BLOOD OF THE MOTHER By BertaS Dec. 2005
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine.
Chapter 33 – Muggle Orphanages
The first muggle orphanage on Monday afternoon had been quite bright and the children all seemed happy, there had been four older children from three different families two Durmstrangers, a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin. They told Harry and Severus that the place seemed to be all right and that they would only be there during holidays anyhow. They had all been to see the goblins at the bank before they were brought here and had trust vaults set up to pay tuition and such, till they were of age. The managers were aware that their inheritances would pay for them to be in boarding schools most of the year.
There was only one wizard at the second orphanage. They had to remove the seven-year-old boy who the proprietor insisted was possessed by the devil. He had obviously just had his first instance of accidental magic and was frightened. They quickly had him with Madam Selma, who had praised him for his ability, saying that not all boys his age would be able to lift a whole bed. She had smiled as she told him that she would prefer that her beds not be thrown across the room, causing the boy to giggle.
The third facility, which they had been to this morning, was a disaster where the five children, three girls age seven, eight and nine and two boys age ten, had been completely terrified. When they saw Harry and Severus they had begged them to take them away from the muggles, they would do any thing to be away from these strange things they knew nothing about, and the children who teased them unmercifully, at least where the adults couldn't see, because they were so completely ignorant of the simplest things that muggles take for granted. A quick consultation with Molly and Annie had all of them, temporarily at the Burrow with the Weasley's.
The plan for the fourth place was to say that Harry was a distant relative of the two sisters in this orphanage, and that while to young to assume custody Harry wished to maintain contact.
Harry got a creepy feeling just looking Mr. Grey, the man that was leading them through grey halls, past a grey secretary and in to a grey office. He didn't see any children until they were seated and he glanced out the dirty window.
There were about thirty children, ranging from toddler sized to almost adult sized, in a play yard that shouldn't have had more than about a dozen. They were all wearing what looked like grey sweat suits. None of them were smiling.
Harry looked back at the man when he said, "Just what is it I can do for you gentlemen today?" his smile would have made even Voldy uncomfortable. This quickly changed to surprise and fear as he found he was unable to move or speak.
Sev growled, "Harry, My Liege, if you would please fetch the girls from that…" he gestured out the window, "miserable excuse for a play yard, I will deal with this." He looked back at the man who was starting to sweat profusely as he strained against the binding and silencing spells the Potions Master had placed on him.
Harry stared at the man and almost gagged as the images flashed across his consciousness. Breathing heavily and blinking several times he looked at Sev, "Find out where the evidence is. I can make a phone call to the police before we leave."
"Police, be damned! I plan to have a dementor here immediately upon your leaving with the girls." Severus snarled.
The acrid stench of urine filled the small office as the Grey man empted his bladder. Both Harry and Severus noticed but chose to ignore it.
"I don't like dementors, Severus, and you certainly will not be bringing one any where near those children." It was Harry's turn to gesture out the window. "Don't you think they've suffered enough? If you don't want the muggle police then summon the Aurors. Maybe they can shove him in with what's left of the Death Eaters. I'm sure, by now; they would love to have a new playmate. Give him to Mad-Eye, or make him into potions, but NO Dementors. Not here."
Severus bowed stiffly, "My apologies, my Liege, it will be as you wish." He drew his staff and mumbled something striking the floor three times. There was a small pulse of yellow light with each thump, it flowed in to the floor, and seemed cause it to ripple. This was followed shortly by two popping sounds.
After carefully taking in the scene, wrinkling her nose at the smell in the room, and deciding that there was no immediate threat, "Wotcher Harry?" Tonks hair matched her blue Auror robes perfectly.
Harry smiled grimly, "Hello Tonks. This is, Mr. Grey, he is headmaster here at this facility. I came by this morning to check on the little Brass girls. Do you know any Legimency?"
Tonks looked at her partner who was staring at the man seated behind the desk and shivering while turning a slightly greenish color. Severus who had been watching him since he recognized the two Aurors, suddenly, and in his most frightening classroom voice snapped, "Mr. Jones, do you never pay attention to your surroundings?"
