Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter universe. All credit goes to JK Rowling.

31 October 1981

Dear Petunia Dursley,

It is with real sorrow that I write this letter, for it brings you I am afraid very bad news about your sister Lily Potter and her husband, your brother-in-law, James Potter.

Today, at about eight P.M., their home had been discovered. They both fought valiantly but regretfully didn't survive the violent attack.

They both played a very gallant part in our noble cause, the fighting for Right and Justice. I cannot tell you how sorry I am, in fact, I can assure you that there is not one who doesn't feel their death as a personal blow. We will lay them to rest this coming Wednesday in the cemetery at Godric's Hollow by the side of their forefathers.

I wish I could help to soften the hardness of your sorrow, there is one comfort at least in knowing that their son, your nephew Harry, survived the attack.

Unfortunately, that is not the last of grave news that was my duty to impart upon you. Our world, while already removed from the clutches of the great evil threatening the peace of so many souls for so long, is still fraught with peril and uncertainties for those who stood on our side. Many servants of evil are still at large, and I fear for your safety and that of your husband and son.

Even though you have not personally taken part in this conflict, your sister, along with her husband, have been at the forefront of this fight for the better part of the last three years. As such, they have gained a great many enemies, and my conscience wouldn't allow me not to intervene and do my utmost to ensure the safety and protection of you and your family.

Your sister is survived by her son, young Harry Potter. Upon her death, Lily Potter had invoked ancient powers and had miraculously saved young Harry's life through her sacrifice. She provided him, the blood of her blood, with protection that transcends the boundary between Life and Death. This sacred power is still flowing through Harry's veins and will do so until he reaches seventeen years of age. As such, it can protect other members of his family from harm.

In essence, if you were to take in young Harry Potter and provide him with shelter, you would be guarded against any attack, shielded against any ill will our kind could exert upon you.

Unfortunately, I suspect it will still take some time until the situation is fully resolved, and it is very probable that some culprits may even escape the punishment they rightly deserve for their crimes. I worry that the danger you are in, and by extension your son and husband, may never truly disappear. I think it would be prudent to carefully consider the protection your nephew brings with himself. Furthermore, being aware that raising children is a very costly business, a monthly stipend could be provided to you as recompense.

All those who have fallen in the name of humanity, for that is what we strove to defend, though perhaps they know it not, are following the path of self-sacrifice and responsibility. Now, it is your chance and the time for you to take over for your sister and continue in her stead to do your duty towards your nephew by becoming the mother to young Harry that she now cannot.

I implore you, take young Harry as your son and protect your family.

With deepest sympathy,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Order of Merlin, first class
Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards
Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot

"Miss Dursley -,"

"Misses." Petunia interjected angrily, no longer having patience for tiny offices and the entitled secretaries that sat within them.

Three different Public Records Offices.

Four police stations. Two interrogations. How dare they accuse her, her – an upstanding British citizen – of hindering the investigation by withholding necessary information about her sister and brother in law?

She even had to badger her dear old friend Betsy who's currently a secretary at the Department of Health and Social Security in London because of this whole mess.

Of course, nothing could beat the humiliation of being forced to call the police because someone left a baby on their doorstep. Is a year-and-a-half-year-old still considered a baby? The neighbours stared, hungry for any new gossip. Her little Duddikins was fussy and Vernon – well, best not speak of that. She still shuddered at the memory of that day.

They were incredibly lucky Petunia woke before the milkman came that dreadful Sunday morning. If he'd stumbled upon a baby on their doorstep – why, Petunia could hardly imagine the commotion that would cause.

So, here she was, again, in the Social Services Centre in Woking (no, Mrs Dursley, we are not an orphanage, thank you very much) that had claimed the guardianship of one Harry Potter until the whole nasty affair of his non-existence was resolved.

"Mrs Dursley, all we've managed to find on your sister Lily is her birth certificate and her school records till the age of 10. Are you sure that your parents didn't keep copies of anything else? A passport, an ID?"

Mrs Dursley huffed. "Miss – ," she glanced down at the card she'd been given the moment she shook her hand, "Turner, as I've already said many times before, the information I gave you is everything I was able to find. We were not particularly close – Lily and me. It's possible that our parents might have kept a few mementoes of their daughter, I do not know. They died a few years ago – mother of cancer, father suffered a stroke soon thereafter. Their estate was sorted by a Mr Williams, a family friend." Petunia paused for a moment, remembering a conversation that had infuriated her beyond reason. The nerve of that – that witch! Whatever sadness she might have felt for the death of her sister evaporated as soon as she'd put the phone down. "I've phoned him, and he informed me that all of their personal effects had been divided between my sister and I. Whatever money was left to us was split in half. He told me that he'd tried getting into contact with her but never succeeded. The rest of the estate went to the Crown and the personal effects left to her were destroyed."

