Chapter 2.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
A polite British voice came through the phone speaker. "Hello Miss Jackson, my name is Thea Thornton. I'm calling from the London Child Protective Services. Are you the sister of Vernon Dursley?"
Sally's eyes widened as she heard what was said. Doubting that this would be a good place for what she is gathering is going to be a serious conversation, Sally quickly covered the phone.
She turned to the man sitting across from her. "I'm sorry but I have to take this, excuse me."
Sally got up from her seat rather quickly, the chair scraping on the floor as she stood. Scanning the restaurant for a private area and seeing none, she decided to go outside. Taking steps towards the door, Sally bumped into another person while answering the question.
"Yes, Vernon is my brother, may I ask what this is about?". She mouthed 'sorry' to the stranger and continued on outside.
The breeze ruffled her hair as she took hasty steps to achieve a semblance of privacy.
A prim voice came through the phone, "As I said I'm calling from the Surrey CPS office. I'm making this call as we couldn't get in touch with your sister Marjorie Dursley"
Sally paused for a moment. "Okay, I would have thought she would have answered if it concerned Vernon, they've always been close".
Ms. Thornton continued, "Your brother Vernon and his wife Petunia have been arrested".
She left out a breath at that, half laughing. That can't be right. They're idiotic but I didn't think they would actually break the law. But then again...
"Can I inquire what they were arrested for?"
The phone was quiet for a long moment. Then when Sally thought that the line went dead, the voice spoke again, slightly breaking. "It seems that they had custody of Petunia's nephew, whom they had been abusing since taking him in".
Sally managed to keep her voice steady as she processed what she had been told. "I'm guessing this is about the custody of my nephew then".
"Yes. We'd prefer if we could find a relative within England, but with the disappearance of your sister..."
"That's understandable." Sally started pacing back and forth in front of the restaurant window. This caused her date to give her concerned looks from inside.
"The trial for Mr & Mrs Dursley is to be held next Wednesday, but we are contacting you in regards to any interest in gaining custody of your nephew Dudley Dursley." Ms. Thornton stops there. In her experience people in these types of situations needed to have some time to take it all in.
"Just give me a moment" was all Sally could muster to say. She was almost hyperventilating at the news. Her fingers were tapping quickly against her thigh, betraying how much this had thrown her. Sally walked a few steps so she was out of the view through the window, she did not want her date to see this.
She held the phone away from her ear, and put her hand flat against the brick wall. Leaning her weight against it, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"So let me get this straight, my brother and his wife abused their nephew and are most likely going to jail. My nephew Dudley is in need of a home and you can't reach Marge."
"Yes, Miss Jackson that is correct" was the reply. Sally thought for a moment, before she remembered that there were two children.
"What about the other child?"
"As his parents have passed and with this situation, he will most likely be put into foster care until he can be adopted out or turns 18." When Mrs Thornton's voice suddenly became confused "unless we can contact his case worker, a man called Mr Dumbledore?"
Sally was suddenly filled with an unexplainable bout of anger upon hearing that name, even though she had never heard it before. She stood straighter, no longer needing the support the wall gave her.
Filled with a new sense of determination that had her asking before her brain could catch up with what she had said, "What if I took both?"
-I'mGonnaBeThePirateKing-
Sally found herself once more slumping against the wall with a few things on her mind. I just adopted 2 teenagers, I'm going to need a bigger house… and more food… oh gods more money. No, you know what I need? Alcohol. I NEED ALCOHOL!
Sally took a deep breath and left the support of the wall to stand on her own wobbly feet. Once she felt stable enough, she calmly walked back into the restaurant.
After managing to reach the table where Paul was sitting, she slumped down onto her chair and reached across the table past the empty wine glass, picked up the wine bottle from the ice bucket and proceeded to chug the remaining half of wine. She slowly put the bottle back on the table and looked Paul in the eye and abruptly said "I've just adopted two british teens"
He looked at her like she was joking and took a sip of the remaining wine that was in his class. It was also the only wine left from the six hundred dollar bottle. She stared directly into his eyes.
"I just adopted two teens and I have another at home. So I'm giving you the chance to end this now."
He uttered a small "what?"
"The chance to go and not be apart of this crazy fucking mess of thing I call life. So…" Sally's voice trailed off.
Paul swallowed the rest of the wine in his glass. He stared into Sally's brown eyes and proceeded to put his hand up to hail the waiter.
"A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY, PLEASE"
The waiter took notice of the urgency in his voice and got the order. Upon receiving the whiskey, he poured four shots worth into his water cup and gulped it down.
Hair messed a bit he looked back at Sally
"I've always wanted a big family, not sure if you're meant to bring it up on the first date though"
-BAKUSQUAD-
"What time do you call this, mother?" was heard from the blue armchair which sat in the darkness of the apartment corner. The light above flickered on to reveal a teenager with messy black hair and green eyes. He stared at his mother who stood with her hand against the door to keep her balance as she kicked off her pink high heels, a dopey love sick smile upon her face.
The smile slowly turned to dread then to the serious 'we need to talk' face. "Percy, we need to talk" was all Sally said as she started to cross the room towards the lounge.
"I may have lied when I told you I had no other family" was all she said as she sat on the chair across from Percy.
"What?" Percy froze in shock, looking at his mother in disbelief.
"I have two half siblings, my father had a family over in britain and met my mother while he was in the states on a work trip" Sally continued while looking at her hands, which were pulling at a loose thread on her dress.
"Oh...okay" was all Percy could muster. A few seconds later a glint of mischievousness appeared in his eye and his body relaxed, "don't tell me the blowfish guy you went out with was you half brother, 'cos if so I can get sweet home alabama playing right now", he started to get his phone out of his pocket.
