CHAPTER THREE

A/N: I don't know the correct CPS service or if I'm breaking any rules by their procedures but I figure this is a good, generic view of what CPS does. Feel free to let me know in your review what I did wrong! Lol. Also, if you haven't guessed yet, I'm American, so I apologize for any of my ignorance of Britain that bleeds through!

Thank you so much for all of your favorites, follows and reviews! It makes me super happy that this story has been so well received. Enjoy!

Harry woke up to the familiar banging outside of his cupboard. He bit back a groan as he realized it was a Saturday. Most of his classmates were thrilled when the weekend came, but for him it just meant more chores. Today he knew he would be in the garden and cleaning the baseboards as he did every Saturday, and Aunt Petunia would give him the list of things he had to do by lunch and then the things he had to do if he wanted dinner. Luckily, his punishment for the pants and jumping incident was over and he was eating normally again. Well, normal for him. He rolled over, taking a moment to look at the small white stick he had next to the lost chess pieces from Dudley's old chess set. It had the lollipop Mr. Cullen had given him before Harry had eaten it. He kept it as a reminder that not all adults were mean, and because it was one of the few sweets Harry had ever had.

Harry thought about that encounter again. Mr. Cullen looked like the type of guy in one of Aunt Petunia's soaps, and had even acted the part of a hero. He had chased the bullies away and bandaged Harry up and had been so nice! Harry often spent a lot of time daydreaming to stave off the boredom when he wasn't doing chores, and his latest dream was that Mr. Cullen would come rescue him from the Dursley's. Harry shook his head. That was over a week ago. Now wasn't the time for wishful thinking. Now was the time for chores.

He started with the gardening first, so that he wouldn't have to do it when it was really hot. He was in the backyard and so he didn't hear the knock that came from the front door. He didn't look up to see the man in the dark suit peer at him through the window, and he couldn't hear the small disapproving noise when a pretty lady in a professional blouse and pants opened his cupboard door. And no one, not even Arabella Figg who was watching the house nervously when she saw the strangers arrived, noticed the three figures hiding near his house. He did, however, hear Aunt Petunia's shrill, "Harry! Come in here, dear."

Harry stared blankly, his mind a jumble of confusion at his aunt's form of address. That was his name, which was strange enough, but why was she calling him a deer? However, she did call him inside and so he stood up, brushing off dirt, and headed towards the back door.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia?" He asked nervously, hovering by the back door.

"Well come in dear!" Aunt Petunia waved him inside.

"Um, Aunt Petunia, I'm still muddy from the gardening." He said hesitantly. He didn't want to get in trouble for backtalk, but that wouldn't be nearly as bad as tracking mud in the house. His aunt's smile became rather fixed as she said, "Don't worry, I'll clean it up later. We have guests!" Harry wondered what sort of alternate reality he had stepped into, and hesitantly entered the house. Seated at the kitchen table was a man and woman who seemed to be studying him thoroughly. He wasn't sure what they were looking for, but they didn't seem to like what they found. He shrunk in on himself.

The lady shared a glance with the man and then knelt down so they were eye to eye.

"Hello Harry. My name is Sarah Preston, but you can just call me Ms. Sarah. We're here to check up on you and make sure your life is going well." She said. Her voice was quiet and kind, and with her blonde hair and brown eyes, she reminded Harry a bit of Mr. Cullen. He relaxed slightly.

"This is my partner, Daniel Morrison. He's going to talk to your aunt for a bit." Ms. Sarah continued. "Do you think we could talk alone for a bit? Maybe in your room?" She suggested, glancing at Aunt Petunia.

His aunt swallowed nervously. "I don't think that's a good idea. He hasn't cleaned his room yet."

Ms. Sarah seemed to give her a knowing look. "That's alright. Boys will be boys, right? I'm sure I've seen worse." Harry didn't want this nice lady to see his cupboard. It was embarrassing that he had such a small room compared to everyone else's, which is why he had never told anyone. But Dudley was in his room playing video games and he'd yell at Harry if he went in there and then Uncle Vernon would yell at him when he got home.

"I'd prefer you not talk to him alone." Aunt Petunia said, her voice shaky.

"We can all talk in his room, if you'd prefer." Mr. Morrison suggested, his voice deep and smooth.

