Harry Potter Morgendorffer:
A Very Important Message
Harry Potter is adopted by the Morgendorffers from the MTV cartoon Daria instead of being placed on the Dursley's doorstep after the deaths of his parents.
Author's note: This chapter should have been inserted between chapter 28 and chapter 30
DISCLAIMER:
Daria is the creation of Glenn Eichler and is the property of MTV Viacom. Harry Potter is the creation of JK Rowling and is the property of JK Rowling and Warner Brothers, as are its characters and situations. I don't own them, and neither expect nor deserve financial compensation for this story. I am writing for my own amusement and for ego gratification.
Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer
The Headmaster returned to Hogwarts in a bad mood. He'd gotten into a battle of wits with the great-aunt of The Boy Who Lived and came out on the short end. Looking back he realized that he'd woefully underestimated young Harry's guardian: Helen Morgendorffer had been persistent, but she had also been intelligent, shrewd and lucky. She'd shown an excellent sense of timing and an ability to pick allies at the right time. As a result, she succeeded at gaining control of the Potter estate, thanks to assistance not only from her Goblin employers but also Minister Bagnold. To be sure, he had been drawing from those funds, not for personal enrichment, but for the common good: he'd need money if Tom ever regained a body and he'd have to fight another wizarding war.
When he returned to Hogwarts, he decided to retire early. He slipped off his robes, climbed into bed, and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke, he found that there was not only one house elf but two of them waiting at the foot of his bed. The older house elf was Nog, who customarily brought him his morning coffee. It took him a moment to recognize the younger house elf, then he remembered that it was Kitt, one of the house elves that worked in the school laundry.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, sir, we find some things in your clothes while we were readying them for cleaning," Kitt said deferentially. "Most we puts on your table but Nog tells me this could be important." He presented a Muggle-style envelope, one made of paper, one he'd put in his pocket sometime during the last couple of days, then forgot about.
"Thank you, Kitt, I'll take that," he said, taking the envelope. He doubted that it was important, then looked more closely at the envelope. It was addressed to him and whoever-it-was had used a Muggle-style ballpoint pen. The handwriting looked vaguely familiar, then he recognized it as Madam Morgendorffer's. He remembered that she'd handed him an envelope before their set-to and told him that it was important. He opened the envelope and started reading.
The Exbridge Hotel
London, UK
November 1989
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
I had an interesting conversation with my grand niece Lily a year or so ago during a business trip to Houston, Texas. I was staying at a high-rise hotel located on Houston's Loop. While I was there, I had a vision in the early morning and found myself talking to my dead niece. We spent most of that time talking together.
Most of our conversation centered around Harry and family, but at the very end of our conversation, Lily spoke a word and told me to pass it on to you. She told me that that word was extremely important and urged me to tell you about it.
That word is Horcrux. Not having a Magical education, I had no idea as to what is a Horcrux. I have since made a couple of discreet inquiries and while I still don't know what a Horcrux might be, I now know that it is very dark, dangerous magic. I have no idea as to how Lily found out about such things, but my intuition tells me that Lily may have found out about it on the other side and that it has something very important to do with the Wizard who killed her.
If you wish to discuss this letter with me further, I can be reached by telephone.
Sincerely,
HBM
Professor Dumbledore set down the paper and took a deep breath. He thought about Madam Morgendorffer's note and its contents. What he was holding was explosive. Not only was horcrux-making within Tom's abilities, but it was a form of magic that would appeal to him. In fact his title "Flight from Death" shouted that there was some sort of connection.
So how did Lily pass on her information to Helen Morgendorffer? Explanations started forming almost as soon as he framed the question. Sometimes there were times and places where the walls between the worlds ran thin and the dead were able to interact with the living. There were also ties of blood: Harry was the grandchild of Helen's half-sister Rose. A witch or wizard might have difficulty exploiting such a link without resorting to blood magic, but it was not impossible. But Helen Morgendorffer wasn't a witch. At best she was a Muggle with Squib-like abilities.
Would Helen Morgendorffer actively seek revenge on the man who killed her grand-niece and her husband? Possibly. Lily Potter would have had the situation been reversed. But her grandmother's sister? He wasn't certain. He realized that he didn't know Madam Morgendorffer that well.
And that, Albus, is why she bested you at Gringotts, he thought.
