Harry and petunia took the bus home with Ceeley.

"Missy Dursley, why do I have to come on the bus with you when I could be working?"

Petunia sighed as this was the third or forth time she'd asked, the lack of response from the other passengers gave her an idea, she reached up behind her hair and gently dislodged Nixie.

"Ceeley would you be able to look after Nixie for the rest of the trip."

"Ceeley would be happy to." While looking at her as though she was completely bonkers for trying to hand her nothing. A look that quickly changed to confusion when she felt something being put in her hands.

When that something scrambled up to her shoulder and climbed down her Tea Towel she made herself able to see magic. This worked for a moment as Nixie came back onto her shoulder and licked her face a tugging sensation in her eyes making her freeze as Nixie disappeared again. Hurriedly allowing herself to see magic again when she felt Nixie jump off her shoulder, she saw it running over to a chair with a wizard on it. Levitating it, she held out her hands to catch it when all it did is lick itself and fall back to the floor. Trying to levitate it a couple more times, Ceeley eventually gave up and started chasing Nixie around the bus to the laughter of the other travellers. One stop and a couple of minutes later, Ceeley finally caught Nixie before she realised that the laughter she could hear was directed at her.

"Ain't never seen a house-elf run around like that afore."

Absolutely mortified, she froze and made herself invisible. Nixie took this opportunity to struggle free of her grasp before licking her face and climbing down her back. Realising that she couldn't see Nixie anymore the chase was on again to the sound of passengers guffaws following her. It took another couple of attempts before she realised that she wouldn't be able remain invisible and look after Nixie at the same time.

Panting slightly, she returned to her Mistresses side. "I have Nixie mistress."

"Well done, if you let a little magic into your finger she'll happily suck on that. Though I'll have to remember that she seems to have enjoyed that." Indeed, Nixie was contentedly sitting in the almost animal's hands and sucking on one of it's fingers. She hadn't been able run like that for ages.

Eventually the journey finished and Petunia took Nixie back from Ceeley so that she could go invisible again. Ceeley wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she had a feeling that mortified would be it after having spent the entire bus ride visible to the passengers. She dearly hoped she wouldn't need to look after Nixie too often.

Once they got off the bus Petunia started talking to Ceeley to explain why she needed a house elf and why it was so important that she was able to be around in the non-magical world. Harry trailed behind them trying to control his rising anxiety at returning to a home that had no happy memories. He goggled and was brought up short when Petunia and Ceeley walked through the front door, which opened and closed on it's own as they approached.

He rang the doorbell.

Petunia heard the doorbell ring, "Oh blast, it happened again."

She went to let Harry in, "This is the sort of thing I was just talking about. I've got no control over when my magic does stuff yet, so until I learn control I need you with me to try and make it seem more normal so that I'm not a walking breech of the Statute of Secrecy."

"Ceeley understands, Mistress is very powerful."

Harry joins in with "I hadn't realised it was so bad for you, I don't think I've had anything like this happen yet."

"Master was a Mistress on the bus" Ceeley reminds him.

Harry looks sheepish, "Oh, I guess that's true. It is kinda the same thing isn't it."

"Ceeley thinks she is lucky that she had to learn to call magic and not how to hold it back, Ceeley would have broken many plates if it was the other way around."

The sound of the kettle boiling comes from the kitchen as Petunia takes a seat looking exhausted. She looks up as the teapot comes through and sits itself on the coffee table. "Erm, would anyone like a cup of tea?"

Ceeley looks at the teapot with an offended look on her face and quickly pops off and brings back a couple of cups.

"Ceeley, do you not want any?"

"It would not be proper mistress, Ceeley is a good elf."

"Ceeley, you are family, and I think you're going to have your work cut out making things like that look normal. As such you are to eat and drink with us, and you will need to learn muggle customs, damn they've got me using that word now, non-magical customs so that you have an excuse for being with us."

Ceeley's ears droop, "Ceeley understands, Ceeley has to be a bad elf to be a good elf and do what she's needed to do."

With that she conjures a house elf sized cup and sits dejectedly on the sofa.

Harry shuffles over next to her and gently pulls her into a hug, "We don't know much about house-elves, as I've only been going to Hogwarts for 2 months. But we do know people, and you're not just a house-elf you're also a person. I remember being taught about how servants used to be treated in primary school, Dudley still has the book we learnt it from in his room." He brushes the back of his head as something knocks against it, not noticing the amused expression on Petunias face.

"I'd like you to read it, and when you're finished we'll answer any questions you have. Will you stop that…!" he snaps the last bit turning his head to stare at the book he'd been talking about. With that Petunia titters quietly hiding her amusement by taking a sip of tea.

