AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, a lot has happened since I last updated this story. The main thing being that I moved from Michigan to South Carolina!

And, as you might expect, I've been working on getting settled, getting a new job... dealing with a pesky storm named Florence. Thankfully nothing happened to my house, but I know thousands-if not millions-were effected in one way or another by the hurricane and I hope that those people are able to rebuild and recover from this devastating storm.

And remember: Reviews are love!

Chapter 3

Present Day…

Tensions were high in the Gray family home as Dumbledore sat at the dining room table with Maxine Gray and her son, daughter, and nephew.

To prevent any accusations of unprofessional misconduct on Maxine's part, Jared Duff had offered to take Harry to his place for the night.

After Lauren was put to bed and Jillian had taken Ned home, Maxine, Amy, Peter, and Kyle had taken seats on one side of the table, facing the Hogwarts Headmaster.

"I understand the Dursleys have given up custody of Harry," Dumbledore began as he faced the Gray family. "I've come here to—"

"To do what?" Peter snapped, his temper already barely contained. "To take him away, put him in a foster home? Or were you going to try and give him back to his aunt and uncle?"

Maxine gave her son a look before turning her focus on Dumbledore. "Let me lay the facts out for you," she said, firmly. "As of right now, Harry Potter is a ward of the state of Connecticut. There will be a custody hearing where a judge will determine what is in Harry's best interest. And I can assure you, going back to the people who abused him is not in his best interest."

Knowing that the others were aware of the wizarding world, Dumbledore didn't mince words and explained the situation. "Harry is under a very powerful magical protection, triggered by his mother's sacrifice. If Harry does not return to the Dursleys, the protection will be broken and any dark wizards will be able to locate him more easily."

"Okay, but from what I've heard," Kyle argued, quickly. "—the Dursleys have disowned Harry, so doesn't that negate this whole blood protection thing?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No matter what Petunia says or does, she cannot alter her DNA. She and Harry are bound by blood."

"Okay, so Harry doesn't have some super special magical protection if he lives somewhere else," Peter said, still pissed. "You're honestly telling me that you want to send him back to the people who broke his legs and locked him in his room?"

"Besides," Amy cut in, making up a story as she went on. "What if Harry had another relative he could live with? Someone… related to his father? That would keep the blood protection going, right?"

Maxine shot Amy a look but a split second later, she caught on and quickly backed her daughter up. "My boss at the Department of Children and Families. Sean Potter. We are waiting on DNA testing to prove that they are, indeed, related."

Dumbledore was no fool and he could tell that the Gray family was trying to execute a slapdash bluff. But he could applaud their efforts in trying to protect Harry. Letting the custody issue go for the moment, he turned his attentions on Harry's physical disabilities. "I also understand that Harry has been evaluated for further surgeries on his legs." Turning his focus to Kyle, he asked, "May I inquire what your assessment is?"

The urge to cite doctor/patient privilege rose immediately and in an effort to stall, Kyle looked over at Maxine. "Aunt Max, since you're Harry's legal guardian right now, may I inform Professor Dumbledore of the situation regarding Harry's medical treatment?"

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, Kyle," Maxine said, exasperated as she rolled her eyes. "Please tell him what he wants to know so we can move on with all this."

Kyle could tell that his aunt wanted the headmaster out of the house and so he explained. "Harry's left leg is in semi-decent shape, considering. The only thing I'd recommend is replacing the joints—his knee and ankle. His right leg is… We can go in, refracture the bones, replace the joints, and attach pins, screws, rods, and whatever else to put Harry's leg back together the way it should be. But you're talking about 3 to 5 months in a full length cast and at least half that time Harry would have to be in the hospital with his leg in a traction rig. Then he'd likely have at least a year of physical therapy—most likely more than that."

Dumbledore looked shocked by that news and he remembered when the Weasleys told him about Harry's original injuries. He also was starting to see what Petunia Dursleys' negligence had led to. "Is there any way to make things easier on Harry? Some alternative that might have a shorter recovery time?"

