Professor Minerva McGonagall sat in her office receiving the letters from the students. This was her busiest time of the year as Deputy Headmistress. First there were the letters of new First year students accepting entrance into Hogwarts; then the Third years' letters selecting their elective classes; and finally there were the Sixth year's selections of NEWT classes. In addition, she was responsible for notifying the selected prefects, Head Boy and Head Girl of their positions. In short, this all made her a very busy witch.
So the arrival of yet another owl almost went unnoticed. However this owl landed directly in front of her on the picture frame of her brother and his family.
"If you would wait in the designated spot, I shall be with you presently," she primly informed the owl.
For its part the owl merely glared at her with its wide unblinking eyes before imperiously thrusting the leg with a reply on it forward.
"Oh, very well." The witch removed the letter with the ease of long practice. She glanced down and was shocked at what she saw there.
It was a student's letter. And not just any student, but Harry Potters. The Boy-Who-Lived. The most anticipated student since the heir to the throne of England, Prince Edward V, arrived in 1481! Why was his letter being returned?
Noting the seal was opened, she opened it to see a small note in written into the margin of the letter. It read:
Hi,
Not sure if this is a prank or not but that was wicked the way you trained this owl. Never knew you could do that.
What is this about? Where is Hogwarts and why should I go there? Do you really teach magic? Is that like David Copperfield-type magic?
Harry
Professor McGonagall's shriek of horror was heard in the neighbouring professors' offices. Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick both arrived in short order to see what had set off their colleague. (They rather expected some prank from the Weasley twins to be honest.)
"Minerva, what is the matter?" Pomona asked as she entered.
"He… he… he doesn't know anything about Hogwarts or even magic itself!" the professor yelled as she paced back and forth.
"He who?" Filius squeaked.
"Harry Potter! Here, read it!" The Transfiguration professor thrust the paper at the half-goblin professor.
"Oh my," he exclaimed in a shocked voice. "Isn't this David Copperfield the squib that makes a living in the Muggle world as a stage magician?"
Minerva ignored the question as she continued to pace and muttered comments about Albus Dumbledore, his probable parentage, and sanitary habits under her breath.
Well, mostly under her breath. To their enjoyment her fellow two professors caught the occasional phrase.
Then she stopped and looked up. "Albus is not due back from his ICW meeting for two more days. He would probably have Hagrid or, Merlin forbid, Severus go to collect he child. I swear that that man means well but his head is so far into the clouds the lack of oxygen has killed his brain." She nodded to emphasize her point.
"Now, I think I deserve an afternoon off. I shall go visit Mr Potter and see that his questions are answered. Would you two be willing to hold things down for me here?"
Pomona agreed but Filius demurred. "Actually, I would like to accompany you if I may. Lily was in your House but she would have been my apprentice if the war hadn't gotten in the way. I find myself highly curious about how her son turned out."
Pomona smiled. "I can handle things here for the afternoon. I am ahead of schedule in the greenhouses anyway."
"Very well," Minerva agreed. "Shall we go now, Filius?"
Minerva found Harry Potter sitting in the back garden of the Dursleys. The lawn was immaculately maintained, with the hedges trimmed, and the beds fully weeded. If she didn't know better she would have suspected it was maintained by magic or a house-elf. Unfortunately, based on the ragged, dirty clothes the boy wore she knew who the house-elf was.
Harry looked up from the book he was reading as she approached.
"Hello, kitty. Lost?"
Minerva smoothly shifted back into her human form.
"No Mr Potter, I am not lost. I am Professor McGonagall. I just received your reply and wished to discuss it with you."
Minerva was a bit surprised how Harry reacted to her sudden appearance. Rather than fright or shock, he seemed… excited. He jumped to his feet and started to shoot excited questions at her.
"Can everyone magical change forms? How did you manage to keep your clothes? What do you call it? Is it a magical item that makes you change or a skill…."
"Mr Potter!" the professor interrupted him. "Please be patient. I am here to explain to you about magic and Hogwarts."
"Ah, you found him!" a new voice squeaked.
"Mr Potter, As I was saying I am Professor McGonagall and this is Professor Flitwick. I was rather disturbed to receive your reply and wished to discuss it with you. Shall we go inside to discuss this? It is not a topic to be discussed in the open."
Harry flushed at the question. "Er, I'm not allowed in the house right now. They took my cousin shopping."
"Well, why don't we sit in the chairs over there," Filius suggested. "I can make sure no one notices or hears us as long as we do nothing to overt."
Harry agreed and led the way over to the lawn chairs. Minerva took this time to observe the son of two of her favourite students. Harry was a bit shorter than she believed James was at the same age but much more developed. Not like a muggle bodybuilder but more like a Beater. He looked like he'd make a good Seeker as well.
Once they were seated, McGonagall asked, "Now, Mr Potter, what has your family told you of your parents and the magical world?"
"Relatives, ma'am," the boy corrected her. "They told me my parents lived off the dole and died drunk in an auto accident."
"James and Lily die in an accident?" Filius repeated in indignation. The former duelling champion looked ready to explode. Minerva knew exactly how he felt. But she was the Deputy Headmistress and needed to stay calm.
"That is not correct, Mr Potter as you may have guessed." Her words pulled Harry's attention from the indignant muttering of the Charms professor. When she met his eyes she saw the same glint of amusement she recognized from his father but with Lily Evens' eyes. The combination almost broke her heart anew.
"I am afraid I shall have to explain a bit of history. About ten years before you were born an evil wizard appeared in England. He called himself…" She paused uncomfortably before steeling herself. "He called himself Voldemort. Even today we refer to him as 'He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named' or 'You-Know-Who' We call dark wizards that gather followers and attack our world 'Dark Lords'. You-Know-Who was the worst Dark Lord seen in Britain in centuries. Many people died either as his victim or fighting his followers called 'Death Eaters'.
"It was a very dark time, Mr Potter," Filius jumped in. "Professor McGonagall and I were already professors at Hogwarts. Almost every day brought news of another student loosing family members. You father lost his parents in his Sixth year. He was already with your mother. The two of them along with some friends started preparing to fight him. After finishing school your parents joined the Light forces fighting back. Along the way they were married and you came along.
"About this time, the Dark Lord had his people target James and Lily along with a few others. They went into hiding with you. I even helped your mum research an ancient charm to help protect your family." Filius paused a second to smile. "She was brilliant in Charms and Potions. James was excelled in Transfiguration. They were both top students and Heads their Seventh year. I expect the same from their son." Harry tried to smile back but his eyes showed his emotion at hearing something positive about his parents.
Minerva motioned to Filius to wait a moment. Once Mr Potter seemed to regain control, she continued.
...
Want to read ahead. Then Join my Pa*treon for the mass release of 60+ chapters that has happened.
Even Free members can enjoy 2+ advanced chapters FOR FREE.
Link: p*atreon.com/Divine_Quill (Remove the *)
Join Right Now