A/N: Yeah, I know this took a while to get out, but such is life. I don't get paid for this, so this must take a backseat to work that does. Anyway, you know the drill, I don't own it, blah, blah, blah.

Chapter 4: Lunchtime and Arresting Developments

Harry and Dobby followed Madam Pomfrey down to the Great Hall. Harry couldn't help looking around excitedly, especially after he saw a person in one of the portraits not just move, but give a gasp of surprise when it saw Harry and run into a neighboring portrait and whisper in the ear of the person there. He looked around and saw that *all* the pictures he could see were moving. He asked Madame Pomfrey about them, wondering if all the pictures in the castle moved. She replied that they did, and that the people in them were terrible gossips. "I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the castle knows you're here by dinnertime," she said. She saw a brief look of worry cross the boy's face. "What's wrong, Harry?"

"Charlie and I wanted to keep my presence a secret from his brothers. There were portraits in the Headmaster's office. If they gossip that much, his brothers may have already found out," he replied, worriedly.

"Not to worry Harry," she assured him. "The portraits in the Headmaster's office are the exception when it comes to gossip. They are all former Headmasters and Headmistresses and are there to advise the sitting Head. They listen to the gossip floating around, but they will not tell anyone except the Headmaster. You were not noticed by any of the more public portraits when you were first brought here, and there are currently none in your quarters, so your secret is safe."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as they continued on their way. They entered the Great Hall and Harry gazed in awe at the ceiling. Or rather where the ceiling should have been, as all he saw were the walls disappearing into the sky. It didn't feel like they had walked outside, though. He looked up at Madame Pomfrey, confusion in his eyes.

Poppy suppressed a giggle at the look of confusion on Harry's face and took pity on the boy. "The ceiling in the Great Hall is charmed to look like the sky outside, so what you see in here is exactly what the weather is like outside."

"I know, I read about it in 'Hogwarts: A History'. But reading about it and seeing it are two different things." He looked around and saw that there was only one small round table at the far end of the hall, with eight people already seated and three empty chairs between Dumbledore and a woman in patched grey robes with an equally patched hat atop grey, fly-away hair.

"Ah, good, you're here," said Dumbledore, waving them to the empty chairs. "Have a seat Harry, and I'll introduce everyone while we tuck in." Harry took the chair next to Dumbledore while Dobby sat next to him. After they began eating, Dumbledore began the introductions. "You have already met Professor Snape," he began, indicating the dour Potions Master seated to his left, "as well as our resident Charms and Transfiguration teachers, Professors Flitwick and McGonagall." Snape merely glanced at Harry and nodded in acknowledgement while Flitwick and McGonagall smiled and waved. "They are the Heads of three of the four Houses of Hogwarts…"

Harry was practically bouncing in his seat as he interrupted. "Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff," he said brightly. "Named for the four Founders of the school." He did not realize that he had matched the Houses to their Heads, including the as yet unnamed Hufflepuff Head.

"Quite right, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I see you read 'Hogwarts: A History' already. Yes, Severus is the Head of Slytherin, Filius is Head of Ravenclaw House, while Minerva is Head of Gryffindor, as well as Deputy Headmistress. Professor Pomona Sprout…" He pointed to the witch next to Dobby, "is the Head of Hufflepuff House. Between her and Minerva is Professor Vector, our Arithmancy instructor, and next to Severus is Professor Babbling, who teaches Ancient Runes. You won't be able to take their classes until your third year though you are not required to take them and they are not easy subjects."

"Now Albus," said Professor Vector, "don't discourage the poor boy. Our subjects may take a bit of hard work and study, but at least they have practical applications, unlike some."

"Yes, well anyway… Finally we have our Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid." He indicated a very large man who took up nearly a quarter of the table between Babbling and Flitwick.

"'Ello Harry," he said. "Last time I saw yeh, I could hold yeh in one of me hands. Was just after yer parents were killed it was. I pulled yeh out of the wreckage and brought yeh to the Headmaster. If I'da known what yer relatives were like…," he trailed off sadly.

"You didn't know, Hagrid, it's not your fault. They chose to be the way they were, not you." Harry took a bite of his sandwich. Swallowing, he continued. "I'm well shot of them now anyway. I lived a better life in the woods than I did at the Dursleys', and I already have an even better life here, if for no other reason than the food!" he said, waving at all the food on the table. "I got pretty good at hunting and fishing, sometimes I'd find some nuts or berries, but much variety certainly wasn't on the menu!"

