Harry Potter Morgendorffer FF Part Eight
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.
What if Minerva McGonagall had been able to persuade Professor McGonagall to place baby Harry Potter with different blood relatives instead of with Petunia Dursley and her husband: the Morgendorffers from MTV's Daria?
Warning: Rated "T" for language
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Helen returned to the MACUSA offices the following day. This time Jake joined her, as did Professor McGonagall, Della Braden, and Baby Harry. Little Daria was with a sitter.
Hearing that THE Harry Potter was an adoption case at the MACUSA offices in Austin, Texas, Mrs. Powter's boss Octavio Sanchez decided to sit in on the proceedings. "Normally, because you're a No-Maj, we'd deny you custody of your great-nephew, but you're not just any No-Maj," he said. "You're not only blood kin to Britain's Boy Who Lived, Professor McGonagall has a letter from Albus Dumbledore endorsing your adoption, and you're also descended from one of North America's more distinguished magical families."
"We can get this adoption ready to go, but we need one more signature," said Mr. Sanchez.
"Whose?" asked Helen.
"Lily Evans Potter's sister," said Mr. Sanchez. "A sister is considered closer kin than an aunt."
"I see," said Helen.
"Who is this sister, by the way?" asked Mr. Sanchez.
"Her name is Petunia Evans Dursley," said Professor McGonagall. "She lives in Britain."
"Well, we'll have to see about getting her to sign it," said Mr. Sanchez. "Either we can send the document over there for her signature and sign it, or she can come over here and we can quickly process it."
"I'll have to talk to Professor Dumbledore," said Professor McGonagall. "He can tell me what is the best approach."
"Jake and I insist on one condition before we adopt," said Helen.
"He can be Harry Potter in Britain, but here in the United States his legal name will be Harry James Morgendorffer, and he'll be HJ Morgendorffer as long as he's living under our roof."
"What?" said Professor MCGonagall, startled. This was an unexpected development.
"I want him to have a little privacy while he's growing up," said Helen. "I don't want him to be harassed by celebrity hunters or this old Lord Moldy-shorts' former followers looking to settle old scores."
The American magicals' lips twisted to avoid making smirks.
Helen saw Professor McGonagall draw in her breath to make an objection. "This is non-negotiable," she stated.
Jake, who'd said very little, nodded in agreement.
"But his name..." began Professor McGonagall.
"Would it interfere with his development?" said Helen, looking at Mr. Sanchez and Mrs. Powter.
"No," said Mr. Sanchez. "You might want to tell him that he's adopted and that his original surname was Potter, but it shouldn't be a magical problem."
"We can do that," said Helen. Jake nodded in agreement.
"I'll send word to Professor Dumbledore, and we can see about moving the adoption process forward," said Professor McGonagall.
"We're on the cusp of resolving custody with MACUSA, but what about the State Government?" asked Helen.
"That shouldn't be a problem," said Mr. Sanchez. "We've got connections with the proper authorities in the state government and the federal government. Once we get Mrs. Dursley's signature, the adoption should sail right through.
Years later, Harry Potter wondered how Professor McGonagall got in touch with Professor Dumbledore. Magical mirrors, Patronuses? Owls were out of the question. He decided that telephones were more likely. He tried to imagine Professor Dumbledore using a telephone and despite the fact that Professor Dumbledore almost certainly used a charm to conceal his true appearance when he went out to the Muggle world to use one, amused himself by imagining Professor Dumbledore holding the handset and receiver and dressed as a proper wizard while he talked to Professor McGonagall.
Little Whinging, Surrey, UK Two Nights Later
Petunia Dursley learned about her sister's sudden death from the local authorities in Little Whinging. Her death, and that of her husband James Harry Potter, was attributed to unknown causes. Muggle though she was, Petunia recognized that her sister and her husband had been murdered by Lord Voldemort. The authorities pressed her for any information she could provide about her nephew, who was missing. Petunia could provide none; she had no photographs of her sister after she'd married her husband James and had moved away and none of her baby nephew. Despite the fact that she'd been nowhere near Godric's Hollow when her sister and her brother-in-law had been murdered, she resented the looks that police interviewers had given her and the suspicion that she might have had something to do with her sister's killing.
The doorbell rang. She wondered who it could be at this hour. She opened her front door and was shocked to see that it was Albus Dumbledore.
"Good evening. May I come in?" he said politely, just as if he came to call on a great lady.
"What do you want?" she said bitterly. The old wizard had taken her little sister away from her family and placed them with freaks and then gotten her killed. She wanted nothing better than to curse him out and slam the door in his face, but she knew that would be futile. He was going to come in, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"I know you don't want to see me," said Albus Dumbledore, "but we do have legal matters to discuss."
