Chapter 2: The Boy Who Sought Asylum

Harry gawked at the starscape out the window. He had, obviously, never been in space before and was still having some trouble getting his head around it. The fact that this was actually a warship didn't help him at all.

The Arthra didn't have nearly as powerful teleporters as the Kaithya and had opted for a high terrestrial orbit for the duration of her time at Earth. Technically under the command of young Lieutenant Amy Limietta while Admiral Lindy was on leave, the Arthra based herself on non-administrated 97 and took over jurisdiction for the surrounding dimensional space. Such assignments were common in the TSAB Navy's disaster relief divisions – especially around worlds that were under the process of being reevaluated.

Harry neither knew of or cared for the political details of the Arthra's deployment. An older boy named Chrono (who was both Fate's older brother and a kind of police officer!) gave him a tour of the vessel while the adults talked about whatever it is adults talk about. Nanoha and Fate went with them, and Harry knew the younger girls were enjoying his reactions. He couldn't really bring himself to care. Arf had disappeared with his luggage, saying he was getting his own cabin until they figured out something permanent.

He'd gone from a cupboard to a spare bedroom to a cabin on a spaceship. He almost wished Dudley was here to see it.

"Can I ask something?" he asked suddenly.

Chrono nodded. "Of course." They were in the Arthra's engine room. So far the tour was just killing time and getting Harry settled into this new reality, or more accurately waiting to see when stress and information overload would force him to sit down. The boy hadn't asked for any technical details and Chrono certainly hadn't volunteered any, but even so he had a dazed, gawking expression that didn't bode well for his ability to process how dramatically his life had changed, again.

"Why weren't you at the Dursleys'?" Harry asked.

Chrono blinked in surprise. He had been thinking about that foolish assault all this time? Maybe he was dealing better than Chrono gave him credit for. "That attack was the brainchild of the geniuses behind you," he said somewhat snidely. Harry turned and saw Fate and Nanoha grinning sheepishly. Chrono continued, "I wanted a quick extraction using the ship's teleporter. There was no need to make a scene or do that much collateral damage."

"They deserved it," Fate said. Harry felt a shiver go down his back at her tone. It was like ice.

Chrono frowned. "That's not your call to make, Fate."

Fate scowled at her brother. He was right, dammit, and she knew it. She just didn't care. She was right, too.

Harry frowned. "I don't want anyone to get into trouble because of me," he objected.

Nanoha managed to smile at that. "Harry, do you know how long Fate has been planning this morning?"

Harry thought back. When had he sent that text? "Eight hours?"

"All year," Fate said. Harry's jaw dropped. "Ever since we first met you in Diagon Alley. You were clearly being mistreated. Arf and I would have gotten you out of that house then, if we could."

The ship spun around Harry as he thought that through. Was the ship caught in a storm or something? "What...why couldn't you?"

Fate fished out her phone and showed Harry his last text. Help! "You had to ask," she said simply.

The Arthra's deck jumped up and smacked Harry in the face. All he knew was blackness.

Nanoha lunged to grab Harry as he fainted. The quiet hum of magical machinery was the only noise in the room for several seconds.

Chrono rubbed the back of his head. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

Dumbledore appeared outside Stockholm with a crack. Apparating over international distances was always hard, which naturally made it noisier, but this was too important to hunt down an international floo. Time was of the essence!

The TSAB Embassy was an unusual building by wizarding standards simply because of how muggle it looked on the outside. Most disguised buildings were dilapidated wrecks that attracted the attention of no one. The TSAB building was pristine and obviously inhabited. It was three stories tall, modern construction with large windows that were polarized to be highly reflective. The building was surrounded by a seven foot high wall with a single gate, which had a guard house with a small collection of gold plaques naming it the TSABE Facility with several dire warnings for trespassers.

The Embassy had been completed only a month ago, at which point Trent Lacrosse revealed he had been named Ambassador and relieved of command of the Kaithya. Dumbledore was worried for the man he considered a friend, but Lacrosse waved him off from any protest. "I'm a diplomat, Albus," he had said. "They gave me a ship because I needed one. I don't need her anymore, and her crew can certainly be put to better service than idling around here. Don't think on it again."

Dumbledore approached the guardhouse. "Hello," he called politely.

The guard looked him over. "Hello, can I help you?"

"Albus Dumbledore," he introduced himself. "I'm here to see about an incident a few minutes ago in Surrey." At the man's blank expression he added, "That's in England."

