"Harry Potter Makes His Own Destiny"

Chapter 7 "A River Runs Through It"

Harry slept in only his underwear, as they were the only clothes that fit properly, being Dudleys when he was 5. Harry was able to take good care of them, nobody could even give him a wedgie at school, as if by magick. It was an unusually hot night. When McGonagall walked into his room the next day he was still asleep. Despite Madame Pomfrey's report on his condition, she was shocked at what she saw, the bruises, the scars. Harry was wearing the nearly invisble magickal casts needed to repair his unhealed broken arm and leg, the cast should be on for roughly a month. This shook her ever more, the injury hadn't been attended to quickly so it couldn't be sped up much by magick and would need to be left to heal in its own time.

She also saw past all that to the polite angelic looking boy sleeping curled up with a stuffed dragon. There were dried tears on his cheeks and a happy dreamy smile on the face of the boy who wrote her a thank you note the night before. He was so peaceful sleeping there, the little angel who defeated the dark lord, no need to wake him yet. McGonagall had the whole day to get him to the Dursleys. Then she would have a little chat, more like give them a piece of her mind now. So she went back down stairs to the pub to socialize a bit and have some breakfast until Harry woke up. She placed a simple ward on the room that would let her know when he was awake before she left.

About an hour later Harry slowly woke up and rubbed his eyes. He felt wonderful this morning. He remembered he'd had a dream about his parents. He just couldn't remember the details at all. There was just a feeling of peace and contentment that wouldn't go away even now as he woke up more, not that he particularly wanted it to go away. This must have been the best sleep he ever had.

"Thanks Norbert I really needed that." he said to the little dragon who smiled and then took a deep breath and blew a smoke ring that went around Harry's head. The smoke tickled his nose making him laugh hard enough to nearly fall on the floor. Then he looked at the clock on the wall, it was 9:30. He couldn't remember the last time he was allowed to sleep this late.

"I wonder what time Professor McGonagall will get here?” he thought out loud, just as there was a knock on the door.

"Harry? It's Professor McGonagall, may I come in?" she said through the door.

"Sure" Harry said with a bit of puzzlement in his voice.

When she came in and saw he was still in his underwear she blushed and a turned around, "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were dressed."

"Oh sorry, my aunt never asked to come in. She always just came in and has seen my underwear a million times. Guess I gotta get used to, er, non-rudeness.” Harry hopped into the his pants and pulled a t-shirt over his head, ”Okay, I'm dressed."

She turned around and saw him standing there in clothes that fit so poorly she was amazed he could move in them. Come to think of it, he couldn't do very well in them. She watched him fuss with the voluminous clothing while getting his things into his trunk for a few minutes till she couldn't take any more.

"Harry, hold still for a moment" and when he did, she magickally altered his clothes to fit properly.

Harry looked down at himself then up at her and said "Thanks, I needed that, I was going to buy some more clothes now that I have some money, but that was easier for now.”

Harry tossed his wizard name book in his trunk, locked it, and without thinking, transfigured it to fit in his pocket so they could leave.

“Harry, what did you just do?!” McGonagall said a little too loudly out of shock.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I forgot” Harry pleaded, cowering down and holding his hands up to block the blow that he knew was surely coming.

“Oh no, dear child,” McGonagall swooped over. He flinched as she gently placed an arm around him and guided him over to the bed. “I was simply startled, that's all.”

She sat Harry down. He curled up into himself and started rocking back and forth. “Shhh'” she soothed, tenderly brushing the hair from his face. McGonagalls face took on a compassionate lilt. ”You are safe here. You didn't do anything wrong. That magick was advanced for any wizard your age, let alone one raised in the muggle world.” She brushed the side of his face and softly lifted his chin. “You have quite a lot of talent, young man, and I am impressed.”

Harry sniffled and dried his tears. Her eyes had the same caring he saw on the faces of his parents when he saw them in his dreams. He was just a bit shaky feeling now. “I'm sorry about that.” He said embarrassedly,” I'm not sure why I did that. I was just so sure I'd be hit again.”

“It's alright,” but the Professor made a mental note that if these terrors continued she would have to consult a specialist. She wiped away his tears with her thumb “Shall we go then?”

