what if the dursleys were nice to harry fanfiction

Chapter 1: Instructor Tyranny

When Marlene opened the book to the first affiliate, she smiled. "How beautiful! Expect at the pic." She turned to book to show everyone. Virtually of the women gave the same reaction as Marlene or some similar version as they saw the flick of a baby swaddled in blankets. The men rolled their optics impatiently at such a display (except Dumbledore, who simply smiled) and McGonagall sniffed in disapproval though the corners of her mouth twitched.

"Alright, that'southward enough of that. Read!" growled Moody.

Marlene huffed but got on with it. "The start chapter is called The Boy Who Lived. Any ideas?"

"It sounds either really stupid or really important," was the insightful and deep comment from Sirius.

"Wow, Padfoot that was just special. Especially coming from someone with green hair," James said, the sarcasm dripping heavily from his mouth. McGonagall stock-still both of them with a stern glare and they immediately fell silent to the amusement of all nowadays. Marlene began to read.

"The Boy Who Lived

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number 4, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, cheers very much."

"It's official. It has something to do with me and Lily!" James shouted.

"Starting time of all, Mr. Potter, information technology is 'Lily and me' - ," McGonagall began, nostrils flaring dangerously.

"No information technology's me and Lily not you and Lily…" James contradicted in an try to get a rise out of her.

"Second, you should not interrupt - ,"

"You simply did."

"And finally you will explicate or you will be silent."

"Lily's sis is married to a human named Dursley. So logically, since the title has my terminal name and the start sentence has my in-laws proper noun in it, it must have something to do with me and Lily."

"MR. POTTER!"

"They were the last people yous'd expect to be involved in annihilation foreign or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense."

"Sounds Boring to me."

"Black!"

"Mr. Dursley was the manager of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a large, bulky man with hardly any neck, although he did accept a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had about 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 neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their stance at that place was no effectively male child anywhere."

"Yeah I believe it."

"Mr. Potter this is the concluding warning for y'all and your sidekick!"

"Hey!"

"Close up, Pads," Remus told him.

"Merely I'g not his …"

"BLACK!"

"The Dursleys had everything they wanted, simply they also had a secret, and their greatest fright was that somebody would find it. "

"Three guesses what it is," Lily muttered so that just James could hear.

"They didn't remember they could bear it if anyone plant out about the Potters."

"Yeah well, we dear you too," James said before being silence by a glare from both McGonagall and Moody this time.

"Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley'south sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't accept a sis, because her sis and her good-for-naught husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be."

The room erupted in laughter. No one had ever imagined a word like 'unDursleyish'.

"The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, likewise, simply they had never fifty-fifty seen him. This boy was another skilful reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't desire Dudley mixing with a child similar that."

"And I bet he's worth x of that brat!" Lily shouted. Everyone started at her, and she looked downwards. "What? A mother can't stand up upwardly for her kid?"

"When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the slow, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing almost the cloudy sky exterior to propose that foreign and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed equally he picked out his almost tiresome tie for piece of work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his chair."

"That sounds accurate," Lily muttered.

"None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window."

"Of class not. Their too busy fawning over their brat of a son," Sirius said equally he glared at the book, earning himself a thump on the head from Remus and an impatient growl from Moody. It was the glare from McGonagall that sent him into a cowering silence. She was the simply teacher that had ever had any sort of command over him.

"At one-half past 8, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-farewell but missed, considering Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley equally he left the business firm. He got into his automobile and backed out of number iv's drive."

"It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar – a cat reading a map."

"That is rather peculiar. Unless it's an animagus," Marlene stopped to comment. Everyone looked to McGonagall who glared at them all.

"Are nosotros going to go on reading or not? Ms. McKinnon if you would continue," McGonagall said tersely. Marlene obliged.

"For a 2nd, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen – then he jerked his head effectually to look once again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive but in that location wasn't a map in sight. What could he accept been thinking of? I t must accept been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the true cat. Information technology stared back. As Mr. Dursley collection effectually the corner and upwardly the route, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Bulldoze – no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs."