"Ah, right, Mr. Lacrosse was expecting you." The guard did something under his desk and the gate slid open. "Go on in."

Dumbledore nodded and walked through the gate. The embassy courtyard was almost muggle, he noted, but patrolled by three mages. Their uniforms were muggle enough, but the magitech staves they carried were...well they were TSAB. He noted a fourth guard at the door into the embassy carrying a spear with similar ornateness. Dumbledore had seen enough Bureau mages to suspect that this, too, was a mass produced "device" like the staves used by the others, rather than a unique piece like Raising Heart or Bardiche. Perhaps that guard had special training for close combat? A question to ponder later; apparently having been cued by the gate guard, the spear man opened the door as Dumbledore approached. They exchanged polite nods.

Dumbledore entered the embassy and found himself quietly impressed. He'd never been in the building since its completion and had only visited the location once, when the TSAB had revealed that there wouldn't be a single muggle-repelling ward on the site. Dumbledore knew that the Swedish wizards had picked up strong magic from the place on a number of scrying tools, yet he saw absolutely no evidence of it. The embassy's atrium was as muggle as any room he had been in. There were comfortable chairs and stacks of magazines and a receptionist who did something behind her desk that opened a door with a simple mechanical arm.

Ambassador Lacrosse was hurrying down the hallway beyond the door. "Albus!" he called. "You don't miss a trick."

"I flatter myself well informed," Dumbledore said seriously. "I saw the magic circles at Privet Drive and came here hoping you might shed some light on the situation."

"I'm still trying to figure that out," Lacrosse growled. "Operation Heroic Rescue was given a mandate last night but it looks like a couple hotheads abused operational discretion to create that farce of an extraction."

Dumbledore blinked. "Maybe you should start from the beginning?" he suggested.

"My office," Lacrosse said. He led the older man up to the third floor.

The deeper into the building they got, the more the TSAB's magitech was evident. Holographic computers were in use all over the second floor, and Dumbledore recognized teleporter alcoves from his tour of the Kaithya. Even so, they were simply furnishings on top of a muggle structure. "You blend in to muggle society well," he complimented.

Lacrosse shrugged. "In some ways we're closer to muggles with magic than wizards with technology. It also helps us keep a low profile without the intent based wards you've developed."

Dumbledore nodded and soon they were in Lacrosse's office. Dumbledore chose a seat for himself. "Now, what has happened to Harry Potter? Is he safe?"

"Completely," Lacrosse said.

"Can I see him?" Dumbledore asked.

Lacrosse looked pained. "Regulation is for the child to have at least a few hours to settle after an extraction. If he doesn't ask for you, I can't take you to him for at least six hours."

"That's...unfortunate. Can you tell me where he is?"

Lacrosse gestured and an image appeared over his desk, the Arthra in high orbit. "TSAB dimensional cruiser Arthra, flagship of Admiral Lindy Harlaown. Her marine detachment, two part time mages, and one familiar formed the assault party."

Dumbledore felt a mild headache. "Miss Takamachi, Miss Fate Harlaown, and Arf."

"Right," Lacrosse agreed. "Those would be the hotheads in question."

"Miss Harlaown did not strike me as particularly volatile," Dumbledore mused.

"She reacts violently to child abuse."

"Abuse?" Dumbledore said darkly. "Trent, what is going on?"

"We have a letter of action for you," Lacrosse said, producing an ornate envelope. "This was issued when the mandate was given. Bureau laws allow for action on foreign soil in very few circumstances, one of which is a direct request for aide by an individual incapable of contacting his local authority."

"Surely Harry could not fall into such a category, whatever had happened," Dumbledore said.

"It's all in the letter but I'll cut past the flowery talk. Harry's mail was being stopped, apparently by a house elf named Dobby. His own owl was caged. He himself was barred and locked in his room and denied access to his wand. He was also denied food and there's evidence of a full laundry list of emotional abuse and deprivation preceding his imprisonment. All he had was his cellphone."

Dumbledore paled at the description. "I knew the Dursleys were hardly a loving family, but to lock a child away...that goes beyond my imagination."

"You knew this abuse was ongoing?" Lacrosse asked. "And you didn't remove Harry yourself?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Harry's situation is incredibly complicated, much to his detriment. I believe the Chinese would call his life 'interesting.' I put safeguards in place that would alert myself and others if Harry was being beaten or imperiled. Nothing registered beyond a firm spanking."

