Just a bit of fun.

It's a common complaint that the adults in Harry Potter should have been more responsible or Harry and co. should have done as they were told, but do these readers understand the utter dullness that would ensue? Let's see.

Warnings for OOC responsibility and not so much as even mild peril.

BOOK ONE: A Stitch in Time saves Nine.

~oOo~

Harry Potter ran down the stairs to collect the post.

"Don't run, Harry! You could fall and hurt yourself!" called Uncle Vernon.

"Sorry, Uncle Vernon," sang Harry as he picked up the envelopes and brought them to the table where they all sat down to a breakfast of bran flakes, figs and prunes and lashings of orange juice.

"I've got a letter!" announced Harry happily.

"Who's it from, popkin?" asked Aunt Petunia, serving up the wholemeal toast with soy spread.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" cried Harry.

"Hurrah!" cried Dudley. "I wonder if it will be like Mummy said. Auntie Lily and Uncle James met there!" He pointed to the small shrine in remembrance of Aunt Petunia's sister in the corner. "You're so lucky to be a wizard, Harry!"

"But you have talents too, Dudders," affirmed Harry positively. "I wish I was as talented at all-in wrestling as you are!"

"Thanks, Harry," chirruped Dudley.

Vernon chortled at his two boys, all those therapy sessions of positive reinforcement with the Muggle-Wizard Liaison of Magical Child Placement Services clearly paying off.

"Good boys," said Petunia happily. "Now, I'll send Uncle Albus a letter so he can send someone to help us to Diagon Alley. Lily had a visit from a lady professor called Minerva McGonagall because no one in the family had been magical before. We all went to Diagon Alley with her because Muggles ... which are?"

"Non-magic folk!" the boys answered together.

"That's right! Muggles can't get into Diagon Alley. Once you learn the wand action, Harry, you'll be able to take us and won't that be exciting, popkins?"

Both boys grinned as they nodded enthusiastically.

"Will I be able to have owl?" Harry bounced on his seat.

"Of course, dear. How else will you write to us every week?"

~oOo~

Albus Dumbledore unfolded from the Floo that had been directly connected between Privet Drive and his office at Hogwarts in case there was an emergency with Harry's magic since the day he had taken Harry to the Dursleys' house.

He had waited until morning and, over breakfast, had told Petunia the terrible news of her sister's death and that of her husband at the hands of a Dark wizard. He explained that Lily's sacrifice had saved young Harry's life and had given him magical protection that would extend to Petunia's home whilst Harry could call it home. He asked if Petunia and Vernon would take Harry in and be the family he had lost.

Albus had placed baby Harry in her arms. He hadn't cried although he was wide awake.

"Look Vernon. He has Lily's eyes."

Vernon stood up straight behind Petunia. "Of course we will take Harry. He's family."

"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "There will be a carer's stipend for Harry's needs and I will always be on hand for any accidental magic incidents or any questions or issues you may have. Also, the Muggle-Wizard Liaison will be at your service to assist with all Harry's magical needs."

Albus had been as good as his word and visited them once a fortnight to keep track of Harry's progress and help with accidental magic reversal. He took care of Harry's pre-school magical education, teaching him about Wizarding nursery rhymes, folklore, history, rules on underage magic and etiquette. Dudley was always allowed to join these afternoons so he didn't feel left out.

Petunia spent a great deal of time reassuring Dudley that these happened to be Harry's gifts, but Dudley had many of his own. They were both just as special. These were techniques she had been taught at night school at sessions run by Muggle-Wizard Liaison of Magical Child Placement Services. Petunia just couldn't imagine how things would have turned out without all the assistance they had been given. Still, she was sure they would have managed to muddle along.

~oOo~

Albus had been keen to keep Harry apart from the magical world so he would not become the focus of any unwanted attention of either side of the previous war. He also hoped that this way, no-one could prejudice his views before he entered Wizarding society. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon agreed whole-heartedly with this course. It wouldn't do for the boy to become big-headed from the attention, after all.

After what had happened to poor Tom, Albus blamed himself that he had not been more proactive in the care of that boy, hardened sociopath or not. Albus had set up the Muggle-Wizard Liaison of Magical Child Placement Services to ensure that no magical child would be allowed to go unmonitored or (if necessary) untreated in the future.

~oOo~

"O' course," said Ron, nodding knowledgeably, "before the last war, there were other houses at Hogwarts, but now everyone is divided alphabetically to prevent the old rivalries. My dad said Professor Dumbledore's right fierce about people trying to bring it back." He sighed heavily. "Now it's A to F, G to L, M to R, and S to Z. I'd'a loved to have been a lion in Gryffindor Tower like my Mum and Dad, but there are even new dorms now. All the same as each other."

Professor McGonagall met them at the hall doors and sorted them alphabetically into four columns and them led them into the Great Hall.

Harry's breath whipped away when he saw the enchanted ceiling. Uncle Albus had told him about Hogwarts, of course, but this was beautiful!

"Do you think we'll be able to explore?" asked Harry.

"Mum says her brothers used to explore the castle all the time." Ron shrugged. "But there's a curfew charm so students can't get to explore after lights-out and no-entry charms on all the interesting places. It would've been brilliant, wouldn't it?"

"Brilliant," agreed Harry, "but probably not very responsible."

