The Girl Who Lived
November 1982
Mr. David Prewett was reluctant to admit that he is unfortunately a painfully mundane man. He had spent almost half of his life working as a low-level accountant for several different companies, each one with an office more depressing than the last. To make things worse, his chances of losing his job had skyrocketed after the policies of the Thatcher administration took place, and he is not confident at all if he could find another job if he lost his current one. Although it is indeed unpleasant that his boss comes around to yell at him for being supposedly incompetent every day, it’s certainly better to receive a rather low amount of wages at the end of month than none at all.
Lately, he even became less and less engaged in his one hobby of painting, which was something he taught himself over his adolescent years. Once upon a time as a young man, he dreamed that one day he would make it big in the art world and paint full-time as a job. Eventually though, he grew to understand that his dream was simply unattainable, whether it is because artists don’t get paid much to begin with, or that he couldn’t give up his job and devote his full energy to the arts like the painters that do “make it” could, or whatnot. And well, that is that. He has, of course, completely accepted that painting would always be only a hobby for him more than a decade ago.
He never started a family either - his past attempts at having a romantic relationship all eventually fell apart for one reason or another. The fact that he worked at a hopeless dead-end job certainly didn’t help. As he is now past forty years old, David thought that perhaps he simply won’t have anything valuable to himself in this life.
It is, however, incorrect to say that David had nothing to himself at all. Certainly, one thing that he can completely call his own is his secret, a deeply buried secret that he never brought up with anyone - because nobody would believe him if he said that wizards existed, and he was raised by them. He suppose that even if he explained how wizards chose to deliberately hide themselves, all of his friends and colleagues would laugh at him and think that he’s only telling some sort of drunken joke. Either way, there’s no point in ever talking about or even thinking about wizards, as he’s left that world a long time ago.
He didn’t choose to leave the world of wizards though. When he was eleven years old, he was kicked out of his family for not having magic. He still distinctly remembers how his own grandmother called him a “worthless squib” and demanded him to immediately leave the family when she learned that he did not receive an admission letter to Hogwarts - the school for learning magic. His parents begged her to let him stay, but it was no use, because they all know that the word of Muriel Prewett may as well be the official law for their family. While he was forced to go into the muggle world, his parents did secretly meet him, and tried to help him as much as they can. Unfortunately, they had passed away nearly ten years ago when they contacted dragon pox, a prominent and fatal disease from the wizarding world. With his magical parents dead, David’s connections to that world had completely ceased.
Our story starts on a rainy Wednesday, when David wakes up at 6 in the morning to catch the London tube for work, not expecting to see anything different today. Indeed, as he walked from his flat in East Ham to the nearby tube station, nothing notable happened - it’s just another ordinary, depressing day that he has to trudge through. Nothing really happened on the train either - as it approached central London, he did see an oddly large cluster of owls, but he didn’t make any note of that.
The first thing that caught his attention today took place after he arrived at his station of destination. As he walked on the streets of London from the tube station to his office, he noticed an oddly large gathering of people, all wearing robes and whispering excitedly together. It seemed like a celebration event of sorts. David wasn’t able to catch what they were discussing, but at that moment, the situation clicked for him: these people are wizards! What event could make them so happy that they’re even celebrating in the non-magical world? Alas, since he has been entirely detached from their world for many years now, it is impossible for him to know.
For a moment, David wanted to observe the crowd forever and paint out the scene. The radiating elation of the group of wizards, despite their best attempts at making themselves unnoticeable, was too much for him to bear - it’s a feeling that he has not personally experienced for many years. Remembering that he has to arrive at the office in ten minutes, he forced himself to shrug off the scene from his mind and the envious feeling from his heart to carry on with his day. Unsurprisingly, it is another dreadful one. His boss seemed to be especially energetic today, which is to say that he tirelessly delivered one line of insult after another to his workers, and David was obviously not exempted. Sometimes, David is convinced that his boss’s main source of joy and entertainment comes from yelling at his subordinates and nitpicking their work. After a whole day of tiring work, he has finally reached the end of his working hours, and he leaves the office to go home.
