All for the Best
"Ahh!" The shrill voice of Petunia Dursley echoed through the household of Number 4, Privet Drive.
"Petunia! What is it?" Yelled her husband, Vernon, who raced to the door as fast as his legs could take him.
"It's… it's… look!" said Petunia, pointing down. Vernon looked down, and made a noise that made baby Dudley cry. However, the baby on the doorstep giggled at the strange man looking down at him.
"Who is he? Why is he here?" boomed Vernon, making Dudley cry even louder.
"It's Harry, my sister's son, I don't know why he would be here though!" said a puzzled Petunia, holding Dudley, trying to get him to calm down.
"Well I don't want him. He's a disgrace to… to… all humans!"
"But Vernon, there's a letter, we should at least read it!"
"Well alright, I'll read the letter. But he's not staying!"
"I don't want him here any more than you do, Vernon, but we should read the letter first. If indeed he is in our hands, well, we'll deal with that later. Go on, open it!" Vernon Dursley had been folding the letter around in his hands over and over for the past few minutes. Finally, he cleared his throat, and began to read.
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, The following may come as a shock to you, but I believe it will explain the surprise you had of your nephew on your doorstep this morning. The Potters, Lily and James, were attacked on Halloween night, by the Dark Lord of the magic world. Harry somehow survived the attack, and Lord Voldemort lost all power, which brings relief to the magical community. However, the loss of Harry's parents brings much sorrow to myself and I am sure you feel the same. As you are Harry's only living relatives, I think it is best that he stays with you until the time is right. I hope you will treat him well, and show him this letter when he is older. Yours Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore."
"No!" shrieked Petunia. "No. He is not staying here! I won't explain anything!"
"Petunia, calm down! I agree. I won't have one of… them in my house! First thing tomorrow, he's going straight to the orphanage! Now I have to leave, I'm late for work!" and with that, he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
* * *
Almost ten years had passed since Harry had been sent by his aunt and uncle to live at the orphanage. Harry and the other orphans waited anxiously for Elliot's return. Elliot was turning 12 in a few days, and he was returning from a boarding school. It was rare that an orphan would ever get accepted to a boarding school, and everyone was excited to learn about how it was. Finally, at long last, Elliot was back.
"How was it?"
"What'd you learn?"
"Did you make any friends?"
"What was it like?"
"Hold on! Let me get my stuff put away, and I'll tell you all about it!" Elliot had just returned, and was being badgered with questions. 'Remember Elliot, don't let them know you're a wizard. And keep an eye on Harry.' The words of Albus Dumbledore echoed through Elliot's head. Elliot had returned from a very exciting first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but he made a promise to the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, not to let the other orphans know he was a wizard, except for Harry. No one in the orphanage knew Harry was a wizard except for Elliot, and Elliot couldn't wait until Harry received his letter for Hogwarts, so he wouldn't have to keep everything inside.
"Ok, I'm ready. Now what do you want me to start with?" Elliot was nervous. What if he let something slip?
"What was the place you stayed at like?" asked a little girl named Mary.
"Well, it was big. Almost like… a castle. The students are split into 4 groups, and that is what part of the castle they stay in. There are all sorts of classes, and every Saturday, there's a big… erm… game." Elliot gulped. He had only been back for 10 minutes and he almost let something slip! He couldn't let them ask about Quidditch. How would he explain it? The game is played on broomsticks!
"What types of classes are there?" asked a little boy Elliot hadn't met before.
"Well… the classes are unique. They're different from the ones we normally have here. My least favorite is a bit like chemistry. There's also Astronomy. You study the stars. There's another one where we study plants, a bit like biology. There's also history, and some others." He stopped there. He didn't want to press the subject, as most of the other classes involved wand magic.
"Was it fun? I mean, how was just being somewhere else like?" asked Harry. He was most interested in this mysterious school that Elliot had gone to. He wished that maybe, maybe he'd be accepted to this school too! But Harry let that thought out of his mind very quickly. He wasn't exceptionally smart, he did all right and was a hard worker, but he wasn't the smartest in the world. And he had never been good at sports. Of course, he wouldn't know, because they didn't play too many sports at the orphanage. But no. There was no way they would want Harry at that boarding school.
"Oh yes. It was amazing! I've never been anywhere like it in my life!" Elliot was glad Harry had asked him a question. He almost had to laugh. Famous Harry Potter had no clue he would be going to the same school as Elliot in a matter of months!
"All right, let's stop bothering Elliot. He's had a long trip, I'm sure he's very tired. Go on now!" sounded the voice of the muggle caretakers.
"Wait, please, I'd like to talk to Harry for a little bit, if it's all right."
"Ok Elliot. Whatever you wish."
"Thanks." Elliot knew he couldn't tell Harry too much, since there's a possibility he could be a squib, but he had to at least tell him something.
Harry had been wondering why Elliot wanted to talk to him, of all people. He never really talked to Elliot before. Why him?
A/N: should I continue? I like it, but I'll only keep going if people will actually read it! Please, constructive criticism is encouraged! I think this chapter is a bit short, but tell me if it's too short, too long, or just right! (lol goldilocks and the 3 bears!!)
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and places and all that stuff belongs to J.K. Rowling. Elliot is my own brilliant creation!