Chapter three – Muggle-wizard Relationship Control

Lily couldn't keep her mind shut that night. Every time she closed her eyes, the scenes of The Big Funnel kept passing through her head like an endless movie. Impossible to sleep that way.

Eventually, she gave up and decided to go to the kitchen to get a glass of Bubble Juice. But halfway there, she heard murmurings. Coming from her parents' bedroom. Obviously, Ginny and Harry didn't want to be overheard.

It was impossible to hear anything. Lily suspected either Harry or Ginny had cast the Muffliato spell. But there were ways to crack the system.

The Bubble Juice and the insomnia lost importance. Lily came back to her room, grabbed her Extensible Ears – bless Weasley's Wizard Wheezes – and came back to the corridor.

"– becoming paranoid, Harry," Ginny was saying.

"Ginny, I genuinely think this chase of Muggle-borns is a distraction," insisted Harry.

"So are you saying you think it's safe to leave Hermione unprotected?" Ginny asked angrily.

"That's not what I said," Harry said quickly. "I do think Hermione should be under the Fidelius Charm, just in case. But, for me, the Muggle-borns aren't the biggest target. It's not purposeless, yes, but it's also a distraction."

Ginny sighed, careful with her next words. "Harry, I know you're afraid we'll face a Voldemort-alike era."

"Of course I am. Aren't you?"

"Always," said Ginny seriously. "This indeed seems like only the tip of the iceberg, but… Do you think Potts would be as dangerous as what we went through years ago? So much has changed…"

"It's never too late to have another war," Harry said in a gloomy way.

Now Ginny seemed exasperated. "What happened to all was well?"

"That was before the arrival of this new minister. Kingsley told me he has this huge addiction to power and control. And Voldemort is nothing more than that. I know what I'm talking about. William Potts tends to be the Voldemort of this era."

There was silence, and I realized they were staring at each other.

"I think we should go to sleep," Ginny muttered.

Lily went back to her room, her ears echoing with her parents' voices. She had never witnessed a fight between Harry and Ginny before. And what they were talking about… that really scared Lily. She was even more awake than she was before.

Even though she wasn't interested on Bubble Juice anymore, Lily left her room again, this time to do the only thing which would make her relax a bit. As quietly as possible, she unlocked the front door and took a walk through Godric's Hollow.

The village wasn't calm as it was during the day. At night, it seemed particularly dark and terrifying.

Godric's Hollow wasn't an entirely wizarding village. There were Muggle families along with wizarding families, living peacefully. Lily quite liked to live around Muggles. They were extremely interesting and nice. Not bad and inferior like some witches and wizards thought. Lily didn't know why they had this thing about Muggles and Muggle-borns. There was nothing wrong with them.

Lily walked to the first place she thought about: the war memorial, an obelisk with names of dead soldiers. With no surprise, when she got closer, the memorial transformed. Lily was now looking at a statue of three people: a man with messy hair and glasses, a woman with a kind face, and a baby boy sitting in his mother's arms.

Lily sat in front of the statue of her grandparents and her father. That place had the power to calm her down. Several times she had gone there to cheer herself up. Even if it was also melancholic; Lily had never gotten the chance to meet her grandparents. She and James had taken their names as an honor.

She stared at them. They could've been so much. Instead, Voldemort had taken that family away, in a horrible way, too soon. Lily would never forgive him for that.

She wondered if she was anything like her grandmother. Everyone always said Lily looked like her, in personality and looks. That made her feel honored. She hoped she could live up to the expectations.

"I guess the two of us had the same idea."

Lily turned around. Her father, the grown up one, was standing just behind her. She got up in a jump. "Dad! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have–"

"Run away from home like that," he completed the sentence. Lily was relieved to see he wasn't mad. "It's okay, love. Your father here used to do worse things when he was younger. But you should be careful these days." He passed his arm around his daughter's shoulders. "Problems in sleeping?"

Lily nodded, biting her lip. "I'm worried. About Aunt Hermione."

"Don't worry about that," said Harry. "Your aunt is a very capable witch. Besides, we'll take good care of her."

Lily really wanted to believe that, but she still felt uneasy. The wizards from the Ministry were also capable, after all. They stood there, looking at the statue of what once was a happy family.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Will you be mad at me if I tell you I overheard you and Mum arguing just now?"

Harry held his daughter's shoulders more tightly. "You would know anyway. You see, your mother and I were worried. We know what is like to live an oppressive era, and we don't want you and brothers to experience this too."

Lily looked up. She had always seen her father as a real hero, but not as much as she was doing right now. She grabbed him for a sudden hug. She held him as tight as she could. Harry hugged her right back, even tighter.

"There," he said. "Now, let's go home. You better promise me you won't run away like this again. It's too dangerous. Understood?"

"Okay, Dad."

Of course she would do her best to keep her word. However, she didn't promise for a reason. But Harry, more than anyone, would understand.

