A/N: Here I am again! I forgot to address some points, last chapter… I was kind of in a rush to get it out. So here it comes: remember when I said we had the last disturbing chapter? Well, given that I changed my mind about last chapter, this one might be disturbing to some readers. I'll put an alert up when we're going there. Time to let Jane find out about Harry's home life… Also, I'm debating for one moment in the near future, I'll put an alert up if we cross that bridge.

On to the chapter itself, and please know that you're very welcome to leave a review!

The following week flashed by for Jane. Harry had informed her that Remus would quit as a DADA teacher, which left them both behind with a rather sour feeling. Sirius was still imprisoned; Fudge was not cooperating and was actively holding back information and Snape had outed Remus as a werewolf. It was Harry who came with an idea to solve one of these problems, and she instantly agreed. And that, she thought, was why she was sitting in the office of the embassy. Just then, her secretary knocked, showing Remus Lupin in.

"Mr. Lupin.", she said, standing and offering him a hand.

"Please, call me Remus, miss Davidson.", he replied, shaking her hand.

"Only if you call me Jane.", she replied amusedly. Remus smiled a little, nodding. "I imagine you are wondering why I called you here?", she asked. He nodded again. "Well… I'm offering you a job."

He looked up in surprise. "What kind of job?", he asked curiously.

"Teaching.", she replied.

He shook his head. "I imagine you've heard about me being a werewolf, I can't possibly. -"

She held up her hands to stop him. "Allow me to explain why that risk wouldn't be there." She waited until he nodded, albeit reluctantly. "I'm going to ask you to teach werewolf children." He opened his mouth to ask a bunch of questions. "Hear me out, please. In the last war, werewolves sided for a large part with Voldemort. Why? He promised them the world. He gave them hope, a purpose. He festered their feeling they would never be accepted as a part of wizards' world – but he did. It's as simple as that. If Voldemort returned today, they would side with him again. But what would happen if we could offer them something? That's what I want to do. I want to give the newly bitten children a home, a place where they can come and learn to cope. Where they can learn what 'normal' children learn, where they can play and be a child. Because except for one night in a month, they're all human. I would like to expand to the older werewolves once this is established, but that's not for anytime soon."

"The ministry will not approve.", Remus said, sadness in his voice.

"They did. I made them agree, albeit reluctantly." She didn't mention she had practically had to threaten Fudge. "They wanted in return that we list werewolves." She noticed how Remus frowned. "And I will. Encrypted, on a computer." Remus smiled a bit at that. "It's not my fault they can work with one for the life of them."

"What will be my role?", Remus asked.

"You teach the younger kids what they would learn if they went to primary school. You prepare them for Hogwarts. They – and you, for that matter – will be provided with Wolfsbane. The maximum capacity will be fifteen children. The grounds itself will be warded, so that no werewolf can cross borders in wolf form, allowing you to roam the forest without having to worry about nearby villages. Healers will be available the nights after full moon, and on call for all other days."

"The public will think we are conspiring against them.", Remus warned.

"Indeed. That's why I'll encourage the family members to come with the children. I'll have press come over, though I doubt the Rita Skeeter will show up. But foreign press… I don't want the magical world to remain hateful out of ignorance, and that is what is happening now."

She produced a contract. "Take your time to go over it. You can give me your answer at the end of the week."

He read it through. "Twenty galleons a month?! How are you financing this?"

"Harry.", she said simply. "It was his idea to ask you. Which reminds me…", she continued, rummaging through her desk. "Ah, here. He wrote a letter to you."

Remus looked at her. She smiled. "Any more questions?"

He shook his head. "You'll have my answer next week."

A few busy weeks had passed after that. Remus Lupin had accepted her offer, and they worked together to get their 'hotel' on its feet. There had been a ceremony with an official transition of the tittle of ambassador to her. She had to attend a few official gatherings after that. Meanwhile, Henry and Lara were busy planning a trip to Vietnam, which Jane had given them the year before as a birthday present for her sister.

"Are you ready?", she asked Lupin. He appeared a little stressed. She looked around, trying and failing to locate Harry, and frowned. She hadn't seen him all week… But then, Lupin nodded.

