Lia went downstairs to the kitchen, where she first made a phone call to work to let them know she was working on a case and wouldn't be returning to the office that day. After that, she went to the living room, where she magically lit a fire in the fireplace and made a Floo-call. "Professor McGonagall's office, Hogwarts." As it happened to be the day that the school let out for the Christmas holidays, Professor McGonagall wasn't busy with school matters and responded immediately.
"Lia, this is a pleasant surprise," she said, kneeling in front of her fireplace. "How have you been?"
"I'm fine, but there is something I need to discuss with you, Professor. Would you mind Flooing over now? It's important, and I don't want to risk being overheard, since the Floo Network is monitored."
"Of course, Lia," Professor McGonagall said. "And I've told you to call me Minerva. I'm no longer your teacher, and we are working together now."
"Old habits die hard," said Lia. "And I've told you that I'm not used to calling those that are of older generations than me by their first name. My grandparents didn't raise me that way." She withdrew her head from the fire and moved aside so that Professor McGonagall had room when she arrived.
Once the older woman stepped out the fireplace, she brushed soot off her robes and then joined Lia on the sofa. "What is it that you wanted to discuss with me, Lia?"
Lia explained about the phone call she had gotten earlier that afternoon. "You can imagine my shock when Mrs. Figg told me that the boy was Harry Potter, and the description she gave matched the one in the books that talk about You-Know-Who's defeat. I immediately went out to the Dursley home to investigate, and what I discovered was worse than what Mrs. Figg surmised."
"Wait, Arabella Figg was the one that called you?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. Lia nodded and the professor explained, "Mrs. Figg is a Squib that Albus had move to a house near the Dursleys so she could keep an eye on Harry. Why didn't she say anything before?"
Lia replied, "Actually, Mrs. Figg told me she did tell someone, which probably is Professor Dumbledore, about Harry's treatment, but despite assurances that it would be looked into, it never was. At least nothing changed in how he was treated. And apparently she wasn't taken seriously. Not by Professor Dumbledore or whomever she reported to, or by the neighbors, who see her as the 'batty old cat lady'." She then repeated everything Harry had told her about his treatment.
Professor McGonagall looked horrified. "How in Merlin's name did the poor child survive?"
"I suppose because the Dursleys weren't beating him bloody or starving him to death," answered Lia. "Otherwise I don't think he would have survived, unless his magic manifested to protect him. Anyway, his relatives haven't told him anything about his parents or his heritage either!"
"So Harry doesn't know he's a wizard or how his parents died or anything like that?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley told Harry that his parents died in a car crash, and made it sound like it was because they were driving drunk! I had to explain the wizarding world and Hogwarts and how his parents had been killed by You-Know-Who. That's not even the end of it."
"Oh, I thought the Dursleys were awful people, but I didn't think they'd turn out to be like this!" cried Professor McGonagall, tears welling in her eyes. "I told Albus that I didn't think they were the best people to raise him, but he insisted it was best to keep Harry away from the fame, so I gave in. If I had any idea that he was going to be abused, I would have stopped him from being left there."
"You didn't know, Professor," said Lia gently, her green eyes sad. "Oh, and speaking of Professor Dumbledore, apparently he's been giving the Dursleys money for Harry's care."
"Wait, what?" demanded Professor McGonagall. "They've been getting money to raise Harry?"
Lia nodded. "When Mr. Dursley tried to stop Harry leaving with me, he said something about a letter saying to keep Harry and that they were getting a couple hundred pounds a month for it. That's about forty Galleons a month, I think? Anyway, the Dursleys acted like they weren't in the wrong at all. They said some rubbish about taking Harry in out of the kindness of their hearts when they didn't want him in the first place. Also, it seems the main reason they acted the way they did was in an attempt to stamp the magic out of him! Harry's lucky that they didn't irreparably damage him psychologically!"
Professor McGonagall flinched, face going even paler. "Thank Merlin for that, at least. So where is Harry now, and what are your plans for dealing with this?"
"He's upstairs showering right now," Lia responded. "He's staying with me for the time being. As for the Dursleys, I'm having them brought up on charges of child abuse. The way they've treated their son isn't much better. They might not have abused Dudley, but they've spoiled him to the point that he's overweight and thinks that he can get away with anything. If this keeps up, he could end up a juvenile delinquent, or at least dependent on his parents for the rest of his life."
Professor McGonagall made a face. "Well, do you have any ideas of where Harry will live in the long term? You do have to work, Lia, or I suspect you would take him in permanently."
