Having a Family is Wonderful, Part 3
Grimmauld Place, same date and time as the last chapter.
Bill, Remus, and Sirius led the seven teens down the stairs and into the kitchen, Artemis in his accustomed place on Mina's shoulder. Tonks was haphazardly assisting an old man with a strange eye to put maps away, and Arthur was setting the table, while Molly was waving her wand at about ten different pots, "Hurry up, dears, and help get plates and things out, I can't imagine what's kept you all this time."
Mina ducked her head sheepishly as she entered, "Sorry, Molly, they were teaching me more about magic, and we lost track of time."
Harry interjected, yawning widely, "Yeah, and I was having a hard time waking up."
Molly turned around and looked at them all, "Oh, I didn't mean for you two to do anything. Just take a seat and everything will be on the table in a few minutes." They nodded and took their places while dishes and silverware flew around them.
Tonks and the old man sat down at the far end of the table, Tonks smiling at Mina and asking, "Wotcher, Mina, you doing ok?"
Mina nodded, "Yes, thanks, Miss Tonks. Did you hear about yesterday?"
Tonks shook her head, "Nope, been busy at work. And it's Tonks only, remember? I hate the silly name my mother gave me."
Mina and the others laughed, "Ok, fine, just Tonks. Well, I went to the bank to do a genealogy test, and it said I was the daughter of a Squib from the Malfoy family. My escorts were concerned, so I got Blood Adopted. I'm now Minako Lupin. Oh, and I'm a full Veela."
Tonks was so surprised her hair turned from pink to white, "You don't do things by halves, do you, Mina. Mother's younger sister married Lucius Malfoy, and the whole family is a bunch of stuck-up pricks."
"Nymphadora!" Molly interjected in a shocked tone, "I know they're not the nicest people, but they're still your relatives."
"Mum, leave it. She's-“
“-right. Malfoy Junior-“
“-is just as much of-“
“-a git as we hear-“
“-Senior used to be." The twins cut in with even tones, "Besides,-“
“-perhaps this new-“
“-information will help-“
“-sway the family-“
“-as a whole away-“
“-from Voldie and-“
“-his followers."
Harry looked down the table at them, "If Mina can do that, I think the Malfoys as a whole might owe her a LifeDebt." There was general merriment at his comment.
"Mum, can I go with Bill and Professor Lupin tomorrow? I want to see what a Cursebreaker does." Ginny piped up, "I promise to be quiet and stay out of the way."
Molly looked down the table at Bill and Remus, "Go where, exactly, you two. What is more important than cleaning this house?"
Bill looked nervous and glanced at Remus and Sirius for guidance. Remus spoke up, "Er, Molly, I can't tell you right now, but I hope it will be soon. I promise she won't be in any danger, if that's what you're worried about."
Molly sighed, "If you insist, Ginny. But Remus, Bill, I'll want an accounting when you are able to tell me."
Remus smiled, "I can do that, Molly, as soon as I'm able to tell you something."
The old man next to Tonks spoke up from the corner where he was eyeing Molly's cooking with an air of suspicious but grudging thanks, "Does this have anything to do with what Arthur approached me with earlier? Speaking with a Muggle about Potter's relatives, and Wormtail?"
Mina nodded, "Yes, sir. You must be Mr. Moody. I have contacts with the Muggle Government who are concerned about Harry and have agreed to look into them as a favor to me."
Molly cut in, "Can we please keep business talk away from the supper table? Just once I'd like to have a nice, stressless meal."
"Sorry, Mum," chorused Ginny and the twins.
"Sorry Molly, " said Mina and Remus.
"I'll have more questions for you, girl, when we're finished eating." Moody harrumphed and lapsed into vigilant silence. Mina nodded.
Harry spoke into the gloom, “Well, can you tell me what I missed today?”
Ron laughed, “This morning we were cleaning out one of those upper bedrooms and an antique set of robes tried to kill me. Took Ginny, the twins, and Mum to get them off me. I swear, no one’s worn those ruddy things since Dumbledore was a kid.” The rest of the table laughed with him.
Mina spoke up, “And I met Doxies. Ugly little things, with really sharp teeth. I’m glad none of us got bitten.”
“Mina, how do you keep up with your studies, being a peripatetic international super-agent?” Bill asked curiously.
Mina shrugged, “Alan’s family has always hired tutors for me, especially after I presented as Sailor V. My writing isn’t that terrific, but I’ve always aced the physical tests they set me. I think my favorite subject is maths. I’d like to settle down, eventually, once I find my team.”
“I’m sure you’ll find them soon, Mina,” Hermione spoke up, “we’ll be rooting for you here.” The others nodded their agreement.
Ginny was the next to ask a question, “Mina, how do you keep your hair so long without getting tangled? And it’s so thick! I’m actually jealous of you.”
The rest of the table laughed at her as Mina responded, “I suppose it’s just naturally like that. I can show you the products I use if you like. Tomorrow, perhaps, or the next day.”
Ginny nodded, “We’ll see how tomorrow goes, then.”
Harry and the twins had by this time finished eating and lapsed into a whispered conversation about the Gryffindor Quidditch team. “But we haven’t had-“
“-a reserve since-“
“-Katie, the year-“
“-before you joined. So-“
“-we don’t know who-“
“-could take Ollie’s place-“
“-as Keeper. Or Captain.”
“Wouldn’t it be one of you? Or one of the girls instead, since they’re older?” Harry looked between them, curious.
Fred started, “Probably Angie or-“
“-Alicia will be Captain. It’s-“
“-the last year for-“
“-both of them.”
Harry nodded, “I’ll look forward to practice, then. If I’m allowed back to school, that is.” All three of them went quiet at the thought of Harry’s trial the next week.
Molly stood up and waved her wand, bringing out a couple of pies, “I made strawberry-rhubarb and apple, if anyone would like dessert.”
Most of the table bit back a groan, “Molly, I swear, you don’t want the boys to be able to fly this year.” Sirius laughed, “Gryffindor needs its Seeker and Beaters, you know.”
