Petunia laughs weakly "We have to stop meeting like this Auror Hammer."
"Call me Connie, after this I think titles are too formal."
"Call me Petunia then. I think I'll use the guest room from now on and rent that one out" she laughs humourlessly.
"I can do that. Now for the record, can you describe what happened?"
"Sure, would you like a cup of tea?"
"I could drink a cup."
"Ceeley?"
A shaky Ceeley pops in "Mistress called?"
"How are you doing?"
"Ceeley has been better."
"Would you be able to get Connie and I a cup of tea, then would I be able to hug you while I tell the Auror what happened?"
"Ceeley can do that, though it's not proper for you to hug Ceeley."
"But you're a member of our family and I want to hug a family member and Harry's a bit big at the moment." Ceeley pops off.
"You're treating your house-elf very well."
"I'm new to the wizarding world so I wouldn't know how a house-elf is normally treated."
"Fair enough."
Ceeley popped back in with a couple of cups of tea and reluctantly sat in Petunias lap.
"We'd got home and had a cup of tea, and I came up to get changed when realised that this was the first time I'd be going into that room without Vernon around. I then froze and psyched myself up to go in like I've done hundreds of time before and I noticed bloody handprints on the door frame…"
"And you say this is the first time you've been back here since I saw you in the hospital?"
Petunia nods
"I've never seen a Boggart form that quickly. That's what the creature was called."
"Mistress is a very pure witch, not take much of her magic to match a lot of wizards." Ceeley intrudes from where she's starting to feel comfortable despite what she felt was proper, she felt like it was in the sleeping spaces that they chose, safe and comfortable.
Half an hour later Petunia is feeling settled enough to start moving again, as she gets up Connie groans and gets up too, then staggers slightly.
"Whoa, I definitely used to much magic there, can I use your floo I don't think I'm safe to apparate."
"I'm afraid it's not been connected yet. Ceeley, do you think you'd be able to take a note to St Mungo's or get Connie there?"
"Ceeley can do that, Hammies just need to take Ceeley's hand."
Connie took the house-elf's hand and was apparated to St Mungo's, making a mental note to mention that they could do that to Amelia in private she informed her temporary replacement that she needed to go onto desk duty as she didn't want to risk magical exhaustion.
Petunia tottered into the room that Marge usually stayed in when she came round. If she wants to see Dudley in the future she can bloody well make space for him at her house. She started to empty the wardrobe of all Marge's stuff onto the bed, once she was done she moved onto the drawers. As she got back in Ceeley popped back in and started berating her about doing an elf's job. Startled she pulled the drawer all the way out.
"It's fine, this is the sort of thing I'm allowed to do. If you want to do something, would you be able to move my clothes out of that room into the wardrobe in here?" Ceeley popped off to do just that.
As she leant down to line up the drawer she saw a bulging envelope with Vernon's handwriting on the outside. The envelope itself contained £500 in £20 notes, and on the front in Vernon's neat handwriting was the heading HP payments, and a list of additions and withdrawals. He seems to have been getting £20/week since some time in 1983, and some of those withdrawals matched up with days out or big treats for Dudley. The last entry on the envelope was in July. Sitting back against the bed she called for Harry and started to cry.
Harry heard his Aunt call for him so he put the Woman's Weekly down that he'd been browsing while she was busy and went up to see her. Wordlessly she hands him an envelope. It takes him a few moments to realise just what it is, and then he screams. A scream of inarticulate rage. A scream for all of the times that Vernon said that he was a burden. A scream for every time he'd been told that he couldn't have something because they didn't have the money for it. He was vaguely aware of his magic going out of control, and of someone holding him. But all he could do was scream in impotent rage. Eventually she collapsed and started to sob, deep wracking sobs and she was aware of the fact that she was been held, and that Ceeley was frantic. She glanced out of the window and thought at least it's a nice day.