On his way from his office to the tube station, he once again encounters several individuals who, guessing from the way that they dress, most likely are wizards, and this time, he was able to just overhear a bit of their conversation.
“The Weasleys, yes, that’s what I heard at least — ”
“ — it’s Arthur and Molly’s daughter Ginny, if I’m not mistaken — ”
David stopped for a moment when he heard the name Molly. He somewhat remembered that he had a second cousin named Molly, who was only a toddler when he was kicked out of the family. Could this be related to her?
No, that is a stupid thought. After all, Molly is a rather common name. Even though the wizarding world is absolutely minuscule compared to the regular world, it is still likely that there would be multiple witches named Molly. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t even sure his second cousin is named Molly. It could’ve been Mary, or Polly, or something along those lines. Either way, even if whatever this celebration is about does pertain to his second cousin, what does that have to do with him anyways? For all that he can tell, Molly would most likely know him as “the squib cousin that we don’t talk about”, which is how his grandmother would talk about him to every future Prewett child. His parents would’ve mentioned his name and most likely his occupation as an accountant too, but he sincerely doubted that his second cousin’s knowledge of him would go anywhere beyond that.
David carried on with his journey back home. He was walking on the side of a major thoroughfare in East Ham, almost reaching his home when he saw a motorcycle speeding through. The rider was a young man with long dark hair and a leather jacket, wearing one of the most joyful expressions he’d ever seen. As the man passed by David, he cheerfully exclaimed, “Woo-hoo! Voldemort’s gone!”. Then, to David’s surprise, the motorcycle flew upward for a few seconds, before suddenly disappearing into the thin air.
So this is another wizard. The young man must’ve forgotten for a moment to make his motorcycle invisible before he started flying it. This meant that the celebrations he saw earlier is probably related to “Voldemort” being gone, whatever that’s supposed to mean. Admittedly, David was becoming more and more intrigued by this whole situation. What could’ve happened in the wizarding world that caused such an overwhelmingly excited reaction? Did they manage to find a cure to a magical disease or something? With these unresolved questions, he walked towards his flat.
The last person he expected to see standing in the front gates of his flat building is Albus Dumbledore.
Or at least, David is pretty sure that this man is Albus Dumbledore. He hasn’t seen a photograph of the man since he left the wizarding world, but Dumbledore was so omnipresent during his childhood that it would be hard to forget him. After all, back then he had just defeated Grindelwald and every magical person considered him as the savior of their world. The man standing in front of him has white hair as opposed to the mostly red-haired Dumbledore in his memory, but everything from his long beard to his colorful, distinctly-styled robes matched exactly with what he can remember. Yes, this man must be Albus Dumbledore.
But why is Dumbledore standing in front of the gates to his flat? What would he need from a “squib”?
Unless …… he is here for someone else? There aren’t many residents in the flat, but it could be possible that another resident is connected to the wizarding world. However, David pondered if he could as well just straight-up ask Dumbledore. Even if he’s not here for him, at least he can get an answer as to why every wizard seems to be celebrating today. Alas, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Bracing himself, David approached the elderly man.
“Excuse me, you are …… Mr. Dumbledore, if I’m not mistaken?” He asked in a cautious tone.
“Indeed I am,” Dumbledore confirmed, “and you must be Mr. David Prewett, then?”
“Yes, yes, I am.”
“Ah, there is a matter that I would like to discuss with you, Mr. Prewett. Preferably in a private space." After David had invited Dumbledore into his apartment, Dumbledore continued. “I believe it would be the most helpful to our discussion if you could first inform me how in touch you are with the wizarding world.”
David responded honestly. “Oh, uh, not at all. I haven’t had any interactions with the wizarding world since my parents died of dragon pox nearly ten years ago.”
