The Boy Who Lived

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

"Where the fun in that?" Bellatrix asked getting shrugs because they already didn't understand this man.

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours.

"That sounds like Tuney and her new boyfriend doesn't Snape?" Lily asked still hurt for him calling her a m******d. He just nodded in agreement.

"Are we post Snape say the m-word?" Madelaine asked as they nodded "Good to know."

The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere. The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it.

"It's me bitches!" Madelaine said as she laid back with her hands behind her head.

"Language!" Lily yelled at her as she responded with "I'm an adult mom I've seen things." shaking her head.

James just kept his head down sniggering as he continued with the book.

They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband was as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.

"What?!" This came from both an outraged James and a crying Lily. Harry, Alice, and Marlene were trying to comfort her (as Madelaine isn't the greatest with emotions). James had to physically stop himself from finding out where these people live and killing them to continue reading.

The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too along with a girl, but they had never even seen them. These children were another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with children like that.

"Yeah well, we don't want our children mixing with yours you bitch." Lily attacked venomously surprising everyone but Madelanie with her words.

"I had to get the swearing from someone," Madelaine said smirking.

When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his highchair.

"Why do you pick the most boring tie? That's no fun." Luna asked

"Luna dear, don't apply logic to this man. It gets easier if you just roll with it." Madelaine told the blonde girl who nodded.

None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. At half-past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.

"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.

Molly looked appalled at this and yelled, "That's no way to raise a child!". This caused the kids from the future to flinch, some more than others.

He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.

"Wait a minute I know a cat that can read!" Sirius exclaimed looking at maunders with a glance before all of them shouting out "MINNE"

For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr.Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back.

"MINNE" The boys shouted once again knowing what the stare felt like as they had felt it before.

As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.

But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.

"What's strange about people dress in cloaks?" Arthur asked to no one imparticular.

"Muggles don't wear cloaks every day. They might wear them sometimes for a costume but not as a serious outfit choice." Madelaine explained as she wrapped her blanket, which she had gotten from Ginny who brought them clothes and blankets, tighter to her chest.

Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.

"Oh, the getups I can't bear them!" Ron said dramatically as he mocked the man causing laughter to erupt from the room.

Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it.

"Yes Yes the nerve of him I can't believe it!" Now it was Ginny's turn to mock once again causing the room to laugh.

The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunningsparking lot, his mind back on drills. Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor.

If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.

"Wait to muggles not see owls?" Narcissa asked politely to Madelanie who responded with"Well in London they don't see them very much during the night much less the day."

Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.

"Wow so productive." Madelaine remarked quietly causing Regulus and Draco to laugh.

He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery. He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's.

He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. "The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —" " — yes, their son, Harry —" "Oh their daughter, Madelaine-"Mr. Dursley stopped dead.

"Let's go." James and Sirius yelled in unison as soon as James said stopped dead.

"Wait why are they talking about us?" Lily was over here asking the real questions.

"Well in case you forgot people in this room die. They're talking about us because- Well you'll see why." Madelaine said staring at a wall bottling her emotions up. As stated before she isn't the greatest with them. She doesn't know how to express them so she pushes them away and pretends shes fine though in, reality, she's not.

"Maddie stop." Harry, being the oblivious idiot that he is, told her as he thought she was being harsh when she was just telling the truth.

"Can we continue reading?" Draco asked and all the future kids (apart from the twins) nodded hastily already knowing how this would end if they continued.

Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialling his home number when he changed his mind.

"Oh," The two boys from earlier said as they realized that the man was in fact not dead.

He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry or a daughter called Madelaine. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry or his niece called Madelaine. He'd never even seen the boy or girl.

It might have been Harvey and Melanie. Or Harold and Mia. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister like that... but all the same, those people in cloaks... He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.

"He doesn't know your names? What does he mean by sister like that?" James shouted outraged which Harry had to come him down before he answered him.

"I don't believe he ever cared to learn them and I think he means that she's magical. They don't like things that aren't normal and ordinary." Harry explained calmly to his father who was still fuming.

"I don't understand how they like normal and ordinary things. They're boring weird things is where it's at." Madelaine said causing almost all of the room except Harry, Hermione, lily, and Pettigrew to agree with her.

"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground.

"He knows the word sorry?" Harry asked confused as he had never used that word around him before.

"Yeah, he once said it to me-" Madelaine was cut off by Neville "That seems very out of character for him.".

"If you had let me continue he said "I'm sorry that you're such an idiot." she continued looking at Neville not noticing her mother come up to her and hug her, causing Madelaine to tense, saying "I'm so sorry he said that to you dear.".

Though Madelanie appreciated her concern she didn't like physical contact with people very much.

On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot.

"Is he really gone?" Regulus asked Madelaine you could hear the hope in his voice.

"Well yes but no but yes." She answered causing the people from the past to be confused.

