A/N: Hey guys! Since there was a bit of a gap between Chapter 8 and Chapter 9, I decided to give you guys a pleasant surprise: a double update! Yup, here's Chapter 10!
Lemme just check with my lawyer here… nope! I still don't own any of the canon Harry Potter characters, spells, locations, or events; those still belong to J.K. Rowling. Let's see… my lawyer has also informed me that Yana Toboso still owns all of the canon Black Butler characters, events, places, objects, etc. Hmm…the challenge and its rules still belong to Reptilia28. Ok, so the only things I own are the OCs, this story, and any events, spells, objects, etc. that aren't in the canon for either Harry Potter or Black Butler.
Chapter 10-A Change of Address and Addressing the Almost Literal Elephant in the Room, by Fall Out Boy
The next morning, news of the escape had spread throughout the school. There were also rumors that Professor Lupin was leaving. This had Harry booking it down the hallway to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He can't be leaving! Professor Snape didn't tell anyone that he's a werewolf, so he can't be concerned about parents complaining like last time! When Harry opened the door to the classroom, he saw that Remus was indeed packing his belongings up. "Moony, where are you going?"
"I am taking a leave of absence, Harry," his pseudo-uncle explained. "After everything that has happened this year, I need time to collect my thoughts and figure out what I'm doing. Emily told me-."
"Told you what, Remy?"
The two men turned to see a smirking Emily in the doorway.
Smiling, Remus answered, "I was about to tell Harry that you told me what happened last night with Sirius." Turning back to Harry, Remus continued, "That was wonderful, Harry! You've given Sirius another chance at true freedom."
"I'm so glad that I could, but I never would have been able to without Hermione."
There was a pause in the conversation as there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Remus called.
The door opened to reveal Albus Dumbledore.
"Ah, Remus. How I'd hoped you'd reconsider."
"As I said, Professor: I need some time to collect my thoughts and figure some things out. I am not resigning, just taking a leave."
Dumbledore nodded in acceptance before turning to Harry. "I thought I might find you here. I'm sure you were looking forward to staying with Sirius. However, for the time being, you must return home to your aunt's."
"With all due respect, Professor, my aunt's house has never been my home!" Harry countered.
"And that's bollocks, Headmaster!" said Emily.
"I'm sorry? I'm afraid I don't understand you, Emily," said Dumbledore with a patient expression.
"Harry will absolutely NOT be returning to that bitch's torture chamber!" said Emily.
"Emily, he has no other choice right now," Dumbledore argued.
"Oh yes he has!" Emily retorted.
"And what would that be?"
"Harry will be coming to live with me instead!" Emily declared.
Harry felt a jolt of hope go through his heart. This has never happened before! Is this really possible? Am I truly going to be free of the Dursleys?
"On what grounds do you believe this to be a possibility?" questioned Dumbledore.
"Lily and James left a custody order in their will," Remus explained. "We were able to obtain copies from Gringott's because we were both listed in the order."
Dumbledore stared at them. "The Potters' will was supposed to be sealed until Harry came of age."
"Yes, on your orders," said Remus. "Luckily for everyone else, the goblins go by the laws of our world and disregarded your amendment to the will." To Harry, Remus said, "The goblin we spoke to, Ironclaw, said that he would not read the will in its entirety without you. Emily and I will take you to hear the will over the summer when you are ready."
"Thank you!" Harry said gratefully, enjoying yet another piece of pleasant surprise that had never occurred during his previous attempts at life.
"Lily and James listed me as a guardian for Harry should something happen to them," said Emily. "As such, Harry is under my care starting this very moment! So long as there is life in my body, Harry will never return to Petunia!"
It took every shred of self-control in Harry's body to not jump up and down whooping with joy at this declaration. Instead, he took a deep breath to compose himself and asked, "Professor Tarleton, do you really mean that? I can come live with you, and I don't have to go back to Aunt Petunia's?"
Emily smiled brightly at her new ward. "Every word of it, Harry! You'll never live in Petunia's house again!"