"Then you've managed to find more than we did, Mrs Dursley." Miss Turner sighed, leafing through the paperwork before her.

Petunia hummed in response.

"Well, that is Lily Evans dealt with. Now, onto her husband. This is where it gets rather tricky. You see, there are over twenty Potter families in the UK and if we were to question each family, we would be here till next year. You said they married in September 1978?"

"Yes," Petunia said.

"Well, there is no record of it."

Petunia breathed in deeply. The irresponsibility of her sister knew no bounds.

"Are you certain his name really was James Potter?" Miss Turner asked.

"Yes, James Potter. He was the same age as her, as far as I recall. So, that would make him around 21 years old." Petunia said.

"There was one incident, a few years back, in July 1978. We know about it only because it was all so strange."

At hearing that last word, Petunia shuddered. It was obvious where this would lead.

"Two officers, Sergeant Fisher and PC Anderson were in pursuit of two teenagers on a motorcycle. The officers caught up to them in a dead-end. They identified themselves as James Potter and Sirius Black."

"Sirius Black?" Petunia blurted out before she was able to catch herself and instantly regretted it.

"Does the name ring any bells?" The meek Miss Turner asked, suddenly much more inquisitive.

Petunia cursed herself. "Yes, Lily mentioned him once, though I've never met him."

"A pity, that. There is an ongoing investigation, you see. The police think that the two boys assaulted the police officers – a blow to the head of some sort." She tutted. "Though, that is not why we're here, is it? – The ages would fit… " she murmured in the end but didn't elaborate any further.

Petunia was growing restless. She'd been here one hour already and going by the mountain of forms they still had to go through, she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. After weeks of office hopping all over London and Somerset (though she stubbornly refused to step one foot in Godric's Hollow), she was just exhausted. She desperately wished to leave the brat here in this noisy hell they've shipped him off to. However, that accursed letter and all her encounters with magic were constantly at the forefront of her mind.

Snape at 9 years old had almost killed her with a tree branch, and that was without 7 years at that school. Potter had destroyed her wedding reception with his silly prank. It was just a bit of fun, don't be such a prude. And now this? She was terrified to imagine what those freaks were truly capable of. The thought of something unnatural happening to her poor Duddikins filled her with almost crippling anxiety. They needed the protection that came with putting up with the Potter boy and if they were to be saddled with the boy, they should milk their situation for all its worth, Vernon said.

So, Petunia just grit her teeth and agreed with Miss Turner. Yes, the ages would fit.

"I –" she sighed. "I cannot say I knew her husband very well. I met him only once or twice. And –and – well – there had been rumours. To be honest, at that time, I didn't know if should believe them." Petunia said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You must understand, once Lily started attending that boarding school outside Britain, we barely saw each other." The prepared lies spilled out of her without issue. "From the very start, I've been telling her to be careful. Unfortunately, Lily was terribly stubborn and always tended to run with the wrong crowd. Not that our parents ever did anything about it. Over the years, I made many attempts to reach out to her. It never really worked out.

"Anyway," Petunia broke the tense silence with her falsely cheery voice, "she did send me an announcement of Harry's birth, but unfortunately, I must have misplaced it."

Miss Turner didn't dignify that with a response and leafed through the paperwork once again.

The minutes ticked by, the clock on the wall loud.

"As you well know, it is a criminal offence to abandon a child and we are taking this case very seriously. The police put out a notice to be on the lookout for both Lily Evans and James Potter according to the descriptions you provided them with. They will get in touch with you should there be any news."

This, too, was fabricated. Petunia couldn't just go and say her sister and her husband were dead. What would she say to the police? That they were murdered by terrorists? Already, it was difficult to explain how they knew that it was their nephew and not some other random child without mentioning the letter that came with him. She could imagine the questions that would follow were they to mention the parents were dead. No, it was better to keep quiet about that detail.

Then, Miss Turner handed her a few documents to sign and sent her off without any further questions.

It took two more days, but in the end, Petunia Dursley received the proper documentation, among it also Harry Potter's birth certificate. Place of birth – empty. Father – empty.

It seemed, that even in the proper world, Harry Potter was doomed to be different.