Disclaimer: I do not own HP & Co.

A/N: I hope to update at least 2x a wk. a little trouble, my home comp was stolen :( , haven't replaced it yet (thinking of a laptop), anyways, due to that, can't do much typing or posting from home.

BOLD print is excerpts from books HP reads.

Katydidnt, Black Padfoot. Connie Eresse: The name…Took me a while to come up w/ an appropriate name that I liked, decided on this one 'cause I wanted to post the story, another possibily were 'Missing & Adopted'. Moni, Pure Black, Anna Taure: Next chapter will be 'the decision' Lady Lily 3: ch 6 'the decision'; otherwise, nope, not right on ½. Makalani Astral: Thanks . I try to keep the chps at about 2000 words (w/o A/N's), at least. Phoenix 5: Hey, if all you ever wanted was a family & then found out that you might be able to have one, wouldn't you think about searching? that is what SB meant-he has no idea what HP might really do, but figured there is a possibility of it, of course he also could've meant that HP could search & realize that he HAS family (in HG, RW & fam & RL)…

Thanks Reviewers!!!!

Chapter 5 about adoption

Harry laid on the bed in his guest room at Hogwarts, thinking of the events of the day. So, Harry thought, he gets to choose. He's glad that they are giving him the opportunity to choose. It feels like they are beginning to treat him like an adult, taking his thoughts & opinions into consideration. Now he just had to make that choice. He pulled out a piece of parchment and started writing the pro's and con's of each scenario.

After about an hour of considering his options and creating a list that debate each decision, Harry put the parchment away. He could reflect more about this later tonight and tomorrow, but for now, he would do what he had wanted to do for days. He was Library bound. He figured there had to be some information there on Adoption & Charms, both on letter delivery and on appearances.

He pulled a few books on charms, one on occlumency, and the most recent one on adoption, published ten years earlier. He knew that if a student took a book out of the library the library records would magically update themselves to show the name of the book, the date taken & the person that removed it from the library. Since Harry knew he didn't want anyone to know that he was looking up information on adoption, he figured it was best to leave those books in the library and read them there. Sitting down at one of the tables in the corner, he brought out a quill and parchment so he can note anything of interest. He then opened the book on Adoption, "The Magic of Adoption" or ('Everything you wanted to know about Magical Adoption but was afraid to ask'), and started to read about adoption in the magical community:

WHO'S ELIGIBLE FOR ADOPTION?

Adoption in the magical community is rare, but not unheard of. Since wizards live longer than most muggles, many children are of legal age when a parent dies. Below is a list of situations where adoption is considered as a solution, as well as candidates most likely considered by the court as suitable parents.

Death of one or both parents
-usually immediate family member of the deceased
-family friend or the child's godparent(s)
-citizen of magical community in good standing

Child Abandonment
-citizen of magical community in good standing
-family is often difficult to track down, even with magical resources

Child in Abusive Household
-citizen of magical community in good standing
-usually unlikely that family member will be accepted as adoptive parents since the abuser could still have access to the child after the court's sentence has been carried out.

Over 95 of all magical adoptions are due to the death of one or both parents. If both parents die, then the child is then an orphan and custody is commonly given to either the godparent(s) or the guardian(s) named in the parents' will (this can occur without a formal adoption taking place). If the godparent or guardian is unable to take this responsibility, then the child will be made a ward of the ministry until an adoptive family is located and the adoption is finalized.

If only one parent dies, the remaining parent can relinquish custody of the child and voluntarily places him/her as a ward of the ministry. When a couple is bonded, one partner often follows the other into death within five years, the child is often relinquished to the care and custody of the ministry, to prevent the child from dealing with losing another parent within a short time frame. Another time a parent might relinquish custody is when the remaining parent is so grief-stricken over losing their partner that they feel that they cannot take care of a child (most common if the child is an infant).

Child Abandonment is rare in the magical community. This usually occurs when a child is either born outside of wedlock or born to an underage witch or wizard who does not have the resources to care for the child. The Department of Family Welfare in the Ministry of Magic had recently passed a law regarding a don't ask, don't tell policy for abandoned children left at Hospitals or Ministries. If someone finds themselves unable to care for a child, they just need to leave the child at a local (magical) hospital or ministry. The parent will face no charges for abandonment and no action will be taken by the ministry to locate the child's next of kin.

Child abuse (including neglect) is even rarer in wizarding families. This goes back to the feelings of pride one takes in their families (especially within pureblood families). Children, as the next generation of magic, are often viewed not just as a gift by their parents, but as a sacred gift, entrusted to their care. Due to this belief, wizarding laws are more severe in punishment than muggle laws when it comes to the infraction of this nature. Often after a case of child abuse has been revealed, it is likely that before ministry officials can step in, friends and family of the victim retaliate on his/her behalf in an effort to seek justice. Once the ministry has been informed of the situation, the child is removed from the home and placed in temporary custody until a trial is set. Due to the nature of the case, Veritaserum is administered to the parents/defendants. If the allegations of abuse are true, the child is then made a ward of the ministry and is eligible for adoption.

Harry stopped here for a moment, allowing himself to dream about what would happen to the Dursley's if they were part of the magical community and their treatment of him was revealed, before continuing to read.

YOU'RE ELIGIBLE FOR ADOPTION…Now what?

As mentioned in earlier chapters, adoption is a rare occurrence in the wizarding world, because of this, the Department of Family Welfare in the Ministry of Magic does not have the resources (time and people) to let it known to the general public that a child is available for adoption.