Harry couldn't remember ever smiling as big and bright as he did in that moment!
"Emily, I must ask you to reconsider. Petunia is Harry's blood relative, and as such, Harry is safer on Privet Drive," Dumbledore wheedled.
"Really now!" the feisty witch scoffed. "You seriously think that Harry is safer with Muggles who abuse him than with a witch that loves him and can protect him? I suppose you think that Harry is safe from Voldemort with Petunia-,"
"Because they both share Lily's blood," the man with three middle names interrupted.
"So what? So you supposedly keep him safe from Voldemort there, but what if you're wrong? I think you are."
"Does this have to do with what you told me after I faced Quirrell my first year?" Harry asked the old man. "You think I'm safe at Aunt Petunia's because she shares blood with my mother and you believe my mother's sacrificing of her life extends some sort of protection to Privet Drive?"
Smiling, Dumbledore answered, "Precisely, Harry. Your mother willingly sacrificed her life to save yours, and you and your aunt both share that same blood. Voldemort has no concept of love; therefore you are safe when physical forms of that blood are present."
"But that doesn't make sense, Professor," said Harry. "I attended a Muggle primary school until I started at Hogwarts, and Aunt Petunia certainly wasn't there with me. I also spent as much time away from her and out of her house as possible."
"Really, Headmaster!" Emily continued. "Lily Potter was certainly not the first mother to sacrifice herself for her child! You think that because Lily loved her son that it gives him special protection? Hell, if that were the case, nothing bad would happen to most people, because most people have mothers that love them! Which brings me back to my initial point? What if you're wrong, as it certainly looks like you are? Muggles don't stand a chance against Voldemort; he's murdered plenty of witches and wizards who could defend themselves. Muggles don't have magic to stop him! Also, what happens to your theory when Petunia or her whale of husband kills Harry while they're beating and torturing him?"
Harry shuddered at the witch's last point. She had no way of knowing that she'd been absolutely right about that, considering that his first two deaths were at the hands of his aunt and uncle. Why hadn't he ever considered that? I mean, my Hogwarts letter was addressed to Mr. H. Potter in the Cupboard Under the Stairs. That didn't alarm him?
"For Harry's safety, I must override your decision and-," Dumbledore started.
"I knew you'd try this, old man!" Emily cut him off, eyes narrowed in fury. "That's why I presented my copy of the custody order to Madame Bones and had his guardianship signed over to me, the legal way!" As she spoke, the ebony-haired woman pulled a roll of parchment from her robes, unfurling it so the Headmaster could see the Ministry document declaring Emily Tarleton as Harry Potter's legal guardian, with the Minister and DMLE Head's signatures on the bottom beside the Ministry of Magic's official seal.
Albus Dumbledore was left without any leverage. He had no authority over the Ministry, nor would he be able to convince Fudge to ignore the custody order, not when Amelia Bones, a known stickler for the rules, was involved. With a sigh, he said, "Very well, Professor. I hope, for Harry's sake, that you're making the right decision."
"Headmaster, she is following the wishes of Harry's parents," Remus intervened. "No matter what anyone else thinks, Lily and James have the final say on with whom Harry will reside. What has already happened to Harry while he was in Petunia's so-called care certainly shows that they made the best decision, with Harry's well-being and safety in mind."
"Aunt Petunia may be my mother's sister, but she never treated my mother's memory with any love or care, and she certainly never treated me with any either!" said Harry.
At a loss, Dumbledore turned to leave. "Very well. I shall send an owl to the Dursleys informing them of Harry's new living arrangements."
"No you won't," Emily countered. "I intend to let them know face-to-face when we arrive at King's Cross."
"I must advise you against this," said Dumbledore.
"And I must advise you that I don't give a rat's ass."
Dumbledore didn't offer a response to Emily's last comment, instead walking out of the classroom and shutting the door behind him.
"Why that conniving, long-nosed son of a bitch!" Emily growled as soon as the Headmaster was gone.
