Ever Know | Harry Potter

05: A Professor's Concern

Dumbledore's other matters turned out to be talking to Mrs Figg through the fireplace and having a meeting with Minerva McGonagall.

"I'm worried about Kerria Potter, Albus," said Professor McGonagall.

"And why is that, Minerva?" asked Dumbledore. He had a feeling why, but he needed to hear the professor voice it.

"She seems to have an unhealthy obsession about true crime," said Professor McGonagall, "or, in other words, murder."

Dumbledore nodded, "I just finished talking to Mrs Arabella Figg and she said that Miss Potter's love of true crime developed when she was 'round eight-years-old. The only known act of violence that Kerria ever showed was when she smashed her cousin's remote control aeroplane with her foot and threatened that the next time, it would be his and his friend's heads, because they were taking turns trying to hit her with the toy aeroplane, chanting, 'hit the witch.'"

Professor McGonagall frowned, "They told me that they didn't know they were a witch and wizard 'til they got their acceptance letters."

"Ah, yes, Arabella told me that they didn't know they had magic, but the word 'witch' was used as a insult to Kerria. There was this incident in the girls' toilets at school where Kerria had gotten beaten up by a group of older girls for accidentally doing magic, and 'witch' was the most common insult geared towards her, which Dudley and his friends gladly used to insult her, along with 'freak'."

"That explains why she flinched when I mentioned the word 'witch'," said Professor McGonagall. "Poor girl had been bullied and beaten by her peers for things she couldn't control, especially by her cousin and his friends." Now she knew why Kerria and Harry didn't want to go back to Privet Drive.

For a moment, Dumbledore looked sympathetic. "It was a good thing that incident didn't traumatize her or else..."

Professor McGonagall nodded.

"If you're worried that she'll turn into the next Tom Riddle, Kerria had shown compassion when Dudley knocked Arabella over when she was crossing Privet Drive. Kerria ran over to help her up. Arabella had a broken leg at the time."

Professor McGonagall almost smiled.

"And Kerria has things that Tom Riddle didn't have," said Dumbledore. "Kerria knows what love is. She seemed especially fond of the cat and owls that she and Harry got for their birthday."

Professor McGonagall couldn't help but give another small smile at the mention of Kerria getting a cat.

"Kerria also has Harry, a relative that clearly loves her despite her...interest of true crime," said Dumbledore. "He seemed more exasperated when Kerria brought up Mary Bell."

"Yes, he did seem exasperated when Kerria mentioned it," said Professor McGonagall. "And he does entertain her when he didn't know what the difference is between manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter."

"Entertaining, but not condemning," said Dumbledore. "That shows that he loves her and she knows it. I have no doubt that she talked to him a lot about true crime, which is why he gets exasperated."

"He called her creepy, when we were going to their parents' vault," Professor McGonagall pointed out.

"Just a brotherly insult," said Dumbledore. "No malice behind it, I assume?"

"She did take it lightly and said that it was probably why she didn't have any friends," said Professor McGonagall. "However, apparently it was Dudley's fault."

"Another reason why they didn't want to go home," said Dumbledore.

"How can a person their age be so cruel to his own cousins?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"I don't know," said Dumbledore, "but I feel assured that she wanted to make sure that they got out of their environment. She was thinking of her and her brother, which again, shows empathy and compassion, a few qualities that Tom Riddle lacked."

Professor McGonagall was now frowning.

"If you're still worried, I have left them in the care of Madam Amelia Bones for a few reasons," said Dumbledore.

Professor McGonagall was a little surprised. "Why?"

"Amelia Bones agreed to keep an eye on Kerria and send me updates, in case anything suddenly bad happens," said Dumbledore. "I bet Miss Susan can be able to relate to them because of their shared circumstances. It would be something that the three of them can bond over, which is something that Tom Riddle lacked."

"What if she gets sorted into Slytherin? She certainly wasn't above using her knowledge to her advantage to get out of her home life," said Professor McGonagall.

"Which is a good thing, if I had to admit," said Dumbledore. "She did make a point, Tom Riddle came out of a cruel orphanage and he turned into who he is. I did look into Mary Bell, a Muggle girl from the nineteen-sixties, and I believe her situation turned her into a murderer. When she got taken out of her home life, she vanished into obscurity, with help from the Muggle law. I suspect that her situation was the best outcome because she was a child and was able to turn into an upstanding citizen with the proper guidance. I have no doubt that Madam Bones would be able to nudge Kerria into the right direction and show the consequences of what happens if Kerria starts going down a dark path."

Professor McGonagall said, "There is a reason why You-Know-Who had cut the S in her neck."

"I suspect that Voldemort was trying to subvert the prophecy by marking Kerria. The prophecy said 'boy' and he was trying to eliminate Harry to change it. I wouldn't doubt that Voldemort had decided that Kerria would be an interesting opponent. Maybe it was a mercy; maybe he decided to let her live so she can go after him if she found out that he had killed Harry, if Harry had died. Kerria does have a look of intelligence about her," Dumbledore explained.

"He wanted her to be his true equal?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, to try and change his fate," said Dumbledore.

Professor McGonagall stared. "So, she is the real Chosen One?"

"No, Harry is the true Chosen One," said Dumbledore. "Harry was the one who survived. He is the one destined to be Voldemort's downfall."

Professor McGonagall nodded, "What do we do with Kerria?"

"We'll have to keep an eye on her and hope that she finds her right path," said Dumbledore. "And try to keep nudging her in the right direction."

"What if she ends up in Slytherin?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Let's hope that she will find the right friends in Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "The ones who won't lead her down a dark path."

Professor McGonagall nodded, "I see."

"Let's hope that Harry, Susan, and Madam Bones can keep her on the right path this summer," said Dumbledore.

"Okay, Albus," said Professor McGonagall. "I trust that you know what you're doing."

"We just have to keep an eye on her when she gets to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.