Number four Privet Drive
Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal thank you very much. That is how they wanted to keep it, no one could know of Petunia's unfortunate relations. They could not speak a word of it lest they be the laughing stock of towns far and wide in each direction. ‘The Dursleys were mad’ they'd say. ‘believe in magic, what freaks’
They couldn't have that, and couldn't risk even a mention of Petunia's family. Luckily for her though they had cut off her parents and freak of a sister long before her marriage to Vernon.
They were a family , a normal family.
Petunia Dursley took her role of devoted wife and new mother very seriously, just as any woman should. To prove as such she was already awake and dressed as the sun rose that early November morning. Vernon did not have work and had requested a well deserved lie In that sunday and who was Petunia to deny her hard working husband a few more hours? Afterall it gave her a few extra hours to get the house cleaned lest she disturb Vernon while he relaxes in front of the tv, so it wasn't a loss anyhow. It was a chilly morning, even inside the warmed house.
Clean the kitchen, grab the paper, prep Dudley's morning bottle and finally start on hers and vernons breakfast. she reminded herself as she paced the length of the kitchen, grabbing the supplies she needed as she did so.
“Best grab the paper before it gets colder.” she mumbled quietly as she closed the cupboard door under the sink and placed the last of her cleaning supplies on the counter.
Wrapping her arms around her middle to conserve some warmth, she slowly and quietly opened the door. She bent down with her head tilted to the side making sure no one could see her ,turning to locate the paper-
“what on earth-” she quietly exclaimed, staring at what was undoubtedly a small baby in a basket on her doorstep. Without a moment of hesitation and to make sure no one had any chance of seeing the baby outside her house, she grabbed the handles and carried the baby in through the threshold of her house, making certain that no noise was made. She did not want to risk waking up her family just a floor above. Moving steadily she placed the basket and baby within on the kitchen table, noticing as she did so a note placed upon him incredibly surprised that it hadn't been flown off by the wind.
Inspecting the note she did not recognise the writing, hesitantly she opened the note glancing at the babe as she did so. Reading the first few lines her eyes widened and her balancing was nearly wiped out from her, she quickly and hopefully not loudly pulled out a chair and practically fell upon it. Paling as she continued to the end.
‘Dear Petunia Dursley,
i'm sure you are unaware of what has been happening in your sister lily's life, However i am regretfully informing you of her passing as of late last night.
The war in the wizarding world has taken your sister's life as well that of her husbands, because of this I have made the decision that it is best for you to take guardianship of her young child Harry Potter.
Harry is one year old and is a calm boy by the looks of it, I'm sure Lily would have been pleased to know that you are the one taking him in. He is a magical child which I'm sure you have already guessed, but having been raised with your bright siser i'm sure you know what to do.
I offer you my condolences and goodluck on raising young Harry.
sincerely,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore’
She was dead. Her freakish abomination of a sister was finally dead. Hand covering her mouth to conceal the gasp she had let out soon concealed a smile, as her other hand laid on the table the letter crumpling in her hand. “I can't believe it,” she nearly laughed. Then the basket caught her eye once more, oh yes she had nearly forgotten about just how the news was delivered. Returning steadily to her feet she found herself leaning against the countertop staring directly at the creature. There was no way on god's green earth that she was keeping this creature in her house, let alone having her precious family tainted with the knowledge of such a thing. Get rid of it. That's what her brain told her to do. She must get rid of it before it wakes up and disturbs her peace and alerts anyone else of its presence. Quickly she walked to the coat rack and grabbed her long coat, he knew where to go, there was no other option. grabbing her keys and fastening her coat she slowly made her way to the door, making sure to leave a small note in case Vernon somehow woke before her return. Grabbing the basket and its contents, she slowly exited the house and as quietly as she could got into the car and placed the basket on the passenger seat and started the engine. Making her way backwards off of the driveway she made the slow tun off of Privet Drive and onto her destination.
St. Peter's Orphanage.
The orphanage was, how could she put it, well it was just unspeakably unsettling. Her and Vernon had passed it many times on their journeys away and every time they passed it sent chills up her spine, it would be a fitting place for the boy.