Harry nodded and then transfigured the trunk back to its original size, “I'll try not to forget again, wouldn't wanna surprise anybody else.”

“I won't ask where you learned or how you managed that spell so quickly. As I am the transfiguration teacher, I expect you to always do your best in my class.” McGonagall said with a quiet smile,

She lead Harry downstairs and out to a large black limousine. While Tom brought out Harry's trunk McGonagall explained that this car was on loan from the Ministry of Magick.

“There's a Ministry of Magick?” Harry said in wonder as he looked into the car door. Even for a limousine, this vehicle seemed large. McGonagall explained that the car was exchanted to be large enough inside the passenger compartment and trunk to hold whatever it needed, yet appeared to be a standard muggle vehicle from the outside. It was a creation of a Mr. Weasley of the Ministry. Usually such a long winded dissertation would be tiring, but the whole magickal world interesting to him at this moment.

As they began their journey, a short, wide eyed creature seemed to fade out of the cushion next to Harry. “This is Pip, he is a house elf and will be accompanying you back to purgitory, er, the Durstleys.” McGonagall added, but the boy was too fascinated with this new sort of being to catch the aside.

Harry had to take her word it that this was a male. Pip wore a tunic like garment stitched out of tea towels embroidered with the word 'Hogwarts' and a crest that would become very familiar to Harry. The longer he stared, the more the house elf's long pointed ear tips drooped.

”Do you find me unpleasing?” Pip's voice was very high pitched. It sounded just like his own that time Dudley had forced him to breath from a helium baloon.

“I'm sorry. I've just never seen a house elf before, Pip.” He held out a hand in greeting, ”My name Harry.”

Pip glanced at McGonagall, who gave a curt nod. After a moment more of thought, he accepted the hand with a hardy shake. “Not used to being treated so well. Wizard children usually treat house elves like a piece of furniture.”

They quickly began a discussion about house elves and their place in the wizarding world. Harry soon realised that Pip would be more then a guardian, he would be the perfect tutor. A house elf was both a part of the wizarding world and somewhat an outside observer. Before he arrived school, he would have a good understanding of what to expect.

Quite literally before Harry knew it, the car had stopped. McGonagall has sat there simply observing the discussion, and when the car stopped she didn't bother to interrupt when they arrived. It wasn't until Harry looked out the window in thought that he noticed they weren't moving.

After realising they had arrived, he looked up at McGonagall. She smiled,”Quenched your thirst for knowledge for a few minutes at least?” He nodded and she continued, ”As Pip explained to you, house elves take care of others, it's in their nature and they find it very satisfying. Pip is particularly skilled at it.” At this, he smiled broadly. ”He will be looking after you until school, they have they own kind of strong magick. He'll make sure nothing happens. Pip, if you would be so kind as to take Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage up to the smaller bedroom?"

"Yes maam, delighted to" Pip said and disappeared with a small pop.

Professor McGonagall touched the Dursley's back door and it swung open. She motioned Harry to follow and he does nervously. They walk in to find it is lunch time and the Dursleys are gathered at the table.

“I thought we had gotten rid of you!” Vernon starts in, but quiets down when he sees the sturn woman in the velvet green robe following Harry.

“My name is Professor McGonagall,”s he began politely ”There will be a few changes around here.” Harry saw Uncle Vernon turn successively darker shades of red, but the Professor ignored this.

“To begin with, Harry needs a proper room, for a change.” The kitchen seemed to grow noticeably cooler very quickly. ”I believe you have an extra bedroom upstairs.”

“But that's my room too,” Dudley interupted with a whine.

McGonagall paused and the room went silent. ”I usually encourage a child to speak their mind, but this is neither the time nor the place. I suggest you move whatever you want out of that room quickly or I will make it all go away.”

Dudley's eyes grew very large and he ran upstairs as fast as his fat legs would carry him. Sounds of different things being dragged around upstairs met their ears as She continued.

McGonagall turns to Harry, gently stroking his hair, ”You've had a tiring day, dear boy. Why don't you go to your new room and get some sleep. Your trunk with all your things will already be there, and when you need him, all you have to do is call Pip's name and he should appear. I'm going to have a little chat with your aunt and uncle and I will see you at school, if you need me before that, send me a letter with Kloe, or, if its an emergency send Pip.”