Harry waved it off, “No thanks, I’m full for now. Can I have some after this meeting with Mina’s friend?”
Molly smiled at him, “Of course you can, Harry, it’ll be in the icebox when you’ve finished.”
Mina stood up, “I should run upstairs and get my mirror, so I’ll have to wait on that pie also, Molly. I’m sure it’s delicious.” She didn’t wait for a response and darted up the stairs to the fourth floor, grabbed the plain mirror, and dashed back down to the sitting room where Harry, Sirius, Remus, Bill, Tonks, and Moody were waiting for her. None of them had any pie in hand, though Tonks was still chewing. “Da, is there a spell to project the image from the mirror? I’m pretty sure it’s not big enough for all seven of us to look into at the same time.”
Remus chuckled, “I can cast an Enlargement spell on it while we’re talking with Alan, and then shrink it back when we’ve finished. Put it on the mantelpiece, and then activate it and step away.”
Mina nodded and followed instructions, saying “Brother” to the mirror as she set it down at her shoulder height, then sat down on the couch next to Harry.
Remus stepped up to the mirror and waved his wand, murmuring “Engorgio” while pointing at the mirror, which grew to four times its normal size as Alan’s face appeared.
“Ah, right on time, Mina. Good show. And these are your new friends?” Alan smiled around the room, his sharp eyes taking note of the casual-yet-protective way Remus sat on the arm of the couch next to Mina.
“Yes, Alan, from my right I’d like to introduce you to my Da, Remus Lupin, then Sirius Black, Bill Weasley is the Cursebreaker, Tonks and Mr. Moody are the Aurors, and lastly next to me is Harry Potter.” Mina went around the room individually, “Everyone, this is Lord Alan Timothy Archer Tisdale Alda-Farrell, my handler with MI6 and a member of the family that raised me.”
They all murmured hello’s before Moody took charge, “I’m told you wish to help Potter leave his relatives. Why? Dumbledore says he’s safe enough there.”
Harry snorted before Alan could reply, “Yeah, if by safe you mean still alive. I may share blood with Petunia and Dudley, but I’ve never felt loved, or even wanted.”
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Mina nodded, “Even in my short time in that house, I felt that he was unwelcome. Can you imagine, the woman blamed Harry for his cousin’s injuries.” She shook her head, furious, before Remus settled a calming hand on her shoulder. “As if Harry would hurt someone on purpose. Ridiculous.”
Harry blushed, “Not many pick up on that, Mina. Though Ron and the twins had to rescue me from there the summer before our second year at school.”
Alan looked alarmed, “What do you mean, ‘rescue?’ You were being held against your will?”
Harry nodded, “I had gotten an official letter from the Ministry of Magic for a Hover Charm that a house elf had performed in the kitchen, and Uncle Vernon paid a man to put bars on the windows. He also installed several locks on my bedroom door and put in a cat flap so Aunt Petunia could feed me twice a day.”
Tonks gasped, “That’s barbaric! No one said anything about Harry being kept from Hogwarts when I joined the Order.”
Moody nodded, “Yes, Dumbledore was quite specific that Potter had to return to the house of his mother’s sister every year. Seemed keen on avoiding opening a conversation about him going anywhere else, as a matter of fact.”
Sirius spoke up, “The man is just as keen on keeping me from getting a retrial.” He snorted like his Animagus form, “Or, rather, a trial to begin with. I was sent to Azkaban straight from my arrest, no cushy stop in the Ministry’s holding cells for the ‘mass murderer.’ Oh, no, the Ministry wanted to be seen as proactive.” He rolled his eyes, and the teenagers joined him. “I was there for twelve long years, until I saw a news article that had a picture of Wormtail.”
Alan furrowed his brow, “Could you explain to me who this Wormtail is, and why he’s so dangerous?”
Remus nodded, “Wormtail, or Peter Gabriel Pettigrew to give him his legal name, was one of our roommates at Hogwarts. Him, Sirius, and Harry’s father James. I had been bitten by a werewolf when I was a child, and out of shame I hid it from them. Sirius and James being the clever wizards that they are, they figured it out, and decided to become Animagi, to keep me company on full moon nights when I would be a danger to humans.” Sirius obligingly turned into a dog and back again, lolling on the carpet in front of Harry. “Wormtail is a rat, and there never was a truer indication of character. He betrayed James and his wife Lily to the evil wizard who goes by Voldemort, then framed Sirius for both their deaths and the 12 Muggles who died the next day when Sirius tracked him down. I was... well, unavailable by that point, or I would have stopped him.”
Tonks blinked, her eyes actually changing colors from green to pink, then to purple, “Oh, so that’s why Mum was always convinced of your innocence!”
Sirius grinned over at her, “I always said your Mum was my favorite cousin.”
Moody growled, “If we can get back to the subject at hand, Lord Black, we can talk about proving your innocence to the people who still think you are guilty.”
A general chorus of “Sorry Moody!” came from most of the Wizarding folk as they tittered.
Bill was the one to pick up the dropped story thread, “So this Wormtail, he can’t show his human face to anyone, because they think he’s dead, see? He goes into hiding with a Wizarding family, one well-placed at the Ministry, who were on the ‘winning’ side of the last war.” Here he stopped and took a deep breath, composing himself, “That family was mine. One of my younger brothers found him bleeding at the bottom of the garden, and convinced our parents to let him keep the poor rat as a pet. For ten years he belonged to Percy, and then Percy made Prefect and was gifted an owl. The rat, renamed as Scabbers for some Merlin-awful reason, was inherited by my youngest brother, Ron, until two years later when our father won the Daily Prophetraffle.”
Remus interjected, “That’s the Wizarding newspaper, they’re not the most reliable source of news, especially now. Ministry’s leaning heavily on them to keep the events of the Tournament out of circulation.”