He decided that he needed to see Madam Morgendorffer from another perspective. But who would have such knowledge at Hogwarts? Again the answer came almost as soon as he'd finished framing the question. Minerva would. In fact Minerva McGonagall had spent the better part of two days talking with the Morgendorffers, vetting them to see if they'd make suitable foster parents for young Harry.
He decided that he'd definitely have to see Minerva.
-O-O—
Minerva came up to his offce that afternoon. Professor Dumbledore made his usual show of pleasantries and refreshments, then got down to business. At first, they talked about classwork, students, how new and current students were faring with the course work, discipline and behavioral problems, and then if Professor McGonagall had concerns regarding maintenance and the condition of the castle. Then he finally arrived at the main reason for the meeting.
"I saw one of our friends down in London this weekend," he said.
"Which one of our friends are you talking about, Albus?" said Minerva.
"Mrs. Morgendorffer," said Dumbledore. "She came to London this past weekend to participate in some sort of conference put on by Gringotts."
"And how is she doing?" said Minerva. "Was she alone?"
"She seems to be doing rather well,," said Dumbledore. "She looked happy and prosperous. And no, she wasn't alone. She had young Harry with her."
Minerva's eyebrows rose. No doubt she wanted to know why the American woman had brought the boy with her.
"I'm glad to hear that," said Minerva. "And how is the boy?"
"He's growing up quite rapidly," said Professor Dumbledore. "In fact, he's beginning to look like his father when he entered school as a first-year."
"Did Mrs. Morgendorffer travel with Harry or did she bring the rest of her family?" asked Minerva.
"She only brought Harry with her," said Professor Dumbledore. "When I saw him, I asked her why she brought Harry back to the Wizarding world. She told me that she wanted to take control of Harry's funds. She was persuasive and after some discussion, I decided that she had a point. Shortly afterwards she and Harry returned to America."
Something told Minerva that there was far more than Albus' bland summary. "So are they still there?" she said.
Albus glanced over at the instruments he'd placed on the tables at the front of his office. By all indications the Boy Who Lived was still with his American guardians. "They're still there," he replied.
"Minerva, I have a question for you," he said.
"Ah, the reason you still want me in your office," thought Minerva. "And what question is that, Albus?" she said.
"How hard do you think she would fight for her family?" said the Headmaster.
Minerva paused in thought. She had spent time with Helen Morgendorffer and gotten to learn things about her, at least as much as one could learn about someone from a few days' acquaintance. She knew that the American woman loved her woman and her family and that she would do what she could to protect them. On the other hand, she was no witch and was well aware of her limitations. Unlike Lily Potter, Helen Morgendorffer would never pick up a wand and do battle with a Death Eater.
But if Helen was no duelist, she was no coward. She was the sort of person who would attack from whatever cover she could find as best she could. The Muggles had a word for that sort of tactic: sniping. If she didn't dare throw down a challenge to duel, Helen Morgendorffer was more than willing to pick up what tools she could to fight back while doing what she could to defend herself and her family.
"I think she'd fight," said the Deputy Headmistress. "She'd fight as best she could and as effectively as she could, and the rules of chivalry be damned. Why do you ask?"
"Mrs. Morgendorffer passed me some information, something that might well prove useful if Voldemort would return," said Albus.
"If she did, good for her," said Minerva.
Albus steepled his fingers. Clearly Minerva admired the younger woman.
"Can I ask what it is, Albus?" she asked.
"No, but I believe that she probably passed on the good stuff," he said.
"Good," said Minerva.
Author's notes: This chapter is posted out of sequence. It was meant to follow Chapter 28, but I lost the file on my home PC and laboriously retyped what I'd posted from a Daria fan site. A couple of notes to casual readers and new Daria fans starting off reading Harry Potter Morgendorffer with this chapter: the premise of this story is that Harry Potter is related to the Morgendorffers from MTV's Daria cartoon series. This story is alternate universe: the Morgendorffers never lived in Highland. After getting her law degree, thirty-something Helen Morgendorffer got a job with Gringotts Southwest, a subsidiary of the Gringotts Bank in canon Harry Potter novels and film. This AU Harry Potter spent his early childhood living with the Morgendorffers and had a much happier time than his canon counterpart did. Despite its later posting, this chapter occurs before Daria Morgendorffer discovers that she too possesses magic. The events in chapters 30 through 35 occur later on.