DISCLAIMER: That part of this world and those characters you've seen before belong to their Creator: JKR. The rest is mine - although I cannot quit my day job as I make no $$$ from this…

A/N: Why Japan? That question has been asked by many and most all suspect really shallow and insipid reasons for my choice. First off, I never saw a cartoon from that country. I'm too old for that. As a child, it was mostly Hanna Barbara, Warner Brothers and whoever it was who made Rocky and Bullwinkle.

I picked Japan because it is both similar to Britain (a wealthy, island nation where they drive on the wrong side of the road) and historically and sociologically opposed. Almost a Yin to Britain's Yang. Strong vs. weak monarchy. Open vs. closed, insular culture. Technology vs. arts (historically as in pre-Meiji Restoration). As their real societies are so different, so are their magical ones. Japan's is open and forward looking while Britain's is close minded and class oriented.

I am not using this vehicle to make a Super Harry. I hate those fics. He'll be no more powerful than in canon - and in canon he was probably the most powerful wizard of his age. Still, even with his schooling, at age eleven he will not be able to take on Death Eaters and expect to win.

Why the education? Dumbles carrot was information and education. Sensei takes away one, schooling in Japan the other. Dumbles will either have to go dark or back off. He will not be able to control Harry as he wants without going dark. (And even then, I would not let him succeed…)

And now for another ripple in the time line…

CHAPTER TWENTY: DEVELOPMENTS

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 1988 - THAMES HOUSE, LONDON, U.K.

A century or more ago, Thames House had been a palace. It still stood, located on the banks of the Thames River in the Westminster section of London not far from Whitehall and Parliament in the geographic center of the now all but extinct political center of the former British Empire. It was once said the sun never set on the Empire. Geographically, that had been true. Historically, it had proven false.

By the First World War, the former palace had become a government office building, a center of military intelligence both to spy on the Germans and to try and stop them from spying on Britain. Those two functions were commonly known as MI-5 and MI-6. MI-6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service focused on gathering intelligence on other countries and most of its operations were located overseas and run locally from the various British Embassies throughout the world, although the analysis of the information was done in its offices in London. MI-6 became a part of pop culture through the fictional books of one of its former operatives Ian Fleming and the movies made about his fictional agent James Bond.

The Security Service known as MI-5 was less well known. It was originally formed to find enemy spies and agents, a function that only increased after the end of the Second World War and later the defections of pro-Soviet British intelligence agents to the Soviet Union in the 1950's. The real expansion began later. With the troubles in Northern Ireland, MI-5 took on the additional role of counter-terrorism in Britain. It's mission was internal security - to protect Her Majesty's government and people from internal security threats. It did have overseas offices and operations, mostly to keep tabs on potential threats to internal national security.

MI-6 answered to both the Defense Minister and the Foreign Secretary and, as all Ministry offices, ultimately the Prime Minister and by constitution, Her Majesty. MI-5 also answered to the Minister of Defense, although for the most part it's main boss was the Home Secretary. In many ways, the two offices were extremely similar. Only their regional focus was different. Over the years, MI-5 had expanded. Within a year or two, Thames House would be strictly MI-5 as the other government offices were being moved out to make room.

Within MI-5 there was an office that only the head of the Security Service and a handful of other knew about. It was called Office W. Excluding support staff, there were thirty agents assigned to that office, although at least a third were posted overseas at any one time.

Roger Grant had been with Office W since he finished Oxford. Lacking political connections - being the son of a coal miner - he had risen through the office over his twenty-five years of service through talent. He now headed the office. He knew he probably would rise no further. Within Office W, he had no equal in terms of experience or talent. His problem was he did not suffer fools regardless of who they might be. There was only so far one could rise in any bureaucracy on skill, intelligence and talent alone. At some point, political savvy became a skill necessary for further promotion. Grant neither had it nor wanted it as he was happy where he was, head of Office W.

Like every other "office" within MI-5, Office W was formed to evaluate certain threats to the internal security of Great Britain. However, the specific potential threat it was tasked to evaluate and, if necessary counter, was a closely held secret. Office W was tasked with monitoring the very secret magical world in Britain. It was formed over a decade before the Second World War when what became MI-6 began to learn that there was a seemingly parallel society in Europe made up of honest to God witches and wizards and that there was an ongoing war in Europe for control of the magical society. MI-5 was to find, infiltrate and monitor any similar societies in Britain.

