Yeah, new chap! A lot happens here, and I mean, a lot. I actually passed 5,500 words with this one! I mean, damn! Now, just read it-
"It is a simple idea," Albus started.
They are all moved to a room with a table, and chairs. Harry and Kelly both had fish and chips in front of them. Kelly's was almost gone, but Harry was taking much longer to eat his.
"A British citizen, most likely either Minerva or myself, would assume guardianship over Harry. Then, we would grant permission for Harry to stay with the Gibbs family."
The entire room stared at him.
"Could that work?" Constable Lee questioned.
He had felt odd about the lawyers, so he had asked one of the rookies to look into the odd couple while they were getting to food for Harry and Kelly. He was still waiting for the response.
"It is perfectly legal. A legal guardian can let his or her guards live with whomever and where ever he or she so wishes," Albus nodded.
"Just like that? You would take guardianship of Harry, and let us take care of him?" Shannon asked.
"I believe that living with your family will be good for Harry," the man explained.
"What's the catch?" Gibbs spoke up.
"There are a few things," Albus started. "First, I wish to go through any house Harry will be staying in. Even after you move back to the states, I need to visit the house before Harry moves in."
"Why?" Gibbs questioned.
"As much as I believe you will treat Harry properly, I will not make the same mistake I made last time. I simply wish to ensure that Harry is safe, for that same reason, either myself, or Minerva, must know about any moves, vacations, and such that occur."
Kelly looked at Harry. She was grinning widely, and, once he saw her, he returned to smile. It was really going to happen. He was really going to stay with her.
"And finally, once Harry is old enough, he must attend his parent's alma mater."
"When will that be?" Gibbs asked.
"Once he turns eleven, he will get his letter. It is an old boarding school in Scotland."
"Scotland?" Shannon exclaimed.
"Yes. He will be living there for a majority of the year, but will be able to visit during the winter, and, of course, the summer holidays."
"I'm not sure, a boarding school, aren't they kind of, old fashion?" Shannon said.
"Hogwarts is an ancient school. Every Potter to have ever lived has studied within her halls," Albus told her.
"I'll go," Harry spoke up, surprising them.
"Are you sure, Harry?" Kelly asked. "I mean, actually living at school, it must be horrible."
Harry laughed slightly.
"It's worth it if I get to stay with you guys," he explained. "Besides, my parents went there."
"It was where they met," Albus informed him.
"Really?" Harry exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Yes, they were in the same house, and married not long after finishing their studies."
"Did you get the information I asked for?" Constable Lee asked one of his men.
He had stepped out of the room under the impression of using the loo. Albus and Minerva were telling Harry stories of his parents, so he knew he would not be missed.
"They were hard to find, but yes," the rookie replied, handing him a thin file. "They apparently work for a small number of old, rich families in the country. They don't work many cases, but the ones they do, the win."
Lee nodded as he read the first page in the file.
"Do they check out?" he absently questioned.
"Yup," was the short reply.
"Good," Lee stated.
He closed the file in his hands, and looked back towards the room.
"They will take care of him."
"Are you telling me that there is no way out of this?" Vernon Dursley raged.
Across the table from him, his lawyer sighed.
"I'm sorry, Vernon. I have looked through the evidence, and it is pretty damning," the small man explained.
"What evidence?" Vernon questioned.
"Scars and a testimonial from the boy, first off. They talked to some of his teachers, the neighbors, his friends, and the family who called it in. And of course, you made him sleep in a cupboard, Vernon. That alone would have done you in."
"The boy deserved every last thing that happened to him," Vernon argued. "I punished him. I did not abuse him."
"Be that as it may, the line between corporal punishment and child abuse has become more and more blurred in recent times."
"Forget what the bloody liberals are saying, any good Tory knows that bad children need sense knocked into them."
"It does not matter, Vernon. The best thing to do would be to plead guilty. If you do, they may reduce your sentence."
"I. Will. Not. Plead. Guilty."