/

A couple of days later, the Potters had something planned, but it was far from what they had expected.

There already had been a reunion with Ginny's side of the family. Now it was time to spend a day with my Harry's side.

Harry had almost no family, indeed. And, of the few family members, with two he didn't talk anymore. It only left Harry's cousin, Dudley Dursley.

Dudley was a nice person. He hadn't always been, but now he and Harry were close. Dudley had a loving wife, Steph, and one son, Riley Dursley. Riley was a sixteen-year-old, extremely polite and easy-going. The Potters loved to visit the Dursleys. They were lovely people.

As the five Potters got into the car, early that morning, Harry reminded them about the instructions.

"Okay, Potters, remember," said Harry. "No mentions about anything related to magic. Now, let's recall it: where do you study?"

"Yanz Boarding School for Special Kids, in Cambridge," Albus and Lily said together.

"Where do you work?"

"With you and Mum, at the local newspaper," said James, bored.

Harry made them repeat that every single time they went to visit the Dursleys. Dudley was aware about his cousin's family magical abilities. Steph and Riley were not. So the Potters were obligated to keep secret.

The Dursleys' place was located in a village called Rube Rosebud, a three-hour trip from Godric's Hollow. The Potters had to use Harry's Muggle car – which never left the garage, except in situations like that –, because they couldn't simply appear beside their house without seeming very suspicious.

They arrived at the Dursleys' at 12 p.m. punctually. Steph greeted them cheerfully. She was a happy lady, we rarely saw her stressed.

"What a wonderful visit!" she said, taking off the apron she was wearing. "Ginny, dear, you look astonishing, as always! And you, Harry! Come in, come in! Oh, you three, I remember when you were little babies, all of you!"

The house was small, but pretty and comfortable. Dudley was sitting on the sofa, watching a program on TV. Riley was sitting beside his Dad, reading the local newspaper, where Ginny, Harry and James were supposed to work.

"We were just waiting for you," said Steph. "I'm just finishing a special lunch for us."

"I'll help you, Steph," said Ginny kindly, and both of them disappeared to the kitchen.

Harry and Dudley shook hands and left to sit outside at the front yard. Riley dropped the newspaper and got up to greet Lily, James and Albus. He shook the boys' hands and kissed Lily's. Then he waited for the three siblings to sit down to sit too.

Riley was the most polite boy on Earth. He was an actual gentleman. Lily often got embarrassed with all that. But Riley never seemed to notice.

They didn't have to wait much for lunch. Steph and Ginny put the food on a big table on the yard, where Harry and Dudley were. The adults sat in one side of the table and the boys and Lily sat on the other one.

Lily and Albus presented difficulties in remembering the names of Muggles' school subjects. Riley kept asking them which ones were their favorites. Lily said the only one she could remember of – Math, the smallest name –, and Albus, who obviously didn't remember any of them, said he liked them all. That was acceptable, because Albus was very studious.

Riley was telling them how he had managed to get straight A's all over his life, when Lily heard constant scratching noises. She thought it was her imagination, but she lost completely the track of the conversation. She took a look at the yard, but she didn't see anything suspicious.

Then Lily's eyes looked down to the bushes beside her. They were moving. She looked more carefully, then she saw something which almost made her heart stop completely.

There was a wand, definitely a wand, pointing directly to the kids' table. Lily only had time to scream: "EVERYBODY DOWN!" when the person carrying the wand casted a spell towards them.

They all dived to the ground heavily. Riley wasn't fast enough: he was hit by the first spell, and fell, unconscious. More spells were flying around.

Then the wizard showed himself. It wasn't just one, though. Five wizards appeared from behind the bushes, their wands emitting jets of red light across the yard.

Lily crawled to Riley. After she checked his pulse and made sure he was alive, she dragged him through the grass and put him under the table.

When Lily crawled back, the five wizards were still trying to hit their targets. Not the Potters, but the Dursleys. With Riley already unconscious, they were pointing their wands to Dudley and Steph.

Harry, Ginny, Albus and James had gotten up now. The four of them were protecting the Dursley couple, casting spells towards the wizards. Lily wished she could help them, but she couldn't for being underage. She knew she would make everyone in more trouble if she tried to help.

Dudley and Steph were so frightened they couldn't move. There were five enemy wizards against four Potters, so, eventually, the Muggle couple was hit by spells, and fell on the ground.

The wizards stopped casting spells. The three Dursleys were unconscious now. The Potters kept pointing the wands at them, though.

"We are from the Ministry of Magic," announced the first wizard. "I have orders to send to Azkaban anyone who attempts to injure us."

"I happen to be an employee from the Ministry of Magic as well," Harry said, promptly and cordially. "Harry Potter."

Harry didn't like the give the famous-person card, but sometimes it was necessary. Unlike what everyone expected, though, the men didn't seem interested.

