Hey guys, I've had this idea for a long time but no matter what I search I can't find anything from this direction. It's a well used storyline, the subject is used countless times, but I am yet to find one done this way. I hope you like it but I can promise that the next chapters won't be as long as this! This took forever! Almost 3,300 words is a lot. Could you please review as it lets me know whether there's actually anyone reading what I write and whether it's a load of rubbish or not, thankyou. Hope you like it!

Opening Old Wounds.

Chapter 1 – Changes and a Given Chance.

Harry sighed and leaned forwards, resting his head on his arms. He was sat at his desk in the study and was looking through the files sent from the Auror Office. Even though he no longer officially worked in the department, he requested that copies from some of the more important missions be sent to him. That way he could monitor the progress of the department and keep an eye on things which the new head of Auror department was quite happy for him to do. After all, Harry had brought on the Aurors and changed the department drastically with positive results so he was greatly respected for that and any input from Harry was appreciated.

He had left his job almost a year ago as the decrease of dark activity meant that they were simply overstaffed which resulted in a very bored Harry Potter. By leaving his job he was able to spend some time with his family and Ginny was able to return to playing Quidditch professionally for a minor league this time, the Flying Foxes. Playing for a minor league allowed her to gradually 'up her game' as she was out of practice after raising three children.

He looked out of the window and towards the quidditch pitch at the back of the manor. Three figures zoomed around the pitch, the larger of the three zigzagged through the others towards the three hoops at the end. Harry smiled as his wife scored, pelting the quaffle through the middle hoop. She was very happy, he had noticed, now that she was playing again. It gave her something to strive for and the determination and focus she showed filled him with pride. She was happy of course before she started playing again, but this new sense of purpose was what brought out the fiery Ginny he remembered from when they were younger, something only James could bring out when he played a particularly mischievous prank.

"Daddy?" Came a small voice from the doorway. Harry smiled at his daughter wearing what only could be described as something you would find Trelawney in. Lily Potter was draped in shawl after shawl and looped around her neck were mountains of beads. She was an explosion of colour and to top it all off she wore her mother's royal blue heels, her feet slipping to the bottom leaving a rather large gap between her heel and the back of the shoe.

"Do you like my outfit?" she asked, heels dragging on the wooden floor as she shuffled into the middle of the room. She gave a not-so-gracious twirl, attempted a curtsey and stumbled forwards where Harry caught her and picked her up, settling her on his hip.

"You look wonderful Lil, although I don't think mum's going to be too happy about you wearing her heels."

Chuckling, he carried her out of the study and along the corridor and into the master bedroom, plonking her onto the bed and taking the shoes off. The bedroom was one of Harry's favourite rooms in Potter Manor. There was a deep red carpet covering most of the room, with dark wood outlining the floor. The four poster bed had red hangings and sheets which had intricate gold lines threaded through, creating a beautiful pattern of wispy strands. Ginny had a thing for candles and so the room had a few of them dotted around giving off pleasant aromas. There was window on the right hand side of the bed and had a large bookcase on the left. It was overlooking the back garden like the study was as all rooms on the second floor were along the back wall of the house. The entranceway was light due to the huge windows on either side of the front door that stretched up two storeys to the vaulted ceiling. One of the things Harry loved about the house was that he could walk in the door and look up to the ceiling high above him. He had enchanted the ceiling like the Hogwarts Great Hall was and it gave him that warm feeling of being home. A wooden staircase with a red carpet running down it curved from the right wall up to the balcony that was the second floor. It was quite impressive and although it took Harry some time to be comfortable in such a house, it had really grown on him and was just perfect for the Potters.

The next day Harry woke and made his way to the bathroom. He showered, dressed and fastened his watch onto his left wrist. He made his way down stairs to the kitchen and was met with a wonderful smell of pancakes and syrup.

"Mmm," He said, standing behind Ginny and slipping his hands around her waist and resting them on her stomach.

"Morning, you slept late. Oh and a letter came from Minerva for you." She said, turning around from the stove and giving him a light kiss.

"Eurgh, we're trying to eat here!" James exclaimed from the table. Harry grabbed his plate of pancakes and stuck his tongue out at his eldest son, picking up the letter from the table as he left.

"Harry!" Ginny admonished whilst Albus laughed from his seat next to James.

Harry made his way to the small library down the hall from the kitchen and sat down in a comfy chair by the large ornate fire. What would McGonagall want? He thought, it can't be some prank James has done because it's the summer holidays. That was the main reason she contacted him about most of the time. Taking a bite of his pancake, he opened the letter and unfolded the parchment. It read:

Mr Potter,

We have traced you as the only living relative of Miss Hailie Scott. This has been done as Miss Scott is a minor and is currently within the Care System. She has been for quite some time as we have tried contacting anyone who may be a relation to no avail. Fortunately, Headmistress M. McGonagall agreed to pass on this letter to you as the security on your residence caused our investigative team quite some disorientation to say the least. If you could reply as soon as possible with your owl so as to arrange a meeting to discuss whether you would like to take this further. If not, Miss Scott will remain in Care until a suitable home is provided.

