“I do,” Dudley Dursley stated to the priest, as his new wife grinned underneath her translucent veil. In the corner of his eye, his mother was wiping tears off her bony face and his father was blowing his nose into a wadded handkerchief.



“Now, let us welcome Mr. and Mrs. Dudley Dursley!” the priest exclaimed to the church. Cheers arose from the congregation, and Dudley and his new wife, Alberta, kissed without further delay. It was the best day of Dudley’s life, especially since he got the biggest piece of wedding cake.



Three years following that wonderful day, Alberta became pregnant with their first son and nine months later Shawn Vernon Durlsey was born.



Shawn was a cute little boy with dark brown hair and a skinny face inherited by his Grandma Petunia. Dudley and Alberta were overjoyed with Shawn, who was popular amongst their adult friends. He was the perfect child they had always dreamed of.



But soon, Dudley began to worry when Shawn watched a commercial on the television. It was a commercial for a toy, and of course spoiled Shawn wanted it as if it were gold. The toy was a wizard action figure that looked like Merlin, with a long grey beard and a flowing purple robe. What harm could it do to his two year old mind? thought Dudley. Although, thoughts of Harry Potter, his wizard cousin who always brought magical turmoil back to his home on Privet Drive, made his mind uneasy. It was just an action figure; besides Shawn had dozens and only played with them for a day before pitching them to the bottom of his toy box.



However, Dudley was incorrect. Shawn loved this toy the day he saw it in the shipping box, covered in foam peanuts. He never went anywhere without it, not even the bathroom. Then all Shawn began to talk about was his wizard toy and how much fun it was. Dudley became more and more concerned about his son’s continued talk until it finally got so bad that, without consulting with Alberta, he snuck the wizard toy into the trash.



The next morning Shawn went ballistic digging through his toy box, throwing toys all over his bedroom carpet. He refused to eat or sleep until he found that toy. Dudley, tired of his son’s behavior, stopped at the nearby toy store on his way home, bringing back Shawn a new action figure that could talk and glow in the dark. Shawn forgot about the lost toy after a week and that was the end to contact with the wizarding world.



That same year, Alberta became pregnant again with their second son. Shawn was so excited he was getting a brother and couldn’t wait until he arrived.



Two nights before Alberta’s due date, Dudley had a strange nightmare. He saw Harry Potter taking his second son on a broomstick away from Dudley.



“Noo!!!” Dudley screamed in the dream as Harry and his son faded into the moonlight.



Dudley woke up shaking, with sweat pouring down his face. But he realized it wasn’t him who had screamed, it was Alberta. He turned in the bed and saw that she was going into labor. Having his parents come by to watch Shawn, Dudley rushed his wife to the nearby hospital. Hours later, their second son, was born. He was named Stanley Vernon Dursley.



The same moment Dudley had awaken from his nightmare, Harry Potter, famous Auror, woke from a very confusing dream. He sat up starring into the darkness of his bedroom. He saw his wife, Ginny, fast asleep next to him. He nudged her gently, and Ginny’s eyes opened slowly to see a concerned face on her husband.



“Harry,” she started in a whispering voice, “Do you know what time it is?” She rubbed her blurred eyes to better see her surroundings. “What’s wrong?” she asked.



Harry sighed as Ginny grabbed her wand and muttered, “Lumos!” A yellow-green light appeared on her wand as Harry began to explain.



“I had a dream,” he said, “a very strange dream.”



“It’s not one of those dreams that is going to lure you to save somebody, like the ones about Sirius?” Ginny asked, thinking about their fifth year at Hogwarts school when Voldemort had tricked Harry into saving Sirius Black, and instead of saving his godfather, Harry had to duel many Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic, barely escaping from death in the process.



“I don’t think so,” Harry said, slowly thinking about the dream again. “It was about me and Dudley.”



“Dudley…,” Ginny said trying to remember who he was.



“My Muggle cousin,” Harry finished.



“Oh right,” Ginny remembered. “Well, so what happened?”



Harry paused, trying to envision the dream. “I was on my broomstick, outside a house, probably Dudley’s house I imagine. It was around midnight, and I was taking a boy, about ten or eleven years old, away from Dudley. It was kind of like what your brothers did before my second year, when they were trying to rescue me from my aunt and uncle.” He hesitated.



“Go on,” Ginny encouraged.



“Well, that’s mostly it,” Harry concluded. “Then we flew away.”



“Hmmm…,” Ginny thought. “You’re right, this is a strange dream. Well, who could this boy you’re talking about be?”



Harry thought a moment before replying. “Maybe it could be Dudley’s son or something, but why would I be taking a Muggle with me?”



Before they could think of an answer, a cry came from across the hall. Harry and Ginny got out of bed and walked to the nursery. Their son, Sirius, was wailing in his crib. Ginny turned on the light and picked up the three month-old Sirius.



“Harry, can you go downstairs and grab Sirius a bottle?” Ginny asked with their crying son in her arms.



“Sure,” Harry replied and went downstairs and filled up a bottle with warm milk. Suddenly, he had an idea and rushed upstairs with the full bottle.



“Ginny, I have this feeling,” Harry began while giving Ginny the bottle, “that the boy I rescued in my dream is being born tonight or was born or something, that’s probably why I had the dream.”



“And what gives you that idea?” Ginny asked.



“Well, remember I had a dream about Sirius the same night he was born? Tomorrow, I’m going over to the hospital and seeing for sure.” Harry said with confidence.



“But Harry, that’s a Muggle hospital, it’s way different than St. Mungo’s or a wizard hospital,” Ginny said with concern.



“Well… I guess I will be giving your father a call before I leave since he knows a lot about Muggles,” Harry said.



“Okay,” Ginny said, and she put Sirius back to sleep.



The next morning, after talking to Mr. Weasley, Harry kissed Ginny and Sirius good bye and Apparated to a lonely alley near the hospital to avoid being seen by Muggles. He entered the revolving doors of the hospital. Following Mr. Weasley’s advice, he walked up to the front desk.



“Excuse me,” Harry said. “Is Dudley Dursley here?”



“Umm… yes,” the portly receptionist said, typing on the computer. “He’s up on the third floor in room 340.”



“Thanks,” Harry said and he went up in the elevator to the third floor. As he was making his way to the room, he saw Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia walking into the room with a small boy around the age of two. He quickly hid in the near restroom so he wouldn’t be seen. When the coast was clear, he approached the room. He stood outside the door so he could still hear.



“Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!” Shawn exclaimed when he entered the room. “Where’s my new brother?” he asked with excitement.



“Right here,” Dudley pointed to a sleeping infant in Alberta’s arms.



Shawn’s face went from excitement to confusion. “ That’s my brother?” he said looking at the baby. “I thought I was getting a brother my age .”



“No,” Alberta began. “He’s a baby, but you get to be his older brother! His name is Stanley. Do you want to hold him?”



Shawn was in shock and tears started to fall from his eyes. “I wanted a brother my age!” he screamed and the baby started to cry. Shawn ran out of the room crying, and Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley chased after him. Harry turned so they would not see him. He exited, thinking about the infant, the next generation of the Dursley’s.

“Just because it’s your birthday tomorrow, doesn’t mean I have to be nice to you or do anything for you,” thirteen year old Shawn stated to his younger brother, as Stanley opened a birthday card, lying on the kitchen table.





“Why not?” Stanley asked. “Can’t you be nice to me for once ?”





“Will you boys stop your yapping and help me set the table? Your father will be home soon and he’s had a rough day at work,” their mother, Alberta, said as her sons stopped arguing and entered the small kitchen to gather silverware and napkins.





Moments later, Dudley walked in the door with an exhausted face. He slumped through the door and dropped his brown briefcase at the door.





“Hi honey,” Alberta said cheerfully from the kitchen, and walked up to him, giving Dudley a kiss on his fat cheek.





“Work was horrible,” Dudley sighed as he plopped down on the couch. “Mr. Gregors gave me twice the amount of paperwork tonight and the company is going downhill.” He let out a long sigh and cocked his head back to see his son’s upside-down face in front of him.





“Hi Dad,” Stanley said, plopping his skinnier body next to Dudley.





“Hey Sport,” Dudley replied, putting an arm around him, forgetting about his dreadful day at work. “Did you do well on your math test today?”





“Er…I think, well I tried my best, I really did Dad,” Stanley said, hoping his father would accept his response, knowing the test was trickier than he was expecting.