It is mentioned that most of the applicants are either family members, friends of the family, ministry employees or friends/family members of ministry employees. The reason for this is simple. When a child is eligible for adoption, the ministry does not publish that a child is available for adoption. Rather, the ministry relies on its employees and the child's family (if any is known) to help locate suitable parents for said child. Since most medical problems can be treated by healers, very few couples are unable to have children of their own. For that reason, we do not have a registry of potential parents waiting for the opportunity to adopt a child, like one would find in the muggle world. Most families would adopt a child if the need to do so is great (often in times of war or conflict, when many children are left without parents and homes), but overall, it is due to the dedication of the child's family & friends as well as the efforts of ministry employees that children are placed into loving, thriving homes.

The adoption process itself is simple and straight forward. The applicant (or in some cases, applicants) are interviewed on a number of subjects, including: home life, jobs & financial resources, siblings that adoptee might have as a result of the approved adoption, reasons for adoptions, etc (for complete list of sample interview questions see Appendix A). If the child is of eight years of age or older, than their thoughts and opinions are taken into consideration by the court.

The adoption process can be completed in hours, from the time the applicants express an interest in the child to the final signature on the parchment. Of course, if there are many applicants that petition the court for custody/adoption, then the process can be quite drawn out. There is one case I recall where a child's parents died and a long court battle was drawn out as over 15 relatives & members of the community petitioned to adopt the child. In another instance about five years ago, an infant of one was left with no immediate known relatives or suitable godparents when his parents where murdered. Due to the situation of the parent's death and the child's survival, many people were aware that this child was now an orphan. The ministry was flooded with requests to adopt this child. Why just to interview all those who wished to apply would have taken until the child started school. Luckily, a suitable relative was found and the child placed with his family.

Harry was just about to proceed to the next chapter, 'Adoption, How Charming', when he heard the door to the library open and footsteps headed in his direction. He quickly stashed the book on the shelf behind him, hidden underneath some other books and pulled out the book on occlumency he found, not realizing that it was upside down.

"There you are, Harry. I was wondering where you were, since you weren't in your room. Working on homework?"

"Oh, hi Moony. No, I was just reading a bit on Occlumency. I figured it would help me in my lessons on Monday."

"Feel like taking a break? I thought we might be able to get some dinner and talk."

"Er…sure" Harry answered hesitantly. "Just let me gather these books together and drop them off in my room."

Harry and Remus walked down the hallways to Harry's room. Once there, they decided to have dinner in Harry's room, instead of the Great Hall with the other professors. After eating the food that the house elf brought, they moved over to the sitting area.

"So, Harry, anything exciting happen while you were at the Dursley's?" Remus asked, shaking his head at his own lack of subtlety.

"Um, no not really. They pretty much left me alone after the greeting and warning they received at the train station." Remus smiled as he recalled the look on Vernon Dursley's face as he realized that the group of wizards he saw would be keeping an eye on Harry and checking up on him this summer. "I was actually getting bored. I probably got more homework completed than Hermione. I often caught myself wishing for something, anything to take my mind off of…" Harry's voice faded with those last few words as he recalled just what that 'something, anything' was that finally succeeded in keeping his mind off of the prophecy and Sirius. He wished he had thought before he spoke, he really didn't want to mention Sirius's letter or his adoption.

"I miss him, too" Remus said, attributing Harry's fading voice to thoughts about Sirius's death.

"Have you been to Grimmauld Place, since…" Harry asked, not quite ready to talk about Sirius's death.

"No, not yet. One of these days we will have to go to make sure that the order left nothing behind. If you ever decide you want to go there, whether to just get away from things here or to just remember Sirius, let me know. I'm sure no one will have a problem if we stop by there for a quick visit. I'm also sure no one would mind if there is something there that you would like as a keepsake."

"Thanks, Moony." Part of Harry felt like giving Moony a hug to thank him for the offer and for understanding, but another part of him was hesitant. He was not used to getting hugs, well, except from Hermione and Mrs. Weasly, which he usually received after he had been injured. He definitely wasn't use to initiating hugs. He thinks the one that he gave Moony at Privet Drive was the first one he ever initiated.

There was a moment of awkward silence, as neither knew how to proceed with the conversation. Remus, being the older of the two finally decided it was up to him to break it, this time with a happier topic.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't around much these last few years, but know that I do care about you. When you were little I often thought of all of us as a pack and you were the cub. I was so grateful that your parents weren't afraid to let me spend time with you. Many people wouldn't let a werewolf near their child, let alone trust a werewolf with him. At times it seemed like you had 3 fathers and 1 mother. All of us, well, perhaps not Lils, spoiled you."

"Tell me what else you remember," Harry pleaded. And so Remus told Harry of the times they were together. About how Sirius and Harry were so close, since Sirius was there at the beginning of Harry's life. About the first time when Sirius and Remus were left alone to babysit Harry, and what a disaster it had been, since neither were familiar with child care. About Harry's first Christmas and the toy wand Sirius had bought for him that doubled as a teether. Harry's first word 'magic', his first steps, and his first birthday.

Harry was overjoyed to hear about Moony's memories, even though he didn't remember them himself, he was glad that someone knew that he once belonged to a happy family. Yet part of him couldn't help but wonder what Remus would say if Harry ever told him about the adoption.

Remus was sitting in his room. He couldn't help but think about Harry. Something was definitely going on. Remus wondered what Harry was reading before he interrupted him in the library. It was obviously not that upside-down occlumency book. But what would he be reading and taking so many notes on if it wasn't homework? And what could it be that he felt that he needed to hide it? Most likely, the mystery subject that Harry had taken all those notes on was connected to Sirius's letter, Remus thought. More research would definitely be needed, Remus decided. Now to come up with a plan.

End Chapter 5

This is my first fanfic, so any feedback is appreciated.

HELP!

Still want feedback on how you think Harry (as well as Ron & Hermione, or other characters) should do on their O.W.L.S.?

reposted 11/29/2004; originally posted 9/29/04