July 31, 1991
"Harry!" Alaina stood down at the bottom of the stairs, tapping her foot. She had already woken him up three times. "Breakfast!"
She turned around and walked back into the kitchen of their four bedroom home. There was bacon frying away on the stove and she could only leave it for a few seconds at a time. After the bacon was done, all she had left was the toast because the eggs were already on two separate plates on the table. Harry was very picky about his toast. He liked it really brown with the crust torn off. She smiled. That was the way Lily had liked hers too when she was little. Everyday she seen more and more of her and James in him. Harry had inherited James's terrible eyesight. She had to take him regularly to the Muggle eye doctor. He had inherited Lily's eyes along with her sense of curiosity and her imagination. She saw it in his school work, the things he would write and draw. She hadn't really wanted to send him to public school, but she didn't really have much of a choice without arousing her neighbor's suspicion.
Alaina had chose the most remote place she could find for her and Harry to live. It was out in the country, and her only neighbor was a nosy old woman who came to check on them from time to time. Alaina and Harry hadn't always lived in the house they resided in now. They had started out in a small apartment and had lived there in London until Harry started school. That was when everything changed. Alaina's job as a waitress at the local diner didn't pay much, but with the money she'd saved from her inheritance, it was enough to pay the rent and buy groceries for the two of them, plus put about twenty bucks back to save out of every paycheck. After she had a nice little chunk saved up, she moved them to a house and officially adopted the little guy. He called her 'Mum'. Not because she had asked him to or anything though. She felt a little awkward when he said it because she wasn't his real mother. Lily was. Still it warmed her heart that he thought enough of her to consider her worthy enough to be his mother. She had raised him after all and she would always love him like her own.
She looked toward the stairs. He still hadn't come down. She shook her head. She opened her mouth to call his name again when she heard his bedroom door open, followed by the sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs. Harry appeared around the corner with a smile on his face. His hair was wet and he was already dressed in the outfit she had laid out for him last night. She studied him curiously.
"Harry, did you take a shower?"
He looked up at her innocently. "Yes. I felt dirty."
Alaina chuckled. "Oh really?"
"I played outside all day yesterday."
"Yes, but you had a shower last night before bed."
He frowned for a moment, then shrugged. "I guess I forgot."
Alaina smiled and bent down to hug him. She did it every morning right before they ate accompanied by a kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."
"Thanks, Mum."
She stood back up when she heard the bacon sizzling. "You go ahead and sit down at the table. I'll get your bacon and toast on your plate in a moment."
"Okay."
Alaina watched him skip over to the kitchen table and take his seat. Then she turned her attention to the bacon. She had learned to cook the Muggle way while Harry was just a toddler so she could make him meals when he was older. Otherwise he would have grown suspicious. She hadn't told Harry about magic yet. He had only had a few incidents where he'd used magic himself. She told him it was nothing to be ashamed of, that 'accidents' were part of being human. Harry seemed to accept it.
Then when he was nine he had asked her the question she dreaded having to answer since the day she left the Wizarding World behind. He wanted to know what happened to his real parents. She told him almost everything. She told him they were murdered by a very bad person and that person had also tried to kill him. When he asked why he wasn't dead, she had simply told him it was because he was special and he had the lightning scar on his forehead to prove it. Today was the day though. No more dancing around the truth. Today he was eleven and he was finally going to know who he really was and who his parents were. Her only hope was that he didn't hate her for keeping it from him and he would take it well when she did tell him. She planned to have the discussion right after breakfast. She took the bacon out of the skillet and slid a couple of slices onto his plate and then her own. Next was the toast. When she finished, she joined him at the table.
Alaina and Harry didn't talk. Thanks to her he had impeccable manners, at the table and in general. Her parents had always taught her to be courteous and she thought it was a lesson worth handing down. Once they were finished, she got up and washed the dishes.
"Can I go out and play?" Harry asked.
She looked down at him as she washed a plate. "Why don't you watch some television instead, Harry?"
He groaned. "But it's my birthday."
"I know. A very special birthday. It's not everyday a young man turns eleven."
"It's just a number, isn't it?"
"No. It's much more than a number. In your case, today is very special and if you go in there on the couch and wait for me I promise I'll tell you why."
Harry smiled broadly, his curiosity high. "Okay. I'll find something on television!"
She bent down and kissed him on the cheek. "I thought you might."