Around the area Aurors and Obliviators pop in to try to contain the problem as the Magical detection monitors register an unprecedented surge in magic. All of them stop and look in awe as the wards around Number 4 Privet drive are clearly visible in a half dome above the house. It's only Amelia Bones turning up and shouting at everyone that gets them moving again. She then takes a moment to look in wonder at the wards. It takes her several tries and an inadvertent return to the office before she's calmed down enough to approach the house. Apparently Dumbledore wasn't kidding when he said he'd erected powerful wards to protect Harry. As she crossed the ward boundary, she felt herself being judged to see if she was a threat, taking umbrage at that she grumbled
"As if I'm a danger to him, you're more dangerous to him glowing like that where anyone can see." As if by magic the light from the wards blinked out. Marching up to the front door she opened it with a discrete unlocking charm. Not seeing anyone downstairs she made her way upstairs and entered the room where she could hear someone crying.
She coughed lightly before she started talking so that she didn't startle anyone, "I'm sorry to intrude, but I need to know what happened as we've got a full scale emergency out there."
Petunia responded, "A little history, for as long as she can remember, Harry has been told that she was a burden on the family, and that we couldn't afford things when she asked for them. While I was moving into this room after Connie dealt with the Bog something in the other room, I found this in there, so I gave it to her and I think everything that's happened over the last few months finally caught up." She hands over the envelope.
Glancing down the numbers Amelia realised what happened, taking the money out and handing it to Petunia she pocketed the envelope.
"I'm going to have to keep the envelope as evidence. If it's any consolation, I've filed the paperwork with the muggle police as a missing persons request, and you should be getting the crime reference information soon. The stated reason that we suspect he ran is that he thinks you've managed to gain access to a lawyer and give them evidence of child abuse, so there's also a warrant out for his arrest. I don't honestly think he'll ever turn up though."
With that she left to help and book an emergency meeting with the PM and Fudge.
It is mid afternoon when Harry and Petunia feel up to going out, she give Harry all the money from the Envelope, and Harry promptly gives her half back saying that she wasn't the only one that suffered. They find an old coat, woolly hat and a pair of gloves and have Ceeley dress up in them. She screams and cries and protests as Petunia gives them to her saying that she's a good elf and she doesn't deserve clothes. When the fact that the bond is still there she continues to pout and look confused. To which Petunia reminds her that she's family, and that's what they were both thinking of when they bonded with her. Petunia clamps down on her magic and they're off. They stop in a hardware store to buy a yale lock and a new front door key, and then they head to the library.
When they arrive, Harry dashes off with a shouted "Hi Karen" her hissed warning to be quiet following her to the children's section where she grabs an Asterix comic. Petunia instead stands at the counter.
"Hi Karen."
"Hi, are you OK?"
"Mostly, something happened with Vernon and he put me in the hospital. He's now missing, I presume gone as I was in that place when I got away from him."
"Oh my god, why didn't you let me know?"
"They don't have any telephones there and I couldn't have sent one of them to let you know."
"That's true. But still…"
"That's why we came today, you've been a good friend these last few months. I'm also trying to get you permission to know about that too. On that subject I'd like you to meet our new family member Ceeley" She gestures down to Ceeley. Karen leans over the counter and looks around blankly.
"Oh, right she's probably invisible. Ceeley, would you be able to go around to the other side of the counter with Karen and then make it so that only Karen and I can see you?"
"Yes Mistress." There a soft pop.
"She's behind you now Karen"
Karen turns around and then crouches down, "Aw, you're so adorable in that hat and coat… and you're not human."
"She's a house elf and we brought her into the family as a family member not a servant, didn't we Ceeley."
"Mistress did, I's believe you not, then clothes and still bond."
"Karen, I know you're a librarian and not a teacher, but if she comes to help you, would you be able to teach her to read and write? And maybe speak properly."
"I guess I can, is there any reason you can't?"
"I think it would be easier if Ceeley had to learn in order to do a job, as she's been trained like an old fashioned servant."
"Ah… I see."
"Ceeley, would you be able to come and help Karen with the library when ever you're not busy helping me. Also, would you mind helping her to visit our house or the Grangers if she wants to?"
"Ceeley would like to do that."