"NO!" Sally looked up immediately. She stared straight into Percy's eyes to convey her seriousness. Percy just thought her face was one for the history books.
"Paul is not my half sibling. But I did get a phone call this evening that my older brother Vernon was arrested along with his wife" which now that Sally thought about it, it doesn't surprise her from what she remembered about their father.
"Geez, what did he do? Throw a can on the sidewalk?" Perscy asked, sarcastically of course.
"He was arrested for child abuse" the slight bit of amusment bled from Percy's face as he momentarially froze again.
The "Okay..." that was his reply, was breathy and left Percy staring, mouth wide open at his mother. He was half expecting his mother to call 'April fools', despite it not being April. He certainly didn't expect this when she came home tonight. Not one bit.
Sally's face softened a bit before continuing, "they couldn't get a hold of Marge, my half sister" But it wasn't that that had him falling out of his chair and falling to the ground clinging to it as if he was hanging from a cliff. No it was what his mother said next that was the killing blow of the night.
"I've agreed to take in Vernon and Petunia's son Dudley as well as Petunia's nephew Harry" . It was quiet for a moment, then Percy's voice boomed across the apartment.
"MAMA, DID WHAT?!"
"I've booked a flight for tomorrow morning and I'm going to Britain to get them" was all Sally said as she got to her feet and headed to her room to pack, leaving Percy sitting on the floor with his eyes wide and mind running wild with questions.
-I-AM-SIMPLY-ONE-HELL-OF-A-BUTLER-
When Percy finally rebooted, he began to pace up and down the hall, brain running a mile a minute. What are they going to be like, why did mom have to be so nice, would this be like boarding school? Would I need to establish dominance…?
This was all he could think as the ground rushed up to meet him. With a groan, Percy slowly pushed himself up off the ground and looked around him only to see his skateboard innocently sitting in the door of his room.
He could hear his mother rustling around in her room, quietly muttering "where is it?" He slowly approached the doorway to his mothers room to see a half packed suitcase on the bed and his mother was looking through her shoeboxes. The box she was currently looking through was labelled important documents, in a plastic sheet holder was her birth certificate.
"BINGO" Percy stumbled back as his mother sat back on her knees quickly with a passport clutched in her hand.
Wait, the reboot of Percy's mind was fully completed as he started to connect the dots of Britain and a passport, "Mom, I can't go to Britain. I get on a plane and Zeus will kill me, with a bolt of lightning."
"But you're not getting on a plane Percy, I am, you're staying here" Sally said as she stood to put the box back in the cupboard.
"Now I should be back in a couple of days, I'm going to leave some money for you"
"Ok"
Sally clapped her hands once before saying, "Alright, let's get some sleep I've got an early flight tomorrow"
I-AM-CIEL- PHANTOMHIVE
Alright final check. Passport, birth certificate, luggage, I've got the ticket on my phone Sally mentally checked as she heard the creak of the floorboards. She looked up to see Percy standing in the hall, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"You heading-", Percy yawned, "off?"
"Yeah, I'll see you in the next couple of days" Sally pulled Percy into a hug. After she pulled back, she went to pick up her bags.
"I've asked Hermes if he could make your travel safe and easy, so hopefully it's smooth sailing there and back". Sally smiled while walking closer to the door to set her bags down. "Thanks sweety, now remember DON'T touch any kitchen appliances"
Percy groaned, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm not going to burn the kitchen down… again"
"Tell that to the firemen" her witty reply was followed by a chime from her phone. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and looked at the notifications, "Taxis here"
"Alright, I'll help you with your bags". They walked down the stairs with Percy, being the gentleman that his mother raised him to be, taking her suitcase to the boot of the taxi when he saw it. Sally opened the backseat and stood there going through her mental checklist again and checking her pockets to make sure. She found that she didn't have her passport. Sally was about to say something before Percy wordlessly handed it to her. He gave her one last hug before he ushered her into the car, not wanting the driver to get impatient.
The car pulled away from the curb and went into the oncoming traffic. Percy waved at the car until he could not see it anymore.
-PLUS-ULTRA-
Sally sighed looking at her watch and then outside. She was not even close to the airport. Might as well do something productive. So for the rest of the trip Sally booked accommodation for when she arrived across the pond.
After arriving and checking in her luggage, she headed to the boarding area.
About an hour later Sally heard on the intercom that her flight was boarding. She navigated her way through the airport and after she boarded, squished her way to her seat. The plane started the engines, and took off into the air.
Sally, nervous as hell, decided that she'd get some rest. It's a long trip after all. At that she relaxed into her seat and dozed off.
Finally, after a stop to switch planes, the rest of that flight and a taxi ride she finally arrived at the hotel for the evening. She thanked the gods for beds becuase jet lag does exist and it is the fucking shittest thing to ever have existed and she's counting spiders as well. Those things are terrifying.
As she drifted off to sleep she could only think, I really hope I don't screw this up.
-DEKUSQAUD-
The next morning, Sally headed to the CPS office. The taxi she was in jolted to a stop, bringing Sally out of her thoughts. She payed the taxi driver the fare and got out. Her feet stopped on the curb, not letting her walk any further despite her brain saying she had to.
Sally let out a breath to try to slow down her heart, that was pounding in her chest.
Why did I agree to this? I can't take care of two teenagers, I can barely handle the one I've got!
Her head turned away from the office as her eyes darted from the building in front of her, to the taxi behind her.
How am I gonna afford three teenagers?
Her thoughts were cut off by the taxi driver saying "hey love, are you going to shut the door?"
Sally quickly apologised and turned to shut the door. Once it was closed, she stepped toward the building before her. The fresh morning air travelled into her lungs as she took a deep breath. I can do this. I won't fail.