Lacrosse could think of a dozen things to ask about that statement alone, but he managed to pick one. "Is it normal for a child to have such surveillance?"

"Harry is not normal," Dumbledore said by way of answering. "How much do you know of Voldemort and his Death Eaters?"

"Barely more than the name," Lacrosse confessed. "Your history texts are..."

"Hysterical?" Dumbledore suggested. "Sensational? Imprecise?"

"Yes."

"A product of the times," Dumbledore said. "As is the reluctance to say his name."

"That really didn't seem to make a lot of sense either," Lacrosse agreed.

"It did, at the time. Voldemort enjoyed nothing more than the fear of others. He carved his name into the minds of everyone and then slaughtered everyone who was known to speak it. Reporters and ministry officials would turn up dead hours after publicizing the name."

Lacrosse grimaced. "Sounds like a certified psychopath."

"Sadly. When Voldemort was defeated, Harry became a legendary figure overnight."

"But he couldn't have done it," Lacrosse objected. "He was a baby."

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed. Unfortunately, most scholars were unable to study the event for fear of retribution from the Death Eaters. By the time that threat seemed gone, the Boy Who Lived was accepted fact in all but the most scholarly circles."

"Circles in which you reside," Lacrosse said knowingly. "This somehow relates to Harry's upbringing. You wanted him out of the limelight?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "You think I placed the boy?"

"Your wards, your narrative, your position at Hogwarts, you had a say in it, at least."

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed I did. At first it was to be temporary, his only blood family could care for Harry while James's and Lily's wills were read. But while Harry's parents had left him guardians, but they were all dead or unable to care for the boy." He saw Lacrosse's skeptical expression and sighed. "One was driven mad and remains hospitalized with no hope of recovery. One is incarcerated as a traitor, a Death Eater spy. One left the country and maintained no permanent residence, I believe a large amount of alcohol was involved." Remus was also unable to provide the full time care a toddler needed due to his curse, one of the sad realities of his condition. "As such, the Dursleys had legal custody as his blood relatives."

"You could have convinced them to give the boy up," Lacrosse said. "From what I've read, I doubt it would have taken fifteen minutes."

"True," Dumbledore agreed, "but that would be simple and as I said, Harry is far too complicated. He was being hunted by Death Eaters almost from the day he ended up on their doorstep."

Lacrosse's eyes narrowed. "The boy is alive. Your wards?"

"Not mine," Dumbledore said. "Lily Potter's. Old magic, blood magic. The details I don't have, but I am familiar with the magic. Lily must have had the choice to run or die, and she died for her child. The ward she constructed with that sacrifice saved Harry that night and remains the strongest spell I have ever witnessed."

Lacrosse took a deep breath. "How do the Dursleys fit into that?"

"Petunia Dursley is Lily Potter's sister," Dumbledore explained. "The blood wards only had power as long as Harry lived in the house of a blood relative of Lily. The Dursleys' home was the safest place for Harry."

"Clearly they didn't stop the Dursleys from abusing the boy," Lacrosse snapped.

Dumbledore shook his head. "No. They did not. But no less than five Death Eaters were captured trying to find out where the Boy Who Lived could be found in just that first month. Each one was tearing through adoption records and court cases with the names and addresses in plain sight, yet none of them could read or retain the knowledge. Over the years I have studied the wards, I have discovered many layers of protection. Each was, simple, effective, and powerful, yet limited to Voldemort and any who acted in his interests."

Lacrosse ran a hand over his face. "So the Dursley house was a refuge from...everything?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Almost storybook," he agreed. "The fame and sycophancy, the hatred and death threats, the wonder and the horror. It was as close to a normal childhood as I could have hoped." He scowled. "And for that, I confess I may never be able to forgive, either Voldemort or myself."

"That...answers a great number of things," Lacrosse admitted. "What are your intentions now?"

Dumbledore's answer was instant. "I must see to Harry's well being," he said. He hesitated and sorted out his other objectives.

Any man who leads a large bureaucracy has known the trouble of conflicting objectives or needs. Albus Dumbledore led four such organizations. Hogwarts, fortunately, had no stake in the matter beyond a teacher's concern for a student. The Wizengamot was outraged over a foreign power acting on British soil and the abduction of a citizen, not to mention yet more flaunting the limits on Underage Sorcery. The International Confederation was likewise incensed by yet another violation of the Statute of Secrecy. The Order of the Phoenix (currently inactive but Dumbledore doubted that would last much longer) was concerned for the safety of the Boy Who Lived. The International Confederation wanted the TSAB sufficiently appeased that friendly relations could ensue. The Wizengamot could care less. The Order wanted the TSAB as allies in the coming war.