"What abou' during the winter? Musta been hard gettin' enough ter eat," said Hagrid.

Harry looked down at his plate and blushed. "I, erm, kinda raided the Dursleys' pantry before I left. And I knew where Dudley hid the money he'd bullied from other kids so I… stole it," he mumbled. His admission had stunned everyone into silence, though he heard Dobby softly crying. He looked up, expecting to see stern, disapproving looks on the adults' faces. He saw those looks, but they were not as stern or disapproving as he had feared.

"Have you ever stolen anything else?" asked Professor McGonagall.

Harry looked McGonagall straight in the eye before replying. "Just the pellet rifle, the ammo andCO2 cartridges, some fishing gear, a rucksack and some survival books, all of which was stuff Dudley had begged his parents for and lost interest in as soon as he got it," he said. "I've never stolen anything from anybody else. In what spare time I had, which was usually a few hours by my campfire before bed, I would carve small figurines out of pieces of wood. I also would gather herbs and take them and the figurines I'd carved and go into some of the smaller villages and trade them for certain things I couldn't get otherwise. One old lady was so thankful for some of the herbs I'd found for her that she insisted that I spend the night. She fed me both dinner and breakfast the next morning, and she gave me some vegetables she'd canned and a box of some kind of homemade jerky. It looked kinda green, but she told me that it was supposed to look that way."

McGonagall looked back at Harry and saw the utter sincerity in his eyes. Here was a boy who was sorely mistreated by those who were supposed to take care of him, yet still possessed a pure heart. Sure he had technically committed a minor crime, but it was not for selfish personal gain. Harry had done what he did to survive, and survive he did. "Then I don't think we can hold it against you, Harry," she said with a smile. "The money was ill-gotten to begin with and your cousin sounds like a spoilt little bully."

"Not so little from what Harry tells me," said Pomfrey. "Though I agree that he is spoilt, and he certainly sounds like a bully."

"And the Dursleys' were quite well off financially before you were left with them, and they also received a generous monthly stipend afterwards, so I doubt that replacing the food you took would have caused them much, if any, financial burden," added Dumbledore.

"They were paid to take care of me?" Harry asked. Dumbledore nodded. "They always complained about how much food I ate, even though once I turned 5 I had to cook all the meals and all I got was the little bits that were left on their plates. They either banked the money they were paid, or more likely spent it on things for Dudley that he either broke or got tired of after only a couple of days."

"They made you cook when you were only 5?" exclaimed McGonagall. "How did they expect you to reach the stove?"

"I don't think they expected me to, but I stood or kneeled on a chair. The first time I had to cook breakfast Uncle Vernon mashed my hand on the griddle because he said his eggs were runny." Everyone looked at him, horrified that anyone could treat a child in such a fashion."

"Well Harry, I am happy to tell you that your relatives will literally be 'paying' for their crimes," said Dumbledore. Harry gave him a confused look. "You see Harry, they never informed anyone that you had run away, and so, they continued to receive payments for caring for you even though you weren't there."

"But that's fraud!" exclaimed Harry.

"Yes it is, Harry. I may not be a Seer but I foresee hard financial times for your aunt and uncle," said Dumbledore with a chuckle. Several others did as well at his oblique reference to one of their colleagues. "The goblins do not take kindly to fraud, and will be working to recover the money they were paid, not only for the past two years that you were not there, but also for the time that you were there, as you did not receive any actual care from them."

"Goblins are real?"

"Quite real, Harry. They run Gringotts, the Wizard bank. They can be quite ruthless when they feel that they have been cheated."

Poppy suddenly remembered something Harry had said about the jerky being green. "Harry, did you say the jerky was green?" Harry nodded, as his mouth was full of food. "And the person who gave it to you said it was supposed to look that way?" Harry nodded again. "Did it make you sick at all?"

Harry swallowed and replied, "Nope. It actually tasted quite good. That was only two weeks ago, so I still have a fair bit left. Would anyone like to try some after lunch?" he asked, looking around.

"I have a suspicion about what kind of jerky it is." Poppy turned to Dobby. "Dobby, if Harry tells you where it is, could you pop up to his quarters and bring it here?" Dobby agreed, and after Harry told him where it was he popped out of the Great Hall. "I just want to verify my suspicion." Dobby popped back in and handed the box to Harry. Harry opened the box and held a piece out to Poppy, who took one look at it and replied, "The woman who gave you this was either a witch or perhaps a Squib. That jerky is made from dragon meat. It is very healthy. It is also very expensive, so either she really needed those herbs for potions ingredients or else they were just plain valuable, possibly even rare."