She gathered her courage and stood up straighter. I can do this. She strided towards the glass doors, purposefully and filled with a confidence that was not present a moment ago. Walking through the doors, her confidence faded a bit. The office was filled with loud sounds that were such a contrast to the quiet outside. The air was completely different, more heavy yet a hint of something else that she could not quite decipher.
Various people walked past her, unconcerned with her presence. Sally's steps were slower than her previous ones as she took her time to look around. As she took in the room, she noticed the front desk and walked straight to it.
Stopping before the receptionist, she waited for acknowledgement. A minute passed before she cleared her throat. The receptionist jumped slightly before looking at her.
"Hello Miss, what can I help you with today?"
"Yes Hi. I'm here to see Thea Thornton"
The receptionist tapped on her computer for a second before saying "Miss...?"
Sally was silent for a second before she realised she had not given her name. "Jackson. Sally Jackson"
The receptionist smiled warmly. "Please take a seat in the waiting room and Ms. Thornton will be with you in a minute"
Sally smiled, though not as brightly, and made her way over to the waiting area. After sitting down, she looked down at her fingers that were picking at her nails. A nervous tick that her mother always said she had to get rid of. The clock ticked away. She got more nervous as time went by, which to her felt like hours instead of the ten minutes that it was. She crossed her legs, then uncrossed them just as quickly. Sally ran her fingers through her dark hair as she heard her name being called across the room.
She shot to her feet. A middle aged woman stood on the other side of the room in a pencil skirt and a polka dot blouse.
"That's me"
When she reached the other side the women reached out for a handshake that Sally quickly took.
"I'm Thea Thornton, Dudley and Harry's case worker"
Thea led Sally through the building to go to her office. The grey walls slowly turned into more lively colours, to create a more welcoming environment to kids. Thea stopped in front of the window and waited for Sally to take a few steps to get to where she is.
Thea slowly points to the teenage boys in the room, "That's Harry and that one there, is Dudley"
Sally took a moment to look at both boys. They were sitting at a round table on opposite ends. Two cans of lemonade sit on the table with two small bags of chips. Dudley was bigger than she expected of a boy his age but then again she remembered what her brother looked like, so she's not really that surprised. What does surprise her is that Harry is quite small. As in he's fucking tiny. What were they feeding him? Water and a piece of bread everyday?
Sally thought back to why she was here. They were arrested for child abuse. Harry's stature makes sense then.
Thea suddenly spoke, scaring Sally out of her contemplative state "Let's go to my office, we can discuss everything there"
-Hey-Bitches-and- Bros- and -Non-Binary -Hoes-
The office was like any other, grey with three chairs, a desk and a large bunch of stuff that probably had no use anymore and a lot of files. "So what exactly happened?"
Sally sat down on the visitors chair while Thea sat on the one in behind the desk. The chairs were kind of uncomfortable but what can you do?
Thea's face remained stoic while she replied. "As I said on the phone, your brother and his wife were arrested. There was a call from a concerned neighbour, a Mrs. Arabella Figg, about them abusing a boy in their care"
Sally leaned forward in her chair. "It was mostly toward Harry wasn't it?"
Thea looked like she was going to sigh sadly for a second before she regained her professional mask. She crossed her legs behind her desk and looked towards the concerned women in front of her.
"As far as we know, yes"
The air of the office got heavy and the soon to be mother of three ran her hand through her hair. Her eyes closed for a second so she could process that piece of information. She had had an inkling but now that she knew for sure… she could not fathom anyone doing that to a child, much less one that she raised, her face paled at the thought.
"So we can transfer custody of Dudley straight over to you seeing as you're the only relative that responded and we have been able to get a hold of." Thea paused, wondering how this would go over with the other women, before she continued. "But Harry's case is a bit different"
The curly haired woman stopped and sat up straighter in her seat, the visitor's one obviously. "How so?"
"His last living relative was Petunia and considering you don't have any relation to him, are you absolutely sure that you want to take him"
Sally slowly replied, "Yes I'm sure...why?"
Thea pulled what Sally thought was a random file from the pile. How'd she know which one it was in all that?
Thea opened the file, it was not exactly thick but not thin either. Just what exactly happened that the file is that big?
"Well it says here a miss… sorry a mister Dumbledore is supposed to become Harry's guardian if anything happened. It also says here that he placed him with your sister in law and brother but…" Thea trailed off. She looked very confused, her eyes scanning the file again and then a third time to make sure she was not losing her mind like she thought she was.
"But what?" Sally questioned the woman behind the desk..
Thea started slowly, "I'm going to sound crazy but it wasn't there before I called you and I had the file in front of me the whole time…"
Sally looks dumbly for a moment before she has her nineteenth 'oh yeah' moment. Right, magic exists. How did I forget? Her last thought was sarcastic, obviously. Her next thought was why is magic involved? Is one of them related to the gods?
Thea sat up in her chair and shook her head. "There's also no contact infomation for him. Sorry one second"
The social worker turned her body slightly so she faced her computer. She typed in the name 'Albus Dumbledore'. There were no records of such a person in the system. So how could he place Harry anywhere?
Thea opened her email and typed a quick one, marking it as 'extremely urgent' and sent it off.
"I'm sorry about this Ms Jackson. We'll continue on this but I need confirmation of something before we go further. At least regarding Harry. Let's speak about Dudley"
It was 15 minutes before Thea got an email back. Quick for something like this. She excused herself from the room for a second to look at the response.
'Thea, no person exists under that name'
The social worker was startled, this case was confusing on various levels.
She went back into the room. "Everything with Harry will go forward just fine."
Sally let out a small breath of relief. Nodding, she replied, "Ok then, is there anything I should know?"