The lawyer sat back in his chair, and sighed.
"Alright," he relented.
Harry yawned as he walked through the door. Even exhaustion, however, couldn't keep the grin from growing on his face.
They had spent the entire day in the police office. After making sure the idea would work legally, Constable Lee had found someone to draw up the papers that would complete it.
He had told them that the papers would be ready soon, most likely within a day or two.
Harry had to wait a few days, but he would soon never have to leave the Gibbs' again.
"C'mon, I'll show you to the spare room," Kelly said, as she walked in behind him.
She grabbed his arm and led him up the stairs. Harry barely noticed his surroundings as she pulled him along. Suddenly, she pulled him through another door, and he found himself in an off-white room.
A bed stood against the far wall, under a window. A dresser stood at the foot of the bed, and a wardrobe stood in the near corner. Generic scenery pictures hung on the wall. Harry guessed that it was originally used as a guest bedroom.
He slid his bag off of his shoulders, and set it down by the bed.
"You can get settled in later," Kelly told him. "Mommy said we can watch another movie before going to bed."
"Can we watch 'The Sword in the Stone'? We didn't finish it," he questioned.
"Yeah," she grinned. "Let's go."
They raced down the stairs, and into the living room.
"Slow down, you two," Shannon called at them as they went through the kitchen.
She turned back to Gibbs with a smile on her face.
"He's already settling in," she said.
"Yeah," he replied.
"I can't wait until the papers are signed, and he is ours."
"It won't be long, Shan."
"I know, I just love seeing him so happy. I don't want to see him upset again."
"We still have to go through the trial. He will have to give a statement."
"I know, but he should at least be allowed to feel happy everywhere else."
Laughter rang from the other room. The adults both looked in that direction.
"We're going to give him a good life. I promise," Gibbs told her.
Harry was grinning widely as the car pulled into the police parking lot. This was it.
Constable Lee had called the previous night to let them know that the paperwork was ready. Shannon had prepared a special dinner in celebration, and had managed to pull of treacle tart. They had let Harry and Kelly stay up late watching movies. The kids had finally made it through 'The Sword in the Stone' without falling asleep from sheer exhaustion.
Gibbs stopped the car, and Harry was the first one out. Shannon and Gibbs laughed quietly at his antics; it was good seeing him so excited.
The small group quickly made its way into the building, and was soon sitting at a table with Lee, and the two lawyers.
"Alright, this document declares Minerva McGonagall as Harry's legal guardian," the officer told them.
The Scottish woman smiled at Harry. They had decided that it would be better if she, rather than Albus, took the guardianship. She would be able to get away from Hogwarts more often, and she was not in the public's eye as much as the headmaster.
"And, you just need to sign these, Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs, in order to take Harry."
He slid a stack of papers towards the couple. Gibbs pulled it towards him, and skimmed the first page.
"All of the conditions we discussed are in there," Albus spoke up. "It also says that Minerva and I can visit when we wish, and that Harry will bet a bi-monthly allowance from his savings account."
"I get money?" Harry spoke up.
"Yes, it will not be much, however. We believe that it would be good for you to have a little pocket money," Minerva explained.
"Cool," the boy grinned.
"Are there any more changes?" Shannon asked them.
"Those are the only ones," Albus informed her.
They spent the next minutes going through the document, and signing it where necessary.
"There you go, you have custody of Harry," Lee smiled at them.
Harry grinned widely. He looked at Kelly, and she grinned back at him. Shannon walked over to hug the boy.
"We'll take good care of you," she whispered.
"I know," he replied.
He looked up to see Gibbs standing over him. The man smiled and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry nodded and smiled back at him.
"We will be stopping by in a few days, to make sure Harry has settled in," Albus told them.
"Of course," Shannon replied, while Gibbs nodded.
Minerva walked up to Harry, and crouched to his level.
"It has been good seeing you, Harry," she told him. "I will see you soon."
He surprised her by throwing his arms around her neck.
