Chapter 5
The next day dawned after a restless night for Minerva. Still feeling guilty about the decision made eleven years ago, her night was disturbed by a lot of tossing and turning. As she started getting ready for the day, her mind thought back to when Lily and James were students. Now as a teacher you shouldn’t really pick favourites, but these two students were dear to her heart. She especially had a connection with James Potter, who besides his sunny disposition, was really excellent at her subject of transfiguration. She always wished he had gotten the chance to get a mastery, because she felt that he would have been a great teacher.
After breakfast was eaten, she said goodbye to her colleagues and walked down to the gates of Hogwarts. Since apparating couldn’t be done on school grounds, she had to wait until she passed the gates to apparate to Privet Drive.
Arriving there, she realised nothing had changed since she last was there. The houses looked the same, the small gardens the same, she even thought it smelled the same as well. She briskly walked towards the Dursley’s, avoiding the people staring at her. This was a typical neighbourhood, where everyone knew eachother, so as a stranger she really stood out, even in her muggle clothing.
Walking up to the door, she felt trepidation about what she would meet inside, was he going to be alright? Had they been mistreating him? Heart pounding she rang the doorbell, and then… nothing. Not a sound from indoors, other than a radio playing. She thought it was odd, since somebody should be home at this time of day. She rang again and knocked on the door. Now she could hear steps from inside, and then the door opened.
“Hic, who is there? We don’t need anyfin so go away, hic.”
Minerva couldn’t hide her chock at seeing Petunia clearly inebriated so early in the day.
“Hello my name is Minerva McGonagall and I’m here to see Mr. Harry Potter.”
“Eh, hic, we don’t have any Barry Trotter here, so you better go away Ms. McDonaldall.”
Now Minerva had patience yes, but also a feisty temper, so getting these answers her patience was running out.
“Now you listen here Petunia Dursley, I know Harry Potter lives at this address, so I will get to see him now, or I’ll force my way inside.
“Ugh fine the boy is back out in the garden, just go around the house and you’ll see him, buurp.”
Disgusted with the display, Minerva walked around the house as told, and opened the garden gate. What she saw there made her heart stop, there the boy was, tall-ish but oh so thin. He looked like a breeze could make him fall over. The boy heard her coming into the garden, so he turned up his head, and there was those green eyes that were just as Lily’s had been. Maybe even greener. His face though clearly held the features of James, well except the curse scar, and his white hair.
“Oh hello there Ms. Can I help you with something?”
Minerva gave a little smile to the polite boy in front of her.
“Hello Mr. Potter, I’m here about the letter you sent accepting your place at Hogwarts. My name is Minerva McGonagall, and I am the deputy headmistress. I am here to teach you about your magical heritage, and take you shopping for school supplies.”
“Magic? I’m sorry miss magic isn’t real, and this prank has went far enough now.”, Harry replied. Feeling a bit annoyed, he went back to gardening, and turned his back to Minerva.
“But Mr. Potter magic certainly is real, and your parents were a great witch and wizard. Haven’t you ever had anything happen, that you could not explain?”, she said to him.
“Weelll I mean if I have to say something, my watering can never seem to run out of water when I use it, and just a few days ago when we all were at the zoo, the glass to one of the exhibits vanished, making my cousin and his friend fall into the snake pit.”
Minerva had to stifle a laugh at this, “So Mr. Potter how do you think these things happen then?”
“Surely you can’t possibly say magic exists Ms. I have been told my whole life that such things doesn’t exist, and everytime something happened, they'd call me a freak, and blamed me for the accidents around us”.
“THEY CALLED YOU WHAT?!”, Minerva cried out, while looking at the sweet boy sitting near the flower beds.
“Y-y-yes a freak Ms. My uncle doesn’t like the word magic, and he and aunt Petunia dislike anything that is not normal according to them.”
Oh my dear boy, what have they done to you, you poor little thing, Minerva thought to herself.
“Mr Potter if I can show you some magic, would it convince you that magic is real, and that I really am here to take you to shop for school supplies?”
“I-i guess so Ms.”, Harry said, for once being hopeful that there was a world out there for him.
Seeing that the watering can still stood by their side, Minerva chose to transform it into a little hedgehog. It startled and tried to hide in the bushes, but she soon stopped the transfiguration, and it went back to being an ordinary watering can.
“Well Mr. Potter, did I convince you?”
“That you did Ms, that you did.”, Harry said with wide eyes staring.
“Good then, so now we will make our way to Diagon alley and procure all the items you will need at Hogwarts.”, Minerva said, while looking pleased.
