I'm really sorry for the wait, but first I went a week without my computer... or phone... or watch... or anything really. Use this link (after fixing it, of course) www youtube com /watch?v=QskHlbQVR0g&feature=player _ embedded, and you will see something of what I went through. I may actually be in it somewhere, but you wouldn't know it if I was. Anyway, since then, I have been adjusting to college, and been lazy. All of you can thank Jostanos, whos review got my ass in gear. And Jostanos, thanks, I would reply, but the review was anonymous. Anyway, enough of my rambling, here is the new chapter-

Kelly slowly pushed the door open.

Harry was sitting inside the room, leaning back on a couch. His eyes were locked on a picture on the wall across from him, and his feet were swinging through the air.

He blinked, and turned to look in her direction. His eyes were sunken, and red. His skin was pale, and his hair was an even bigger mess than usual.

When he saw her, however, he smiled slightly.

"You okay?" she quietly asked as she stepped into the room, and closed the door behind her.

"Yeah," he replied, looking back up at the picture.

Kelly glanced at the image, but couldn't see what was so great about it. Returning her gaze to her friend, she walked over to the chair next to Harry's, and sat down.

"The bobby said I might not have to go back to the Dursley's," he told her after a moment of silence.

"That's great," she grinned.

Harry turned to look at her, and gave her an odd look.

"Where would I go? They are the only family I have, and no one would want to take in someone like me."

"Why would no one want to take you in?"

"Because I'm nothing but a freak that can't do anything normally."

Kelly slapped his shoulder.

"Never say that. You are not a freak, and can do anything you want. Besides, I'm sure you could stay with us."

His eyes grew wide at her words. His mouth opened slightly as he stared at her.

"I'm sure you could. Besides, not everyone is like them, you know."

Harry sighed and looked back at the picture.

"I know that now."

Kelly leaned over, and pulled him into a hug.

"You could of told me," she whispered.

"I didn't want you to get hurt anymore. It was bad enough what Dudley did do to you," he told her.

"But you got hurt even more, and that isn't fair," she argued.

"It's more fair for me to get hurt then you. They were my problem, not yours."

"We're friends; your problems are my problems."

Harry pulled back slightly to look at her.

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes."


"Where is he going to go?" Gibbs asked Constable Lee after him and his partner returned from getting the Dursleys.

"For now, into a foster home. He will most likely stay there until after the investigation. Afterwards, anything could happen," the Constable replied.

"So, he's going to be put with strangers," Shannon questioned.

"From what we know, he has no more relatives to take him in."

"But, to put him in with a foster family when he obviously has trust problems. That will most likely mess with his head even more."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but there is not much we can do."

"We can take him in," Gibbs spoke up.

"Of course, we would gladly have him," Shannon instantly added.

"I'm sure you would, but the problem is that neither of you are British citizens," Lee sighed. He truly wished the young family could take the boy they had saved, but it was not possible.

"But he trusts us. Wouldn't it be best for his safety to be with people he knows he can trust," Shannon argued.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Gibbs, but this is over my head. If it was up to me, there would be no argument about him staying with you, but as it is, he cannot."

Shannon turned to look at her husband. Her eyes were wide.

"What if he stays with us until something is figured out?" Gibbs questioned.

The officer sighed. He ran his hand through his hair, and the marine gave him a hard look.

"I'll see what I can do, but I cannot promise anything," he relented.

"It's enough for now," Gibbs replied.

"Can we see him now?" Shannon asked.

Lee nodded and led them out the door.


If he ever got his hands on that boy, there would actually be a reason for an arrest. How dare that boy go to the law? What he did to that boy wasn't anywhere close to child abuse. Yes, he occasionally hit the boy, but that was discipline. And with all the freak stuff that boy did, he deserved every bit of discipline he ever got.

He had been an upstanding citizen his entire life. Did that count for nothing? He contributed to the economy, and voted during elections. Was his word counted less than the word of a freak boy with no parents?

The slam of a door tore Vernon Dursley from his thoughts. He stood up from the bench he had been sitting on, and waited for the guard.

"I am telling you, sir, this is a mistake," he said the second the guard entered his vision. "That boy is a liar, always has been, and now he has managed to convince the law service that we have abused him. I tell you sir, that we have never abused that boy."

