Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Hey everyone, this is my first fanfic. I am a bit nervous about how readers will react to this story, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And I'm not British, so there might be a mixture of American and British words. If you find any mistakes, please correct me. And please review!

Chapter 1: The Departure

It was almost past midnight. Amelia Bones, the head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was sitting in her living room, thinking of her brother. Today was the 3rd death anniversary of Edgar, her brother, and his wife. Ever since then, her niece Susan had moved in with her.

Amelia's living room was neatly decorated. There was a large sofa at one side of the room. On the other side was the fireplace. The mantelpiece was filled with moving pictures of Amelia and Susan, in photo frames, and a three-year old newspaper cutting of the Daily Prophet, announcing that Lord Voldemort had finally been defeated.

She took a look at a photo of Susan, and felt a sudden grudge against Voldemort. It was for him that she had lost her brother and sister-in-law; it was for him that Susan never got to see her parents; and it was for him that Susan had to go and live with her aunt. And although Amelia did care a lot for her niece, it was never the same as having a mum and a dad.

Sighing, she picked up the muggle newspaper from the table before her. Although she was a witch, she always liked to keep herself updated with the muggle world. She often found this practice very useful, since it helped her to blend with the muggle society when there was a need.

There was a small announcement at the bottom left corner of the front page. Amelia found these notices very interesting, sometimes even more than the news. It stated:

ADOPTION NOTICE

An orphan named Harry Potter, aged 4 has been put up for adoption. Anyone interested to adopt this orphan can contact: Vernon Dursley, number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.

Harry Potter…Privet Drive….Vernon Dursley…. The names whirled inside Amelia's head. The orphan was Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Spies from the Ministry of Magic had always kept an eye on Harry and reported to her daily. She knew how much the boy suffered there; what he had to go through everyday, but she could do nothing about it at all.

Three years ago, this Harry Potter led to the downfall of Lord Voldemort on Halloween. His parents died that night. He was then picked up from Godric's Hollow and sent to live with his muggle aunt and uncle. Why Dumbledore sent him to live with the muggles was a mystery to her….but he never explained it to anyone, anyway. Did this old man know what Harry Potter underwent at number four, Privet Drive? She thought bitterly.

Time to change things. Amelia thought. No more torture from the Dursleys. From tomorrow onwards, Harry Potter would be growing up with a loving wizarding family. And yawning, she walked to her bedroom upstairs, and fell asleep instantly.

Amelia Bones Apparated at Privet Drive and searched for house number four. Once she found it, she rang the doorbell and a horse-faced woman opened the door, wearing a look of suspicion.

'Hello, is this the Dursley residence?' Amelia asked calmly.

'Yes, it is. How can I help you?' The woman asked in return.

'My name is Amelia Bones. I saw this announcement in the newspaper the previous day about an adoption and was wanting to…..'

'Oh, yes, come in. Vernon will be meeting you shortly. Have a seat.'

The woman went away. As Amelia comforted herself on the sofa, a big, beefy man entered the living room.

'Good morning. I am Vernon Dursley. Pleased to meet you.' The man said, and held out his hand.

'Same to you, sir. I am Miss Amelia Bones.' She replied, giving the flabby hand a small shake. 'I saw your advertisement on the paper yesterday.'

'Ah yes, about Harry Potter, my nephew. Why do you want to adopt him, Ms. Bones?' Vernon asked politely.

'Hmm. You see, Mr. Dursley, my niece Susan, is also an orphan and had been living with me, just like Harry had been living with you. I thought that she could do with some company.'

This was absolutely true, since Susan scarcely had any friends other than Hannah Abbott.

'Well Mr. Dursley, may I know the reason why you are putting him up for adoption?'

'Err….you see, he's the son of my wife's sister. They didn't get along very well. And since my sister-in-law and her husband is dead now, we thought it would be better for him to move with a…um… a new family.'

You mean that you've just gotten tired of keeping him at your house. Lily and James Potter died three years ago, not recently. She thought to herself, although she did not say anything.

'Can I take a look at the boy?' Amelia asked.

'Yes, of course. I'll just go fetch him.' A few moments later, he returned with a short, skinny boy, who was wearing glasses held together by Sellotape. His clothes were old and shabby, and were twice as large as Harry's size. She suspected that the clothes were second-hand, and belonged to his cousin, at first.

'Hi Harry. How are you doing?' Amelia asked kindly. Harry's lips moved but no answer came out.

'Don't mumble, boy!' Vernon Dursley ordered.

'Fine,' Harry answered, this time a little louder; although his voice clearly said that he was not at all fine.

'Why is your hair so messy, boy? Couldn't you tidy up a bit before coming to see our guest?' Mr. Dursley scolded him.

Frustrated, Harry tried to fix his hair with his little hands. And for just a single moment, a lightning-shaped scar was visible on his forehead, before it disappeared again beneath his hair. This definitely is Harry Potter. If there was still a tinge of uncertainty, the scar only confirmed it. This was Harry Potter, the son of Lily and James Potter….the Boy who lived.

'Harry, why don't you come back here after packing up all your things? Today, you will be moving to a new home with me.' Amelia replied.

Harry nodded and went away, almost galloping. He wanted to get away from the Dursleys as fast as he could. Even if that meant leaving with a completely unknown woman. Surely, nobody could be worse than the Dursleys?

Vernon gaped at Amelia. 'Now, woman, you can't just take him and leave. I've got about four more clients…. what will I say to them? I asked them for some time, and the same goes for you too, ma'am.'

Amelia stared at him coldly. Then with a calm yet determined voice, she said, 'Listen, Mr. Dursley, if money's what you want, I'll pay you as much as you require. But I will adopt Harry Potter.'

'I never said anything about money. There is no need to pay. But, the clients…..'

Amelia stopped him. 'Say "no" to the other clients. I will take the boy, no matter what. Honestly, even if you families detest each other, the boy still deserved better treatment from his uncle and aunt and cousin. Have you ever taken a look at his clothes?' She shot a dirty look at Mr. Dursley.

At that moment, Harry entered the room, carrying a small trunk. He face was beaming with joy. He was getting away from the Dursleys!

'Come on, Harry, dear.' Amelia took the trunk in one hand, grabbed Harry's small hand in the other and moved to the doorstep.

'Good day, sir.' She said to Mr. Dursley. Then she walked outside with Harry and Apparated back to the Bones Manor, leaving a dumbfounded Vernon Dursley behind.