When the social worker spoke again she was more confident than before."Yes. The abuse was mostly centred toward Harry and it seems that Dudley has picked it up and used it as a way to not endure what Harry had. A shield of sorts."
"Oh" was all Sally could think to say. She ran her hand through her hair again and contemplated how that is going to affect everything. Maybe I won't put them in the same room. Percy will be fine with sharing right?
The woman sitting at the desk sighs, "You may want to look out for that. Maybe separate them or have a conversation with Dudley about it."
Sally sounded worried when she spoke next, "Yeah."
The room went quiet for a moment. Thea was going through the case files in front of her, silently filling things out and checking questions and such off the list as she was required to do. Sally was quiet for exactly three reasons. One, she was thinking about where she was going to fit the two teenagers she was taking in. Two, the flight times for a plane to New York. Three, the tabby cat outside the window. It was just right there, all up on the windows surface. She swears it was looking her in the eyes. It was both amusing and slightly frightening. It was then that Thea asked another question.
"Have you got the appropriate rooms for them? Also I see that you have a son, Mr Percy Jackson?"
Sally dipped her head in acknowledgment and agreement."I do, he should be around the same age, Percy is 15"
Thea let out a slight laugh at the curly haired woman's predicament. "Well it seems that you'll have three fifteen year olds Miss Jackson"
"Three teenagers, this is going to be.. a lot" Sally let out a breath at the revelation. I'm gonna have my work cut out for me. I mean how hard can three teenage boys be- you know what scrap that thought. It's going to be hell. I think I might prefer being with ha- also nevermind. Nope, I do not want that.
Thea moved forward in her chair, and said with concern in her voice,"Do you have any doubts you can handle it? We have other options for the boys-"
"No," Sally interrupted. "No, I can do it. I was just thinking about all the potential trouble three teenage boys could get into"
Thea made an 'ahha' face before continuing, "I'm sorry. It seems that you're going to have your hands full." She lent back in her chair and crossed her legs at her knees. She could now see that the woman across from her was freaking out slightly. Thea tried to reign in her amusement but she could not fully do it. A small smile found its way onto her face before she schooled it into a more professional mask. The freak out made for a lighter air instead of the heavy one that settled around them.
"Yeah" Sally was lost in her thoughts. I'm not freaking out. I'm not worried. I can do this. It's not like I will have to pull them apart… will I? Oh gods, I'm going to have to pull them apart aren't I? I'm not strong enough for that. Physically I'm made of plastic! Wait, I'll have Percy do it. But I can't get Percy to do it, I'm the parent. You know what, I'll throw water on them. Yep. That's it. Okay, one problem solved.
Thea looked at Sally, and saw the slight panic in her eyes. She softly said "Miss Jackson, there is support for these situations. For both you and the boys."
The social worker's voice broke Sally out of her thoughts. It was a moment later that she processed the words that were said. The relief in her eyes was obvious, Sally let out a breath.
"Thank you" Well look at that, the relief was in her voice too.
"I'll be working with the New York office as well. There will be check-ins with all of you. And you can call either of us anytime." Sally smiled and took the offered card.
Thea gripped the sides of her seat and said "Well it's time you meet them don't you think?"
Sally merely stood up with Thea following seconds behind. She leads Sally out the door to where Dudley and Harry are. Sally is anxious for the meeting that she's been waiting for since she got the phone call yesterday.
The walk from the office was not long but it felt quicker than the speed of light to Sally. You'd think that something like this, something that would change her life for a while if not forever, wouldn't be this quick. The walls and rooms all looked the same until Thea came to a stop. I'm definitely not prepared. The room was the same as all the others except for two glaring differences, the teenage boys sitting at either end of a table. The chubby one was trying to steal the skinny boys chips and willing to cross the bubble of space each boy had to get it.
Sally's breath started to become quicker and shorter, her hands shaking slightly. The fear of what is about to happen grabbing hold of her. She starts to shake her head side to side slightly. Her feet move of their own accord, backing away one step, two steps, three until suddenly Sally is twenty feet from the room where her nephew and his cousin resided.
The only sounds she can hear is her heart pounding in her ears and the thoughts tumbling in her head. What if I can't do this? What if they don't like me? What if I don't like them? What if I mess them up more than they are? How am I going to handle all that's happened to them? Am I going to throw up when I hear something or when they confide in me? How's Percy going to handle essentially being a brother? Are Dudley and Harry going to handle that well? What if they don't get along? How am I going to afford raising three teenagers? Can I afford raising them all? What if they get taken away because I can't? What's going to happen to them then? Oh gods, I can't do this. I can't do this, I can't do this.
Sally's thoughts kept thrashing around in her head, both logical and illogical. She stood there with a blank stare and no way to stop what's going on in her head. To Sally it felt like an eternity had passed before she registered a presence in front of her.
It was not a familiar one but one that was warm beside her. The brunette just stood there with unseeing eyes and a person. There was a voice beside her, it was incomprehensible to Sally but it grounded her and slowly but surely it got clearer. "G… ou…high… and gott…cake it was every… walls and everything. At least half of it… table so I got to have some… mess… it was so hard to clean up but he looked so proud to have gotten it. So I let it go but he didn't have cake for ages after that." After this story another took its place, this one about a boy and his friends playing dodgeball in a supermarket. As it turns out, watermelons make for good shields.
This went on until Sally stopped shaking and her breathing became more relaxed. The brunette looked at the women talking. Black hair and eyes so green that Sally feels like the entire forest is staring back at her. She's taller than the brunette but only just and she gives off the feeling of having lived a lot of life.