"Be quiet," a smooth voice told him.

Vernon turned to see a thin man standing behind the guard.

"David, you made it," Vernon sighed.

"Imagine my surprise when I heard that I was needed to represent you for child abuse. Of all things, Vernon, child abuse," David chuckled.

"It is not my fault the boy lied to an officer, and they believed it," Vernon huffed.

"As it may be, here we are."


How could she have let it happen? A stupid feud, decades old, had led to this. She had no excuses. Well, none that would stand up in court. She could lie to herself all day if she wanted.

She could hide behind a well-built wall of reasons: he was a freak; his parents had been freaks who had gotten themselves killed; they had not asked to take him in.

When it came down to it, however, there was no reason for how they had treated the boy.

She had always known this. That was why she avoided looking at his eyes at all costs. If she could avoid the only evidence that he was his sisters' son, she could ignore what they did to him. As long as he reminded her of the freak she had married, it would be alright.

Petunia sighed, and rested her head in her hands. She had mistreated her own nephew, and let Vernon hurt him. Now, not only she and Vernon were in trouble with the law, but Dudley, her precious Dinky Duddydums was in some sort of holding area for minors.

If only that had treated the bo… If only they had treated Harry properly.


Dudley sat with his arms wrapped around his knees. His eyes were shut tight as he tried to understand what had happened.

One second, he had almost beaten his high score on Alien Blasters, the next, he was being walked towards a police car and his parents were handcuffed in the car in front of his.

He had no idea why they had been arrested. Nobody had told him anything.

The only thing he knew was that Potter wasn't with him.


"What are you planning, Albus?" she whispered as they walked towards the Muggle law building.

"You will see, Minerva," the older man replied without the usual twinkle in his eyes.

"You know, this all could have been avoided had you not put Harry with his relatives in the first place."

"And I assure you, I have regretted it every second since I discovered what they have done to him. However, at the time, it seemed like the best option."

Minerva glanced at the man. It was odd seeing him like this. It was as if he was blaming himself for what had happened to Harry. In a way, she told herself, some of the blame did rest with him. She had warned him about putting Harry with the Dursley's, but he had insisted, and done it anyway. Still, he had truly thought that, as his family, the muggles would take care of the boy.

She wanted to ask more questioned and try to figure out his plan, but they had entered the building.

Albus walked up to the front desk and started to talk to the secretary.

"We are here about Harry Potter," he said.

The woman looked up at him, and picked up the phone on her desk. Minerva managed to hide her shock when the woman's voice filled the building.

"Constable Lee to the front desk. Constable Lee," she said into the phone. She put it down, and turned back to Albus. "He will be here shortly."

The woman was true to her word, as a young man walked into the lobby a few minutes later.

"They are here about Harry," the woman told him.

The man turned in surprise. He quickly took both of them in.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, and this is Minerva McGonagall, from the Law Office of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts," Albus said, holding his hand out.

"Constable Hugh Lee," the man said.

The man took it, and turned to Minerva. She held her own hand out, and he took it as well.

"If you would follow me," he instructed, and turned back into the hallway he had come out of.

He led them through a few hallways until he reached an empty room. He offered some chairs to them before turning to pour himself a cup of water.

"Could I get either of you anything? A cup of tea? Coffee?" he asked them.

"No, thank you" Albus replied. Minerva just shook her head.

"Alright, then. May I ask how you are involved with Harry?" Lee asked them as he sat down.

"We were close with his parents, and were the family lawyers," Albus smoothly replied.

Minerva kept her face straight, but questions were circling around in her head. Where had Albus come up with this? Where could he be going with it? How could this possibly work?

"You represent him?" Lee questioned. His face showed that he was just as confused as Minerva.

"Yes, well, we hope to. Our firm has worked for the Potters for generation, but as young Harry is the last Potter we are not sure if he will wish to continue to use our services."

The man gave the older pair an odd look.

"How did you know about the trouble?" he asked them.

Inwardly, Minerva groaned. He was good. She was sure Albus was better, but it did not change the fact that the officer was paying close attention.

"One of the residents near Privet Drive saw the trouble, and contacted us. She was another friend of the Potters, and thought it best."

The man took his time processing this, but seemed to accept it.

