is a lot of your mother in you. I see that every day, and that takes away some of the pain. She would be so very proud of you, Harry."
"And did this Snape character, did he say anything about Dudley?" inquired Vernon. "Not at first, Uncle," replied Harry. "Though, when he gave me this invitation, I did ask if Dudley was to be receiving one. He said that Dudley was not to be invited, I'm afraid." Vernon's face sank somewhat in disappointment. "But please don't be upset with Professor Snape. He had no power over that." "And what did you tell him after that, Harry?" asked Uncle Vernon. "Well sir, I told him that I wasn't sure that I wanted to go if Dudley can't."
"I… I think you should go, Harry," sniffed Aunt Petunia. "Your mother would have wanted you to go. I feel positively rotten that Dudley does not have your gift, but that is beyond my control. This is your calling, anything else would be holding you back. But this is your choice, Harry, we cannot force you to choose something against your will. We love you, Harry Potter."
Sure enough, two weeks after being visited by Snape, the Dursleys received a knock at their front door in the middle of the afternoon. However, when Dudley opened the door, he was positively stunned to see an enormous bearded fellow instead of the sallow, gaunt figure from last time. "Good evening ter yeh. I'm here fer Harry Potter."
"Harry, someone's downstairs for you," Dudley called. "Someone different this time. Maybe from the same place as the other bloke." Harry flew down the stairs and could not believe his eyes when he saw a giant of a man grinning at him from the doorway. "Hello there, Harry. I'm Hagrid. Professor Snape had other business to attend ter, so I'll be looking after yeh. So, have you come to a decision?"
Harry nodded. "Hello, Hagrid. I talked it over with my aunt and uncle, and we decided that I should go to Hogwarts." Hagrid smiled even more broadly, and gave Harry a hearty pat on the back. "That's me boy," he said. "I figured you would make the right decision. Come with me, we've got to purchase a few wizardly provisions before you start your first term at Hogwarts." "I don't have much money with me," Harry stammered. "How can I afford all the materials?" Hagrid smiled again. "Don't yeh worry 'bout that, Harry. Your parents left you a small fortune at Gringotts Bank. We'll pay them a little visit, they're the one and only bank in Diagon Alley."
"Diagon Alley?" Harry threw Hagrid a bewildered look. "It's the business district for the wizarding world. It's kind of hard to explain, but I will show yer when we get there."