Bill continued, “They came, all eight members of my family, to visit me in Egypt, where I’d been assigned at the time by the bank I work for. The Prophet ran a picture of the Weasley family on the front page, which is where Sirius saw it when Minister Fudge went to visit him.” He looked over at Sirius curiously, “Were those common, the Azkaban inspections?”
Sirius shrugged, “Common enough. Once or twice a month, I think? Anyway, I asked Fudge for his paper when he came through, and that night I turned into my Grim and slipped between the bars, jumped out a window, and swam to somewhere in Scotland. The reason I hadn’t gone insane like most of the rest of the inmates was because I knew I was innocent of my crimes. It wasn’t a happy thought, which the Dementors feed off of, but it was the truth. They also can’t read animals, something about the minds not being complex enough for them to understand. So I landed and set off down the coast towards Surrey, where I’d heard and read that Harry had been placed with his Muggle family. I knew nothing about Lily’s sister, other than the fact that she wasn’t a witch, and vaguely recalled her making some sort of scene at Lily’s wedding, so I genuinely thought Harry was happy when I went to check up on him.”
Harry snorted, “I’d just blown up my Aunt Marge like a balloon and ran away, how’s that for ‘alright.’ When I saw that huge black dog I fell backwards over my trunk in shock. Knight Bus showed up and scared him off, or we might have been reunited then.” He chuckled, “Stan the conductor probably still thinks my name is Neville Longbottom. He’s one of my roommates at school, just a day older than I am.” The group laughed while he frowned, “Poor kid, his gran scares his knickers off, and yet his greatest fear is our Potions professor.”
Remus commented, “Potions is something like chemistry, with greater chance for permanent disfigurement or death. We take it every year until our O.W.L.s, the first five years of school, and more if our desired occupation requires a N.E.W.T. in the subject. O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s are the equivalent of O-Levels and A-Levels in the Muggle world. I, being the overachiever that I am, sat for all four sets of tests. Got high marks in just about everything except Divination. I’m a half-blood, you see, Mum was a Welsh nurse who got sick right before I graduated. She was so proud when I self-studied for the History exams and got Highest Honors.”
Moody growled a warning, so Harry hurriedly continued, “Well, the Minister found me at the Leaky Cauldron and gave me a stern warning about staying in Diagon Alley for the rest of the summer, claiming ‘a mad serial killer’ was on the loose and looking to collect me as his next victim.” Harry snorted again, “Wrong wizard, right premise.”
Remus took up the tale again, “Dumbledore had asked me to be their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor that year, and I jumped at the chance to see how things were going here in England. Suffice to say, they were not good, and I ended up teaching Harry the incredibly difficult and complex Patronus charm, which is a little like summoning your guardian angel to be visible and semi-tangible. There are two basic forms of it: a silvery mist, which envelops like fog, and the corporeal animal, which is usually either your Animagus, your soulmate’s Animagus, or that of the person closest to you if you have neither.” He glanced at Sirius, who nodded, all trace of mirth vanished from his face, and sighed, “Mine is a kestrel, for Sirius’s younger brother Reggie.” He murmured, “Expecto Patronum!” and summoned forth a bright silvery-white light, but it definitely wasn’t a kestrel.
“Uh, Uncle Remmy,” Harry interjected hesitantly, “that’s no kestrel, that’s a fennec fox, I remember studying them in Primary School when we read a bit of Egyptian history.”
“More than that,” Bill replied, “it’s larger than a normal fennec. And see those ears? Usually a fennec’s ears are cone or pyramid in shape, but these are nearly like butterfly wings.”
None of them noticed Tonks’s hands shaking and flickering in shape between hand and fox paw as Moody grumbled, “Much as this theoretical observation is fascinating, we need to get back to the matter at hand. You still haven’t convinced me to help, you know.”
Bill laughed as the fennec faded away at Remus’s perplexed look, “Come off it, Mad-Eye, you know you agreed the moment you told Dad you would stay to listen. Sirius would be much better off if he was able to move freely amongst the populace in human form. Besides,” and here he gave Moody a cheeky grin, “You know you can’t resist a puzzle, and this is a great one.” He looked at Harry steadily as he continued speaking to Moody, “Is there any way an Auror squad can check out a place called Little Hangleton? Harry mentioned it this morning at breakfast, and some things I’ve learnt today suggest taking a look would be more than worth it, for both the Aurors and Cursebreakers.”
Moody’s magical eye spun around, “Little Hangleton, eh? I’ll see what I can do officially. I’m guessing you’ll want to come along as the Cursebreaker in question.” Bill nodded.
Alan, who had been taking notes this whole time, burst in, “Would you please get back to what I can help with? I have a report from the forensic economist, if you’re interested, as well as the surveillance team I’ve had in place since this morning. They switched out at suppertime, and I’ll have three teams a day on them until we’ve learnt everything there is to know from observation.”
Sirius nodded, seeing Remus still shaken by the startling revelation of his Patronus, “I’d like to hear this. Will it be proof enough that I can get custody once I’m declared an innocent man?”
Alan smirked, “Not right now, but it will. I’m guessing Mina suggested therapy for you two?”
Harry nodded, “Yes, sir, and my friend Hermione Granger says she can recommend the doctor she went to after our Second Year.”
Alan raised an eyebrow, “I’ll want to speak with this doctor before they have sessions with you both. Purely for your safety of course, Miss Granger isn’t such a high-profile client as the pair of you will be.”
“I’ll ask her to get her parents to phone you with the information. They’re dentists out in Luton,” Remus had finally recovered, “We recently discovered that her father Richard is a distant cousin of mine.”
Alan laughed, “You’re just finding family left and right, aren’t you Mina? I’m glad for you, truly.” He sobered and continued, “Anyway, the forensic economists have turned up an interesting set of financials. Every month, on the twentieth, they’ve had a deposit from a “Potter Family Trust” of three thousand pounds. This has been going on since 1981. There are gaps from September to May starting in 1991, which I’m presuming to be when you are in school and not under their roof.”