"All right Blaise?" Ron said as he peeled away from Harry to sit at table Four. "See ya, Harry."

"See you, Ron," smiled Harry as he sat down at table Three with the Patil twins, hoping he'd remember the other names quickly. He looked over at a blonde boy with a pointed face who seemed to be very put out that his other friends were at tables One and Two.

"Not got your bodyguards, Draco?" drawled another boy.

"Shut it, Theo." The boy called Draco pouted.

~oOo~

So far, Harry had had History of Magic with a young professor, who cut a dash through the First Goblin War as he asked the First Years to draw pictures of the battle he was describing. It was great.

Draco entertained them with stories his father had told him how, in the old days, the staircases used to move and there had been a poltergeist called Peeves. Dumbledore had charmed the staircases static and the Ministry's Unspeakables had exorcised Peeves so the castle would be a safer place for the students.

Professor Flitwick and Charms were great. Harry thought he might be good at Charms.

Transfiguration seemed to be very difficult to Harry, and Professor McGonagall was very strict.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was taught by Uncle Albus. There had been a teacher called Professor Quirrell but something had happened to him and he'd been taken away to Azkaban. The students didn't know what he'd done though.

~oOo~

Professor Burbage took Comparative Studies: all Muggleborns had lessons about wizarding culture (just like Uncle Albus had given Harry when he was young) and all pure-bloods and half-bloods learnt about Muggle culture and technology.

"My Dad would have loved this at school!" said Ron. "You wait 'til I tell him we've looked at a Muggle car!" Ron leant forward confidentially. "Dad's got a Muggle car, and he's charmed it to fly."

"That's brilliant! Can we fly it?" enthused Harry.

"Nah. It's Charmed only to work for Dad and not outside our property. Be brilliant though, wouldn't it?" said Ron wistfully.

~oOo~

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" asked Professor Snape. "No-one? For one point?"

Several hands shot into the air. Snape smiled. Nothing worked as well as encouragement, as he'd learnt from his counselling sessions after the war.

~oOo~

Harry and all of House Three were so excited about learning to fly. Draco and Theo had been bragging about how they flew at home and had the very, very best brooms. Unfortunately for them, Madam Hooch had enchanted the practice area so no-one could fly higher than ten feet above the ground until she decided they were all ready as a class to progress.

~oOo~

The Hallowe'en Feast had been just brilliant. Harry thought he might make himself sick on all the food. Funnily enough though, there appeared to be an anti-gorging charm so no child could eat more than the calories they required. Harry thought that was such a sensible idea.

~oOo~

Harry was so pleased to be home for Christmas: he'd missed his family so much!

On Christmas morning, Harry and his family went to his parents' grave in Godric's Hollow with Uncle Albus, just like they did every year. Then they came back for presents and turkey. Uncle Albus couldn't stay as he had to eat with students at Hogwarts, but Harry didn't mind. Christmas was for family, after all.

Harry had a great haul of presents, including this year little presents from Ron's Mum, Draco, the Patil twins and one from Uncle Albus. For the first time, it wasn't a book token. This year, Harry received a really beautiful cloak. It was heavy wool and just the trick to keep out the bitter Scottish cold. Uncle Albus said that it reminded him that he had something of Harry's dad's to give him – but not until he was an adult.

So, that was something to look forward to.

~oOo~

The spring term seemed to fly by with all manner of new things.

Professor Burbage arranged for an outing to a Muggle football match with the help of Dean Thomas so the pure-blood and half-blood children could see a Muggle sport in action and compare it with Quidditch. Hermione Granger hadn't wanted to go and said it was low-brow. Professor Burbage promised there would be many more trips next year, to museums and the theatre as well as broadening the sports to tennis and athletics. It was all part of the Ministry's post-war Magical-Muggle Understanding Initiative, after all.

Professors Snape and McGonagall invited Harry and Neville Longbottom for tea because they thought it would be nice for the boys to hear stories of of their parents' childhood and school days. It was all part of the Ministry's War Orphan Outreach Programme. Professor Snape had looked a bit glazed at times and seemed to need a few nudges along the way from Professor McGonagall, but Harry thought that perhaps he was tired - he was certainly always pale.

~oOo~

Into the summer term, they all revised hard for their exams and now it was the Leaving Feast. It was a magnificent feast and they were awaiting the Presentation.

Theo told Harry how his father had told him that there used to be a House Cup, and rivalry ran really high by this time of year to try to get as many points as possible. Now it was just a personal prize for the student with the highest points in each year.

"What's the prize?" asked Harry breathlessly as he munched a roast potato.

"A book token," Theo grimaced.

~oOo~

At King's Cross, the students jostled through the gateway to the Muggle world.

Harry saw his family by the car and they waved delightedly to him.

"Popkin!" called Aunt Petunia, sweeping Harry into a hug.

"Now, Petunia dear," said Uncle Vernon kindly. "We discussed this. Our boys are growing into men now." Vernon stuck out his hand for Harry to shake. Harry gave him a big hug instead.

Uncle Vernon gave Hedwig an owl treat and placed the cage gently into the foot well.

"Can you show me some magic you learned this year, Harry?" said Dudley as they piled into the back seat.

"We're not allowed to do magic at home. Sorry," said Harry.

"A very sensible approach," said Aunt Petunia.

"Very responsible, these wizards," concurred Uncle Vernon.

~oOo~