Auror Jones jumped, "Aaahhhhh! Professor Snape?" He looked all around. "I… Um… I… I assume you called us for…" he waved his hand at Gray, but avoided looking at him. Instead he alternated looking between Harry and Sev. Harry thought the man would probably spew some time in the very near future.
Grey's eyes almost popped out of his skull as he stared at Snape and struggled even harder to break what ever it was holding him to his chair. Although he was somewhat grateful for the spell that was keeping him from gibbering like an idiot in his fear.
Harry spoke, "I assume that you saw enough to press charges?"
Jones nodded, "Definitely, he's a squib. It would appear that over half the kids here are also." He shuddered pulling himself back together. "Did you want to take the kids you were checking on today?"
"Yes, I would be most pleased if you shut this place down, move all the children to somewhere… less depressing." Harry swallowed hard and looked at Sev thinking, 'I knew things could have been worse than the Dursleys'. What he said out loud was, "I'll get the girls." as he walked out the door.
Jones said, "Tonks, why don't you go with him, he may need back up and they may be frightened of a male. I don't know if this slime ball has done anything to them yet or not."
She nodded and slipped out the door just in time to hear the secretary sneer, "Just where, do you think you're going, boy?" she saw Harry tense, he started to tremble and the windows began to rattle.
Tonks quickly stunned the woman and put her arms around Harry, pulling him close when he started then sobbed.
He buried his face in her shoulder and clung to her. "How could any one leave a baby here? I just don't understand."
"We'll find the answers, Harry, there have to be files around somewhere. Let's go see if we can fine those girls, you said their last name is Brass, is that right?" Harry nodded, "How old are they?"
Harry sniffed, wiping at his face with his hand. "Tillifinya is five and Lilianya is three. The pictures were badly taken but they looked like little pixies in them." He sniffed again trying to regain his control. "Don't suppose you could do a glamour for me, so I don't look like such a prat?" He managed a crooked smile at her.
"Oh I don't think that would be a good idea Harry, I never really use them." Her hair cycled thru several colors before settling back to the bright blue, causing him to let out a shaky laugh.
"Of course you don't, you don't need them." They came to a door marked with the symbol indicating a restroom. "I'll just nip in here and wash my face. I'll be right back."
Some time between Harry going into the restroom and coming back out Tonks transfigured her robes to a sharp muggle looking business suit. It was the same color as her robes had been. Harry thought it was pretty but was an odd look for her. He smirked when he realized that she hadn't changed her hair.
The courtyard was as grey as the rest of the place. One of the older children was stationed at the door evidently to keep the younger one's from running in and out she glared at them as they stepped outside.
Tonks immediately smiled and quietly said the words these children both feared and wished for, "Social Services, I need to see the Brass children."
One of the older girls stepped in front of some of the younger kids who she had been entertaining as they played with some sticks and leaves near the door. "They haven't done anything. They are just little kids." Harry looked closely at the girl who was close to his age. He could tell she was one to draw attention to herself in order to save others and she had frequently suffered for it.
One of the boys sneered, "Leave off, Mattie, let 'em have the brats."
Harry looked at the boy and several others reading them easily. If the cycle was not broken they would become like Grey, abusive and cruel.
He smiled at Mattie, "I'd like to take my little cousins home with me, if you don't mind?" a stray gust of wind tugged at his hair and her eyes widened.
She stepped forward gazing intently in to his eyes, "There are bad people here." She whispered and he caught a flash from her mind of some one in Death Eater robes and mask. She glanced around at some of the other kids, "you should leave as soon as you can." Her hand came up as if to touch him.
He took her hand in both of his, "It's alright, Mattie. Voldemort is dead, as are most of his people, and the rest are in Azkaban. Which is where I predict Grey will be very soon.
Tears streamed down her face as she smiled, and started to shake with relief. Suddenly one of the little boys, about four, shot forward and kicked Harry in the shin shouting, "You bad man, you make Mattie cry."