"Thanks you," he whispered.
He pulled back, and walked to his new family as they walked out of the room.
Constable Lee nodded to them as they left the room as well.
A few minutes later, the teachers were walking up the path towards Hogwarts.
"He is a good boy," Minerva said.
"Yes, he is," Albus agreed.
Harry sat on the edge of his bed. His legs were hanging down the edge, and his arms were behind him, holding his weight.
He looked around the room, and smiled. It was his.
The day after the papers had been signed, Mrs. Gibbs had taken him and Kelly to the store after school.
She had let him pick the color paint he wanted, the bed sheets he wanted, any posters he wanted, and a desk. That had only been the beginning. His wardrobe was full of clothes that fitted him, and his desk was covered in books and toys.
He loved his room.
The walls were a bright blue color; like the sky. He loved the sky. It made him want to fly away and be free.
His sheets were based off of the movie Robin Hood that he and Kelly had watched. The sheets had the hat, bows and arrows, and coins all over them, while the blanket had a large picture of the fox on it.
He had a poster of the Dover cliffs over his pillow.
On the nightstand, next to his bed, stood a picture on Kelly, her parents, and himself. Aunt Minerva, as she asked him to call her, had taken it when she and Albus had visited.
They had looked over the house briefly, and then had dinner with the family.
Not much had happened since then. School had gotten better. Without Dudley to threaten them, the other kids were already warming up to Harry. They would invite him and Kelly to play, and he hadn't been picked last to play sports.
His teacher had been pleased to see a sudden increase in the quality of his work. Harry was glad that he could actually try to do his work, and not worry about doing better than his cousin.
He looked at the picture on his nightstand and smiled.
"How does your client plead?" the judge asked.
"Not guilty, your Honor," the small, wigged man replied.
Next to him, Vernon Dursley sat quietly. He was dressed in his best suit, and dullest tie. Part of him wished that he could turn to see the boy. The boy who had put him into this situation.
He knew the boy was in the room, but his lawyer had warned him that if he even glanced at the boy, it could be taken the wrong way. So, he had to sit, and fight down his anger.
He was a good citizen. He paid his taxes, and had a family. He had taken in a freakish orphan, and this was what he got out of it? A jail cell and a trial?
He was sitting at the defendants table in a court room. His wife and son were sitting in the benches behind him.
That boy would never see the light of day again if he ever got within arm reach of Vernon.
He looked up when he realized that the lawyers were finished making their opening statements, and the first witness of the day was being called to the stand.
It was one of the officers who had arrested him. It was the younger one. Lee, according to the lawyer. The man was sworn in, and the lawyer that was working for the boy started to ask him questions.
Vernon did not pay attention to what they were saying. That was what he paid his lawyer for. Instead, he watched the tall, thin lawyer addressing the constable.
Albus Dumbledore. His mind seethed. He wasn't a lawyer. He was the man who had left the freak with them in the first place. Now, he was putting his family through a trial to get the boy out of the house.
He looked the man over. It was as if he did not even try to hide his freakishness. His beard and hair fell to the waist of his dark purple suit. He wore oddly shaped glasses, and his nose appeared to be broken. A part of Vernon could not believe that this had been the man to leave the boy with them, but another part told him that this was exactly the type of person to do so.
The officer was soon finished speaking, and the American was called up.
Just like the officer, the new man was dressed in a uniform. However, Vernon did not immediately recognize it. He could tell that it was an American military uniform, but had no idea which branch it might be from.
He tuned into the questions being asked.
"So, your daughter first met Mr. Potter on her first day of school?"
"Yes, she was excited to have a new friend, even if she had gotten hurt," the Yank replied.
"Can you elaborate on how she got hurt?"
"At first she told us that she tripped. However, she later told us that the Dursley boy had pushed her for wanting to play with Harry."