The talking stopped. Then there was an outstretched hand in front of her. When Sally registered the limb, she hesitated to take it. After all, who takes the hand of a stranger? The touch was light at first. Until the brunette took the green eyed woman's hand with a firm grip, the grip helping to keep her from falling into her declining thoughts.
There was nothing said, silence reigned free between them. There was only the solid presence of each other and the understanding that Sally can face this but until she's ready, they can sit there without the taller women judging her. After some time, Sally squeezed the other woman's hand once more and offered a small smile of thanks before slowly walking away.
At the room with two teenage boys in it, Thea stands at the door, watching this whole interaction with a feeling of warmth in her chest. When Sally got to the door, Thea only smiled and said "Are you ready?"
"No. But I'm going in anyway."
The handle of the door was pushed down and the door opened. Two sets of eyes looked at the women coming in, one a light blue of a clear lake and the other, a haunting green.
Sometimes, someone just being beside you is all you need to have the confidence to do what you got to do.
-Eraserhead-
Harry sat at the table with his cousin, contemplating how he had gotten there. This is literally a dream come true. I'm not going to be living with them anymore. But this… this wasn't like I thought. I assumed that I just wouldn't go back one day. I'd stay at Hogwarts or go with Sirius. Sirius! Am I going to live with him now? Wait, this is the muggle side. No matter how kind Sirius is to muggles, he's not comfortable in this world.
Harry was brought out of his thoughts by Dudley's loud chewing, and his hands frantically trying to grab the green eyed boy's bag of chips.
Sighing, Harry pushed his bag of chips towards Dudley. He wasn't hungry anyway.
"How can you eat so much at a time like this? Your parents were just arrested."
Dudley spoke around his chewing "I didn't get to have my midnight snack. Anyway it's not like we won't be back home before tomorrow. Mum and Dad didn't do anything wrong"
"You kno-" the squeak of the door opening interrupted Harry's reply. A lady stepped through, one that Harry hadn't seen before. Green eyes glanced to the side where his cousin was, a silent question in them. In response all he got was a shrug. Another woman came in, this one they were familiar with. After all, he'd remember the one that had taken them from their beds.
"Dudley, Harry, this is Sally. Vernon's sister."
Harry's eyes widened in disbelief. The person he saw in front of him was not fat and arrogant but slim with kind eyes and an aura of… something around her. It was shimmering, and small parts were splashing against each other like the ocean.
The black haired teenager blurted out a loud and rushed, "Are you sure you're related to the walrus?". Before slamming his mouth shut and quickly lowering his head and looking at the floor. His shoulders scrunched up, waiting for a hit that wouldn't come.
Sally let out a small laugh, "Yes, I'm sure". But Harry was mystified by her behaviour. She didn't yell. She didn't insult him… or his father, and she didn't hit him. With fingers digging into his palms, he thought, Of course she wouldn't do it infront of Miss Thornton.
Dudley on the other hand sat on the chair, his body half hanging off of it, staring at his newly discovered aunt with chips slowly disappearing into his mouth.
The brunette waved her hand with a nervous "Hi".
Thea started to step back towards the door, "I'm just gonna give you a moment". As she walked past Sally she whispered "I'll just be outside but I'll keep an eye on you guys. Just procedure".
After Thea got a nod of acknowledgement, she slipped out of the door. The door shut with a quiet click. The brunette lent slightly on each foot before she held her hand out gesturing to the empty chair between the teenagers, "May I?"
Harry was taken back at the question. No adult muggle had ever asked him something like that. Mrs Figg didn't count. No wizard has ever done that either, aside from Professor Lupin. Sirius did things like this without thinking. I just remind him of my father too much I guess.
An awkward silence fell upon the room, no one willing to start the conversation that needed to be started just yet.
"You're American" stated Dudley after processing her accent for a minute. He had only just placed it. After all, he had only heard Americans in movies before.
Sally shot him an amused smile, "Yes".
Now the next sentence out of Dudleys mouth was not what one would call exactly, nice. Well what could you expect when he's been raised by Petunia and Vernon Dursley.
"You can't be related to Dad, he would never be related to an obnoxious American". This was met with raised eyebrows and Sally's silent questioning of 'really?'. Harry, with his ever quiet nature with adults, is watching this with his eyes going back and forth between the others in the room like a tennis match. Upon hearing Dudley's last words, he was shaking his head slightly with his nails pressed into his palms hard enough to make them bleed slightly.
Dudley, or as his mother calls him, Dudders, sat there eating Harry's chips like he didn't just insult his elder and future caretaker. His arrogance in his assessment was not missed by either of the other occupants.
"Or, would he have never admitted being related to an american. There's a clear difference between the two."
The adult's response stunned the boys. "He would also never admit that our father had an affair, which resulted in me, and went back here. Not bothering with the pregnant woman he left."
"Oh", was the only thing that came out of a shocked Dudleys mouth. He could not see his father admitting that, or his aunt. The mere thought of his father admitting something this scandalous is unthinkable. The blue eyed boy suddenly had the image of his father sitting him down at the dining room table, putting a hand on his shoulder and saying "Dudders, your aunt is… American". Dudley shuddered and shook his head slightly to get rid of the image.
Harry being the only polite teenager in the room said "I'm, I'm sorry". The woman gave them a small smile, "It's ok, I came to terms with this a long time ago. I had a pretty good life with my parents."
At the boy's confused faces she elaborated. "My mother's husband. He was my father in all the ways that really count."
The smaller boy sat for a moment looking toward the wall with his eyes unfocused going over this in his head. I guess if he was there for her he does deserve the title. But if staying is something that gives the title of parent, does that mean that his parents aren't really his parents? That his aunt and uncle… were his parents?
Harry stopped there, terrified to go further down that train of thought. Determined to distract himself from… that, he changed the subject altogether. "Ms Sally, where do you live?"
