A Change of Heart

This whole family needs a shrink! - Piper, Charmed, 6x18

Dumbledore looked down at the little boy that was his prized students' son. Green eyes gazed up at him, and his thoughts flashed to the boy's mother. A disapproving stare was on her face, and she was pulling out her wand. He looked over to his Deputy to see she was giving him the very same stare. His good friend Hagrid also looked like he wanted to rip the infant from his arms and fly far, far away.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Professor McGonagall, Hagrid... maybe it would be best to go to Hogwarts," he finally said.

Both of their faces lit up with wide smiles – the first ones that had graced their faces the whole day.

He knew then, as they all appeared in Hogsmeade, and the wizards began to crowd around the boy, cooing about how brave he was, that he had made the right choice.

All the living residents of Hogwarts stared at the small boy sitting in Minerva McGonagall's lap. He gurgled happily, reaching for the Transfiguration teacher's glasses. Smiles went all around. "Now, now, your father always stole my glasses as well. Try not to get into the same habits," Minerva chided, though the boy just giggled, reaching for her glasses again.

Soon, the boy was being passed around to each Professor. Even Snape held the boy, an odd expression on his face as he looked into the bright green eyes.

Yes, the boy would have a much better life in Hogwarts than anywhere else.

At five years old, Harry Potter had had a very happy, if short, life, filled with many beloved family members, though none of them were actually related.

There was Grandfather Dumbledore, who he believed to be quite nuts, but was still his favorite. After all, the man obviously was the only one who understood he was a growing boy that needed sweets.

There was Aunt Minerva who always got this pinched look when he called her 'Auntie Minnie.' Technically, she should be grandmother, but she had glared at him the first time he even suggested it.

There was Crazy Aunt Trelawney, who he usually stayed away from, unless Angry Uncle Snape was having a bad day – her mysterious aura always drove the older man off. Harry believed the greasy haired man was slightly afraid of her.

There was Distant Aunt Sinistra, who was always nice, even though he could only find her in the top tower. Personally, he was a bit frightened she might fall off the tower. When he told her this, she laughed and just sent him off to dinner.

There was Really Short Uncle Flitwick (he wasn't allowed to call him Midget Uncle), who let him torture the other children during his class. Apparently, the man was a bit annoyed that his students used Charms to talk about their personal problems. He always complained that Aunt Minnie never had to deal with this. So, he allowed Harry to do whatever he wanted during the class. The only other person that let Harry into the classes was Snape, because the man enjoyed seeing the Gryffindors and Slytherins suffer.

There was Aunt Sprout, who didn't get a nickname because she was the most practical out of them. She also allowed him to borrow some of her plants to throw at the students when he was absolutely bored. Secretly, he thought she only let this happen so she could use his name as a threat to the students.

There was Scary Aunt Poppy, who always wanted to keep him in the Hospital Wing when he was sick. But, she was around for most of the day, and let him terrorize her patients once they were healed well enough. Usually, they weren't found in the Hospital Wing until the next year.

There was Obviously Insane Uncle Kettleburn, who lost some part of himself almost every year. Harry wondered if the man was going to disappear completely, or die at the hands of Scary Aunt Poppy. It was probably the latter.

Then there was Normal Aunt Burbage, who seemed to be the least crazy of all of them. Unfortunately, this meant she didn't let him scare her students.

And finally, there was Brother Hagrid, who seemed a bit dangerous, but was extremely nice. Plus, the man was super tall, and that, frankly, was awesome! Harry was a bit devastated to learn he would never be that tall, but then Hagrid told him that was a good thing, so he shrugged it off.

Yes, his family was a bit strange. But Harry had imagined several possibilities where he lived in a cupboard with an abusive and neglectful aunt and uncle, and decided that he was much better off. Although Harry knew he might grow up to be a bit sadistic, it was much better than being malnourished.

Now, if only he could find a seed from the Whomping Willow... those seventh years wouldn't know what hit them.