Nodding gravely, Kyle said, simply. "We could amputate Harry's right leg. It would be hard on him, yes… but with whatever magical assistance you people have, Harry could get more use of his legs back. He might need support braces for his left knee and ankle, but Harry would hopefully be able to walk without crutches."

Dumbledore didn't know how exactly to reply to that, but he figured that deferring to Harry's physician was a prudent move. "How soon will Harry be having the surgeries?"

"Planning on getting him in the operating room in the next day or so," Kyle replied, shortly. Eyes narrowed, suspiciously, he added, "Unless you're planning on taking him away before then."

With four pairs of eyes shooting daggers in his direction, Dumbledore knew when he was beaten… for the moment, anyway. Standing up, he nodded at the others and said, "Whatever you feel is best, Dr. McCarty." Looking at Maxine, he added, "I'll see myself out, Ms. Gray."

Once the four heard the door close and the muffled 'crack' confirmed the headmaster's departure, Maxine whirled on her daughter. "Amy, what the Hell were you thinking? Why did you tell him that Sean and James Potter were related?"

"I don't know, Ma," Amy snapped, her own anger finally coming out. "I was just trying to think of a way to stall him!"

"Look, what could it hurt, doing the DNA test anyway?" Peter asked, looking from his sister to his mother. "Maybe we'll luck out and they actually are related!"

Knowing that further back-up plans might be required, Maxine asked, "Amy, do you know of any judges that are part of the wizarding world?"

Amy straightened up, thinking as she nodded. In fact, it was a brilliant idea, the more she considered it. Sophia Gerbowski was tough as nails…and occasionally spat said nails at those who argued before her, if they deserved it. "Tomorrow morning, I'll talk to Bruce and see how soon he can get Harry's case on the docket."

Turning to Kyle, Maxine said, "I want to get Harry admitted to the hospital tomorrow. I doubt Dumbledore will try and pull anything, but at this point, I wouldn't put it past him."

"What can I do to help?" Peter wanted to know. While he was just an insurance guy, he needed to be doing something to help his family and Harry.

Maxine thought long and hard about the question. The major thought in her mind was how the situation would go over with the wizarding government, but given that that there was no violations of the Statute of Secrecy between the muggle world and the wizarding world, Maxine wanted to keep the magical government out of things for the time being. "I'm not sure yet," Maxine replied, honestly. When Peter looked dejected, she gave her eldest son a warm smile. "This is not going to be easy, Peter. And it could take a while to get things figured out."

Peter nodded, pensively, and then said, "Then I'm going go ahead and go home. You'll call me when Harry's case gets a court date?"

"Of course," Maxine promised.

Once Peter and Kyle had left, Amy looked at her mother. "Bruce said he'd talk to Judge Gerbowski's CSO and get Harry's case on the docket for Tuesday."

With plans in motion, Maxine and Amy decided to go to bed, both promising to use the weekend ahead to get things moving.

Once Dumbledore had arrived, Harry had felt a sinking feeling in his stomach and was suddenly very afraid that he was about to be sent back to the Dursleys where further injury or worse no doubt awaited him. Vernon had sworn to make sure Harry never walked again if anyone found out the truth. Maybe Vernon would break his legs again, condemning Harry to a lifetime of constant pain. Or he'd stab Harry in the back, severing his spinal cord and paralyzing him. Or maybe…

"Jared," Maxing said, cutting into Harry's thoughts. "Could you be so kind as to take Harry home with you for the night?"

"Of course," Jared quickly acquiesced, withdrawing his cell phone to call his driver.

As soon as the pair was comfortably settled in the limousine, Jared nodded at the mini-fridge. "Can I get you something, Harry?"

"No, sir," Harry replied, quickly. "I'm alright," he added, noting that his initial response had sounded borderline defensive.

Jared, however, was not put off in the slightest by the teenager's response and smiled warmly. "I'd wager you haven't had many good things happen to you in your life… am I right?"

Shaking his head before looking away, Harry said, quietly, "No, sir."

Moving so he was sitting next to Harry, Jared put a grandfatherly arm around the teenager, ignoring when Harry flinched at the gesture. "I promise you, Harry, I will never do anything to hurt you. Neither will Maxine, or anyone else in the Gray family. We're going to do everything we can to make sure that you never have to worry about being hurt again. Okay?"