“Son, as long as you did your best, your old man is proud,” Dudley said. He sniffed the air. “Is that spaghetti?” he asked and got up and walked to the kitchen. Shawn sat at the table, writing on his hand with a blue pen.





“Hey son, how was school?” he asked, bending down to see what Shawn was scribbling on his arm.





“Boring, as usual,” he murmured, distracted at what he was drawing.





“You’re going to have to wipe that off before school tomorrow,” Dudley said, but Shawn didn’t respond. Dudley gazed at him- dressed in baggy jeans and a torn t-shirt. He was once the perfect child, until Stanley was born, and Shawn couldn’t accept him. Ever since, Shawn never played with Stanley nor liked him at all. He made friends with some kids Dudley himself were not fond of, and Shawn was never the same since.





“You teenagers are getting weirder every minute,” he said and turned to sit down. As he did, Alberta put down a large plate of spaghetti in front of his watering mouth.





“Stanley, time for dinner,” she called to Stanley across the room. Stanley got up and headed to the table as Alberta sat down.





“I can’t wait ‘till tomorrow, cause it’s my birthday!” Stanley sang with a funny tune. “When do I get to open the presents?” he asked.





Alberta took a sip of her beverage. “Probably when Dad gets home from work,” she said.





“Aww… man,” Stanley said with disappointment as he took a bite of his meatball.





After dinner, Stanley headed to Shawn’s room to play with the Playstation. In the middle of his race, Shawn came into the room.





“Get off my Playstation!” Shawn exclaimed when he saw Stanley sitting in front of his television, fidgeting at the buttons on the controller.





“Why?” Stanley said in a whiny voice as he paused the game. “Just one race, please? I’ll be off in ten minutes!”





“No!” Shawn shouted without thought or hesitation. “It’s mine! Get off!” and he pushed Stanley. Frightened Stanley let go of the controller as flames burst into his demon-brother’s eyes.





“Now GET OUT!” Shawn shouted so loud that television shook. Stanley sprinted out of the room like a mouse being chased by a hungry cat. He ran into his room next door and locked the door behind him. He sat on his bed, shaking, as he did every time Shawn bullied him. Yet, in him was a tiny flame of revenge starting to grow as he lay down and fell fast asleep.





The next day, Stanley woke with the Saturday sun in his eyes. He could smell his favorite, eggs and bacon, frying downstairs. He got up and washed his face in the bathroom. Heading downstairs, Stanley spotted his father, reading the newspaper and sipping some coffee.





“Dad!” he exclaimed from the staircase, “I thought you were working today!”





“Nope,” Dudley said, as he let the newspaper down, showing a grinning face. “I took the day off to be here for your birthday!”





“Happy Birthday, sweetie,” Alberta said, giving Stanley a kiss.


“Thanks, Mum,” Stanley replied and sat down at the round, wooden table next to his father.





“REALLY? YOU’RE STAYING?” Stanley exclaimed with excitement. “Does this mean I get to open my presents after breakfast?”





Alberta and Dudley eyed each other and nodded. “Sure,” they both replied.





Stanley, filled with bubbling excitement, sat down and dug into his fried eggs and greasy bacon. Shawn drifted down the staircase as Stanley got up to get some salt.





Alberta, noticing that Shawn would never acknowledge his brother unless forced to, muttered to him, “Shawn, what do you say to your brother?” She looked at Shawn with his messy dark-brown hair and scrappy pajamas.





“What?” he said clueless, half-awake.





“Your brother’s birthday?” Alberta finished.





“Oh yah right,” Shawn said. “Happy birthday, whatever,” he said dully, as he slumped


down into the chair.





Stanley, slightly disappointed, tuned back to his plate and gobbled down the rest of his breakfast.





“Can I open my presents now?” Stanley asked, wide-eyed and filled with butterflies.





“Sure,” Dudley replied. He slowly got up and stumbled to the couch. Alberta cleaned his plate and joined him along with sleepy Shawn. Stanley sat at the fireplace, looking at the presents neatly wrapped at his side. He picked up the first one and opened the card. Then, he tore the paper off the gift, revealing a new set of wrist, elbow, and knee pads.





“Thanks,” Stanley said, confused why they got him pads when he only had a bike. He continued to the next gift. Behind the paper, was a new helmet- silver with a blue strip across the top.





“Thanks,” Stanley said again. Don’t I already have a helmet? he thought but realized his helmet was getting a little too small for his head.





He grabbed the last gift, shaped like a rectangle and opened it. His eyes bulged at the sight of the box.





“A SKATEBOARD!” he exclaimed with excitement. He gazed at it, silver and blue, matching his new helmet perfectly. “THANK YOU!” Stanley exclaimed with joy and ripped open the box to pull the new skateboard out. He stood up and put his feet down on the board. He gazed at it in awe. “Dad, let’s go test it!” Stanley said, and he rushed out the front door as Dudley, Alberta, and Shawn followed. Stanley started balance on the skateboard and pushed off slowly as his father approached him.





“Don’t forget these, son,” he said, handing Stanley the new pads and helmet. Anxious, Stanley quickly put them on with out further delay. He balanced himself on the skateboard and pushed off down the inclined driveway.





He was a natural at the skateboard. The driveway was no challenge for him. He started to ride in the street and on the sidewalks. He came back from his “routine” and cheers from his parents sounded his ears with joy. Dudley and Alberta than went inside, but Shawn stayed just to interrogate Stanley.





“Wow, I’m actually pretty good,” Stanley said, rolling down the driveway, amazed at his naturalness.





“Yah, right,” Shawn said with a yawn. “Like you call yourself good? Man, Grandma Petunia can do better,” he snickered, showing his jealousy for his younger brother.





“I doubt you can do better!” Stanley fought back and kicked his skateboard towards Shawn. Shawn got on the board and slid down the driveway.





“WOAH!!!” Shawn screamed, moving his arms through the air to try to balance himself. Then, with a crash, he tripped over the curb, landing on his hands. Stanley giggled at the sight of brother spread-eagled.





Shawn got up, anger raging through him like hot lava, and punched Stanley right in the nose.





“OWWWW!” Stanley cried, falling down onto the pavement. His parents, hearing the scream, rushed out the door as blood began to pour out of Stanley’s bruised nose.





“What happened?” Alberta shrieked, seeing tears drip from Stanley’s tender eyes and blood running out of his nostrils, spilling on his pajamas.





Dudley saw Shawn’s hand clenched in a fist and a face full of satisfaction at the other end of the driveway.





“WHAT DID YOU DO TO STANLEY?” Dudley roared, and everything went dead silent.





“He punched me,” Stanley cried, as tears leaked out of his red eyes.





“He made fun of me because I fell off the skateboard,” Shawn fired back, clenching his teeth.





“I just giggled,” Stanley said with tears in his eyes. Alberta came back with a tissue to stop Stanley’s nose bleed.





“He’s such a jack- ,” Shawn began but Dudley yelled before Shawn finished.





“Shawn, you are WAY TOO VIOLENT AND MEAN to your brother!” He roared so loud, the birds in the trees flew away with fright. “THIS MUST STOP! ALRIGHT?” Dudley took a breath and talked quietly, “Now, apologize to your brother.”





“No,” Shawn said sternly.





Dudley almost slapped Shawn across the face, but Alberta’s hand on his shoulder calmed him. “Then go up to your room until you decide to apologize to Stanley.” Shawn marched upstairs as Dudley followed. Just as Shawn was about to slam the door, Dudley ripped the cords from the Playstation out of the wall and tossed it out of his room.





Shawn stood speechless, but realizing there was nothing he could do, he slammed the door in his father’s face. Dudley hobbled down the stairs back outside.





“Well, now that he has no Playstation, I think he will learn from his mistake,” Dudley said with satisfaction.





“Come here, honey,” Alberta said, and she helped Stanley up. “Sweetie, can you get Stanley’s skateboard?”





Dudley nodded, grabbed the skateboard, and proceeded into the house following Alberta and Stanley. Alberta helped Stanley to the bathroom to retrieve another tissue.





Five minutes later, Shawn couldn’t take it anymore. He marched downstairs with loud stomping sounds and Dudley, Alberta, and Stanley tuned to see him with a tightened face. He approached Stanley and forcefully muttered, “I’m sorry I punched you.”





Stanley could tell he was lying through his semi-yellow teeth, but blurting it out would only cause more turmoil on his birthday. He forced the words “okay” out of his mouth.