"Isn't it funny how just months ago that would've been her description of Severus?" Remus snarked with amusement as he placed a stack of books in his trunk.
Harry chuckled at the werewolf's comment. "She is right, though. I don't think he's used to people not blindly obeying him."
"No, but enough about him. You're all set to have a fantastic summer, Harry," said Remus with a smile.
"Yes, a summer that I do hope you'll be a part of," Harry replied.
"Wild hippogriffs couldn't keep me away," Remus reassured him.
"We'll leave you to it for now, Remus. You have my address, so I'll expect to at least have an owl or Floo chat with you within the next few days if you aren't able to stop by in that time," said Emily, embracing her old friend.
"Of course," Remus answered, returning the hug.
Harry was pleasantly surprised when Remus pulled him into a hug as well, and he relished being close to his "Uncle Moony" again.
"Have a safe train ride back, cub. I'll be in touch very shortly."
"You too, Moony," Harry returned with a grin.
"Harry, I'm sure you have some packing of your own to do, but I'd like for you to come with me for a few minutes, please. I owe you an explanation and I'd prefer for it to be in private," Emily requested as they left Remus's classroom and began down the hallway.
"Of course," Harry agreed as he followed Emily to what ended up being her own classroom. "I still can't believe this is real. You're really taking me in!"
"Yes," the witch answered with a smile. "Your mother and I were thick as thieves, the best of friends. I am glad for the opportunity to take care of her beloved son, just as she'd wished." Emily's expression turned more serious. "I owe you an apology, Harry, and I know that's not nearly enough. I should have been in your life a long time ago. I'm a half-blood, you know; my father was a wizard and my mother is a Muggle. My father hated Voldemort and everything he stood for. He fought against the Death Eaters and was later killed by Walden McNair."
"The man from the Ministry who was supposed to execute Buckbeak?!" Harry asked, shocked.
"One and the same," Emily confirmed. "My mother completely shut down. She was so devastated that she just couldn't handle it. She and my father married at the age of eighteen, and she grew to depend on him for almost everything, so she couldn't comprehend having to live without him now. I fled with her to Germany; I was all the family she had left, and Munich was a much safer place to be than London with everything that was going on. It took my mother years before she could begin to deal with losing my father and a long time after that for her to bear the thought of returning to Britain. I lost touch with your parents and our friends after a while of being in Munich, something that haunts me to this day. When my mother finally was capable and ready to return to England, I came looking for Lily and James right away. I was going to visit them and surprise them with the news that I was moving back to England. It didn't take me long to find out they'd been killed, and I was devastated! Then I went looking for Sirius, expecting to find you in his care, and was told that he was in Azkaban for betraying Lily and James. I knew that it couldn't be true; Sirius loathed the Dark Arts and he and James were practically brothers, so he would never have betrayed him. And you; my goodness, did Sirius love you, Harry! You were only about four months old when my mother and I left for Germany, but Sirius just doted on you like you were the most precious person in his life, treated you like you were his own son. Anyway, I sought out Professor McGonagall after that and asked her about you and your whereabouts because I knew you were old enough to be at Hogwarts, and when she told me you were with Petunia and her husband, I was furious. I thought that you'd surely be with Remus. Hell, Severus would have been a better guardian at that point than Petunia! I asked her who chose to place you there and why no one attempted to contact me, and she said she didn't know, but that she was not at all impressed with what she'd observed in your relatives before your placement there and that she'd tried to warn Professor Dumbledore about them."
"Professor Lupin and Professor Snape mentioned that Dumbledore had something to do with my placement there. I just don't understand why. And why wouldn't he clear Sirius?" Harry asked incredulously.