"And that is why it is so piece of cake to hibernate from the muggles," said Remus.

"Mr. Lupin, do you consider yourself nether the same restrictions equally Potter and Blackness. The side by side i of you who speaks shall observe himself in a rather embarrassing state of affairs.

"Mr. Dursley gave himself a picayune shake and put the cat out of his heed. Equally he drove toward boondocks he idea of nothing except a large society of drills he was hoping to get that twenty-four hours."

"Simply on the edge of boondocks, drills were driven out of his mind past something else. As he sabbatum in the usual morn traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that in that location seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people near. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny wearing apparel – the getups you saw on immature people! He supposed this was some stupid new mode. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes vicious on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite shut by. They were whispering excitedly together. 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, land wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then information technology struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some sill stunt – these people were apparently collecting for something… yes, that would exist it."

"Again, he talks himself out of the obvious," Gideon said.

"What I don't get is why people are being so obvious. Someone is bound to notice this and figure it all out," Fabian added.

"How is this? The next person who speaks volition face up dire consequences. That includes everybody. I would similar to at least finish this affiliate before information technology gets too late tonight. Every bit it is, nosotros will accept to keep most of the book tomorrow. Now please go on," McGonagall said, her patience completely used up.

"The traffic moved on and a few minutes after, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his heed back on drills."

"I track heed that ane," Sirius said.

"Thank you lot for volunteering Mr. Blackness." McGonagall waved her wand and Sirius's pare turned cerise and his eyebrows changed to a brilliant electric blue. In add-on to this a piece of duct record appeared over his mouth. Coupled with his newly cropped emerald locks, this gave him a rather interesting advent. The entire room fell to laughter. Information technology was good ten minutes earlier everyone quieted down enough to read. Even and so it took a few more than spells from wands to calm everyone down. In the terminate, James plant himself on the ceiling with pilus to match his friend's eyebrows, Gideon was tied to his chair with brilliant pinkish hair (done up in curlers to brand things worse), and Fabian was wearing a ballerina tutu. Sirius and James had to admit that they were impressed with McGonagall's creativity.

"Mr. Dursley always sat with his dorsum to the window in his office on the 9th floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't run across the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed equally owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, all the same, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important phone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very skillful 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 most the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the bakery'south. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, likewise, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his fashion back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a purse, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.

""The Potters, that'due south right, that's what I heard –"

"" – yes, their son, Harry – "

"You see! I told you! It has to do with us!" James commented from the ceiling.

"Yes Prongs, you told us it has something to do with you, but do you call up it's possible information technology has more to do with your son? I mean, the title actually has his proper noun in it, non yours," Remus said in an attempt to get James nether control earlier McGonagall did.

"Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him.

"Good," James said. Lily gave him a alert glance.

"He looked back at the whisperers every bit if he wanted to say something to them, just thought better of information technology.

"He dashed back beyond the road, hurried up to his part, snapped at his secretary non to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had most finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver dorsum down and stroked his mustache, thinking…no, he was beingness stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called potter who had a son called Harry. Come up to call up of it, he wasn't fifty-fifty sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never fifty-fifty seen the boy. It might take been Harvey. Or Harold."

"I detest those names. They're almost every bit bad every bit Dudley," Lily said. A serenity chuckle went around the room before Marlene began once more. Lily gave McGonagall a quick apologetic glance and received a nod of acknowledgement in return.

"There was no signal 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…"

"Hey! What if we don't desire to be related to a couple of – "

"Mr. Potter, watch your language and exist placidity or I will put duct tape over your oral cavity as well!" Sirius was gesturing wildly and rather rudely at McGonagall who shot him nasty look. "Black, if you can't control yourself I will stick your fingers together." Marlene quickly continued to keep the situation from getting out of command.

"He institute it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon"

"What a tragedy."

"Mr. Potter, this is your last warning.

"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.

""Lamentable," grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost vicious. Information technology was a few seconds earlier Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being near knocked to the footing. On the contrary, his face up dissever into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sad, my dear sir, for cipher could upset me today!""