For the most part, Magical Britain managed to stay out of the Great European Magical War that began in 1929 and lasted until 1945. MI-5 was aware of efforts to export that war across the channel, but were as creative in stopping that as its non-magical counterpart would be in stopping German Espionage during World War II - in other words, MI-5 was extremely good at its job. They remained very effective at keeping tabs on their magical countrymen, far more effective than any of the magicals could possibly imagine. Roger Grant liked to think that if a witch or wizard of interest to Her Majesty's Intelligence Service farted, he would know about it.

Not too long ago, a civil war had erupted in magical Britain. The revolutionaries were little more than terrorists or thugs but the intel analysis on that movement made their defeat a top priority for Her Majesty's Government. The terrorists were led by a megalomaniac who called himself Lord Voldemort and was potentially as great a threat to Britain as the Nazi's were and later the Soviets.

By 1975, it was clear that the war would not remain contained to the magical world and the Intelligence Services acted. They picked a side, that of the legitimate government of the magical world and engaged in a series of "Black Ops" designed to hunt down and eradicate the followers and supporters of Voldemort. Unlike their magical counterparts, after years of dealing with the IRA terrorists, killing terrorists did not make them squeamish. By their own estimate, ninety-percent of the so called Death Eaters who got their wish and died were victims of MI-5 and supporting combat teams from the British Army, mostly the Special Air Service. They accounted for almost half of the enemy's Order of Battle, yet despite the losses the enemy seemed poised for victory until the War abruptly ended. To MI-5, the end of the war was a surprise both in that it happened and how it happened. Office W, however, was not so surprised. The first rule each new Office W Agent was taught is that the magical world only makes sense once you understand it makes no sense whatsoever.

At the height of that war, Office W was three times its current size. Since their role was now limited to intelligence gathering and not field operations, many of its Agents had been reassigned. Most of those who remained would never be assigned to another office as most of the thirty agents were magical, people who had joined the non-magical world and government in disgust at their own society. Things today were quiet. One of their biggest missions these days was to try and get a firm estimate on the size of magical Britain and to build dossiers on as many magicals as they could so that should things go pear shaped again in that world, Her Majesty's Government would be able to respond swiftly to protect the vast majority of the population. The current estimate was that there were between sixty and seventy-five thousand witches and wizards in the British Isles.

Roger Grant was forty-seven, had a wife and four children, the oldest two were in university. He had joined Office W in 1963. He was not magical, but his wife was as were two of his four children. As an Agent, he had conducted investigations and had run spies into the magical world. His contacts included none other than the current Minister for Magic as well as a highly placed spy who had once been in Voldemort's inner circle. During the war, he had led and planned field operations against Voldemort. At least forty-seven Death Eaters were buried in unmarked graves as a result of those ops. Grant never lost sleep over that. He had seen what those sadistic bastards could do. With the war over, his role and that of his office was to maintain its contacts and simply monitor the goings on in magical Britain.

A buzzer went off on his desk.

"Yes Vi?" he asked into the intercom.

"Agents Evans and Greengrass are here for the ten o'clock Boss," a woman's voice replied.

"Send them in."

Two men entered. One was clearly older than the other. The older, grey haired man was Michael Evans. He was the same age as Grant but had joined MI-5 five years later. Like Grant, Evans was non-magical. With him was a thirty-one year old man with dark hair and eyes. His name was David Greengrass, a magical who had joined MI-5 Office W eleven years ago during the war. Each man carried a bulging file folder and they took seats across the desk from Grant.

"The Potter case?" Grant asked. The two men nodded. Grant sighed. "By the looks of those files you lot's finally found something tangible?" The men nodded. "Since '81 we've been looking for proof that this supposed boy-hero exists. Every time we hear a report, we've tried to run it to ground. Until now nothing. You're telling me that's changed?" The two men nodded. "How?"

"Best we can say is some dam has burst," Evans said.

"What do you mean?"

"Working on that," Greengrass added. "Really can't say for sure. Best guess from magical is that there was some right powerful and unknown protective magic on the boy. It broke."

Grant knew better than to ask what kind of magic. If Greengrass knew, he would have said.

"Define broke," Grant said.

"Monday after the story broke about the death of Potter in the Wizarding Press, I went to the ministry requesting any documents they had on the lad."

"And unlike before it was not a red tape run around?"

"On the contrary," Greengrass said. "We can begin with this," he added handing Grant a parchment. "Potter's Magical Birth Certificate. It's still technically classified 'Most Secret per CWW' yet they handed it over as if it was not big deal. Technically, that's treason."

"CWW?"

"Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot," Greengrass said. "De facto head of the magical courts and legislature Albus Dumbledore, also Headmaster of Hogwarts school and a bunch of other things. All Potter documents are classified 'Most Secret' and, with the exception of bank records which are governed by the magical banking secrecy laws, they handed them over without any questions or hassle."

"Odd that," Grant commented.

"Odder," Greengrass agreed. "Talk to Joe Wizard on the street today and they've never heard of Harry Potter. Remind them of the Boy-Who-Lived and they will recall for the moment. Ask them again five minutes later and they will have forgotten everything again. It's as if the magic that kept his reality a secret for all these years vanished only to be replaced by more powerful magic that erased his existence from memory. Aside from those articles in the magical dailies from the 28th, there's no mention of him in the press at all. Biggest news event since the end of the War and no one remembers or cares."

"So he's dead?"

"No. There's no death certificate in the ministry records. I know. I looked."

"Maybe they just didn't show them?"

"No Sir, they did. Moreover, the wall of magic cannot be faked. We have known Harry James Potter was born July 31st, 1980 because the wall reflects all magical births. The wall also records all magical deaths. It's automatic and cannot be hidden from the public That's why there were rumors of a sister. Clarice Lillian Potter was born July 12th 1981. The wall won't tell you where or to whom and Potter is not an uncommon name, still…"

"It records deaths?"

Greengrass nodded.

"And I take it Potter's not on the death side of the ledger?"

Another nod.

"And there's no Death Certificate filed despite the press articles?"

Another nod.

"Are you saying he's alive?"

"He is," Evans said. "We'll get to that bit after."

"After what?"

"Dave completes the magical side brief, Sir."

"Fine."

"Harry James Potter," Dave Greengrass said, "was born July 31st, 1980 in the Village of Godrics Hollow."

"Never heard of it."

"It's a mixed village northeast of Essex,'' Greengrass said. "In the last respective censuses, 275 non-magicals and 210 magicals. Of course, that was before the War ended and the numbers may be different today."

"Of course," Grant said.

"His mother was a witch born to non-magical parents. Her name was Lily Marie Evans. She was born January 30th, 1960 in London to Peter Evans, then forty-five and the former Marsha Banks, then twenty-seven. She was the younger of two daughters by that marriage."

"That marriage?"

"Marsha's first. Peter's second. He was a widower."

"Really?'

"Yes," Mike Evans said. "Peter Evans was my father by his first marriage. I was born in '41. Dad was flying Spits in the RAF at the time. I had a younger brother and sister - twins born in '43. In late '44 I was visiting my gran in Surrey and my younger brother and sister were in London at home with Mum. It was one of the first V-2 raids. Direct hit on my home. No survivors. Dad was still off at war fighting over Italy at the time and remained in the RAF for years after and I was raised by my Gran. I knew of my half sister, met her only a few times and her older sis too. Haven't seen either since '78. Seems my estranged relations are relevant to this inquiry, much to my surprise."

"So Potter is your?" Grant began.

"Nephew, I guess," Mike Evans finished. "Bit of a shock really."

"Lily Evans was Hogwarts Class of '78," Greengrass continued. "Head Girl, to be exact. She married the head boy from her year, one James Tiberius Potter, born March 27th, 1960 on July 22nd, 1978."

"They were only eighteen?" Grant asked.

Greengrass shrugged. "There was a war on. Lots of folks married young for fear of not marrying at all."

"I see. Continue."

"The two joined the Order of the Phoenix right out of school and they both entered Auror training. Lily resigned from the Auror Corps in December of '79 'cause she was pregnant. James was suspended in May of 1980 for going A.W.O.L. and charged with desertion in September of that year…"

"Why?"

"Records are not clear on that. Word on the magical street was they had been sent into hiding by Dumbledore. No one knows why, but he never intervened in the criminal charge. Maybe they just wanted to have a real life? Many did back then. Hell, that's why I'm MI-5! Bloody Aurors were not allowed to really fight back against the bastards. We were!

"Anyway, the records support the legend to some point. As Auror trainees, the Potters fought Voldemort in person three times between July of '78 and December of '79 and lived to tell the tale for a time. Only one other couple was that - er - fortunate. Harry Potter's parents were killed on October 31st, 1981 at their 'Safe House': 328 High Street, Godrics Hollow. Voldemort offed them himself. Tried to kill Harry, if the legend is true, but disappeared without a trace. Until the magical world forgot about it all a little over a week ago, there was a rumor that Harry had a younger sister. It's true. Clarice Lillian Potter was born July 12th of '81."