“Very well. You see, Mr. Prewett, around twelve years ago, a dark wizard who went by the name of Lord Voldemort began to gather a group of followers. His forces grew over the years, and by the late 1970s, their activities have completely terrorized Magical Britain. Lord Voldemort and his followers believed in the ideology of pureblood supremacy and held violent disdain for the muggle world. They attacked, tortured, and killed both muggleborns and anyone else who disagreed with their oppressive ideology.”
David was horrified to hear that a wave of violent attacks took place in the magical world, but at least now it makes sense what those wizards that he saw earlier were celebrating. Still, why would Albus Dumbledore come to tell him about this?
Before he was about to speak, however, Dumbledore seemed to have already understood his confusion. “Your second cousin Molly was married to a man named Arthur Weasley, who was the department head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office in our Ministry, widely regarded as one of the most pro-muggle Ministry employees. As such, Arthur and Molly Weasley were targeted by Lord Voldemort and his followers. When they were informed of their incoming danger, they decided to hide their house with a powerful charm that renders it theoretically unable to be found. In addition, to minimize the danger for their children in the case of any attack, they decided to place each of their sons under the care of those whom they trusted, while keeping their youngest child Ginny by their side.”
“Unfortunately, the security measures they utilized were still insufficient. Last night, Lord Voldemort managed to break into their house, and killed Arthur Weasley. However, when he pointed his wand towards Ginny, your cousin Molly bravely stood in front of him, taking the killing curse for her daughter. After Molly sacrificed herself, Lord Voldemort tried to kill Ginny again, but this time, his killing curse miraculously rebounded upon Ginny, obliterating his own body instead. Ginny thus managed to survive.”
David may have never received any magical education, but he is pretty sure that this doesn’t make much sense. “I don’t understand, Mr. Dumbledore. How …… how could a toddler defeat a powerful dark wizard just like that?”
“Ah, this is a complex question that we aren’t able to fully understand now. What we do know, however, is that it is your cousin’s sacrificial love that gave little Ginny the potential to survive Lord Voldemort’s killing curse.” After a pause, Dumbledore finally addressed the one question that Mr. Prewett had throughout their conversation. “This is why I had come today to inform you about last night’s events.”
“Molly’s sacrifice created a very powerful form of protection on Ginny. If Ginny is to be raised by an adult blood relative of Molly, the protection can continue.” Dumbledore hesitated for a moment, then proceeded, “I shall inform you, Mr. Prewett, that although Lord Voldemort’s body has been destroyed, we don’t know if he has truly died. It is entirely possible that one day he would return and attempt to kill Ginny again. Your cousin’s blood protection can prevent Lord Voldemort from harming both Ginny and her blood-related guardian.”
David is starting to have an inkling about where Dumbledore is going with this conversation, although it seems to make very little sense. “If I’m not mistaken, are you suggesting …… that I should adopt my second cousin’s daughter?”
“Alongside her brothers Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron, yes. I do not wish to separate Ginny from them.”
The idea seemed totally ridiculous to David. In fact, he thought that Dumbledore was doing some sort of elaborate lark on him for a second. “All seven children?” He blurted. “Why me? I’m a “squib”, for God’s sake. Surely there are more suitable relatives of Molly?”
“Ah, I believe that you are particularly suitable because you are non-magical. As I explained earlier, Lord Voldemort may, at some point in the future, become active again. In addition, although he is currently unable to enact any form of harm towards young Ginny, many of his supporters are still free to do so. It would be incredibly dangerous for the Weasley children if they are raised in the wizarding world, at the center of attention. As for other relatives, unfortunately, there are none. There is indeed one living member of the Prewett family - your grandmother Muriel. However, considering her advanced age, I would not consider her to be a suitable guardian for seven children.”
David shuddered at the mention of his grandmother. No, he would not want any child to be raised under that woman’s guardianship. If any one of these children turned out to be non-magical …… he had to clear his mind for a moment. This is a crazy thought - there’s no way he’s going to raise these children. How can he, a non-magical random nobody stuck in a low-paying job even begin to accommodate seven children at his home, let alone raise them?