"I have some plans on that front. First off, for the wizarding world, I would like to have my foster family take part in Harry's upbringing, if they're willing. Ron is Harry's age, and being part of a loving family can help Harry heal. For the Muggle world, since this is being done here, I thought perhaps the Grangers could become his foster family. You know I spoke to them three months ago about their daughter, who is going to be in Harry's year, about being a witch. When I explained why I was doing this and told them I was a social worker, they offered to take in any wizarding child whose parents or guardians rejected them like mine did. They've got certification to become foster parents, so I can send Harry to live with them without any objections from Social Services. In fact, if both families are willing, I can set things up so that the Grangers are his guardians in the Muggle world and the Weasleys and I are his guardians in the wizarding world. I'll see if Harry agrees to it."
"That's a good plan," said Professor McGonagall, thinking it over. "Molly and Arthur would be loving parents to him, and what you've told me about the Grangers show that they're good parents too. If you need any help with this, please let me know and I'll do what I can. Oh, I am going to be giving Albus a piece of my mind when I return to Hogwarts! How he could be so-"
"Actually, could you not mention any of this to Professor Dumbledore just yet?" Lia asked. "There could be another reason he placed Harry with his relatives, besides having him grow up away from all the fame, and he did pay the Dursleys to keep Harry. Not to mention the fact he didn't listen to Mrs. Figg's concerns at all. Dumbledore could decide that his reasons are more important than Harry being abused by them, and send him back to them. Even if he somehow forced them to treat Harry decently, I promised him that he would never have to go back to them."
"Oh, you're right," said Professor McGonagall, looking alarmed. "Albus did mention something about wards and that Harry would be protected so long as he lived with his aunt once. Obviously the wards were for magical protection, since they didn't protect him from his relatives, but Albus could insist that Harry needs to stay at the Dursleys because of that, for the 'Greater Good'."
Lia snorted. "Well, unless You-Know-Who somehow comes back, or his followers that escaped arrest decide to set themselves up in his place, I don't think Harry's in any magical danger. And in any case, to be on the safe side, both Bill and I can set up wards. I got 'Outstanding' on my Ancient Runes and Defense O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, and Bill just finished training to be a curse breaker for Gringotts."
"I can help with that too," Professor McGonagall offered. "Well, don't worry Lia; I won't say a word to anyone who's not in the know about what's going on with Harry until he or you say otherwise. Let me know if you need anything else, or if you would like me to talk with Harry. I can certainly tell him a few things about his parents' time at Hogwarts."
"That would be wonderful, Professor," said Lia warmly. "Speaking of that, are there any of the Potters' friends around that can be trusted to be let in on the situation and help with Harry's healing? I know Sirius Black is in Azkaban for betraying the Potters and killing all those people, and Peter Pettigrew was one of them, but the Potters must have had other friends that are still around."
"There is Remus Lupin," answered Professor McGonagall. "That's the only one of James's friends that is still alive and trustworthy. Lily's friends were killed in the war, other than Alice Longbottom."
"And she's in St. Mungo's with her husband due to permanent brain damage," stated Lia, "if I recall the reports I read on the war against You-Know-Who correctly. I guess Remus Lupin is the only one of the Potters' friends that I can contact about Harry's situation."
Professor McGonagall nodded. "I would have included Severus Snape, yes, your former Potions teacher, as one of Lily's friends, but they had a falling out towards the end of their fifth-year. I don't think Severus really got over it and still cared for Lily, but I doubt he'd be willing to have anything to do with Harry. Unfortunately, Severus didn't get along with James, in fact there was some bullying going on from the latter, though the former did start some of the altercations they had. Since Harry seems to have inherited his father's looks, except for his eyes, which are Lily's, I think Severus would see more of James in him and resent the boy."
"I see," said Lia. "Well, it's not necessary that Professor Snape has anything to do with Harry until he starts Hogwarts anyway. I think Harry's done showering now, so I'll bid you a good day, Professor."
"That's true. I'll go see Arabella Figg and ask her to keep what she's done and everything that happened a secret from Albus. You can speak to her about being a witness in the case against the Dursleys and get further testimony from her later. Good-day, Lia." With that, Professor McGonagall got up from the couch and Apparated to Mrs. Figg's home.