"Mum, why didn't you say anything."

"I thought you said that things like this weren't happening around you."

"Well they weren't."

"Ceeley is sorry, but Ceeley doesn't know how to read."

"Aunt Petunia, can we take Ceeley to see Karen, as she's a librarian so she must know how to teach people to read."

"Ceeley, can you make illusions?"

"Ceeley thinks so, but Ceeley has never tried."

"Well, once we've had a cup of tea and I've got changed, we'll go to the library and see if Karen would like to have some lunch."

Petunia walks up the stairs and freezes at the sight of her closed bedroom door. It was one thing to come up here every night when she had to, or afterwards when she knew that if she didn't then Vernon would take it out on Harry. He may have been a little shit then, no, he was never a little shit, she was just looking for a safe way to vent her frustrations. She took a step forward, and the door loomed in front of her menacingly. Her mind flashed back to the times that he'd dragged her in by her hair. She took another step forward and bloody handprints formed on the edge of the door frame, she flashed back to when she'd denied him shortly after she'd returned from the shelter and he'd beaten her until she couldn't resist him anymore and then carried her up to the bedroom. Another step forward and a demented laugh came from behind the door, and she heard the creak of bed springs, then heavy footsteps walked towards the door. She fell to her feet and fell into her fears while she cried.

Harry heard a thump from the landing and rushed up the stairs. At the top he saw his aunt kneeling on the landing crying in fear. A palpable aura of fear radiating from the blood stained bedroom door. He staggered back down the stairs.

"CEELEY! We need help!"

Ceeley popped in and collapsed at the top of the landing, "Ceeley can't, Ceeley sorry, Ceeley won't break one again, Ceeley is a good-elf."

Forcing himself forward, he grabbed Ceeley's arm and pulled her onto the stairs where he picked up her light form and staggered back down to the sitting room. Panicking he tried to think of where he could get help, Hermione was out as she knew as much as he did, but the hospital, there was help at the hospital. He staggered toward the front door, not noticing when it changed into the welcome witches desk.

A young boy appeared out of nowhere with no crack of apparition right in front of her, he was clearly distraught so she rushed around and held his shoulders.

"It's alright you're safe, you're safe."

"There's something at home, it's got mum and Ceeley, we need help."

Looking up at the duty Auror, she indicated with her head. With a look of understanding Auror Connie Hammer walked over pulling a calming draft out of her pouch and handing it to the welcome witch.

"Drink this, that's it, all of it."

Harry became aware of his surroundings as the calming draft affected his fear, forcing it away from his mind. A middle aged woman was crouched down beside him, and the welcome witch stood up to let the Auror work.

"It's ok, you're in St Mungo's, can you tell me what's going on?"

Harry explained.

"It sounds like a boggart."

Looking up at the welcome witch, "Would you be able to floo the office and get someone to take my place, I'm going to try to get him to take us back to where ever it is."

"Ok, where do you live?"

"Privet drive in Little Winging."

"Damn I've never been there. How did you get here?"

"I don't know, I was in the living room needing to get help, remembered the hospital and then here."

"OK, I want you to hug me tight, and then I want you to try and want to be at home as much as you needed to be here. As I can only help them if you can get me there, and if we take the bus they might be hurt." She hated to play on his fears, but if it was as urgent as it seemed he needed it, and the calming draft would be blunting everything except spikes of the worst fear, when she looked up from his face to check on the floo she saw a sofa.

"Well done, you did it. Look. Now where's your Aunt?"

"She's just up the stairs."

Walking up the stairs she felt the familiar fear that a Boggart produced, though far more powerful than the ones that she'd had to train with in to pass her exams. Peeking around the corner she took in the scene it was producing and retreated so that she could think of a scene that would counter it. This was always the important step and one that had been drilled into her, you can't help the victim if you charge in without a clear image, you just become another victim.

Getting an image she went upstairs as quickly as she should and with a shout she cast Riddikulus forcing as much magic out of her wand as she could. The bloodstained fingerprints turned to chocolate and the sound coming from the door was that of a child giggling. Petunia giggled and Connie laughed, and the creature retreated. Knowing it wasn't over until it was contained, Connie stepped around Petunia keeping the magic pouring from her wand she opened the door and forced the rest of the image on the boggart as it turned into a couple of children with a jar of chocolate giggling at her on the bed. With her free hand she dragged Petunia into the room to see and she started to laugh, a clear and pure laugh. With that it retreated under the bed, suddenly there were the sounds of a fight going on under the bed.

Exhausted, but not dangerously so, Connie lowered her wand and lowered herself to the floor and leant against the door.