Then again, is it so ludicrous to desire some sort of change in his life, after twenty whole years of repetitive, dreadful work, day after day? Against all odds, instead of firmly turning Dumbledore down, David merely asked him, “but Mr. Dumbledore, how am I even going to raise seven children? There’s no way I can pay for all the expenses. Plus, where are they going to live? My flat’s got only one room!”
Dumbledore looked at David for a second and said, “I understand your situation. Do not worry, I can speak to the Ministry of Magic and request funding for the care of the Weasley children. After all, Arthur Weasley was the head of a Ministry department, and I have no doubt that the Ministry will start commemorating him and his department as particularly distinguished, now that his daughter has been credited as the one who defeated Lord Voldemort. I’m sure that it would be possible for them to arrange a satisfactory financial plan for you, including expenses to purchase a larger house, of course. In the unlikely case that this could not be provided, we can discuss with Arthur Weasley’ relatives for further options.”
At the mention of receiving funding, David brightened for a moment. Perhaps, with the problem of money out of the way, he really could do this. Sure, there would be many challenges raising seven bloody children, but then, this may as well just be that one opportunity he will get to turn his life towards some sort of new direction. Perhaps, he could even reignite his long-halted dream of becoming a full-time painter.
“Very well then, Mr. Dumbledore. If you can provide me a financial plan that I’m satisfied with, then I will consider taking the Weasley children in.” He simply replied.
“Thank you, Mr. Prewett. I assure you that I will try my best to provide you the most sufficient financial plan from the Ministry, and I will contact you immediately once I’ve received one. Good night.” And with a pop, Dumbledore had apparated away.
Later that night, David didn’t fall asleep at a usual time. Instead, he was kept awake by his repetitive thoughts over Dumbledore’s offer. Is he seriously considering this? He tried to weigh over the benefits and drawbacks time and time again in his mind, but he wasn’t able to reach any decision. In the end, he fell asleep on the thought that it is all rather pointless to ponder right now. Dumbledore hasn’t even secured a financial plan yet - he’ll make the decision when Dumbledore presents him with a viable one.
Another whole week of depressing days had passed until David heard back from Albus Dumbledore. On the 8th of November, Dumbledore arrived once again in front of his flat entrance. After exchanging pleasantries, David invited him into the flat and prepared a cup of tea for him.
Dumbledore then calmly spoke, “Mr. Prewett, the Ministry has agreed to provide funding for raising Ginny Weasley and her brothers in a safe environment with a financial plan that I personally do believe is sufficient.”
He handed David an envelope with the Ministry of Magic’s stamp at its center.
David opened the envelope and perused the parchment inside carefully. The financial plan that the Ministry of Magic has provided is indeed rather adequate - well, from his perspective as a low-level accountant who hasn't been promoted once in his entire career at least. Due to the fact that there are seven children, the funding won’t support him to raise them in particularly comfortable living conditions, but it’s certainly workable. In fact, with all this money, he would even be able to quit his stupid job and start painting full-time, and in that split of a moment, his decision was made.
“Yes, Mr. Dumbledore. That looks like a fine deal to me. I will raise them.”
Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled for a moment and smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Prewett. I understand that this may seem rather overwhelming for you, but please be reassured that you will not be the sole person to care for the seven children. I have discussed with Arthur Weasley’s parents and brothers, who has confirmed that they would like to be involved in the process of raising the Weasley children. In addition, Arthur’s friend Caradoc Dearborn has also suggested that he will try to help his late friend’s children to the best of his ability, although he would not be physically available in the foreseeable future, as he is about to return to his home country of America and raise his own daughter. I would, however, strongly urge you to keep all other magical contacts to a minimum due to the peculiar safety concerns we discussed in our last conversation.”
