Harry Potter Morgendorffer: Helen Flies In
Daria, its characters, and situations are the creation of Glenn Eichler and are the property of MTV Viacom. Harry Potter, its character, and situations are the property of JK Rowling and is the property of JK Rowling and Warner Brothers. I do not own them or claim to own them, so I neither deserve nor expect financial compensation for my work. I am writing for my own amusement and ego gratification.
Gratify my ego: if you like this, write a positive review!
Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer
Aunt Helen came out of a public fireplace shortly afterwards. She stood up, grabbed her suitcase, then took HJ by his arm and guided him to the door for departing clients wishing to take a shuttle bus to JFK airport. They entered the terminal, got in line at the ticket counter and got their tickets, then checked in their suitcases. After passing through security, she guided HJ to an empty bank of seats and sat him down.
"HJ, it's time to talk," she said. "I messed up. I should have told you more about what we'll be doing before we left, but I didn't plan ahead."
"As you know, your parents left you money and property in their will," said Helen. "I don't know just how much they left you, but I suspect it's more than chicken-feed." HJ suspected that Aunt Helen was also trying to tell him something else, but he didn't know what.
"OK," said HJ, as much to buy breathing-space as to acknowledge what Aunt Helen was telling him.
HJ knew some things about his parents. He knew that his real Mom had been born to working class No-Maj parents in Britain. He knew that his father had been an Auror, which he'd learned was something like a magical cop. He'd heard that his grandfather had been some sort of inventor. It sounded like he'd have more money than the kid of a lawman killed on the job. He wondered just how much money.
"Jake and I have been trying for years to get some sort of financial statement from the bank, from the British government, or from your parents' lawyers about the size and shape of your parents' estate and we've been getting ignored, put off, or given the run-around. After more research, I've come to the conclusion that we are both going to have to go over and start getting real answers."
"My last discussion with Mr. Bloodworth and some of the senior executives convinced me that I'm going to need you with me when I start rapping on counters, asking questions, and demanding answers." HJ didn't doubt that Aunt Helen could raise Hell, but he wasn't sure of what he could do. He hadn't even graduated from third grade.
"so when are we going to.." began HJ.
"Not until after the conference," his great great aunt replied.
"So what do we do in the meantime?" asked HJ.
"Our flight doesn't leave for an hour and a half," said Helen. "Let's get something while we're here."
"Sure," said HJ. Finances had been tight until a couple of years ago, but then Helen and Jake relaxed a little. They didn't let him and his cousins have a lot of money, but he got a bigger allowance and more expensive presents than they did when he was younger. They wandered into a souvenir shop. A display of baseball caps drew his attention the way magnets drew iron filings. One of the caps was for the New York Yankees. HJ tried it on, ignoring the glare of a nearby sales clerk. His face lit up in a big wide grin.
"Cool!" he said.
"Like it?" said Helen.
"Yeah," said HJ. The Yankees were a major league baseball team. Now he looked really cool.
"Let's get it!" said Helen.
Helen paid for HJ's cap at the cash register. That wasn't all she bought; Helen also bought some postcards and a couple of small souvenirs for Daria and Quinn. As they walked down the concourse to the departure gate, she snatched the cap she'd bought him just before they left Ruskin off his head, then threw it in the nearest trash can..
"Put on your new one," she told HJ.
This was weird, thought HJ, but he did it anyway.
They then walked over to the area near their flight's departure gate and sat down. Aunt Helen opened her briefcase, pulled out some papers, and began studying them.
HJ wasn't used to the waiting part.
"So what do I do?" asked HJ.
"Well, you do have your carry-on, don't you?" asked Helen.
"Yes," HJ replied.
"And you did pack your school assignments," said Helen.
HJ made a face. I should have put those in my suitcase, he thought.
"Yes," HJ said reluctantly.
"You might as well get started," said Helen. "You might get some time to play tourist once we get to Britain and you don't want to have your assignments hanging over your head."
HJ grimaced and reluctantly pulled out the mailing envelope with his math assignments and began to start solving the math problems his teacher gave him for homework. "I'm going on a trip and I'm doing homework," he grumbled.
Helen was unsympathetic. "That's the way it's going to be for the rest of your days," she said. "Welcome to your life."
-(((O-O)))—
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Scottish Highlands
Albus Dumbledore's devices went active. Harry Potter was on the move.
His instruments showed that Harry Potter had not only left the area around Ruskin and the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country, but that he'd shifted a considerable distance north and east, either by floo or apparition.
What in Merlin's name was going on, he wondered. Had the Death Eaters learned where he'd placed the Boy Who Lived? He hoped not.