Harry nodded, aghast at what he was hearing. “So someone’s been paying them, out of my own money, to ‘take care of me.’ More like beat me down, physically and verbally, until I’m painfully shy and eager to be friends with anyone. Too bad the first wizarding kid I ever met was one Draco Malfoy, who reminded me so much of Dudley that I recoiled. Or I wonder if that was scripted by someone, to have the poshest prat my age in Madame Malkin’s at the same time that Hagrid was walking me around Diagon Alley for the first time in my life, so I would get scared and be steered towards the ‘right’ friends.” He looked curiously at Bill, “Is there any particular reason your mother was yelling about Muggles and Platform 9 ¾ that first day of school in my first year? I mean, from what I’d read and what I’ve been able to stay awake for through Binns’s lectures, most Wizarding folx actively avoid places with large Muggle populations.”
Bill shrugged, “It’s just Mum? Honestly, I’d be more surprised if she wasn’t yelling about something on September First. With so many kids, she and Dad struggle to make sure everything’s ready.”
“Fred and George were great, by the way. Helped me with my trunk and weren’t a bit starstruck. Not like Ron.” Harry laughed, “Sorry, we’re getting off-track again, but it helps me not get too angry. When I get angry, accidental magic happens. Like with Aunt Marge.” He looked around the room, “Or, well, here. You can see scorchmarks from me earlier. I was shooting lightning bolts from my fingers. Not sure if that’s a normal wizarding thing or if, once again, I’m a freak of nature.” He finished his sentence cynically, with a twisted angry smile.
“Harry, no matter what those Muggles told you, you’re no freak.” Mina took his hands as Sirius turned into his Animagus form again and laid his head on Harry’s knee. “You just appear to be an insanely powerful kid, who needs training much like I did.”
“Mina’s right, Harry, your parents were incredible with magic, and I’m sure this lightning thing is just one more skill, like a talent for Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Remus smiled, “And we can do more of it when you’re away from the Dursleys.”
Alan chuckled, “I think that ties in nicely with my next point of order. The financial records prove that whatever the money was supposed to be spent on, it all went on the three Dursleys. I see a lot of Charity Shop purchases. Several trips for three to various amusement parks and vacation sites.”
Harry clasped Mina’s hands gratefully as he responded to Alan in a tight voice, “Yeah, the only holiday I ever went on was Dudley’s eleventh birthday trip to the zoo, and that only because Mrs. Figg around the corner had broken her leg tripping over one of her cats. Wasn’t until this week I found out she’s a Squib and has been watching me on Dumbledore’s orders my entire life there.” He huffed, “Wonder why she never said anything to him about the abuse they heaped on me. I’m sure she saw, once she even had some salve for a welt off Uncle Vernon’s belt buckle in a, ah, tender place.” He winced and shifted his weight at the memory, “They never aimed for my face or hands, though, not after the one time when I was four and Aunt Petunia burnt my palm because I burnt the bacon.”
In a strangled voice, Tonks asked, “You were four and cooking? At four a child is learning to go potty and read their ABC’s, not cooking an entire meal.”
Harry laughed hollowly, “Yeah, well, to the Dursleys I was always an ungrateful freakish brat they unwillingly took in, so I had to ‘earn my keep,’ eh? It’s part of the reason I reacted so strongly to seeing Dobby for the first time on my twelfth birthday, because I didn’t know the Wizarding World allowed the same manner of abuse.”
Tonks replied softly, “No, it’s not allowed, but some of the older families do it anyway. Mum had horror stories of growing up amongst the Blacks, one of the Oldest and battiest families in Britain. When she ran off and married Dad, a Muggleborn Hufflepuff, it was the biggest scandal since Percival Dumbledore attacked three Muggle boys last century.”
Alan raised an eyebrow, “Sounds familiar. Harry, my people can’t find any medical records for you, except a few redacted notes from a couple school nurses.”
Harry nodded once more, “Probably when I went to school with a broken wrist. Or when Dudley caught me in the schoolyard and gave me a black eye. That happened often enough.” He shrugged, looking down at his and Mina’s hands, “Until we went to different schools at eleven, Dudley’s favorite game with his gang was called ‘Harry Hunting.’ I learnt how to be quite fast, though sometimes I didn’t make it.”
Remus said gently, “It’s probably contributed to your skill as a Seeker, honestly, in spite of your atrocious eyesight. Which I promise we’ll get taken care of next week after your trial.”
Alan blinked, “Trial? What trial? We haven’t set a date with the Children’s Court yet.”
Moody grumpily and tersely replied, “Potter’s been called up by the Ministry for using magic in front of Muggles. His Patronus charm.”
Mina frowned, “I’m coming with you, Harry. That letter included me, and I want a chance to tell them where they can go stuff it. I saw those creatures, felt their chill. It was no figment or showy stunt.” She looked at Alan earnestly, “Trial date’s set for the twelfth, around eleven in the morning. We’ll need information for their Head of Law Enforcement about the Muggle side of things then.”
Alan nodded, “I’ll be sure you get the latest reports. Would Octavian be amenable to ferrying things again? I tell you, Owl Post is quite handy, and it’s more secure than the Royal Mail.”
Remus smiled, “I’m sure we can convince him. Just make sure you have freshly cooked bacon and pineapple juice waiting for him.”
Moody grumbled, “I wouldn’t put it past the Ministry to pull a switch on you at the last minute, Potter, and change something about the trial. It’s only supposed to be a disciplinary hearing, but I’ve heard mutterings in the office that they may pull in the full Wizengamot for you. ‘Make an example of him,’ or some such rot. Constant vigilance!” he shouted, putting nearly everyone on edge, but Tonks simply smiled at him.
“Ah, quit your doom-mongering, Mad-Eye, you’ll scare the kids.” Tonks chuckled, her hair turning purple. “Harry, I’m sure everything will be just fine on Saturday. State your case clearly and plainly, and they’ll have no cause to discipline you.”