Once at Jared Duff's penthouse condo, the millionaire escorted Harry to the guest room and gave him a brief tour before excusing himself to go call Maxine to confirm that Harry arrived safely.

After undressing and getting into the large Jacuzzi-style bathtub, Harry looked at both legs, running a hand over the mess of various scars, feeling the unevenness of the limb, and imagining the assortment of pins, screws, and plates that were holding the bones and joints together.

After the debacle with Dobby the house elf, Harry had been locked in his bedroom for nearly a week before Vernon had barged in, wielding a tire iron and a length of rope. Harry had jumped off his bed and tried to make a run for it, but Vernon had backhanded him, knocking him down. The portly man had roughly grabbed Harry's wrists and tied them before dragging him over to the dresser, tying the rope to the hanging bar inside.

Harry had opened his mouth to scream and Vernon promptly gagged him before securing Harry's ankles to the legs of the dresser. Harry's eyes grew wide with fear as his uncle raised the tire iron and he was afraid he was about to be beaten to death.

The first blow landed on Harry's left femur and despite the gag, Harry cried out in pain as he felt the bone break. Tears fell down his face and he wished someone—anyone—would barge in and stop the beating.

But Vernon was far from done with his assault. Harry felt both his lower legs break next, then both his knees… blow after blow, and Harry felt himself going into shock as Vernon undid the ropes, letting Harry fall to the ground before raising his foot and stomping hard on both of Harry's ankles, breaking both joints.

Harry shuddered as he remembered the following days. He wasn't allowed out to use the bathroom—Aunt Petunia had left a bucket in Harry's room to use as a toilet. He barely ate—the pain was so intense, Harry often felt nauseous, even throwing up on multiple occasions.

It had seemed like something out of a dream one night when Fred, George, and Ron Weasley showed up to rescue him. Of course, the escape was hindered by the fact that Harry couldn't walk and was almost too weak to get up.

But Fred and George were strong and while Ron collected Harry's things and loaded them into the flying car outside, the twins helped Harry out through the bedroom window after splinting his legs.

Once at the Weasley home—The Burrow—Molly Weasley called a healer who was a friend of the family to come and fix Harry's legs. But because the bones had already started to heal—and the healer didn't want to cause Harry additional pain by refracturing the poor boy's legs—there was only so much that could be done. Vanishing the bones and regrowing them was discussed, but the healer warned that improper spellcasting on the bones could result in additional damage to Harry's muscles.

And so—after nearly a month of healing and bed rest—Harry had finally been able to walk around, his legs in metal and plastic braces as he leaned on a pair of forearm crutches.

Bringing himself back to the present, he tried to imagine the coming weeks and what it would be like with only one leg. Harry knew that he should tell his friends about what was going on but that was a whole other situation he wasn't ready to be in at the moment. First, he needed to get his legs fixed… then he could deal with Hermione and Ron's reactions.

Finishing his bath, Harry carefully got out of the tub before putting his leg braces back on and pulling on his pajamas.

Limping back to the guest room after grabbing his crutches, Harry carefully sat down on the edge of the big, soft bed after pulling back the covers. Again removing the braces, Harry was unable to keep himself from letting out a small cry of pain as he tried raising his right leg onto the mattress.

A moment later, Jared came into the room, looking concerned. "Harry? Did you need some help?"

At first, Harry shook his head before taking a deep breath and trying again. But when he felt his right knee give a sharp jolt of pain, he looked at Jared with a pleading look. "I'm sorry," Harry said, looking embarrassed. "I-I don't want to…"

But Jared's look was warm and comforting as he helped Harry get his legs up on the bed.

"Thank you," Harry said, quietly. "I-it's not always that hard for me to get into bed."

Jared sat down on the edge of the mattress and gave Harry a smile. "It's okay to ask for help, Harry. You don't have to be embarrassed about your situation."

After getting settled, Harry nodded. "I know. I just…" Looking away, he said, quietly, "You don't know what it's like."