"All right, folks.", she called above the chatter. Jane let her eyes sweep through the room. Most children were older than thirteen, though there were a few exceptions. Most werewolves were laying low now Voldemort had disappeared. "I'm Jane Davidson. I'm the ambassador for magical France. I want you to know that you are here protected by the fact you are on French grounds. The French laws state that werewolves are equal to wizards, as it should be. We are on your side, at all times." She paused, swallowing. "You will be given Wolfsbane potion. You'll have company when you transform. Your injuries will be taken care of. We provide in all your needs. There are rooms upstairs, with one or more connections to guest rooms, dependant on how many people you've brought with you. During the day, there will be people around. They will not be there to watch you, but they will discipline if they see fit. You'll be given a chance to explain. We do not tolerate one thing, and that is deliberately harming another person here. If you're found doing that, we'll ask you to leave. Other disciplinary measures will be taken in agreement with your plus-one. You'll be provided meals on the times that are hanging on the board over there. Notifications will be posted there. You'll all have classes, dependant on your age you'll be divided in groups. The lessons will be given by professor Remus Lupin, here.", she gestured to the man, who came standing next to her, and smiled a bit.

"You'll be taught what is taught at Hogwarts, as you know since you had to select electives. We also teach you what you would learn at Muggle schools, for in case that's ever needed." She took a break, swallowed again, and continued. "The ministry has asked to keep record of who is here. Those will be kept in a computer, a muggle device that is not hard to command, if you have the know-how." She saw smiles, when they realised what she was doing. "Of note, French law officers can ask your identification, but unfortunately, I forgot to ask them. Meaning I've unfortunately no possibility to check if you're making up a name.", She said, though she made sure to not sound like she thought of that as unfortunate.

"Thank you for your faith. We'll not let you down.", she declared firmly, bowing to them. The latter surprised them. It was meant as a sign of respect, of trust; she was in vulnerable position, after all. But they surprised her, too; as they bowed back after a moment of stunned surprise, and she stepped down the podium. She and Lupin went to talk with the people who showed up.

Later that evening, when everyone had gone to bed, she made her way to him.

"You ready to stay and begin tomorrow, professor?", she asked.

"Of course.", he said, smiling. He frowned. "I had thought Harry would be here?"

"Ah yes, I thought, too." She saw him frowning concerned, but smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm sure there's a good explanation."

But privately, she thought it had been three weeks since she had last seen him, since it was the second week of July. She would pay them a visit.

Jane had her private driver drive to Privet Drive, but stopped him before going around the corner. No matter how much she hated it, rules were rules, and for her, one of these rules was using a car when a destination was over a certain distance. It limited the amount of people she had to bring with her. Thankfully, it was only Jean, because she took the car. She gestured for him to stay where he was at the beginning of the ramp. Taking a good look around and seeing no sign of Harry – and frowning at the sad state of the normally proud flowers – she rang the bell. She waited patiently, and finally; the door opened.

"Yes.", Vernon Dursley barked. Of course, she thought, it was a Saturday. She had started the 'hotel' – they had no name as of yet – yesterday, and that was on Friday evening. That way, even working parents could attend.

"Good afternoon, sir.", she started politely, smiling friendly. "I'm Jane Davidson and I was wondering if I could have a word with Harry Potter?"

Vernon Dursley paled, and looked around suspiciously, as if expecting his neighbours to be spying on them. She frowned; she could practically see him thinking fast. Alarm bells rung in her head. "He's not here.", Vernon replied after a solid five minutes, not meeting her eyes.

"Can I perhaps come inside to wait for him?", she asked, keeping the suspicion out her voice. "As an ambassador, my security team would not be very happy if I kept standing here…"

She saw him thinking for another five minutes. "Yes.", he replied begrudgingly.

She nodded to Jean. "Do you mind if he comes in, too?"

It was all too clear Vernon did indeed mind, but he said nothing. Was that fear in his eyes? *

They both entered. "Come on in, the living room is there.", he said, pointing to a door.

They stood there for a while, awkwardly. After all, Vernon had not invited them to sit down.

"Do you expect him at a certain time, sir?", she asked politely, after a solid fifteen minutes of silence.

"No idea when the lad comes home nowadays, he listens to no one.", Vernon said, an angry note in her voice.

That was not how she knew him. She had the feeling something was really, really wrong.

They waited for another fifteen minutes. She glanced at the clock – nearly nine o'clock in the evening. She would expect a thirteen-year-old would have to be home by then, but neither Harry nor Dudley appeared to be there. Just as she thought that, she heard the front door slam. Vernon went to greet whoever was there, and getting bored a little, she let her eyes sweep through the room. Her eyes landed on a cupboard – a cupboard with fancy, new, shining locks on it. Slowly, she made her way towards it. The wood was darker at a certain place, and she touched it.

Warning of child abuse commences

"What are you doing there?!", an angry Petunia Dursley exclaimed. There was a lot of noise when Vernon and Dudley burst through the door. Jane turned around, slowly.

"She's here to visit the f- Harry."

