Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Must we go over this again?

Summary: See previous chapters.

CHAPTER TWO

Natasja was visiting the Station with an update on how Harry was faring (Nightmares from which he woke screaming about his parents and green light, but they were happening with less and less frequency) when a rookie, Henry Irons, who had apparently been on bereavement leave entered for the start of his shift, grinning like a lunatic and clearly far too cheerful for an early Monday morning. Questioning by his mates revealed that something had happened to get some organization called the 'MLE' who occasionally worked with the police and armed forces in an uproar.

Apparently, the organization was about as popular as a hard-core Christian Missionary at a Pastafarian get-together, and the two departments got along about as well. The MLE also tended to have very condescending attitudes, so the general consensus was the hope that it got worse before it got better, as long as it didn't involve their station.

For the first few months, things were perfectly normal. The adoption papers had gone through quickly after no-one tried to show up and claim Harry after three months, though Natasja had decided to let him keep the surname 'Potter' until he was old enough to decide for himself if he wanted to change it.

There were a few strange incidents, where Harry managed to get hold of a bottle or toy that Natasja was sure had been placed well out of reach, but she simply put it down to Harry being fast and an excellent climber, as she certainly had been at that age, and installed child barriers and locks.

Otherwise, Harry was progressing well, with few ill effects from the trauma of that November night, and things were going well. One of the neighbours, Mrs Creevy, whose husband was the local milkman, had also just had a baby, and was perfectly willing to not only help Natasja muddle through being a new mother, but also babysit on occasion. Little Colin was as cute as a button, and it was nice to have someone who shared her outrage on Harry's situation (Natasja didn't know how the overly-chatty police secretary was still employed, but suspected that it was due to a lack of court-admissible proof), rather than looking for gossip.

There had been one fiasco shortly after Harry's official adoption by Natasja, when the boy was a year and a half, (going by the assumption that he had been about fifteen months when he was found wandering), causing Natasja to hope that this kind of frequent misfortune wasn't a portent of what Harry's life would be like. An old man, dressed as though he had become lost on his way to a Dungeons and Dragons convention, had appeared out of nowhere in the living room, with only a small pop to announce him. Natasja had grabbed Harry and hit the speed dial for the station as he tried to explain himself.

Unfortunately, the explanation had consisted of the old man introducing himself as being the Headmaster of some place called Hogwarts, and a bunch of obviously made-up titles, and insisting that she should let him take Harry away to his aunt's house, purely because it was for the 'Greater Good'. And because apparently there were 'blood wards' that would keep him safe there. Because they were related to his mother, and something about a sacrifice, which only made Natasja even more determined to keep Harry away from the loon.

Natasja had demanded to know which Asylum he had escaped from, but was ignored as irrelevant. Apparently, she should also do what he said without question, because he was Headmaster and Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore, and therefore knew best. Regardless of whose basic rights, well-being, or personal happiness got trampled in the process.

Natasja had never liked that vase, and felt perfectly justified in throwing it at his head, moments before the police barged in and tackled him.

Nothing came of it, however, as none of the mad-houses reported any escapees and the only records of a 'Dumbledore' was one Ariana Dumbledore, who had been the victim of a gang-assault in the late eighteen-hundreds. Things were only confused further when the very baffled psyche ward officials at the hospital reported that the old man somehow managed to escape from a heavily –guarded room without detection from either guard or online visual security. He had been there one moment – and then he wasn't.

Still, the old man was on record as having been charged, so they would know if he turned up again.

Henry, who had not been part of the police who had arrested the old lunatic, showed up for an informal visit a few days later, right as Natasja was trying to convince herself that Harry had not just made his toy stuffed aeroplane fly across the room with enough force to hit the ceiling fan. Trying to think up a plausible excuse was put on hold when Henry sat down to give her an explanation that made her head hurt more than the flying aeroplane had.

Henry was what was known as a 'Muggle-Born' wizard (which Natasja thought was stupid: either someone was magical, or they weren't, and there was no need to bring name-calling into it), and that no matter how crazy Dumbledore had sounded, he actually was the Headmaster of a place called Hogwarts, a school that Henry had attended, but not been happy at. There had apparently been no small amount of prejudice, due to some trouble brewing, headed by a 'Dark Wizard' who thought that anyone who couldn't trace their family through at least three generations of witches and wizards didn't deserve to live.

Being the only magical person in his family, Henry had not been looked upon as worthy, especially when he tended to outscore the 'Purebloods' who thought that family connections and ancestry were enough to get them through. Apparently, the teachers disagreed with that assumption, and the Purebloods took it out on those who dared to be better than them, whether in academics or just popularity.

As Henry was not a Gryffindor, protected and promoted by the Headmaster, or noteworthy enough for Professor Slughorn, his own Head of House, to take interest, Henry had stuck it out long enough to finish school, then decided that with the brewing trouble, the Muggle world could use him far more than a corrupt and bigoted Ministry would. He had left the Wizarding World, done a Fast-Track course to catch up on various aspects of Muggle education, and joined the police academy.

Well, that answered a few questions, but raised even more. "OK, I understand needing to remain a secret, and old people letting power go to their heads, but what does this have to do with Harry?"

