Unimaginable

Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, was an old man with grey hair and a long beard. Although he was already one hundred and ten years old, a lot of people considered him to be a great wizard, fighting for the greater good. 

The man achieved many things, like dueling and defeating Grindelwald for example. He was known for his abilities and extreme magic skills. Despite that, there were some people, who didn't think of him so well. 

For them, Dumbledore was a manipulative fool. He claimed, everything he did, was for the greater good. However it was only for his own benefit each time. He did not care about other people at all, almost like his dear friend. 

Severus Snape, a thirty one year old man, was a potion's professor at the same school. He was known for not only his title as a potion master, but also for his unwelcoming character, which often made other people feel uncomfortable. 

Since he grew up bullied and without any kind of love, he was, you could say, rotten on the inside. His father was an abusive alcoholic and his mother died young, meaning his childhood was not very happy, indeed. Severus thought all of this would change though, when he met a young girl named Lily Evans. 

Lily was a clever, ginger, muggleborn girl with beautiful emerald green eyes. Severus and she became friends not long, after they met, because they were both lonely and in need of a friend. 

Snape introduced the magical world to Lily and they studied together at Hogwarts. He started becoming rapidly obsessed with the girl and was angry, when she seemed interested in the boy, who bullied him. 

Their friendship ended, because he called her a 'mudblood' once and Lily was rightfully cross with him. She started dating the bully and they parted their ways. 

Severus still thought, he was in love with the dead woman. He was unable to realize his obsession and instead of accepting the past, he created hate on the son of his childhood bully, Harry James Potter, regardless of the fact, he's never met him.

"Perhaps the brat is ignoring all of the letters, we have sent him. It would not be unexpected," he replied to the senile man. "He must think, this is funny." 

Albus and he were trying to reach the Potter child for a week by now. However every single letter, which was sent, came back unopened, except the first one. They did not receive any letter back, saying the boy agreed to their request. 

"I'm afraid, that's not the case here, my boy," Dumbledore scratched his long, grey beard. He was puzzled and such a thing did not happen often. 

"What if he didn't believe the letter? That is also a fine possibility to consider," the greasy-haired professor questioned his employer. 

Albus sighed, "I remember very well, I gave the Dursleys a letter, telling them to explain everything to Harry, once the boy is old enough, when I placed him into their care. I don't think, there is any reason for them to not comply." 

Yes, he knew, Petunia and neither Vernon liked Potter much and they may have been a little awful to him, but why would they keep Harry's magic a secret from him? 

Suddenly, he got an idea, "Severus, which one of you teachers is in charge of sending the letters out to our students?" 

"I believe, that would be Minerva, Albus." 

"Wonderful, let's call her," he answered, his eyes almost shining. 

The old man casted a patronus and ordered it, to send the head of Gryffindor to him. His phoenix flew away, leaving only a faint blue light behind itself and after about fifteen minutes a tall strictly-looking woman entered his office. 

She was wearing dark robes, a tight bun and a pointy, green hat. Her knobbly, thin legs carried her over to the headmaster and she spoke up, after greeting her fellow professor, "you wished to see me, Albus?"

Dumbledore nodded with a fake, innocent smile and and picked up a bowl with sweets. He asked, "Lemon drop?" 

McGonagall looked unamused, but shook her head politely nonetheless. "What is the matter?"

"You see, there seems to be a problem with the letters, you have sent out to our students," he started and shot her a look, which was clearly analyzing her. 

Minerva narrowed her eyebrows. There were rarely any problems with the acceptance letter, that were sent out to students, owning to the fact, they were addressed automatically by magic. 

She though over her sentence, before speaking, "what kind of a problem?"

"We haven't gotten any response from a certain future student," he paused, "called Harry Potter." 

His words confused the woman even further. "Creare litteras," she casted the spell, which was responsible for making and addressing the letters. Her wrinkly and bony hands examined the letter carefully. "I don't see any problem with this letter. It says 'To Mr. Harry James Potter, the smallest room on the seventh floor of The Sunny Orphanage'." 

Dumbledore's eyes widened and Snape raised his eyebrows questioningly. He asked the headmaster, "you said, you gave him to his relatives?"

"I have...I cannot decipher, what-" he cut himself off and his face showed only a quarter of the anger, he was feeling. "They put him into an orphanage. Those dunce-like muggles dared to go against my orders and put him into an orphanage."

He put the brat with them for a specific reason, so he would be raised like a pig for slaughter and ready to listen to him, once he starts school and those filthy muggles ruined it. 

He took a deep breath, while McGonagall and Snape stared at him in surprise. Perhaps it would not be so bad. Orphanages are not the most loving places after all...he was just hoping, history would not repeat itself. 

Which it won't. It will be way worse. 

In the meantime a boy from The Sunny Orphanage was in his old, wooden room and just sent another owl back with a letter.