“Now, let’s be a nice happy family again,” Dudley said. “Oh, Stanley, you have some mail.”





Stanley turned and grabbed the letter. “I bet it’s from Uncle George,” Stanley said, as he opened the envelope. To his surprise, there was no card, but a letter on crème stationary.


He unfolded it.





“Well,” Dudley encouraged. “Read it to us.”





Stanley read the first line:








HOGWARTS SCHOOL


OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY





Headmaster: Neville Longbottom


(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,


Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)





Dear Mr. Dursley,


We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

“What?” Dudley asked, hearing the confusing words ring in his ears. “Let me see that!” He snatched the letter from Stanley and skimmed it. “A wizard school?” Panic rushed through him, thinking about his horrible childhood.

Alberta looked at it. “I…guess,” she said.

Shawn, filled with curiosity and unbelief, took a peek. “Maybe it’s a joke.”

Stanley appeared confused. “I’m going to a wizard school?”

“OF COURSE NOT!” Dudley exclaimed without hesitation. “You are NOT going to this dumb wizard school.”

“Are there really wizards out there? I thought they were fantasies,” Shawn asked, taking another glance at the letter.

“It’s probably a joke,” Dudley said, using Shawn’s idea, however, he knew the truth. Flashbacks of Harry Potter and the memories of chaos that occurred each summer, flowed through his mind, and Dudley felt nervous at the thought of his own son being one of them.

“Hey, here’s the list of my supplies,” Stanley blurted, pulling another letter out of the envelope. “I need a wand, spell book, cauldron, and all sorts of magic stuff!” He seemed slightly excited.

“Stanley, this is all a big joke,” Dudley said, yanking the note from Stanley and throwing it and the other note into the trash can. “You know people these days; they just try to lure innocent children into traps.”

Stanley’s face fell with disappointment. He had somewhat wanted to go to the wizard school, Hogwots or whatever it was called. He twisted around and went upstairs to think.


Dudley watched his son disappear before sitting down on the couch to think and take deep breaths.

Why did they choose Stanley and not Shawn? Why did they choose this family? Harry Potter’s parents were magical, but Alberta and I are not. Why is this magical world so complicated? Dudley took another breath and sighed. He didn’t want Stanley to go, who knows what would happen to him?


Stanley, up in his room, thought hard about the letter he had just seen.

Why was I chosen? Is Shawn going to come too? I hope not. I don’t know anything about wizards…do they wear uniforms? Can I turn Shawn into a toad? That would be pretty sweet. How long is this school? Do I take the bus? Or is it a boarding school? Could I bring my goldfish back to life? All these thoughts rushed through Stanley’s head like bullets at the thought of a real wizard world that just seemed like a book he read before.


Later, Stanley joined his family at the kitchen table for dinner. Just when he sat down, his mother spoke after swallowing her piece of meat.

“Hey Stanley, I heard they have free skateboarding classes at the recreation center. They have professionals there to help improve your skills. Do you want to go after dinner? I’ll drive you.” Alberta asked.

“Sure,” Stanley said, with a grin on his face. He turned his head and spotted Shawn, who rolled his eyes at him.

After dinner, Stanley brushed his teeth upstairs and grabbed his skateboard and gear. He then headed downstairs to the garage where his mother was waiting for him.

They drove for about ten minutes when they arrived in front of a Starbucks. Stanley looked at the café with confusion.

“I thought we’re going to the recreation center?” Stanley asked as Alberta parked the car. “You said the lessons begin now. Just drop me off first and get your coffee later or I’m going to be late!”

“Sorry, Stanley but there isn’t really any classes at the recreation center. I need to talk to you and only you privately. Come on,” she said, opening the car door.

Stanley got out, puzzled, and followed her inside. They spotted an empty table near the back. Was this really his mother?

“You decided to choose a coffee shop? Out of all places?” Stanley asked, looking around. “If it’s the “talk”, Dad has already given it to me.” Stanley visualized the day his father was sitting on his bed explaining how he was becoming a “man”. He shivered at the thought of the words that came out of his father’s mouth.

Alberta laughed. “No, but this is about your future.” She hesitated.
“It’s about the letter you got today.”

“What?” Stanley asked anxiously.

“Before I tell you,” Alberta began, risking much, “You must promise not to tell ANYONE. Not your father or your brother or anybody.”

“Ok,” Stanley said. “I promise.” He held out his pinky to her and they shook in a childish way.

“Well, first, you are going to go to Hogwarts,” she began, and she swallowed hard to see the reaction on Stanley’s gentle face.

“WHAT?” Stanley said with shock. “You mean it actually exists?”

“You bet,” Alberta replied. “You were chosen because you are a wizard.”

“How?” he asked with curiosity. “I mean, don’t I have to be related to a wizard or something? How can this be?”

Alberta gulped. “Because…,” she hesitated and spilled out the truth she had been hiding for many years,

“I’m a witch.”

Stanley’s mouth opened so wide a jar could slide right through it. “Aaa….. wwwiittcchhh?” he stammered, thinking of ladies dressed in long, black dresses with a pointy hat supplied with a broom, cat, and a cauldron filled with a bubbling green potion.

“The kind that are mean and scare people?”

“No, no of course not!” Alberta quickly replied. “There are good witches, and those myths of witches dressed in black with evil in their blood don’t exactly exist.”

Even though Stanley felt relieved, he was still in great shock. “Is Dad or Shawn a wizard?”

“Unfortunately, no,” she said. “They’re a Muggles.”

“They’re what?” Stanley asked.

“Muggles,” Alberta repeated. “Non-magical creatures.”

“Oh,” Stanley replied. “So if you’re a witch, does that mean you went to Hogwots or whatever it’s called?”

“Hogwarts,” she corrected. “And yes, I did. I got my letter when I was eleven, just like you.”

“So, if you were a witch, were your parents and family magical, too?” Stanley kept asking as questions piled into his small mind.

“Well, no actually. Neither was Uncle George. But just because I didn’t have magical parents, doesn’t mean I can’t be a witch.” Alberta stated.

Stanley hesitated with an interesting question in mind. “Then, if you were a witch, um, why did you marry Dad?”

Alberta was amazed that Stanley had asked such a question. Soon, her mind was clouded with a flashback that had occurred many years ago.


~FLASHBACK~


“We need to talk,” a young woman’s voice began, as she and her boyfriend sat down at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley.

“Alberta, if this is about the Ministry, I can’t help it, it’s my job,” a young man with wispy red hair replied.

The lady sighed and she tucked part of her dark hair behind her ears. “We have had this conversation too many times, and we need to act on it. You spend too much time at work. There’s no time for you and me! You worship your job, and don’t dedicate your life to anything non-Ministry related. Either we find a solution… or we’re through,” she sternly said to him.

The young man chuckled in his mind. She had always threatened him of breaking up, but never did. He didn’t need to defend himself, she would never do it- she loved him too much.

“Well, I have dreams you know. For many years I have dreamed of one day achieving the position of Minister of Magic,” he responded. “See Alberta, you get upset too often and that’s why you were a Ravenclaw. Luckily, I saw that you were more than that.”

Alberta lost her cool. She hated it when people teased her about being in Ravenclaw. They were known as the brains and were teased by the other houses. About to grab her wand, she realized she was in a public place and held back. All she could do was let the true words flow,

“Percy, we’re through,” she stood up, pushed in the chair and sped out the door without a glance back. Percy sat there, eyes open, hardly believing what had happened.


Two days following, Alberta woke up in her sunny apartment. The bright sun blinded through her eyelids and she opened them to see Perrell, her owl, on her with a the Daily Prophet in his beak. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and snatched the newspaper from Perell, and he flew over to the windowsill. She unfolded it and nearly died in shock as she read the headline in large bold letters.