Harry was torn between gabbing at his shin, trying to comfort Mattie, or laugh hysterically. Mattie made the decision for him when she started giggling and scooped her small defender up to keep him from inflicting any more harm. He was still looking daggers at Harry, while she whispered in his ear.
An older boy, almost an adult, stepped up putting his arm around Mattie's back, "I don't know who you think you are, but you can't say stuff like that. I don't believe you."
Harry locked eyes with the boy who shook himself all over and growled, "Get the hell out of my head."
Harry withdrew surprised and said, "Well, I'm glad at least some one around here is aware of his surroundings." He smiled and was about to offer his hand when he discovered a small hand tugging on his jacket.
Both of the pixies from the pictures were looking up at him, "You is taking me an Lily home?" ask the larger of the two, while the little one held her arms up in the universal sign that says 'pick me up now'.
He leaned down to pick up Lily and said, "Yes, Tillifinya, I'm going to take you some place they will love and take care of you."
Her blue eyes blazed and her small fists where on her tiny hips in a heartbeat, "Mama only calls me Til'finya when I'm bad. Odderwize I'm Tillie."
Harry glanced at the little pixie in his arms; she stared back with huge solemn brown eyes and her thumb in her mouth. Smiling, he shifted her to be able to offer Tillie a hand. "I'll remember. And thank you for telling me."
While Harry was busy with the girls, Mattie was whispering quickly to the boy with his arm around her.
Harry looked up still smiling at Mattie and her two defenders. The older boy's eyes flicked to Harry's forehead before he smiled tentatively back and nodded.
Severus watched as Jones set a spell to record all that he found in the subjects mind, summoned a trash can and took several deep breaths before he locked his eyes back on Grey.
Severus' attention was diverted to the play yard when Harry stepped in to his view. He spoke with several older children. At one point a small child kicked Harry only to be picked up and cuddled by the person Harry was talking to. Sev smirked, what a truly Gryffindorish display of bravado on the little ones part. When Harry picked up one of the smallest children and took the hand of another he knew that he had found those he was looking for.
After about ten minutes of intense probing, Jones turned away and calmly emptied his stomach into the trashcan.
Severus had an eyebrow arched, as he leaned against the window frame. "Very efficient, although it would be a bit more impressive if you could refrain from adding to the stench in here." He waved his hand, banishing the contents of the trashcan as though it were a student's failed potion.
Jones grinned crookedly, "Thank you Professor. Any preference as to what to do with this vermin?" he walked around the desk and added his own official restraints then attached a pendant to the man's throat. He then stood ready to portkey him away.
Severus smirked, "My Liege and I differ on that," his smirk grew as he noticed the look of fear on Grey's face. "He suggested letting what ever is left of the Death Eaters play with him. I myself favor giving him to the Dementors. Unless," He frowned and shrugged, "never mind, I doubt that the Wizengamot would allow me harvest some… well, lets say rather difficult, legally, too come by ingredients." His smile was one that had Jones shivering, and Grey adding to the stink in the room as he soiled himself further.
Jones did his best to hide his revulsion unsure if the Potions Master was serious or not, he decided to play along, "Make me a list of what you might want and I'll be sure to put the request in for you."
Grey finally passed out from his efforts to free himself and his fear, not only of the Death Eaters, Dementors, Azkaban and Aurors but of a man whose reputation was legendary, even among squibs that had very little to do with wizards.
Tonks opened the door in time to hear Sev say while chuckling, "And people say I don't have a sense of humor."
Jones laughed nervously, glanced at Grey, and then looked at Tonks, "I'll take him to headquarters and start the paperwork. Anyone in particular you want to help you here?"
She shrugged, "Whoever can be spared, and someone from the muggle Child Services, preferably someone that is already aware."
The Secretary turned out to be very cooperative. At least after the difference between a wizards' prison and a muggle one, was explained to her.
A/N: I'm not sure I'm happy with this, but there it is. I want to thank my daughter for making up the names for the children.
Thanks for reading and reviewing. BertaS