He went along into the living room. When she was sure he was distracted by the television, she rolled up the summer dress she was wearing and plucked her wand from its hiding place. She never went anywhere without it, afraid she may have needed it at some point and time to protect Harry. She gave the wand a wave and the dishes began to wash themselves. She leaned up against the kitchen counter wondering what in the world she was going to say to him. How would she even start the conversation? She couldn't just blurt it out. Harry might go into shock or something. She knew one thing though. She was going to show him she was just like him, that he wasn't alone. Suddenly an idea came into her head. There was one way she could break it to him.
Alaina tiptoed over to the corner of the kitchen and peeked into the living room. Harry had the remote in his hand, concentrating hard on the screen. She glanced back at the dishes. They were almost finished. It was almost time to break the news to her nephew he was a powerful wizard. She sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. She gave her wand another wave and all the dishes were dry and floating to their rightful places in the cabinets. She tucked her wand back into its holster. She kept it on her leg now and her dresses were always ankle length. She didn't think it would be appropriate to keep it on her thigh when she might have to get it out in front of Harry some time. She smoothed her dress down and went into the living room.
Bugs Bunny was blasting from the television and Harry was laughing heartily at the ridiculous cartoon. She walked over and sat down beside of him. She pulled him close to her for a moment and then let him go. He eagerly raised the remote and turned off the television.
"Is it time for out talk?" he asked with an excited smile.
She chuckled lightly. "Yes. Anytime you're ready, birthday boy."
Harry clasped his hands together and laid them in his lap. "I'm ready."
Alaina breathed deeply. "Harry, remember when I told you about your parents and how they died?"
"Yeah."
"Well, honey I left something out. Not because I wanted to lie to you, but because I wanted to wait until the right time to tell you. When you were eleven." He stared up at her, tilting his head curiously to the side. "Your parents were killed by an dark wizard."
Harry frowned. "Wizard? Mum, are you mad?"
"No. Your Mum and Dad were wizards too and...so am I."
"Then that means-" his voice trailed off, the possibility too ridiculous to be true.
"Yes, Harry. You're a wizard."
"I can't be."
"But you are. All those times you had those little accidents you couldn't explain, that was magic. You were gaining your magic."
"But I've never seen you use magic at all."
"I didn't want to use it in front of you until it was time for me to tell you."
"But I don't have a magic wand or anything."
She smiled. "I just haven't bought it for you yet."
Harry's eyes widened. "You're serious?"
Alaina nodded. "I can prove it to you." She lifted her dress up to her knees and pulled her wand out of its holster again. She waved it in front of him, swishing and flicking her wrist. The remote flew off the coffee table and floated in the air in front of him.
"Wicked!" His face was etched with excitement. "Can I see it?"
"Of course. She handed the wand to him. "Give it a wave. Any damage you do can be undone if you know the right spells."
Harry inspected the wand in his hand with great interest. It was small, but it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen in his entire life. It was brown and pink at the top and smooth. At the bottom the wood had long grooves in it and it was accented by a hard pink and silver feather at the bottom. It was amazing. He held it securely in his hand. Harry gave the wand a small wave and it was like fireworks went off in the house. The door blew open and the glass shattered in the window. He gasped loudly, fearing he was going to be in big trouble, but when he gazed back at Alaina she was laughing. Harry's lips spread into a smile and he began laughing, too. When they finished, he handed the wand back to her.
"I figured I'd be in trouble."
"No, sweetheart. You should have seen what happened the first time I tried my wand. Every box in Ollivander's shop flew off the shelf."
She gripped her wand tightly and got up off the couch. She muttered a couple of spells and everything went back to it's former place. It was as if nothing had ever happened. Harry was stunned.
"How did you do that?"
"Magic, Harry. And you're going to learn how to do things like that too."
"How? They don't teach that in school. People at my school are going to think I'm mental. They already think I'm a freak because of this scar on my head."
"Well, you're not. There is a whole world full of people like you and me."
"Really?" he asked hopefully.
"Really. That's why you're going to school in the Wizarding World this year."
"I am? You mean it?"
She chuckled. "Yes. I mean it."
Harry jumped up off the couch and threw his arms around her gratefully. "Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome. But you have to get your letter first. It will come by owl."
Harry frowned. "Owl? But I thought they were only awake in the daytime."
"Not in our world. Owls are what bring our mail to us. Then you give them a treat and they go on their way."
"I love magic," Harry declared in wonder. "I wonder when I'll get my letter."
Alaina smiled. "I got mine on my birthday."
Harry was excited.