Mina nodded, still holding Harry’s hands, “Yeah, and remember? I’m coming with you. I’d like to see them deny you in the face of my testimony.” She shared a secretive grin with him, “Besides, Sailor V can always make another appearance and Love them all into submission.”
Harry laughed and finally let go, “Thanks, Mina, you’re the best. And a much better cousin than Dudley could ever be.”
“Speaking of,” Alan cut in, “When the Crown finds in your favor and removes custody from Vernon and Petunia, what do you want done about Dudley?”
Harry winced, “Can’t you send him to Juvenile Hall? He was just as much an abuser as either of the adults. Worse, sometimes. And they just glossed over it. Last summer was the first time they’ve ever done something about his weight, and that only because the school doesn’t carry his size of uniform. All four of us were put on a diet. I’m so glad I was able to write to friends, otherwise I would have starved on quarter grapefruits and three leaves of lettuce a day.”
Tonks’s hair turned green, “That would have been a headline for the Prophet, ‘Boy-Who-Lived starved to death in Muggle custody!’ The public would have been up in arms.”
Harry shook his head, “Nobody cared enough to look into where I was placed thirteen years ago. Or even when I arrived at Hogwarts, smaller than a Creevey. Food deprivation and heavy corporal punishment in my formative years stunted my growth. I’ll tell you, I was absolutely terrified when I found out that the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament was to go swimming in the bloody loch. In the middle of February, no less. The Dursleys only allowed me to take the swimming classes offered at the local primary school, St. Grogory’s, though they paid several hundred pounds for Dudley to take scuba lessons for when they took long holidays and stuck me with Mrs. Figg. That must have come out of the ‘special funds’ they were given to take care of me.”
Alan nodded, “Well, we can get them for misallocation of funds right from the start, as well as child abuse. I’m also seeing here that Mr. Vernon Dursley has several other large amounts entering a private account from his firm, the drill makers known as Grunnings. Trying to track down where that money is being spent is a nightmare.”
Sirius barked as he turned back human, lolling on the floor, “Probably on all those sweeties and scuba holidays.”
Alan shrugged, “We’ll see. Now, you said Juvenile Hall. Are you saying you don’t want him placed with his Aunt Margaret Dursley?”
Harry shook his head firmly, “Definitely not, she enables the rest of them, as well as participating in the abuse. One of Dudley’s birthdays I recall vividly, she arrived with a huge television set, VCR, and several videos for him. And brought a box of moldy dog biscuits for me. That was the year her favorite dog, Ripper, bit my ankle and then chased me up a tree. She didn’t call him off until well after midnight.” In a quieter voice he added, “Ruddy dog bit so hard he broke my ankle, but none of them cared. I still had mountains of chores to take care of. It stopped hurting after a week or two, but I still have a slight limp. Usually not even noticeable unless I’m really tired. It’s another reason why I love being on the Quidditch team, I don’t have to walk.”
Remus smiled sadly, “You’re an even better flier than your father was, Harry, and he was a Chaser that had several professional teams scouting him our Seventh Year. And Reggie probably could have played pro Seeker.” He glanced at Sirius, who grinned cheekily up at him, “And the goofball on the floor over there was a great Keeper and Beater. Not as good as Oliver Wood or the Weasley Twins, but pretty good.”
Alan had been making notes as Harry spoke, “Well, I’ll certainly push for the destruction of that dog in particular. It appears to be a menace to several of Miss Dursley’s neighbors. He’s actually eaten several cats and squirrels, if you can imagine. Plus we’re suspicious that she may be training many of the dogs she breeds as fighters, which of course is illegal. If true, her entire kennel will need to be destroyed.”
Harry nodded, smiling grimly, “Couldn’t happen to a nicer bitch. The summer before last, when I accidentally blew her up like a balloon, it was because she had called my Mum a bitch, in the dog sense, and said I was wrong in the head because my parents were delinquents and wastrels.”
Sirius snorted, “So that’s why you were running away when we met that August. Explains a lot. Wondering whose bright idea it was to send you there in the first place. I mean, I’ll acknowledge I was a right prat and got myself arrested, but you should not have been sent to Lily’s bloody sister who loathes all things magic. Even with me out of commission, and Peter a traitor, there were several people listed in your parents’ will who could have stepped up and taken you in.”
Remus frowned, “James and Lily’s will was sealed by Dumbledore, for some reason. I’m listed as a secondary guardian in case Sirius was out of commission, but Frank and Alice Longbottom were also on there. Sadly, they were attacked the day after and are currently at St. Mungo’s, insane. Also on the list is Angela Agnes Bones MacKillip, the nanny, but she gave her life to get me to safety. I believe Minerva McGonagall is also mentioned, as well as my mother, but she passed two years later due to cancer.” He looked at Alan, who had a curious look on his face, “My mother, Hope Annette Jones Lupin, was a Welsh nurse. You can look her up if you like.”
Remus continued, “There are several other witches and wizards mentioned, but I don’t recall offhand who else it was by name. When I came back to England two years ago I attempted to find out, but the goblins at Gringotts bank informed me at that time that because the will had been sealed, until either the Chief Mugwump unseals it or Harry comes of age, there is no way to get at the information.”
Harry spoke up suddenly, “Hey, since I was entered in the Triwizard Tournament against my will, and had to compete against three legal adults, wouldn’t that mean I’ve been magically emancipated? I mean, the Cup certainly treated me as one just like the others. And so did Voldie.”
Moody raised his eyebrows at this, “Potter, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. I think we should make discrete inquiries as to this matter, Nymphadora. Might upset the applecart, but not more than anything else these days.”
Tonks’s hair turned purple, “Don’t call me Nymphadora, it’s Tonks only. And I think you’ve got a point there, Harry. If magic’s been treating you like an adult since your name came out of that ruddy cup, then we need to know and plan accordingly.” She looked from Remus to Sirius, then around at Bill and Moody, “I think that means he can choose wherever he wants to live, right? And he should never have been at Privet Drive at all this summer.”