"Really? I didn't even know what it was; it just looked cool and had an interesting smell. I was showing her some of my carvings when she saw the bundle. She squealed like a little girl and insisted that I stay the night."

"Would you recognize it if you saw it again?" asked Snape.

"Definitely."

"Come to my lab down in the dungeons later. I stock a variety of potions ingredients, including some rare and valuable ones. If what you found is something in my stores, we could then identify it. If not, we may be able to narrow it down," said Snape.

"I kept a careful journal of my travels. If I can find the village on a map I could find the place where I found those herbs."

"If it's not something in my stores, I may take you up on that," Snape replied.

After lunch, Dobby popped Harry down to Hogsmeade, to the far side of the village where Harry had first entered. They walked down the road for a while before Harry veered of the road into the woods. It didn't take him long to find the hollow tree he had stashed the rifle and retrieve it. He gave it a once over and determined that it was no worse for having sat there for nearly two days. He spotted a squirrel and tracked it with the rifle's sights for a moment. Satisfied for the moment, he slung it across his back before Dobby popped them back to the castle. He stashed the rifle in his rooms before deciding to explore the castle.

"I want to find Professor Snape's lab and see if we can identify that herb I found."

"I can take you there, Harry," replied Dobby.

"I know, but I need to know how to find my way around anyway. You can't be popping me to all my classes. I would appreciate some company though," he said with a grin.

"Why don't I just give you a tour and show you where your classes will be?" asked Dobby. Harry thought that was a great idea and immediately agreed. "Now, do you remember how to get from here to the Great Hall?" Harry nodded. "Then why don't you lead us there and I'll start your tour." Harry easily remembered the route they took and quickly traveled the short distance between his quarters and the Great Hall. Dobby began by first showing Harry what the Great Hall looked like during the school year, with the four long House tables running the length of the Hall and the staff table at the far end, away from the main doors. They then spent the next couple of hours wandering the castle as Dobby showed Harry where his classes would be. He drank in the breathtaking view from the top of the Astronomy Tower, his gaze spotting the cave in the mountains that he had been heading for before stepping through the looking glass into this amazing world. Dobby also showed him the entrances to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Towers, though they did not enter. They did have an unpleasant encounter with the school caretaker, Mr. Filch. He didn't believe Harry or Dobby when they told him that Harry was a Ward of the school. Fortunately they were just outside of Professor Flitwick's office. He heard Filch threatening to take Harry to the dungeons and hang him by his thumbs and came out of his office just as Filch grabbed Harry's collar. The diminutive Charms Professor hit Filch's hand with a Stinging Hex, forcing him to release Harry.

"Argus! Leave the boy alone! Are you alright, Harry?" he asked as Filch skulked off.

Harry straightened his clothes before replying, "I'm ok, Professor. Who was that anyway?"

"That was Mr. Filch, the school caretaker and a right sourpuss. He likes to moan about not being allowed to use some of the older, more… extreme forms of punishment, even though they haven't been used since before Dumbledore was born. He won't bother you anymore unless you are actually misbehaving."

Harry and Dobby thanked him and continued on their way. After showing Harry all the classrooms on the upper floors of the castle they returned to the Entrance Hall. Dobby pointed to two corridors that led decidedly downwards. "The first passage leads to the Hufflepuff dorms and the kitchens while the other leads to the dungeons. It holds the Potions labs, Professor Snape's office and personal quarters, as well as the Slytherin dorms. Would you rather visit Professor Snape or take a look around the grounds?"

"Visit Professor Snape," replied Harry. "He wanted to see if I could identify that herb I had found." He thought for a moment, and then snapped his fingers. "I just remembered I have a bit left in my pack. Wait here, I'll be right back," he said and ran off up to his room. He rummaged through his pack and pulled out a handful of the herb. He stuffed it in a pocket and ran back down to the Entrance Hall. Dobby led him to Snape's office and Harry knocked on the door. After a moment they heard Snape's voice say, "Enter," and the door swung open. They walk in to see the Potions Master standing in a doorway on the far side of the office.

"Hello, Harry, Dobby," he said. "What brings you down here?"