"But listen, Harry. This is very important. Not all wizards are good. Some of them are really bad. The wizard who killed your Mum and Dad was as evil as they come. But something about you stopped him when he tried to kill you that night."
He swallowed. "What happened to him?"
"I suppose he died. That's what everyone suspected. The truth is no one really knows. He just disappeared."
"Did he try to kill you?"
"No. I was in front of a door he caused to explode. The explosion blew me into the wardrobe in your room and I was knocked unconscious. He must have already thought I was dead because he didn't use the Killing Curse on me."
"The K-Killing Curse?"
"Yes, but you need not worry yourself with that right now, Harry. You'll learn about that in Hogwarts."
They walked back over to the couch and sat down. From that moment on, it was questions and answers. Harry asked the questions and Alaina answered him.
"Did you go to Hogwarts?"
"No, I was home-schooled. I was sort of...sick when I was little. My Mom and Dad thought it was easier to home-school me. I was taught by powerful friends and family."
"Are you still sick?"
"No. Turns out I wasn't sick at all. I was just gifted."
"Oh. How? What can you do?"
Alaina gulped. "I can- Well, that's not important, Harry. It's just magic." Very dark magic, she thought. Nothing he needed to know really.
Suddenly a loud screech caught his attention. He got up and flew over to the window.
"What was that?"
"I suspect that was an owl, Harry."
She got up and went into the kitchen. In the top cabinet, where she knew Harry wouldn't be able to reach, she had a bag of owl treats. She knew this day would be coming soon enough. She rushed back into the living room and out the front door. Harry was standing on the porch next to the swing stationed there. The owl was patiently sitting on the arm. It had a letter in it's mouth. She reached into the bag and got out a treat and handed it to Harry.
"Pay the owl and get your letter, Harry," she encouraged him.
Harry reached the treat out and the owl immediately dropped the letter in front of him. It took it hungrily and then flew away. He watched in amazement as the bird disappeared into the sun. He picked up the letter and tore it open. Alaina walked over and sat down in the swing. He did the same as he pulled the letter out of the envelope. She leaned over and read the letter over his shoulder. It was the same thing Lily's had said. A feeling of sadness came over her. She wished she had gotten the chance to go to Hogwarts. It sounded and looked like one of the most enchanting places in the world. She was glad Harry would get the chance to attend there. Harry studied the letter.
"I'm going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" he exclaimed when he finished. "I can't believe it!"
Alaina laughed. "I can't either. It seemed like just yesterday you were a year old."
"Where do we get all of these things and when?"
"We get them at Diagon Alley. I was there when your mother got hers. I was only eight then. I remember going around to all the shops and getting her things. And we're going to go the day before school starts so you will be able to rest before you have to get on the Hogwarts Express."
"What's that?"
"A train, Harry." She hugged him. "You're my little wizard now."
He laughed. "I like that I'm a wizard and you're a witch."
"Everybody is going to know you when we go back. They will all know your name and know your story."
"I'm going to be famous?"
"You already are."
"Just because a bad wizard couldn't kill me."
"Yes. And because whatever happened that Halloween night, stopped him dead in his tracks and his reign of terror finally ended."
"Too bad he had to kill my parents first."
Tears welled in her eyes. "It is. Sometimes I wish it had been me instead."
Harry looked up at her, horrified. "No! I mean I wish my Mum and Dad were still alive, but I don't know where I'd be without you."
A tear trickled down her cheek. He had no idea how much those words had touched her heart.
"Come on," she said, getting up. "There's something I want to give you, Harry. It's part of your birthday present."
"Part of it?"
"Yes. We're going to bake a cake and have pizza later, remember?"
"Oh yeah!"
Alaina and Harry went inside. She went over to the bookcase and pulled out a book. At least it looked like a book. To Harry's surprise, she opened the cover and there was something inside. It wasn't a book at all, but a box. It was the perfect disguise if you ever needed to hide anything. She took out a framed picture and handed it to him.
"I wanted to wait until you were old enough to appreciate it and take care of it," Alaina explained.
Harry took it into his hands. Immediately tears fell from is eyes. "My Mum and Dad."
She nodded. "Yes. This was taken the year you were born. They were so happy to have you."
"Who took the picture?"
"Sirius Black. He was a friend of theirs."
Harry stared down at it in wonder. They were moving. "How are they moving?"
"All wizard pictures move this way."
A smile spread across his lips. "I love being eleven."
Alaina burst into laughter, which caused Harry to laugh as well. She hugged him up close to her. She was so glad he had taken the news of him being a wizard unbelieving well.