Regards,
Tim Shaw, Head of Magical Social Services Dept.

Harry sat there in shock as he fumbled with the parchment, withdrawing a second piece from behind.

Harry,

My friend Fiona Shaw approached me late last night about a case her husband was having difficulty with. She mentioned you and of course I persuaded her to explain the full story about a Miss Scott who is apparently a relative of yours. I found out this: Your great-grandfather, on the Potter side, had two sons, Harold (your grandfather) and Reginald. Harold's father disowned his other son Reginald as he did not come into magical powers. He was ashamed at having a squib son. Reginald then married a muggle and they had one child, Suzanne. Suzanne married a muggle and gave birth to Hailie Scott. However, as magic does, it has cropped up in her as there has been some accidental magic.

I found out a bit of her past Harry and it is not pretty. Her father was a drunk and was abusive to both her and her mother but he wasn't the only one to blame as Suzanne was abusive to her daughter as well. They died in a house fire caused by a cigarette the reports said, a year ago. Hailie survived as she was locked in the garden shed. Hailie has been in care since then. The thing is, she has been through eight different foster homes in the past six months, something isn't right. No child would be moved around like that unless they were really difficult to say the least. I wanted to warn you Harry before you decide anything. I'm guessing she isn't exactly your sweet 'orphan Annie'. (Have you seen Annie? It's great!) Sorry, I really like muggle films. Just have a good think about it and talk it out with Ginny.

Wishing you all the best,
Minerva

X


Ginny flicked her wand and the plates rose up and started cleaning themselves under the tap. Sending the boys to get dressed, she made her way to the library to find out what the letter was. She knew he would be in there; he always retreated there for some peace and quiet. She could see the appeal, books lined all four walls and stacks came out towards the middle of the room making small 'corridors' between them. Straight across from the door was a huge fireplace and various comfy chairs surrounded it. The wood panelling on the walls reminded her of the Gryffindor common room and made the room feel very cosy. She rounded the corner and stopped in the doorway. The colour had drained from his face as he sat staring at the letter.

"Harry? What is it? What's happened?" She asked worriedly. Ginny sat down next to him and grasped his hand. A thousand thoughts flew through her mind as she tried to think what the letter had said.

"Harry?" Ginny asked again, squeezing the hand that held the parchment. He handed it over and said,

"It's not that bad, I don't think." Ginny read both pieces of parchment, her lips pursing and becoming thinner the more she read. She looked at him, seeing confusion and worry in his emerald eyes.

"Like Minerva said, we won't rush into anything, ok? She sounds... difficult." She frowned, "But we could give her a chance, meet with her perhaps? How old is she? It doesn't say..." She asked, quickly scanning the letter. If they were going to let this girl into their lives then they would be at risk, thought Ginny. There is no way Harry could give up on her if he met her, no matter how hard it was. He never gave up on anyone, especially family. And that is what this girl was, family, however distant that might be. She felt angry that someone could do this, just send a letter and expect them to drop everything. The girl was abused, surely that would have repercussions? The strain it would put on Harry was what worried her. If she had been moved around that often then people obviously couldn't handle her, and these were people who had probably fostered other children before, how on earth were they meant to cope? But maybe she was getting carried away. Perhaps she had been moved around because of her accidental magic in a muggle household. But then again, she reasoned, she would not have been put with a muggle family if she was a witch.

"We have to give her a chance Gin," he said what she knew he would. "I mean, we can try right? If she has no one then I want to help. She may be difficult, my god I have no idea how we are going to cope with that, but we can." His voice sounded hopeful and she didn't miss the slight pleading tone he failed to hide. He had turned to face her properly and held her hands in his, looking into her eyes.

"We can." He whispered. How on earth was she meant to refuse that? The expression he had was one of beseeching hope and it was her downfall.

"We can reply." She heard herself say. Stupidly amazing eyes and gorgeousness that is my husband, she cursed as he gave a radiant smile and squeezed her hands.

"Harry, this is going to be more than difficult you know. With the... abuse." She hesitated on the last word and noticed his face looked pained.

"I know," he murmured, quickly recovering and smiling once more. "It'll be worth it though, if we can do this. We can give her a home. I'm not working so there will always be someone here, whether it's you or me. Maybe the kids will be good for her too, they can encourage her and show her that there's another way and that she can trust people again."

Ginny got up and found some parchment and quill, scribbled a request for a meeting and gave it to Harry who left for the owlery. What on earth were they getting themselves into? And is this classed as rash? She wondered belatedly.


