A/N: It's been a while, I know, and yes this chapter isn't really that action-packed, but I worked really hard on it and I hope you like it.

Chapter 10

Loire wiped a bit of sweat from her eyes and surveyed her work. I really have to clean out the spare rooms more often. She thought, fluffing the pillows on the newly made bed. After Petunia had yelled at her to take him, Loire had felt a strange clam settle over her, and decided to do just that. Several phone calls and a mountain of paperwork later found her the adoptive parent of one Harrison James Potter. Mark had been thrilled at the idea, and had shown his new brother the entire house, including the attic. Loire had been a bit confused as to why the bubbling six-year-old had been so excited about exploring the attic, until he let it slip that the Dursleys had banned him from their attic when they realized that he liked to hide up there from his cousin and uncle who were both too wide to fit up the narrow staircase. After seeing how enraptured Harry had been with the large windows in the airy space, Loire had shooed the two outside and set to cleaning the all the dust and cobwebs away so that he could have the attic all to himself. All we need now is a coat of paint. She mused. And maybe a rug…

"Mom!" Mark called, breaking the wistful silence, "There's someone here for you! They say they're from the Ministry!"

Loire shook her head and fondly patted the orange comforter one last time before descending the stairs.

Xxx

Mark had been sitting in the living room playing Super Mario Bros. with Harry when the doorbell rang. "Here," he said handing the controller to his new brother, "why don't you finish this level while I get the door?"

"Awesome!" came the excited reply, and the cheery music filled the room once again.

Mark ruffled Harry's hair fondly, shaking his head at Harry's muttered "Stupid turtles…" as he opened the front door.

"Hi…" he greeted, eyeing the two intimidating bodyguards and the distinguished-looking man between them, "I guess you're here for my mum? Come on in; I think she's in the attic."

"Thank you," the distinguished-looking man said. "I'm from the Ministry, and I'm here to collect Mr. Harry Potter."

Mark nodded. "Make yourselves comfortable in the kitchen. Let me fetch her for you. Mom!" he called as he reached the second floor landing, "Mom! There's someone here for you! They say they're from the Ministry!" He returned to the kitchen not a moment later with a very curious Harry Potter in tow. "She'll be right down." He said, walking over to the refrigerator and pouring a glass of juice for Harry, who had attached himself to his brother's pant leg. "Can I offer you anything to eat or drink?"

"No thank you." The distinguished-looking-man said, "We don't plan to stay long."

Xxx

Whatever Loire had expected the Ministry visitors to look like, important was not it. She surveyed their attire warily, and could think of only one thing to say:

"You're not a social worker."

The distinguished-looking-man stood and extended his hand, smile dancing around his lips. "No, madam, I am not. My name is Cornelius Fudge, and I am the Minister of Magic in this country."

Loire shook his hand, thoughts whirling. Minister of…"Boys," she said, "why don't you two go play in the living room while I talk to Mr. Fudge?"

"Sure." Came the reply, and she watched as Mark led a wide-eyed Harry across the hall.

"I take it that I might want to sit down for this?" Loire asked, sliding into a vacant chair.

"Indeed. Mrs. Baker, what I have to tell you is a matter of national security…"

Xxx

"I don't want to move!" Dudley hollered as he watched his mother pack away all of his things. "I don't want to! I don't want to! I don't want to!"

Petunia threw down the shirt she was folding and turned to face her son. "I don't want to either," she replied, "but your father has made up his mind. Now, if you want to keep all of your nice things then I suggest you help me pack. Your father said that whatever isn't in a box when he gets back will be thrown out."

"But I don't want to pack, and I don't want to move!"

Petunia angrily turned back to the veritable mountain of clothing and resumed the task of folding them and packing them orderly into boxes. "Yes, well… sometimes you have to make sacrifices in the present so you can be happy and have what you want in the future."

"I don't care about the future! I care about right now! And right now I don't want to move!"

