As he came home from work, his usual tiredness was nowhere to be seen and he was gripped with fear of the utmost degree. He immediately dashed to the kitchen: "Petunia!"
She turned back to him puzzled.
"Have you heard from Lily recently?"
"Not since weeks ago, why do you ask?" She asked.
"Well, I saw people in cloaks everywhere and they were happy, celebrating but they discussed the Potters and a child named Harry-" He said in one breath as Petunia gave him a glass of water: "Calm down, honey. I'm sure there must be some good news. It's possible they might've even caught that infamous dark wizard they wrote to us about." She sat him down on the couch: "That could be why they are all happy."
He took the water: "I hope you are right."
She hoped so as well. One would think they would write at least a letter of good news if that was true.
Her worries were put aside when little Dudley (their year old infant) started crying from his crib and she went to cater to him.
-
*Ring*
Petunia was not quite asleep when she heard the doorbell, the worry had her lying in a daze.
So she sat up and turned on her lamp.
'Who could be ringing the door at this hour?' She thought.
By which time, Vernon had woken up too as the bell rang again.
*Ring*
Vernon put on his sleeper shoes and down to the doorway. As he opened the door, there was no one there but as he looked down, he saw an infant strikingly similar to James. His heart took a dip.
As he noticed there was a small letter underneath the baby's hand, he kneeled down to pick the basket up, cradling it as he opened the letter.
By which time Petunia was already beside him.
She took the baby from him as he read the letter doing his best so that his voice doesn't crack. Vernon lets his wife cry her heart out as he closes the door.
-
"Want to race me down to lunch?" Harry asked Dudley, knowing he can't keep up.
"Bring it on." The kid rolled his cuffs up.
Harry dashed to the door, out of their room and ran down the staircase as he entered the kitchen, putting his hands up in victory.
Not knowing that in a few seconds, his bigger cousin would crash right in moments later.
The two of them fell down as they burst out laughing.
And not knowing Petunia was now standing right in front of them. She grabbed Dudley by the ear as he stood up: "What did I say about running in the house?"
Harry tried to get away sneakily but Petunia's other hand found him right in time.
"Aunt Petunia, please. This was the last time."
"Yes, Mum. Pretty please."
"Go and sit at the table. I'll come with the bacon."
They happily obliged as they caressed their red ears.
Once on the dinner table, Harry nudged his brother: "Hey what's up with the cuffs anyways, do they make you faster when you roll them?" He snickered.
"Oh you don't know? It's something about aero dymagics-" Dudley defended as he dug into his sandwich.
"It's aerodynamics, dummy." Harry started on his sandwich as well. He was growing fat but not more than Dudley - maybe he should go for a jog everyday like Uncle Vernon.
-
Vernon came home tired from the day's work and as he sat down on the couch and loosened his tie, he noticed one of his books on the coffee table: "What is this doing here, hon?"
"What is?" Petunia asked from the kitchen.
"The Republic by Plato." He picked the book up noticing a bookmark he didn't place.
"Must be Harry." She talked as she brought his food: "Everyday he brings one of the books from your study and pretends he's you all day."
"You should look at him, he looks so cute." She smiles with a sigh.
Vernon smiles with pride as a father his kids look upto.
"Which brings me to an important discussion." He says: "The kids are growing and they'll need separate rooms."
-
"So how do you like your new room?" Vernon asked the boy. They'd taken off two walls of bookshelves from the study room and said books were now in the cupboard under the stairs. They let Harry keep the last wall of books since he liked them so much.
"I love it, Uncle." He hugged him once: "Thank you, aunt."
"Harry we need to tell you something really important." Said Petunia as she sat him down on the bed.
"It is about your parents, Harry." Vernon sat next to him: "They didn't die of a car accident."
Harry looked at them with innocence.
"Harry, your parents were wizards." He put a hand over his shoulder: "And they died protecting you from an evil wizard."
They explained to him all that they knew but he wasn't sad for long since he had his Uncle and Aunt with him.
.
..
...
And then came the time when a certain letter reached Number 4, Privet Drive. A letter that filled Harry with anticipation.