Petunia sends Ceeley to sit with Harry and read the comic with him, and they continue to chat quietly for the next 45 minutes until Ceeley informs her that she is starting to leak magic.
"Well it looks like it's my cue to leave. I'm staying at the Grangers, for a couple of weeks, would you like to come over for the evening?"
"Sure, what time?"
"Say around seven?"
"Sounds good, how am I going to get there?"
"Do you trust me to know where you live?"
"Sure, let me write it down."
"No need, I'll ask Ceeley if she could stay with you and follow you home so that she can bring you over and take you home again."
"Ohh. Oh. They can do that?"
"Yep, welcome to the twilight zone."
With that she collected Harry and Ceeley and went into the ladies toilet. After checking that it was empty she asked Ceeley to take them back to the Grangers.
A Meeting with Fudge"Prime Minister, Minister Fudge. We have an ongoing emergency in Little Whinging and we need the help of the muggle government in covering it up."
"Yes, yes we know, that's why we're sitting here." Fudge interrupted.
"As I was saying. This emergency was caused by a discharge of accidental magic at the home of one Harry Potter."
Fudge starts to stand up "Accidental Magic? Why are we even here, just send out a couple of Obliviators and it's done."
"Minister Fudge, Sit Down! If you'd let me finish you'd find out why we need help."
Fudge sat down grumbling "I don't see what's so hard about it."
"Compounding the problem is the fact that Albus Dumbledore acting as Harry's magical guardian erected, and to quote 'Powerful wards to protect Harry Potter'
"These wards absorbed all of the accidental magic making them grow stronger. So strong in fact they were visible to everyone. Fortunately they've gained some level of sentience otherwise we would be talking about a long term breach of the Statute.
I have an idea that would work for this event based on a happy coincidence that happened with a less sever burst a few weeks ago that shorted out the power in the area, including something called a substation. I propose that we blow up the substation and Mr Major's government gets the news to publish a story about a visible something or other to cover the incident."
"We can certainly do that" John Major confirms.
"Great, let's do that meeting over."
"However!"
Fudge sulks back into his seat.
"We also need to be prepared for future events as Harry is already more powerful than Dumbledore. Harry's friend Hermione is only slightly less powerful. If this was the extent of the problem, I'd suggest keeping this in house. However there are three new magicals of comparable strength that are not witches or wizards, and so are still part of the mundane world."
"Well we'll just move them to a protected area then."
"We can't, for one, one of those magicals is Harry's legal and magical guardian, Petunia Dursley, born Evans. Secondly, due to the way our laws are written we have very limited power over them because they were born mundane."
John Major looks very interested at this.
"Well we'll just change the laws so that they're covered."
"We can't." Amelia ground out
"If you change the definition of a witch or wizard mundane borns no longer have to attend Hogwarts. If you include all magicals under the laws of witches and wizards you'll have a full on revolt in the Wisenamont as it will invalidate all the laws that they've passed for goblins, centaurs, veela, and the like. You can't classify them as beasts as then we'll be in contravention of the magically binding Magical Magna carta, in which King John gave us the right to rule as long as we upheld the Magna Carta."
"Fine, what can we do?"
"Firstly, we can ensure that all of them see mind-healers, and if they need treatment we pay for it. Secondly we have someone that is familiar with the mundane world visit both households once the children are back on at school, and give them a crash course in the magical world. Finally we need to either position a liaison here with real power to make decisions, or accept one from the mundane government."
John Major butts in "Thank you for your input, I think we have an action plan for today, expect to see it on the news" He checks his watch.
"This evening. I suggest that for the other matters, we reconvene in a weeks' time. I would like to request that your liaison suggestions are part of your police force, as it's likely that I'd place them in Scotland Yard with our police heads rather than with us. We have a lot to think about, and the sooner you can get the immediate situation under control on the ground the less work there will be for everyone."
With that the meeting ends, and John rushes off to get someone from MI5 to discretely contact this Petunia Dursley, and also to get a historian to put together a full listing of everything that's in the Magna Carta, and someone from the M Division in MI5 to see if they can track down the other Magna Carta.