"Hi Professor. I remembered that I still had some of the herb we were talking about at lunch." He pulled the herb out of his pocket and held it out to Snape. Snape took it and waved them to chairs in front of his desk before sitting behind it. He drew his wand and waved it over the bundle of herbs, murmuring under his breath. When he finished, he pulled a piece of parchment from a drawer and tapped it with his wand. Words began appearing on the parchment, spreading from where the tip of his wand had touched it. When it finished, he picked up the parchment and read it. After reading, he set it down on his desk and began chuckling. Harry asked him what it was.

"It is called Cannabis Sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, or to use the Muggle slang, weed. Muggles, and even some wizards, use it as a recreational drug, usually smoking it in much the same fashion as tobacco. Some people also add it to certain foods, most often some sort of sweet such as brownies or biscuits. It was quite popular both here and in America during the 1960's, even though it is illegal in the Muggle world. The Wizarding world does not treat it in the same way, the main objection being that since it is so popular with the Muggles some people view it with the same disdain that they view Muggles themselves. I will admit to having smoked it myself as a teenager and have found it to be quite efficacious in mild pain relieving and stomach calming potions. In fact, I was just about to begin brewing a few of them to replenish the Hospital Wing's stores. Would you like to assist me?" he asked.

Harry thought for a moment before replying. "But I don't know how to brew potions. I read the starter books the Headmaster gave me and I started reading my Potions textbook this morning, but I didn't get very far before Madame Pomfrey showed up to give me some shots."

"That's ok, Harry. You said you had to cook for your relatives?" Harry nodded. "Well then I imagine you either already know or will easily pick up on how to properly prepare ingredients."

"I sort of understand. I don't quite get the difference between sliced, minced, diced, chopped and all that sort of thing, but I do know how to cut things evenly."

"Then you already know the most important thing about ingredient preparation and I will teach you the difference between all those other things."

"Ok then."

"I will find a proper storage cabinet for your firearm, Harry," said Dobby. "You listen to Professor Snape, no goofing around. Making potions can be dangerous if you aren't paying attention."

"Not to worry, Dobby," said Snape. "I believe Harry will take this sufficiently seriously, and I am perfectly capable of taking care of him if he does not." He gave Harry a serious look. Harry looked back defiantly.

"I had to learn to cook by trial and error, with either a smack with a ruler on my bum or a frying pan to the head whenever I made a mistake. Usually it depended on how big a mistake I made, though sometimes Aunt Petunia would use whatever was closest."

Snape merely nodded and stood, gesturing to the door to his private lab. Dobby told Harry he would see him at dinner and popped out. Harry followed Snape into the lab and gaped at the many shelves filled with jars of varying shapes and sizes, containing what he assumed were various potion ingredients. Some were filled with flowers or leaves of some kind while others had various animal parts floating in alcohol. Snape led him over to a table with several cauldrons sitting over low fires. He conjured a stool for Harry and motioned for him to sit before laying out several different ingredients in front of him, along with a silver knife and a mortar and pestle. Harry sat and listened as Snape began teaching him.

XxXxXxX

While Harry was having an enjoyable lunch with the Hogwarts staff, Vernon and Petunia Dursley were having a much less enjoyable encounter. They were about to sit down to lunch when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Grumbling about inconsiderate salesmen, Vernon stomped to the door. He yanked it open to reveal a short, wizened old man in a business suit that looked to be straight out of the nineteenth century and a younger man in a neat Armani suit. He sneered at the older man's rumpled appearance, though he gave the man in the Armani suit a barely respectful nod. "Whatever you're selling, we don't want any," he barked and went to close the door. He was stopped short by the younger man's surprisingly gravelly voice.

"Mr. Vernon Dursley? I am Peter Tyson with Inland Revenue and this is Mr. Harfang of Gringotts Bank, Ltd. We are here concerning your nephew, one Harry James Potter, who was given into your care on 1 November, 1981."

"The brat's not here. Little freak ran away last week. Cleaned out our pantry before he left, too. Good riddance I say. Ate us out of house and home, he did."

Harfang and Tyson pushed their way inside past a spluttering Vernon Dursley. "Well, Mr. Dursley, that presents us with a bit of a problem. You see, Mr. Potter was found in Scotland 2 days ago with a most interesting story."

"Whatever that little freak told you is a pack of lies," snapped Petunia, who had followed her husband when she heard the name of her hated sister's child. "We never wanted him here in the first place."

