Chapter 1. Mrs Figg the Slytherin Squib

"Harry," Mrs Figg spoke to a four-year-old Harry Potter when he was left with her, "how would you like to learn play-acting?"

Harry shrugged, the things he did with Mrs Figg were never particular fun, but still better than the things he did with the Dursleys, so while he wasn't exactly enthusiastic, he also wasn't about to be difficult about it.

Mrs Figg, seeing his half-hearted response for what it was, explained, "I want to help you against your aunt and uncle. But they can't find out, so you have to learn to observe how you act, especially when I am mentioned. Can you do that for me?"

Harry nodded, and Mrs Figg smiled encouragingly.

The next time Harry was dropped off at Mrs Figg's, she asked, "did you do what I asked last time?"

"You mean to note how I act when Aunt Petunia tells me she's going to leave me with you?"

"Exactly."

"Yes. I nodded, and looked the same way as when she tells me to weed the garden when the weather is nice. I don't mind so much, but it's still one of my chores."

"Very good, Harry. As a reward I baked a cake. But remember, if your aunt finds out about it, the rewards will stop. So next time you are sent here you have to look reluctant."

Harry nodded. The cake was very good, not at all like the stale things she had been feeding him thus far.

Time passed. Mrs Figg found ways to improve Harry's life, meeting him in the street to pass him bits of food, encouraging him to study hard while still doing poorly on tests so that his relatives wouldn't punish him for getting higher marks than Dudley. And Harry learned that as long as he stayed out of sight, he could spend hours in the school and public libraries, but as soon as he was in the house, he was kept busy with endless chores. He also had to make sure that he came home before Dudley, but as Dudley got up to lots of trouble that Harry was blamed for whether he had been doing chores at the time or reading in the library, that still left Harry plenty of time. Until Harry told her about the odd thing that had happened. His aunt had been screeching at him more viciously than usual, and a vase had broken, for which he had been punished, even though he hadn't done anything.

"Are you still practising your play-acting?"

"Of course, Mrs Figg, I know how important it is that they don't find out how kind you have been. They would keep me from visiting you if they knew."

"Then tell me, how did you feel and act when your aunt punished you."

"I felt rebellious at how unfair it was, but also resigned because I knew that it wouldn't help to point out that I didn't do anything, and more and more I've also been feeling determined, because if I give up then they get what they want, so I'm determined to wait them out, even though it's going to take years."

"Remember that, Harry, because I can explain to you what happened, but only if you're sure that you can keep play-acting that you don't know. This is even more important than the other things you are play-acting. Are you sure you can do that?"

Harry thought about that for a long moment, "I'm not sure." He hesitated, but Mrs Figg had been so unsurprised that he saw part of what she was talking about, leading him to ask, "do you think it will happen again?"

"Yes. Not exactly like that, but surprising things will continue to happen."

"I think maybe you should wait before telling me. I realise that some unusual things have happened before, and I should learn to play-act the slow realisation that something is going on even if I don't know what."

"Very good, Harry, I'm glad you're such a smart and responsible person," Mrs Figg made a face, "I wish it wouldn't be necessary to teach you subterfuge. However, I'm glad you are up to it."

It was a year later when Harry said, "Mrs Figg, I think I am now ready to play-act as if I don't know."

Mrs Figg smiled, "very good, Harry. You are a wizard."

Harry nodded solemnly. Then he asked, "are you a wizard as well?"

"No, I'm not. And besides, women and girls who can do magic are called witches. My parents were a wizard and a witch, though. Magic is a big secret, so you don't only need to play-act that you don't know with your aunt's family but also at school and to everyone else who doesn't already know. Your aunt does know, because her sister was your mother, and she was a witch. So, the reason that you can't talk about it with your aunt is different. I don't know what happened to make your aunt hate magic, but wizards and witches are often rude to people who can't do magic. That's absolutely no reason for your aunt to treat you as badly as she does, but maybe it will teach you to be considerate of other people's feelings, because the bad things you do to them quite often get multiplied down the line, and if you let it to, soon everybody will be fighting everybody else."

Mrs Figg chided herself for ranting at an 8-year-old boy, but then again, Harry had had his unfair share of abuse thrown at him, so if Harry got even a fraction of what she had said, she hoped it might do some good for him to realise that perpetuating that mindset would not help one whit. She took a deep breath, and then continued, "but enough about your aunt. Let's talk about you. You are a wizard and once you turn 11 you'll be invited to attend the school for witches and wizards, which is called Hogwarts. And now that you know, you could try to do magic on purpose, though as I said you can't talk about it with anybody else, and you can't practise where anybody can see. Do you understand that this is very important?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. You should also know that the unusual things that have been happening are called accidental magic, and it happens when you feel strong emotions. It might actually have helped that you've been practising play-acting, because it separates how you feel from how you act, and it might prevent your emotions from running away from you."

And thus it was that Harry started learning to do purposeful magic. Mrs Figg also took him to Diagon Alley to buy books on magical society, wandless magic and runes. She made him wear a hat, explaining about his fame, and that they didn't want to draw attention. Mrs Figg also explained to him that he wouldn't be allowed to buy a wand before he went to Hogwarts, and that making a mistake in potions could lead to explosions, so together they came to the conclusion that learning wandless magic and runes would be the best way to learn magic.

The first bit of purposeful magic took more than four months, when he managed to topple one of his tin soldiers. One of his books was a guide to wandless magic, and it had warned against using emotion to drive it, because, while it was easier to achieve any result at all, like accidental magic, the results tended to be erratic, which in Harry's case included the risk of doing something that his relatives would notice. And Harry had had ample opportunity to learn patience from the countless times he had been locked into his cupboard, so keeping his magic under control was more important than achieving quick results. Lifting something up in a controlled manner was even more difficult. In fact, he learned to draw a cushioning charm in runes and activate it without a wand first. His first ones had a rather small area and short duration, but after a year he managed to make a bed that was much more comfortable than his cot and that lasted through the night.

Then one day he ended up on the school roof, trying to escape from yet another bout of Harry hunting. This impressed Mrs Figg no end, but she also exhorted him not to try to do it on purpose, because of the risk of splinching. That led into a whole discussion of magical healing that had Harry enchanted.

Life continued in this vein until 24 July 1991, when Harry received his Hogwarts letter. Channelling his magic-ignorant alter ego, he wrote back a snippy letter:

Dear Deputy Headmistress,

Or should I say Dudley and friends. If this is a hoax, then you should know that it's only Vernon and Petunia Dursley who have a conniption any time the word magic is mentioned. I have no such problem.

In the unlikely event that this letter is serious, your letter was seriously lacking in information. Kindly send more information on what on Earth you are talking about.

Sincerely,

Harry Potter

Harry then went outside and called, "owl?"

An owl did in fact come down from a tree to land on his shoulder. His alter ego spoke to the owl, "well, what do you know? Maybe this is real after all. Can I take you indoors for a minute?" When the owl made no objection he walked back into the house and added:

P.S. To my astonishment there was actually an owl that is presumably willing to take this letter to you, so I'm now less inclined to think your letter was a hoax, but still maintain that your letter made a very poor first impression. However, I do hope you'll send me enough information that I can actually learn what you're offering before I make a decision.

Harry then went to visit Mrs Figg to ask her advice.

"Some wizards and witches can read your thoughts. Not many are capable of this, but I think you should try to make it a habit to always keep your play-acting self at the front of your mind. Especially if someone looks you in the eyes. I don't want to alarm you, but I do want to make you cautious. There's a reason that I was placed here to keep an eye on you. The war that killed your parents has only been having a cease-fire these ten years. You shouldn't confuse it for peace."