The girl who lived

Mr and Mrs Dursley of no 4 Private drive were proud to say that they were perfectly normal people. That was because they were never involved in any kind of stranger or abnormal. Mr dursley was a fat and nearly obese man who worked in a drilling company. He was a really short tempered man who enjoyed shouting at his co-workers. Mrs dursley was exact opposite of Mr dursley as she was a very thin woman with a very long neck which she used to peek into her neighbours houses. The couple had a son by the name of Dudley who was very fat and overweight for his age. He was a naughty and hot tempered kid who always forced his parents to buy whatever he wanted. In spite of this Dudley was the sweetest kid in the world for the couple and they gave him whatever he wanted. Even this household had a big secret. It was about Mrs dursley's sister. The family was scared that their neighbours will find about their secret and did not speak about them even in their home. Mrs dursley always pretended that she did not have a sister. her sister's family was potter and they considered her sister's family to be too undursleyish to be invited to their night of 31st October was relatively peaceful but Mr dursleys mind was disturbed because his day was anything but peaceful. He saw strange people with strange costumes in the streets and was totally disturbed because of this. He even heard people talking about potters in the streets. It was all disturbing for him and he knew he won't sleep well tonight. As the dursleys fell into a restless sleep the street of private drive grew quiet and dark except for the few lamps in the streets. There was a cat that was sitting on a wall next to the board which read private drive. It had been sitting there since morning and showed no signs of movement. It didn't even move when there was a loud honk of a car. It had a very serious look in its eyes and had dark circles around its eyes which suspiciously looked like glasses.

Just after midnight a man appeared out of nowhere with a loud click. He wore a strange clock and had glasses in his eyes. His name was Albus Dumbledore. The man looked around and saw the cat. He smiled and muttered in a low voice "I should have known".

He took out something which looked like a cigarette lighter and clicked it open. Instead of producing flame it magically sucked in the light from the street lamp and the lamp got switched off. He did it to all the street lights in the area except one, and closed the object and put it back into his pocket. He went and sat next to the cat and smiled and told "it's very strange to see you here professor McGonagall". The cat suddenly changed into a woman who had a square glass. She was wearing a maroon cloak and she appeared surprised. "how did you know it was me albus" she asked.

"my dear professor I have not seen any one sitting with such serious expression", Dumbledore replied. "even you would have this if you were sitting on a wall one full day", she replied. "One full day?", he asked. "are you not going to celebrate todays occasion professor? I must have passed a dozen parties and feasts on my way here", he added.

"oh celebrating are we? I feel ashamed about how reckless we are. Owls in broad daylight, meteor showers in Kent, even muggles have noticed that something is going on. I saw it in their news. I am sure the meteor shower was the work of dedalus Diggle. He never had much of brain to care about muggles noticing it. Are the rumours true albus? is he really gone?", McGonagall asked. "It appears so professor", Dumbledore told. "Do you care for a lemon drop?" "what is that albus?" "it's a muggle drink that I like" Dumbledore told. "No thanks albus. Like I said albus, even if you-know-who is gone- ""Oh professor I have told everyone a thousand times, why can't people tell his real name. Voldemort" McGonagall turned pale but Dumbledore appeared not to have noticed it. "like I said please call him by his real name. it is ridiculous to fear someone's name. I have no problem calling his name."

"I know professor but you are different everyone knows that you are only one you know who-sorry Voldemort fears" "you are very kind professor but he has powers which I can't even dream of" "it's only because you don't use them albus", McGonagall said. "Thank god it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."

Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "There are many rumours that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying. About why he's disappeared. About what finally stopped him." It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.

"What they're saying, is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are that they're - dead.", she said with a grim face. Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped, "Lily and James. I can't believe it. Oh, Albus." Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's daughter, Natasha. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Natasha Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone," Dumbledore nodded glumly, "After all he's done...all the people he's killed...he couldn't kill a little girl. It's just astounding of all the things to stop him but how in the name of heaven did Natasha survive?" McGonagall sobbed. "We can only guess," said Dumbledore, "We may never know." Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it."

It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way. "Yes," said Professor McGonagall, "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places. "I've come to bring Natasha to her aunt and uncle. They're the only family she has left now." "You don't mean you can't mean the people who live here. Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Natasha Potter come and live here!", cried Professor McGonagall. ""It's the best place for her, her aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them a letter. "A letter." repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall, "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter. These people will never understand her! she'll be famous - a legend – ""Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses, "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Famous before she can walk and talk! Famous for something she won't even remember! You see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that until she's ready to take it?"

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes, you're right, of course. But how is the girl getting here, Dumbledore," She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Natasha underneath it. "Hagrid's bringing her." "You think it is wise to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?" "I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore." I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place, but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that? "A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.

The man sitting in the motorcycle was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets Hagrid," said Dumbledore, "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle. "Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke, "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got her, sir." ""No problems, were there? "No, sir house was almost destroyed, but I got her out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. She fell asleep as we were flyin' over Bristol. "Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent Over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep. Under a tuft red hair over her forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning. forward o" Is that where -" whispered Professor McGonagall.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "She'll have that scar forever. "Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore? "Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. "Well give her here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with." Dumbledore took Natasha in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house. "Could I - could I say good-bye to her, sir." asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Natasha and gave her what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog. "Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!""S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it, "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead an' poor little Natasha off ter live with Muggles -""Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Natasha gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Natasha's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.

"Well," said Dumbledore "that's that. We've no business staying here.""Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir." Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night." "I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her.

Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. "Good luck, Natasha," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. One small hand closed on the letter beside Natasha and she slept on, not knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous, not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by her cousin Dudley. She couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "Natasha Potter - the girl who lived!"