"I want you out of my house!" Aunt Petunia suddenly screeched, standing up. "I want you out, now!"

"M'am please - " Ms. Sarah began, but Aunt Petunia was on a roll. "I want you out, right now! I never want you to come back, and I never want to hear about any of this again! Out, now!" Ms. Sarah and Mr. Morrison left quickly, glancing at Harry as they left.

Aunt Petunia stood there, breathing heavily for a moment, before she rounded on Harry. "Who did you talk to?!" She demanded.

"I-i don't know what you're - "

"You complained didn't you? You were being an ungrateful little…" Aunt Petunia took a deep breath. "Listen, boy, Vernon and I sacrifice a lot to have you under our roof. But obviously you don't understand that."

"Aunt Petunia - " Harry began to protest but Aunt Petunia cut him off. "Go to your room and do not come out until tomorrow." Harry stared at her in dismay. Even gardening was better than being locked in the cupboard all day. At least he got some fresh air! But his aunt was not relenting, and so he reluctantly went to his cupboard.

He punched his pillow angrily, and wiped a few tears from his face. Stupid people! He had just gotten out of one punishment and then they had to come and ruin everything! Now he was in trouble again and he'd probably get in worse trouble when Uncle Vernon got home! His stomach growled at him and he hugged himself. "It's not my fault." He whispered sadly to the lollipop stick on his shelf. It did not respond.

-A Chance Encounter-

Meanwhile, Alice, Edward and Jasper had been watching from afar. Carlisle had a shift at the hospital today, and the family agreed these three would be the best information collectors when Child Protection Services came to speak to the Dursley's. They were all disgusted by what they had found out, but remained still as the two employees left the house.

"That poor boy." The blonde woman sighed. "It looks like there isn't direct physical abuse, but we definitely have a case of neglect here, at the least." Her partner nodded.

"We'll have to get the police involved." Her partner stated. They were interrupted by the little lady who lives a few doors down.

"Hello! I saw you from my window. May I ask what you're doing?" She asked. Next to Jasper, Edward stiffened.

"What is it?" He hissed. Edward shook his head, staring intently at the scene. Irritated at the lack of information, he turned to his wife, but she was also intensely focused on what was happening, and so Jasper decided he just had to wait and see.

"That's not information we can share with you m'am." The woman said politely.

"Is it about Harry Potter? He comes over sometimes. If you have any questions, I could answer them." The lady offered. The two exchanged glances, and then nodded and followed the woman inside her home.

Jasper wasn't sure what happened, but he felt the shock and surprise radiate off of the two humans, and he heard both Alice and Edward hiss. Jasper tensed himself, ready for a fight if one of them launched themselves forward.

"Don't, Edward!" Alice suddenly said, her voice fearful. The fear in her voice only made Jasper more uneasy. What was she seeing from this old lady that caused her fear? The few minutes that passed by felt like an eternity, and then the two social workers came back out of the house. They seemed confused and headed towards their car while glancing around themselves a few times.

Edward stepped out of his hiding place, ignoring Jasper's hissed questions and hurried forward. Jasper stayed with Alice, his eyes flickering back and forth to try and identify the threat.

"Hello there," Edward said as he intercepted the pair. To an outside he would seem cool as a cucumber, but Jasper could see the underlying tension in his shoulders. "Do you know who Harry Potter is?" Jasper stared at his brother. What kind of question was that? Of course they did! They were just -

"No, never heard of him. Why?" The man responded. Jasper immediately tried to feel for a lie, but the man was totally calm. He still seemed confused, but he had confidence in the statement he had made.

"Just thought you might have seen him around. Thank you." Edward quickly left. The two workers looked at each other, shrugged, and got in there car and drove off.

"What the hell is going on?" Jasper demanded as soon as Edward got back, but Edward barely looked at him.

"Yes, we do." He said instead, probably to Alice. Jasper turned to his wife, the same question burning on his lips, but she shook her head.

"Not here. Home. We need to tell everyone." She insisted. Tell everyone what?! He thought, but one look at his wife told him he would get no answers here. He sighed and Alice leaned into his arms lovingly for just a moment before pulling away.

Jasper looked back at Privet Drive once more, and then followed his family back home.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! What do you think will happen next? Who do you want to see in this story? What do you want to see? Please let me know what you think!

-Hatakefire