When he had leisure, Dumbledore surrounded himself with advisers and deputies from each group. McGonagall was an excellent advocate for Hogwarts. Snape served for the Order's more militant aims. Fudge was gifted at cutting to the needs of the Ministry. The representatives from France and the United States offered a solid view on the international stage. He could listen to these people when his duties overlapped and serve as a mediator to find a solution. When he had to provide a unified front, or simply had no time for decision by committee, he had to trust in his own wisdom and hope that the faith others put in him was not unfounded.

This was such a moment. "I also will need to issue a formal complaint on behalf of the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards in regards to the public display of magic and intrusion on British sovereignty," he said carefully.

Lacrosse nodded. "That is expected. You should know that we are prepared to discuss reparation and issue a formal apology."

Dumbledore blinked in genuine surprise. "That will calm many voices when this incident becomes public," he said.

Lacrosse grinned. "We try to be the good guys, Albus. Sometimes that means doing bad things for the greater good, but we own up to it."

Dumbledore had nothing to say to that. "That will...help," he said. "Six hours, you said?"

Lacrosse nodded. "We will contact you immediately if there are any changes. I will get my staff working on that apology."

"And I will break the news of this incident as gently as possible."

"Are you expecting as big an explosion as I am, Albus?"

"Bigger."

Harry tried to open his eyes and winced at the light from the ceiling. Someone must have set the torches to full burn. Maybe Dean was practicing his incendio again.

Wait. This was holiday. He was at the Dursleys. Man, Aunt Petunia was going to wear him to the bone fixing the walls Nanoha burned.

Nanoha. Attacked the Dursleys. And took him out of there.

…

Oh yeah. He was in space, too.

Harry blinked. He was in space?

Yes, that had definitely been space outside the window. Huh.

He should probably start freaking out now.

"Gwah!" Harry yelped, sitting upright. He was in a bed. Not as comfortable as his four-poster in Hogwarts. Way better than the Dursleys gave him. Nightstand. He fumbled and found his glasses. Ah, he was in a small bedroom. Smooth walls. Modern desk. Fate. Buttons next to a sliding metal door. Electric ceiling light.

Wait. Fate?

Yes. Fate.

"Gwah!" Harry repeated, trying to jump behind the bed. There was a GIRL in his bedroom. Okay, so it wasn't his bedroom but it was a room, it had a bed, he was in it, and there was a girl looking at him. The bed was also flush against the wall and now he had a headache. He also registered that he was fully clothed. That was good.

Fate frowned as Harry launched himself into a wall. Was he having a fit? "Harry?" she asked.

"I'm okay!" Harry yelped into the wall.

"Are you sure?" Fate asked.

"Yes!" Harry said. He rolled over and sat up again. "I was just, uh, startled."

"You've had a lot of surprises this morning," Fate agreed. "Brunch?"

"That sounds good," Harry agreed.

Harry gawked at the ship as they walked to the mess. "I...kinda wasn't paying attention during the tour," he confessed.

"We noticed," Fate said. "Harry, relax. All we were doing was trying to get you past the initial shock. You're hardly the first person to collapse after a rescue."

Harry thought that over. "I'm not?"

Fate shook her head. "You're recovering a lot faster than I did."

Harry needed a few seconds to process that. "Uh..."

Fate smiled sadly. "I'll tell you mine and you tell me yours?"

Some frightened voice screamed in Harry's skull. "I don't really have anything to say," Harry said.

"Neither did I, at first."

Harry was silent through the meal and after, while Fate led him to her mother's cabin.

"Harry," Lindy greeted warmly. "Feeling better?"

"Yes ma'am," Harry said automatically. He looked around the room. It was fairly white which made it feel much larger than it really was. The walls were lined with tiny trees and there was a wooden tube and water spout contraption in the corner that went doink. Lindy was seated casually on a cushion on the floor in what looked like the world's most painful way to sit. Fate sat in the same way. Harry tried to mimic her and ended up falling on his butt. He blushed, crossed his legs, and hoped he didn't look too foolish.

Lindy didn't comment. "Harry, I want you to understand that you are free to make your own choices. We can help you with a number of options, but the choice of what happens is entirely yours."