"I don't know. I don't understand it any better than you, I'm afraid," said Emily with a sigh. "While I was there, however, Professor Babbling stopped by to talk to Professor McGonagall about her desire to move to New Zealand but her conflicted feelings on not wanting to abandon her post without a replacement, which she couldn't find. I'd always been pretty good at Ancient Runes, and had almost completed my mastery when my father was murdered, so I decided then to offer my services to Bathsheda to be her replacement. She agreed to help me finish my mastery so I could take the job once my mother and I returned to England. We came back just in time, about a week before the start of term, actually. I knew that I had to be there, to get close to you and be a positive adult presence in your life, though I was terribly nervous about meeting you. I was very happily surprised to see Remus already at Hogwarts, but I was glad too, because then there'd be two of us there for you, you know." Then she did something that surprised Harry (though in retrospect, he decided he shouldn't have been as surprised as he was): Emily pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Harry. As a guardian, I failed you. I'm so sorry!"
Harry was startled to feel wetness on his shoulder. "Professor Tarleton- no, Emily,- don't cry. You're here now, and even though I don't know much about guardians, I know I'll be much happier living with you than I ever was with the Dursleys."
She sniffled and pulled away, smiling as she wiped her eyes. "I rather like you calling me Emily; it sounds more like family."
"Well, we are a family of sorts now," said Harry with a smile of his own.
"Oh, I'm so looking forward to getting home and letting you get settled in to a real home! I'm eager to get to know you better, too, Harry, and for Remus, Severus, and I to tell you more about your parents and your early childhood. But, for now, I'd best let you go back to Gryffindor Tower so you can finish packing and spend a little bit more time with your friends. Speaking of your friends, they are more than welcome to come to the house if you want, and you can certainly go visit them whenever you'd like!"
"Thank you, Emily! I've never been so excited for summer in my entire life."
When Harry returned to the Common Room, Hermione grabbed him into a bear hug.
"Where have you been?" she asked.
"I wanted to check on Remus, and I ended up getting the best news of my life," he told her with a grin. When he told Hermione about his new living arrangements, the curly-haired witch squealed and squeezed him again.
"Oh Harry, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"
"Yeah, living with Emily is going to be brilliant," Harry agreed. "It'll be nice to live with someone who cares about me, and I'll actually be able to see my friends during the summer."
"That'll be great!"
Soon enough, the two were dragging their trunks along to the Hogwarts Express with Ron and Neville. Emily and Remus were waiting at the train, as was Madame Bones.
"Mr. Potter, if I could have a moment alone with you, please. There are a few things I need to discuss with you before you head home with your new guardian," the DMLE Head explained.
"Certainly, Madame Bones," Harry answered. The Boy-Who-Lived followed the Ministry Officer to a bench further down from the crowd of excited students boarding the train where they'd be able to talk in peace.
"Mr. Potter, the first order of business is regarding your godfather. I don't really care what that idiot Fudge says, Sirius is indeed innocent and I will do everything in my power to prove it. First, we have to gather enough information to get rid of the Kiss on Sight order on his name, which can be accomplished by recording the memories of everyone present last night. What everyone saw and heard certainly shows that Sirius is innocent of all the charges against him, and therefore, the Kiss on Sight order can be lifted. You should expect to receive an owl from my office within the next several days so I can retrieve your memories of last night. Do be sure to keep Sirius informed as I give you information," said Amelia. She smiled at Harry's puzzled face. "Mr. Potter, Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban, something that everyone thought was impossible, and risked his life to come to Hogwarts after Pettigrew to protect you. I highly doubt that he'll abandon you now. As soon as he feels safe, he'll contact you. Oh, and you should also tell him to make sure that that hippogriff of Hagrid's isn't recognizable for the time being." When Harry gave her another stunned expression, she laughed and pulled Buckbeak's feather out of her pocket. "How else would he have been able to escape, and why else would Mr. McNair be unable to locate him, despite his best efforts?"
At the sound of the Death Eater's name, Harry frowned. "Are you aware that McNair is a Death Eater? He is the one who murdered Emily's father!"
"Oh, I know very well what Walden McNair is capable of, Mr. Potter. The problem is trying to prove that all of these scumbags who feign innocence and claim to be forced into He-Who- Must-Not-Be-Named's service are lying. It's nigh impossible to prove when the Imperius Curse has been used, and blackmail is so easily destroyed."