Harry and Ginny Potter flooed to the ministry the next day. They were supposed to meet with Tim Shaw at eleven but were running late due to an ill-timed prank from James that left them all covered in their breakfast as the dishes expelled what was in them. After much scolding and a week's ban from quidditch, they left the three children at the Burrow where they'd given a hurried explanation to Molly and Arthur of the Hailie situation. Molly was of course concerned for the girl, 'oh the poor dear', she had said and offered to take the children if they ever needed a break. The offer had always willingly been made but Harry appreciated it all the same. They walked through the atrium and into the lift.

"Floor Twelve, Magical Social Services Department." Rang the announcement. They made their way through the corridor. It had plain white walls and the floor was blue and white linoleum which reminded Harry of a hospital ward. There were large doors on either side and the door right at the end opened which Tim Shaw stepped out of and into the corridor to greet them. He was a plump man with little hair and a moustache and very little neck. He reminded Harry of Uncle Vernon which unnerved him slightly but he shook the man's hand with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Potter, Mrs Potter." He shook both of their hands respectively and led the way into his office. Laden with books, his office was a dark green and he took the seat behind his desk while gesturing for them to take the two seats placed in front.

"I have to admit, I was extremely relieved when my wife was able to contact you through the Headmistress. It has taken some time..." He trailed off looking at Harry.

"Uh yeah, sorry about that. The wards where we live are quite strong to keep out any unwanted attention. Too many people knowing where we live would cause a lot of complications, something I'd rather not have to deal with." Harry explained.

"Of course, of course!" He brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Being Harry Potter would no doubt bring unwanted attentions." Chuckling, he took out some papers from inside the desk draw and laid them out in front of the couple. "These are temporary guardianship papers. They are simply to state that if and when you decide to have Miss Scott with you, you are responsible for her care and you will be classed as her foster parents until you make a decision. Her personal social worker Elaine Dowbridge has been on Miss Scott's case for the past two months, the longest person to stay with Miss Scott I am afraid." He looked worried for a moment as though afraid to put them off and hastily added, "She's misunderstood, I think. Most are quick to deem her as a lost cause. But I think that with someone she can trust and with patience..." Tim Shaw trailed off again.

"We have heard about her Mr. Shaw," Ginny spoke up for the first time since entering the office. "We have an idea what to expect and we've agreed that we're going to try our best with her. Harry glanced at his wife and nodded, showing the man that they were determined and weren't going to be swayed by what others had said. Inside though Harry wondered for about the thousandth time since the letter, whether they were doing the right thing. Secretly they both had serious doubts but Harry knew he couldn't give up without giving her a chance. She needed them and it reminded him all too much of when he wanted any way out of the Dursley's, craving the security of the Burrow during the summer months.

They agreed to have Hailie stay for a week in two days time. That gave them some time to prepare a room for her even though there were lots of unused bedrooms in the Manor. The man seemed in quite a hurry for Hailie to move in but Harry insisted they have time to 'get things ready' when really he just needed time to prepare himself for what was most probably a very difficult week. They also needed to tell James, Albus and Lily what would be happening now they'd found out a bit more of the situation. Hailie Scott was six years old which surprised both Harry and Ginny. How could a six year old be so much trouble? Shaw told them that they didn't know much of the abuse as she refused to talk to anyone and would throw a huge tantrum whenever someone tried to get her to speak of it. The medical reports said that she had bruises and a few scars on her body when they had found her after the fire but as she was so uncooperative, the nurses gave up, refusing to endure the pain as she lashed out at them, biting and kicking. She trusted no one, especially men and was frequently destructive. Of course Shaw had only explained this after Harry and Ginny signed the documents releasing her into their care for a week's time.

Ginny could see it bothered Harry that she refused to trust men. Would this mean she would have to take a more active role? She wondered as she folded laundry. She hated the fact that it was already a strain on Harry and the child hadn't even arrived. He worried he would fail her, she could tell. The emotional strain for Harry was what worried her the most as it would be personal to him. He would feel helpless and inadequate if they failed to reach her and for that reason, she resolved to put one hundred and ten percent of her effort into helping the child.

Late that night, the Potter household was fast asleep, apart from one. Ginny was rolled onto her right side and was watching Harry sleeping. He lay on his stomach with his arms underneath his pillow and had his head turned towards her. She stretched out her hand and ran her fingers over his cheek and he gave a small smile in his sleep. He looked so peaceful. She carded her hand through his hair and trailed it down his neck and onto his shirtless back, his skin was so smooth. Making her way down she ran a finger over a thin scar, a line along the hem of his pyjama trousers which went from one side of his back to the other. He gave an involuntary flinch in his sleep so she withdrew her hand and sighed as she leant forwards and kissed him lightly on his forehead.


So, how did I do? I'm still relatively new to this Fanfiction thing so bear with me. I know it was slow but I just wanted to set things up a bit rather than jump straight in... Please review and let me know what you think. I'm sorry for any mistakes I may have missed as I only quickly scanned through and didn't properly proof-read it, lazy me.

A disclaimer now I guess - I own absolutely nothing, zilch, zip, zero. Everything belongs to the Queen. (Not the one in Buckingham Palace.)