“Excuse me Ms, but I have no money to pay for anything. It seems expensive to have to buy books, cauldrons, clothes and ingredients.”
“Oh don’t you worry about that. Your parents have most certainly made a vault for you to use for school. Besides the tuition for the full seven years, has already been paid for in advance.”
“I’ve had money all this time? I wish I would have known, so I could have been eating and having toiletries…”
“Pardon me what do you mean Harry, if I may call you that.”, Minerva suddenly froze and really looked at how thin and somewhat unkept Harry looked.
“I mean ehm, you see I kind of don’t get a lot of food. I usually get the little leftovers, when there are some I mean, and if I was bad I was sent to my cupboard without food.”
“CUPBOARD?!”, now rage fully got to Minerva, and she stormed inside to confront Petunia.
Harry was just standing there, thinking that he might have said to much, but he felt he could trust the nice witch, who had come just for his sake. Then he realized there were about to be two very angry women inside, so poor Harry put down the gardening tools, and ran inside, to hopefully be able to stop WWIII from breaking out.
Inside the house
After Minerva had gone around the back to see Harry, Petunia went back to her Chardonnay in front of the TV, and laid down on the sofa, thinking back on her childhood, before Lily and her had grown apart. Magic had truly ruined her life she thought, since it had taken her sister from her, and also had consumed her through the jealousy she felt toward Lily. After Lily got her letter, Petunia always found herself to be the lesser loved by her parents. It may not have been like that, but she had felt overshadowed by Lily’s accomplishments. The truth is deep inside Petunia missed Lily more than anything, she just couldn’t admit it to herself, her pride wouldn’t let her.
When Vernon had become abusive toward her, she had reached out to Lily, but after discovering she was pregnant, she couldn’t let Lily and that Potter boy come around, because she was worried about what Vernon would do to her if anything happened. She wanted this baby more than anything. After Dudley was born, she had thought finally we have a family, now he must turn back into the Vernon I used to love. Vernon adored Dudley more than anything, but he still treated Petunia horribly, making her doubt everything she did, since he brought home the money, and she was just a stay at home wife which he let her know often enough.
Unfortunately this led to her developing a drinking problem. The only time she felt truly relaxed was when she had a few glasses of wine, and got that buzz from it. Of course she would never put Dudley in danger, so she chose to not breastfeed him, since the alcohol had become more important to her. So when that November morning happened eleven years ago, it broke her heart once more. She felt so unprepared to take care of the child dumped at her doorstep with just a letter. But knowing he was Lily’s boy, she knew she had to take him, even though she couldn’t treat him nicely, she would make sure he survived, so she bargained with Vernon to allow him to stay.
Suddenly she was startled from her thoughts, when she herd a woman sounding like a banshee, who came storming inside from the garden door.
“PETUNIA DURSLEY! How have you treated poor Harry all these years? Don’t you have any shame as a mother and a woman!”, Minerva roared at her.
“Well we took him in didn’t we? I never, hic, wanted another child in the house.”
“Did you really hate your sister that much Petunia, to not take care of her only son?”
Petunia winced at that, of course she didn’t truly hate the boy, or even her sister but she just couldn’t say it.
“Eh she left me behind all those years ago to be some big shot witch. More like a big shot b…”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence Petunia Dursley, or I’ll hex your mouth full with soap!”
“Fine, fine just take the boy and go, let me be, just take him home afterward, and don’t let Vernon see you Ms. Macancheeseitall.”
“Hmph yes come along now Harry, it’s time we left already. And you Petunia will make sure Harry has a REAL room when we come back, or you won’t like the consequences.”
Harry had stood there in awe over how easily Ms. McGonagall had talked to his aunt. He vowed then and there to always try his best around the woman.
“Yes Ms, I am ready to go, just let me go get some water for my aunt, so she can have that later on.”
Minerva felt it in her heart, seeing the kindness Harry still had toward Petunia after everything they had done to him. It really shows that even coming from such an upbringing, a beautiful flower can grow, through even the hardest of concrete. When the boy returned she pulled herself together, straightened out her clothes, and took out her wand.
“Now Harry, we need to walk for a little while, then I’m going to do something called apparation, which will take us to where we need to be in an instant. It won’t feel pleasant, but I assure you it will stop after a few moments.”, she said to Harry.
“Ok I trust you Ms.”, Harry couldn’t think of any other thing to say. It sounded a bit scary but he felt he could trust Minerva, to not let anything bad happen to him.
“Very good Harry, now let us go down the road until the alley over there. Yes this looks like a good spot. I will count to three Harry, and on three I want you to hold your breathe and close your eyes. It may help with the sensation. Ready? One… Two…. Three..!”