"Her status?"

"Alive as well," Michael Evans said. "Seems I have a niece as well."

"I see," Grant said. "Go on."

"Odd thing was," Greengrass said, "where the Potters were killed really. James Potter was the 33rd Earl of Godricston. When his father was murdered by Death Eaters in '78, he became Lord Potter and took over the estates, the largest landed estates in Britain short of the Royal Household itself. Estimate value of their lands is close to a billion. Yet the Safe House was not Potter property. The Potter properties were far better protected. Yet they went there instead."

"The dumb questions now being why and whose property was it?" Grant asked.

"The dumb answers being no one knows why and the property was an unguarded home belonging to one Albus Dumbledore."

"Sounds like a set up to me."

"Indeed it does. Problem is we can't prove it.

"Now, we also checked the local non-magical records. 328 High Street caught fire on October 31st, 1981. The local fire brigade responded. Two bodies were removed from the ruins: a man and a woman. Locals told authorities there were also two babies known to be living there, but no such remains were found."

"So," Grant said. "Seems this Potter is real. He survived the attack in '81. Do we know for certain if he's still alive? If so, where is he and where's he been all this time?"

"The answers to your questions, Sir," Evans began, "is yes, he is still alive. We know where he is and where he's been."

"And," Greengrass added, "the magicals have no clue."

"Tell me," Grant said.

"As you know," Evans said, "this particular inquiry began with the May 28th articles in the magical papers. The articles said that Potter died in a non-magical house fire on or about May 25th which was the result of a gas leak. Two adults also perished in the blaze. We've identified the fire in question as there was only one meeting those parameters within a two day window either side of the 25th. By only one, I mean only one in all of Britain and Ireland."

"Where was it?"

"Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."

"Any reason to believe magic was used?"

"No Sir," Greengrass said. "True, gas fires are the magicals typical explanation for such things, but not in this case."

"How so?"

"The obliviator Squad was never called in, according to our magical law enforcement contacts. Moreover, the Fire Investigator has evidence that the gas lines in the entire area were corroded. Combination of contaminated gas and substandard materials, they say. To date, 267 homes and business in the area are in need of refurbishment. Seems Number 4 was the first to blow, but others were on the verge."

"So it's rotten luck?"

The two agents nodded.

"Metro forensics has identified the remains of the three vics," Evans said handing Grant three photographs. All three looked like police arrest photos.

"The man was Vernon Rubin Dursley, age thirty-eight. He was a senior accounts manager at Grunnings, a factory that makes specialty drill equipment. The woman was Petunia Ethel Dursley, age thirty. She was not employed outside the home. The boy was their son Dudley Wayne Dursley, age seven. Kid has a juvie record. Basically he was a notorious bully and hooligan."

"These police blotter pics?"

Evans nodded. "The Dursleys were on holiday in the Bahamas. They left May 6th. On May 17th, felony warrants were issued for the arrest of the adults. Metro knew they had left the country and the warrants were faxed to our embassy in Nassau. The information was turned over to the Bahamas authorities and the Dursleys were deported on May 22nd. They were arrested in customs at Heathrow and posted bond."

"For what?"

"Aggravated assault on a minor, child abuse and neglect and attempted murder of a minor. Had they lived, they would also have been charged with filing a false missing persons report. While in the Bahamas they reported that there nephew had gone missing."

"Let me guess. Harry Potter?"

Evans nodded. "Petunia Durslsey's maiden name was Evans. She was Lily Evans Potter's older sister - my other half sister. Piece of work, that one."

"Metro thinks the husband was the primary perp. There are medical records indicating that the wife was a victim of physical abuse as well."

"Still!"

Evans nodded.

"And the boy was not with them?"

"No Sir. There was no record of the boy leaving the country."

Grant nodded. "So what's become of him?"

"Now the plot thickens," Evans said. "He was left behind and ordered not to attend school. He attends primary school in Little Whinging. His teachers describe him as their brightest student but he's a bit shy and quiet. He's also a regular at the local public library although there is no evidence that he either has a library card or ever checked out a book. According to the library staff, he goes there to read.

"May 7th, the day after the Dursleys abandoned him for fun in the Bahamas sun, he spent several hours at the library. He left around four thirty or so. According to eye witnesses, while crossing the street in front of the library he collapsed. A family from Essex who were out sight seeing stopped to render assistance. The husband and wife are both Dentists and know first aid. Their eight year old daughter rang emergency services. The family's name is Granger.