Marlene stopped reading and stared at the folio. "Wow!" The rest of the room looked at her in defoliation. McGonagall twitched in irritation.

"Well what is it. Get on." Marlene connected, her voice taking on an undertone of excitement.

""Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at concluding! Even Muggles similar yourself should be jubilant, this happy, happy day!""

The silence in the room was deafening. Even Sirius had stopped moving (who knew he had the capacity to be still). Marlene continued reading.

"And the old human being hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.

"Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He as well thought he had been chosen 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."

"As if he knew anything nearly imagination," James said, his phonation dripping with scorn.

"Mr. Potter, I warned you." Duct tape rolled out beyond his mouth and his skin turned pinkish every bit McGonagall waved her wand. Lily glared at him. Gideon and Fabian went into a sort of silent laughter.

"You seem to have the entire room nether your thumb at present Minerva, and your punishments are certainly creative. You brand an splendid tyrant," Dumbledore told her mildly. McGonagall looked downwards and blushed.

"As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first matter 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 aforementioned one; it had the same markings around its eyes."

"Good Heavens, it's McGonagall!" Fabian said.

"How do you know?" Dedalus Diggle asked, confused. Everyone looked at him and shook their heads or (in some cases) chuckled quietly.

"Considering of the markings around her eyes y'all –,"

"Mr. Prewitt, you will watch your linguistic communication likewise."

"Yeah ma'am."

""Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.

"The cat didn't move. It simply gave him a stern look. "

"More proof that it's you Professor," Gideon put in. He received what must have been the same look that Dursley was getting.

"Was this normal true cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was even so determined not to mention anything to his wife.

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

"My sister's life is admittedly thrilling," Lily said sarcastically, rolling her optics. "If information technology were even more thrilling I'd fall asleep."

" Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the concluding 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 chase at night and are hardlyever seen in daylight, there take been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls take suddenly changed their sleeping design." The newscaster allowed himself a grinning. "Almost mysterious. And at present, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"

""Well, Ted," said the conditions homo, "I don't know about that, but it's not but the owls that take been acting oddly today. Viewers every bit far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Peradventure people have been celebrating Blaze Night early – it's not until next calendar week, folks! But I tin can hope a moisture dark tonight."

"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…"

"Practiced news seems to have made people a little too careless for my gustation," Moody growled. "What good is Voldemort being gone if we take to deal with muggles knowing about us instead." For the first fourth dimension in his life, Moody found himself receiving a glare from Minerva McGonagall. He all of a sudden understood how she could control such hooligans as Black and Potter.

"Mrs. Dursley came into the living room conveying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his pharynx nervously. "Er – Petunia, honey – you haven't heard from your sister lately, accept you?"

"As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. Later on all, they unremarkably pretended she didn't have a sister."

"Really! Well, we'll run across what she gets for Christmas from me this year. I may pretend Idon't have a sis," Lily said in outrage. On the ceiling James nodded vigorously in agreement. Sirius started gesturing over again and McGonagall rolled her eyes at them.

"Oh, very well and then. I volition have the record off and allow Mr. Potter down, but I don't want to hear either of speak again."

The tape disappeared and James fell to the ground. He jumped up and sat down next to Lily, glaring at McGonagall.

""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…""

"You're funny-looking!" Sirius said.

""So?"snapped Mrs. Dursley.

""Well, I just idea…maybe…it was something to do with…you know… her crowd.""

"Oh, joy. He'southward afraid to say the words witch and wizard," Fabian commented.

"Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the proper name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son – he'd be well-nigh Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"

""I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.

""What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"

""Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me.""

"Hey! At least we didn't give our son a name that has a nickname of Dud. I mean, how cruel tin can you exist?" James said. McGonagall glared at him. "What? Lily's allowed to defend him, but I'm not?" Lily elbowed him in the tummy and gestured for Marlene to continue reading while her hubby caught his jiff.

""Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."

"He didn't say another give-and-take on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bath, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the forepart garden. The cat was still there. It was staring downward Privet Drive as though it were for something.