Henry leaned back in his chair. "I talked to some old classmates, and it seems that Harry somehow brought down the Dark Lord." He caught her incredulous raised eyebrow. "I know, I had trouble with that too, especially since no-one seems to have a clear view of what actually happened. But, it's turned Harry here into a celebrity, and Dumbledore apparently wants him squirrelled away somewhere safe. The Hogwarts Gamekeeper can't keep his mouth shut, especially after a few drinks, and said that Lily Potter sacrificing herself for her son meant that he would only be safe where his mother's blood dwells."

Natasja had even more trouble with that. "Because of course Lily Potter was the only parent who died trying to save their child." That could be wondered about later, as something occurred to her. "I have a question: Just how closely related does Harry's 'mother's blood' need to be for this to work?"

Henry frowned. "No idea, it would depend on the type of ward and how strong you needed it to be. Wards are a more specialized area of study that I never went into. Why?"

That could be useful. "There's this thing called the Law of Inheritance. Essentially, one person has two children, and each of them has two children, and each of them has two children… after a few generations, you've got about a hundred people all related to each other. More, if you had more than two children, or multiple marriages. For example, within three generations, I have twenty-four people blood-related to me, not counting second-cousins and assorted partners. My grandfather had six brothers and sisters. A quick search of the maternal side of Harry's family tree could turn up plenty of options."

Henry looked distinctly cheered. "That would probably work. Be one in the Old Coot's eye, as well. Another Muggle-Born friend of mine went on to study genealogy, and has the hobby of digging up Muggles and Squibs in Pureblood family trees. I'll see if I can get hold of him."

Natasja smiled, re-filling the tea-cups. "I can't say I disagree, but you really don't like this Dumbledore person, do you?"

Henry shrugged. "A Headmaster who sits back and smiles while his students are bullied or abused, and doesn't intervene unless one of his favourites are involved. A Ministry who, with a few exceptions, are more interested in taking bribes and preserving the Status Quo than doing their jobs and upholding the law. I have old friends that I keep in contact with, but no, I don't like Dumbledore, or the Wizarding World."

The hunch paid off. Henry's friend had jumped at the chance to put a spoke in Dumbledore's wheel, and annoy the Purebloods in the process. Two weeks later, he got back to them with a very, very long list of Harry's maternal relatives, and the news that Lily Potter (nee Evans) and Natasja Rose shared a mutual Great-Great-Grandmother. Five degrees of separation, true, and a standing shared by at least a hundred others, but still maternal blood.

Whatever 'Blood Wards' protected Harry would be just fine, and he would grow up with people who loved him, rather than (probably) resented having him dropped on their doorstep without warning, like a bottle of sour milk.

Unfortunately, Dumbledore apparently didn't get the memo, as he tried again a week or so later, via a sallow-looking man who had apparently not been introduced to the concept of shampoo or basic manners while in someone else's home, and informed her that he was there to retrieve the 'Potter brat' on behalf of Dumbledore.

If the name Dumbledore hadn't been enough to turn her off, calling Harry the "Potter Brat", certainly would have. As if she was letting someone who clearly hated children within arms-reach of her new son! The wizard had come away with a broken wand, second degree burns and a concussion.

As the irate woman had pointed out to Henry, who had come to investigate (having called in another favour to set up some basic alert wards, along with the Blood Protection ones), and arrived just as Snape hit the floor, wizards might have wands, but Natasja had a cast iron skillet, and had been cooking breakfast at the time.

She did regret the waste of a good omelette (read: one that didn't look more like scrambled eggs than an omelette), but hoped that Dumbledore had the guts to show up himself next time, so she could belt him a good one, too. An old man taking this much interest in a child's life when they weren't even a doting Great-Grandparent couldn't be healthy.

Henry had asked if she was free to go out for lunch sometime.

Thankfully, that had been the end of it, after a letter from the MLE and a visit from one of their officials, whose arrival had been heralded by children shrieking about the bogey man (the school was having a field-trip), two days after the encounter with Snape.

After her initial thought that someone so badly scarred, with a missing leg and eye, should probably be retired on medical reasons, Natasja started to defend her actions, but was cut off when the official informed her that he had been told to investigate an unprovoked assault, but had come to the conclusion that it was the clearest-cut case of self-defence he had ever seen.

Given that he hadn't been there five minutes and Natasja had barely had the chance to open her mouth, much less present her side of things, it left the impression that she could have committed cold-blooded murder, and most of the MLE still would have called it self-defence. This impression was re-enforced when the official's trainee, a tall, dark-skinned man with a booming voice, muttered that it couldn't have happened to a more deserving individual.

Natasja decided that she would need to keep an eye on the magical world. Harry was clearly some kind of celebrity there, and as much as she wished that they would leave her alone, that clearly wasn't going to happen any time soon. Best to be prepared.

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A/N: Mkay, second chapter up. The first two chapters were just to set the background, and the next chapter will start going into Harry's early years.

My accounting TAFE course is keeping me busy, so updates might be a bit sporadic, but they will come. Promise.

If there is anything in particular you would like to see, or think should be included, please let me know.

I'm not begging for reviews, or holding the next chapter hostage, but I do appreciate feedback, even if it's just to tell me WHY a story sucks.

Saying a story sucks and I should never write again is a Flame. Telling me that reading it made you want to carve your own heart out with a blunt fork and use a time turner to get back the wasted minutes of your life, because my spelling and grammar are non-existent, I clearly need to go back and read the books again, but pay attention to the characters this time, and potentially pass high-school English before posting again, is harsh but constructive feedback.