The woman was taken back at the question, the change in topic startling her for a second. "I live in America, Manhattan to be specific"
"Where's that" Dudley asked with a confused look flicking onto his face. The smaller boy snickered in his head, his cousin's intelligence was always something that was entertaining in some way.
"New York. It's a city with a lot of people and amazing things. Whatever you want is usually there. You're gonna love it" said Sally excitedly.
Sally, eager to get to know her nephew and his cousin, decided it was her turn to ask some questions. After all, the boys seem comfortable enough to answer. "But I want to know more about you. Like your favourite colour and what you like at school?"
She was proven wrong when Harry just shrugged and started to trace an invisible pattern on the table. It would be a while before she would learn that they were runes for safety and protection.
The larger boy not giving a thought to Harry's behaviour proudly stated that he attended Smeltings Academy. "You probably won't have to worry about school, I'll be back with Mum and Dad before the term starts"
He shrugs nonchalantly and then dived his hand into Harry's bag of chips. Trying to get the last of the crumbs that he could see. He was just about to put them in his mouth when he heard his aunt say, "I'm sorry Dudley. Your parents aren't going to be around for a while. You're both coming back with me"
With a guarded look Harry looked up "Why are you taking me? We're not related"
Sally gaped at the question. She could not fathom that he did not understand that he was family to her, just as much as Dudley was. It was a few seconds before she could formulate an answer. Her next words were soft but they had a strength behind them. She wanted Harry to understand that she would not leave him in the foster system for something as unimportant as blood relation.
"I understand we aren't related, Harry. But I'm not going to leave you here when I have the room and the love to give." She paused for a second before, with a slightly pained voice, saying "But you are old enough to have a say in what happens to you now. If you don't want to live with me, I can help find you a safe place to land"
No one is this nice.
Noticing his hesitation the brunette continued. "I promise you will always have food in your stomach, always have a roof over your head, you will always have a place in my home, both of you. This goes even if you decide not to live with me."
Sally got no words of confirmation from the green eyed boy, but she did get a small nod and a small smile, a hesitant one but a smile nonetheless.
The room was quiet, the silence not awkward this time but thoughtful and full of certainties.
"Where will I sleep?" Harry's words were hushed, but loud enough in the silent room to be heard.
Sally smiled, this time a smile that while not full, reflected her joy at the question. It was after all confirmation that she will be taking the two new members of her family home.
"You, Harry and Percy will share a room. We'll get bunk beds if you guys like or we will figure something else out"
Harry looks toward her, making eye contact for the first time. "I won't have to sleep in the cupboard?"
Her smile fell, "No Harry" she said softly, "This is another promise, you will always have a bed in a bedroom."
The rest of the conversation went as expected. Harry constantly worried about this new adult being the same as his previous guardians, Sally explaining the finer details and in the back of her mind, worrying about the children that she has undertaken and Dudley, well Dudley was quiet and listened for the first time in his short life.
-Present Mic-
After the long meeting between the new family, Sally went to talk to Thea to get the necessary documents for both teenagers and of course their passports. The two teenagers were once again alone in the room. Today might be the only time in their lives that they had sat alone in a room together without insults being aimed at each other. Not that Dudley really understood the rare ones that Harry shot his way.
It was quite some time before a voice interrupted the silence. "So America?"
The blue eyed boy was uncharacteristically quieter than usual and lacking in his usual arrogance. Harry played with his fingers for a minute before looking up and replying, "Yeah".
Dudley was usually present in this conversation. He was serious and mature-like, which was jarring for the other occupant. His voice came out a bit breathless, "We're not going back to mum and dads are we?". Though he phrased it as a question, Dudley already knew the answer.
"No Dudley, we're not"
The room went quiet again, no sound other than then the cracking of the chip packets in Dudley's hand, the slight squeaking of the chairs and the quiet breathing of both tennagers.
While Harry and Dudley were having an actual conversation, Sally was in Thea's office and sat in front of the desk. Thea, sat on the other side, slid over two documents. The brunette moved to the edge of her chair and grabbed a pen off the desk. She looked at the documents that officially have her fostering Harry and Dudley.
Her pen moved across the page, signing her name under 'Foster Parent'.
"Congratulations Ms. Jackson. You're now the parent to three teenage boys."
As Sally walked out of the doors, she caught sight of the woman that stood with her. She had her arms around a child that could not be more than seven, with dark hair and even darker eyes. The mother and son broke the embrace after a few moments and a man in a light coloured suit took the boy's hand and led him away.
The woman stood in her spot, much like Sally had not too long ago, obviously trying valiantly not to cry and waved to the boy. Once the child was no longer in sight, her hand dropped and the tears that she held back were now falling silently down her face.
"Harry, Dudley can you stay here with Ms Thornton for a moment? I'll be right back." Dudley did not look up from the chip packet he held in his hand and said a distracted "Ok." Harry studied at her without making a sound, his eyes drifted slightly to the right, to look behind her. His gaze quickly made its way to the floor and stayed there while he nodded his head slightly.
Sally paused for a second at his behaviour, before a moment of realisation came upon her. The brunette closed her eyes for a brief second and took a small breath. She put this realisation on the backburner for five minutes, this was not something she could fix immediately with a few words. That would require a long conversation between herself and Harry. Thea gave Sally a nod with a small smile, indicating that they would be fine for a few minutes.
Sally walked over to the dark haired women that helped her not two hours before. To this woman, she will forever be grateful. How can she not be? She saw a stranger, having a breakdown and didn't decide it wasn't her problem. She stood with her in all the ways she could. My gratitude is the least I can give her.