"Why is there blood on your cupboard?", she asked slowly, showing the blood on her fingernails.

There was a pregnant pause. "I… Must have broken a nail when I hit my foot there earlier, don't you think, Vernon darling?", Petunia said, looking to her husband.

"Wh- Yes. Yes, indeed."

Dudley looked uninterested.

She nodded slowly, accepting the explanation.

"Do you know where he is?", she asked. Three people shook their head. She sighed. "You truly think I'm daft as hell, don't you? There are locks on the cupboard and blood on it, quite dry yet. What was in your cupboard?", she asked.

"Listen here, you.", Vernon said gruffly. "You can't come in and question us like that!"

They stared at each other, neither willing to be the first to avert their eyes. At that moment, a sound came from upstairs. Jane started to walk to the stairs.

"I want you to leave, now! I'll call the police!", Vernon shouted.

She turned around slowly. "You should. Perhaps you can explain them why there is blood on your stairs?" She pointed to a corner of the stairs, where a small bloodstain was visible. Jane didn't like the picture this was drawing…

Before she knew what happened, Vernon lunged at her, his hands wrapping around her throat. They wrestled, she struggled for air. Vaguely, in the background, she could hear Dudley cheering his dad on and Jean warning to let go of her, twice, thrice. Then-

WHAM. Jean had drawn his wand, and Vernon was thrown off her. She immediately stormed upstairs, burst through the door of the smaller bedroom. Closing her eyes and pressing her fingers as hard she could against them, because this had to be a hallucination, it couldn't be true… But it was. Harry was lying on the bed, unceremoniously dropped upon it. His legs were both broken, one bone was sticking out of his left leg. His left arm was broken, his jaw looked broken. There were lots of bruises and cuts, and his breathing was laboured – though that could very well be his injuries, not some lung condition. She dropped on her knees next to his bed, feeling for a pulse, letting out a sigh of relief when she found one.

Jean came bursting in.

"Call the driver, tell him to come in. I can't lift him on my own.", she said. Jean nodded.

She took her own cell phone. "Henry? I need you to prepare the medical team."

"What happened?", he asked sharply.

"I'm fine. Harry has – he has suffered major trauma. Multiple broken bones, happened not too long ago, but also not very recent – a day, two maybe."

She heard him exhale. When he replied, he was speaking like a Healer, not like a concerned parent.

"Okay, do you have a pulse?"

"Yes."

"Breathing?"

"Laboured. Nothing stuck in his throat, as far as I can see and feel."

"Any impact on his back or neck?"

"No idea.", she replied, frowning.

"Is there an ironing board in the neighbourhood?"

"Eh- Yes.", she said, stepping into a different room.

"Put him on it. Try to move his back and neck as few as possible, but you need to be quick. He needs help soon."

She and her driver went to work.

"Done. We're on our way down and then to you."

"We'll be waiting."

She nodded and hung up. As they walked through the front door, the neighbours were coming out of their houses. Jane looked to Jean. "Make sure they don't get out.", she said softly. "The police are on their way, so try not to intervene. I know you have jurisdiction to protect me, but outside of that, I don't think you can do much."

He nodded in understanding, closing the door to the backseats of the car behind them. And then they were on their way, driving as fast as they could. And in the darkness of the car, as she felt Harry slipping away, a tear rolled out of her eye.

Jane liked to think of herself as not one prone to tears. She had barely cried for her parents' death when it just happened – the Death Eaters who kept her didn't like 'crying babies'. She had barely cried when they were looking for her sister and she had lost everything, in a foreign country. In all those years before Harry left for Hogwarts, or after it, she had not cried.

This was different. This was her friend, her first ever friend, slowly dying, alone in his room. Her friend, left alone by uncaring relatives. It has her wondering how often something like this had happened, and she hadn't noticed. He was in surgery now, and there was nothing she could do. She knew some emergency medicine, but this was complex surgery. As she was pacing in the waiting room, while he was in surgery, she dried her tears. She had to know why. She had to know what happened. Not out of some morbid form of curiosity, but because Harry would need her after this, and she would only know what to do if she knew what happened.

And so, she had asked her driver to drive her to that place, as she had begun to call it, again. She tried not to look at the bloodstains in the car, tried to drive out the slow moaning Harry involuntarily had produced on their way to her house. And now, as she stood before the house, she wondered if she had made the right decision. Was not knowing worse than knowing a horrible truth? She didn't know. And while she stood there, making up her mind, Jean approached her.

"They've been taken away to the police station. I've given them Henry's office number to keep in touch with him, and they'll wat Harry's statement."

