The Letter And The Truth

Thankfully, the whole incident with the Boa Constrictor didn't get him into trouble. The only thing that happened was that the day after, the blonde oaf and his parents arrived at the Dentleys to demand 'justice' but the Dentleys didn't satisfy them, demanding they leave or they'll call the authorities.

Eventually, the summer holidays came at the end of June and so Arthur was able to avoid his bully and his gang, who enjoyed a game where they hunted Arthur down.

No longer in school, Arthur either read books or played games with his cousin. He also thought about when September would come, meaning he'd be going off to secondary school. He knew Deacon would go to his Nicholas' old school in a couple of years. Meanwhile, his aunt and uncle never mentioned anything about where Arthur would go.

This was just one example of the weird change in their behaviour. They'd keep looking through the windows, as though they were expecting something, they'd examine various areas and spots, again, as though they were expecting something and gave Arthur a bit of a cold shoulder, all of which made him concerned.

Eventually, one day in July in the morning, the whole family was in the living room. Nicholas was reading the newspaper, Patty was playing sudoku, Deacon was drawing a picture and Arthur was watching a cartoon on the TV. There was a slight rumble out in the street, sounding like a motorbike.

Just as the cartoon ended, the doorbell rang. Due to the curtains being pulled over the window in the living room, the family couldn't see who it was.

"I'll get it." Arthur said, getting up and walking to the front door.

When he opened it, he was shocked upon seeing who rang the doorbell. There were two people. One of which was so tall and wide that he assumed there would be no way he'd be able to enter the house. The giant also had long and bushy black hair.

The other, being a normal human, was a woman with slick black hair and wore an emerald green cloak, a pointed hat and square glasses.

"Hello, Arthur." The woman greeted him and the giant waved one of his large hands. Arthur was frozen in shock. How did this woman know his name?

"Arthur, who is it?" Patty called out, appearing behind him and freezing upon seeing the woman and giant.

"There's a lot to discuss about, Mrs. Dentley." The woman said, entering the house and turning to the giant, named Hagrid, telling him to stay outside.

A dazed Patty and Arthur led the woman into the living room.

"Mom, who's the stranger?" Deacon asked.

"Son, don't be rude." Nicholas sternly told him off, his eyes on the visitor, who sat on the armchair. The woman simply chuckled at Deacon's words.

"It's alright. Is it alright if I speak with Arthur alone for a bit?" She assured and asked. The Dentleys nodded before taking their son and walked to the back garden.

"If you don't mind my asking, who are you?" He asked her, sitting down on the couch.

"Of course, I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall. I'm a teacher at a school that you've been accepted into for years." The woman introduced herself and explained.

"What?" Arthur questioned, feeling on edge about what this special school was.

"Let me ask you something. Have strange things happened to you? Things that couldn't be explained and whenever you felt fear or anger?" McGonagall asked him. He nodded, having experienced such things growing up.

"There's a reason for that, Arthur. You see, you're a wizard." She revealed. This reveal caused his brain to shut down for a moment before he functioned normally.

"I'm a what?" He asked her. Instead of verbally giving him an answer, she pulled an envelope out from her cloak and handed it to him. He grabbed it and looked at the front.

Mr A. Pendergast

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

The envelope was thick and heavy, being made of a yellowish parchment, the address being written in emerald ink. He turned it around to see a purple wax seal that bore a coat of arms with a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake that all surrounded a large 'H'.

He then opened it and pulled out a letter that read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr Pendergast,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

A plethora of questions now started firing in Arthur's head but he knew what to ask first.

"Await my owl?" He asked McGonagall.

"Don't worry about that." She told him, pulling out a piece of parchment, a quill and a jar of ink. She wrote a quick note and then walked to the front door. She then came back shortly after and sat back in the armchair.

"I've just had Hagrid pull an owl out from his coat and put the note on the owl. They'll arrive at Hogwarts." She informed him.

"But… but how can I be a wizard?" He asked her, still shocked over this revelation, not wanting to believe it in case this is all just some prank.

"You're parents, of course." She said, as though it were obvious.

"But how? I thought they were normal and that they died in a car crash." Arthur demanded a proper explanation. But what he said caused the woman's eyes to widen and leaned forward.

"You really believe they simply died in a car crash?" She asked, seeing if she heard him correctly.

"Yes. That's what my aunt told me." He nodded, sounding heated. McGonagall sighed,

"I'm sorry to tell you this but your parents didn't die in a car crash. Your aunt lied to you." She corrected him with the truth. These words left Arthur flabbergasted.

