Cross-posting my story from ao3

Chapter 1 - Revelations

In the dreary London suburb, Surrey, stood rows upon rows of identical houses. One such row was named Privet Drive, and house number 4 of Privet drive was an ordinary rest of the street. Mowed lawn and well tended rose bushes, the pride of the house's owners Vernon and Petunia Dursley who always participated in the yearly most aesthetic garden of Surrey competition. Mrs Dursleys bragging that they were the first to win two years in a row certainly grated on the other members of her book club's nerves, but it was well deserved. They all had acknowledged that none of their gardens could compare with the Dursleys' vibrant roses in various different colours. They were so enchanting one could barely avoid looking at them when walking past number 4. Though, they would never say that out loud.

Vernon and Petunia weren't the only inhabitants of number 4 though. Their son Dudley clearly took after Vernon with a heavy-set build and pudgy face with the exception of the blonde hair that he inherited from his mother.

There was a lot of speculation and rumours regarding the Dursleys' marriage when one day some years ago a small girl with raven black hair was frequently spotted playing in the garden or helping Mrs Dursley tend to her prized roses.

The predominant theory was that the girl was the result of Vernon Dursleys infidelity and had been taken in after the mother abandoned her. Being advocates for proper upstanding middle class life the members of Petunias book club had confronted her about the rumours where it was revealed that the girls name was Holly Potter, niece to Petunia who graciously took her in after Holly and her parents had been in a terrible accident that left them unable to care for the poor girl.

After the rumours were mostly quelled it wasn't unusual for Holly to be seen accompanying Petunia and Dudley to the local playground. Though she was mostly seen playing alone in the sandbox, building things, which didn't help her make friends with girls her age as they considered her too dirty. Her cousin was usually on the swings getting pushed by his mother or one of the other playground equipment.

Beyond Holly's wild hair and weird choice in clothes she seemed like any normal child her age, so all the gossip soon turned to much more interesting topics. Did Shirley really have an affair with someone else's husband? And was it true that Terence was balding, but hid it with a Toupee?

It would have been a quiet spring afternoon if not for the blaring noise of a children's TV show could be heard all the way to the pavement in front of number 4. Coincidentally that same noise helped mask the quiet sobbing that could be heard coming from the cupboard under the stairs of the same house if one stood close enough.

6 year old Holly Potter was used to pain. Her scar hurt frequently enough that she'd developed a small tolerance to it. What she couldn't deal with were the mean words of her classmates. Mocking her untamable, messy hair or need for glasses when she couldn't do anything about those things was just unfair.

There was a sharp rapping on the cupboard door that startled Holly into holding her breath. It had gotten suspiciously quiet outside of her hiding spot.

"Holly, are you in there?" The door was opened forcefully and a blinding light flooded the small space.

"Holly, I told you to stop hiding in the… oh dear. What's wrong?"

Releasing a shaky breath, tears started pooling in Holly's eyes again.

"T-t-the other girls were so me-e-ean aunt Petunia."

"Come here, you can tell me about it." Holly accepted the offered hug gratefully. Getting a hug from her aunt was a rare occurrence after all.

"W-we had P.E. today a-and I wasn't careful with my gloves when ch-changing. They g-got caught in my fringe, so everyone saw my s-scar. So now they're c-calling me trolly H-Holly and that my m-mum didn't want me since I was so ugly".

By the last sentence she was wailing so hard it was a miracle her aunt even understood what she was saying.

"Shhhh, you are not ugly Holly, the scar is a symbol of your strength. Of how much you endured and still are here today. So don't take their comments to heart."

"B-but you always talk about how i-important appearances are. I'm s-sure if I didn't look like this, then mum would s-still be with us!"

Petunia looked troubled at her niece, before her eyes hardened with resolution.

"Listen here young lady, appearance is an important asset of every woman, but it is not everything, nor is it the most important. Your bravery, intelligence, ambition and hard work are what makes a woman strong, and perhaps I didn't do a well enough job of conveying it.

But let me make one thing clear, you have the potential to be great and your parents didn't abandon you either. I think it might be time for you to hear the truth."

Holly was shocked, she had never heard her aunt talk like this before. Aunt Petunia was usually much more distant and reserved, so any kind of compliment was far and in between. She was slowly calming down though, filling with confidence at her aunt's words. Holly leaned back to look up at her aunt.

"The truth about what?"

"About the circumstances of your parents and that scar. But let's get you cleaned up a little first."

With that Holly was picked up and carried upstairs into the bathroom where aunt Petunia helped her wash her face and brush her hair.

