A Spy in Privet Drive

Chapter 2

Anya Forger and Harry Potter were quick to become best friends.

Neither truly felt at home on Privet Drive.

Harry due to his upbringing with his abusive relatives, and Anya due to being the new girl in the neighborhood.

Dudley often tried to frighten her, but she quickly garnered a reputation for standing up to him.

Dudleys parents would step in to protect him if they could, but Anyas parents lived down the street and were more than willing (Eager, in Yors case) step in on her behalf.

In simple terms, the Dursleys were having trouble making Harry as miserable as they once had, and it was entirely due to the presence of Anya and her family.

”Father. ” Anya said, one morning over breakfast. ”Why don we adopt Harry? ”

Yor choked on her coffee.

Anya barely had time to wonder whether she had tried to ingest something that she herself had prepared before her father answered.

”The thought had crossed my mind. ” He admitted, as he took a sip of his own coffee.

He did not throw it up it back onto the table, so Anya surmised that her Mother had not touched it after all.

”But it would be difficult. We are foreigners to this country, and they are his only living relatives. To get him removed from them and to move in with us would be difficult. ”

”But not impossible. ” Anya said.

Her Father sighed.

”I understand how you feel. ” He said. ”That boy deserves better. But the best we can do is be there for him. As his neighbors, and his friends. ”

Yor smiled as she leaned over the table.

”Who knows? ” She said. ”Maybe someday he will join the family, after all. ”

Maybe he and Anya will get married, heehee.

Anya had to stop herself from groaning as she finished her breakfast and stood up.

”If Harry hasn had anything to eat, be sure to bring him by. ” Yor called after her, as she stepped out the door and into the street.

Over the past week there had been more Owls in Privet Drive than she had ever seen in her life before.

Today there were more than everywhere.

Tawny, barn, snowy, and more that she could not even pick out by name.

They were perched on houses and cars, and seemed completely at home.

She worried briefly about them and whether they could all find prey to eat as she made her way to Number Four.

She stepped past Uncle Vernons car, which seemed to be covered in droppings, and knocked on the door.

Petunia answered. ”Yes? ”

”Hello Mrs. Dursley. ” Anya said politely. ”Is Harry home? ”

That girl again.

”No. ” Petunia denied. ”But Dudley is. ”

Perhaps she will take more of a liking to Dudley today.

Again Anya had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

”Well if hes not home… ” She said.

She barely had time to react as a nearby owl swooped down at her.

She let out a cry as it dropped a letter on the doorstep, wheeled around, and flew out of sight.

”Again! ” Petunia said, exasperated, as she opened the door.

Anya bent over and picked the letter up in her hands, and flipped it around.

”To Mr. Harry Potter of- ”

”Give me that! ” Petunia snapped.

She reached forward and yanked the letter right out of her hands.

”Thats Harrys! ” She said indignantly.

”I will give it to him when he returns home. ” Petunia said stiffly.

Ill throw it in the fire.

”No you won ! ” Anya called after her, as she the door locked in front of her.

Frustrated, she turned on her heel and stomped off.

There was nothing she could do.

The best she could do was relay the story to Harry when she saw him.

But she didn see him.

She watched as Dudley Dursley and his friends raced up and down the street on bikes, and she occasionally saw Aunt Petunia in the Garden, but she saw absolutely no sign of Harry Potter at all.

She was forced to conclude that Aunt Petunia had lied.

He was at home, likely under some kind of punishment.

Not for the first time, she found herself frustrated at how little Harrys relatives thought about him, even when asked direct questions about him.

”Father, I think Harrys in trouble. ” She announced, as she walked back into the kitchen.

Her father, who was glancing at a newspaper that she immediately recognized as a message from WISE, nodded to show that he was listening.

”Petunia won let me in to see him, and he hasn come out… ”

Whatever could they be doing to that boy in there?

”I will have a word with her. ” Her father said, as he got to his feet.

”Perhaps the two of you would like to go to the park together? ”

”Yes! ” Anya said. ”I would like that very much! ”

Her father donned his very intimidating black gloves and hat, and the two of them set off down the street, hand in hand.

Mrs. Figg, who was passing by, greeted them cordially.

They reached number four and stood outside the gate.

”Excuse me, Mrs. Dursley! ” Loid called.

Petunia looked up sharply from her flower garden. ”Anya wants to know if Harry would like to go to the park. ”

Petunia hesitated.

It was one thing to be rude to a child, but quite another to be rude to the extremely successful, well respected psychiatrist on the block.

”He isn home. ” She said, her voice somewhat more polite.

But this time her mind betrayed her inner thoughts.

Hes not coming out of that Cupboard until the letters stop.

Anya had become a master of manipulating her parents for the good of the world over the years: she had become rather good at picking up on little clues and using them to her advantage, on the spot.

”Father. ” She said, pointing. ”That owl is carrying a letter! ”

And so it was.

Loid blinked, staring at the bird on top of Vernons car with some confusion.

He had obviously not registered the owls infesting the street at all, in spite of having had commented on them earlier that week.

Anya had realized a long time ago that his single minded drive to accomplish whatever task in front of him often led him to not noticing tiny details like this in his peripheral vision.

