It was midnight in Privet Drive, and Albus Dumbledore had just left baby Harry on the doorstep of the Dursley household, along with McGonagall and Hagrid, who was still bawling his eyes out.
'Well,' said Dumbledore finally, 'that's that.' We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations.'
'Yeah,' said Hagrid in a very muffled voice. 'I'd best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall-Professor Dumbledore, sir.'
Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorbike and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.
'I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall,' said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.
Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.
'Good luck, Harry,' he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.
However, he didn't notice the pair of glinting green eyes hidden behind one of the lampposts. They belonged to a girl, not much older than 5, who had evidently been eavesdropping on their entire conversation.
The mysterious girl emerged after Dumbledore disappeared, and slowly walked over to the Dursleys' door. She stared intently at the baby, crouched down and whispered softly, 'To Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived.' She kissed him on the cheek, got up, and walked away, occasionally looking back as though she was reluctant to leave him alone.
Baby Harry suddenly awoke, startled by the cold wind blowing over him, which left him feeling more lonely than ever. The last thing he remembered was a green flash of light in front of his cot, back at home. Now, he was left at an unfamiliar place without his parents, and he started sniffling, both from the cold and his own loneliness. But then he caught a glimpse of the girl staring at him. Harry tried to reach out towards her, but she smiled sadly at him, and left without a single word.
He instantly felt warmer than he was a few seconds before. At least in this unfamiliar location, a person was being kind to him, a person he didn't even recognise. Maybe she was a friend or relative of his parents? Before he could think more about the unknown girl, a surge of fatigue went through Harry's body and he fell asleep once more.