MINISTER’S BODY FOUND AT THE MINISTRY
Ministry sends Carrie Guldone to Azkaban for the murder of Scrimgeour
By Rita Skeeter

Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, was found dead in his office around two o’clock am this morning. According to Healers from St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Scrimgeour was poisoned by Carrie Guldone, an employee of Scrimgeour who had recently disagreed with him about an important decision.
“Rufus was a good man,” Arthur Weasley, a member of the Ministry commented. “He dedicated his life to help keep the Ministry up and running.”
Scrimgeour had served as Minister for thirty-three years. Not only was he a Minister, but he was also a wonderful father.
“I loved my dad. He was always at my side, even when he was overwhelmed at work. He was the best,” Franklin Scrimgeour, the Minister’s son, said.
At Azkaban, Carrie Guldone, the murderer told us the inside of the story.
“Scrimgeour would never listen or understand my opinions. I believed that someone else would better fit the position of Minister. Think about what happened in the Department of Mysteries a couple years ago. If Scrimgeour hadn’t tried to make Harry Potter the Ministry’s poster boy, then maybe the Ministry could have actually helped the boy on his quest to defeat the Dark Lord. Harry might have listened to us then, Guldone stated. “He didn’t deserve to live.”
Scrimgeour was a good man and will be remembered for his work as Minister.
Turn to A3 for a short biography of Scrimgeour’s life.
Turn to B1 for the new minister.
Turn to B5 for funeral information.


Alberta couldn’t believe what she had read. Out of curiosity, she flipped the thick pages to B1 to see who the new Minister was. She turned the crisp pages and gasped at what she saw. There was a big picture of a man shaking hands with the Ministry members.

It was Percy Weasley.

Alberta didn’t bother to read. She crumpled up the paper and burned it with her wand. She hopped out of bed and began to pack.

I’m not going to stay in this wizarding world anymore if Percy Weasley is Minister of Magic. she thought with anger and frustration. She slapped her clothes into suitcases and cleared her closet and room.

That very day, Alberta got a Muggle truck and packed all her stuff. She drove off, leaving the wizard world behind.


The manager of the wizard apartments that Alberta lived in saw her door cracked. He entered and looked around. The room was spotless except for a small pile near the window. He approached it and saw a pile of newspaper ashes crumpled up.


~FLASHBACK ENDS~


“Well, I grew tired of magic a little and decided to live a Muggle life and then I met your father and I couldn’t resist,” she said, bending the truth, coming back into reality.

“Are you still a witch then?” Stanley asked.

“Once a witch, always a witch,” she smiled. “I just don’t use my magic and don’t make much contact with the magical world.”

“You have magic?” Stanley asked with awe.

“Well, my wand does,” she replied. “But I had to learn how to make magic come out of it.”

“Wow, that must be so cool!” Stanley said. “I can’t wait to go! How do I get there?”

“Well,” Alberta began, “On September first, in about a month and a half, you will go to the train station and get on the hidden platform- Platform nine and three-quarters. There will be a specific train that will take you directly to Hogwarts. You will dorm at Hogwarts and come back before summer.”

“Sweet,” Stanley said. “Now where do I get my supplies? And how do I get there without Dad or Shawn figuring out?”

“Well,” Alberta thought. “I’m going to send for somebody to come pick you up at night, a wizard I know well because we use to work together before I decided to live the Muggle life. He’ll take you to Diagon Alley where you will find all you need for school. Then he’ll take you to the train. But from now on, don’t talk to anyone about this.”

“Okay,” Stanley replied. “But isn’t there so much I need to know before I go to Hogwarts?”

“Just don’t use magic in front of Muggles or when you are out of school,” she answered. “Or else you will be persecuted by the Ministry of Magic.”

“The what of magic?”

“Ministry, the governing body that enforces the rules of magic,” Alberta replied.

“Oh,” Stanley said.

Alberta glanced at her watch. “We better head home now or your father might wonder. Here.” She pulled out two scraps of paper. Stanley unfolded them and realized they were the letters from Hogwarts.

“Thanks, Mum,” he said, and they left Starbucks.



“Hey son,” Dudley said as Stanley and Alberta entered through the door. “How were your lessons?”

“Fun, Dad,” Stanley lied. “A little tricky, but I’m catching on.” He walked upstairs to his room. He got his pajamas on and read his book. But he couldn’t concentrate. He kept thinking, “Who’s going to pick me up?”

Alberta woke up early to see her husband snoring loudly next to her. She turned off her buzzing alarm clock so Dudley would not wake. She snuck out of the covers without a sound and tiptoed to the closet.







She whipped out some clothes and vanished into the bathroom. Minutes later, she came out all dressed and crept downstairs.







Grabbing a granola bar from the pantry, Alberta turned to the door. However, her son appeared in front of her, and she jumped.







“Mum, where are you going?” It was Stanley looking at her with curiosity in his bold blue eyes.







“I have a letter to deliver,” she replied, smiling.







Stanley wasn’t sure she was telling the truth. “Well, why did you have to wake up so early? I don’t think the post office is even open yet.”







Alberta glanced at her watch. It read 6:02. “Well, I’m just dropping it off and it needs to be delivered as soon as possible.”







“Oh,” Stanley sighed. “Okay, bye.” He gave her a hug, sat down on the couch, and turned the television on.







Alberta strolled out the door and drove down the street. About ten minutes later, she stopped outside a small forest. It was still dark out, but she could see the sun ascending from the horizon. She might be too late.







She exited, approached the dark trees, and stepped inside. She looked around until she spotted something brown and grey above her.







“Hey there, Perrell,” she said, petting the owl resting on the branch about to close his eyes.







Alberta pulled a letter out of her pant pocket and unfolded it. She placed the note in Perrell’s beak, and he flew up out of the forest.







* * * * * * * * * *



















“MUM! DAD!” an eleven-year old boy ran into his parent’s room. The sun was barely up and radiated through the blinds of the windows.







“What is it, Sirius?” his father said from across the bed.







“Do you know what time it is?” his mother asked as she opened her eyes slowly to reveal the time on the clock.







“There’s an owl outside my window!” Sirius exclaimed. His father slowly got up and followed him into the room. His mother followed them.







“See!” Sirius said pointing to the brown-grey owl outside Sirius’ window. His father opened the window with his wand and the little chubby owl wobbled inside. Sirius took the letter out of the owl’s beak and read the front. “It’s for you, Dad. See it says ‘Mr. Harry Potter’,” he said handing him the letter.







Harry rubbed his eyes. He turned the envelope over and opened it and read it out loud,











Dear Harry,







How are you? I know we have not talked in a while, but I ask of a favor. I am married to a Muggle and have two sons, Shawn and Stanley. Yesterday, Stanley received a letter that he was accepted to Hogwarts. The only problem is I cannot take him to the station because my husband will suspect something when I don’t bring Stanley back until next summer. Since your son will be starting Hogwarts this year as well, I was wondering if Stanley could stay with you for the rest of the summer. He does not know much about the wizarding world either, but he could become friends with your son so he knows someone at Hogwarts to help him. He does not have any supplies either, so it would be so kind if you could take him to Diagon Alley as well. Please reply with your response. Thanks.







-Alberta











“Alberta wrote to you?” Ginny said with slight confusion. “What does she want? I thought she would surely get married to my brother.”







“I guess not,” Harry replied. He folded the letter back up and placed it on Sirius’ dresser.







“Oh, Dad can we let Stanley come over this summer? PLEASE!” Sirius pleaded. “I will find someone to go to Hogwarts with.”







“What about the twins, Molly and Matthew?” Ginny asked, referring to Ron and Hermione’s children.







“They are not old enough yet, Ginny,” Harry responded. “I believe they have one more year still.”







“Yah, Mum. Anyways all they like to do are mix boring potions every time I go over,” Sirius added.







“I bet Ron is preparing them for Potions,” Harry murmured to Ginny.







“But…,” she started. “Snape is dead . What does he have to worry?” Ginny whispered back.







Harry glanced to see if Sirius was eavesdropping before continuing. “I guess you didn’t here who was the new teacher.”







“Who?” Ginny asked with curiosity.







“Igor Karkaroff Jr.” Harry sighed out.







“NO WAY!” Ginny exclaimed. “I would never have guessed Karkaroff would get married and have a kid. So surprising! Probably before his death.”











~FLASHBACK~











“There are too many of them, Harry!” cried Hermione, as the numbered Death Eaters approached Harry with their wands pointed to them. But they had stopped.







Harry turned around and glanced. Ron was on his feet; Hermione was holding her arm because of the massive amount of blood dripping and was helping Ginny, who had recently experienced the Cruciatius Curse. She was lying on the grass, forcing her eyes open to see what was happening.







A Death Eater came forward to Harry, but without any weapon. Still cautious, Harry gripped his wand with his sweating hand. The Death Eater removed his mask and revealed a familiar face.







Igor Karkaroff.







“Karkaroff?” Harry said, amazed.







“Yes, Harry Potter, it is I, Igor Karkaroff,” the low voice responded.