Vernon felt his temper rise when the man referred to his son as 'the Dursley boy,' but used the boy's name. He obviously did not know the true nature of the boy's freakishness, but it should still be clear that his own son deserved more respect. And the nerve of the man to accuse Dudley of hurting that girl. Dudley would never hurt anyone.
"When did you find out about the abuse?"
"We invited Harry over after school. My wife and I could tell right away that something was off about him. I sat down with him after dinner, and talked to him. I managed to get him to open up."
"Did he describe any of the abuse?"
"Not much, however, he did say that they have hit him before. He also said that he sleeps in the cupboard under the stairs."
Gasps and murmurs filled the room. A few people shot dirty looks in Vernon's direction. The man ignored them, and was glaring at the American.
"According to him, the punishment he received the most was being locked in the cupboard for long periods of time with minimal food and water."
The murmurs grew louder.
"Quiet," the judge called out, and the noise stopped.
Rage boiled Vernon's blood. It was going all wrong. The boy was lucky to have a room in his house. He could have thrown him to the streets, or sent him to a hospital. These people obviously did not understand the strain taking in another child had put on his family.
"What did you do once you discovered the abuse?"
"We let him stay the night. When his Aunt and Uncle came to pick him up, we told them that he had fallen asleep, and that we would drop him of the next day."
Vernon seethed. They had lied to him. They had the nerve to lie to him and his wife.
"We took him to the police station the next day, and filed a report."
"And since then, you have taken custody of Mr. Potter."
"Yes. He fits in with our family. He is quickly becoming Kelly's best friend, and my wife adores him."
"Thank you," the fake-lawyer finished.
Vernon felt his lawyer get to his feet, and smirked. This man wouldn't know what hit him.
"Mr. Gibbs, is it?" his lawyer started.
The man nodded silently.
"Okay, Mr. Gibbs, can you please explain what evidence you found that Mr. Potter was being abused."
"He had a healing bruise on his cheek, and looked severely underfed. However, most of it came from what Harry said."
"Then, if there was no proof of abuse, why report it?"
Vernon nodded slightly. That was a good point.
"Anytime a child claims to be abused, the law should be brought it. Very few children will lie about being abused. That is why the officers went in later to investigate it."
Vernon felt his anger rise again. That was a damn good answer.
"Then, why did you lie to his guardians about him falling asleep, and wait to report it in the morning?"
"It was late when I talked to Harry, and he was already exhausted. We waited to let Harry sleep and be prepared mentally for it."
Vernon's lawyer looked down at his notes, and shuffled through his papers a little before asking his next question.
"How have you, an American, get guardianship over a British child?"
Vernon watched the man carefully. He had no idea how he was going to get out of this one, but the man seemed to be smiling.
"We do not have full guardianship over Harry. That rests with Minerva McGonagall, one of the Potter family lawyers, and old friend. However, as Mrs. McGonagall is older, and has a busy job, and because of Harry's requests, she signed over rights to us."
Vernon stared at the man. They had gone through all of that for a freak?
His lawyer growled quietly.
"No more questions, Your Honor," he said before sitting down.
The judge nodded at the man, and he stepped down.
Harry felt his stomach plummet when he heard his name being said. Slowly, he got to his feet, and walked towards the stand.
He had sat in silence as Constable Lee, Gibbs, and some of the investigators had given their statement. His eyes had been glued on the back of his uncle's head.
No matter how hard Mrs. Gibbs had tried to get him to look away, he had been unable to look elsewhere.
What if they didn't believe him? What if they believed Uncle Vernon instead? What if they made him go back to Privet Drive?
He didn't want to think about it, but the thoughts forced themselves into his head. He knew that if he had to go back, he would get the worst punishment he had ever had.
A dark part of him wondered if his uncle would even let him live.
He stood in the stand, and was sworn in.
Dumbledore stood in from of him. He looked eyes with the older man, who smiled slightly.
"Now, Harry, can you tell us about your family?" the man asked him.
Harry swallowed, and collected his thoughts before speaking.
"My mum and dad are dead," he slowly started. "They died when I was a baby, so I've always lived with my aunt and uncle."