Nonetheless, they were absolutely delighted that he was gone. They were surprised to so the Slytherins (minus Lucius and Severus) excited and Pettigrew a little saddened. Well, Draco, Madelaine, and Luna weren't.

He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination. 

"How can someone not improve of imagination!" Luna said getting more bothered by this man by the second.

"I know it was a nightmare." Madelaine shivered and remembered how she once got in trouble for drawing a flying cat.

As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. "Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.

The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behaviour? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.

"Well, that's Minne no doubt about it!" Pettigrew exclaimed while Madelanie and Ginny glared at him as he cowered under it. He may be an idiot but he knew that if these two had their mothers temper then he would not live to see another day.

Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").

The room rolled their eyes.

Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:

"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin.

"Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"

"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning into tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."

"Isn't Andy dating someone named Ted?"  Bellatrix asked Narcissa, Regulus, and Sirius. They all nodded and thought back to how they miss her, not that they would admit it.

Madelaine looked at them noticing the sadness in her eyes so she walked over to Bellatrix and sat next to her surprising many people.

"Madelaine what are you doing are you forgetting-" Hermione began berating her but Madelaine cut her off by saying "I know but people change I don't know why but I do know that some people don't want the future they have."

Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight?Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters... Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?" As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. "No," she said sharply. "Why?" "Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..." "So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley. "Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd." Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips.

"So she just pretends I don't exist?" Lily says on the verge of tears. Madelaine nodded while Marlene comforted her rubbing her back soothing her, nodding to James to keep reading.

Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead, he said, as casually as he could, "Their son and daughter — they'll be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?" "I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly. "What's their names again? Howard and Madison, isn't it?"

"Harry. Nasty, common name, and Madelaine. Horrible, ghastly name if you ask me." "Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden.

The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it.

"He's really out here living my dream, being related to you, and he complains. The audacity." Sirius said with a shake of his head.

The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley.

The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over —it couldn't affect them... How very wrong he was.

"This motherfucker jinxed it." Madelaine grumbled as Bellatrix snorted.

Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead.

In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all. A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.

He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.

"Oh look its dumbdoor." Madelaine said while rolling her eyes. She got mixed responses from the people in the room as some didn't like the man and some loved.

Her brother being one of the latter people said: "Shut up just because your jealous he likes he better doesn't mean you have to insult him.".

"Oh come on Harry you seriously don't think everything about you." Madelaine said crossing her arms feeling sullen at how much Harry was telling her to shut up today.

Surprisingly Bellatrix put a hand on her shoulder and patted it as a weird way to comfort her as she knows what it's like to have the people you love hurt you at times.

Unknown to them Narcissa saw them and smiled, happy the Bella was trying to make a friend with the girl.

Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him.

He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known." He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness.

"I want it Remy." Sirius told Remus who just shook his head and laugh.

Ron and Madelaine hearing this exchange looked at each and smirked.

Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement.

Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. "Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead, he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes.

"I CALLED IT." Sirius and James shouted at the top of their lungs.

She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."

"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.

"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."

Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.  "Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently.

"You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window.

"Damn they know how to party if the muggle news covered it!" Lucius said impress but still upset that his master was.

"I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."

"Did she lie tho?" Marlene said as she had spoken to the boy on numerous occasions and agree that he was, in fact, an idiot.

"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."

"Eleven more fucking years I have to deal with Voldemort?" Frank asked to the future.

Neville being the sweet child he is nodded as Sirius said: "Fuck that shit I'm killing him after this."

Everyone laughed through some seemed forced (Yes I'm talking about Lucius, Peter, and Severus).

"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumours." She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on.

"A fine thing it would be if, on the very day YouKnow-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?" "It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore.

"We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?" "A what?" "A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of." "No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops.

"Oooh, I want to try a lemon drop." Arthur said excitedly. Then suddenly as if the room was listening, a round table in the corner of the room, had a jar of lemon drop.

"Nev can you get me some?" Madelaine called out as everyone got up to get some, as she didn't want to get out of her warm blanket. Neville nodded and got her some.

"Thank you, Nev. You're an angel." Madelaine said happily as she ate her lemon drops.

"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —" "My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice.

"It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." "I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring."But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."

"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have." "Only because you're too — well —noble to use them." "It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said "The owls are nothing next to the rumours that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared?About what finally stopped him?"

"Nah he's just a manipulative son of a bitch." Madelaine said as she chews on a lemon drop.

James remembering what happened last time quickly started reading again.

It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now.

It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.

"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — dead."

"We're dead? We don't get to watch you grow up" Lily said tears pooling in her green eyes as James put down the book and, stared at the wall, feeling empty. Sirius and Remus were hugging each other, trying to comfort each other. Marlene and Alice were crying while holding each other's hand. Narcissa and Bellatrix felt guilty and as if it was their fault. Regulus kept repeating that he was sorry.