Lia sighed and went to the kitchen, where with the help of magic, she quickly cut up some vegetables and a lump of beef for a stew to have for dinner. Once the pot was on the stove, cooking, she went upstairs, where, as she expected, Harry had finished his shower and gotten dressed. "I'm making a pot of beef stew for dinner, Harry," she said. "Is that fine with you?"
Harry nodded and Lia continued, "Could you come down to the kitchen with me? I need to ask you a few more questions about your life at the Dursleys for my notes on this case. Also, I would like to discuss with you about where you're going to live now, since you can't stay with your relatives."
"Can't I live with you, Ms. Killian?" Harry asked. "You're nice, and I like it here."
"I wish you could, Harry, but there are rules about what social workers can do," replied Ms. Killian. "I can take children away from abusive homes and have them stay with me for a few days, but I can't have them live with permanently. I'm not certified to be a foster parent, and I can't become certified because I'm not married and my work would limit how much time I can spend raising a child. However, I can make sure that you are placed with a foster family that will be nice to you and treat you like one of their own. Also, I can get myself named as your guardian in the wizarding world, so I can take care of you during the holidays once you start Hogwarts and handle anything pertaining to that."
"I guess that's fine," said Harry after a moment of thought. The two sat down at the kitchen table and he answered all of Lia's questions about his life with the Dursleys, explaining every incident he could remember where he was punished in some way or his cousin bullied him. She took copious notes on it all, except for the times Harry was punished for accidental magic, since that would raise questions in a Muggle court and quite possibly end up breaking the International Statute of Secrecy.
After a break for Harry to have a cup of juice and Lia to add salt and pepper to the stew and give it a few stirs, she told him about the Grangers and their daughter Hermione. "They're very nice people, and became certified to be foster parents so that they could take in any magical children I found that were being abused. Hermione is ten months older than you, but she's going to be starting Hogwarts at the same time as you. She's been teased at school for being very smart and a bookworm, so she has some idea of what it's like to be bullied. I can have you meet them so you can decide for yourself if you want them to be your foster family, all right?"
Harry thought it over for a minute, then said, "Okay, I'll meet the Grangers."
Then, as Monday was Christmas and Lia was spending it at the Weasleys, she explained about her foster family and having them help him (and possibly Hermione) acclimate to the wizarding world. "Ron is your age and very nice, and has said that he wanted to have people to play with besides his brothers and younger sister. The others are nice too, though Fred and George do like pranks."
"Pranks?" asked Harry, a worried look coming to his face. "They're not like Dudley and his friends?"
"No, no, they aren't bullies at all," Lia hastened to assure him. "If they even tried to bully someone, Mum, that is Mrs. Weasley, would scold them for it and then probably punish them with an extra chore or no dessert at dinner or something similar. The twins play harmless pranks that will get a laugh out of others, unless they've got no sense of humor at all, or on people that deserve to be pranked. Well, since you're not used to magic yet, it might take you a bit to adjust to their humor."
She silently thanked God that this Christmas would only have the immediate family present, since being exposed to someone like Aunt Muriel would be a disaster for Harry. Not only was Aunt Muriel the type to use her advanced age to say and do whatever she liked, but there was absolutely no way that she would keep Harry's situation a secret. Thankfully Fred and George had set off a Dungbomb under her chair last Christmas, which prompted her to storm out shortly after dinner and swear that she would never visit again for Christmas.
After a dinner of beef stew and bread, Lia sent Harry upstairs with a book about the wizarding world for him to read, and contacted her three best friends (besides Bill). Eleanor Vicks, or Ellie for short, was a halfblood witch who had finished Healer's training four months ago and worked in the Spell Damage section of St. Mungo's Hospital. Eric, Ellie's twin brother, was a barrister that argued cases in court and helped with the drafting of wizarding laws. He and Lia had dated briefly in sixth-year, but mutually ended things when they realized that they felt more like brother and sister and would be better off as just friends. Tristan Fawley, who was dating Ellie, was a pureblood wizard that was working in the Wizarding Services Office of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. After being sworn to secrecy, Lia told Ellie, Eric, and Tristan about Harry's situation and rescue.
"He what?" Ellie exclaimed, her blue eyes flashing with anger. "Oh, if I could get my hands on his relatives…I'm so glad that you got a call about Harry Potter and rescued him, Lia."
Tristan ran a hand through his auburn hair in agitation. "Poor Harry. I never thought that he would be abused by his relatives. I suppose you'll want our help, since you've told us about this, Lia. I will be happy to do whatever I can, and will even use my family's connections if necessary."
