Privet Drive, Surrey, Little Whinging was both just as Victoria had imagined it and way below her expectations. Who would've known that there was a place more boring than Grimmauld Place, she obviously did not. As she walked towards Number 4, she noticed everyone she passed staring at her with odd looks, and she couldn't help but scoff silently at the nosiness of some people. While she knew she must be a sight that they weren't used to in their uneventful lives, walking elegantly through the street like it was her own personal runway with the navy two piece suit that she'd transfigured out of her robes, her ankle boots exchanged for white heals in an effort to look more professional to scare the Dursleys into doing what she wanted, she would've thought people here had a little more shame and wouldn't be staring like some uncouth fish.
A few moments after arriving, she came to stand in front of the door of Number 4, but before she could ring the door bell, she heard her name being called by a vaguely familiar voice.
"Victoria Potter-Prewett?" Turning towards the person who had spoken, she came face to face with Arabella Fig, a squib who had worked alongside Dumbledore and his Order in the war. What did she do, Victoria had no idea.
"Madame Fig. I didn't know you lived here?" Victoria said with a fake smile accompanying her words. The woman didn't seem to catch the tenseness in Victoria's posture or her frigid attitude as she laughed at her question.
"Oh yes, I moved her around ten years ago or so."
"I wouldn't be far off if I assumed this move correlated with the end of the war, would I?" Victoria's smile had taken on a hard edge when the woman's smile widened.
"You wouldn't." Fig laughed. "When Dumbledore asked me to live here to make sure Harry was fine, I have to admit I was a little skeptical. But I owed the man so much that I took the offer anyway. I've been reporting to him about the boy ever since."
"Is that so? And may I ask what Dumbledore has to do with my nephew? Last I remember, my family was never related to the man." That had the woman finally notice Victoria's simmering but quiet anger and cold eyes.
"I-well, he took custody of the boy after James and Lily died and you were already…well in the coma. Which, by the way, I'm glad you're finally awake now." The woman said with a nervous smile at Victoria's expression.
"Thank you."
"So the headmaster asked me to look out for the boy, make sure he doesn't get in trouble and that the Dursleys are treating him right."
"And are they?"
"Well…they keep him fed and clothed." Arabella said nervously, cowering slightly at the visible anger on the other woman's face.
"I see." Victoria said calmly before she looked the woman in the eyes, and while she knew it was illegal, she plunged into her mind, searching for the memory of them meeting and removing it completely, leaving a light compulsion to get her back into her house. She took the opportunity to also see what the Dursleys had done to Harry while he was living there and the anger she felt was explosive at what she saw that she had the urge to strangle the couple and their giant son.
As soon as the woman was inside and out of Victoria's view, she turned towards the door and finally rang the doorbell, waiting for it to open. She then took a deep breath to calm herself.
A few minutes later, she found herself face to face with who she assumed was Petunia Dursely nee Evans, Lily Evans' older sister. She could both see the resemblance between the two and could've never guessed that the woman in front of her was Evans' sister if she hadn't come here knowing.
"Mrs Dursley?"
"Yes?" Dursley said with a haughty air to her, eyeing Victoria up and down in barely vailed jealousy. And oh, there was the resemblance, the two were more arrogant the Malfoys, but at least the Malfoys had a reason for their arrogance.
"I am Lady Victoria Potter-Prewett, I believe you have my nephew in your house at the moment. Harry Potter?" The woman scowled at the name and Victoria's eyes hardened, the temperature around them decreasing at the change in her emotions. As soon as Petunia noticed her scowl lessened and her shoulders stiffened in fear before she hurriedly ushered Victoria in.
"Are you finally here to take him?" The woman asked rudely, not even inviting Victoria to have a seat, continuing the conversation in the hall.
"Yes. I apologise for keeping him here this long. Believe it or not if it were up to me, he wouldn't have ever been here in the first place. Now all you have to do is sign these papers, then I'll take him off of your hands and you'll never see him again."
Petunia silently extended her arm for the papers, and once they were in her hands she took out a pen from a drawer, balanced the papers on the nearest table and immediately signed her name where Victoria indicated.
As soon as she raised the pen from the parchment, the scroll rolled itself and disappeared with a burst of blue fire. Dursley jumped slightly at what happened, cursing lightly under her breath. Victoria smirked at her reaction, happy to have one-upped the woman.
"Well then, if you'd call Harry, we'll be on our way."
"Brat! Get in here!" Petunia hollered in the direction of the corridor, Victoria narrowing her eyes at her choice of words. Oh, if only she could do something about this wretched family.
"Yes, Aunt Petunia?" Came a quiet voice from what Victoria guessed was the kitchen before a boy way smaller than he should be at his age appeared, wearing rags and holding a knife like he'd been cooking of all things.
