Understairs
Deciding

"What to do, what to do?"

There was no getting past the mental turmoil of the last year as Alisha wondered what would or wouldn't change in the Harry Potter timeline because of her presence, mainly since she's already seen changes within the Dursley family. Answers didn't lie there, in the world of the Muggle, but there among others with magic.

"Though, I still don't know if I'm magical or not, which is just another annoying thing. But it shouldn't be much longer. Harry is returning, but there is no news of him dying. But then, if he didn't find out in time and Voldemort got the stone…" Alisha felt sick thinking of that particular possibility, the way what she knew vexed her so. "It's not fair how he doesn't even try to communicate with us. So what to do? What do I do if I'm not magical, let alone if I am?"

Thankfully, they were headed to Kings Cross to pick up Harry, his first year at Hogwarts finished. Yet, she almost didn't come, as Aunt Petunia had started to notice how something was bothering her ; something was weighing on her as she waited—waiting for things she knew were to come. Thankfully, or perhaps not, she'd panicked about not going, which brought on a look of annoyance from Uncle Vernon.

"I don't see him coming around. No, I do not." Alisha thought as she sat in the back of the car while Dudley waited as well, nearly bouncing out of his seat in excitement. And then—

"Well, here I am," Harry said as Uncle Vernon piled the baggage into the back, minus one owl which rode with them. She'd not thought of it before that Hedwig had been there, but at least the grumpy man hadn't stuck her in the car's trunk.

"So what happened?" Dudley was the first to ask.

"Something bad happened," Alisha thought. "He was in the infirmary before the term ended."

"Nothing. I mean, we did win both the Quidditch and House Cups this year," Harry said, grinning as he did so.

"Nothing?" Alisha thought to herself, despite knowing something had happened to him, that he'd actually faced Lord Voldemort, whose spirit was on the back of a man's head, trying to come back. Still, if changes caused by her went the wrong way, she was sure that Harry might end up dying this time around.

"Nothing much to talk about," Harry said.

"So you didn't do anything dangerous like you did with the dragons?" Alisha said.

"Wait. You…"

"Dragons! Cool!"

"Not cool," Petunia said. "And Alisha did tell me, or did you forget that I said I was quite livid at you for doing such dangerous things."

"Well, it's not as if I did anything else dangerous," Harry said, his mouth twisting and—

"You're lying."

At that, Harry stared at Alisha. Dudley started laughing. "Lily doesn't think Harry's telling the truth."

"Wait. Did I say that out loud? Did I intend to say that out loud?" Alisha wasn't sure, yet there was so much pent-up frustration from not knowing for a whole year. And there Harry was saying nothing had happened despite how she knew he'd lied about nothing happening."

"And I don't believe you either," Dudley said.

"Hey! Why…"

"Because you have that look on your face! When we both did something mom didn't want us to do, that look! You did something bad!"

"I didn't do anything that I got in trouble for," Harry protested.

"Well, that much is true," Alisha said, looking out the window and wondering if she should let things take their course or if she should but in. A thought then crossed her mind, what might appear to others as some innocent slip of the tongue, but was far from clear on her part. "Didn't you say something idiotic in one of your letters about one of the Professors trying to kill you? Whatever happened to that?"

"That…"

"Harry James Potter-Dursley!" Petunia snapped from the front seat.

"It's just Potter! You never got our names changed."

"Don't talk to your aunt like that! Spill," Uncle Vernon warned.

And for a moment, Lily—no, Alisha, felt she should feel guilty, and yet the reason she'd brought up Harry thinking Snape was going to kill him, " I am tired of waiting. I need to take it into my own hands. Do something, so my head 's no longer spinning regarding what may or may not happen. I need to come up with a plan, a plan that works in my favor regarding the events I know. "

"I promise I didn't do anything to get me in trouble," Harry said.

"Which is not the same as not doing something that might get you killed," Petunia said.

"And we're letting him go to this school?" Vernon said.

"Oh. Great. That might get him to shut up."

"I doubt anything as crazy as that will happen again," Harry said.

"It's a magical school," Dudley said. "There's bound to be crazy things happening."

Alisha looked at Dudley wide-eyed. " Just tell Aunt Petunia already. " To which a thought crossed her mind. "Harry, if you don't tell Aunt Petunia the truth, you'll be in even more trouble when she finds out, but you know that both Dudley and I will press until we find out what interesting things you've gotten up to, so spill. "

Harry let out a sigh, letting it spill about the whole adventure of discovering Lord Voldemort's soul was on the back of the teacher's head and trying to come back to life, but for some reason, the teacher—Voldemort—couldn't touch him.

"Lily's protection," Petunia whispered.

"What?"

"She…"

"We'll tell him when he's older," Vernon said. "But it really works?"

"Apparently." Petunia smiled, yet she was not happy. "Harry, would you please avoid dangerous situations if you can, dear? You and your sister are all that I have left of my sister, so losing you would break my heart."

And in this world, Alisha knew it wasn't a lie. " Actually, I don 't think it was a lie in any universe. She's simply being more truthful in this universe. "

"I'll try."

"And was it that teacher you thought was trying to kill you?" Petunia said.

"Snape?" Harry said. "No. It was a different one."

"Too bad. I never liked that man."

To which Harry turned to Alisha. "See Lily! I knew there was something wrong with Professor Snape! And Aunt Petunia agrees with me."

She simply looked at him as if he'd gone nuts, but remember—no, knowing the previous canon, she felt it a bit off. Yet, Harry let out a sigh at that moment, opening up about some of the other things that happened, being honest with their aunt.