"Was he imagining things? Could all this take anything to do with Potters? If it did…if it got out that they were related to a pair of – well, he didn't think he could carry it."

"Well we don't want to be related to you either. Don't look at me like that Professor; he was insulting us!" James said as McGonagall looked at him

"The Dursleys got in to bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep speedily but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning information technology all over in his listen. His last, comforting idea before he brutal asleep was that even if the Potters wereinvolved, there was no reason for them to come most 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 become miced up in anything that might be going on – he yawned and turned over – it couldn't affect them…."

"Something tells me, that is non the case," Fabian said.

"Has anyone else noticed that Voldemort'southward downfall might have something to practise with Lily, James, and their son? I hateful, we know he's gone because of that squeaky magician, the chapter is following their brother-in-law, and in that location was some kind of gossip almost them," Remus said thoughtfully. Everyone contemplated this for a minute.

"We won't know 'till we keep reading. Marlene, if y'all would," Lily said, breaking the silence.

"How very incorrect he was"

"Told you."

"Mr. Prewitt!"

"Ma'am, aye ma'am."

"Mr. Dursley might have been globe-trotting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't and so much equally quiver when a car door slammed on the side by side street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all."

"But McGonagall has that kind of patience."

"Fabian Prewitt this is your terminal warning. Next time I volition stick yous to the ceiling with tape over your mouth. Now exist quiet."

"A man appeared on the corner the true cat had been watching, appeared so of a sudden and silently you lot'd take thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat'due south tail twitched and its optics narrowed.

"Nothing like this man had always been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very one-time, judging past the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his chugalug. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the basis, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his olfactory organ was very long and crooked, as though it had been cleaved at to the lowest degree twice. This man's proper name was Albus Dumbledore."

"What are you doing in that location?" James asked.

"I strongly suspect that we will discover out if we continue reading. But in order to do so, I believe we must be quiet or risk Minerva going into a rage. I rather like my hair as information technology is; however, Minerva, if you experience the demand to change it, I wouldn't mind a nice, bright scarlet if y'all would." Marlene apace began reading once more to change the subject area.

"Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had only arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. Simply he did seem to realize he was being watched, considering he looked upwardly suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other terminate of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to charm him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should take known."

"He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a argent cigarette lighter. He flicked it open up, held information technology upward in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop."

"What is that?" Marlene asked.

"It's an invention of mine. I call it the Delluminater. Information technology comes in handy sometimes," Dumbledore answered.

"He clicked it once again – the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer,"

"I thought y'all said it was called a …"

"Perhaps the writer of this book didn't know that at the time, Ms. McKinnon. At present delight continue reading," McGonagall snapped.

"until the simply lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the optics 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 downwardly the street toward number four, where he sabbatum downwards on the wall adjacent to the true cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to information technology.

""Fancy seeing you hither, Professor McGonagall.""

"You meet - ," Fabian began before he was lifted to the ceiling and his hair changed to a soft lilac colour.

"Adjacent time I will tape your mouth shut as well."

"He turned to smiling at the tabby, just it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman"

"I'll say," James muttered under his breath.

"who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald i. Her black pilus was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.

""How did you know information technology 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 twenty-four hour period," said Professor McGonagall.

""All twenty-four hour period? When yous could accept been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my mode hither."

"Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.

""Oh yep, everyone's jubilant, all right," she said impatiently." You'd think they'd be a fleck more careful, but no – even the Muggles accept noticed something'due south going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' nighttime living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls…shooting stars…. Whell, they're non completely stupid. They were jump to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent – I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense.""

Everyone looked at Diggle, who squirmed in his seat looking sheepish, merely not before shouting, "Hey!" at the insult.

""You tin can't arraign them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to gloat for xi years.""

"Well," said Remus, "now we know when all this is going to happen. If it's been eleven years then and it's been seven years right now, we have virtually four years left."

""I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "Only that'south no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in wide daylight, not fifty-fifty dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."