"What what's like?" Jared prodded, gently.

Harry couldn't keep the choke out of his voice as he said, "No one wanting you… people hurting you for no reason…" Looking at Jared, he added, "Being abused."

It had taken Harry a long time to really understand the truth about what the Dursleys had done to him. For most of his childhood, he didn't understand that it wasn't right for his aunt and uncle to yell at him, call him names, starve him… beat him.

Then in his 2nd year at Hogwarts, while she sat with him in the hospital wing after a rogue bludger had broken his right leg again, Hermione Granger had asked him why he'd never said anything to anyone about the abuse.

At first, Harry hadn't understood what she was talking about. He tried explaining that his relatives' actions were punishments when he'd done something wrong.

But with kindness and patience, Hermione corrected him. He was a victim of abuse and he shouldn't have to live in fear of being so severely punished all the time.

Still, it had taken more than a year and a half before Harry was able to get up the courage to confront his aunt and get her to take him to a proper hospital—and that was only because he'd been bolstered by his godfather, Sirius Black, coming back into his life.

Unsure of how to respond to the teenager's statement—which he painfully had to admit was completely true—Jared patted Harry's shoulder gently and replied, "Get some sleep, Harry."

Harry nodded and took off his glasses, setting them on the nightstand by the bed before shifting position and closing his eyes.

Jared stood and left the room, turning off the bedroom light as he did so.

The following morning, after a filling breakfast at a nearby diner, Harry found himself admitted to St. Michael's Hospital.

As a nurse helped him get settled in the adjustable bed, Harry was surprised when Peter and Gillian Gray came into the private room.

"How are you doing, Harry?" Gillian asked, brightly, dropping a large shopping bag on the chair next to the bed and a second bag on the floor. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, Mr. Duff's place was great," Harry replied, cordially, giving Jared a grateful smile. Moving his legs to get more comfortable, Harry let out a hiss of pain but before he could claim that he was fine, Gillian had whipped two pillows out of one of the bags and used them to prop Harry's right leg.

"Better?" Gillian asked, as Harry shifted the pillow under his knee slightly.

"Yeah, thank you," Harry said, nodding. He adjusted the bed so he was sitting up as much as possible and was about to ask when Maxine was coming when the social worker came in.

"Kyle called me and said that you'd been admitted," Maxine explained as she turned her attention to Harry. "I also spoke to Judge Gerbowski. The custody hearing will be Tuesday morning at 11am."

Peter looked from Harry to his mother as he said, "Kyle said that Harry's surgery will be first thing tomorrow morning." Turning to Harry he asked, "You okay with that, Harry?"

Harry felt suddenly nervous as he thought about it, but he nodded, resolutely. "Yeah, I think so." When he felt the muscles in his right leg cramp up, he gripped the blankets on the bed but made no sound as he clenched his teeth and tried to breathe through the pain. Feeling someone's hand on his, he looked up to see Gillian sitting on the edge of the bed, her blue-gray eyes full of motherly love as she took Harry's hand in hers, not batting an eye when he squeezed hard.

"It's okay, Harry," Gillian assured the teenager, patting his shoulder, soothingly. "It'll be okay. Just breathe."

Harry shook his head, feeling the cramp get worse. The pain was somehow even worse than the normal leg pain and the slightest movements seemed to make it worse. Breathing hard, Harry shut his eyes tight before yanking his hand from Gillian's and digging his nails as hard as he could into the underside of his opposite forearm.

The new pain hit and for the briefest of seconds, Harry's leg pain ebbed before coming back, full force. In desperation, he dug his nails into his arm again, even harder than before.

After what felt like hours, the muscles in Harry's leg began to relax, and he slowly withdrew his nails from his forearm, opening his eyes as his breathing returned to normal.

"You okay now, Harry?" Peter asked, looking worried as Gillian gently took Harry's arm and turned it to see the marks from his nails.

There were 15 crescent-shaped welts on the underside of Harry's forearm and a few of them looked like they were a hair away from starting to bleed. Seeing Gillian's horrified expression, Harry pulled his arm away, rubbing it, self-consciously. "It's not as bad as it looks," Harry muttered, looking away from everyone in the room. "The marks usually fade in a few days."