She nodded. None of this was unexpected, after all. She gestured to the crowd of neighbours to her left. "Did they know?"

"I've overheard the interrogations of the police. None of them cared, but interestingly, quite a few mentioned bars on the window of Harry's room."

"Bars?"

"They said it was for burglars."

"Apart from the fact there has been no break-in since I've come to live here, and probably not before that, either. So why were they here?"

"No idea. The bars were just gone one day. Oh, and one miss Arabella Figg's not home. Apparently, she went to visit her cousin." **

She mumbled something incoherently at that.

"Madame?", he asked quietly. She looked at him and nodded for him to go on. "Are you sure you want to do this? According to the police, it's not pretty."

She looked at the house, then closed her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure."

Slowly, she made her way to the door. She heard Jean introduce her, and the senior investigator, who turned out to be the same one who had investigated the death of her foster mother – Tom - granted her permission to walk around, if she didn't touch anything and he could accompany her.

Setting foot in the house for the second time that day, was strange. It felt like Vernon could jump on her, coming from every corner, even though she knew he was in custody. She entered the living room carefully, but the memories got the better of her. She realised with a start she had been forcefully reminded of her time with the Death Eaters, and now her moral was so low, she didn't want to go there again. Start with the stairs then, she thought. Henry would need to know the specifications of Harry's fall, if that was what had happened… The stairs were being examined by someone from the forensics department, who nodded to the person next to her. Just on that moment, they came with UV-lights, and she realised they were looking for blood stains. And there was a lot of blood… Tom looked at her questioningly.

"What do you think?"

She raised a brow. "I'm not on this case, nor will I be."

He nodded. "Yes, but I want your advice."

No, you want to distract me, she thought privately. She appreciated it. "Well, blood patterns suggest that this is indeed where he got his injuries. You can see it starts at the top of the stairs with a few spots, and then it increases. Luckily, nothing suggests that there was an artery hit or damaged."

"He fell down?"

"It's not possible to say if he was pushed – perhaps Henry can tell you that."

They went upstairs, evading the blood stains and carrying the UV-lights with them. She went straight to Harry's room.

"Strange.", she muttered.

"What?"

"The blood here is more recent then the blood on the stairs. Assuming all his injuries are the result of him falling down the stairs, he couldn't come up here without help – someone would have had to carry him. That proves they knew he was injured – not that there was any doubt. But also, look at this room! Nothing is his, it looks like a storage room for broken or unused things. Well, except the trunk with his school supplies."

"So, neglect at best?", Tom asked.

"Yes. Henry will be able to tell you if he was abused – unhealed broken bones and such will show up on X-ray."

Jane looked around one more time sadly. She could not believe how little Harry had had. She could understand why he had remained silent, though; she had been the same, back in the days. You would always hope it become better if you tried harder, was a better kid. And later, you would never believe someone cared enough to come and get you out.

Technically, she could quit here. But at the same time, she couldn't. She had to know everything.

"Can you give me a moment, Tom?", she asked softly. "I'll pack a few things for Harry."

He nodded, and stepped out. She heard him checking Dudley's room. Slowly, she dropped her shields. Jane knew that if something terrible happened, the emotions of those involved were etched in materials. And indeed, she could feel Harry's pain, coming from the bed. Concentrating harder, she was rewarded with a flash, and there he was – uncle Vernon, dragging Harry's bloody body after him. If she concentrated hard enough, she could picture what had happened. She began absentmindedly collecting items from the room, clothes were scattered around – those with bloodstains she left behind.

Vernon entered, dragging Harry behind him. He was looking like she had last seen him, only he was somehow awake. Vernon threw him on the bed unceremoniously.

"You should have known better! I refuse to continue to clean up your messes, boy!", he shouted.

Harry just moaned. She followed Vernon back to the stairs, while the memory was rewinding. Jane watched as the duo came up the stairs and then… nothing? She waited, until – there he was, right after the fall. She waited as he came up the stairs, his fall reversed – the strangest thing she had ever witnessed in her life – and then concentrated on what was happening right before it. Harry had come running from his room, Vernon behind him and-

"Jane?", she heard someone asking.

She looked up, to see Tom. "I… Was lost in thought. I don't think this is the first… incident, and I missed it all…"

"Don't, Jane. We all did. He was good in hiding it. There's no shame in making a mistake; only in not learning from one."

She nodded. She had lied, though. Because she couldn't tell what she'd seen right before he interrupted: Dudley had made Harry trip, resulting in his fall. The Dursleys had probably tried to protect him from legal action and an investigation. They worried about money and their good name more than over their nephew… It just was so… she didn't even have words for it.