"I understand. Thank you, Madame Bones. I will be more than happy to do anything I can to help you clear Sirius's name!"
"Thank you, Mr. Potter. Now, the other order of business I have is regarding your previous guardians."
Harry paled. Where was she going with this?
"Mr. Potter, as I'm sure you already know, your parents had a custody order established which dictated who would take care of you if something happened to them. Obviously, their first choice was Sirius Black since he is your godfather. Others listed in the order were Emily Tarleton and Remus Lupin. What's important to note is that Petunia Dursley is not listed as a designated guardian in the custody order. In fact, your mother specifically stated in the order that you were NOT to placed in Petunia's care given their non-existent relationship at the time of your mother's death. So, the fact that you have spent almost your entire life in your aunt's care is unacceptable. Professor Tarleton also shared with me that you were abused by your aunt and her husband. I am so sorry, Mr. Potter! You should never have had to suffer what you have! I will also be investigating this travesty as well, and you'd better believe that no one culpable in this will be escaping unscathed!"
Harry, despite knowing that this was part of the woman's job, was touched by the genuine outrage he saw in her face at what he'd endured while living at Privet Drive. "Thank you, Madame Bones, for everything you're doing for me. I will never be able to tell you how much I appreciate it!"
"You're very welcome, Mr. Potter," said Amelia as they rose from the bench and began heading back towards the Hogwarts Express. "Well, let me not take any more of your time; you have a train to catch and friends who are waiting for you. I must ask that you not tell anyone about our conversation except for Professor Tarleton and Professor Lupin. Although, as I understand it, Miss Granger has your full confidence, so I think you'll be safe telling her."
Harry whipped his head around to ask how on Earth she knew that, but Amelia was gone. Shaking his head, Harry boarded the train and found the car containing Hermione, Ron, and Neville.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked curiously.
"Sorry, Ron; I'm not allowed to tell anyone yet," Harry apologized. "But here: I want to give you lot my new address so I can keep in touch with you over the summer!" The young wizard pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from out of his trunk and tore it into 6 pieces, writing Emily's address and phone number on three of them and giving them to his friends. On Hermione's slip, he wrote "I'll catch you up later" on the bottom before handing it to her. Then, he passed the other three papers and the quill to his friends so they could write their own addresses and, in Hermione's case, her phone number, down. Then, the friends enjoyed some minor chitchat and games of Exploding Snap while the Hogwarts Express took them closer to King's Cross Station. They were nearly there when Neville realized that Trevor had hopped off. Groaning in irritation, the boy trudged off in search of the toad. His friends were rising to help him when what appeared to be a flying cotton ball smashed into their compartment's window.
"What the devil?" Ron asked as Hermione opened the window and reached out, pulling a tiny owl inside.
I completely forgot about Pigwidgeon and Sirius's letter! Harry thought as he watched Hermione pull the letter off of the owl's leg.
"It's for you, Harry!" Hermione told him as she handed the envelope to him.
Harry grinned at the familiar sight of his godfather's handwriting, opening the envelope to reveal Sirius's letter and the signed Hogsmeade permission slip. As before, Ron was happy to receive Pigwidgeon and held the owl out to Crookshanks for approval. Neville returned a moment later flanked by Fred and George, who were teasing the boy good-naturedly about Trevor's chronic disappearing acts.
"Where'd the owl come from?" Neville asked curiously as he sat back down, arms clamped tightly around his toad.
"He just flew into the window, and he seems to have taken quite a liking to Ron," said Harry. Indeed, Pigwidgeon was currently perched on Ron's shoulder, though he was bouncing up and down excitedly.
The four friends, now joined by Fred and George, continued their games and chatting until the Hogwarts Express came to a stop at Platform 9 ¾. Upon disembarking from the train, Harry bid his friends good-bye (and received another bear hug from his unknowing soulmate) and went to find Emily. When he found her, his new guardian smiled warmly.
