New chapter, I hope you like it! Please R&R

The Auror's were relentless in their questioning of Harry, asking probing questions to gauge the extent of the abuse and how long it had been going on for; Harry though shameful and reluctant told the truth, not sugar-coating any of it. Aurors Mather's and Orpington were deeply horrified at what they heard. They took down all the things said and made a note to examine the boot cupboard as well as the room that found Mr Potter in during their investigation.

They looked at the small boy on the bed, hunched over and gnawing his lip with pity in their eyes; no child should have to suffer the way he had. At the end of their questioning Mather's and Orpington looked at each other having a silent discussion and nodded; Mather's would rendezvous back with HQ so they could start questioning the Dursely's and corroborating Harry's story while Orpington would start combing the Muggle world for the people Harry mentioned could provide memories regarding his living situation.

Closing the door to Potter's room, they allowed Healer Magnus who had been stationed outside to go in and give Harry a dreamless sleep potion; he would need it. Orpington and Mather's leaned against the corridor walls heavily facing each other. They cast a silencing charm around them and began to converse.

"Merlin Maggie, can you imagine what that kid must have gone through?" questioned Orpington.

Mather's shook her head sadly, "how could we have let this happen to a magical child? Harry Potter saved us and while we're here celebrating, he gets placed with abusive muggles." After laughing bitterly for a few moments, Mather's brought her attention back to the conversation. "Has there been any developments in figuring out Potter's magical guardian?" she asked Orpington.

Orpington shook his head grimly, "no, those files have been placed under secrecy, however, Madam Bones is currently working on getting clearance. Since the article's release, the public's been in an outcry and is demanding justice; Fudge is feeling the pressure and doing all he can to speed up the process."

"If the Minister is involved, why is Madam Bones still fighting to get clearance?" Mather's asked, confused.

"The documents pertaining to the identity of Mr Potter's magical guardian is under the protection of the Wizengamot's magic and Fudge needs to wait for their next meeting for them to lift it. Under current protocol Fudge has no jurisdiction on calling an emergency meeting as it not a time of community crisis," Orpington explained.

Mather's twisted her lips in displeasure, muttering how a magical child was abused under muggle care, and not just any child, Harry Potter; how did this not count as a community crisis? Orpington agreed with her. Nudging her shoulder, Orpington gestured that they should get going before the day was over; they had a lot of ground to cover and the pressure to get this done quickly and thoroughly was immense.

"Harry!"

That was the only warning Harry had before his view was obscured by thick, curly, hair.

"Hermione," Harry sighed fondly, before gently pushing her off.

She ran her eyes over him hungrily, happy to see her friend healthy and alive. She gasped when she looked at his face.

"You don't have glasses anymore!" Hermione exclaimed.

Harry smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, they fixed my eyes, so I won't need them anymore. Do I look that different?"

Hermione nodded emphatically, but upon seeing Harry's downturned expression clarified, "But not in a bad way, just different. You can really see your eyes without the glasses getting in the way."

Harry grinned at her before looking over her shoulder to see Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Mrs Weasley standing hesitantly in the doorway. Seeing Harry looking over at them, Molly immediately rushed over and crushed the boy in a hug, whispering that she was sorry, and making sure he was okay.

Furrowing his brows Harry asked Mrs Weasley why she was sorry; she cast a look towards the other boys in the room who all wilted slightly beneath her glare before managing to meet his eyes.

"I-I was worried when you didn't answer any of my letters," answered Ron, self-consciously rubbing the back of his neck. "I wanted to check that you were okay and had convinced my brother's to help me steal Dad's car to come to get you, but Mum caught us before we could even get out the door."

Mrs Weasley started tearing up towards the end and when Ron had finished, threw her arms around Harry to give him another bone-crushing hug, saying that if she had known she would have come with them. Harry patted Mrs Weasley's back awkwardly, not knowing how to comfort someone; Ron caught his panicked look and with the help of his brother's extracted her grip from him.

"It's really good to see you mate," choked Ron, his eyes shining. He gave Harry a hard pat on his back, his hand lingering before he pulled it back. Before things could escalate more, Fred and George hopped on either side of Harry pulling him between them and started talking about how rubbish its been without him and how Oliver's been going mental without his seeker.

"You should have seen him, Harry, when we all heard about you being here McGonagall had to stop Wood from flying here on his broom. He wanted to start prepping you for some new strategies he had as soon as you woke up," Fred said.

"And you should see our new Defence professor," George continued. "Utterly barmy, he's that famous bloke mum fancies, Gilderoy Lockhart. Started going spare that everyone was more concerned about you missing than him being the new teacher. Even Snape looked like he might hex him."

As the stories continued, Harry laughed causing the others in the room to relax a bit. It soothed their frayed nerves and their treacherous thoughts of never being able to hear it again. He looked healthier than any of them had ever seen him, more meat on his bones and colour in his cheeks and they all kicked themselves for not having seen what was happening to Harry sooner. Looking at the small boy on the bed, they all promised themselves that nothing would take Harry away from them again. It was too close of a call.

When the article had been delivered by owl post on the third day of term, the hall had gone deathly silent. The pictures of Harry and the details regarding his wounds and how he had got them had thrown everyone off of their breakfast; even the teachers weren't able to put up a brave front. No one had expected that this was the reason the boy-who-lived was missing from class. The only ones slightly less affected were McGonagall and Snape because they had found the boy, but even they didn't know the full extent of his injuries; how he had managed to survive so long was anybody's guess.

After a few hours of talking and catching up Harry's friends had to return to Hogwarts, with Mrs Weasley promising another visit before the week was up and Harry was back at school with the rest of them. Each of them gave him a final hug and shuffled out, with Ginny lingering behind. She was fiddling nervously before bringing s small black book from the pocket of her robe.

"I wanted to give you this Harry," she nervously said, shoving it in his hands. "It's a diary I found before Hogwarts, but I wanted you to have it. It's really helped me, it's like having a friend in my pocket; I hope you like it."

Before he could thank her, Ginny gave him a quick hug before rushing out to meet the others. Placing the book next to his pile of get-well cards and mound of chocolate, that thanks to Ron was smaller than before, Harry smiled. He had people who cared about him.