Drabble: Got milk?

[_kb_]

Here's a little something that came to me, and Josh suggested I post
it here for fun. In the spirit of sharing, if anyone likes this well
enough they want to take it and turn it into a full story, you only
have to publicly claim it. This drabble is as far as I plan to take
the idea. (Please do me a favor and pick a better title, I'm just
being whimsical at the moment.) There are a few questions at the end
to spark the imagination... Kevin

---

Bruce parked his milk truck between number six and number four. The
parking lights on his panel truck made an eerie glow in the early
morning fog. Looking to the east, he saw the faint glow that indicated
dawn was not far away. That meant he was right on time to finish his
shift.

Checking the order sheet, he saw that number six wanted a pint of
cream, in addition to their normal two quarts of milk. Number four
wanted nothing extra, so it was the usual three quarts for them.
Grabbing what he needed, he put the bottles in his wire basket and
walked out of his quietly running truck to deliver them.

He dropped off number six's first, where he also picked up a few empty
bottles. But when he arrived at number four's porch, he found a
surprise. Without thinking he swapped the full bottles for the
empties, but his attention was riveted to a wicker basket with a small
face in it. Peeling back the blanket revealed the rest of a sleeping
baby with a blood encrusted scar on its little forehead.

Bruce's anger flared. Who would leave an injured baby on a doorstep on
a very cool November night, because that was clearly what had
happened. Or else, he suddenly thought, did the baby belong to these
people and they were trying to give the baby to him, or anyone else
who came along early in the morning? Looking again, he noticed an
envelop in the basket. It was too dark to read it here, so he picked
up the basket of baby and his basket of bottles, and returned to his
truck. The bottles were stashed with barely a thought.

The baby basket was put beside his chair and he again picked up the
envelop with no name. With a shrug, he opened it and began to read.

Dear Petunia,

OK, that meant this family was not getting rid of the baby, and that
it had been dropped off here. The name Petunia rang a bell somewhere
too, and it was not because it was on his order sheet. All that was
there was " V. Dursley".

I'm terribly sorry to inform you that your sister Lily
and her husband have been murdered. Fortunately,
little Harry survived and I bring him to you because you
are the last of the Evans line and there are no Potters.

Petunia Evans, Lily Evans. Why did that ring a bell? Bruce kept
reading.

I ask that you accept him into your home. If you will
verbally say, "I accept Harry Potter into my home as
part of my family," then that will complete his protection
for as long as he can call your house his home. That will
keep him, and by extension your family too, safe.

Please raise him as your own and tell him of his heritage
when he gets older. We will contact you when he turns 11
to make arrangements to send him to school.

Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore

That's some name, Bruce thought. He also considered the situation he
was presently in, or rather the situation the baby was in. It was
quite cool outside, in fact, he had the heater in his truck on at the
moment. He also had met the Dursleys a few times trying to collect
payment when they had not mailed theirs in. They had not been pleasant
people, although maybe that was just because he had been making a
collection. Still, they did not look like pleasant people and they had
been very rude to him. Lastly, the names Petunia, Lily, Evans, and
Potter seemed familiar for some reason. Then it hit him.

A few years ago, his wife had dragged him to a family reunion on her
side. There, they had met a second cousin or something named Lily
Evans who was engaged to a bloke named Potter. That Lily had a sister
named Petunia. He wondered what the odds were they were all the same
people. In thinking back, he would have to admit that he had not paid
much attention to everyone, but there was some similarities between
those women and the woman who lived at the Dursley house, at least
from what little he could remember.

Figuring it could not hurt, Bruce wedged the wicker basket in among
the crates and then slowly started driving back to the plant. He'd
drop the truck off and take the baby home. Sarah would remember if all
the names fit and this Petunia Evans became a Dursley. If not, he
could take the baby back before the Dursleys woke up. If they did all
match, then he and Sarah were family too and he would bet that he
could convince her to keep the abandoned baby.

They had been trying to have a baby for several years and had not been
able to, so he all but knew that Sarah would say yes. Adopting the
baby, Harry he remembered, should be pretty easy. Their home would be
far better than an orphanage, and probably better than the Dursleys as
well. They would be sure little Harry did not lose his heritage,
whatever that was. When he got older, Bruce would explain what
happened and let Harry decide what name he wanted: Potter or Creevey.

--- end of premise ---

Sarah is a distant Muggle relative (2nd cousin and ~10 yrs older than
Lily/Petunia), and because she's a muggle and not in the immediate
family of Lily, the wizarding world not keep track of her.

Will Sarah uttering the "magic phrase" constitute acceptance? (yes)

Assuming Dumbledore has his little silver instruments already attuned
to Harry, how will they react? (showing normal?) Or are they attuned
to Privet Dr? (where they'd show dead) [work out the magical theory on
the instruments and what/who AD would have attuned them to]

What happens when A.Figg gets on the scene and discovers no HP? When
would she show up? (could be a couple of years) How long would it take
her to find out? How would the Dursleys react when the old woman is
poking her nose in their business, and therefore how would they react
to AD when he shows up inquiring about Harry, whom they know nothing
of?

Is it possible for Dumbledore to track Harry in any other way to find
him? (are there tracking charms?) Can an owl be tracked or a tracking
charm put on a letter?

(assuming AD can find HP) What if the Creeveys adopt him before
Dumbledore finds him, would Dumbledore try to take Harry away,
especially when he can see strong blood wards in existence? What would
the Creeveys do if AD tried? Would AD explain Harry's magical heritage
or just say that he'll be back when Harry is 11? Would Hagrid still be
sent after Harry in the summer of 1991?

What if AD quickly finds out (due to his instruments) that Harry is
not with the Dursleys? (the opposite of the above paragraph) What
would he do and what would the Creevey's do? (they would not yet be
the legal guardians)

How would Harry be changed by growing up in a loving family:? With 2
little brothers (Colin and Dennis) who won't be fan-boys? Does this
change where he gets sorted? Does this personality change affect who
his close friends are (almost certainly if he gets sorted into a
different house)

???

===

[Jonathan Avery]

You always have such interesting ideas for story plots. It would be interesting to see where someone could take this.


--
- A good novel is an indivisible sum; every scene, sequence and passage of a good novel has to involve, contribute to and advance all three of its major attributes: theme, plot, characterization.
Ayn Rand - The Romantic Manifesto p. 74 (pb 93)

[calgary]

Very innovative drabble. I like the way you spun out the story in
relativily few words. The name Creevey was a great touch touch at the
end. LOL...you set yourself up a very interesting story.

[josh Moshpit]

I say it again, publicly. With the name Creevey at the end, this
would deserve a Horror label. :)

[squidtamer]

ははは! HaHaHa!

Maybe a horror story for Harry, but more likely a comedy for the
reader.

Can you imagine Harry being raised to act like Colin? He'd probably
run over Ron on the train and drive everyone, including Hagrid, nuts
when they met him. But at least the twins would get a new favorite
target out of the deal. ^_^