“I thought you were dead!” Harry said, confused.







Karkaroff laughed. “You thought that was really me ? You seem smarter than that.”







“What do want?” Harry snarled.







“Oh, just to mention something to you before your death,” Karkaroff snickered.







“Your fourth year at Hogwarts,” he began, “was the Triwizard Tournament. You, under age, were admitted into the Tournament. As you remember, I was the Headmaster at Durmstrang and of course I knew Viktor was going to win.” He hesitated.







Harry’s eyes bulged. “My gosh, Karkaroff, that was years ago and it was a stupid game!”







“But, because you were born, you were in the cup. You shall pay!” Karkaroff screamed. He thrust his wand and shouted, “Crucio!”







Harry screamed in pain as agony raged through every part of his body. He could hear his friends cry his name, but then a green light hit Karkaroff in the chest and he fell dead to the ground.







Harry turned, to see neither Hermione or Ron with their wands out. But then he saw Ginny lower her wand, and her weak body fell onto Hermione’s arm, seemingly lifeless from her loss of energy.







“Poor Igor, he never knew the truth,” a Death Eater snickered. It was Barty Crouch.



And just then, a hooded figure emerged from the crowd of Death Eaters. Harry grabbed his wand- ready for the last battle.











~FLASHBACK ENDS~















“I know, and I am being somewhat cautious when Sirius goes to school,” Harry stated.







Sirius interrupted Harry and Ginny’s long conversation saying, “So, can Stanley come over or not?”







Ginny looked into Harry’s emerald-green eyes. “I think that will be fine. Sirius will have a playmate for school.”







“Mum, don’t call it a ‘playmate’. That sounds all babyish,” Sirius stated.







“Well, Harry, what do you think?” Ginny asked as she looked deep into her husband.







“Well…,” he began, but Sirius figured out it was a “yes”.







“YAY!” he shouted with a huge toothy grin across his face. “I CAN’T WAIT! YOU’RE THE BEST DAD!” Sirius hugged his father.







“Well I take that as a ‘yes’,” Ginny chuckled as Sirius bounced off the walls with excitement.







“Better write back soon,” Harry replied. “But let’s have some breakfast first.” As he glided down the staircase, he did not even think about how this letter was tied with his strange dream he had had eleven years ago.







* * * * * * * *







“Son, this is the year, you will be great,” an older woman’s croaky voice said to her son as they were walking through a foggy, dense forest. “Your father will be so proud.”







“Anything for him,” an older man’s low voice replied. “I will follow his commands.”







“You will be helping so many people and that is what makes me so proud,” the old lady said, and then hesitated as they weaved through the maze of thick trees. “I love you.”







“I love you too, Mother,” he replied and gave her a small kiss on her wrinkly cheek. “This year will be the last… the last for the Boy Who Lived.”







* * * * * * * *















Stanley was lying on his bed for an hour, thinking. His mother had left the house so early in the morning, that there was no way that her story about going to the post office early was true.







Stanley kept thinking and thinking, until his mind was working faster than a cheetah running through the savannah. But it all stopped when he realized something.







She was contacting wizards.







Wow! This is so cool! She was talking to people that could turn people into toads, appear and disappear, and mix potions together to make bubbling green slime!



A moment after Stanley ended his exciting thought on wizards, he heard a thump at his window. He plopped out of his bed and walked toward his window to see a small grey-brown bird pecking at his window.







Stanley ran out of his room about to tell his father when he passed the staircase to see his mother enter through the front door.







“Mum! Mum!” he whispered loud enough for her to hear him. She turned to see Stanley jumping steps to the bottom of the staircase.







“What is it, sweetie?” she asked concerned.







“Mum, there’s an owl pecking at my window!” Stanley panted, out of breath from running down the steps.







“What?” she replied.







“Come on, I’ll show you!” Stanley responded. He dashed up the staircase with Alberta following right behind him. Stanley turned into his room and walked up to the window.







“Stanley, there’s nothing here. What did this owl look like?” she asked with curiosity.







“Umm…,” he began. “Brown and grey, with a letter in its beak.”







“Oh, God,” Alberta replied as she heard Dudley waking up down the hallway.







But before Stanley could even ask “why?”, loud pecking noises came from the guest bedroom.







Alberta rushed into the next room as Stanley curiously followed behind her.







“That’s it!” Stanley exclaimed, seeing the same owl perched at the guest bedroom windowsill.







Alberta quickly opened the window and snatched the note from the owl’s beak, and the small owl flew off into the distant sunny sky.







“What is all the ruckus?” Alberta and Stanley turned rapidly to see Dudley at the doorway rubbing his eyes.







“Oh, hi honey, you’re up,” Alberta said, sweetly as she gave Dudley a kiss.







“What were you and Stanley doing?” Dudley asked with an eyebrow raised.







“We were…,” Alberta began.







“Just letting a wasp out. See, Dad, I woke up and I saw a wasp in my room. I called Mom and we found it in the guest bedroom and shooed it out the window,” Stanley finished.







“Yes, Stanley was a little frightened by the wasp,” Alberta replied as she secretly winked at Stanley.







“Okay,” Dudley said. “I’m starved, Alberta are you in the mood for waffles? Because I..,”







“Sure, honey,” she said, kissing her husband once again as she headed down the staircase to begin making waffles.















Stanley pulled the covers over his body as he looked out the window to see the black sky covering the neighborhood. He closed the book he was reading, flipped the light off, pulled up the covers, and went to sleep.











Stanley woke up as he heard a sound. He glanced around his room, but only saw shadows casting off his bed and his head. He heard a thump and turned to see a mysterious figure at his window. Stanley almost squealed as he looked closer at who, or what, was there.







“Stanley?” the voice asked through the window.







“How do you know my name?” Stanley asked, shaking.







“Your mother sent me to come pick you up to take you to Hogwarts- I am a good wizard.”







Stanley went from frightened to excited. “Really?” he asked, not believing what he was hearing.







“Can you open the window? We need to leave soon!” the man’s voice asked.







“Sure,” Stanley replied as he unlatched the lock on the window. The man squeezed through the window and Stanley turned the lamp on to see a tall man with messy black hair and glasses dressed in dark green robes. He was holding a broom and had an interesting lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead.







“Well, Stanley, pack up something you really want to bring- pajamas, clothes, etc. We will be buying your supplies later,” the man stated.







Stanley grabbed a bag from his closet and started to pack up some things. He picked up the bag and walking towards the wizard, tripped on the side of his bed, landing on the ground with a thud.







“Hope no one heard that,” Stanley whispered but it was too late when Shawn, who was spying on Stanley, darted from Stanley’s doorway towards Dudley and Alberta’s room.







“Oh, great!” the man said. “Quickly, we must hurry.” He let out a hand to help Stanley up and squeezed through the window and hung off his wooden broomstick.







“WHO ARE YOU, YOU BURGLAR? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I WILL CALL THE POLICE!” Dudley roared from the hallway, and Alberta followed. “GET AWAY FROM MY SON!” Dudley ran into the room as the man hovered outside on his broomstick and Stanley was about to climb out the window.







As the family approached the light, Dudley and the man outside gasped at the same moment.







“HARRY?!” Dudley roared.







“DUDLEY?” Harry replied.







“YOU ARE NOT TAKING MY SON TO A WIZARD SCHOOL!” Dudley jumped to grab Stanley, who was about to grasp Harry’s hand. He grabbed Stanley’s leg and pulled, but Harry pulled him harder.







Alberta, behind Dudley and Shawn, snuck her wand out of her pocket and quietly muttered a few words. Stanley flew up into the air and landed perfectly on the broomstick.







“NOO!!” Dudley cried, and Alberta repeated after him as a decoy. Harry turned on his broom and flew up into the air. Stanley gazed around and when his house was almost out of sight, he saw his mother blow a kiss from the window.







“So, who are you again? I didn’t catch a name,” Stanley asked with curiosity and they flew over the many homes in the neighborhood.







The man hesitated. “My name… is Harry Potter.”

The city, far beneath Stanley’s hanging feet, was quiet and dark, though an occasional light could be seen from the windows of houses. He could hear the howl of stray dogs and the hoots of awaken owls perched among tree branches as he sat on the broomstick.



What an amazing sight it was! Stanley crossed his arms because of the frigid air as he and the man known as Harry glided; however, almost losing his balance, gripped the broom again. The view reminded him of the movie Peter Pan and how they had soared over the city. The thought made his eyes heavy, and soon, he closed them as the broomstick continued to wheel through the air.