Harry was to be 11 in a week and he looked taller and not skinnier but definitely less fat since he had took to jogging. His pace although did affect Uncle Vernon's but he did not seem to mind. And when they were running back from one of said outings they noticed an owl sitting on their mailbox.
"Most curious." Vernon smirked at his nephew and Harry grabbed the letter wiping his sweat.
On the back, it read:
Mr H J Potter
Number 4 Privet Drive
Harry grinned up at his Uncle who grinned back. "Come on, let's go in."
As they rang the doorbell, Dudley came out and Vernon said: "Be a good boy and bring that owl a treat, will you, son?"
Dudley eyed the big eyes of the owl before running back in.
Harry and Vernon followed as Dudley ran out with the strip of cooked bacon curiously.
As he neared the bird, it glared back at him. Hesitantly, he gave it the bacon. In seconds, the bird bit his finger, snatched the treat and flew away leaving behind a hurt young boy: "What did I do?" As he blew on his barely hurt finger. The poor kid never was lucky with those of the magic kind.
-
"Alright, now for the moment of truth. Harry James Potter, you may now open your lawfully wedded letter." Vernon said to him.
Petunia rolled her eyes: "Not the dad jokes-" She mumbled as she hit her elbow gently on the waist: "Harry dear, open the letter it's for you."
"Right." Harry said, clearing his throat: "Here goes nothing."
It read:
'HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)'
"Woah, he sounds like the real deal." Said Dudley as Harry read the headmaster's achievements.
He went on:
'Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress'
"But we don't have an owl, do we?" Harry asked them all but as they looked outside, there were tens if not hundreds of owls with the same letter.
"Curious. Did they make a mistake or what?" Vernon thought out loud: "Well that clears the owl problem."
Harry nods as he looks at the owls through the window wondering why Dudley suddenly hid behind him, peeking nonetheless.
-
"Dear Mr. Potter,
We are happy to know that you are ready to join us at the prestigious school of Hogwarts.
As your guardians are non-magical, we will be sending Hogwarts' caretaker Mr. Filch on July 31st to assist you in buying your school supplies.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress."
-
Harry spent the days in a daze with dreams of flying cars, broomsticks and flashes of green light.
And when he was sick of it, a grumpy man turned up at their door: "I'm Argus Filch." He mumbled, cradling a cat in one arm.
"So what?" Harry asked already angry because of the dream he had last night.
"So stupid kid... Hogwarts... This is not my job." Are all the words Harry could understand as Filch mumbled. And then it clicked: "Oh, sir Filch. Please come on in."
He seemed startled when Harry got so polite: "You don't have to call me, sir." He mumbled again.
Harry was confused but didn't press him further.
-
It was an awkward atmosphere. All four Dursleys were focused on the caretaker as he sipped his cordial - that Uncle Vernon was saving for an esteemed guest - as if he would turn the goblet into something else in seconds.
"Do you think he'll turn it into a golden goblet?" Dudley whispered to Harry who replied: "I was thinking, maybe he'll turn it into a rat."
"Wait wait, if he turned it to a rat, could he turn it back to a water goblet?" Asked a curious Dudley.
"Ew Dudley, why would anyone turn a rat to a water goblet? Who would use it? That'd be impractical and gross-" Harry asked as Petunia shushed the two of them.
Uncle Vernon finally asked Filch: "Excuse me, sir but how will you take Harry for his school supplies? We didn't see you bring a car."
Petunia replied: "Vernon, you forget Mr. Filch is a wizard. He must have flew here or something-"
Filch looked down embarrassed: "I- I'm not really a wizard." He mumbled.
-
Sitting in the car with his aunt, uncle and the squib caretaker of Hogwarts, Harry couldn't help but wonder the reasoning of the headmaster for hiring a non magical for caretaking. The students were all magical and it almost always certain they would get away with breaking rules if their opposition didn't have magic.
Anyways, sooner or later; in the muggle wonder that is a car, they reached a dark and shabby pub The Leaky Cauldron.