"Enjoy your ride?" she asked.
"Yeah. You?"
"Mmhmm!"
The two crossed the barrier back into the mundane world.
"Well, let's get this bit of unpleasantness out of the way," said Emily grimly as they began searching the crowd for the Dursleys.
With Vernon's size and even larger mouth, it didn't take too long. To Harry's surprise, Petunia and Dudley were also with him. Upon seeing his nephew, Vernon opened his mouth to jeer at him. However, he stopped short when he saw the woman with the fierce expression on her face standing beside Harry. After ascertaining that she must be a witch since she was wearing robes, he spat, "Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Emily Tarleton. I was Lily's best friend until her murder and am here to tell you that we recently came across the custody order that Lily and James had set up in their will. They had correctly assumed that you two would never make suitable guardians and did not have you listed. Unfortunately for Harry, the meddling old goat placed him in your 'care' anyway due to his own ideas. Now, as I AM on the list of guardians, I will be taking Harry to my home today to live with me, and he will never suffer at your hands ever again!"
"You dare accuse us of wrongdoing?" Petunia snarled.
The lid on Emily's temper vanished. "How dare I?! How dare YOU?! You should be so bloody ashamed of yourself, Petunia! You've abused your nephew for all of his life, and you've allowed the beached whale you married to beat him and starve him!"
"HOW DARE YOU SAY-" Vernon started.
"Oh shut up, Moby Dick! I'm not talking to you anyway!" Emily snapped.
****CUTAWAY TO GRIM REAPER DISPATCH, LONDON BRANCH****
"Woohoo! You go, girl! Get him!" Grelle and William were watching the events on a big screen TV, William with a satisfied smile at the beautiful justice being doled out and Grelle aggressively cheering Emily on in between bites of the popcorn he'd made to eat while enjoying his current entertainment. William was in such a good mood that he didn't even bother to correct the redheaded Reaper for his loud mouth.
****BACK TO KING'S CROSS STATION, LONDON, ENGLAND****
The furious witch had turned her attention back to her best friend's elder sister. "Your baby sister's child was left in your care, and you treated him like a plague-infected rat! Had the roles been reversed and you and the tub of lard had been the ones murdered by a psychotic serial killer, and your son been left in Lily's care, she and James would have raised him like he was their own son! They would have loved him, taken excellent care of him, and supported him! He would have grown up with a cousin his age to be like a brother, someone to play with and to be his friend! She would NEVER have abused Dudley the way you've abused Harry! There are more times than I'd care to remember that I found Lily lying across her bed in our dormitory sobbing her eyes out because she missed you so much and wanted to have the close relationship with you that she used to have! She often said that she wished you had magic as well so you could have attended Hogwarts as well. She said you wanted to go with her and blamed her for you being a Muggle!"
Petunia sputtered incoherently as the furious witch revealed a secret she'd never wanted her husband to know, but his close-minded stupidity came to her rescue. "Ha! My wife would never wish for such poppycock! I don't believe the words of a freak like you!"
Harry, reeling as he watched this exchange, hazarded a glance at his cousin. He was shocked to see that Dudley appeared to be deep in thought and not really reacting to the strange woman screaming at and insulting his parents.
"Excuse me," a man's voice interrupted.
Everyone turned to see a man and woman standing there with Hermione.
"I'm not sure what's going on here, but you're causing a scene," the man continued with a stern frown.
"Harry! Are you ok?" Hermione asked, approaching her best friend with a look of concern on her face.
"I'm ok, Hermione. Emily was trying to tell the Dursleys about my new living arrangements and, of course, an argument broke out. There's no such thing as a civil conversation with Uncle Vernon," Harry replied.
"You ungrateful little shit!" Vernon roared, making a fist and grabbing at Harry. In an instant, Vernon found Harry shielded by Hermione with Emily's wand jabbing into his throat and the man grabbing his arm.
