Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any character, story element or plot item originally published in the Harry Potter books or movies that I may refer to in this story. I'm merely playing in the sandbox.

"So, this was the 'Sarah Taylor' from your initial statement." The Auror frowned. "Brahm and Sarah. Something about that sounds familiar."

"There's a muggle religious text that refers to an Abrahm and Sara, who later become Abraham and Sarah." Harry shrugged. "Who knows what the Unspeakables think?"

The cloaked figure laughed. The Auror looked over at the robed figure in some semblance of horror, apparently never having heard one of the Unspeakables laugh. Harry chuckled quietly and shook his head.

"Like I said, who knows what they think."

The pair sat in Algernon's office. "You knew part of your cover. You have your books, so learn those as you get the chance. Both of you are proficient in Occlumency, so that well help. Let's go over the full story, though. Not just the abbreviated version we did for our little test."

Harry nodded, Luna doing so just out of his peripheral vision. "I assume the names are real."

"Yes. Harry, you are Brahm Evans. Once we move to where we're going to train, I'm going to start calling you Brahm so you can get used to it. Luna, you are Sarah Taylor, my niece. Both of you should call me Uncle Algie for this."

Harry squirmed. "I'm not all that comfortable with it."

For a moment, he thought Algernon would snap at him. The serious look on his face softened and the man exhaled slowly. "Harry, Luna told me some things about your family, but she didn't say much. You've admitted they neglected you, but did your Uncle ever hit you?"

Harry nodded. "Any time he was mad about something. He was always careful not to leave bruises. He thought he could work and starve and beat the magic out of me, making me 'normal.' Obviously, that's not possible short of him killing me."

Algernon frowned. "We will be visiting these people."

"I have no desire to go back there."

Luna touched his arm. "Harry, you don't have to, but Uncle Algie has to look into this. If this is Petunia poisoning his mind, it's one thing, but if it's an Obliviation gone badly, he has to intervene. That would make them a risk to our way of life."

Harry took a breath. "I have to face this, don't I?"

Luna looked away. "I can't make you…"

"I can say it may help. Would you feel better knowing that they didn't actually hate you? Fear of the magic is common in muggles, but the level of hatred you speak of isn't as common anymore. The muggles are leaving their faiths to be more of a casual part of their lives, not the core of everything that they do that lead to the burnings in our past." Algernon laid his hands flat on the desk as he spoke. "It's your decision, though, to come with me. I'm going regardless."

Harry nodded slowly. "I guess." He stared at the wood of the seemingly ancient desk. "Yeah, let's do it."

Algernon nodded. "Let's finish story time, then we'll go." He stood. "Brahm, your parents died in a car wreck when you were five. You were already friends with Sarah when you moved in, so it wasn't hard for you to acclimate. You guys have been friends for years."

"I wish," Luna whispered.

"So do I." Harry said, watching with a grin as Luna blinked in surprise.

"Both sets of your parents were close friends, and each wanted the other to take care of their child if something went wrong, so Sarah would have gone to live with the Evans if things had gone the other way around. Sarah's parents were Aurors with the Americans, but you both were born British. Sarah's parents were British students who went to live with family in the States. This is why you'll have a mix of American and British accents."

Harry glanced at Luna. "Umm, we don't now."

"Not yet." Algernon grinned. ""We're going to stay at a house in the States for a while. You'll live as your identities there, make friends maybe or just be exposed to the culture."

Luna made a face that Harry couldn't interpret. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Why would you think that?"

"This just…sounds familiar."

Algernon shook his head. "You're being suspicious. You should know I wouldn't do anything that I didn't have to do. I love you and I have no desire to hurt Harry in anyway."

"Yet we're about to do something painful to him…" She frowned. "Never mind."

Harry didn't like the level of worry that she was showing but had no way of getting into it. He felt like he was sitting on a pier, looking over the water. He could jump in, but he didn't know how to swim and he didn't know what was lurking beneath the dark water.

He looked up and Algernon was on their side of the desk, pulling his coat on. "Let's go deal with the Dursleys now."

Harry felt a spike of cold in his chest, like someone had stabbed him in the heart with an icicle. He stood. "Let's get this over with. I'd rather just Obliviate my entire existence from them."

"I doubt we can do that, your neighbors knew about you, but we'll do something to make sure you're safe."

He felt Luna's hand slip into his and he didn't pull away. Knowing she was there made him feel stronger. "Let's just do this."

Algernon nodded, then called for Dobby, asking him to pop over and see if they were there. When he came back and reported that they were, he pulled out a crumpled soda can. "Touch the can, I made it myself, Harry, so you don't have to worry about arriving somewhere unexpected."

Luna reached out with her right, leaving her left hand in Harry's. Harry mirrored her action, then looked at her. "You're going to see some ugly things."

"You already told me the story, though."

Harry sighed. "I left out some details."

She opened her mouth to say something back, but the portkey activated. Harry closed his eyes and felt the whirling begin. He finally felt the ground beneath his feet, then under his bum as he landed backwards. Luna pulled him to his feet, struggling as she did so.

