Chapter 2: Muggle Laws
Hello, dear reader!
Here comes the second chapter of A Mother's Love. It's late and short so I'll probably post the third chapter very soon to make amends! A special thanks to those who took time to write a review, it motivates me to write on!
Enjoy your reading,
The Author
Previously: As Helen lightly kissed Harry goodnight, he whispered: "it was Uncle Vernon, Mummy…"
Helen walked back to her living room in a daze. That little boy she had met only a couple of hours prior had just called her "Mummy". It was the most frightening thing she had ever heard. On one hand, it proved just how much uncared for and unloved the child was. On the other hand, it made it clear that Helen was now very much bound to do everything possible to right the boy's situation.
It was now passed one in the morning and she felt so emotionally drained she could not think straight. What were you supposed to do when you were sheltering an abused boy you just picked up in the street? Helen could not remember having ever heard what was the protocol to follow. Well, it was a pretty unique situation she had stuck herself in, she had to admit. At loss for what to do, she switched on the television and turned it on the news channel. There was no sign of an emergency search for a missing child. After what she had discovered in the last two hours, Helen was not surprised that Harry's relatives had not contacted the police to search for him. Nonetheless, she was relieved. She was not in any danger of being accused of kidnapping. Yet, she added mentally.
She decided she could wait until the morning, then she would call Van Dyke, who if she remembered well had been promoted chief inspector of the Surrey Police a couple of years ago. He would know what to do, or so she hoped. She went to bed with this plan in head. Surprisingly, she managed to fall asleep despite all her newly acquired worries.
Helen woke at the sound of soft crying. A brief glance at her alarm-clock informed her it was not even five yet. There was no question as to where the crying came from. She got up and tip toed to the guest-room where she found Harry fidgeting in his sleep, mumbling and crying. She had to shook him a bit rougher than she would have like to wake him up. The boy cracked his green eyes open.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry I slept in, Aunt Petunia, I'll start breakfast right away", he spoke hurriedly while trying to get up.
"It's alright, Harry. You're not at your Aunt's anymore, remember? You had a nightmare, it's all."
As remembrance came back to the boy, Helen tucked him back in. She was a bit surprised when he reached for her arm.
"I… I'm sorry I woke you up", he whispered.
"It's fine, dearest. It's okay to have nightmares. Do you want to speak about it?", she asked softly, while sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Uncle Vernon is mad if I wake him or Aunt Petunia and Dudley."
"Do I look like your Uncle Vernon?", she teased. A small smile crept on the boy's face.
"No, Helen."
"You don't have to go by his rules while you're under my roof, then, understand?" The boy shook his head yes. "Actually", Helen continued, "you'll find your uncle's rules are wrong, so you don't have to follow them anywhere." This seemed to puzzle the boy but he finally murmured a quiet yes. "So, want to tell me about this nightmare, then?"
"It's always the same dream, it makes me sad and scared. I never remember it but it always ends with a flash of green light. It's a bit strange, don't you think?"
"It is, dear, but then dreams often are strange. One time I dreamt I went grocery shopping to supermarket in a rowboat because the city had been flooded, can you imagine that?"
A soft, childish laugh escaped from the boy's throat and Helen smiled indulgently. Harry looked at her with timid eyes and eventually dared to ask in a small voice: "can you stay with me? So I won't have another bad dream?"
Helen could tell this was quite a daring move for a boy used to be shouted at, or worse, for even waking people with his night terrors. She ruffled his messy hair: "Sure sweetie".
Helen woke up two hours later. Harry was still sleeping, curled in a ball against her. She smiled softly at the boy and decided to let him sleep. She went to the drawing-room and decided to start dealing with the mess she and Harry were in. The phone rang twice before a woman's sleepy voice responded.
"Good morning, Mrs Van Dyke, Helen Duval speaking. I'm sorry to bother you this early in the morning but it is a pressing matter. Could I talk to you husband?" The woman mumbled something about him being in the shower and waiting for a few minutes. Five minutes later a man picked up the phone.
"Helen, is something wrong?"
"Hello, sir, I'm fine, don't worry. But I do have a problem on my hands." Helen then proceeded to explain everything that had happened during the night. "We can't allow him to go back there, sir, he is obviously abused. He's covered in bruises and scars, he's afraid of any swift movement I make as if I was going to strike him! And he is so thin, I'm sure they don't feed him enough!"
"Alright, Helen, it's alarming but you should have gone to the police yesterday evening, not wait until the morning to call me."
"He was in such a bad shape, sir, I didn't think bringing him to the police station would help him feel well, and at first I hadn't realized it was that bad… You've got to help him! And me too! Sir, he called me "mummy" last night when I put him to bed, he's starving for affection and I feel responsible. Please!" Deep down, Helen knew Chief inspector Van Dyke would not let her down. He had helped her years ago, when she had been alone and traumatized herself. Even if they did not see each other often, even if neither of them would admit it, Van Dyke cared for her like he would for a niece or a goddaughter. He would not let her face that alone.
After a minute of silence, Van Dyke begrudgingly gave in: "Oh, fine! I'll have a word with my colleague from child services. Prepare yourself to get a visit in the afternoon. And for heaven's sake, Helen, stop playing on the tender string, it's not fair!" And with that, he hang up.
Next chapter: Enter the wizards!