"But… why would she lie about it?" He demanded to know.

"Because they were murdered." She finally revealed the dark truth. A truth that left Arthur speechless for the first time in his whole life. He sat there for a while, soaking in this knowledge, which caused McGonagall to be concerned for him.

"Arthur?" She asked.

"How? How were they murdered?" He asked, his voice breaking slightly saying the word 'murdered'.

"Alright, you deserve to know. The first thing you need to understand is that in our world, not all wizards and witches are good. Some are bad. There was one in particular that is considered to be the darkest wizard of all time who disappeared ten years ago. He scared so many that people were terrified to say his name." McGonagall first stated, giving him context.

"Who was he?" Arthur questioned.

"He's known as Lord Voldemort." She revealed. Arthur frowned upon hearing the name.

"That's such a stupid name." He remarked, shocking McGonagall. She had never heard anyone consider Voldemort's name that way.

"Either way, he amassed many followers, some being afraid, others because they wanted power. They were dark times, Arthur. You wouldn't know who to trust and various terrible acts were made, including murder. Some would stand up to Voldemort, who he'd kill. One of the only places that were considered safe was Hogwarts. This was because Professor Dumbledore is the only person Voldemort feared. He never dared taking over the school." McGonagall continued on, explaining just how dark Voldemort was and how dark those times were.

"How did my parents fit into all of this?" He asked.

"Both of your parents were as good as any witch and wizard can be. Both were Head Boy and Girl at Hogwarts when they were students. They helped out in facing Voldemort and his followers. But on Halloween night, ten years ago, Voldemort turned up in the village you were all living in. You were only one year old and yet… he killed them upon arriving at your house." She then explained. She clearly still struggled thinking about this without breaking down slightly.

Arthur had a moment to sink this in until he took a breath, ready to know more.

"What happened next?"

"That's the mystery. He also tried to kill you as well. Yet he couldn't. It's how you got that cut on your forehead. That cut came from a powerful curse that took care of your parents and your house, but not you. Because of this, you're actually famous in our world, Arthur. No one has ever lived after he decided to kill them except you. And he's killed some of the best witches and wizards, whether it's the McKinnons, the Bones or the Prewetts, and yet you were just a baby." McGonagall then explained the fact that he's also a famous person in the wizarding community. As her story came to an end, he felt something painful in his mind as he saw the blinding flash of green light much more clear than he ever remembered. And with it, he remembered something else with it: a high, cold and cruel laugh,

"Hagrid took you from the ruined house on Dumbledore's orders to live with your relatives." She finished off, watching him sadly as he looked down on his hands.

"Whatever happened to Voldemort?" Arthur questioned, somehow feeling better knowing all of this, yet sad knowing he lost his parents to a psychopath.

"That's a good question, Arthur. He disappeared the same night he tried to kill you. This is part of why you're famous. He was gaining more and more power and yet he was gone. Some believe that he died. I don't believe it. Others think he's still out there, biding his time. I also don't believe this. I think he's just too tired and too weak, hiding like a coward. Of course, people that were on his side that came back to our side. Some say they were under a trance. Either way, there was something about you that finished him off. Something he didn't count on, whatever that is, no one knows." McGonagall finished off, looking at Arthur with so much warmth, respect and care in her eyes.

Arthur looked up at her and saw all this in her eyes. It actually made him feel better. Knowing that there was something about him that took Voldemort down satisfied him, as he got back on the one that took his parents from him.

"Is it alright if I talk to my aunt and uncle?" He asked her. She nodded wordlessly.

He walked to the back garden, attracting the attention of his relatives. All three walked up to him.

"Arthur? What's wrong?" Patty asked.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me the truth about my parents?" He asked her and his uncle. The two looked at each other before sighing and faced him.

"How could we? How could we tell you, a little boy, that your parents were killed by a madman who wanted power?" Patty asked him, her lips quivering, remembering how heartbroken she was when she learned of what happened to her sister and brother in law.

"We didn't want to give you the burden of knowing at such a young age." Nicholas added, putting an arm around his wife. Deacon was speechless.

The two expected their nephew to be mad at them, even hate them for not telling the truth. Instead he walked up to them and hugged them both, understanding their reasoning and just wanted to comfort them. The two hugged back, Deacon joining in as well.

McGonagall watched this inside the house and she smiled.

I do apologise if this chapter seems rushed and short, I somewhat struggled with this since it mashes two chapters from the book into one. Hopefully, the next chapter is much longer since the Diagon Alley chapter is big in the book.