Harry ignored his sputtering uncle as he took in the living room around him. It worried him that it was this easy for Algernon to get in with just a portkey. How good were those wards then if that was the case?

"Who told you that you could just barge back in here? After you made us wait at the train station like that, I should throttle you, you worthless…" Whatever Vernon's next words were, they were muted by Algernon's silencing charm. He silenced all of them, binding them in rope as he began to go over the perimeter.

For Harry, his reaction wasn't a shock. He muttered a quiet "Sorry, Uncle," then looked around at the room. Perfection, bar the lamp they had apparently knocked over when they arrived. He calmly repaired it and set it on the table. "He was going to hurt you. With witnesses present."

Harry nodded. "You know, looking back on it, they were always pretty public about it. You'd think that'd draw some attention."

"Harry, there's…Merlin's beard."

"What?" Harry said, not sparing another glance at the living room that he'd barely been allowed in before he left. He walked into the kitchen.

"There is magic here. Not just these so-called blood wards, but compulsion magic, powered by the wards that actually exist here." Algernon continued prodding at the magic, finally settling on the broom closet. He scowled at the hasp and padlock that held it shut. "What's this?"

"My bedroom for the first decade of my life."

Algernon nodded, giving the Dursley's direction a foul look. Luna clutched his arm, "Please tell me you're joking." Harry could say nothing, and she just hugged him tightly. He felt dead inside, just being here. Others seeing it. Weasley and Granger had seemed indifferent as they'd put together some pieces. Now Luna knew the truth.

A few incantations later, the door was open and the Unspeakable began to swear loudly. "Who did this?" He stormed into the room, releasing Petunia's voice. She said nothing at first, reeling in horror. Finally, she seemed to remember how to talk.

"Get out! Get out! I will not have more freaks in my home!"

Algernon silenced her again, then focused on her eyes, flicking his wand in a movement that Harry recognized from his lessons with Snape. He shivered, the idea of moving through his Aunt's mind as revolting as the idea of bathing in a sewer.

Finally, Algernon straightened, then began casting at all three, then chanting in a language that Harry didn't know. When he finished, he stepped aside, releasing them from the bonds he held them in. Vernon stood and Harry took an involuntary step back.

"Harry…" The man moved forward, and Harry drew his wand, pulling Luna behind him.

"You won't hurt us."

"Harry…I'm sorry." Vernon looked at the wand, then stepped back, hands moving into the open in a palms out gesture that Harry recognized as the universal "I'm unarmed" gesture.

"Harry," Algernon began, pushing his wand hand down. "This wasn't their fault."

Harry spun, facing the old man. "How can you say that? They tortured me, beat me, mocked me. I don't know how I survived here!"

Petunia burst out in tears. "He's right, we were monsters."

"Harry, someone put compulsion spells into the wards that they were trying to build here. They were affecting your aunt and uncle's mind. I'd wondered when Luna told me some of what you'd gone through, no sane person wouldn't have reported it to the police. You should have been out of here. I'm wondering now if I need to visit the schools you attended beforehand and do a search for similar spells."

"Someone did this to me on purpose?" Harry glanced to the couch, taking in Vernon's stricken expression as he tried to comfort Petunia, her sobbing nearly loud enough to be heard outside. Dudley looked green, like he was going to throw up. Harry couldn't help himself and conjured an empty bucket, handing it to the overweight teen. To his surprise, the look he got was grateful.

"I recognize the signature on these spells. All of them were done by the same person. Dumbledore did this."

Author's Note: Sorry, another one on the short side of things. I'm prepping to move and that is taking more time than I remembered from the last move a year or so ago. I appreciate your patience with that.

The Dursleys. I want to hate them…but I can't. The did a decent turnaround at the end and frankly, I've had those thoughts. A few years ago, some writer friends and I were having a conversation and I asked about parenting Superman. "How would you punish him?" The argument was made that you wouldn't need to, that he's always been good (not really true), but what if you needed to. Then that movie came out recently basically showing the worst-case scenario if child Superman decided to wreck everything.

The idea of superpowered children is a frightening one. Clarke's "Childhood's End", which is an excellent read if you haven't, touches on this in the ending…slight spoiler, but the book is decades old. Go read it anyway. Then watch the television movie, then sit in the corner and ponder life. Everyone should do that every now and then, it's good for you. Rabbit trail ended with apologies…

The idea of superpowered children is a frightening one…to get back on point. How would you stop a child with superstrength from hurting another or a speedster from running through the house…or a child who can reshape reality by thinking about it? Accidental magic has been theorized and, to some degree, shown as being wish magic. Look what happened to Vernon's sister (can't remember her name). Harry wanted her to go away and she did…turned into a balloon. What happened in his childhood? Maybe they had a few incidents. Depending on how they were covered up, there may have been enough to take some negative feelings and amp it up. If there was further help, how bad it could get could be limited only by imagination.