Bill nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. I’m going over there tomorrow to take a look at the house, see about these broken wards Mina told us about, while Remus asks questions.”
Harry grinned, “I cannot wait to hear about your visit.”
Sirius sat up straight, “You won’t have to just hear about it, Harry. I’ve just remembered, there’s a Pensieve somewhere in the house. You can see everything that happened in someone’s memory.”
Harry blinked, then smiled, nodding, “Oh, yeah, I remember, Dumbledore has one in his office. I accidentally fell in.” He glanced at Moody and chuckled, “Saw you with two good eyes and a whole nose.” His face fell as he continued quietly, “And that’s where I heard about Neville’s parents. I’ve been meaning to talk to him, but how do you go up to your roommate and say, ‘hey, I saw a memory of the trial of your parents’ torturers, wanna chat?’ Nah, I’ll let him bring it up, if he wants to tell me.” He shook himself and looked straight at Bill, “You’ll want to check the cupboard under the stairs in your investigations, that’s where I lived the first ten years with the Dursleys. And my other room is hard to miss, it’s the one with all the locks and the cat flap.”
Tonks’s hair turned black, “I remember you telling Kingsley which one it was. I’ve never been so angry than in that moment. Children, especially magical children, are supposed to be treasured and protected. Not treated lower than a house elf since they were old enough to look over a chair.”
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Bill placed a calming hand on her shoulder, “Stop, you’ll make yourself sick. It’s done, you said it yourself, Harry never has to go back there. Even if the Wizengamot rules against him on this matter, we’ll figure something out.”
Moody harrumphed, “Shouldn’t say such things in front of two Aurors, William. But you’re right. I’ll even Confound things myself to make sure of it.”
Alan looked amused, “Am I supposed to be hearing this? High-ranking officials of the Ministry for Magic saying they’ll fudge documents in order to do the right thing?” He laughed, “Ah, well, I’d do the same thing for Mina here, she’s been like a member of the family since her other father dropped her off.” He looked sternly at Remus, “I’ll still want to meet you in person, sir, but I can tell just from tonight that you’ll take care of her.”
Remus nodded, “When we’re done with Harry’s issues for the night I’ll speak with you privately.” He looked around at the others, “Well, do we have anything else to discuss?”
Harry shrugged, “The only other thing to tell you would be specific incidents of their abuse, and I can write those down for Mina so she can owl them to you for the Muggle trial.”
Bill nodded, “I think I’ve heard about all I can without actually seeing the place. I’ll probably have more questions once Remus and I are done tomorrow, though.”
Tonks nodded, “I won’t go back with you, I’ve had enough Dursleys to last me a lifetime. If I do go I’ll probably just get in trouble for losing my temper and hexing the lot of them.”
Moody tapped his staff thoughtfully, “I’ll expect a report from the pair of you when you get back safely. Constant vigilance!”
Mina smiled up at the craggy face, “I’ll make sure they send both you and Alan owls, sir.”
Harry sighed, “I supposed I’ll be stuck here helping clean more dangerous creatures out of the place. Lucky me.” He deadpanned, then burst into laughter, which all of them except Moody joined in on.
Tonks, her hair turning pink and yellow stripes, said between peals of laughter, “Tomorrow’s Saturday, I’ll come by after lunch and help out. You and Cousin Siri won’t be alone with the Weasleys.”
Sirius nodded at her, “Thanks, Dora, means a lot. Maybe once the house is fully cleansed we can invite your Mum for a visit, let her see the old place again.”
Tonks smiled at him, “I know she’d love it. She hasn’t been here since the month before she ran away with Dad. Your Mum was particularly vehement about not wanting a blood traitor to darken her door any longer, I hear.” She glanced at the floor and laughed, “She hasn’t changed her tune one bit, it would seem.”
Sirius shrugged, “When Kreacher gets back from his little vacation I’ll ask him if he can help get that portrait off the wall, it would do a lot towards making this place seem livable.”
“Vacation?” Tonks looked at him, astonished, “Is he sick?”
Sirius glanced guiltily at Remus, Harry, Bill, and Mina, “Er, in a fashion. We’ll explain more after Harry’s hearing next week.”
Alan cleared his throat, “If that’s all, I should speak with Mr. Lupin and Mina privately.”
Harry turned to Mina and smiled, “If this is a dream, I never want to wake up. Someone believes me about the Dursleys, enough that they’re willing to get people to look into them and get me away from them.”
Mina hugged him briefly, noticing him tense up in her arms, “I promise, it’s not a dream, Harry. You’ll never have to go back there.”
She let Harry go and he hastily stood up, “Well, thanks again, Lord Alda-Farrell, I’m sure we’ll be talking again soon.” He beat a quick retreat from the room, noticeably twitchy.
Sirius bounded to his feet, “I’ll go check on him, Mina, don’t worry.” He nodded at Alan, then around at Tonks and the other three wizards, “I’ll see you upstairs later, Remus, and talk to the rest of you tomorrow.” He followed Harry out of the room.
Tonks smiled, “Wotcher, Mina, take care of yourself. Lord Alda-Farrell, it was a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it had been under different circumstances. Mad-Eye, Bill, see you.” She strolled out of the room whistling.
Moody nodded grimly, “Well, you appear to be vigilant enough, young man, I’ll hesitantly trust you with our secrets. But know that if you betray us, what happened to Potter’s parents will seem like child’s play.” He stumped out of the room on his peg leg.
Bill chortled after Moody was gone, “He’s a right terror, I’m so glad I decided to go into Cursebreaking instead. I don’t know how Dora deals with him.” He turned and bowed solemnly to the mirror, “As Heir Weasley, I, William Arthur Weasley, greet the Lord Alda-Farrell, and offer a tentative Oath of Friendship Between Houses. We consider Harry an honorary Weasley, you see, so by protecting him you have the gratitude of House Weasley. I didn’t meet him before last summer, but even in that brief time I couldn’t imagine a better youngest brother.”