"Um, okay," Harry said. He wasn't used to making decisions, but it sounded like this was going to be some kind of a test. He could do tests.

"Okay then. Harry, right now you're a ward of the Time Space Administration Bureau. If you don't want to, you will never have to see the Dursleys again. Ever."

Harry's jaw dropped. "But, but what about next summer? Where will I live when Hogwarts lets out? Where will I live before term starts?"

"That is where you have options," Lindy explained. "Including the option to not go to Hogwarts. If you wanted, we could take you to our world, MidChilda, and enroll you in a magic school there."

Harry wondered if he was going to faint again but shook his head rapidly. "No, I want to go to Hogwarts! I want to be with Ron and Hermione and Fate and Nanoha and Dean and Hagrid and Neville and...could you send Malfoy to Mars? That would be kind of wicked."

Lindy held back laughter but mentally scratched out every option that permanently removed Harry from Earth. Not that she was expecting any different. "I am afraid we have to leave young Malfoy exactly where he is," Lindy said softly. "Now, Harry, until Hogwarts starts you are more than welcome to your cabin on this ship, but this vessel is not a home." She saw Harry's face fall. "As I said, where you end up will be your choice, but you need to understand that you need to make a choice. Not now!" she cut off the obvious protest. "You have until your next summer holiday to make that decision."

"And if I don't, I go back to the Dursleys?" Harry asked.

Lindy shook her head. "The worst we would do is leave you with an orphanage," she said. "You will not be returned to the Dursleys unless you want to."

Harry shuddered slightly. He'd take the Dursleys over an orphanage. Uncle Vernon threatened him with one so often it had to be worse than anything the Dursleys could do to him.

Lindy watched Harry's reactions carefully. "One option I can present you immediately is a commission with the TSAB as a part time mage, like Fate and Nanoha. You would get a room with one of our facilities on Earth as part of your employment benefits, and your superior would take the role of your legal guardian," she explained.

"That's what happened to me," Fate put in. "At least, before my superior officer formally adopted me."

Harry blinked at that. "I'd like that a lot better than an orphanage," he said. "Or the Dursleys."

Also as expected, Lindy thought with satisfaction. She still had that pegged as a the worst case scenario. Far more likely, given the boy's friendships and cultural needs, was fostering with the Weasleys. If the boy had overestimated his inheritance, the TSAB had a child support fund for cases like this. But now was not the time to explore every possibility. Harry was relaxing, smiling, and getting used to the idea that he'd never be in the Dursleys' care again. That was enough, for now.

She'd remember eating those words an hour later when a late morning edition of the Daily Prophet was owled to the embassy and relayed to the Arthra.

BOY WHO LIVED ABDUCTED BY ALIEN WIZARDS

by Rita Skeeter

In a shocking turn of events, the Ministry of Magic announced today that Harry James Potter, famed Boy Who Lived, was abducted today by a large force of wizards and witches.

At eight o'clock this morning the residence of Harry Potter and his muggle relatives was viciously attacked. The assailants breached a number of doors that were heavily warded in a variety of muggle fashions. The attackers held the muggles under a Body Bind curse and threatened to torture the location of Harry Potter from them. Reports indicate that Harry Potter nobly revealed his own presence instead of allowing his relatives to come to further harm. The assailants then took "the hostage" as they called Harry Potter and apparated to parts unknown.

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement dispatched aurors to investigate as well as Obliviators to deal with neighboring muggle witnesses. Also on scene was Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore did not make any comments to the press, however muggle witness Petunia Dursley had this to say:

"They made threats against me and my little boy! Then...and he said he recognized that magic circle as some kind of TSAB freakishness. ...all freaks and ruffians who do nothing but harass and attack good people like us!"

The TSAB or Time Space Administration Bureau made contact with the International Confederation of Wizards a year ago, through their Japanese agent Nanoha Takamachi. Images of Takamachi were presented to the Dursleys and they confirmed she was the one who bound Vernon Dursley and threatened his life. The TSAB claims to be from a different world and has shown no restraint in enforcing their will over muggles and now wizarding children.

We can only hope that the aurors prove equal to these dark wizards from the skies.

For more on the defeat of You Know Who, see Page 2

For more on Lily Potter's muggle family, see Page 4

For more on Albus Dumbledore and his connections to Harry Potter, see Page 5

For more on Nanoha Takamachi, see Page 7

Revised: Typos

Revised: More typos