"And how have they treated you?"
Harry looked at the floor. His hands were clenching in front of him. Why did he have to tell everyone? He told Gibbs because he trusted him. What if these people didn't care and only hurt him?
"Harry," Dumbledore softly prompted.
The boy looked up to see the man looking softly at him.
"It's okay," the man continued.
"Umm, Aunt Petunia normally just ignored me. She would tell me what chores I had to do that day, and then would leave me alone," he started.
"What about your cousin?" Dumbledore pushed on.
"Him, and his gang would chase me around a lot. They didn't catch me often, cause I'm faster than them, but when they did, they would beat me up."
"Where did they do this? At home, at school?"
"Mostly at Privet Drive. At school he mostly made sure I had no friends."
"And your uncle, Harry, how did he treat you?"
Harry gulped. His eyes moved by themselves to find the eyes of the man in question. Fear engulfed him when he saw the anger in his uncle's eyes. His mind blanked, and he couldn't form words.
Suddenly, his uncle was no longer in his line of sight when Dumbledore stepped between them.
"How did your uncle treat you, Harry?" he asked again.
"He would lock me in my room if I did anything wrong. Occasionally, if he was really mad, he would beat me, then lock me up."
Harry heard the noise coming from the people in the room. He hoped it meant they believed him.
"Can you descried your room?"
Harry looked down again.
"I slept in the cupboard under the stairs," he whispered into the microphone.
The noise grew louder.
"How long have you slept there?"
"As long as I can remember."
"So, your uncle would lock you up, for however long he wanted, in a cupboard under the stairs?"
"Yes."
"How long have these punishments lasted?"
"I'm not sure, but once I missed an entire unit in school. I never had a chance to make it up, so I nearly failed."
Harry suddenly noticed that the room had become dead silent. He glanced around slightly to see everyone watching him.
"During these punishments, did you leave the cupboard at all?"
"Only to use the loo."
"How did you eat?"
"Aunt Petunia would bring me some bread, water, and soup every evening."
Vernon was completely red in the face by the time Dumbledore was finished questioning the boy. How dare he say those things!
He caught the boy's eyes again. He noticed the boy tense up considerably, and smirked inwardly. It changed, however, when the boy forced himself to look away.
He relaxed slightly when his lawyer stood up.
"Mr. Potter, you said you have lived with the Dursley's your entire life, correct?" his lawyer started.
"Yes," the boy quietly replied, looking at his feet.
"Yes, they took you in, when they could have sent to an orphanage, right?"
"I guess."
"And yet, I see no signs of them getting any allowances to compensate for supporting an extra child. Why is that?"
"I don't know."
"So is it possible that they could not afford to get you brand now clothes? Or move into a large house?"
Harry gulped. He barely had an idea of what the man was asking, and he was expected to answer them?
"I don't… don't understand," he stuttered.
"Maybe your aunt and uncle could not afford you, but they took you in out of the goodness of their hearts."
"That's not true," Harry exclaimed. "They have plenty of money. Otherwise, Dudley wouldn't need two rooms."
Vernon mentally cursed. He could hear the gasps around the room at the revelation of Dudley's second room. There was no way he was going to get out of this now.
"Okay, so they should have given you a room. But they did not abuse you. Every child who does something wrong needs to be punished, right?"
"I guess," Harry said in a small voice. Harry started to fold in on himself. He wouldn't go back there. There was no way they could make him.
"Objection," Dumbledore spoke up. "He is not only badgering my client, but he is making statements."
"I am simply setting things straight," Vernon's lawyer defended himself. "There is nothing wrong with using corporal punishment, and that is what Mr. Dursley used."
"I will sustain this objection," the judge said. "Stop badgering Mr. Potter, and ask him questions."
"Yes, Your Honor," the lawyer said. "Mr. Potter, how often do these 'punishments' happen."