He hoped it was just a trip. The Morgendorffers did travel, just not very much. Thus far his devices had traced the Boy Who Lived's movements within Texas, down to the Yucatan Peninsula and back once ,(which turned out to be a Muggle cruise), then over to Virginia where Helen and HJ both had family. This, however, was north and east of most of the boy's previous travels. New York, he guessed, but what were the boy and his great great aunt doing there?
About two hours later Dumbledore's devices went active again. Harry Potter was again on the move. He didn't know just how, but the young wizard was moving towards Great Britain, howbeit not towards Hogwarts.
His devices indicated velocity, too fast to be travel by broom, far and away too slow to be apparation. The Boy Who Lived must be on an airplane. He decided not to try to apparate aboard; Apparating on an airline was tricky and dangerous. He decided to wait until they were on the ground. Apparating onto a moving airliner could be done, but it was tricky and dangerous. He wasn't about to do it for any reason short of dire necessity.
Seven hours later, his devices changed position, and Professor Dumbledore realized that Harry Potter and his guardian were now in Britain.
-(((O-O)))-
After reclaiming their luggage and clearing customs, Helen and HJ took a taxi into London and drove to a business hotel just beyond casual walking distance of where Helen had learned Diagon Alley must be. They checked into the hotel under the name of Morgendorffer. HJ was still in a state of shock being in London and was uncharacteristically quiet as Helen told the bellman where he should place her and HJ's luggage. Going through customs and immigrations and hearing people talk with British accents was way different from the American accents he'd grown up with and the Texas accent he now possessed.
I came from here, he thought. He knew it was true, but he hadn't felt like it was home. He did recover enough to say "What now, Mom?" once they appeared to be settled in.
"Before we do anything else, I have a couple of phone calls to make," said Helen.
The first call Helen made was to Gringott's Main Branch's answering service. Gringotts had come to realize that since not all of their human employees were part of the magical world, they might have difficulty gaining ready access to magical means of communication like owls or the floo. She supposed Mr. Bloodworth and Mr. Speedicutt were already in Britain and were already networking with their fellow goblins, but the least she could do was let her bosses know that she'd safely arrived in Britain.
She left a message, then hung up with satisfaction. They knew now that she'd safely arrived in Britain.
Her second call was to a number she'd had in her address book, but had left untouched for years on end. She listened to the double-beep ring tone the Brits favored instead of the single ring that she'd grown up with.
She didn't have to wait long. Someone picked up the receiver at the other end, and a male voice said "Yes?"
-(((O-O)))—
"Hello? Is this the Dursley residence?" said a female voice. American, by her accent, thought Vernon Dursley, holding the receiver.
"Yes," Vernon answered shortly. He wondered what it was about. He had an unpleasant suspicion, but Grunnings had also been trying to expand into the North American market, so maybe it was one of their people and not who he feared it might be.
"You must be Vernon," said the voice. "I'm Helen Morgendorffer, I'm Petunia's great-aunt."
Damnation, thought Vernon. Helen Morgendorffer was one of the last people he wanted to talk to. The only thing worse he could think of was Albus Dumbledore. He was so surprised that for once he was caught without a ready reply.
What happened next was even worse. "It's good to finally talk to you. I thought you'd like to know that your nephew Harry and I are in the London area for the next few days and I was wondering if we might want to get together for a family dinner," said Helen.
Helen was unable to see her in-law's scowl. Vernon did not want to deal with his wife's dotty relatives. His brief encounters with his dead brother-in-law had been bad enough, but Petunia had said that the Americans were even worse. If they weren't freaks of nature, they made up for it by being nutters.
Vernon decided to put the decision in Petunia's hands.
"She's out," he said. "I'll tell her you called."
"Where are you staying?"
Vernon took down the American woman's hotel's name and telephone number. He was certain he could look it up later if he needed the physical address. He then hung up the phone.
"Who was calling, dear?" asked Petunia.
"Your great aunt," said Vernon. "She's over here with her freakish nephew."
"Harry?" said Petunia.
"Can't think of any other ones she's got," said Vernon. "You told me that aside from her children, the only other younger cousin is some girl named Erin. What do you suppose they're doing these days?"
"I don't know," said Petunia. "Whatever they're doing, I doubt it pays them much." She frowned. "I don't doubt that they're little more than beggars, living hand-to-mouth."
"What does Aunt Helen want?" she asked.
"She wants us to get together for a family meal," said Vernon.
Petunia looked thoughtful.
"You know, maybe we ought to have dinner with them," she said. "It might be good for Dudders to see what sort of scruffy people that nutter aunt and her children are."
"Should we call her back?" asked Vernon.
"Not yet," said Petunia. "We should wait. I heard you say that I was out and it will take me a while to get back."
Petunia and Vernon both chuckled at the thought.