"Leave what you were doing and come here." By that point, they had come to stand in the living room, and as soon as Henry came through the door of what she guessed was the kitchen, he immediately noticed the elegant woman standing next to his aunt and who was looking at him with an expression he'd never seen directed towards him, but Aunt Petunia had always looked at Dudley with. As he looked a little closer he could notice the similarities between him and the woman, similarities he'd never seen with his aunt, and a memory he'd forgotten suddenly made itself known in his mind. A memory of this woman smiling at him with a man that looked uncannily like him.
"Come on Harry, say Vickie."
"Oh, you will not be corrupting my son Victoria Dorea." The man who he knew was his dad said, smiling despite the mock anger in his tone.
"Well, I'll have you know, Jameson Charlus, that I am not corrupting Harry, I'm just encouraging him to be different. You know all the kids' first words are mama or dada, why not allow him to be different."
"Aunt Vickie?" Harry whispered, shocking his aunt by the fact he remembered her.
"Oh Hen." Victoria whispered back, walking over in big strides and taking her nephew in her arms, finally.
The two clutched at each other, the last two Potters finally together after years of being apart. The Family Magics rejoiced at the fact, and because of that, the two immediately felt a sort of warmth inside them. While Victoria knew the reason, Harry remained confused due to his ignorance to magic and its existence.
As soon as they pulled away, Victoria knelt in front of the boy and put her hands on his shoulders. "While I'm really happy to see you, I'd rather we continue this conversation at home where we can be comfortable. So why don't you go get your stuff and we can leave right away?"
Harry nodded quietly at her words and left to his cupboard, marvelling at the fact that he might finally get to have a home, as Privet Drive had never been home for him, just a place where he sleeps and occasionally eats.
Victoria focused on where her nephew was going and grew livid when she noticed he went to the storage closet, seeming to get his stuff out of there. She immediately turned to Petunia with eyes that looked like liquid gold staring at her.
"You locked him in a cupboard?!" She hissed angrily, glaring at the woman with pure contempt. "Believe me, if I hadn't wanted to ruin you at the blatant evidence of abuse I'm seeing, I sure as hell will now. No one dares treat my nephew like that without paying a very heavy price."
Petunia quivered in fear at her words and the dark, ominous aura surrounding Victoria that thickened the angrier she got. Harry came running back at his Aunt Vickie's angry voice, not wanting her to do something bad on his behalf.
"Oh its fine Auntie, you don't have to get angry because of me." He said innocently, not knowing that his response made Victoria even angrier.
"Darling, dearest nephew of mine, it's not fine that they treated you like a slave when you should've been treated like one of their own. I promise though, I'll never let you be treated like that ever again." Victoria said with conviction, causing Harry's eyes to fill with tears at the care that his aunt was displaying. While he'd never known a parent's love before, he had a feeling that his aunt would make sure he finally did, or at least he hoped so.
He surged forward and hugged his aunt at that, and she brought him into a hug and tightened her arms around him tightly. She'd make sure he never experienced what the Dursley's had put him through ever again.
"You got everything you want to take?" Victoria asked after they pulled away from each other, noting with sadness that he only had a small bag in his hand. She would make sure he had everything he'd need from now on, and maybe spoil him a little at the same time. Honestly though, all the children currently under her care needed a little bit of spoiling.
Harry nodded at her question, not really having anything of significance to take with him. At his response, Victoria glared at Petunia one last time before she took Henry's hand in her own and led him out the door.
As soon as they were outside and ready to leave, Harry started at the house one last time, glad to finally be free of the pain he'd experienced there. He just hoped these relatives were better than The Dursleys, and from what he'd seen so far, they were, so he had hope he'll finally be happy.
They walked towards the alley Victoria had appeared in, ready to finally take him home.
"Alright darling. I need you to hold onto my hand very tightly, alright? We'll be doing something called side-along apparition. It basically means I'm going to use my magic to take us to my home where you'll hopefully be staying until you're old enough for to have your own house."
"Wait magic? It's real?" Harry blurted out at her choice of words, shocked by what she was saying. His aunt and uncle had always told him there was no such thing, and they'd shout at him if he ever mentioned the word.
"Oh I'm going to kill Dumbledore." Victoria muttered under her breath before replying to her nephew. "Of course there's magic. Our family comes from a long line of Wizards and Witches. You are a wizard yourself."
"I'm a wizard? But I can't be." Harry replied in shock, disbelieving of what he was being told.
"Haven't you ever done something weird, something you couldn't explain when you were scared or angry?"
That stumped Harry, as that had actually happened. He looked at his aunt and saw that she was smiling with fond indulgence, waiting for him to come to the conclusion that she already knew.
"I'm a wizard. Wow!" Harry said, smiling is surprise, finally agreeing with her words.
"Shall we then? I don't think Fred and George will be very patient."
"Fred and George?" Harry couldn't really remember these names, although he felt they were very significant.
"My sons. Your cousins."
"Oh!" Victoria laughed at his reply and extended her hand once more, and this time Harry did take it, finally ready to face what his future held now.