"Potter was rushed to local trauma. He had slipped into a coma by the time he arrived. His condition was critical and he was air lifted to St. Bartholomew's in London which is considered better at his kind of cases. He underwent emergency surgery to stabilize his condition. He was then placed in a medically induced coma for about a week as four additional procedures were performed to repair damage. He has since had two other minor procedures."

"What was wrong with him?" Grant asked.

"Left arm broken in two places, both compound factures. Several broken ribs. Internal bleeding and injuries to include a punctured lung. His back was covered with scars and fresh lacerations consistent with repeated whippings. The lacerations had become infected and he was running a very high fever. It also appears that his left leg had been mauled by a dog or some other animal. He was also suffering from acute malnutrition. We interviewed the attending physicians and they agree that it's a miracle he's alive. They said it was the worst case of child abuse they had seen that did not involve a corpse.

"At the time, he had no identification. Officially, he was admitted as a John Doe. He was also discharged as one as well, even though by then his true identity was known to authorities."

"Discharged? When?"

"Saturday. Anyway, despite his John Doe status, Social Services took over his case. An emergency petition for foster care was filed with the court and granted ex parte on May 10th. Metro assigned Detective-Sergeant Gail Nelson to investigate the criminal aspects of his case. By then, a couple had already volunteered to take him on as a foster child."

"Who?"

"The Grangers. The family that had found them. Seems social services already had a file on them as they had adopted their daughter. Their request was fast tracked and they were approved in record time."

"What about these Grangers? Any intel on them?"

Evans nodded handing his boss two files. "The husband is Robert Aaron Granger, born in London March 31, 1943. Went to Public Boarding School then college, Sandhurst, before being commissioned in the Army. Served in the Paras to begin but spent most of his ten years service in the S.A.S. You might have met him, Boss."

"Don't recall."

"He was a Captain with Two-Two S.A.S. in '75. His unit was in on your Oxford raid."

"Small world," Grant said.

"He left the Army not long afterwards. Went to Dental School where he met his wife. They have a practice here in London and live at Number 16 Willow Way, Loughton, Essex."

"The woman is Rose Marie Halloway. She was born October 4th, 1952 in Birmingham. Went to college and then Dental school. The Grangers married in 1977. She had an accident while riding a horse in '69. Suffered severe internal injuries and, among other things, had to have a hysterectomy. Consequently, the Grangers cannot have children of their own.

"They adopted their daughter on September 23rd, 1979 - a Sunday."

"M-Forgery?"

"Obviously," Greegrass said. "According to her Birth Certificate and adoption records, Hermione Jean Granger was born September 19th, 1979 at Hogwarts Hospital."

"I thought that was a magic school."

"It is, Sir. Her birth parents were David Puckle and Erin Ryan, both sixteen at the time and both students at the school. Puckle was a Muggle Born. Ryan was not. They married about two years later, joined the Auror Corps and the Order of the Phoenix. They were murdered by Death Eaters on October 4th, 1981."

"This all seems unusually coincidental, don't you think?" Grant said.

Evans nodded and continued. "The Granger girl attends St. Michaels school here in London. Said to be at the top of her class."

"Two bright ones then?"

Evans nodded. "Hermione started a year early. Harry is so far ahead in his class work he's likely to skip his next year altogether. And there's more," he added pushing a photograph to his boss.

Grant could see five people in the photo. Two were adults and the other three children. "Grangers?" he asked.

"The adults and the girl with the curly hair," Evans replied. "The boy holding her hand it Potter."

"Who's the smaller girl holding Potter's other hand?"

"Her name is Clarice Jameson. She's the Granger's newer foster child."

"Newer?"

Evans nodded. "She was adopted as a baby."

"Let me guess, birth certificate and adoption papers are M-Forges?"

"Birth certificate is, the adoption papers are legit," Greengrass said.

"Anyway," Evans continued, "her adoptive father died from cancer early last year. Her adoptive Mum was a school teacher. On May 23rd, they were driving to school when their car was broadsided by a lorry. Mum was dead at the scene. The girl was injured and sent to St. Bart's. Social Services did something out of character and looked into her background. It turns out, she was born Clarice Lillian Potter on June 12th, 1980. She's the second Potter!"

"And now we have three magicals living with the Grangers?"

Evans nodded.

"And the Grangers?"

"Legit," Greengrass added. "Non-magical."

"Do they know what they have?"

The two agents shrugged.

"I think we need to keep an eye on them," Grant finished, telling his agents what they already knew.