Afterall she wasn't willing to look after such a nuisance, no matter what that Dumbleman seemed to think her relationship with her sister was like he was gravely mistaken, she wouldn't house him in her home; lord knows what misfortune he'd bring upon her darling family.
What would the neighbours think? or the church for that matter, if they found out about his freakish descent. Despite her slight judgement briefly before, she wasn't barbaric and knew she could not just dump him in the middle of nowhere, wouldn't have the things possible death on her conscience, no.
she couldn't keep him, not just because she despised her sister but the thing was an abomination, her soul would be stained if she was in contact with it.
She wasn’t some charity, although she could be very charitable when it was needed,and this was too far.
An hour soon passed in chilling silence, the babe was still asleep and that in and of itself was chilling, definitely a freak. He was the offspring of lily though so she suspected as such already.
St Peter's Orphanage was surely used to troubled cases, and with God as her witness Petunia knew that if it was anything like her sister then it would be and that was not something she needed on her plate. She had her precious Dudley to prioritize afterall. The gates of St Peters were an overbearing thing to face. Parking her car, careful to leave the engine idle as to make her quick retreat once the thing was out of her hands. she opened the door grabbing the basket with a vice grip, leaving the driver side door open as it would only take a moment. She took cautionary steps towards the gate and with a heavy push the large gate creaked loudly and parted slightly enough for her to slip in. With a fastened pace she hurriedly made her few steps to the edge of the stairs of the orphanage. Placing the babe on the stairs, still fast asleep she looked at the ever brightening sun as it cast its rays over the top of the building. A shiver ran up her spine. Without a seconds pass she turned her back and just as quickly as she came she exited the grounds of the orphanage making sure to quickly pass through the gate and heave it shut once more. Not even a glance was spared at her - nephew, he slammed her driver side door, put the gear in place and hurriedly made her leave, a relieved sigh escaping her as she did so. The boy was not her concern anymore and he never would be.
The noise of the iron gates was a sound the sisters of St Peters knew well, and for them to sound so early meant none other than a new arrival. Sister Mary-Ellen steadily made the familiar route to the front door. Opening up to the brisk cold weather, she peered out to locate the new arrival and locked eyes on a basket just at the base of the steps. Hurriedly, she made her way down the stairs, lifting the length of her skirt as she did so. Carefully she wrapped her hands around the handle lifting softly so as to not rouse the child she suspected to be inside. She turned the basket slowly once it was in her arms to peer in, as she did so she let out a small gasp. What a gorgeous little boy, she thought as her eyes made their way to the seemingly fresh cut that was upon his small face. “oh you poor child, it's ok sweet one you're safe now.” she whispered, as she slowly made her way back up the stairs holding the baby as still as she could as to not wake him from his slumber. Making it into the warmth of the building that would now become his new home, Sister Mary-Ellen quietly closed the door to contain the cold and steadily made her way to the other sisters to report their latest arrival. ‘It's okay child, you are welcome here’ she thought as she continued on.
Voldemort was dead. The Potters were dead. The longbottoms had been spared by the pureblood loving dark lord but had been rendered insane. Amongst it all no one would notice that Harry Potter had been misplaced and maybe, just maybe, they never would. As Harry was settled into his new ‘home’ at St Peters, The wizarding world went on without a care for the baby.
In abandoning Harry instead of doing her duty as an aunt, Petunia unknowingly changed every aspect of the boy's future,as it had once been predicted. No Dursleys, no cupboard and no Vernon. In any other story or circumstance maybe that would have been a blessing, a chance for him to gain a real childhood. Except there was no one blessing Harry Potter or his journey. The choices made for him thus far were unknowingly going to be far worse for Harry than the Dursleys could have ever been.
With the close of the iron gates and the secondary closing of the oak doors of the orphanage, everything was now set in stone. Harry Potter was now a child of St Peter's Orphanage.
His life as he once finally knew it was over, washed away before it ever truly begun, left to live the only choice left for him.
May god have mercy on us all. May he have mercy on young Harry Potter.