"What did you know about how they treated Harry?" he suddenly asked.

"Unfortunately, nothing," Albus sighed. "Harry was left there as per his parents will. As such, and due to the familial ties between them, there was no reason to check up on the boy."

"We sincerely wish we had. Harry is such a kind boy, and does not deserve to be put through anything like what he went through," Minerva jumped in.

Lee turned to Minerva. It seemed that he had forgotten she was there.

"May we see him?" she asked him.

His face softened slightly at her request.

"Of course," he nodded.

He opened the door, and led them further into the building.

"He is currently with the family that reported the abuse," Lee told them as they walked. "He is a close friend with their daughter, and has been taken in by them."

"Will he be staying with them?" Albus asked.

"Unfortunately, no. They are an American family. The father is in the United States military, and is stationed here currently," the officer explained.

They finished the short walk to the room in silence. Lee opened the door, and peeking inside. He whispered something neither professor heard. A few seconds later, he opened the door wider, and let them in.

The first thing Minerva noticed was the young couple standing not far from the door. The woman was leaning back on the man, and both were looking across the room.

She followed their gaze, and had to hold in a smile.

Sitting on a chair, fast asleep was Harry Potter.

He looked exactly like James. His hair was black and messy, and his face was thin. However, she knew he had Lily's eyes, and a part of her wanted to see their emerald color.

Leaning against him was a red-haired girl. She had her head rested on his shoulder, and her arms wrapped around him. It looked as though they had fallen asleep while hugging.

She let a small smile go as she was reminded of Lily and James.

"Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs, these are the lawyers who worked for the Potter family. They are here to represent Harry," Constable Lee introduced them.

"Shannon Gibbs," the female introduced herself. Minerva noticed the similarities between her and the girl.

"Albus Dumbledore," Albus replied, taking the womans hand.

"Minerva McGonagall," the older woman added, also taking Shannon's hand.

"Jethro Gibbs," the man finished, taking their hands as well.

"How long have they been asleep?" Minerva asked.

"At least twenty minutes, that was when we came in here," Shannon replied. "I don't mean to sound rude, but how do you know Harry?"

"Our law firm has represented the Potter family for generations. The Potters, however, were not willing to leave it as a simple business relationship, and we became close friends of the family," Albus explained.

Gibbs glanced at the newcomers. Suddenly, he let go of his wife, and walked across the room.

"We need to talk," he told them.

"Of course," Albus agreed.

"There is an open room down the hall," Lee told him.

Gibbs nodded, and walked out of the room. The others quickly followed him. They filed into the empty room, and Gibbs closed the door behind them.

"You put him in that house," he simply stated.

Albus sighed, and gave the younger man a sad look.

"I will not deny it. However, I had no idea that they would hurt him in anyway," he softly said.

"Did you not think that it would be a good idea to check up on him?" the marine almost growled.

"Due to their relation, it was not necessary."

"Some family friends you were, not even keeping up with the kid."

"Jethro," Shannon spoke up. Her voice held a slight warning in it.

"No, Shannon. I cannot fault them for putting him with his family, but I can fault them for not making sure they were treating him well," Gibbs said.

The American was glaring at Albus. Albus tried to look into his mind, but found himself blocked by a wall of rage and concern.

Albus kept the look of shook off of his face. This man was a muggle, yet he seemed to be skilled in occlumency.

"It was not our fault," Minervas voice came from besides him.

"What do you mean?" Shannon questioned.

"Lily and Petunia did not get along. In fact, I believe they had separated completely. They were reluctant to take Harry in, but refused to let us visit him. It was one of their requests in the deal," the Scottish professor told them.

"All the more reason to check up on him! If the families did not get along, and they would not let you check up on him, you should have checked up on him regularly," Gibbs argued.

"Mr. Gibbs," Albus cut in. "As much as I wish I could change what happened in the past, I cannot. I thoroughly regret putting Harry with his family, but the only thing to do now is to make sure she gets a good home now."

"Then let him stay with us," Shannon requested suddenly.

The professors turned to look at her.

"Stay with you?" Minerva questioned.

"Yes," the red head nodded. "He trusts us, and he and Kelly are close friends. It only makes sense for him to join our family."

"Mrs. Gibbs, as I have told you, Harry, by law, has to be placed with a British family. I truly wish he could go with you, but he cannot," the officer spoke up for the first time.