"Do you remember when you were mad at Mr. Newman for unfairly giving you detention and his Toupee turning blue? That was m-magic. Your magic. You are a witch Holly."

"What!?" Holly turned to gawk at her aunt.

"So were your parents. Before you were born, there was a really bad wizard that they helped fight, but they went into hiding when they had you. To keep you safe."

Holly's mind was a whirlwind of questions. She was magic? Was that why weird stuff tended to happen around her sometimes? Did that mean her parents were also magic? But her mum was aunt Petunia's sister, why wasn't she a witch? Or was she and had just hidden it very well? Maybe Petunia hated being a witch and that was why she always tried her hardest to seem normal.

"W-what happened then?"

"When you were two, your hiding place was found. So they attacked and when you were found you had the scar. But your parents, they…"

Her aunt gave a choke and wiped at her eyes.

"It's best if I show you. Put on one of your good dresses, and then come downstairs. We'll have to take the car."

Holly was pelting her aunt with questions the whole car ride. How does one do magic? With a wand, where would she get one? Where would she be taught to use it, did witches have black cats and ride broomsticks? How did no one know there were witches around? Were mermaids real? Or Dragons? Holly was way too excited but sadly aunt Petunia didn't know most of the answers and said that all would be explained when she turned 11.

Neither did she tell Holly where exactly it was they were going. If they were attacked by a bad wizard, then were her parents dead? Were they going to visit their graves? They were in London by now, is that where she and her parents had lived before so they were now buried here? Then why had her aunt never taken Holly there before?

They eventually pulled up to a parking lot for a red-bricked building. The building seemed abandoned, in a creepy sort of way that made her skin crawl, but her aunt strode up to it with confidence.

"Take my hand Holly, the entrance is magiced so regular people can't see or access it. When you see a bone crossed with a little stick on a window, that's where we have to go."

Holly took the offered hand and scanned the windows for the bone symbol.

"It's this one, aunt Petunia."

As they were just about to walk into the windowpane Holly had pointed out she shut her eyes tightly, afraid it'd hurt. When nothing happened for a few seconds and they stopped walking Holly peeked out of one eye. Rickety wooden chairs and the weirdest dressed people she'd ever seen were what greeted her. It seemed like they were in what appeared to be a hospital waiting room.

Her aunt led her to the side where the door to the stairs was located, but Holly couldn't take her eyes off the people in the waiting room. One had flippers for hands, another bunny ears and enormous teeth while some looked mostly fine, except that their skin was fully purple. All of them wore these long flowing dresses and some, what was undoubtedly a pointy witches hat.

Once they were climbing the stairs she turned to her aunt with a disbelieving look.

"Where are we?"

Petunia glanced down at her.

"This is a magical hospital and it's also where your parents are staying."

Holly stilled. They were alive? She would get to meet them? She was so excited that she tried to run ahead, but her aunt held her back.

"Careful, there's lots of dangerous things here."

While aunt Petunia kept complaining about missing modern amenities, Holly was almost vibrating with excitement. She was meeting her parents!

The excitement didn't last long. When they arrived on the 4th floor everything seemed so familiar that Holly got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The further they walked into the ward, the worse the feeling became. Eventually they stopped in front of a closed door.

"Now, before we go in. Your parents aren't exactly… well. They might be asleep, or if they're awake, won't talk."

Holly gave a sharp nod and with sweaty a hand reached for the doorknob. The room was simple, a door to the left where she supposed a bathroom was. A table with chairs in the corner and then two beds. But the occupants of the beds caught her attention.

There was a woman, pale skin, sunken in cheeks. Red hair and eyes an unnatural, almost glowing green that were so much like her own, just, they seemed empty staring into nothingness. And the man looked even more sickly, dark messy hair and a little drool running down his chin. This… wasn't what she was expecting.

"What happened to them?"

"I wasn't given specifics, but apparently they were hurt so badly that they went insane."

Her aunt looked at them sadly.

"This is also where I first met you, you know."

"Is that why everything seems so familiar?"

Her aunt sat down in one of the chairs and Holly climbed in her lap, still looking at her parents.

"The healers, the magical doctors here said that your scar has some evil magic clinging to it. It's why it hurts sometimes. They were trying to find a cure, but you would constantly cry for your mum so they set up a playing blanket for you where we're sitting now."

Petunia hugged her from behind, but all Holly felt was numbness.

"I was brought here when they couldn't find a way to help you besides time. Seeing them neither recognise you nor their old teachers was terrible. My heart broke a little that day. So I vowed to do my best in raising you away from all this pain until you were old enough to understand."