"Ah, Petunia Evans," said Harfang. "Albus Dumbledore sends his regards." He snapped his fingers, dropping his disguise and revealing himself as a goblin. Peter Tyson was a Squib who did in fact work for Inland Revenue and did not react to Harfang's appearance. Vernon gave a shout as Petunia paled. She remembered Lily telling their parents about Gringotts and seeing the ugly creatures when they went to that freak bank with their parents. She clung to Vernon, afraid that they knew the truth. Her face fell as Harfang's next words confirmed her fear. "You see, we are aware that Mr. Potter has not been in your dubious 'care' for over 2 years and that you never informed the Muggle authorities that your nephew had disappeared, yet you have continued to receive a rather generous stipend from his family trust during that time."

"Income that you never declared on your income taxes," added Tyson.

"Also, it is apparent that there was little to no care provided while he did reside here." He sneered at the cowering Dursleys. "Gringotts does not tolerate either theft or fraud. As there was no care provided, the law allows us to demand repayment of not only the money you received after Mr. Potter ran away, but also the entire sum received from the time he was placed in your care. At the present, that is £1,450,000."

"Repayment will spare you the attention of Inland Revenue," said Tyson, "however the Crown is not happy with how the only heir of an Ancient and Noble Wizarding house and Peer of the Realm was treated by those charged with his well-being."

"You're one of them, aren't you?" asked Petunia, pointing a bony finger at Tyson. "One of those… those… FREAKS!" she ended with a screech. That was all Vernon needed to hear. If that Tyson bloke was a freak like the boy, then he couldn't possibly be with Inland Revenue. He and his family weren't freaks, so they didn't have to answer to those freaks. His hopes were shattered before he could say anything, though, as Tyson sighed as he pulled out his official ID badge and showed it to the Dursleys.

"If that is how you refer to a wizard Mrs. Dursley, then you are mistaken. I am not, though several members of my family are magical. Her Majesty herself is quite aware of the magical world, as are members of certain branches of government, including Inland Revenue." He paused as he heard a knock at the door. "Ah, that would be the police, here to arrest you. Do be good and let them in, won't you?" Tyson smiled as he pointed them to the front door. Vernon and Petunia hung their heads and slunk to the front door, never noticing Harfang and Tyson Portkey away a moment before they opened the door to admit the police, who proceeded to arrest them both on multiple charges of child abuse and neglect. Vernon started trying to rant about freaks and being denied his due, but Petunia put her hand on his arm and gave him a meaningful look. He fell silent as they were handcuffed and led away in full view of their neighbors, who didn't hesitate to loudly talk about how they spoiled their son, allowing him to act like a little hooligan. The police learned the whereabouts of Dudley and took him to the station with his parents where they were all questioned separately about their treatment of Harry. None of the Dursleys were aware that several of the officers were in fact Aurors and had slipped each of them a dose of Muggle-safe truth potion. They soon discovered that Vernon and Petunia were the only real abusers of the three. Dudley would push Harry around and encourage his friends to chase him around the neighborhood but never actually struck his cousin and at least tried to discourage them from beating on him. They realized that Dudley was a bit of a bully due to his upbringing, but felt that with proper discipline he might be able to straighten himself out. He admitted that he didn't really hate Harry, he was jealous that Harry got better grades in school and just believed his parents when they said he must have cheated. The officers told him that his parents would be going to jail because they mistreated Harry and took money that was supposed to be for clothes, toys and the like for him and spent it on themselves and Dudley and that he was going to be sent to live with his Aunt Marge. Dudley was furious that his parents would do such a thing and was terrified of living with his Aunt Marge. He told the officers that when Marge would come to visit she would set her bulldog, Ripper, after Harry, encouraging the dog to try and bite Harry but that Ripper was so ill-tempered that it would chase both of them, not just Harry. He begged for a chance to talk to Harry and apologize for being mean to him and swore to do anything to avoid being sent to his Aunt Marge.

Senior Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt was the wizard half of the pair questioning Dudley. While he was not a master Legilimens like his friend and mentor Albus Dumbledore, he was sufficiently skilled to realize that Dudley was truly sorry for the way he had treated his cousin. Because of the truth potion that had been slipped into the boy's drink he also believed the boy's story about his aunt's bulldog. He turned to his Muggle counterpart, who left to have Marge Dursley brought in for questioning. Albus had told him that Harry had turned up in Hogsmeade and was now a Ward of the school. Dudley started crying, blubbering about begging Harry for forgiveness. Kingsley sighed and looked at Dudley. He knew he could get in serious trouble, but Harry was the only family this boy probably would have left.