David was relieved to hear that he will receive help from the Weasleys’ extended family. As for Dumbledore’s request to minimize other magical contacts, it isn’t like he has any to begin with. “I’ll keep that in mind, Mr. Dumbledore. And thank you so much for contacting Arthur Weasley’s family, I’m sure they will be of great help.”
“It was no problem at all. In the upcoming days, you will be contacted by Arthur Weasley’s family members and other trusted personnel who are currently taking care of the Weasley children to arrange for meetings. If any issues may arise, feel free to contact me by mail.” And with that, David’s second meeting with Dumbledore has reached its end, leaving him with a much clearer vision of what is about to come, both for him and for the Weasley children.
David had to wait for a few more days to hear from the current caretakers of the Weasley children. When he woke up on Saturday, however, the first thing that he immediately noticed was the nine owls standing on the frame of his window. After he has washed up for the morning and made a cup of tea, he gently opened his window and retrieved nine envelopes. The largest envelope came with a distinctly marked seal, and upon closer examination it is made of high quality parchment. Opening the envelope, he found his first cheque from the Ministry of Magic - a large sum of money for him to purchase a house for seven children, just as promised in the financial plan.
Feeling reassured, he eagerly opened the other envelope with the same seal, revealing another slip of paper - his monthly cheque, which is of a much smaller quantity than the housing cheque. After carefully placing the two cheques in a drawer he checked to make sure that it is not messy or unclean, he returned to the rest of the letters, which all turned out, as he had expected, to be from the current caretakers of the Weasley children. The one from Arthur Weasley’s parents - Septimus and Cedrella - included a photograph of the Weasley family taken last year, apparently taken on the day before they had to go into hiding. Septimus and Cedrella Weasley also considerately introduced him to each of the Weasley children, which he immensely appreciated, as he only realized after reading the letter that other than the names of the Weasley children, Dumbledore did not actually tell him anything else, including their respective ages. Now, he knows that Bill is the oldest at eleven years old, then nine-year-old Charlie, then six-year-old Percy, then four-year-old identical twins Fred and George (he can tell that these two will probably take much longer for him to differentiate), then two-year-old Ron, and finally the one-year-old daughter Ginny who vanquished Voldemort. After taking a few more looks at the picture to connect each name to their respective faces and ages, he moved on to the next few letters, which are from Arthur Weasley’s brothers and friend Caradoc Dearborn. They spoke more about the Weasley family and carried similar tones, clearly written by those who are still grieving.
The last two letters, on the other hand, are most likely written by those who are not close to the Weasley family, as they only wrote about the matter at hand itself, which is to arrange a time where he could take the Weasley children in. He noted down the names of the two letters’ authors - Emmeline Vance and Dedalus Diggle, respectively. The final letter came from Dumbledore himself, who explained that the young Ginny Weasley is currently still staying under the care of the Hogwarts matron to check for potential unexpected side effects from the incident on October 31st. While he himself will be entirely occupied for the upcoming weeks, he can arrange for one of his staff members to deliver Ginny at any moment. David raised an eyebrow upon learning that Ginny was being checked by a school matron instead of the professional hospital - the name’s St. Mungo’s, he recalled - after the ordeal that she went through on that night, but then he realized that this is the wizarding world, after all. Everyone in his distant childhood has described Hogwarts as far beyond an ordinary school, so it is only natural that its medical facilities and expertise would be far beyond the “regular” hospital’s too. Upon this realization, David reminded himself to start thinking of matters pertaining the Weasley children with the proclivities of the magical world in mind. From this point onwards, much of everything will no longer be like the non-magical world he’s grown to be used to.
David excitedly replied to each and every one of the letters, thoroughly explaining that he would be busy with purchasing a suitable home for seven children in the next few days, so he won’t be ready to take them in until the end of next week. As he pondered all the things he ought to plan out for raising the Weasley children, he became more and more immersed in his incoming future role as a caretaker of seven, and wrote on and on, entirely forgetting that his tea has already gone cold.