Chapter Two.
The Dursleys.
Mr and Mrs Dursley were proud to say that they were perfectly normal. They would never be involved in anything strange or mysterious because they didn't hold with such nonsense, nor did they believe in such. Vernon Dursley was a round beefy, pompous man with barely a neck holding up his large head that strikingly resembled a melon and hiding his top lip was a fuzzy moustache. His wife, Petunia Dursley, looked like a stork – thin and slender – with a pointy face, black hair and a neck twice the usual length, which came in very useful as she spent most of her time craning over the garden fences, spying on the neighbours. The Dursleys also had a round son named Dudley, and in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere.
The Dursleys had everything they could ever want, however they also had a secret and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it, they couldn't bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Lily was Petunia's sister but they hadn't been in contact for several years; in fact, Mrs Dursley pretended that she didn't even have a sister. This was because her sister and her husband were as opposite to the Dursleys as possible, they shuddered to think what the neighbours would think if the Potters arrived at their door.
It was no secret to the Vernon and Petunia that the Potters have a small twins but they'd never seen them. These infant children were another good reason for keeping the Potters away. Odd parents – such as James and Lily – create equally as weird children. They didn't want their precious Dudley mixing with children like that.
Privet Drive was darkened with night and the loud snores of Mr Dursley could be heard from the street, no one noticed a large tawny owl fluttering passed the window with a flock of shooting stars. On a rickety brick wall down the road of number four, sat a sightly oversized tabby cat with shining emerald green eyes and a strange collar with a large purple medallion around its neck. And Mr Dursley had been paying attention when he left for work that morning and returned home that evening, he would of realised the tabby watching him and his family throughout the day.
Suddenly, at the end of the street, a flash of light with a violent swish of air followed by the appearing of a strange looking man. He was very tall, a little rounded but incredibly old judging by his long silver hair and matching beard which were both long enough to tuck in his belt. The clothing he was wearing was equally as strange as the man himself, the long robe with deep purple clock which swept the floor. His eyes were such bright blue, they almost sparkle behind his half-moon spectacles.
Inside his pocket, the man seemed to be searching for something, and after what seemed like forever, the man eventually removed a strange item from his pocket, it was like a long lighter with a dip in the center, he flicks it open before clicking the button on the side, the nearest street lamp went – zap – before a beam of light removed itself from the street lamp and was absorbed by the item the man held in his hand. The strange man continued to do this until the only street lamp left was the one above the cat, therefore if anyone – including beady eyed Mrs Dursley – was to look out onto the street, they wouldn't be able to see anything which was happening.
The tabby cat's eyes narrowed and its tail twitched. He slipped the Put-Outer into his pocket before walking confidently down the road towards the cat that never took his eye off him. "Good to see you here, Professor McGonagall." he grins at the tabby.
The cat pounced off the wall into the darkness, and what emerged from the dark was a severe-looking woman who – like Petunia Dursley – was tall and thin. She wore her hair in a tight bun keeping her face on show with large green eyes. McGonagall also wore a clock which, like the cats eyes, was emerald. Also the cats collar was a necklace the professor wore around her throat.
"I guess you and I are here for the same reason, Albus."Professor McGonagall signed heavily. Dumbledore nodded, the pair of Professors walked up the road side-by-side, "I didn't believe it about Lily and James when I first heard."
"I'm certain we all didn't believe it," Albus said, his tone was saddened by the thought, "But, I'm afraid it is true, Voldemort came after James and Lily in their home in Godric's Hollow, now they are dead and he is gone."
McGonagall shuddered at the name, Voldemort. However she didn't fight it, after all, he was now gone so their shouldn't be any fear in speaking his name. "What is going to happen to their children – Harry and Grace?" she asked nervously. Albus Dumbledore looked around the darkened street, the pair stopped two houses down from number four and then it clicked within McGonagall's mind. He intended for the twins to live with the Dursleys! "They can't love with those people!" she gasped – almost angrily – pointing at the Dursley house.