Alan returned Bill’s bow with a solemn nod, “I, Lord Alan Timothy Archer Tisdale Alda-Farrell, do so hereby accept the tentative Oath of Friendship Between Houses.” He paused as both he and Bill were surrounded by white sparkles, showing the acceptance of Mother Magic, “At some time in the future one of you will have to sit down with me and explain the different oaths I’ve been swearing to. I mean, I understand on the face of it, but what can Magic do to someone like me who doesn’t have any, in the case of a broken oath?”
Bill quirked his mouth in half a smile, “I can give you the short answer right now. Wizarding folx swear ‘by my wand and my magic’ when we make solemn oaths. It means if or when we break our words, Mother Magic has the right to break our wands and excise our magic from us, turning us into a Squib. Or if the broken oath is severe enough, Mother Magic will take their life as forfeit. The Wizengamot and the International Wizarding Confederation have no authority over oaths of that nature, as Mother Magic is the supreme power.”
“I see,” Alan nodded, “thank you for telling me. I shall endeavor to make sure I don’t break any of my oaths.”
Bill waved as he turned to the door, “Then Mother Magic shouldn’t have any reason to take your life, Lord Alda-Farrell. Remus, Mina, I’ll see you tomorrow in the entrance hall. Eight-ish?” At Remus’s nod, he exited the room.
Now that it was just the pair of them, Remus pointed his wand at the mirror, uttering “Reducio” under his breath and it shrank back to normal size. He gestured for Mina to pick it up.
Mina went and picked up the mirror, then returned to the couch next to Remus, “Ok, Alan, spill. What’s so urgent that you need to meet Da in person?”
Alan rubbed his forefinger with his thumb, “And what makes you think anything is urgent, Mina? Can’t a big brother be concerned about his little sister?”
Mina frowned, then laughed, “I see, you’re jealous you’re not the only man in my life anymore. Don’t worry, Alan, I promise no one could take your place in my affections.”
Alan looked sheepish as Remus laughed, “Lord Alda-Farrell, I promise, Mina is safe. When it’s my time of month, I take a special potion, rendering me harmless.”
“Mina mentioned something about that, and a moment ago you said you were a werewolf.” Alan frowned, “Will you explain to me exactly what that is? All I have to go off of is popculture.”
Remus shrugged, “It’s not as if it’s any big secret here in the Wizarding World. When I was five years old I was attacked by a crazed werewolf. The potion is a recent invention, it wasn’t available while I was at school. I will also tell you that my wolf side views Sirius and Mina as pack, family, so they would be in no danger in any case. The Ministry will tell you that I am no more than an animal, a filthy beast, and warn you against having any contact with me. I will admit, two years ago I came close to hurting Harry and his friends, but I had forgotten to take my potion that night and Wormtail was involved.” His face looked bleak as he recounted the brief facts, Mina taking his hand in comfort. “But that was two years ago, and Wormtail is nowhere nearby now. I can promise that Mina won’t be harmed. My children have never had cause to fear me, but that is because they were born with animal forms. Mina as a Veela has that animal protection also.”
Alan blinked, absorbing the information Remus had presented him, “You would take an oath to that effect? Wait, children? Born animals?”
Remus laughed softly, “Not exactly. They were born human, but soon after birth both boys presented with shapeshifting abilities. The elder can turn into a golden jackal and the younger is an albino wolf.”
Mina squeezed his hand, both in warning and support, “I’m to meet them soon, I think. Another mirror call, right Da?”
Remus nodded at her subtle admonishment, “Yes, I’ll be mirror-calling them tomorrow as I do every Saturday evening. You can meet them then. They live in America, on an Unplottable piece of land.” He smiled at Alan’s look of shock, “Yes, you can make a parcel of land unable to be put on a map. All the Wizarding Schools and most of the Great Houses of Wizarddom are Unplottable. My boys live at their school year-round. It’s been safer for them there.”
Alan ruminated on this for a moment, “Would you allow me to meet your sons, Mr. Lupin?”
Remus nodded, “Possibly the week after next. And please, call me Remus, we’re practically family anyway.” He smiled.
Alan smiled back, “Remus, then. I look forward to meeting your sons. Mina, I’ll still want you to call in every morning, if you can.”
Mina nodded, “Yes, Alan, I’ll speak with you tomorrow.” They watched as Alan moved the mirror into a drawer and the screen went black, “I think that went well enough, don’t you, Da?”
Remus smiled at her, “I think so too, Mina-mine. Now, let’s go see about that pie Molly made.”
Mina nodded and stood up, putting the mirror in her bib pocket, then held out her hand to him, “Come on, slow-poke, Sirius is gonna eat it all!” Remus laughed and allowed her to pull him to his feet, and they went down to the kitchen for pie.
Molly was the only one when they arrived downstairs, “Sirius took a tray up with him. Sounded like Harry was pretty shook up from your conversation.”
Mina smiled sadly as she sat down next to Remus, “Yeah, it was pretty rough. He had to tell us about what the Dursleys had done to him. He didn’t say all of it, but what we heard was pretty bad. Did you know they kept him locked up, and that’s why Ron and the twins went to Surrey?”
Molly frowned, “You know, I vaguely remember that, but I don’t recall Albus doing anything about it when we told him. Funny.” She looked into the distance, as if lost in thought, until Mina joggled her elbow, “Oh, right, you dears wanted pie. All that’s left is the strawberry-rhubarb, my kids inhaled the apple.”
Remus and Mina exchanged a glance and then Remus responded, “That one’s fine, Molly. Would there happen to be any vanilla ice cream to go with it?”
Molly waved her wand and two bowls of vanilla ice cream appeared on the table, “If there’s nothing else, I’m going to bed. We’re tackling the ballroom tomorrow.” She wandered up the stairs, still a bit aimlessly.