"Maybe I should talk to Kyle about getting you some medications that could help prevent the muscle cramps," Maxine suggested, trying to keep her tone light. "So you don't have to resort to…"

"So I don't have to resort to self mutilation?" Harry finished, quietly. Catching Maxine's shrug, he explained. "The brain has… something of a… a gating mechanism for pain. Sometimes doing this—" he exposed the marks again. "—helps override the pain. But it's only when I have really bad muscle cramps," he assured the others.

Maxine wasn't sure if she was convinced, but she nodded. "Still… I'll talk to Kyle about that IV."

When she left the room, Jared following her, Gillian watched Harry lower the back of the hospital bed. "Why don't you try and rest up, honey?" When Harry gave a short nod, she took his glasses and set them on the table nearby. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

Harry closed his eyes and when he fell asleep, Gillian gave her husband a reassuring look. "You should go home, Peter. I'll be fine."

"Call me if you need anything," Peter replied, giving his wife a quick kiss before leaving the room.

Magical DNA tests didn't take nearly as much time as the muggle versions and after using the few wizarding contacts she had, Maxine had found the test results on her desk when she arrived late on Monday morning.

True, the DNA results showed that Sean Potter and Harry were second cousins, but the blood ties were there which Maxine hoped would be enough to pacify Dumbledore.

There was also a message from Amy on her voicemail saying that Judge Gerbowski had insisted—ordered, really—that Dumbledore be present at the hearing the following morning.

With things falling into place, Maxine felt she could actually take a moment and get some much-needed coffee and start typing up her reports before tackling some things regarding her other open cases.

When she'd stopped by the hospital last night, Harry had been incredibly chatty, no doubt under the influence of the morphine. As a result, he'd opened up about life with the Dursleys, revealing details Maxine was certain he never would have divulged, normally.

The young man had kept staring down at the empty space where his leg had been, almost as if he could still see the limb.

Kyle had reported that the surgery on Harry's left leg would be taking place later that afternoon and—if Judge Gerbowski needed Harry's testimony—would be able to talk Wednesday afternoon.

"The DNA report came back already?" Sean Potter asked as he walked up behind Maxine, glancing at the file on the desk.

Maxine handed the file over, her focus on getting all the details down while they were still fresh in her mind. She was caught off guard, therefore, when Sean suddenly exclaimed, "Harry and I are related?"

After a moment to get her heart rate back to normal, Maxine turned to Sean who was staring at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Technically, you are James Potter's cousin," she explained as she turned back to her reports. "But the blood bond is still there which should be sufficient to pacify Harry's headmaster."

"Okay," Sean said, slowly, as he tried to think about the whole situation. "And in the off chance that it isn't?"

Letting out a small, annoyed sigh, Maxine again turned to face Sean. "If it isn't…" Maxine began, thinking about the contingencies in her mind. "—then we move on to plan B."

Sean had worked with Maxine long enough to recognize the look on her face and knew that whatever his top social worker was about to suggest would be just shy of breaking the rules… and would be the best option for Harry. "Which is…?" Sean prompted, warily.

"My son, Peter, and his wife, Gillian, would like to formally adopt Harry," Maxine explained, calmly. Seeing her boss about to protest, she amended her statement. "At the very least, they would like to become Harry's foster parents and legal guardians."

Considering that the plan was somewhat shaky and that the licensing processes that Peter and Gillian would have to go through were tricky, Maxine was surprised when Sean nodded in agreement. But before Maxine could say anything else, Sean cut her off. "You'll need to get Judge Gerbowski to sign off on placing Harry with your son. But he's already the parent of an adopted child so that cuts some of the red tape. Get the judge's signature, and I'll take care of the rest."

"Sean, you are a saint," Maxine, replied with a smile.

With a smile and an eyeroll, Sean left Maxine to her work and headed back to his own office to sort through his own growing mass of paperwork.