"She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, equally though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't so she went on. "A fine matter it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to accept disappeared at last, the Muggles found out most us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"

""Information technology certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We accept much to be thankful for. Would yous care for a lemon drop?"

""A what?"

""A lemon driblet. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of.""

"Would anyone like a lemon driblet? I have some on me now." Lily, Dorcas, Alice, and Remus all held out their hands and muttered their cheers under McGonagall'due south disapproving glare.

""No, thank you lot," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't remember this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if Y'all-Know-Who has gone – "

""My love Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his proper noun? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense – for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, simply Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "Information technology all gets so disruptive if nosotros go along saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort'due south name."

""I know you lot haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But yous're dissimilar. Everyone knows you're the only ane You-Know- oh, all correct, Voldemort, was frightened of."

""You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never accept."

""Only because y'all're too – well – nobleto use theim."

""It'due south lucky it'south night. I haven't blushed and so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.""

"Nosotros actually didn't need to know that sir," Gideon said.

"Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. Yous know what everyone's saying? Nearly why he'due south disappeared? About what finally stopped him?""

The entire room was still. No ane moved an inch in anticipation.

"It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the indicate she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a common cold, hard wall all mean solar day, for neither every bit a true cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare equally she did at present. Information technology was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was non going to believe information technology until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, yet, was choosing another lemon drop and did non reply.

""What they're maxim," she pressed on, "is that concluding nighttime Voldemort turned upwardly in Godric'south Hollow.""

Marlene gasped as she looked at what she had to read next. She looked at Lily and James sitting beyond from her and her eyes filled upwardly. She looked back at the volume and continued reading in a placidity and shaky vocalism.

""He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are – are – that they're – dead."

"Dumbledore bowed his caput. Professor McGonagall gasped."

Lily and James sat and stared at Marlene in shock. Many people had slipped into quiet tears. Remus and Sirius had gotten steely looks in their eyes equally if silently telling their friends that they would practise everything possible to keep this from happening. Even Dumbledore had stopped grin and looked grave. Marlene continued reading to suspension the awkward silence that had settled on the room.

""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. "I know…I know…" he said heavily.

"Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That'southward non all."

"What more can there exist?" Sirius shouted. Lily looked at him and he sat down and stared at his hands.

""They're saying he tried to impale the Potter'south son, Harry. Simply – he couldn't. He couldn't kill that niggling male child. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow bankrupt – and that's why he's gone.""

"Hold on a infinitesimal. And so Lily and James, fully grown witch and wizard, graduating peak of their class and members of the Order of the Phoenix, he can impale, just he can't kill their son? He'due south a babe!" Gideon shouted. Lily was crying softly into her husband's shoulder as James glared at Gideon. Non even Dumbledore had a response.

Dumbledore nodded glumly.

""Information technology's – it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he'south done … all the people he'due south killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? Information technology'south just astounding… of all the things to end him… just how in the proper noun of heaven did Harry survive?"

""We tin can only approximate," said Dumbledore. "We may never know.""

"Come on Dumbledore. You have to know," Alice said softly.

"Perhaps if I knew everything that had occurred I would know, but as things stand I currently know but every bit much as you do."

"Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a smashing sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd spotter. It had twelve easily but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the border. Information technology must have fabricated sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it dorsum in his pocket and said, "Hagrid'due south late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"

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

""I've come up to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now.""

Nobody was placidity now. Anybody threw protests at the poor sometime human being who hadn't fifty-fifty made such a decision yet until Lily sent a few sparks out of her wand calling for silence.

"Does it explain, Marlene?"

"Information technology seems to. I'll keep reading."

""You don't mean – y'all tin can'thateful the people who alive here?" cried Professor Mc Gonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore – yous can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't discover two people who are less similar us. And they've got this son – I saw him kicking his mother all the way upward the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come up and live here!""

"Too correct. He'll come live with his uncles Moony and Padfoot," Sirius said. Lily and Alice looked horrified at the thought of Sirius raising a child. The poor thing wouldn't stand a chance. McGonagall gave him a threatening look and Marlene continued reading.

