Chapter 11. Unexpected offer.

Mid-afternoon a parchment came down the fireplace and flew to the armchair where Snape was sitting reading. Harry was on the couch, also reading a comic book he had borrowed from one of the neighborhood boys. Harry looked up when he saw the scroll, but he was no longer as surprised as other times he had seen magic in action.

"Harry, we're going to your grandparent's house."

"So soon?" Harry said despondently.

"You don't have to stay yet, in fact I just want you to come in and tell your aunt to come out into the garden and talk to me. Then you can go out again to play or stay in the garden. It's preferable that your uncle doesn't see you."

"Ah, all right."

As they walked down the street, Snape cast a spell to make Vernon pay no attention to Harry. The boy entered the house and turned to his aunt, who was scrubbing the kitchen floor.

"Aunt Petunia." said Harry from the doorway so as not to step on the wet floor.

"I thought you were coming later." she replied quietly, so as not to attract her husband's attention.

"Mr. Snape asked me to tell you that he wants to talk to you. He's in the back garden."

Petunia's heart raced, but she tried to remain calm. "I'll be right over."

"All right." said Harry leaving quietly.

Petunia took off her apron and went out the back door. Snape was in the garden, looking Muggle, which Petunia appreciated.

"Good afternoon Petunia."

"Good afternoon." she said nervously. "I suppose you've come to tell me you're taking Harry."

"Wait a moment." he said. He pulled out his wand slyly and whispered a spell. She looked at him suspiciously. "Now no one can hear our conversation."

Petunia nodded. "It's okay."

"Actually taking Harry isn't the first option we've looked into. We'd rather he stay here with you, at his grandparents' house."

"I can't abandon Vernon. He'd take Dudley, and I can't part with him. Besides I have nothing to live on."

"Your son will stay with you, I can assure you of that."

"Vernon won't let me."

"Vernon has nothing to do against us. Professor Dumbledore is going to help you get custody of your son. If he tries anything against you... well, there are rules against using magic against Muggles, but they have exceptions, and I'm very good at looking for them."

Petunia didn't look convinced, so Snape continued speaking. "Regarding the money, Professor Dumbledore has contacted the Ministry of Magic, which has contacts with the Social Affairs services. Apparently Harry's orphan's pension has been going into an account in your name and your husband's. Did you know anything?"

She shook her head. "Have we been getting money for putting Harry up?"

"Yes, in fact it's a good amount, which is now going to start being paid into an account in your name at the Muggle branch of Gringotts, the wizarding bank. In fact Professor Dumbledore has arranged for all the money that has been coming in to be transferred from the account it is in to one that is exclusively in your name."

"Vernon will be furious when he realizes the money is gone."

"That money doesn't belong to him, especially after the way he's treated Harry all this time. His opinion doesn't interest us in the least."

"How much is that pension?" said Petunia still somewhat stunned. Snape handed her a document.

"There's the amount that has accrued and the monthly amount. In addition the money that has been generated from the rent of this house has also been transferred, so now Vernon will have no control over your income. After all it was Lily's will that you should be able to dispose of the total, and we understand that it will also be for Harry's benefit."

"The monthly allowance is a generous figure, but I don't know if that and the rent money will be enough to support the three of us when the children start secondary school. I'd rather not use up what's been saved, but if I can find a part-time job we'd get by."

"When Harry turns eleven he will attend Hogwarts, and his tuition is prepaid. Plus if you file divorce papers you can ask for child support for Dudley, and your husband will have to foot half of his tuition bill."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely. Professor Dumbledore has used his influence to get the Ministry to enlist the cooperation of the Muggle social affairs system. They've filed a complaint against your husband for child abuse. No judge would give him custody."

"You're going to a lot of trouble."

"Harry is very important to us."

"In what way?" asked Petunia suspiciously.

"Harry's parents are heroes in our world, and Harry is well-known as well. He has the drawback that the people who murdered Lily and her husband might want to hurt him. That's partly why we want him to stay with you. The magic here is more powerful if you live in the house too, and we could protect Harry, your son and you better."

"And Vernon? I don't want to live with him anymore, but I don't want him to be hurt either."

"With no relation to Harry or you Vernon is irrelevant. They won't even know who he is. He'll be safer than you."

"And if I decide not to stay with Harry?"

"Then the magic I was telling you about won't work, but with no relation to Harry it wouldn't make sense for his enemies to track you, from that point of view you would be safer."

"In that case I wouldn't have access to Harry's pension, logically."

"Obviously not, but this is not blackmail. We would still help you keep the income from this house and your son's pension money. You could also live here, but your husband might find you."

"If I stay here with Harry he might find me too."

"Not really, as soon as the magical defenses are lifted no enemy of Harry's will be able to enter this house, and that prohibition includes him. I think he's earned it."

"What if someone attacks us?"

"If you can get to this house you will be safe at least until Harry turns 17, which is the age of majority in our world. Then the defenses would have to be replaced with others. In the worst case scenario we would help you escape. I have also proposed that you have an emergency device that can be activated to get you home instantly in case of danger, and that you have an owl so you can communicate with us when necessary. Do you have something against birds?"

Petunia made a disgusted face. "They're very dirty."

"Not the magical owls, they're well trained. You might get the occasional feather, but nothing more. Plus a contact person is going to move into this neighborhood to keep an eye out."

"And keep an eye on how I'm behaving with Harry."

"I think after what he's been through it's reasonable."

"I suppose so. Will you introduce me to this person?"

"You know her, she's your neighbor, Mrs. Figgs."

Petunia couldn't help a sarcastic laugh. "I always knew there was something odd about her."

"She's actually what we call a squib, daughter of wizards, but no magic. The opposite of what Lily was, witch but born of muggles."

"Well, I'll put up with her."

"So. Are you willing to leave your husband and stay with Harry?"

"Yes, I am."

"Good, I'll make the arrangements."

"And what about Vernon?"

"He's leaving this very afternoon. Give me a couple of hours and I'll be back. We'll take him on."

"You and me?"

"And Professor Dumbledore."

"All right." she said somewhat afraid.

"It'll be fine, he'll be out of your life forever."

"Not really, he'll always be Dudley's father."

"Do you want the boy to keep seeing him?"

"As soon as things calm down I think so, if he's reasonable. My son doesn't have to pay for my mistakes, and I should give him a chance to grow up having a father. Of course Harry will never see him again."

"It's your decision, but I recommend you have someone supervise the visits to make sure he doesn't hurt him or try to turn him against you."

"I think you're right about that. I'll talk to social services. They may have a solution. I have to think about it."