The woman turned her head and saw who was approaching. The black haired woman smiled, not a full smile but one that was just as genuine. She turned her back to the approaching brunette to wipe all her tears away before turning back around.
As Sally stopped in front of the woman, she smiled sadly and reached out for the other woman's hand. It hung there, untaken, as the black haired women stared at it. But no matter how long it went on the hand always remained outstretched, ready for another to meet it.
A slightly bigger hand with small scars slowly slipped into the other. At first with a soft barely there grip. But after a few seconds, the grip was as tight as fitting into two sizes to small jeans. This went on for a few minutes, the black haired women taking comfort in the strength and warmth of the women with her. She looked at Sally with the corner of her mouth going up slightly in thanks.
"Kara."
"Sally"
The brunette took a piece of paper and pen out of her handbag. It was ripped and jagged, and was originally a part of a folded piece of paper but still usable. Sally wrote her email on it and gave it to the other woman. She squeezed Kara's hand again for a few seconds, smiled softly and went back to her two new charges.
-SK8-
Walking behind Dudley's newly discovered aunt, Harry thought about all that had happened. His aunt and uncle have been kicked out of his life legally. At least this way Dumbles has no authority to have it reversed. For that alone, Harry is elated. He's not going to be forced to go to the place that the headmaster calls Harry's home.
Petunia won't be able to force him to do her job as a housewife and stay-at-home mother. Vernon won't be there to call him a freak and insist that his parents were not worthy of living. That they didn't care about him.
It feels like the world is finally warming up, the sun is coming out… hopefully. I don't think that Miss Sal-Aunt Sally, is going to make me weed the garden or cook dinner or do the cleaning up… maybe she will. She's nice though, but Aunt Petunia pretended to be nice in public. She could be doing that and being just like Aunt Petunia. But… I, I really don't want her to be. Please don't let her be.
Dudley moves from Sally's left side to her right with Harry in the middle of them. His cousin is quiet and his face unreadable to him. Though that is not much of a surprise, Dudley never did pay much attention to Harry unless it was to copy his parents actions. The larger teenager glanced at his cousin as they stopped on the side of the road, his aunt calling for a taxi on her phone.
He softly said, "Harry?" His cousin turned to look at him, Harry not looking him in the eyes. But he decided that was just the way Harry has always been. "Do you think that we'll like America? We'll fit in there?"
Harry looked hopeful at the thought. After a few seconds Harry's face fell, I've never really fitted in anywhere. Aside from Hogwarts but even then…
At his cousin's face, Dudley looked away taking the expression as a no. The sky then became the thing that held the larger boy's gaze, it looked like it was going to rain, but it always did in England. Minutes pass with Dudley looking up and Harry looking down, "Well at least we'll be together right?"
Harry's shoulders slumped and he tucked his chin into himself. The green eyed boy said his next words without meaning them and whispered more with every word. "Right. Together is good." This seemed to satisfy Dudley. The larger boy put his attention elsewhere.
It was five minutes later that Sally hung up the phone, mumbling 'How would I Know which Queen street it was' and 'How it would be much easier if I just rented a car'.
Sally clapped her hands together once, "So boys, we're going to go to your house to get your things, and then head to the hotel I have booked." She paused to see if they were ok with the events. Once they figured out they needed to give affirmation they both nodded. "Once we're done, I'm going to book plane tickets and then off New York we go. Is there anything else you need to do before we go?"
The green eyed teenager immediately shook his head no, while the other boy thought for a moment. Should I say goodbye to my friends? Would… would they want to after what happened? As he became more unsure of his standing with those he called his friends, the more he doubted he should say goodbye. So he kept quiet and said "no" in the most confident voice he could, turns out he is good at acting because it came out almost exactly as he intended it too.
-HinataShouyouFromTheConcrete-
At the Dursleys home, well former home now, Harry was slowly packing his bag; he was quite thankful that the shrinking charm was assigned for homework, meaning that the ministry couldn't expel him for underage magic outside of school. Harry turned to walk out of his room to get his school trunk when out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a white speck, gliding on the horizon slowly getting bigger with every passing second.
Harry quickly moved to open the windows and waited as Hedwig flew through a minute later.
"Hey Hedwig," Harry greeted as the snowy owl flew to the perch within her cage.
"Hoot, hooot? (what's going on, why are we packing up?)".
As the human continued to pack he replied, "Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon got arrested and Dudley's Aunt is taking us both in".
"HOOOOT (Finally)". Harry left the room to get his school trunk from the stairs. Hedwig began to sharpen her claws while waiting in the room for him to return.
Upon re-entering the room, Harry looked towards Hedwig, who was being extremely quiet. The bird's head turned in a complete 360 angle, staring wide eyed at Harry.
Creeped out at the intense staring, Harry let out a high squeak saying "What?"
"Hoot, HOOOOT HoOt, # $# , #%$ Hoo- (Dudley's Aunt, as in crazy balloon lady with the rabid dog she named after a serial killer, you mean that MEGA FUCKEN BITCH, THE FEMALE VERSION OF VERNON AGREED TO TAKE YOU IN UNDER HER ROOF, -)". Hedwig went off. She yelled as loud as she could.
"Hedwig, you've got it-"
HOOOOT, HOOt, HOOOOOT (I WILL NOT BE LIVING IN THE DOG KENNELS WITH YOU, I HAVE STANDARDS)" She pulled at Harry's hair like a toddler having a tantrum.
"Will you please listen to me? it's not Aunt Marge!"
Harry attempted to claw out of his hair. Swatting at the owl attacking his head.
Drawn by the chaos Dudley stood in the doorway, mouth dropped to the floor as his head swivelled back and forth between human and owl. The ridiculousness of the situation shocked him in place.