""It'due south the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a alphabetic character.""

"Oh, yeah. That'll help," James muttered under his jiff.

""A letter of the alphabet?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting dorsum down on the wall. "Actually, Dumbledore you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people volition never understand him? He'll exist famous – a fable – I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry potter day in the future – there volition be books written about Harry – every kid in our world will know his name!"

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

"No not really," Gideon said. There was a loud blindside and he joined his twin on the ceiling, his skin now bright reddish, contrasting sharply with his pink hair.

"Professor McGonagall opened her rima oris, changed her mind, swallowed so said "Yep – yes, yous're right, of course. Merely how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly equally though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.

""Hagrid's bringing him."

""You think it – wise– to trust Hagrid with something equally important as this?""

This comment was met with protests from many of the younger members of the Order every bit well as Hagrid himself.

""I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore."

"Skilful," Sirius said.

""I'1000 not saying his middle isn't in the correct place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not devil-may-care. He does tend to – what was that?"

"A depression rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked upwardly 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.

"If the motorcycle was huge, it was nix to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall equally a normal man and at to the lowest degree v times as wide. He looked only too big to be immune, and so wild – long tangles of bushy blackness hair and bristles 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 bundle of blankets.

""Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At terminal, And where did you go that motorbike as he spoke.

""Immature Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir.""

"You meet? I'1000 alive. Why can't I take care of him?"

"Because I don't want my son turning out to be an egotistical, pranking bedlamite!" Lily shouted at him.

""No problems, were at that place?"

""No, sir – house was about destroyed, only I got him out all right earlier the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep every bit we was flyin' over Bristol.""

"Aww. That's and so cute," Alice cooed.

"Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall aptitude forrard over the parcel of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-blackness hair over his forehead they could run across a curiously shaped cut, similar a bolt of lightning.

""Is that where - ?" Whispered Professor McGonagall.

""Yeah," said Dumbledore. "He'll accept that scar forever."

""Couldn't you do something well-nigh it, Dumbledore?"

""Fifty-fifty if I could, I wouldn't. Scars tin come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Cloak-and-dagger.""

"Good to know," Sirius said sarcastically. Lily glared at him from her husband's shoulder.

""Well – give him hither, Hagrid – we'd better become this over with."

"Dumbledore took Harry in his artillery and turned toward the Dursley's business firm.

""Could I – could I say proficient-good day to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy caput over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog."

"Really, Hagrid. Must yous be so dramatic?" McGonagall asked.

""Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "y'all'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-tin't stand it – Lily an' James dead – an' poor niggling Harry off ter live with Muggles – "

""Yes, yes information technology'southward all very lamentable, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter of the alphabet out of his cloak, tucked information technology inside Harry'due south blankets and and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the iii of them stood and looked at the lilliputian bundle; Hagrid's shoulder's shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling low-cal that usually shone from Dumbledore's optics seemed to have gone out.

""Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that'south that. Nosotros've no business staying here. Nosotros may as well go and bring together the celebrations."

"Yes," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. Grand'dark, 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 run across you lot presently, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.

"Dumbledore tuned and walked dorsum down the street. ON the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. 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 packet of blankets on the step of number four.

""Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a classy of his cloak, he was gone.

"A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky heaven, the very final place y'all would look astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking upwardly. One modest hand closed on the alphabetic character beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, non knowing he would exist woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley'southward scream equally she opened the door to put out the milk bottles,"

"Poor Harry," Lily said wincing.

"nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…."

"He better not," James muttered dangerously.

"He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding upwardly their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter – the boy who lived!""

Marlene marked the page and closed the book. Everyone looked at the book on the table. So many things had been revealed to them in that i chapter that no ane could retrieve of what to say. Finally, Remus broke the silence and asked, "Who reads next?"

1. xxxxxxfandomsxxxxxx liked this
2. shadowqueendiangelo liked this

ainsworthknotans.blogspot.com

Source: https://theorderreads.tumblr.com/post/26695110347/chapter-1-teacher-tyranny

Share this post