Severus was happy that James was dead but couldn't believe that his lily was dead. Lucius was still distraught that his master was gone. Peter didn't know what he feel.

"Yes you did but we intend to change that." Madelaine said looking at them with sympathy in her eyes. James just nodded and picked up the book.

Dumbledore bowed his head.

Professor McGonagall gasped. "Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..." Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Minne cares about us!" James joked meekly trying to lighten up the sorrow-filled room.

"I know... I know..." he said heavily. Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone."

"So what your saying is that my genes were passed on to Harry." James joked again.

Dumbledore nodded glumly.

"It's — it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall.

"After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"

"We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."

"Why you always lying." Madelaine said with a rhythm

"What about their little girl?" McGonagall asked worry lacing her voice.

"She's alive but she didn't do anything like Harry." Dumbledore told the woman with a wave of a hand

"Did he just say that your alive but it doesn't matter because you didn't do anything?" Lily said getting angry that he said that about her little girl.

"Well, he was just telling the truth. She didn't do anything." Hermione said Harry nodding in agreement.

"Neither did Harry." Madelaine shot back at them.

Almost everyone in the room shot Hermione and Harry a wtf look.

Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it.

It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge.

It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"

"I've come to bring Harry and Madelaine to their aunt and uncle. They're the only family they have left now."

"No, he can't let you live there!" James said worried about what would happen if they lived there.

"You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry and Madelaine Potter come and live here!"

"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly.

"Wait a damn minute why did he only say "him" and its not the best place for anyone!" Remus asked wondering why he only talked about Harry.

"Well, Harrys more important and better than me according to him and others?" Madelaine looked at Hermione as she said this.

"Well, technically he is!" Hermione said before James being the peacemaker he's is continued reading.

"His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." "A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall.

"Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!"

"I'm not even here baby, I'm just a hallucination." Madelaine joked earning a laugh from her dad which made her feel warm on the inside.

"Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"

"Didn't he kind of do that?"  Draco asked causing Harry to glare at him.

"That's what I've been saying. Also, you'll find out a lot later in the series." Madelaine said directing the last part to the people from in the past.

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes —yes, you're right, of course. But how are the boy and girl getting here, Dumbledore?"

"Poor Minne putting blind trust in him." Remus whispered to Sirius who nodded.

She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry and Madelaine underneath it.

"Hagrid's bringing them." "You think it —wise — to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?" "I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.

"I mean I love Hagrid and all but he can be reckless." Ginny said causing many to nod in agreement.

"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?"

A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.

"I want it James" Sirius whined to James who just shooked his head.

If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a two bundle of blankets.

"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"

"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got them, sir."

"YES I GET IT." Sirius yelled and jumped in celebration of him getting the motorcycle.

"No problems, were there?" "No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got them out all right before the Muggles started swarming' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol but she' still 'wake from the whole thing." Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundles of blankets.

Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep and a baby girl wide awake, her light brown eyes wondering what was happening.

Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning. The girl started to squirm is the giants' arms wanting to move.

"Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall. "Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever." "Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" "Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well — give them here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with."

"How did he even get that?" Luna wondered out loud trying to figure out how he got a scar that was a map.

"I always thought it was a tattoo that he got when he was drunk and just said it was a scar." Madelaine admitted to them causing many to laugh while some looked unimpressed.

Dumbledore took Harry while McGonagall took Madelaine in their arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house. "Could I — could I say good-bye to them, sir?" asked Hagrid.

He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. He then did the same to Madelaine who grabbed his beard as he let out a watery laugh.

Then Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.

"I hate it here." Sirius said offended as Madelaine and the Marauders laughed.

"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!" "S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it."But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry and Madelaine off ter live with Muggles—"

"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as she and Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. They laid Harry and Madelaine gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then they came back to Hagrid.

For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundles; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.

"Aww I always wanted Minnie to cry for me!" James joked to Frank who let out a weak laugh.

"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."

"So this dude left you two in the middle of the night on Halloween on a doorstep with just a letter explaining all of this." Alice deadpanned as she was stating to get mad at dumbdoor too.

"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir." Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.

"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street.

On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer.

"I still want it." Siruis said again this time Remus not even fazed and just nodded going along with it.

He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street.

He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. "Good luck, Harry," he murmured.

"Guess I'm still a hallucination." Madelaine shrugged before spinning around in her chair. At least she still has the chair.

He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up while Madelaine stared up at the stars not really understanding them but liking them.

"I like the stars too." Draco, Regulus, and Luna said at the same time before looking at each other and shrugging.

One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he and his sister would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that they would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley...He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"

"Well that was something." Madelaine said getting up stretching.

"Who wants to read next?" James asked the room. Remus raised his hand before James handed him the book.

"The Vanishing Glass." Remus read the title of the next chapter.