"It's the best place for them." Dumbledore says,
McGonagall shakes her head, "No, these Muggles are awful! They would be better to stay with Black."
Dumbledore disagrees, "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to them when they are older. I've written them a letter."
"Really Dumbledore, a letter?" Professor signs, "You think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand them! Those twins will be famous – legends – I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Potter Twins Day! Everyone in our world will know their names!"
"Exactly," said Albus, looking very seriously over the top of his glasses, "These children are famous, famous before they can even walk and talk! Famous for something neither of them will remember. It'll be good for them to grow up here, away from all that until they are old enough to understand it all."
McGonagall suddenly felt guilty and nodded, "Yes, you're right."
"Good," Dumbledore signed, "Now, Hagrid will be along at any minute with them."
"Hagrid?" McGonagall gasped.
As the low rumble echoed from a distance, the pair of Professors turned to face the noise as it slowly got louder and louder. The glow of a headlight pierced through the dark as a large motorbike fell from the air, the screech of breaks was enough to make the street lamps shake but the vehicle came to a stop in front of them. And if the motorbike was huge, it was nothing in comparison to the man riding it, he was twice the height of a regular man and about five times the width with hands the size of dustbin lids and feet the size of baby dolphins. He looked wild – almost mad with long tangles of jet black hair and a beard that almost hid his entire face with large eyebrows. And in his vast, muscular arms, he was holding bundles of blankets.
"Hagrid," Dumbledore sighed with relief approaching the man, "Do you have them?"
Hagrid gestured down to his arms, lifting them slightly to show the blankets. "No problems, the house was almost destroyed, but I got them out before the Muggles could poke about. They fell asleep as we was flying over Bristol."
Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bend forward over the bundles of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy and girl clutching each others hands with their heads touching, fast asleep. Under a tuft of black hair over the boys forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut like a lightening bolt and on the girls right cheek was the same one.
"They'll have those scars for ever." Dumbledore said.
"Can't you do something about it?" McGonagall asks.
"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground." he smiles proudly, "Well now – give them here, Hagrid – we'd better get this over with."
Hagrid became to cry as Dumbledore door walked up the path between the small front garden and the garage where the Dursley's car sat. He laid the twins on the front doorstep gently, took a letter from his cloak, tucked it inside Harry and Grace's blankets and then rejoined McGonagall and Hagrid.
"Don't be sad, Hagrid. It's not goodbye forever." Dumbledore says gently patting the larger man's shoulder, Hagrid wiped his tears on an old rag. The trio watched the infants for a full minute staring at the bundle of blankets; Professor McGonagall was blinking furiously – she still wasn't very happy about Dumbledore sending the twins to live here – Hagrid was wiping his face and blowing his nose as his shoulders shook and the glisten in Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone.
"Well," the elderly man said, "We've got no business here. Lets go enjoy the celebrations."
As Dumbledore turned swiftly on his heels and headed down the darkened street, Hagrid zoomed off, empty-handed on his motorbike whilst Professor McGonagall had disappeared. At the end of the street, Albus removed the silver Put-Outer from his pocket and returned the lights to the streets so Privet Drive was glowing dull orange again. He could just make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the entrance of the street and he could also see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.
race Potter squirmed in her blankets, without waking up. Harry Potter remained clutching onto the letter Albus Dumbledore had placed in his small fist. Neither child knew that in several hours they would be woken by the scream of Mrs Dursley as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that they would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by their cousin Dudley.
"Good luck, Harry and Grace, by Merlin you are going to need it," Dumbledore murmured, "I'll see you, much sooner than you can even imagine." Then, the strange man turned on his heels and with one swish of his cloak, he was gone.
A/N: Thought a second chapter would entice you all to favourite, follow and review. Yes, I know this is very similar to the book but I felt it was important to have a chapter such as this to help strengthen the storyline. Anyway, Grace and Harry at now at their uncle and aunts home, I wonder what will happen ;)