"Enough!" she yelled, cutting Dudley off mid-rant. "Enough! I don't want to move and you don't want to move and I doubt your father wants to move either, but we are! So shut the bloody hell up and pack up your belongings like I told you or they'll go in the trash with everything else we're leaving behind!"

"But-"

"Now, Dudley! And don't make me tell you again!"

After staring at his mother in shock for several moments, the porky boy picked up the nearest toy, and, with a mournful whimper, dropped it in the nearest box.

Xxx

"So you see," the Minister said, "we really only want to ensure that Mr. Potter will endure no lasting damage from his time with his relatives, after which we will return him to you, safe and sound."

"What about this Voldemort fellow?" Loire asked worriedly. "You said you never found a body – he could still be out there somewhere."

"We will provide you with a several Aurors to ensure the safety of Mr. Potter, your son Mark, and yourself at all times, as well as means to contact the Auror department and St. Mungo's in case of emergency. The entire property as well as the surrounding area will be expertly warded to track the coming and going of all magical beings, be they human or otherwise, as well as alert a special response team to all occurrences of magic within the warded area. You will be allowed to interview all candidates for this position and are more than welcome to select the ones that you feel to be the most trustworthy and discrete, and you are more that welcome to attend any and all medical examinations that Mr. Potter will have to endure. Full coverage medical and property insurance will be provided to you and your family at no cost to yourself, and should anything happen that requires the attention of a medical professional, our best Healers will be made available to you."

Loire nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds good, but I don't know anything about magic, or public relations, or any of that, and you said that Harry is famous in your world. I don't want him stalked by paparazzi every time he leaves the house."

Fudge patted her hand comfortingly. "As the Minister of Magic I have a certain amount of pull with the media, and I will do my very best to ensure that young Mr. Potter's privacy is respected. If any infringements do occur, I will be sure to take whatever action you deem necessary. As far learning the basics and traditions of magical society goes, we can arrange, with your approval of course, to have Mr. Potter meet with a tutor twice a week. Most magical children are home-schooled by their parents or a certified tutor from the time they demonstrate magical aptitude until they are eligible to attend a formal institution at eleven. However there are a few families, most of whom have ties to either the Ministry or some other distinguished organization, that elect to send their children to a primary academy so that they may socialize with other children from similar backgrounds. Most children who are Muggle-born or raised continue to attend their non-magical institutions until age eleven when they are invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"I see," Loire said, nodding. "Is there a way that Harry can continue attending the school he's at now and still attend a magical primary school? I want him to have friends in both worlds, and I think he'd get a better feel for the magical community if he were exposed to it in a classroom setting with children his own age."

"Mr. Potter's current institution does not offer magical courses at this time. However, I do believe that there are several institutions nearby that offer the dual-world learning experience that you are looking for. I will certainly have someone look into them for you." Fudge replied sincerely.

"Thank you. One more question: suppose that Harry doesn't want to pursue a career in the magical community, what then? He'll have spent seven years at a magical institution and won't have any way to obtain employment in a non-magical field."

"Mrs. Baker, I understand that you are concerned about Mr. Potter's future – any parent in your situation would be – but I assure you that your worries are unfounded. Mr. Potter will be provided a private tutor while attending a secondary magical institution, should he wish it, and will be excused from his magical classes so that he may sit the relevant non-magical exams. Do you have any other concerns?" he asked politely.

"Just one," she replied, "is there any way that Mark and myself can study the subjects that Harry will be taught? Even if I can't do magic, I'd still like to be informed enough to help him with his homework."

The esteemed Minister smiled jovially. "Of course; all of Mr. Potter's texts will be made available to you, and I am quite sure that you both would benefit from rudimentary Potions tutoring. While the more advanced potions do require various charms and spells to be completed properly, even a Muggle like yourself should be able to manage the more basic brews with proper instruction."

"Excellent," Loire said smiling, "where do I sign up?"