(A/N: Yet more from me. And I must stress again that I don't own Harry Potter. If you don't like to think of Dumbledore or some of the Weasley's in a negative light, this is where you and my story ought to part company. I don't do flames because people don't listen to what I have to say. Anyway, on with the show!)

Chapter 6—The Letters Lacking

They had been with their relatives for a whole two days when Harry's letter arrived; the small boy read it with such enthusiasm that everyone in the house smiled a little. But even more satisfying was the address which read: Mr. H. Potter 3rd Bedroom on the left Spinner's End. Harry didn't even seem to notice though, he was perusing his list of school supplies and comparing it to Anne's, not that he expected to find a difference, that was, until he did.

"Uncle Severus," Harry began, staring closely at the two letters in confusion, his brow scrunched up and glasses slipping slightly down his nose. It was an unspoken agreement that Harry was allowed to address the tall, dark man in such a way; after all, Lilly had been a sister to Severus in many ways. And the boy had adapted gladly, just as Anne and Eric had done.

"What is it Harry?" Severus asked as his mother took over the bacon frying and his father claimed the eggs. The Potions Master sat carefully beside the 10 year old and took the offered letters, following the direction of a slender finger to find what he was supposed to be looking at. And then he blinked furiously and tried to understand what had happened with the letters. Anne's was written in his good friend Minerva McGonagall's neat but severe script and signed in the same, it included the full complement of first year books and supplies. Harry's letter was written in what he knew to be Albus Dumbledore's flowing and loopy hand, and it was missing two very crucial books: The Wizarding World for the Muggleborn by Anita Noh and Adapting to Magic: 1001 Uses for the Beginners Wand by Mordin Unu both were crucial books for students that had no previous experience with the Magical world.

And as he looked, he noted that both letters were missing the information packet that was meant to accompany it. Both parchment envelopes looked to have been fatter at one time, so he had to assume that the parcel of info had been removed. It should have contained detailed directions to Diagon Alley and information on either exchanging muggle notes for Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, or setting up a Gringotts account. It should have told them how to access the platform at 9 ¾ and what to expect of the Sorting Ceremony. There was nothing on school decorum, on the Houses, on classes or even a map of the castle.

Severus felt his blood boil, but offered Harry a soft smile, attempting to let the young Empath know that his anger was in no way related to such an innocent curiosity. He lightly ruffled Harry's hair and gave a soft sigh as he brought his emotions under control, the considerable control he had gained over the years was truly helpful to him now, and he would eternally be glad that Lilly had forced him into it.

"Their letters have been tampered with," Severus said at last as he laid both letters on the table surface, attempting to figure out why Dumbledore would have re-written Harry's letter and then copied Minerva's signature, the two scripts were obviously different. And at last he realized that something else was missing, something very important that his friend Poppy Pomfrey would have been angry to find missing. There was no parchment to be filled out, or even to indicate the vaccinations that a child entering the magical world ought to receive.

"How could that be? Minerva always checks and rechecks the letters before they go out," Eileen said and though the confusion was evident on her face, she was privy to enough of her son's thoughts to know that something was wrong. She frowned when words like 'Dumbledore' and 'forgery' came up and grew angry at the thought of what those might mean when it came to the children that she now viewed as her grandbabies.

"I think you know…Eric, do you mind? Could you see if these letters tell you anything?" Severus asked the tiny Ravenclaw boy who most certainly did not look like he ought to be going into his 5th year at all. Eric gave a nod, his brown hair was still mussed from sleep, but his expression was serious and there was no small amount of anger there at the thought of his sister and Harry not being properly informed. It was like Dumbledore was setting them up for failure in their first experiences with the Magical world.

The soon to be 16 year old grasped Harry's letter first, since it had been obviously written by Dumbledore. He took a few slow breaths and willed his magic to do what it had been sporadically doing since he was a very young boy. First came Severus and his rage, Harry's confusion, Harry's joy, the Owl in flight, Minerva smiling proudly as she presented the owl with the letter. Then there the impression of determination, of a strange sort of glee, a wicked smile on a normally genial face, plotting and scheming. The boy will be putty in my hands. He will look to those I put in place for companionship; he will look to the Weasley boy for advice. There must be a moment, yes, one that teaches him to hate Slytherin, he's no good to me anywhere save Gryffindor. Ah, now what have I done with the Granger girl's letter, won't do for him to learn it from her. Must get those prejudices in place.

The letter was torn from Eric's hands and the kitchen was silent. He looked around at his family and swallowed thickly, sometimes, sometimes his magic ran away with an object and he began to speak, and he was afraid that such a thing had happened. Pressing his shaking hands flat to the table, he gave an involuntary shudder and closed his eyes tightly, trying to bring himself down again.

"Well, that was enlightening. Severus, which Weasley boy is the youngest?" Tobias said his face blank as he set the table for breakfast. It was obvious to Severus that his father was deep in thought, so deep in fact that Severus could not hear his mind.

"Fred and George will be 3rd years…Ronald; he should be in Harry's year. But surely Arthur would not allow his son to be used in such a way," Severus said, thinking of the Muggle obsessed Wizard with the fiery red hair and burgeoning family. Bill and Charlie, both exceptional students were out of school, Percy was next and he was very serious, hardly laughed at all, Fred and George made up for that with great gusto. Ron he had met at both graduations, the boy was an exceptionally attention starved little fellow, always demanding to be seen to by his mother who was nearly always occupied with doting on an equally obnoxious girl, Ginerva, yes that was the name.

"Arthur wouldn't but Molly would, and her two youngest are eager to mean something to the Wizarding world. This would be an early start and neither would have to bother to learn to break curses or tame dragons, or even intern with the Minister, which is Percy's fondest hope," Eileen said and it struck Severus that she might have seen Arthur when she was last at the Ministry.

"That's all a bit beside the point isn't it? We need to find the Granger girl and make sure she gets her information," Eric said at last and Harry gave an eager nod which Anne soon seconded.

(A/N: Leave me a review and let me know what you think!)