Mr. and Mrs. Matteson were perfectly normal, thank you very much. Living in the tiny rural town of Richwood Ohio with their son, Ethan. Petunia Matteson had fled England in the year 1974 and met her husband, Carlyle Matteson, just a short year later. Carlyle worked for the local hardware shop when he wasn't tending his fields or cattle, while Petunia worked as a hairdresser out of their old rancher style home's converted garage. Everything about their little world was peaceful, but Petunia's past would soon catch up with her. You see, when Petunia left the town of Surrey, she'd also left behind her beloved sister Lily. Her beloved sister Lily just happened to be a witch. Lily had been scooped into the conflicts in England, and urged her sister to leave behind everything Petunia had known for the sake of safety.
Petunia wasn't easily scared, but upon finding out that the terrorist bombings were caused by magic and she was a target, she made the wise decision to get the hell out. At the time she'd had a boyfriend by the name of Vernon, but it was nothing too serious and for his safety they had broken up. The move wasn't too difficult, but the culture shift from her little suburb in England to the bustle of an American city was simply too much.
After eight months of trying to tough it out, she decided to move somewhere else. Specifically, Richwood Ohio. Richwood was a calm little place, about 20 years behind everywhere else. Full of high-brow crime, political play, and farmers. It didn't make a lick of sense, but in her mind it reminded her of her sister and that was that. She was easier to find, yes. However, she was also much more comfortable.
In this town, a one Carlyle Matteson lived near his brother, Tim, about 4 miles from the city proper. City was a bit of a misnomer, it was more akin to a town square, however everyone called it the city so city it was. Carlyle was working on helping a particularly difficult customer when Petunia Evans strolled in, looking to replace the pipes in the home she bought just down the street from him. In that moment, he knew this woman would be his wife. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and there were quite a few women he'd seen. After about a year of courtship, he asked for her hand and she said of course. Petunia was pregnant shortly after, and Ethan was born. The whole "Magic is real" thing never bothered Carlyle, he was a devout man and summarized that God himself had given the gift to those He found worthy.
That was another thing about Carlyle. If he could rationalize, he could believe. So, in his rather limited free time, he went out into the woods to hunt. Deer, small fuzzy things, birds. Anything he could get his hands on. In doing that, he was trying to recognize what part of life a man's soul was. When exactly it fades, and whether a body could be animated without a soul. He was a scientific man, a godly man, and a modern-day Frankenstein. He briefly considered changing his name to Victor, but decided the joke wasn't worth it.
Lily and Petunia kept in contact through weekly letters delivered magically through matching mailboxes, but one week her sister never replied. Petunia was somewhat worried as this had never happened before, but was confident her sister was just taking her own son trick or treating. She didn't know any better until an old friend and a baby appeared on her porch the next morning.
A/N: I hope this concept interests you as much as it does me. Harry in my story is a bit of a techno-wizard but the primary arch is his journey as a taxidermist and beastmaster, the god theme won't be explored until much later when I have a interesting idea for it, one even us secular folks should be able to get behind. My family is from Richwood, but the characters here are not based off of real people.
Until next time,
Sam