******



Stanley’s eyes opened slowly to reveal the sunlight, streaming through the window. He quickly sat up and eyed his surroundings.



He was sleeping on the floor and to his right, was a bed with blue sheets in a big hump. Posters with men on broomsticks covered the walls and in the corner, was a wooden desk with an unfolded letter on top.



Curious about the letter, Stanley quietly got out of the blankets he was sleeping in and tiptoed towards the desk. He picked up the letter on crème stationary and glanced at it. The big Hogwarts crest was stamped neatly at the top, and he realized it was just like the letter he received.



As Stanley twirled around, he saw a head emerge from the lump on the bed. Two hazel eyes stared back at him. Stanley’s heart froze.



There was silence at first, but then the voice beneath the blue sheets spoke.



“Who are you?” the voice whispered.



Stanley stared back at the boy. “I’m Stanley. Someone brought me here last night because my father is a…,” the word slept from his mind, “a non-magical person and… he wasn’t going to let me go to that Wizard school when I got the acceptance letter.”



“You’re Stanley ?” the boy called back. “My dad said you were coming!”



The boy threw off the covers. He was skinny, had dark messy hair, freckles, and emerald-green eyes.



“I can’t believe you are finally here! I have been waiting forever for you to come! You are my first friend I know who is going to Hogwarts with me this year!” the boy exclaimed with bubbling excitement.



“Wow! We are both wizards!” Stanley also exclaimed. “Do you have a wand that can make you do anything?”



The boy looked at him with confusion. “What are you talking about? Don’t you know that you can’t get a wand until you are invited to school?”



“Uh… no,” Stanley replied, confused as well. “I didn’t even know that witches and wizards existed until I got the letter, and my mother told me she was a witch.” Stanley thought back to when his mother took him to Starbucks and revealed her deep secret.



“Oh, sorry, I forgot you didn’t know much about the Wizarding World…,” the boy apologized.



“No, it’s okay. I am pretty dumb about that kind of stuff. So, what’s your name?” Stanley asked.



“Sirius,” the boy replied, petting his frizzy hair. “I’m Harry Potter’s son, the man who flew you here last night.”



“That name rings a bell,” Stanley replied. “Somehow I think my father talked about him once. Is he a famous wizard or something?”



Sirius thought. “I don’t think so. I mean, my dad works at the Ministry of Magic, but nothing special. Well, I don’t know much about his childhood or anything; he never talks about it.”



“Wow,” Stanley replied. “That’s weird; I don’t know much about my father either. He told me his childhood was too complicated and that I wouldn’t understand.”



A noise rumbled from Sirius’ belly. “I’m hungry; do you want to get some breakfast?”



“Sure,” Stanley replied, feeling the vibrations from his own hungry stomach. “Do wizards eat anything weird like snake stew or anything?”



Sirius chuckled. “No way! That’s disgusting! We have normal breakfast food; don’t worry!”



The two boys exited Sirius’ room and headed down the steps to the kitchen where the smell of food hit them.



As they turned down the staircase, Stanley gazed at the ordinary furniture, seeing no extraordinary differences in Muggles and magical folks. He looked up and followed Sirius into the kitchen where he saw two adults talking at the table. However, as he walked closer, Stanley saw the dishes washing themselves, and oranges squeezing themselves.



The lady with fiery, shoulder-length, red hair glanced up and smiled.



“Sirius, I see you have met Stanley,” she said.



The man then looked up. Stanley recognized him as the man who picked him up on the broomstick, Harry Potter. He had messy black hair just like Sirius did and the same green eyes. Except for the freckles Sirius inherited from his mother, Sirius and his father looked very much alike.



“Stanley, these are my parents,” Sirius introduced before turning towards his mother. “We’re hungry, where’s breakfast?”



His mother chuckled. “Coming! Coming!” She slowly got up from her comfortable position and set two plates, sparkling with food, down on the table. The hungry boys sat down and dug into their food.



Stanley realized that this magical world did not seem so complicated after all. Well, that’s what it seemed like until Stanley turned and saw the newspaper in the Harry’s hands. It wasn’t the headline printed in big bold letters that caught his eye- it was the picture that was moving.



Stanley took a double take to make sure he wasn’t seeing imaginary figures before his eyes. But he looked again and saw that it was no dream. The pictures in the newspaper were magical; they were moving as if they were occurring right at that moment. Stanley could not believe his eyes.



“Whoa!” he whispered to Sirius, “The pictures move!”



Sirius’s father, overhearing the slightly loud whisper from Stanley’s lips, replied,



“In the magical world, our newspaper pictures move, unlike the still ones in the Muggle papers.” He then folded up the newspaper and handed it to Stanley.



Stanley eyed the man and then lifted up the paper. Unfolding it, he read the title:



The Daily Prophet



Stanley leafed through the crisp pages, eying the interesting pictures that made him gaze with wonder. Seeing wizards and witches and this whole new world amazed him.



Chewing their food, Sirius suddenly blurted, “Are we going to Diagon Alley today?”



“I don’t know,” his mother replied, not looking up. “It is only Stanley’s first day of experiencing magical…er… experiences.”



“Oh come on, he’ll love it! Please?” Sirius pleaded.



His mother looked at her husband. “What do you think, Harry?”



“Well, Diagon Alley is a good way for Stanley to begin to feel what it is like to be a wizard… I think it’s fine,” he replied.



“Yes!” Sirius exclaimed. “Stanley, you are going to love it!”



Stanley, feeling slightly dumb, asked, “What’s Diagon Alley?”



Sirius hesitated and then replied, “It’s like a magical outdoor mall with lots of shops and where we can buy all of our supplies necessary for Hogwarts.”



“Sounds cool,” Stanley said. “When will we be going?”



“Errr…,” Harry glanced up at the clock in the kitchen. “Around eleven, we will go before the noontime traffic. That’s in about an hour, boys.”



“Great!” Sirius said as Stanley and he finished their plates.



Stanley got out of his chair to go wash his plate.



“Oh, darling, I got that,” said Sirius’ mother as she waved her wand and muttered a phrase. The plate ascended from Stanley’s hands, glided, and softly landed in the sink and began to wash itself.



“Whoa,” Stanley muttered under his breath.



***



It was around eleven o’clock, and the boys hustled down the stairs in front of the small fireplace in the living room.



“We’re ready!” Sirius exclaimed as his mother handed him a scoop of ashes.



“What are these for?” Stanley asked.



Sirius replied, “It’s Floo powder. We travel places with it. All you have to do is say ‘Diagon Alley’ very clearly, throw down the powder, and off you go!”



“Sirius, you go first to show him,” his mother stated.



Harry remembered his first time using Floo powder with the Weasley’s.



Sirius crammed in the small fireplace. He screamed the words, threw down the ashes, and vanished beneath yellow-green flames.



Stanley’s eyes widened with awe. He crept in with his handful of “dirt”. Taking a gulp, he screamed “Diagon Alley!” Throwing the powder down, he began to spin as Sirius’ living room faded away. Then, he was spun into darkness.

Stanley kept his eyes shut as he felt the spinning motion take him into an unknown universe. Then, as the motion began making him feel slightly queasy, he came to an abrupt stop, flying out as if coming out of a water slide. He opened his eyes slowly and saw that his body was covered in ashes. He glanced around to see Sirius’ hand extending down to help him get up. He grasped tightly and was pulled up.

Looking around, Stanley saw what looked like a café. It was filled with people dressed in robes socializing. Seconds later, Sirius’s mother slid out of the fireplace, looking like she didn’t get sucked into a mysterious tornado. Following her was Mr. Potter, looking neat and tidy as well.

“How do they do that?” Stanley whispered to Sirius.

“Do what?” Sirius replied.

“Come out of that tornado looking like nothing happened,” he said.

“Oh…” Sirius understood. “It’s your first time, Stan. It takes more than your first time into the wizarding world to end up looking good .”

Mrs. Potter came and approached the two boys. “Come on boys, right out this door.”

She escorted them out of the door into the daylight. Stanley glanced up and saw he had just exited a pub called The Leaky Cauldron. He turned down the alley and saw rows of shops line the sides while witches and wizards walked back and forth down the street.

Stanley gazed in awe as they headed down the alley and he read the signs above the small shops. They slowed down as Mrs. Potter asked, “What are on your supply lists, boys?”