Harry looked into her eyes and all his fears and worries left his mind, his feet seemed to carry him upstairs without thinking about it. He stumbled to the bed, not caring if Dudley was still moving things out of the way. Harry unlocked his trunk and slowly extracted Norbert. Dudley, who had been caring a load to his room returns to see Harry hugging the purple velveteen dragon.

A small amount of Dudley's bravado must have returned because he grabs Norbert by the wings. ”So, the mighty wizard has a stupid stuffed toy!” He yells shaking it.

Norbert's eyes glow red and he breathes out a short jet of flame, scorching most of the hair off of Dudley's arm. He squeeled like a stuck piglet, throwing the dragon toward Harry and ran from the room.

Harry closes the door, slowly undressing for bed. He is already half asleep by the time his head hits the pillow.

McGonagall's smile fades as soon as Harry leaves the room. As she takes slow, measured steps toward Vernon and Petunia, they feel compelled to stand up and back out of the kitchen. Step by step she herds them into the living room, the two almost fall over backwards onto the sofa.

She explained about Pip and that he would be staying at Harry side for the rest of the summer. There would be no discussion on this, so they had better adapt to the idea. She fell silent again and continued standing over them, nostrils flaring. Once the sounds of movement stop up stairs she clears her throat and began again, talking in a voice barely above a whisper. “Now for the real point of my visit. Vernon Dursley, what excuse do you have for how you treated that boy. What excuse do you have for hitting a child?”

“Now see here,” His voice cracking, ”The boy was a wild thing, out of control, he needed discipline.”

McGonagall paced across the room, “There is a large difference between reasonable discipline and out right assault. You don't beat your son.”

Vernon jumped to his feet. ”Now see here! You people dumped that squalling baby on my doorstep and expect me to treat him as my own? I never asked for that.”

McGonagall glared at him, making his legs feel weak, ”And that boy never asked for you, but he was stuck with you. You are his only living family and I would expect that would mean something even to a small minded person like yourself.”

“He's not my family. He is one of your kind, he doesn't even belong here, he belongs with you people. Why didn't you keep him where he belonged, you people must have orphanages or something.”

McGonagall stood there for a moment. For the first time Vernon believes he may have pushed her too far, he just doesn't understand how far yet. ”That boy is your wife's nephew. He may not be your blood, but he is your family just as much as she is. He belongs with family. No one dreamed we were sending him to live with a genuine beast. You should have stopped this early on.” She points at Petunia who mumbles something like mimblewimble.

The professor puts on a syrupy sweet smile. ”Oh I understand, really I do. This boy represents everything you two have tried to pretend doesn't exist. Especially you Petunia. So both of you took all your fears of things you couldn't explain out on a defenseless little boy. Oh, I am sure he was frustating to people as closed minded and intolerant as both of you. I am sure he seemed like a monster to you, but if you had looked in the mirror you would have seen the true monster was the bigot inside of both of you.” Her voice had steadily grown in volume. ”Don't you dare turn away. You can face this on your own or I will make you see things as they really are, which way do you want it?” Vernon and Petunia squirmed, but managed to keep from turning away, dispite seeing McGonagall pull out a wand with a glowing tip.

Their reaction must have satisfied the professor, because she nods and lowers her wand. “I know you two may not believe it now, but that boy deserves the same treatment as you, maybe better. By the time I leave here you will be treating this boy decently. You have treated Harry like dirt, but in the magical community his parents are very well thought of and Harry himself is loved by people who have never even had a chance to meet him. I see you understand me Vernon, finally a thought is forming in that simple mind of yours. Many powerful people care about his welfare, and some of these people have as bad a temper as you do. People will see those bruises and scars when he gets to school, not all of them will have time to heal by then. This sort of treatment won't remain your dirty little secret much longer. Nothing I could do would keep this secret from coming out, even if I wanted to. No muggle law enforcement can catch these people, and few magical courts would convict them for making your life, well, shall we say difficult. You may have been able to ignore the special things about Harry, but your willful ignorance will not make these people go away. Remember Vernon, you do not live in Egypt, and there is no river in your backyard." McGonagall swirls her cloak around herself and it folds in on itself until there is nothing left.

Vernon looks over at Petunia with a lost look on his face, and with a condescending air all she says is “Denial.”