"Whenever I do something wrong," Harry admitted. "I used to get in trouble all the time, but I learnt how to avoid trouble. It still happens often however, whenever I do something not normal."
"So, it was a teaching method. You just said that they taught you to behave, right?"
"Y…yes," he agreed. He didn't like where this was going.
They were going to send him back there, and Uncle Vernon was going to kill him.
"So, it wasn't abuse, it was…"
"No! Please don't send me back there," Harry suddenly yelled. "They'll lock me up, and…and they'll beat me. Please don't send me back. They'll kill me!"
He felt the tears falling down his face, but ignored them. He curled up into a ball, and sunk to the floor.
He didn't pay any attention to what was going on in the room. He was all alone. No one was going to help him. They were going throw him into the snake pit, and laugh as he slowly died.
Everything he had gone through was nothing compared to what they were going to do to him.
He was going to lose Kelly, and her family. Either they would not be allowed to see him ever again or, more likely, they were going to realize how much of a freak he was.
Even Aunt Minerva and Dumbledore were going to turn against him.
They were all going to leave him and let Uncle Vernon hurt him.
A hand touched his shoulder, and he flinched away from the touch. The hand, however, pulled him into its owner's body.
He came back to reality, and discovered that he was being held by Mrs. Gibbs.
Gibbs wanted to kill the man. What type of man pushed an abused boy this far?
A lawyer, part of his mind answered.
As soon as Harry had broken down, the judge had called for a recess, and emptied the room.
Shannon had rushed forward to Harry. They boy had curled up on the floor, and didn't respond to them speaking to him. So, she had pulled him into a strong hug.
The hug seemed to break Harrys daze, and his muscles loosened slightly.
Gibbs felt a sudden change in the room. It was almost as if the entire room had tensed up with Harry, and had loosened up with him as well.
"Don't send me back there," he whispered.
"Don't worry, you will never go back there," Shannon replied.
Petunia Dursley was, safe to say, ashamed of herself. Hearing everything that they had done to Harry brought tears to her eyes.
Had she really treated him this way? Her nephew? Her own flesh and blood? The only remaining piece of her little sister?
Looking at him now, she realized how small he was, especially when compared to her son. She was the reason he was so small. If only she had accepted Lily all of those years ago, maybe all of this could have been avoided.
She sat in silence as Vernon's lawyer questioned the boy.
She could see the attacks bringing Harry down, weakening him.
She wasn't very surprised when he lashed out at them. It was obvious he had Lily's temper just as much as he had her eyes.
What did surprise her was the electricity that seemed to fill the air. It had happened occasionally when he had still been a baby, but their treatment towards him seemed to have calmed it down.
Harry's magic was lashing out.
Gibbs glanced in the rear-view mirror. In the corner of it, he could see Harry. The boy was fast asleep against the window of the car.
Exhaustion, both mental and physical, had taken over the boy the second the car had started. They had been driving for over thirty minutes, and he had not even budged.
Shannon placed her hand on the one he had on the shift.
He glanced over at her. She was smiling softly. He returned the smile.
"He's ours," she mouthed.
Gibbs nodded, and his smile grew.
After the recess on the first day of the trial, the judge had dismissed the court until the next day.
That day, the Dursley's had given their statements. Gibbs still felt a twinge of anger when he thought of Vernon Dursley's' words. How a man like that even existed, he had no idea.
About an hour earlier, the judge and jury had declared Vernon and Petunia Dursley guilty of child abuse. Vernon had received five years in prison, and one hundred hours of community service. Petunia had received two years and fifty hours. Dudley was going to be put into the foster system until he turned eighteen, or left school.
Gibbs was upset with the sentencing. He felt like they should have gotten a harsher deal. However, they were permanently out of Harry's life, which was what really mattered.
So, how was it? I'm not entirely sure how the British legal system works, other than the fact that they wear wigs, but I tried my hardest. And, Harry is away from the Dursleys! Can I get a shout out for being away from the Dursleys! The next chap is going to skip a few years, so, be prepared.