"Mr. Dursley, I can't promise you anything, but if what you said about your aunt is true then you will not be sent to live with her. As far as your cousin goes… Have you ever seen anything strange happen around Harry? Especially if he was scared or angry?"

Dudley thought for a moment. He couldn't really remember anything really strange, except… "One time Mum got mad that Harry's hair wouldn't lay flat so she cut it all off. Except for a little bit in front to hide his scar. I teased him a bit about how he was going to look like a freak at school but the next morning his hair was back! It was as if Mum hadn't done anything to it. And sometimes I'd be ragging on him for something and he'd get this look in his eye that just sent shivers down my spine. I don't know how but whenever I saw that look in his eye I just knew that if I kept pushing something bad might happen so I'd back off."

Kingsley leaned back and regarded Dudley thoughtfully. He was almost certain that the 'look' was a subconscious flaring of Harry's magical aura, like a puffer fish inflating itself to scare off predators. He was puzzled, though, by the boy's story about Harry's hair regrowth. He pushed that thought aside as he tried to think of how he was going to tell this Muggle about magic. He was rather well-versed in Muggle culture and remembered a cartoon movie about King Arthur, Merlin and magic called 'The Sword in the Stone. It was an American movie, but he hoped that Dudley had seen it. "Have you ever seen 'The Sword in the Stone'?"

"You mean that Yank flick about Camelot and King Arthur? Yeah, we saw it in day care once. Mum went ballistic. She went on a tirade at our teacher for encouraging such 'freakishness', glaring at Harry during most of it. Said there was no such thing as magic and that Arthur and Merlin never existed. I didn't see what the big deal was, I mean, I think it would be kinda cool if magic was real."

Kingsley smiled. This was going to be easier than he thought. He reached into the pocket of the Muggle sport coat he was wearing and withdrew his wand. "Mr. Dursley, your parents already know what I'm about to tell you, but it is very important that you not tell anyone else. You see, Merlin was a real person and magic is real." He flicked his wand at Dudley, charming his hair to cycle through neon shades of the entire rainbow before waving it over the table, transfiguring it into a full-length mirror. Dudley gave a soft 'Whoa' before catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He gave a yelp of surprise at his appearance before starting to laugh.

"That was awesome! Only…" He gestured at his Day-Glo hair. "This isn't permanent, is it?"

Kingsley merely smiled and Finite'd the charm, returning Dudley's hair to its natural blond. He let him take a good look in the mirror to assure himself that his hair was indeed back to normal before changing the mirror back into a table.

"So that's why Harry's hair grew back so fast, he can do magic! Could his Mum and Dad do magic, too?"

"Oh yes, his parents were quite powerful. His father, James, was an Auror like me. A wizard policeman," he added, seeing the questioning look on Dudley's face. "Your Aunt Lily, Harry's Mum, became the youngest person in history to earn their Potions Mastery. She had just started teaching at Hogwarts when she became pregnant with Harry."

There was a knock on the door and an officer came in and whispered something in his ear as he handed him a note. Kingsley nodded and whispered something back. After the officer left, he read the note before turning his attention to Dudley, a serious expression on his face. "Well Mr. Dursley, you are going to receive at least one of the things you were begging for. Your Aunt Marge attempted to attack the officers who were sent to arrest her with a carving knife. She tripped on her slippers and stabbed herself in the leg, slicing through the femoral artery. She bled out and died before paramedics could be summoned." He noticed that while Dudley had paled slightly at his description of his aunt's death, he did not appear to be very upset by the fact that she was dead. "What this means for you is that for the time being you will be sent to an orphanage. You will be taken home shortly to collect your belongings then you will be taken to St. James Children's Home in London. I will send a message to Mr. Potter informing him about what you told me today. I make no promises except that I will make sure you are informed of his response."

Dudley looked at Kingsley, hope shining in his eyes. "Thank you, sir. I hope he'll at least let me apologize to him in person."

After making sure of Dudley's arrangements, Kingsley left the police station and Apparated to an alley near the Leaky Cauldron. He strode through the dingy pub, nodding a polite greeting to Tom the barman, pausing only once he reached the alley behind the pub. He tapped the bricks and made his way to the Ministry to make his report and send a message to Dumbledore about what he learned from the Dursley boy. The boy had written a letter to his cousin and Kingsley included it with his message to Dumbledore, asking that the old Headmaster forward it to young Mr. Potter.

A/N: Well, that's Chapter 4 done. What will the next chapter bring? Only time will tell!