Mina waited until she was out of earshot, “Da, did you see that? It’s almost as if she forgot that the boys flew out to Surrey.”
Remus nodded grimly, “I saw. I also recall there being a Prophet article about the flying car on September First of that year because Harry and Ron took it to school. They both received detention for damaging the Whomping Willow, a tree on the grounds, and I’m told Molly even sent Ron a Howler about it.”
Mina looked confused, “What’s a Howler?”
Remus tried not to smile, “A Howler is a magical letter, a bit like an audio cassette tape, except you send it by Owl Post and it explodes once it delivers its message. You can program it to say whatever you like, it’s usually used by people who are wanting to make sure their message won’t be forgotten. Imagine recording your letter vocally, then setting the playback at maximum. I’m sure you’ve noticed, Molly’s voice is rather piercing at normal volume.” Mina giggled as Remus continued, “Yes, I believe it made quite the impression in the Great Hall when it arrived. Anyway, it’s curious she seems to have…” he trailed off suddenly and looked at the stairs, “Oh no,” he said in a low voice, turning pale.
“What is it, Da?” Mina asked, alert to trouble, reaching for her Sailor V Transformation Wand.
Remus looked back at her and shook his head at her hand, “I’m hoping I’m wrong, but she may have been Obliviated. It’s a spell, a tricky one, that erases the memory.”
Mina nodded, “I remember, Harry’s first letter from the Ministry stated that Obliviators would be arriving to ‘take care of the Muggles involved’ in the Dementor incident.”
Remus nodded back, “That’s right, the Ministry keeps a squad of specially-trained witches and wizards on staff to deal with those who break the Statute of Secrecy. When they arrive at the scene, they are to begin repairs, help in Healing any who may be injured, and then excise the memories of the non-magicals involved so they can’t tell their neighbors they saw a dragon on the boardwalk or something. A witch or wizard who causes an Incident is fined, sometimes even escorted to the Ministry to await a hearing for possible jail time if the Incident is deemed serious enough.”
Mina blinked, “Can just any witch or wizard perform this memory-erasing spell?”
Remus shook his head, “No, it takes a certain level of skill and focus, not many can do it straight out of Hogwarts. Of the people currently staying at this house, I would say only Arthur, myself, and perhaps Bill could do it without causing injury. Tonks might, but I don’t know her too well as anything other than Sirius’s young cousin who is rather accident-prone. Sirius can’t, he’s never been able to settle enough to use the Mental Magics other than Occlumency.”
Mina furrowed her brow, “What’s Occlumency?”
“Occlumency,” Remus began, using his spoon to gesture with, “is the art of protecting your mind from outside intrusion. There are varying degrees of skill, and I believe it was Occlumency combined with his Animagus form that enabled Sirius to survive Azkaban for twelve years. Anyway, the opposite of Occlumency is Legilimency, the art of entering another’s mind and, if you are highly talented with it, you can even plant memories that aren’t true. All members of the Obliviator Squad are trained in the usage of both. The professor who had the Defense Against the Dark Arts class the year before me, Gilderoy Lockhart, used a series of Obliviates and wrote a series of best-selling books wherein ‘he’ had fantastical adventures and defeated a variety of monsters. At the end of Harry’s Second Year, he attempted to Obliviate Harry and Ron but it backfired because he was using Ron’s broken wand at the time. He’s in the permanent spell damage ward at St. Mungo’s because he forgot everything.”
Mina gasped, “What a horrid man! It sounds as if his misdeeds caught up with him at last. And there’s no way to help him regain himself? Or at least enough that he understand what he’d done is wrong?”
Remus shook his head, waving his wand to clean their empty dishes, “No, as you heard yesterday, there’s no such thing as Mindhealing in the Wizarding World. Hermione had to see a very discrete psychologist and psychiatric firm after her ordeal of Second Year. She was Petrified, turned to stone, by seeing the reflection of a basilisk. If she’d looked it straight in the eye, she’d be dead. Poor girl spent the better part of four months in the Hospital Wing up at Hogwarts in what’s basically a coma, until Madame Sprout’s mandrakes fully matured and Professor Snape could brew the Restorative Draught.”
Mina nodded, frowning, “I wonder if she had the office sign a magically-enforced non-disclosure agreement. We use NDA’s with all the professionals we see at MI6, whether it be a doctor or a lawyer or a dance instructor.”
Remus smiled at that, “You and Ron should get on rather well, he’s brilliant at chess. Always thinking a dozen moves ahead of his opponent. In his first year he beat a chessboard programmed by Professor McGonagall, and she’s won world championships. We can ask Tonk’s mother Andromeda, I believe she’s a solicitor at a firm that deals with both sides of the Statute.”
Mina shrugged, “I dunno, I’m not all that good at chess. I’m better at volleyball or football.”
Remus grinned at her as they stood up, “Sounds like you could be a good Chaser, if you ever learnt how to ride a broomstick.”
Mina blinked at him for a moment, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose, it would be enough to be able to go and watch a game.”
Remus sighed, “For that we would have to get permission from Dumbledore so you can visit the school.” At Mina’s skeptical look, he added, “I promise I’ll work on him. We’ll have to tell him something of all this, but not all of it. Just enough for him to say yes.”
Mina’s shoulders slumped, “I had so hoped to see it. The stories from the other kids sound so fascinating! In spite of the many terrors they suffer outside class.”
Remus hugged her, “You’ll see it, even if it’s only for a day or two.” At her smile, he let her go, “Now, run upstairs and have a pleasant sleep, it’s nearly midnight. And no reading!”
She pouted at him, "But I promised to read the books from Lady Healer Stonebreaker tonight!"
Remus sighed, "Fine, one book before bed. The rest you can read in the morning with breakfast."
Mina nodded, kissed his cheek, and dashed up the stairs and changed into pyjamas. She then sat at the desk and opened one of the three books the goblins had sent her home with, taking notes in a very untidy scrawl while trying not to yawn. Once finished, she crawled into bed and was instantly asleep.