"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you will NOT put your hands on that boy!" the man warned.
"You dare put your brute hands on him again?!" Emily hissed dangerously, pushing her wand further into Vernon's throat.
"Again?!" the woman asked in a horrified tone of voice.
"These are the most horrible people I've ever had the displeasure of knowing, Mum!" Hermione told the woman.
"You must be Hermione's parents," Harry addressed the man and woman. "Well, this certainly isn't the first impression I wanted to make on my best friend's family…"
"So this is the famous Harry Potter," said Mrs. Granger with a kind smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, though I do wish it was under better circumstances."
"Unhand my husband!" Petunia demanded of Mr. Granger.
"With all due respect, ma'am," said Mr. Granger, "your husband was about to strike a child, and not for the first time from the sounds of it. I won't let go of him until I know that the boy is safe from him!"
Hermione led Harry into the crowd to another part of the station where there were benches and a vending machine. Hermione put some money into the machine's slots and got 2 water bottles, one of which she handed to Harry.
"I'm sorry that I made such a dismal first impression on your parents, Hermione," Harry muttered.
"What're you talking about, Harry?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. "You didn't do anything to make them think badly of you!"
"No, but my uncle…"
"…has a mouth and a rage problem as big as his stomach," Hermione finished coolly.
The wizard chuckled at his best friend's description. "Yes, exactly!"
"My parents already like you, Harry. Don't think I haven't told them about all the times you've saved my life or been there for me when I needed you!"
"Honestly, I wouldn't last a few days without you, Hermione. You're always there to reel me in when I'm about to do something stupid or impulsive," Harry returned.
The young witch beamed and threw her arms around him. This was how Emily and the Grangers found the two teens: wrapped in a tight embrace on the bench.
"Sorry to break up the coziness here," said Mrs. Granger with a sly smile as the two blushed and separated.
Harry stood and stuck his hand out. "Sorry about my uncle. I'd like to formally greet you now that that's all over. My name is Harry Potter, Hermione's friend."
"Best friend," Hermione corrected with a smile as Mrs. Granger shook Harry's hand and said, "Hello, Harry. It's so nice to finally meet you! I'm Charlotte Granger, Hermione's mum."
Mr. Granger also shook his hand. "It's nice to finally have a face to go with the name we've seen so often in our daughter's letters. I'm Hermione's dad, Jacob Granger."
"I guess I should introduce myself, as well. I'm Emily Tarleton. I was Harry's mum's best friend and am now his guardian. I can't thank you enough for your help in handling that beached whale!"
Jacob chuckled. "My pleasure! I've never had the misfortune of meeting someone so unpleasant before, and I'm a dentist!"
"What ended up happening?" Harry asked the green-eyed witch.
"Well, the beluga kept that garbage disposal of a mouth running and running, and he was getting more upset because Jacob here wouldn't let go of him because he didn't want him lashing out at anyone else, and all that noise attracted the attention of a bobby, who came and escorted them out of the station," Emily explained.
Jacob frowned suddenly. "You do realize that, as medical care givers, Charlotte and I are required to report any signs or suspicions of abuse, right?"
"Yes, I know. However, I and some of Harry's father's friends are working on it. There is also our equivalent of a detective working on the case, and she certainly won't be letting them off! May I ask that you work with me on this, for Harry's sake? I would like to end this in one fell swoop so he doesn't have to keep going back into a court room because this is being dragged out, you know?"
"Of course!" Charlotte reassured. "We'll be more than happy to help!"
"Great! Thank you!"
"I would also like to thank you," said Harry. "I'm still getting used to people worrying about my well-being, and I really do appreciate it."
Hermione pulled him into another hug. "You don't have to do it all on your own anymore, Harry. We're here!"
Harry smiled at his best friend's answer. "What would I do without you?"
****GRIM REAPER DISPATCH, LONDON BRANCH****
"Now kiss!" Grelle yelled at the screen.
"Patience, Grelle," William chastised lightly. "They're off to a good start for a happy ending."