Sirius pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it to reveal the Hogwarts supply list for first years.

“Let’s start with uniforms,” Sirius stated. “We need three sets of plain black work robes, one pointed black hat, protective gloves, and a black winter coat with silver fastenings.”

Mr. Potter pointed to one of the shops and the group followed him there. They walked up the small steps and into the shop. Clothes lined the racks in the back and the witch clerk at the front, smiled as they entered.

Mrs. Potter eyed the racks and the signs hand-carved above them. “This looks like your size, and it’s in black, too.” She took one of the robes off the rack and held it up to Sirius and Stanley’s bodies. “Try these on.”

She handed Sirius the robe and grabbed another for Stanley to try on. The boys tried on their robes. Stanley’s robe smelled like his new sofa did when they bought it last month.

“That looks good on you boys,” Mrs. Potter said, pulling on the sleeves to see their length. “What do you think, Harry?”

Sirius’ father twirled around and examined the robes. “They look like they fit well.”

The Potters bought the other uniform requirements and headed out to the next shop to buy course books.

They walked out of the store with the new clothes and headed down the alley into a larger shop called Flourish and Blotts . A bell chimed as they entered the cozy bookstore.

“We need a lot of books,” Stanley said, as he glanced at the list Sirius was reading. “ The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1, A History of Magic, Magical Theory, A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Magical Drafts and Potions, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection . Oh, and we need another book…it does not say�” oh, we will receive it at Hogwarts; it’s for Potions.”

Stanley thought about those topics. Magic school sounded a little scary, but fun at the same time. Reading about spells, magical herbs, and beasts and creatures would open a whole new world that he only dreamed of.

Sirius and Stanley glanced at the title bindings for books on their list. They finally found all their books and went up to the counter to pay for them. Mr. Potter pulled out some coins that looked very strange to Stanley.

“What are those?” Stanley whispered to Sirius.

“Well those gold ones are Galleons�”they’re worth the most. Then we have silver Sickles and then the bronze Knuts which are worth the least,” Sirius replied to the question.

“Wow,” Stanley thought. “This magic stuff has a world of its own!”

The Potters and Stanley traveled around Diagon Alley for the necessary items for Hogwarts. Their long day ended as they returned to the Leaky Cauldron. The two boys were ahead of them and before Harry and Ginny entered the pub, she stopped him.

“Harry, is there something wrong?” Ginny looked up at her husband with a concerned face. “You have not talked much this whole time, this isn’t like you. Tell me.”

Harry stared back at her and sighed. He couldn’t lie to his wife. He pulled out a piece of folded paper from his pocket. Unfolding it, Ginny realized it was Sirius’ supply list.

“This is what you are worried about?” Ginny asked.

“No,” Harry nodded. He pointed to the note under the list of books.

A Potions book will be handed out in class and won’t be necessary to buy.

“Doesn’t that seem a little odd? I don’t remember in all of my years at Hogwarts a little note like that,” Harry replied.

“Me, neither. But, there always is time for change,” Ginny replied and kissed Harry on the cheek. “You don’t need to worry so much.”

“Sweetheart, don’t say that. You know I have to worry for the sake of you and Sirius- all because I survived the killing curse and defeated the most powerful dark wizard. Not all the Death Eaters are either dead or in Azkaban, and Karkaroff’s son is going to be teaching our son Potions. You know I must worry or something awful could happen to you or Sirius.”

Ginny glanced at him. He looked firm. Knowing he was right, she just turned into the Leaky Caldron leaving Harry behind her.

***************************

“Who’s there?” the older lady called as she heard the knock on the door.

“It is I, Mother,” the deep voice replied.

The older lady put down her knitting needles and opened the door.

“Did you do it?” she asked, seeing her son at the door.

“Yes, they’ll never know,” he replied.

“You sure? Is it disguised well?”

“As well as I could. I’m sure they won’t recognize it.”

“But son, we are not just talking about an ordinary person. He can figure out our plans if it is not disguised perfectly. He can do extraordinary things, even as a toddler.

“I know, Mother,” he replied. “I am prepared.”

“Good,” she replied. “Get washed up, dinner is almost ready.”

***************************

Chapter Seven
The Hat’s Whisper


The summer for Stanley and Sirius went by quickly. Sirius was busy helping Stanley learn more about the magical world. Then, August thirty-first suddenly came across the two young wizards, and the chaos settled in as the boys attempted to pack for Hogwarts.

“Oh, no! Where’s my wand? I just had it a second ago!” Sirius exclaimed frantically as he looked under his bed and around his room.

“Wait, didn’t you leave it downstairs with your books?” Stanley reminded the frenzied wizard.

“Oh- right!” Sirius said as he dashed out the bedroom door and down the staircase. Mr. Potter came in to the room.

“Everything thing going okay?” he asked as Stanley gathered his textbooks.

“Uh… I think so, just a little nervous,” Stanley admitted, trying to wrestle the books into an overflowing trunk.

“Don’t worry,” Mr. Potter said calmly. “I was very nervous at first, too.”

Sirius zoomed across the hallway screaming, “Where the heck is my hat?”

Mr. Potter chuckled. “Of course Sirius got his franticness from his mother.” He walked out of the bedroom and followed Sirius to find his missing hat. Minutes later, Sirius returned to the room, his hat in hand and out of breath.

“Man, packing is hard work�” no wonder my mother was so moody before we went to Ireland.”

Mr. Potter walked into his bedroom where his wife was checking the boys’ lists to make sure they weren’t forgetting anything. He bent down by their bed and pulled out a dusty box. He pulled off the top to reveal a silky, maroon cloak. Harry picked up the box and stood up.

“What are you doing with your invisibility cloak?” Ginny asked him.

“I thought I would give it to Sirius,” he replied.

“What? Why?” Ginny asked, her eyes narrowing.

“He may need it at Hogwarts,” Harry said.

“For what? My son is not going to be a trouble maker like you, so don’t give him any ideas, Harry James Potter!” Ginny scolded, remembering Harry’s adventures with the cloak at Hogwarts.

“Gin, do I have to go over this again? Sirius is going to be at Hogwarts by himself with out us to watch over him�” imagine what could happen if any of Voldemort’s followers encounters him,” Harry argued.

“But he’s going to be at Hogwarts . It’s one of the most protected places in England!” Ginny stated.

“Well, when we were in school, Dumbledore was headmaster.”

“Are you implying that Neville can’t keep Sirius safe?” Ginny fired back.

Harry sighed. “No, of course not, Neville is a great man. But…Gin, Voldemort could get to me even with the one he feared most running the building! Imagine what could happen now!”

“Harry, Voldemort is gone! We don’t need to worry!”

“No Ginny, you don’t understand! Voldemort may be gone but that doesn’t mean his followers are! They were just as bad. Don’t you remember Bellatrix? She killed my godfather�” the only man who I could call my ‘father’! There are people like her still out there wanting me dead, and with Sirius as an easy target, I’m putting our whole family in jeopardy! It’s not that I don’t have faith in Neville, but Karkaroff’s flesh and blood will be feet away from Sirius, and he may follow his father’s ways! Ginny, we can’t just try to be normal people… because of me, we can never be!” Harry retorted loudly.

Ginny just stood in front of him without saying a word. Her eyes began to water with tears. She knew that Harry was right, and they had had the same argument before. She collapsed her head onto Harry’s chest and cried.

“Oh, Harry, you’re so right! Forgive me! I just hate having to being so overprotective of Sirius! I hate having to be so cautious! I hate that we can’t just settle down and have a big family and live happily ever after! I love you so much, Harry! I love you with all my heart and I am so happy with you, but I can’t stand the pressure!” Ginny sobbed. Harry held her close and stroked her long red hair. “Oh, Harry, it’s not fair! Sirius deserves a life where he doesn’t have to fear for his life! I hate having to be so overprotective of him, but you’re right…we need to be cautious. But Harry, it’s just not fair! Not fair at all!” Ginny sobbed.

“Shh. Oh, Gin, it’s not your fault. It’s okay. Shh... don’t cry. Everything is going to be okay, we are just being cautious. It okay, Gin…” Harry comforted his wife, stroking her long red hair consolingly.

After a few more minutes, Ginny’s tears died down to bare snuffles. She looked into her husband’s green eyes.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too, Gin.”


