Harry Potter and the Heir of Gryffindor(01) - Sahits

"Oh my dear, Imelda! You poor thing!" Mrs. Dursley was cooing."Well, it was a long story. But I was just wondering, Harry. . ." she took a breath, "is Mr. Filch still keenon those horrific punishments?"Harry's fork dropped. What had she just said? Mr. Filch? Had she meant the Mr. Filch, Hogwarts'ground keeper? No, impossible. St. Brutus's must have had a Mr. Filch as well."And that cat of his! That Mrs. Norris-- she's not still alive, is she?"The Dursley's were staring at him, awaiting his answer. Only problem was that Harry was paralyzed.This is no coincidence! She knows about Hogwarts! His pulse was racing as he kept her gaze. . . aglimmer shining in her eyes, her mouth twisted in a strange smile.He took a shaky breath and answered, ". . . yes . . ."Mrs. Banbury's face was writhing with excitement. And then in the very next moment, she'd changedthe subject and her and Aunt Petunia were back to discussing recipes, leaving Harry absolutelystunned.He didn't touch the rest of his dinner. When Petunia offered to clear away the dishes, Mrs. Banburyopposed fervently."No, Harry will help, won't you Harry?"He could see Dudley smiling out of his peripheral vision, but didn't care. He stood up shakily, pickedup his dishes, and then went about collecting the rest, trying to keep his hands still. He followed Mrs.Banbury into the kitchen and, as he expected, she quickly closed the door behind them.Her smile was about ready to fly right off her face. "I can't believe it. . . I never thought that . . .""How did you know?" Harry blurted, "How did you know about Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris?"She stood, admiring him for a moment before answering. "Can you keep a secret?"If only she knew. He nodded.She beamed, turned towards the sink where they'd set the dishes and to Harry's surprise, extracted athin dark mahogany wand from underneath her belt. She pointed it at the sink and whispered "LavareTotalius!"The dishes were at once sparkling and shining like new and Harry's mouth fell open. He stared at herin disbelief."You're a witch!" he whispered"And you're Harry Potter! Oh, I just can't believe that I'm finally meeting you.""But-how? I thought you were a muggle-""Yes, I am quite good at it, aren't I! It's one thing I'm a bit proud of, actually. That's one of the mainreasons I think the Ministry placed me in Special Investigations, since I'm so good at blending in.""You work for the Ministry of Magic? Well then you must know Arthur Weasley!""Oh Heavens, yes. I've known Arthur for years. Good man, Arthur.""His son Ron is my best friend!""Really? Well, how nice! I'll tell him that you said hello when I see him tomorrow.""But- how - ""Well, I feel it best to just tell people that I'm a housewife. That way they don't wonder when they don'tsee me leave the house since I Apparate every morning.""And . . . Mr. Banbury. . . is he. . .""My stars, no! He's a muggle if there ever was one! Works for the police department. And before youask, no, Sophie isn't a witch either. Strange thing, really. We thought for certain she would be- whatwith my family being an all-wizarding family-and I did so want her to go to Hogwarts. She really did aswell. It was a tremendous blow to her when she never received her letter. She's a bit sour abouthaving to go to a regular school the rest of her life, to be honest. But Roger and I are both verysupportive of her."Harry was delighted! His new neighbor, a witch! Not just any old witch, but one who worked for theMinistry of Magic and knew the Weasleys!At that moment Aunt Petunia stuck her head in the kitchen, flashing a smile that Harry knew wasmerely show. "Need any help in here?"Imelda winked at Harry and then turned around to face Petunia. "Not at all, we've finished as you cansee-""That certainly was fast," said Petunia, eyeing Harry."Well, Harry here is an expert dish-washer. I suppose they certainly do train them well at St. Brutus's."Petunia nodded uncertainly and then turned and left."Mrs. Banbury, I think I should warn you now, it's best the Dursleys know nothing about your being . . .about who you are. They're being kind to you now because they think that you're a respectable,normal family. But they hate everything to do with our world, believe me, and if they ever knew--""I have no intention of them knowing. I've worked in Special Investigations for eighteen years-I know awizard hater when I see one. And I daresay calling the Dursleys wizard-haters would be anunderstatement, right?"12