"Apologies, Mr Potter, but no exceptions," said the first wizard, who was apparently the head of the department. "We are from the Muggle-wizard Relationship Control."

All Potters exchanged looks.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "This is new."

"The department was created for the newest law stated by the minister," explained a third wizard, giving Harry a note.

Harry eyed the paper. "Muggle-wizard Relationship Control," he read aloud. "Each and every wizard or witch who make contact, direct or indirectly, with a person with non-magical blood, popularly known as 'Muggle', will be submitted to a warning. The memory of the referred Muggle will be modified if so. If the wizard or witch make contact with any other Muggle a second time, he or she will be sent to Azkaban, or to a disciplinary hearing if underage. The law will be made public on August 25th, and published on the Daily Prophet, but it will be effective immediately after its elaboration. William Potts, Minister of Magic." Harry looked up to the five wizards from Muggle-wizard Relationship Control, seeming incredulous. "You can't be serious."

"This is rubbish!" Albus yelled. "We can't even get close to Muggles?"

"You can't consider a law as stated if you don't warn people about its existence!" James argued.

"And how would you know when wizards and witches talk to Muggles?" Lily spoke up. "It's only possible if you put a trace on them. That's not the ethical thing to do!"

"Children, calm down," Ginny whispered, but they could see she was mad as well.

"We have to do what we were told by minister Potts," said one wizard. "Now, let us modify the memories of those Muggles. They won't remember anything since the moment you stepped on this yard."

They had no choice but to watch. After all, it was better off if the Dursleys didn't remember this encounter anyway. Harry held his two sons by the shoulders while Ginny put an arm across Lily. Their parents were the only thing stopping them from going after those horrible people.

Two men walked to Dudley and Steph. They pointed their wands at the couple and said at the same time: "Obliviate."

Then, a third man walked to Riley under the table and did the same thing to him.

The head of the department turned to the Potters. "Now, you and your family, Mr. Potter, will go home and never make contact with this Muggle family ever again. Have a nice day."

Harry nodded and walked to the car, Ginny beside him and Lily, James and Albus behind them, stepping heavily.

"'Have a nice day,' oh, please" said Albus sarcastically.

"They can't do that!" Lily exclaimed, sitting between her two brothers. "Poor Dursleys! They didn't deserve that! They aren't dangerous at all!"

"Honey, we know that," Ginny said, trying to control her anger. "But they are from the Ministry. They can do that. We can't argue with them."

"Yeah, but… It's just so unfair."

"They went too far this time," Harry agreed. Here, he exchanged significant looks with Ginny. Lily noticed it was about their last argument.

The Potters continued for the next hour in silence. They were too shaken and angry to talk.

Then Lily remembered something. "Aunt Hermione's parents!" she exclaimed. What if aunt Hermione is planning a visit to her parents, the Muggles? e have to warn them about it!"

"She's right, Harry," Ginny agreed. "We can go there after we drop the kids at home."

Lily decided not to complain about it. As long as Hugo, Rose, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione and her parents to be safe, it was all good.

After the longest three-hour trip in history, Harry and Ginny dropped their by the front door and immediately Disapparated.

Without waiting for James and Albus, Lily ran inside and went upstairs as quickly as she could. Instead of entering her room, she went to her parents'. Hedwig II wasn't out. The majestic white owl was roosted on the window frame Lily smiled. "Hey, Hedwig, would you mind delivering a letter for me? Mum and Dad cannot know. Could you do me this favor, please?"

The owl hooted with dignity, as if the answer was obvious.

Lily grabbed parchment, feather and ink and started to write a brief letter.

Dear D,
We won't be able to visit for a long time. We are having huge problems here, in "our world". I can't explain more, but I think you got it. We are all very sad, and we hope you understand. As soon as we get the problem fixed, visiting you will be the first thing we will do. We just don't know how long it will take.
Please tell the other two we had to move to another country. The last thing we want to do is to hurt you and them.
Don't try to write back. We will be in real trouble if you do so.
It's not a goodbye, remember it. The whole family already misses you.
Love, L.

Lily turned to Hedwig II and tied the letter to her leg.

"Send it to Dudley Dursley, please, Hedwig," Lily told her. "You know where he lives. Send it directly to Dudley, do you understand?"

The owl roosted on Lily's shoulder, cuddled the girl with her head then flew out of the window.

Lily could only hope the Ministry couldn't track owls.

Ginny and Harry arrived an hour later. They told their children that Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Rose, Hugo and the Grangers were all right. They told them about what happened at the Dursleys' as well.

Lily really wanted to see Hugo. He was the only one who would make her feel better. But she wasn't sure who would have to cheer up whom.

When she got back to her room, she found Hugo's owl by her window, carrying a letter with him.

Hugo seemed to have been trembling when he wrote the letter. The note was short and clear.

I want to see you as soon as possible. We can meet at The Burrow. Send me Levi back with the date. Please, Lils. I think I will go crazy if I don't see you soon.
Hugs