The name Sophia Gerbowski was familiar to Albus Dumbledore… but for the life of him, he couldn't remember where he'd heard the name before. His best guess was that she was a former student of his at one time, or perhaps she'd published an article or book he'd read once.

No, it was definitely a book, Dumbledore decided as he pondered the name on his walk from the motel he was staying at to the courthouse. But what book was it? It was something he'd read recently—which for him meant within the past two decades—and the more he thought about it, the more he felt like it was something he'd disagreed with.

Entering the courtroom, Dumbledore sat at the front of the room, knowing that he would, essentially, be acting as his own counsel in this hearing.

On the other side of the room, Maxine Gray sat with Sean Potter at the other front table while Amy Gray and her family sat in the rows behind.

Hearing the door to the judge's chambers open, Dumbledore got to his feet—as did everyone else—and he felt a cold sensation in the pit of his stomach as he recognized Judge Sophia Gerbowski.

He remembered now where he'd heard the name, and the book—books—she'd published denouncing blood binding and blood protection spells.

As Dumbledore slowly sat back down, he realized that the only argument he had for his side of things was something that the judge vehemently protested and detested.

"I take it we're all aware of the special circumstances surrounding this case?" Gerbowski said, looking from Dumbledore to the Gray family and Sean before glancing at her court clerk and court services officer. When she received confirmations all around, she gave a small smile as she went on. "Good, that means we can cut the crap and get down to business." Turning her focus to Dumbledore as she narrowed her gaze at him, she asked, "Why exactly do you want to send Harry Potter back to realatives who view him only as—from what I can tell—little more than a slave and a punching bag?"

Dumbledore slowly got to his feet and took a deep breath before he responded. "When I initially placed Harry Potter with the Dursleys, I used Lily Potter's sacrifice to save her son to forge a blood protection which shield Harry from magical threats."

"What about threats from his own family?" Judge Gerbowski asked, frowning.

"I didn't anticipate the Dursleys harming Harry," Dumbledore replied, feeling as though he were the one on trial.

Moving on down her list of questions, Gerbowski asked, "Why didn't you ever do any follow-up visits at Harry's home? Talk to his muggle teachers or to his neighbors?"

Standing, Maxine started to give her opening statement but the judge silenced her immediately. Sitting back down, Maxing couldn't help but take note of the startling look of cold contempt on Sophia Gerbowski's face.

Dumbledore thought for a moment before said, "I believed that Petunia Dursley could overcome her distaste for the wizarding world and treat Harry as family."

"You never once bothered to check on Harry's well-being," Gerbowski snapped, starting to let her feelings get the better of her. "Even when Harry was severely injured while in the care of his aunt and uncle, you still never bothered to investigate." Staring down the renowned Hogwarts headmaster, she took a deep breath to reign herself in before dropping the hammer. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't order you arrested as an accessory to Harry's abuse."

Deciding to try speaking again, Maxine again got to her feet, not letting herself be intimidated when Judge Gerbowski turned to stare at her with the same piercing gaze she'd just given Dumbledore. "Your Honor, if I may…?" When she wasn't told to be quiet and sit down, Maxine pressed on. "The wizarding world is on the verge of war. Imprisoning Albus Dumbledore may be what he deserves under the circumstances, but the magical community would suffer in the long run."

Dumbledore gave Maxine a grateful look but her expression was stern and unwavering when she went on. "That being said, the fact remains that Harry Potter has not been—nor will he ever be—safe in the care of Petunia and Vernon Dursley. I would ask that Harry be placed with foster parents who will not only help him deal with his physical disabilities, but also help him deal with the results of the mental and emotional abuse he's suffered."

Gerbowski leaned back in her chair for a moment before looking at Sean Potter. "Does DCF have a placement for Harry already?"

Sean stood as well and replied, "Presently, Harry is in St. Michael's Hospital undergoing treatment for the damage done to his legs by his uncle." Gesturing behind him, he went on. "Judge Amy Gray's brother and sister-in-law have expressed a desire to become Harry's foster parents and legal guardians."

"There is still the blood protection in effect—" Dumbledore interrupted but he was silenced when Judge Gerbowski cut him off.