"I too," said Ellie, tugging on her braid of black hair in order to calm herself down. "Well, Eric and I don't really have family connections, but I can at least give Harry a check-up and some healing."
"And I will be happy to help you build up a case against the Dursleys for child abuse," added Eric.
"Thank you, guys," Lia said gratefully. "If you aren't busy tomorrow, would you come by in the afternoon and check up on Harry, Ellie? I would say now, but he's still adjusting to being rescued and finding out about the wizarding world. Tristan and Eric, I would like you to help me file paperwork naming me as Harry's guardian in the wizarding world. Since you two work in the Ministry, could you also do some discreet research on why he was left with his relatives, since I doubt his parents had planned for him to live with them, and if they had named anyone to be his guardians. Well, other than Sirius Black, of course. I presume the Potters had planned for Black to be main guardian, as he was named godfather, but they must have had contingency choices in case Black couldn't take over."
The three friends agreed. "Honestly, I don't know what Professor Dumbledore was thinking when he left Harry Potter with his Muggle relatives," Tristan said. "I understand not wanting him to be exposed to his fame, but he still could have been left with a much nicer family."
Eric's dark brown hair flopped in his face as he nodded. "That Granger family you told us about, Lia, would have been a good choice if Harry had to grow up in the Muggle world in order to keep him from the fame. Or a wizarding family could have been found, like the Weasleys, or my and Ellie's family, that would be willing to raise him away from the fame and everything."
"Well, it's not like Professor Dumbledore could have known that the Dursleys would be abusive to their nephew," Lia said, though she privately had some doubts. "And Professor McGonagall told me that he mentioned wards once and how Harry would be protected so long as he lived with his aunt."
Ellie snorted. "Well, those wards didn't protect poor Harry from his relatives. What if he'd died or was brain-damaged as a result of abuse? Fat lot of good those wards would have done then."
Tristan's grey eyes turned as hard as flint. "If it weren't imperative to keep Harry's situation a secret, I'd be strongly tempted to hunt down the Dursleys and hex them for what they did."
"I agree with you," said Eric, his blue eyes like ice. "But they're not worth going to Azkaban over. We'll just look into Harry Potter's situation and help Lia build up her case against the Dursleys."
"Between the four of us, we should be able to fix this," said Lia. "We were in all four houses, after all. So with Tristan's strength, Eric's cunning, Ellie's brains, and my courage, we can make the Dursleys legally pay for what they did and find out exactly why Harry was left with them and not someone else."
Tristan, Eric, and Ellie nodded. Eric magically made a copy of Lia's file on Harry Potter so that he could help with building the case against the Dursleys, and then the three left.
After that, Lia went upstairs to tell Harry about her friends helping her, and explain anything in the book that puzzled him. Shortly after the conversation, she noticed him starting to look tired, which didn't surprise her, as it had probably been a long and unusual day for him. She sent Harry to the bathroom so he could brush his teeth, and transfigured a set of his old clothes into pajamas for him. When he was done, Lia tucked him into bed, giving him a hug and good-night kiss. He looked touched at that, and she internally cursed the Dursleys as she turned off the light and left the room.
As it was only eight o'clock, Lia decided to speak with her foster family. At first she was only going to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but then decided to have a family meeting instead. After casting some protective spells on her home (she didn't put it past Mr. Dursley to track down where she lived and try to get Harry back), she fire-called the Burrow.
Percy was in the kitchen, feeding his pet rat, Scabbers, and hurried over to the fireplace when Lia's call went through. "Hello, Lia. Is something wrong? We weren't expecting you until Monday."
"Hello, Percy," said Lia. "Would you mind getting the rest of the family? Something came up in the course of my job today, and I believe a family meeting is needed to discuss it. I'm Flooing over now."
Percy's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Did you find a Muggleborn child with a bad home life? Don't worry, I'll get the rest of the family immediately." Without waiting for Lia to get up and Floo over, he got to his feet and ran out the kitchen, Scabbers still clutched in his hand.
A few minutes later, Percy (minus his rat, which was now in his room) returned with the rest of the family. Ron and Ginny looked curious, Fred and George were frowning, and Charlie, Bill (who was visiting for the holidays before he went on assignment to Egypt), and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked extremely worried. Mrs. Weasley made tea, while the rest of the family gathered around the table.
"So what happened today, Lia?" Mr. Weasley asked once the mugs of tea had been passed around. "Did you actually find a Muggleborn child that was being abused?"