Holly remained quiet, she didn't know what to say or feel so she just kept watching her parents. Her aunt didn't talk much either and after an hour they left with heavy hearts.

It didn't hit Holly until they were at home. Even if her parents were alive, she'd likely lost them forever. She'd thought there was a chance of her parents coming back before. Or that they were actually dead, but that didn't feel real since it was just the idea of "her parents". Holly didn't really remember them after all. Now though, it was very different. She had met them, they were alive and real, but when she'd looked in their eyes there was nothing. No recognition, no love, just a dull emptiness.

So she cried and cried and cried.

Dudley offered to let her play his video games to cheer up, but Holly wasn't in the state of mind to play and spent almost the whole weekend bawling in bed. Aunt Petunia tried to comfort her the best she could but Holly blocked the attempts every time.

The following weeks weren't much better, she barely paid attention in class, ate less and stopped helping with the chores. At least the name calling of the other girls stopped once they noticed that she wasn't reacting. Whenever aunt Petunia tried to get her to visit her parents again because she thought it would help, Holly shot it down immediately. She wasn't ready to face them again.

In the end it was actually uncle Vernon who snapped her out of her spiralling thoughts.

"Girl, stop being a deadweight! Nothing changed from before. Get a grip and help your aunt in the garden!"

Her uncle had a way with words as always, he probably got annoyed having to pick up her slack. Eventually Holly got up to help clip the roses. They worked in silence with only the sounds of their clippers and the cars passing on the street as ambience. She guessed her uncle was right in a sense.

That evening when Petunia tucked her into bed Holly had made a decision.

"Aunt Petunia, could we maybe go visit my parents tomorrow?"

Her aunt gave her a small nod and wished her a good night.

School the next day felt like it was taking forever. Time just barely crawled by with Holly checking the clock impatiently. When the bell finally did ring she was practically dragging Dudley along to the street corner Petunia liked to pick them up sometimes.

The ride home Dudley kept complaining about not getting to go to London and the unfairness of it all. Aunt Petunia had to promise him a free pick of toys the next time they'd be in the city for him to not throw a complete tantrum.

At times like this, Holly was glad not to get as spoiled by her relatives as her dear cousin. She couldn't help questioning whether or not she would have turned out like him if her parents were well and had raised her. Would they have spoiled her, or would they have been strict?

To not get distracted by sad thoughts she would never get an answer to, Holly asked her aunt to turn on the car's radio. Quietly humming along with whatever song was currently popular she spent the drive home thoughtlessly gazing out the window.

While Petunia prepared a snack for Dudley to eat, Holly changed out of her "good" school clothes, a pair of slacks and blouse, and changed into some jeans and a t-shirt. She wanted to be herself today and not the prim girl her aunt always wished she was. When Holly came downstairs and Petunia wrinkled her nose at her choice of outfit she had to hide her grin behind her hand.

It felt like barely any time had passed from when they left home to them standing in front of a familiar door. Her aunt gave Holly a little pat on the shoulder.

"I'll be downstairs in the waiting room. Take your time, try and just talk to them. It'll help."

And with that she was gone. Holly swallowed thickly and pushed open the door. Her parents looked the same as the last time. She pushed one of the chairs from the table in the corner to between their beds and sat down.

Holly didn't know what to say, or to feel.

"When I was younger, I always wanted aunt Petunia to love me like she loved Dudley. I tried my best, you know, always helped with the chores, kept my room clean, and ate all my veggies. But I was always treated differently."

When she'd asked why Petunia loved Dudley so much more she'd been told it was the special kind of love only a parent could give a child. That had led to questions about her own parents.

"So she told me about you. How there was an accident that you were recovering from," wiping some tears from her eyes Holly continued, "and I thought, maybe if I was a good girl you'd eventually come pick me up to be a family again."

But that was impossible now. So Holly didn't know what to do anymore. Uncle Vernon had said that nothing changed, but that wasn't true at all. Holly had certainty now. The certainty that her parents had loved her. Loved her enough even to go insane just to protect her.

And what was she doing? Wasting the chance her parents had paid dearly for by just crying and being tardy. Surely, this wasn't what her parents would have wanted for her.

So Holly would grieve and learn to live again. She would become a great person and witch that her parents would be proud to call their daughter.

She gave them a watery smile and told them the most important thing she'd come to realise.

"Mum, Dad, thank you. Thank you both so much for giving me a chance. I love you and I will do my best to live a good life!"