"What legal matters?" said Petunia.
"As you well know, your sister Lily had a child, a baby named Harry, and that by Muggle law you are legally his next of kin. I must ask you if you and your husband are willing to take him in."
"My sister was a freak, and married to a freak," Petunia said bitterly. "And it got her killed."
"No," she said.
"We don't want it!" said Vernon. "We will not stand for any freakiness in this house!"
"We have found another couple who is willing to take custody of the baby," said Dumbledore. "Are you willing to waive custodial rights and allow the other couple to adopt him?"
Petunia and Vernon were silent for a moment, thinking it over.
"That would mean that the brat never comes here, wouldn't it?" said Vernon.
"Yes," said Professor Dumbledore.
"Good, they can have the freak," said Vernon.
"If those are your wishes, we will respect them" said Professor Dumbledore, speaking as if he'd never heard the rudeness and venom from either Dursley. "However, there are legal documents that need signing so that the adoption can proceed."
"Who are they?" asked Petunia, "more of your sort?"
"She's your great-aunt Helen Barksdale Morgendorffer and her husband Jacob Morgendorffer," said Professor Dumbledore.
"I have no great-aunts of that name," said Petunia.
"On the contrary," said Professor Dumbledore. "You have Helen and her two sisters on your mother's side of the family. They live in America."
"What?" said Petunia.
"Your mother's real father was an American named Allen Barksdale. Your mother was not his only child; he had three other daughters. I propose to place Lily's boy with Helen."
"How?" said Petunia, outrage temporarily overcome by curiosity.
"Your mother was born in 1940, was she not?" said Professor Dumbledore.
"Yes," said Petunia.
"Your grandmother had a brief affair with your real grandfather in 1939," said Professor Dumbledore. "He returned to America, she never told him she was with child.
Petunia thought about it. It was possible. She knew that her grandmother was in London during the early part of the war, and then returned to Cokeworth before the Blitz. Her mother married early; she was only in her mid-teens when she married her father. Her grandmother never talked about her first husband, and she and her mother and her grand da acted as if he'd been one of the countless thousands of men who'd lost their lives fighting the Nazis.
She could almost see her grandparents doing it. By doing so, they'd lessen the taint of bastardy. If some meddler counted the months between her mother's birth and her grandmother's marriage she'd still be protected from disgrace by the story of a missing suitor, killed in the war before he could do the right thing and marry her.
And now her mother's disgrace was visited on her head, because her mother's real father wasn't a war hero but a philandering American who'd gone back across the water, married someone else, and then gave birth to three other daughters. Nasty little shit, she thought resentfully.
She was tempted to refuse, but suspected that the wily old wizard was holding the high cards. She was also all too aware of what witches and wizards could do to people's minds and their memories with a little malice and wand-work.
"If you've got the documents, I'll sign them right here and now," said Vernon.
"They need to be signed by the closest living female blood relative," said Professor Dumbledore. "That would be Mrs. Dursley."
"And if we sign, we don't have to take him in?" said Petunia.
"If we complete the legal work, you won't have to," said Professor Dumbledore. "Mr. and Mrs. Morgendorffer will take custody."
"So how did you come about this rubbish?" asked Petunia.
"Professor McGonagall had the story from Lily and your grandmother," said Professor Dumbledore. "Once Mrs. Morgendorffer decided that her kinship with Baby Harry was plausible, she set about finding other means to prove that ties of blood actually existed."
More secrets kept from her. Her mother and Lily must have been in on it with the old witch, Petunia thought with a fresh wave of resentment.
"How?" said Petunia.
"Blood tests," said Professor Dumbledore. "The Goblins have very reliable blood tests that can readily establish paternity. They've been used in the magical world for centuries. Mrs. Morgendorffer has already had those tests performed on herself and Harry. They are indeed great-aunt and nephew."
The thought that she had three other great-aunts did not sit well with Petunia. She decided that she did not want to deal with that now. She'd talk it over later with Vernon.
"Shall we continue this conversation in the back yard?" said Professor Dumbledore.
"But the neighbors," Petunia protested, but she followed him outside just the same.
Professor Dumbledore pulled his putter-outer from a hidden pocket and put out the two porch lights.
"How soon can I sign?" said Petunia. "I want this over and done with."
"T'were done, t'were best done quickly," said Professor Dumbledore, placing his putter-outer back in his pocket.
"How quickly?" said Petunia.
"Now," said Professor Dumbledore. He pulled Petunia close, raised his wand-arm, and he and Petunia apparated away.