She cleared her throat. "Let's check downstairs, okay?"

They went back to the living room, and she went straight for the cupboard. On the bottom of the locks was a date engraved - first of December, 1981. Inside it, there was a bed, a couple of cloths and quite a lot of blood.

They looked at each other. "I think we found where he first was after falling down the stairs.", she said faintly.

"But why move him?"

"It was a panic reaction to put him in here. After that, they realised if people came over and he made a sound… Well, can't explain that, can you?"

Her mobile chimed. "Sorry, it's Henry. I'm going back there."

"I'm going to wrap this up and go interrogate some people next morning.", Tom said.

Warning of child abuse ends

"How is he?", she asked when she came back in the Hospital Wing.

"We've set all broken bones. Recovery is going to take time, and we'll keep him in a coma, because it looks like his brain has taken a hit – no bleeding though, nor elevated pressure in the skull, so we're optimistic."

"Good. I'm off again, then. Got to inform court. And his godfather…", she said, trailing off. How did you break such news, she wondered?

She shook her head, and flooed to the British Ministry of Magic. Not many knew it, but there was a judge for cases that concerned both wizards and muggles. He had taken on her case, when she tried to find her sister, without even knowing a name, or a place. They had kept in touch. And so, it was not strange she 'passed by'. He often gave legal advice.

With a heavy hart, she knocked.

"Come in!", Judge Lawrell called. She knew who it was, since she was the only person arriving this early.

"Judge.", she said, bowing her head a little as she entered and closed the door behind her.

"How are things this morning?", the judge asked cheerfully.

Jane bowed her head. "Not so good, judge Lawrell."

"Oh?", she asked concerned.

Taking a deep breath, she replied: "I have a new case for you. A friend of mine… I went to his house, and… there was blood on this cupboard and on the stairs. He was upstairs, in a room and he was… in a pretty bad shape. Lots of broken bones. Investigation is not complete, but based on what I have seen, he fell down the stairs and his relatives stuffed him in a cupboard and lather in his room."

The judge sighed. "It's those cases, they are the worst. How is he?"

"It's looking good, but recovery will take time. But we need to talk about custody."

"And a few other things, I'd imagine. Well, how old is he?"

"Thirteen. Fourteen in a few weeks."

"Then he should have a voice in this. Let me know when he's recovered enough for a court session – until then, he is to stay in whatever hospital he is in, and his relatives will pay the bills, as they are still responsible for him. Every medical discussion needs to be discussed with me present. I'll let the paperwork go out to prison, too. What's his name?"

"Yeah, that's another thing… I feel like secrecy is needed."

"Who is it?", the judge pressed, eyebrows raised.

"Harry Potter."

It was late in the afternoon when Jane found herself before a prison gate, waiting for the signal she could come in. It had cost her more arguing then she had hoped to get this to work, but in the end, she managed to convince them. She yawned, and tried to count how long she had been awake. She had not slept since she found Harry, so that was nearly a day. Then before that, there had been several meetings. So that was a day and a half.

The guard nodded to her, and she went in the visitor's room, waiting patiently.

"Madame ambassador!", Sirius Black said, as he walked in. The guard accompanying him took of the handcuffs, and stated they had half an hour max.

"Mister Black.", she greeted back.

"None of that, call me Sirius.", he said.

He looked way better, she thought. He'd had a shave; his hair was neat and cut. There was more colour on his cheeks, and he looked like he had gained back weight, until a healthier level.

"Then call me Jane.", she replied, smiling. "How are things here?"

"Well, this place is amazing! I can go on walks, visitors can come – though only Remus came – I get food, there are things to do like pottery and all. It's really refreshing compared to Azkaban."

She hadn't known Remus had come by. "I'm glad you like it here. Also, since he probably is not going to mention it himself, Remus has tried to get you free since you were there."

"You're right, he didn't say that. I heard you gave him a job?"

"He was the best candidate.", she replied, smiling lightly.

"And now you are here! To what do I own this unexpected pleasure?", the man asked light-heartedly.

"I've also heard you don't visit the mind Healer here?", she questioned.

"Don't feel the need.", he replied curtly.

She nodded. She felt like it was the wrong call – no one came out of that hellhole unshattered – but it was his choice. "The Healer here and Henry are old friends – Henry is my… father.", she said, hoping he didn't pick up the slight hesitation. If he did, nothing gave it away.

"So, are you going to update me on the trial? Does the government have something to tell me?", he pressed.

She sighed. "Neither.", she looked down, took a deep breath and looked him in the eye again. "Something happened to Harry."