It was this kind of behavior that had led him to somehow marry an assassin from an enemy country while undercover and never realize just what he had done.

”So it is. ” He said, as he reached out a hand to touch it.

The owl, as if by instinct, shuffled off, as if protecting it, but Loids nimble fingers had wrapped around it in a flash.

The Owl panicked, and hurriedly pecked at Loids fingers, but his gloves were so thick that they didn even receive a tear.

The owl took off into the air, clearly terrified, as Loid flipped the letter around and looked at it.

”To Mr. Harry Potter of Number Four- ”

”Please give me that! ” Petunia said hurriedly, as she raced forward, hand outstretched. ”Ill… Ill make sure he gets it! ”

Anya was taken aback by the sheer panic going through her mind.

DONT OPEN IT.

”Father, what is it? I want to see it. ”

But her Father was already shaking his head.

”Its addressed to Harry. ” He said. ”It would be rude of me to open it for him. ”

Anya bit her lip as her eyes fell on Petunias thin, bony hands, as they reached to snatch the letter out from his hand.

”Give it here, its mine! ”

Loid looked up, surprised, as the front door burst open and Harry Potter came running down the steps in a panic.

Petunia snatched the letter quickly out of Loids hand and turned to face him.

”What are you doing? ” She snapped, momentarily forgetting Loids presence. ”Go back to your cupboard! ”

”Cupboard? ” Loid repeated, his voice dark.

Petunia froze, her eyes widening.

”That letter… ” Harry said, turning to Loid. ”It is mine, isn it? ”

”It is. ” Loid said. ”Your Aunt was just about to give it to you. ”

Mrs. Figg had stopped in the middle of the street and was watching them.

Petunia cast an anxious look around, as if expecting more neighbors to be watching, before shoving the letter into Harrys hand.

He took it, about to rip it open on the spot, but Petunia took her hand in that one and steered him back inside.

When they reached the door, Harry bolted, and Petunia let out a shocked cry as Anya could hear the Cupboard door slam shut.

”It was incredible, Albus. ” Arabella Figg was saying, as she poured Professor Dumbledore a cup of tea. ”That muggle Forger ripped the letter right from the owls grip. Ive never seen anything like it. ”

”Yes, he certainly sounds like an interesting man. ” Dumbledore chuckled, as he sipped his tea. ”I would certainly love the chance to speak with him. You say his daughter is friends with Harry? ”

”The best of friends. ” Mrs. Figg said. ”That family has been kinder to him than anyone else in the neighborhood, thats for sure. Everyone is quite fond of them. ”

”Hmm. ” Dumbledore said. ”Im certainly glad to see that Harry has someone on his side. ”

”He may not always have them. ” Figg said.

”The family is from Ostania, and has been moving from country to country since the country unified with Westalis. They may move back someday, or perhaps go somewhere else. The mother certainly likes to travel a lot by herself. ”

Dumbledore sipped his tea again.

”Well, they certainly aren going to move away before Harry begins his first year at Hogwarts. Im just glad that Harry has met a family here in Privet Drive that he can be close with. ”

He set the tea cup down delicately. ”This man, Forger… he is a doctor? ”

”Of Psychiatry, yes. ”

They spent the next hour or so discussing the relationship between Harry and the Forgers.

”I expect Hagrid will be coming to Privet Drive to take Harry to Diagon Alley, then? ”

”Indeed. ” Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. ”He was very eager to take on the job. ”

□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■

It was about a week later that a knock came on the Forgers door.

It was Anya who opened it, and found herself taken aback.

Harry Potter was accompanied by a giant of a man.

”Ahhhh! ” She was startled that she fell onto her back.

Harry laughed and stepped through the door.

”Hello there. ” The giant said warmly, as he bent his head through the door. ”Didn mean to frighten ye there. The names Hagrid. You must be Anya! ”

”I am. ” Anya said stiffly. ”Bond! ”

Bond Forger came trotting into the room, and stood by her.

She reached for his thick fur and pulled herself up.

Hagrid beamed.

”What a dog! ” He said, seemingly very pleased, as he raised a massive hand and patted Bond on the head.

Bond melted under his thick, strong hands.

Anya, quickly realizing that Hagrid was nothing to be scared of, tried to make sense of the situation.

”Who is this? ” She asked. ”And where have you been the last week? ”

”Its a long story. ” Harry said. ”Im not sure what I can tell you. ”

I just had the best day of my life.

Despite the obvious joy on his face, and in his thoughts, he seemed unwilling to go into details about what had happened since he had gotten his letter.

She tried to piece together the holes in the story he told her with her mind reading powers.

Hagrid knew his parents.

His parents had gotten him admittance into an elite school.

He was headed there in the fall.

He had inherited a vast fortune.

He was a wizard.

He now had his own pet owl.

Her head was spinning, and she found it difficult to keep up with everything that she was being told.

”So… ” She said. ”We
e not going to school together anymore? ”

Harrys face fell.

He looked up at Hagrid.

”Sorry, Harry. ” The giant said apologetically. ”Shes a muggle. ”

Anya was sure that was some kind of slur. ”Im a what? ”

”Never mind. ” Hagrid said quickly. ”Anya, are your parents home? I have instructions to speak with them. ”

”Dad is. ” Anya said. ”Let me get him. ”