"Well, he wasn't Muggleborn, but he might as well have been," Lia said. "He was raised in the Muggle world, and his Muggle relatives kept him ignorant of his heritage. Anyway, I received a call today from a woman that was concerned about a boy she baby-sat for. He turned out to be Harry Potter."
The entire family gasped in shock and horror. "How is that possible!?" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley.
"Evidently Harry's aunt and uncle hated magic," Lia said sourly. "In fact, Mr. Dursley flat out said that they swore to beat the magic out of Harry when they decided to take him in." She quickly explained what had happened to Harry, though in a fashion that wouldn't upset Ron and Ginny too much, and about Mrs. Figg and how apparently Professor Dumbledore didn't take her concerns seriously.
The younger Weasleys winced as they heard what happened. Certainly their mother could be scary when she shouted at them whenever they badly misbehaved, but neither she or their father had ever laid a hand on them. The worst punishment any of them had gotten was when Fred and George had been grounded for a month for trying to perform an Unbreakable Vow on Ron. Also, although money was tight, they had never gone hungry or lacked in the things that mattered, like love and laughter.
"Thank Merlin you were able to take Harry out of there, Lia," said Mrs. Weasley. "I can't believe his relatives could have been so awful! Why would the poor boy be left with them anyway?"
"According to Professor McGonagall, Harry was left with the Dursleys because Professor Dumbledore wanted him to be away from the fame," Lia responded. "There was also something about wards and how Harry would be protected so long as he lived with his aunt. It seems the only reason the Dursleys were willing to keep him was due to them getting paid two hundred pounds, or about forty Galleons, a month. I presume it was for Harry's upkeep, but they obviously didn't spend much of it, if at all, on him. The money is likely the main reason why the Dursleys didn't want me to take Harry away."
Mr. Weasley's face darkened. "I'm starting to see why some of us dislike Muggles so much. I'm half-tempted to engage in Muggle-baiting on those Dursleys." He quickly throttled down his anger, and in a calmer tone of voice, asked, "Would you like us to take Harry in, Lia? Molly and I would be happy to."
"Harry can share my room," Ron piped up. "I wouldn't mind."
"Normally I would say yes, but there are other concerns," Lia answered. "Harry's just found out about the wizarding world and how his parents really died. He needs time to adjust and placing him in a wizarding household right away would be something of a shock to him. Also, since my removing Harry from his relatives and working to bring the Dursleys up on charges of child abuse are taking place in the Muggle world, I need to place him in a certified foster home. I was thinking about having him live with the Grangers, if Harry is willing to do so once he meets them."
"That's a good idea," said Mr. Weasley, for the family had meet the Grangers three weeks ago, when the Muggle family had wanted to meet a wizarding family as a way to learn more about the wizarding world. The two families had gotten along, other than a brief quarrel between Ron and Hermione over the latter's bossiness, which had ended when they realized how they were acting and apologized.
"I'm glad you think so, Dad," said Lia (when the Weasleys had de facto adopted her, they had told her she could call them 'Mum' and 'Dad'). "Anyway, I'll be bringing Harry with me on Christmas, so he can meet the family and the Grangers, since they've been invited over. Just please be a little cautious in how you interact with him and try not to overwhelm him. I've told Harry about us and the Grangers, but he's not going to be used to people being nice to him. His cousin Dudley and Dudley's group of friends bullied Harry at school, and scared the other kids into not wanting to stand up for Harry, much less befriend him. And I gather the teachers were mostly indifferent to him, and the only adult who showed any sign of caring was Mrs. Figg."
"We'll do that," said Mrs. Weasley. "Fred, George, that means no pranks of any sort, is that clear? He's not going to be used to your sense of humor, and I don't want him thinking you're bullying him."
"We'll be on our best behavior, Mum," Fred and George promised solemnly.
"It's getting close to Ron and Ginny's bedtime, so I'll be leaving now," Lia said, getting to her feet. "If you all could, please keep Harry's situation a secret for the time being. I don't want the wrong people finding out. Also, after what Professor McGonagall told me, I don't want to risk Dumbledore deciding the wards are more important than Harry's happiness and sending him back to his relatives."
The younger Weasleys looked shocked that Professor Dumbledore would do such a thing, but the adults exchanged somber looks. After everything they'd heard, it was possible he could decide to do that. "Don't worry, we'll keep it secret," Mr. Weasley said, and then Lia Flooed back to her house.