Jane quietly explained all she knew, and that was not a lot. By the end of it, Sirius looked worn. "Those muggles!", he exclaimed.

"Sirius, please.", she protested weakly, closing her eyes temporarily.

"Why haven't you done something?! Or Remus, or Dumbledore, or the Weasley's or Hermione – or like, anyone at all?!"

"We didn't know.", she said averting her gaze. "I know it's not an excuse. He never said anything, off course and we never saw anything."

Sirius sighed, and made a pacifying gesture. "I don't- "

"Don't", she interrupted, "I understand. So, I spoke to the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, and they agreed you can visit him."

"What?!", he said surprised.

"There are conditions – a crew of Aurors will join us, you won't get a wand back and if you are found with one, unless it's self-defence, you'll come back here straight away. Someone needs to be with you when you visit Harry. When you're not with him, we'll lock you up where you've been locked up before."

"Yes, yes, I understand.", he said, looking excited.

She smiled tiredly. "Come on then.", she said.

They apparated with the Aurors directly into the Hospital Wing. Jane and Sirius walked to Harry's room, meeting Henry on the way.

"How is he?", Sirius asked.

"Stable. It's looking good – we might be able to wake him up next week.", Henry said, looking tired. "Will you keep an eye on him, Jane? There's a Healer on duty, of course; I'm going to take a quick nap."

Jane nodded, and steered Sirius into the right direction. One corner away, she came to a halt. "I realise, you probably have never seen anything like this; but it's really not as bad as it seems. Keep that in mind.", she said softly.

He nodded, and they rounded the corner. They stopped before a window – or not exactly a window, maybe; a glass part in the wall? Jane had actually no idea what is was called, it looked like a window to her. It allowed people to look in the room, without crowding it. Next to her, Sirius paled visibly. But he was standing, she noted. Not a surprise; purebloods and showing weakness, it was though love.

"Merlin.", he whispered quietly. "What is all that?", he asked shocked.

"Well eh, where should we start… The tube there, in his mouth, is connected to a ventilator. That's breathing for him. Then there's the thing with all those lines – that's also beeping like mad, completely normal – it shows the ECG- "

"The what?", he asked confused. Out of habit and tiredness, she had used the abbreviation.

"Electrocardiogram. It shows the electrical activity in the heart, which is a measure of how good it's working. Most heart problems will show up on that, and then an alarm would go off. It also shows how much oxygen he effectively inhales, which should be above ninety, and how much carbon dioxide he produces. That's also basic diagnostic things. That's measured by the thing on his finger. Then there is blood pressure measured by the thing around his arm. If anything is wrong, an alarm goes off. The bag with fluid gives food and medication, since he won't be awake for another week at least. And that's about it, I believe."

He looked at her strangely. "Are you a Healer or something?"

"Though question. I have a license as a doctor – the Muggle version of a Healer in emergency situations. Henry has a licence as a surgeon – more like operations and all. I'm more like… How should I explain this… I'm the first doctor one sees when one comes to a hospital unplanned. If it's not that bad, I treat and sent home. If it's worse, I give first care and then call in a specialist."

"But you're… How old are you, exactly?"

"Fourteen."

"So young."

"I'm motivated. For your information, Harry has the same license as I have."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you know if an emergency comes – you know, you cut in your finger or something – well, you can't rely on magic at home, so we wanted to know what to do. And first aid is a useful tool to have. Shall we?", she said, gesturing to the room. She didn't want to continue the topic.

Sirius nodded, and they went in.

"Hi Harry.", she started. "I've brought you a visitor. Prime Minister Dubois was not happy about it, but what's life without annoying authorities?"

She nodded to him. "Hi Harry. It's Sirius. I'm here for you, kid." He seemed unsure.

"You can talk about his parents for example, or read for him, or play music. As long as he hears something, it's all good."

She waited until he nodded. "Jean here is going to stay with you – I'm going to fetch Remus."

She apparated with her house-elf and knocked. For the second time that day, she told what she knew. Remus was just as shocked and angry as Sirius had been, and he was more than willing to come over. The three of them sat there in the quiet room, with the lights dimmed, and Jane felt herself slowly falling asleep, to the sound of both Sirius' and Remus' voices.

Jane woke refreshed early the next day – six o'clock, she noticed on the clock on the bedside. She stretched, and caught Remus Lupin's gaze. He was reading some book to Harry –

Harry. Feeling more awake, she frantically checked his parameters, letting out a sigh of relief when she noticed they were okay.

"Were you planning on sleeping anytime soon, or did you think you could go without such a thing?"

She flinched. Remus sounded like he wasn't happy.