~FLASHBACK~

“Oh, Harry, soon we are going to be parents!” Ginny exclaimed with excitement as they were getting into bed.

“I know, Gin,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “I am very excited.”

It was days away from Ginny’s due date, and the couple was ecstatic.

“What were the names we decided on, again?” Harry asked.

“Um… Sirius and Lily,” she said. “Now, good night, Harry.”

“Good night, sweetheart.”

Harry closed his eyes quickly; he was very exhausted. He suddenly faded into a dream.

Death Eaters were surrounding the house as he and Ginny ran outside. Ginny screamed as Harry fought off the Death Eaters. They were closing in…”

Harry quickly woke up from the nightmare. Sweat dripped from his face and he was trembling. He needed to wake Ginny up…

But she was already up.

“Gin, what’s wrong?” Harry asked.

“I… Harry… I think it’s time…”

“Okay, Gin. Just breathe; let’s go, come on.”

Harry got out of bed and helped Ginny out, too. Then, he heard a noise from downstairs.

“Harry what was…” Ginny started, but Harry was already down the hallway.

Harry looked down the staircase to see Death Eaters.

“You sure this is their house?” one croaked.

“Yes, it took us months to find it. We must get rid of the offspring.”

Harry couldn’t believe it. He pulled out his wand and Stunned the Death Eater. A bolt of light barely missed Harry’s shoulder, and he fired back and hit the other one. He couldn’t believe his nightmare was coming true.

He rushed upstairs to see a frightened Ginny.

“Harry…”

“We need to go…” Harry started, but a Death Eater crashed through their window. Without a chance to think, Harry grabbed her arm and rushed down the stairs.

He fired back but missed the Death Eater, and they kept running. Soon, Death Eaters were surrounding them. Can’t go to St. Mungo’s… they’ll follow and no one can help, Harry thought, but then he had an idea.

He held tight to Ginny and then Disapparated just as a green light flashed.


Harry and Ginny Apparated into a kitchen. They were at the Burrow.

“Harry, Ginny�”” Mrs. Weasley began but Harry interrupted.

“Where are Ron and Hermione?” Harry asked, out of breath.

“Right here,” Ron answered, coming down the stairs with his wife, Hermione. “Harry, what’s wrong?” Ron could see sweat dripping down Harry’s face, and his wand grasped tightly in his hand.

“Death Eaters attacked, and they are coming here now and Ginny is going into�”” Harry couldn’t even finish when Mrs. Weasley squealed.

“So we need to fight them before we go to St. Mungo’s,” Ginny said, breathing deeply.

“No, you need to go to St. Mungo’s now,” Hermione said.

“But Harry�”” she started.

“Ginny, I’ll take you, and Harry will have to stay and defend. It’s the only way,” Mrs. Weasley said.

“Ginny, just go! I will be there but just go!” Harry exclaimed. “They are coming any minute! They are going to think I took you here because I trust Ron and Hermione. They won’t know if you are here or not, so go!”

Ginny kissed him and she and Mrs. Weasley Disapparated.

“They’re coming!” Hermione shouted as she glanced through the window.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all grasped their wands tightly, opened the door, and began to fire at the approaching Death Eaters.


Later, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were at St. Mungo’s.

“Mum,” Ginny groaned.

“Ginny, it’s okay. Harry will be here very soon- I promise,” Mrs. Weasley said, holding Ginny’s hand as she lay in the hospital bed.

Healers were casting spells to help her, but then Ginny screamed.

“Oh, Ginny!” Mrs. Weasley screeched as Ginny began to go into labor.

“Ma’am, we need you to�”” the Healer began.

“No!” Ginny refused. “Not until Harry arrives!”

“Ginevra Weasley, be reasonable!” Mrs. Weasley shouted.

“Ma’am, you need to�””

Just then Harry ran into the room. Ginny sighed in relief.

“Come on Gin, you can do it,” Harry said and he grabbed her hand as she squeezed tightly.


Thirty minutes later, Harry and Ginny were alone with their new born son, Sirius James Potter.

“Oh Harry, he’s adorable!” Ginny said.

“Ginny?” Harry began.

“Yes, Harry?”

“I’m afraid that because of what happened due to Sirius’ birth, I think it would be best if we did not have any more children- it’s just too risky,” Harry stumbled.

“Harry?”

“I know, Gin. I’m very sorry. I know we wanted a large family, but it just won’t be safe.”

Ginny’s eyes watered and she began to cry as she rested her head on his chest. Harry’s own tears dripped into her hair.


~FLASHBACK ENDS~


It was the late morning of September first and the Potters and Stanley headed to Kings’ Cross station.

“There’s nine and three quarters Ginny indicated to a brick wall between stations nine and ten, forgetting that Stanley didn’t know about it yet.

Stanley squinted at the wall, confused.

“Follow me boys,” she said. She ran through the wall.

“Wow!” Stanley said, his eyes widening.

“Come on, Stanley. Trust me, it will be okay. Just hold onto your cart and go!” Sirius told him.

Stanley gripped the cart with his luggage, closed his eyes half-way, and ran at the wall.

“Stanley, you can open your eyes now!” Sirius said as he stopped Stanley’s cart. He opened his eyes to see a red engine with “Hogwarts Express” engraved on the train.

Stanley and Sirius put their luggage on and returned to Harry and Ginny.

“Bye, Sirius!” Ginny said as she and Harry hugged him.

“Mum, Dad! Please don’t embarrass me!” he said, trying to pull away.

They embraced Stanley too. “Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Potter for everything.”

“No problem, honey,” Ginny replied. “Good luck!” she waved as Sirius and Stanley hopped on the train and waved as the horn rung and the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station.

Sirius and Stanley found an empty compartment and climbed on in. “Wow, this is exciting!” Stanley said as they sat down. But before they could talk, a girl and a boy slid open the door.

“Is it okay if we sit here?” the blonde-haired boy asked.

“Sure,” Sirius said and Stanley nodded.

The boy and what looked like his sister stumbled in and took a seat.

“Are you guys first years, too?” the boy asked.

“Yeah,” Stanley and Sirius said.

“I’m Eric, and this is my twin sister, Heidi,” he pointed to the girl next to him.

“Hi,” she waved and muttered shyly. She couldn’t seem to stop staring at Sirius. He turned toward Stanley with “She’s creeping me out!” face.

“I’m Stanley and this is Sirius,” Stanley introduced.

The whole ride, Stanley, Sirius, and Eric talked while Heidi kept staring at Sirius between every page of the book she was reading.

The train came to a halt, and soon everyone was piling out of their cars. A young man called the first years forward near a foggy lake. Past the fog, there were parts of a large castle that was Hogwarts School.

Stanley and Sirius were put in a boat with a short girl with long blonde hair.

“Oh my, I’m so nervous!” the girl said, as they paddled across the lake.

“Why?” asked Stanley.

“Because�”I want to get into Slytherin! My entire family is in there and I have to make it!”

“Slytherin?” Stanley asked.

“It’s a House,” replied Sirius. “There are four- it’s based on your personality. Like a team.”

“Oh,” Stanley replied.

They got to shore before they died from all the nervousness of the girl. They entered a big, tall hall where four tables were and one long one in the front. There were students with different color badges and Stanley assumed those were the Houses.

“Welcome!” pronounced a voice. “My name is Headmaster Longbottom and welcome to Hogwarts, first years! Here is the Sorting Hat. It will determine which House you will be placed in. Mrs. Lovegood will be calling out your name to come up here.”

A young lady with light blonde hair came up with a scroll.

“Hey, she is the Headmaster’s wife!” someone whispered among the group of first-years.

“Anderson, Taylor!” she shouted.

A small, brown-haired girl came up. She sat on the stool and shut her eyes tightly as the hat was placed on her.

“Ravenclaw!” the hat said. A cheer arose from one of the tables, and she quickly joined her group.

More first years were called and placed into their houses until it was Stanley’s turn.

“Dursley, Stanley!”

“Go Stanley! Maybe we can make it in Gryffindor together!” Sirius told him, knowing he would probably make it in Gryffindor.

Stanley went up and sat on the stool. The old hat was placed on his head. But then, he saw in the audience an older brother bullying his younger one and memories of his dreaded childhood collided into his head.

“You want revenge on your brother, eh?” the hat whispered into Stanley’s ear.
Stanley thought of what would be perfect- finally getting revenge on his brother.

“All right than,” the hat whispered. “I have a perfect match for you!”

“SLYTHERIN!”