The Dursley's were going to use the full two weeks of paid vacation that Vernon would lose if he didn't use it. So they were off to a sea-side resort for a week, then take the remaining week to recover from that vacation.

The housesitter was running late, but the Dursley's needed to get going. As it was, they'd have to drive half the way in the dark. They left the key with Mrs. Bigby at Number 6.

"Our housesitter is a University student, an asian foreigner named Priya Koothrappali. Could you please give her the key, and check on her every day?"


Miss Koothrappali arrived about 15 minutes later, took down the note on the front door, got the key, and let herself in.


Minerva McGonagal had only intended to be gone for 15 minutes, but that had turned into 45. She totally missed the reshuffling of occupants. So when Albus arrived she totally failed to mention her supper break, and told him of the Dursley's horrid behavior. Albus placed little Harry on the front step anyway. Seconds after they'd left, the note came loose when Harry stirred in his sleep, and it blew away.


Priya had met the Dursley's before, and was quite apalled by their habits and demeanor. Plus the fact that they kept calling her a foreigner, even though she was 3rd generation English. However, the housesitting gig had come down the univerity grapevine just in time for dorm fumigation. Since she wouldn't have to endure the Dursley's more than a short while, she took the job. Therefore when she discovered that someone had left a baby on their stoop, she could only assume whatever fool had gotten the wrong house. Who would leave a baby for the giraffe, the walrus, and the beach ball had the wrong house.

She picked up the toddler's basket, and said to him, "You poor dear, someone going off and abandoning you. My mother loves children, I'll see if we can adopt you."

She searched the basket, but couldn't find anything with his name, just the child's obviously much-loved blanket. There was a monogram, though. HJP.

"Well, since you don't appear to have a name, how about I call you Hanuman Jagabandu Patil?"


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A/N: Rediscovered this while searching for something in my mail. Posted to the CaerAzkaban mailing list in 2011.
Discussion from the list:

It's not a formal xover, I just stole the name from Big Bang Theory. Another Indian name I might have stolen is Amita Ramanujan, or Divya Katdare. Or mix'n'match. Too late to change this version now.

She's just found Harry, and that was her quick choice for a "P" last name. (I assume it's decently common.) Even if he's obviously not of Indian descent.

Candacey Doris wrote: Naming him Hanuman? They're going to call him monkey boy. Rough childhood 2.0.

We'll just assume that she believes that Hanuman and Monkey (Journey to the West) are the same?

akas2k1 wrote:
Please do not misunderstand. I was in no way criticizing your work. I would love to see Sheldon driven up the wall trying to unravel how Harry does the impossible with his accidental magic.

Guarav Shah wrote:
Patel is a common last name from the western state of Gujarat (people called Gujarati - language Gujarati) and Patil is also pretty common but from the western state of Maharashtra (people called Maharashtrian - language Marathi)

Priya Koothrappali - is from one of the 4 southern states in India, possibly from Kerela (people called Malyali - language Malyalam)

Well naming him after a god (Hanuman) who had powers of flying, extreme strength and load of other things will prove him to be special (when he does accidental magic) even if the family was not familiar with magic of the wizarding world type and can be called an incarnation of Hanuman or a blessed child or something else. Would sure be interested to see how you take this further

Unfortunately my muse is flighty, and nicked off to Tasmania (or where ever she goes)
Rorshach's Blot included something similar in his Odd Ideas collection that was partially inspired by this.

meteoricshipyards wrote:
Cute. Is it a magical family, or are the Patils first generation witches?
I don't believe canon says (although the Class List might say.

I don't know about canon, but fanon says the Patils have a magical lineage stretching back several thousand years. (No status information available from official sources)

But the housesitter is NOT a Patil, she's a Koothrappali, a muggle family. She just picked Patil/Patel as an Indian "P" surname.