"I've had a busy few days –"

"Because you insist on doing things on your own. Sometimes, you need to be able to give things out of your hands.", he replied.

Before she could reply, the door opened, and there was Sirius.

"Oh, you're awake. I thought it would take more time than that."

He sounded vaguely impressed.

"Well, I need to get going, freshen up a bit. There are bathrooms and bedrooms on the far end of the corridor, feel free to make use of them."

"I'll head back to the WWC this afternoon.", Lupin said. "That's the winning name for your 'hotel' for werewolves. WereWolf Center."

"Yeah, about that.", Sirius chimed in. "You need anything for that, give me a sign, okay?"

"Sure.", she said, a little taken aback.

After a quick shower, she felt a little more human. On her way down, she ran into Henry.

"Good morning sleeping beauty.", he said, an absent look in his eyes.

"Good morning. You look like you have news?", she said, knowing he probably had ordered some lab tests on Harry's blood.

Warning child abuse commences

"Nothing good. Do you plan on eating anytime soon?", he asked tentatively, attempting a bad joke.

"Nope, way too early."

"Join me in my office, then.", he sighed.

They walked in silence.

"Here's the lab report.", Henry said, staring at the ceiling.

Reading through it as fast as she could, she frowned at their conclusion. "So, they fed him the bare minimum to keep him alive, while their son is as obese as he can be? Such lovely people."

"Wait for it. It gets worse." He gestured to the X-ray's on the wall.

"That's a lot of bones that have been broken.", she said. She frowned.

"What?", Henry asked.

Off course, she thought. As a surgeon, he rarely had to do with those long-term effects of abuse.

"Well, you see all this thicker bone tissue, as a sign of old breaks, it's all on extremities – arms, legs, wrists, ankles."

"And?", he asked frowning.

"Two possible conclusions. One, some kind of issue with his bones. Highly unlikely –"

"Why?", Henry asked confused.

"He fell of his broom last year, remember? If he had brittle-bone disease, he would've broken every bone in his body." Henry nodded in understanding, so she continued. "Second option: he fell a lot, hard. Meaning, they didn't hit him; but they did push him. Based on what I've seen in that house and what I see here, I'd say he was pushed regularly, but only this time he fell badly and ended up falling from the stairs."

Henry nodded pensively. "Now you mention it. You don't think they hit him?"

"No, because those breaks our on extremities. When you're hit, you curl up. Meaning your arms and legs are less exposed. Mostly ribs are broken. But they seem all fine."

He nodded. "Time to break the news…", he sighed.

"There's one last thing I'd like to discuss with you…", she said, trailing off.

End of warning

Forty-five minutes later, they sat around the table with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. After the briefing – and a lot of swearing on Sirius' part – Jane cleared her throat.

"There's one last thing we need to discuss.", she started, looking from face to face. "Guardianship."

"How can that be a problem? He can live with me.", Sirius said.

"I know both of you would like that, yes. But the truth is, the moment the trial about this is going to be held, it'll be impossible. You won't be cleared of charges yet."

"Then he can live somewhere else-"

"I think the judge will want to go with continuity.", she replied.

"So let him go to Remus then!", Sirius replied angrily.

"There's the matter of his werewolf condition. To this judge it won't matter, but Harry would've to face the music from community, the moment word got out. And again, being a werewolf means Remus can't be there all time."

"He can be until my trial-"

"Sirius, you have to understand the judge will have to pretend the possibility exists you are guilty."

Sirius shoulders slumped.

"However", she continued, "you could always try." Holding up a hand to stop him from interrupting, she continued. "There's a but. If the godfather is unavailable, your family would have a claim. I've taken liberty to search out who: Andromeda Tonks and Narcissa Malfoy. Unfortunately, Narcissa has a stronger claim, since she has a son his age."

"They hate each other!", Remus interrupted her.

"I know. But the law doesn't care about that."

"So what do we do?", Sirius asked desperately.

"There's another family in the Light who is willing to take him.", she said, once again holding up a hand, "Let me explain, please. I can't give you the name of this family. Their identity is secret. But Harry knows the children of that family, and so do I. I talked to them, and they agreed to take him. Remus has the right to visit, and in this agreement here stands that they will not impede him to do so, unless on the explicit request of Harry himself, voiced with both you, Remus, and them at the same time. Sirius, you will be given a house close to them, and you'll always be welcome to visit Harry. You'll have a say in any important decision in his life – medical, schooling, serious punishment for the bigger things. You can have him over on any time you want, although they would like to know when he is with you. Unofficially, you'll get half guardianship. Should anything happen to this family, then you are granted full custody, together with Remus here – since it will be in the will, the ministry won't be able to stop it."