"Blood protections are the most useless spells ever devised by the wizarding world!" Gerbowski snapped, angrily. "How has being related to Petunia Dursley saved Harry from being abused by his aunt and uncle? You want to protect him from magical threats? Wonderful. But Harry Potter will not be going back to a place where he's under constant danger from his own muggle relatives."

"In regards to the blood protection, which Professor Dumbledore seems to prize so highly," Maxine said, looking from Sean to the headmaster. "—a magical DNA test confirmed familial ties between Harry Potter and my supervisor, Sean Potter."

Dumbledore did a double take as Judge Gerbowski asked to see the test results for herself. Knowing that he didn't have any standing whatsoever, he simply waited to see what the judge would say.

Sophia Gerbowsi was torn between her contempt for blood protection spells and her desire to protect Harry from both muggle and magical threats. Despite her outburst a moment ago, she knew that—properly formed—blood magic would protect someone from their enemies. But the initial protection on Harry Potter was anything but properly formed and had resulted in tragedy. "Alright…" she said after a moment. "Let me ruminate."

Watching the judge steeple her fingers and close her eyes, Maxine felt utterly confused and she had no idea what the ruling might be. Exchanging a look with Sean, who merely shrugged and gave a 'No idea' gesture, Maxine could only wait.

After several minutes, Judge Gerbowski opened her eyes and took the case file before her, taking another few minutes to double-check a few key facts and notes. Finally, she looked from Sean and Maxine to Dumbledore. "Albus Dumbledore, the way you have handled Harry Potter's case was deplorable."

"Yes, Your Honor," Dumbledore agreed, nodding.

But Gerbowski wasn't done and she certainly wasn't letting the headmaster off the hook so easily. "If you'd bothered doing any further investigation 14 years ago, we might not even be in this mess. You never once took the time to confirm that the Dursleys were Harry's only relatives and as a result, a young man has had to deal with permanent disabilities which could either have been prevented or properly treated if you had bothered to check on him."

Again, Dumbledore could only nod his concurrence. "I have no arguments, Your Honor. What I have done to Harry is inexcusable and I doubt he'll ever really forgive me for the part I played in his predicament."

"Headmaster Dumbledore," Gerbowski said, not easily swayed by eloquent apologies. "This court orders you to dissolve the blood protection forged between Harry Potter and Petunia Evans Dursley and to forge a new protection between Sean Potter and Harry Potter."

"Understood, Your Honor," Dumbledore agreed.

"In addition," the judge went on, nodding to her clerk and CSO to take notes on the matter. "Harry will be placed in the care of DCF until his 18th birthday. Ms. Gray, I trust you'll handle the foster care arrangements?"

"Absolutely," Maxine replied, trying not to sound too eager as she turned to hug her son and daughter-in-law.

Gerbowski wasn't done with Dumbledore, however and added, "Albus Dumbledore, I am also ordering you to bear the financial responsibility of Harry's care and medical expenses until he is 21 years old. If Harry seeks further education after graduating Hogwarts, you will pay for that as well. Do I make myself understood?"

Dumbledore nodded once more. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Good," Gerbowski said, a smile again crossing her face. "We're dismissed for now. Ms. Gray, I want an update on Harry's progress by the end of August."

"Hopefully, it will be nothing but good news," Maxine replied, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.

A/N: Okay, I want to explain something I mention in this story, namely how Harry handles the pain of severe leg cramps. That was NOT something I made up and is in fact how I deal with the rare Charlie-horse cramp. It sounds extreme-and in some ways it is-but somehow it actually does distract from the pain of the muscle cramp. Usually, the marks fade away after 24 to 36 hours, but once the nail marks lasted a couple days.

And before anyone starts lecturing about self-mutilation-YES, I know that it's no way to handle any situation. I'm aware that there are people out there who do similar and worse things to themselves as a result of mental illness.

That said, please let me assure you that I have NEVER thought about deliberately hurting myself on a normal day. Not even when I have horrible, awful, terrible, stressful days. The ONLY time, I have ever done the nail thing is when I have the leg cramps. Thank you.