Albus looked thoughtful for a second before speaking.

"There may be a way for him to go with you."


"You have a bony shoulder," Kelly whispered.

Harry chuckled softly.

"I didn't ask you to fall asleep on it," he whispered back.

"Do you think the old people really knew your parents?"

"It's possible."

"You want to go find some food?"

"Yes please."

The two kids got off of their seats, and stretched out the tightness from their short sleep. Kelly walked over to the door, and opened it slowly. She poked her head out and made sure the hallway was empty, before motioning for Harry to come forward.

They quietly walked down the hallway in a search for a vending machine.

Once, a small group of officers walked out of a room, but Harry noticed them before they noticed him and Kelly. He pushed Kelly through an open door, and they stood against the wall next to the door.

They had to hold back laughs when they noticed the vending machines in the room.

"Good choice," Kelly whispered.

Harry just grinned, and pulled out a small bag full of coins. Although the Dursley's had never given him pocket-money, he seemed to have the best luck when it came to finding money on the ground.

Quickly, he pulled out a few coins, and slid them into the machine. He gazed through the choices before settling on a two-pack of Penguin Bars.

After he got the chocolate out of the vending machine, he handed one to Kelly.

"Here, this is a Penguin Bar," he said.

Kelly smiled as she unwrapped the snack and ate it.

"This is amazing," she grinned.

"As good as your Oreos?"

"I wouldn't say that. Oreos are the best food in the whole wide world."

Harry laughed, and quickly opened his own Penguin.

"I found them," a voice made them jump.

Harry choked on a piece of the biscuit. Kelly jumped up and started hitting him on the back.

"You kay?" she asked him once he started chocking.

"Yeah," he grinned.

They turned to look at the source of the voice. It was a young officer. She was standing in the doorway, looking down the hallway.

A few seconds later, Kelly's parents, Constable Lee, and the old couple rushed into the room.

"Kelly Gibbs, what have we told you about wondering off on your own?" Gibbs questioned her.

"It is not safe, and to never do it," the girl droned.

"Then why did you leave the room?" her father continued.

"We were hungry," she explained.

"Then you should have waited for us, or asked an officer," Shannon told her.

"I'm sorry."

The adults looked at the children in front of them.

Kelly was standing where she had been when they had entered the room. Her head was down, and her eyes tearing up slightly.

Harry, however, had backed up into a corner. He was watching the group with wide, fearful eyes.

Shannon put her hand on Gibbs arm. He turned to look at her, and nodded.

Slowly, Shannon walked towards the boy. She bent down slightly as she walked, in order to try and get closer to his level. As she walked towards him, Harry caught her eyes.

He seemed conflicted. He was subconsciously pushing further into the wall, but it looked like he was fighting it. It looked like he knew she wasn't going to hurt him, but didn't want to risk it.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Harry," she quietly told him once she was close to him.

"Promise?" he whispered.

"I promise," she replied.

Suddenly, she found herself being clung to by the boy. He had thrown himself at her, and buried his head in her neck.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

"We won't hurt you," she said. "But you have to understand that what you did was wrong."

Harry nodded in her neck.

"I understand," he mumbled.

"Good," Shannon said as she pulled away from the boy. "Now, there are some people you need to meet."

They turned towards the group, and the old couple stepped forward.

"Harry, my name is Albus Dumbledore, and this is Minerva McGonagall. We are old friends of your family, and your lawyers," the man said.

"It's nice to meet you," Harry said, clinging to Shannon's side.

"They think they may have a way for you to stay with us," she told him.

Harry's eyes grew wide. His head snapped from the old couple, to Shannon, and back again.

"Really?" he exclaimed.

"I believe so, Harry," the old man, Albus, said.

I bet none of you were expecting that! and I bet very few of you even thought about the whole American/British thing. Just to clarify things, I see Constable Lee as a Hugh Laurie look alike, kay? just younger. Yes, Dumby is good in this story; although I have read some good Evil Dumby fics, I can't think of him that way. And the inclusion of the Dursley, what did you think about that? Now that you have a few things to think about, put your thoughts in a review! Oh yes, please do, about ten more reviews, and this will be my most reviewed story! Make it happen! Please:)