Sirius remained silent for at least ten minutes, before looking to Remus, who nodded. "Sounds good.", he said dejectedly.

"There are two conditions.", she said delicately. "One, you get cleared off all charges. If that doesn't happen, Remus gets your rights. They will support Harry in his decision to visit you in prison or not. Second, you need to see a mind healer."

Sirius head snapped up so fast she worried for his neck. "I don't need a mind healer-"

"Padfoot.", Remus said warningly. "Can you grant us a moment?", he said, looking at Jane. She waved them of.

"That went well.", she remarked dryly to Henry. She heard hushed voices on the other side of the door.

"The man has to give up custody, after all that he has heard now. Give him time.", Henry advised wisely.

She sighed. Truth to be told, she was not sure if she was making the right call. Oh, she was not worried about Sirius involvement in the deal; it was all the secrets she would have to keep. But it was the only way to convince the judge, she thought. If they gave up their rights to a family who had sworn to protect Harry, it would convince the judge they had his best interest in hearts, and give the family extra leverage over Malfoy…

Ten minutes later, they entered again.

"What guaranties do we have that family will be good for Harry?", Remus asked as they sad back down.

"You can come in check anytime, and they will be taking an Unbreakable Vow to protect Harry. In fact, they already have.", she replied.

Remus and Sirius look at each other. "We have a deal.", Remus announces.

"I would like to explain this to Harry.", Sirius says.

"Off course.", she nods.

After signing, Remus goes back to the WWC. Jane goes to sit with Harry, and Sirius retires to his room to nap a bit.

Being alone, she decides to play on the piano for a bit. It was meant as a surprise for Harry, but playing his favourite songs might help. She let out a breath, and started playing Killing me softly (with his song). She got lost in thought like always when she played, so when she played the final notes and heard a voice, she flinched instinctively.

"You play well.", Sirius remarked.

"Thank you.", she replied, deciding on Africa next.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I was just upset with the situation…"

"I understand, Sirius, truly."

They sat in silence for a while. "You are so mature for your age.", he said, sighing.

She pulled a face. "I had to grow up fast."

He studied her curiously, but said nothing. And so they sat for a while.

* I'm not sure if it is entirely clear, but Vernon is realising she is probably a witch, because she knows Harry. He never had an interest in Harry, so he wouldn't know they are friends. He does not want her in his house because of her being a witch, but since she lives in the neighbourhood, it would be strange if he didn't let her in. He's hoping he can scare her off to never come back, that would fit in with their story that Harry is some kind of criminal.

** I'll keep Dumbledore in the dark, for the moment. That's why she isn't here. For clarity's sake: this is not a Dumbledore bashing, but I do think he has made some mistakes. There will be more on that in a much later chapter – probably after the Department of Mysteries debacle – and I'll try to keep in mind to remind you of this detail there. I'll also give Dumbledore a chance to explain and redeem himself. My question to you is, do you think he would change his path for Harry, or would all stay the same for him? Let me know in a review/PM. Thank you! On that note… Quite random, but what house do you think Jane will be in, and why?

We made it to chapter 20! As you most likely have noticed, I'm updating considerably slower. I've had a hard time mentally, and writing was difficult. There were times I truly wanted to give up on this, because it just turned out different then in my head and it made me so sad. If I read this, it feels like I can't write at all. I don't want to discontinue this, since obviously people are reading this, and I don't want to disapoint them. But I also was struggling with the fact it was not at all what I had originally in my head. It took me a while to realise that's okay. I think I've also be too focussed on this story, and trying to hard to make this work. To prevent that from happening again, I'll continue this and start another story, about how Neville lived through everything that happened in canon. If you feel like it, you can check it out. It's going to be called Neville's story, because I'm not creative enough to come up with another name. If it turns out the combination is also not working, I'll put Neville's story on hold and continue to upload this, while trying to find another way to upload faster.

Thank you for bearing with me all this time! Seriously, I can't say it enough. The people following/favouriting/reviewing/reading are legend!

Songs used:

- Killing me softly (with his song), in the version by Roberta Flack (because Jane sees resmblance between Harry and her)

- Africa, by Toto (telling him she'll always be at his side, in the lines it's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you but also the lines I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become, since Jane wants to help Harry healing mentally after this, but is affraid she is too damaged to do so)

All credits for the songs to the respective bands.

I'm already working on next update, and it will be soon, I promise. I hope to get it out next week (but no promises on that, I'm affraid...)

Your sincerely,

HPFan1999