"Hoot, hoot HOOT, Hoot (I WILL LEAVE, ABANDOND YOU TO THE MADDNESS THAT IS YOUR FAMILY, I'M SURE THERE WOULD BE A MILLIONS OF FUCKING WITCHES AND WIZARDS WILLLING TO ADOPT ME, MERLIN, THEY"D PROBARLY GIVE ME MY OWN REALITY SHOW)"
"HOOT, HOot (WHAT, it's not the MEGA BITCH. Huh?)". Hedwig slowly began to calm as she processed what the hell Harry was saying. She took her claws from his hair.
"HOOT HOOT (VERNON ONLY HAS ONE SISTER YOU DUMBASS, OR HAVE YOU FINALLY GONE MAD AND CREATED A PERSON TO TAKE AWAY YOUR TRAUMA)"
Harry stood there waiting for her to stop her ranting. He's dealt with her enough that he knows she won't listen at the moment.
"HOOTT HOOt HOOt (BESIDES THIS FRIENDSHIP ONLY HAS ROOM FOR ONE UNSTABLE MIND IN IT AND I HOLD THAT TITLE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO USURP ME JUST BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A WHOLE NEW BRAND OF CRAZY LIVING WITH THAT OVERGROWN RAT OF A WOMEN)"
"Well it's not gonna be an Aunt MARGE brand of crazy. Dudley has another aunt that lives in America, and she's… nice" Harry finally got through to Hedwig who just stared at him "So?"
He continued at her silence. "We're going to go live in New York with her. But we can't take an owl on the plane so you are going to have to fly through the regulated owl travel routes"
"HOOT HOOT (YOU WOULD HAVE ME TRAVEL AS A LOWLY MAIL OWL, THE AUDACITY YOU SKINNY BITCH)". Hedwig puffed her chest as though hit with an unforgivable insult.
Dudley quietly piped up as a tension formed between Harry and Hedwig. He rushed his words, "Aunt Sally's wondering if you're packed and ready to go", before turning and fleeing back down the stairs.
Harry stood in front of the Dursleys' former house while Dudley and Sally were still going through the other boy's things. He stared at the house that had been a part of his hell on earth. The memories shifted through his head. Harry closed his eyes for a few moments before he sighed and turned around. Looking down the street he spotted Miss Figg sitting on a curb watching him. She raised a frail arm to pat the empty bit of curb next to her, indicating for him to sit. Walking over, Harry sat on the curb next to her as she began to talk in a whispered voice.
"Harry", she shadely leaned forward, "If you are in need of the American wizarding travel papers or a muggle credit card linked to your vault, ask the goblins"
Harry shrugs."Okay, i'll write them when Hedwig gets back from wherever Hermione and Ron are, that should be today"
-HAIKYUU-
Sally had just finished helping Dudley put the last of his stuff into the rental car she had gotten to drive back to the airport. She was glad she had Dudley sort out what was broken and what to donate to charity shops. Still next to Harry's backpack and school trunk, it was still a lot even though it had been cut down to four bags.
Looking around she saw Harry had wandered off and was down the road sitting on a curb talking to an old lady. Sally looked at Dudley who was standing next to her "Who's that Harry's talking to?"
Dudley turned his head to follow his Aunt's line of sight. "That's Miss Figg, she would look after Harry whenever we had to go away."
The chubby teenager then turned back to putting his bags in the car. Sally sighed before saying, "Oh, I think I might go say hi."
Dudley answered without looking at her, too preoccupied manoeuvring his last bag to fit inside the car, "I'm sure Miss Figg will appreciate it."
Sally turned away from her nephew, and walked down the path that led to the house. As she got halfway, she started to hear Harry's voice and a female one, who she has been told is Mrs. Figg.
Once they became clear enough to hear what was being said, the brunette slowed her pace. Her feet slowly fell to a stop a few feet away. The voices of her other nephew and the older lady were clear as day, but what was said confused her. As what the fuck is a goblin and why was Harry asking one about something?
Mrs. Figg stopped talking when she saw that Sally was near. She lent back slightly and put a smile on her face.
Sally quickly copied the women in front of her. With a smile on the brunettes face she held her hand out to Mrs. Figg, "You must be Mrs. Figg"
The old lady took the offered hand, shaking it firmly. Well if it was more than firm, no one is going to punish her. She's only ensuring that this woman is good for Harry. She had already made a mistake with Harry's caretakers before, she will not make it again.
"That I am dear."
Sally was surprised by the tightness of the handshake, not believing that the older lady would be anything other than the classy lady. She does look the part with her moderately high heels, patterned pencil skirt and suit jacket, a lovely silk blouse and handkerchief peeking out of her sleeve.
The two women stared at each other for a minute. Both of them are gauging the other with their hands still connected. It was a few minutes later that they let go, still staring at each other with their smiles plastered on their faces. Harry sat on the curb nervously glancing back and forth between the two steel spined women.
Mrs. Figg's suddenly softened, her expression becoming genuine. She glanced at Harry for a moment before looking back at the new guardian to two teenage boys.
Her voice was soft when she spoke next and without the nicety pretence that was heard before. "You'll be good for Harry."
Sally stood there mouth slightly open before determination hardened her eyes. She gave a sharp nod, staring into the eyes of the women before her. Harry, looking up at the two women, relaxed slightly at this interaction and was filled with a little more confidence for the future, though with his life that wasn't much to begin with. She's not going to be like Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, she's not… I hope.
The still smiling Mrs. Figg looked at the boy that she had seen grow up. He will have a better future with this one. It's not a mistake this time, she will do well. Both of them will. Arabella stood at the curb for a few more moments before saying a soft goodbye and walking away in silence and surety that this decision was the best she had made in years.
