Harry is sent to live with the Dursleys. How strong is a mother's love?
Remember Gellert and Bathilda's international connections in this fic? They will return to haunt the pair over the well-being of a certain young wizard.
1982
1st January 1982
Dear Grindelwald-sama
I trust you are well and still on this side of the veil. I have been hearing whispers in the palm fronds and the sea breeze about events halfway across the world in Albion.
I have left my teaching post at Mahoutokoro to get married to my former student Tot-chan. We also left Japan to settle down in the Hawaiian Islands after finding out Tot-chan's father is a local wizarding chieftain here. The usual story – post-war fling between some GI and a local witch, he gets sent home, she leaves the kid with the mountain goblins until she got back on her feet… Sadly, Tot-chan's mom had a fatal run-in with a train and the goblins booted him out of their cave at age seven hoping the Ministry would take over. Dropped through the cracks. Since Tot-chan's old man has no other kids or nephews, Tot-chan's been made his heir to his clan's magic or Manna as they call it here.
We now run his father's B&B on the islands after the old chief retired. To our regret, part-tanuki and part-kitsune unions are not good for children. We are looking at adopting a worthy youngster to succeed us. We were just considering if we might offer our humble abode for a certain orphan who might grow up to be one of the most powerful wizards of his age. We can even do his magical education at home between my teaching experience at Mahoutokoro and Tot-chan's tutelage under the goblins. You see, there is a long tradition of kitsune and goblins adopting or fostering humans in Japan.
Will you be able to bring up this matter with your better half please? We tried writing in to the ICW, but no reply yet. Also, when you two get round to marrying?
Wishing you a happy new year
Yukiko Ohana
P.S. I still cannot get enough of watching my bare-chested Tot-chan perform the traditional war-dance for our dinner guests. Especially that short war-kilt. Yummy…
Spring 1982
Dear Yuki-chan
The owl post was late due to snow. Sorry for the tardy reply and late new year greetings.
You always did have a taste for younger men. Good to hear you have not been tossed off that island for dark magic. As much as I would like to invite you to a wedding, it will never happen, ever. As for adopting that child, I regret that it seems unlikely to happen – unless you are planning on straight-up kidnapping him. Thanks to some secret prophecy, the Brits might want to keep him on their home soil, even if the fertile island earth of Hawaii might be just what is the lad needs to grow up into a fierce warrior-wizard to rival some whey-faced Dark Lord.
Be ridiculously happy for the rest of your days for my sake.
Grindelwald
P.S. Lucky you, at least your chosen companion does not embarrass you regularly on the front page with his poor fashion sense.
2nd April 1982
Dear Gellert
Will you care to explain why I am being inundated by letters offering to adopt Harry from as far as Russia and Hawaii? It seems that the Koldovstoretz faculty have offered to house Harry year-round in their unplottable village under the guardianship of a part-Veela and a Rusalka, both of whom I understand are friends of your grandaunt. Then the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest have also been nosing about taking an interest in the child's well-being. I have told Hagrid off for being over chatty, but centaurs were never one to involve themselves in human matters since the classical era.
For the last time, Harry is not being abused in any way or form. Someone is out to turn me into the bad guy here. I do hope you are not involved in this. Look, family is what the boy needs to grow up safely after the sacrifice his mother made. We just want him to have a normal childhood. I am not sending him to live in the forest with the centaurs or shipping him overseas.
Utterly annoyed
Albus
Spring 1982
Dear Albus
You are doing a wonderful job being the bad guy without my interference here. Harry will hate you if he grows up and finds you are the wizard responsible for his crappy childhood. I do believe leaving a very young child alone for hours on end in a closet is not normal, unless that is what you grew up with. Or beating a baby about the head. The protections you refer to apply only to a specific threat – Voldemort. It will not do squat if baby Potter gets his skull cracked open or starved to death in the loving bosom of his magic-hating Muggle relations. About the centaurs and the kitsunes – let me remind you that these magical beings have raised heroes and wizards in their time. Sure, some of the traditional methods can be dubious- like stealing one's dinner, but they mostly turned out well.
As to Yuki-chan, she has likely turned over a new leaf (we can only hope) and kitsunes can be protective mothers if they put their minds to it. I can vouch that she can be a very no-nonsense type under all the mischief. They do train their kits to survive in the wilds. If you are afraid the Potter kid will grow up into a brat, that would not happen. She would have him do age-specific chores about the house like any regular child and instil the necessary discipline in him. Add to that her hubby's access to ancient Hawaiian family magics, I will not be surprised if they can render their island unplottable if they so choose. As to the part-Veela and Rusalka, you will have to ask Auntie Bathilda as they are her friends. I do understand the Veela's also a Runemaster and a wards expert. It would have to mean something if both are professors of Koldovstoretz.
Get off your pouncy high horse. Even your idiot brother would do a better job raising a magical child than Lily's magic-hating sister.
Equally annoyed
Gellert Grindelwald
10th April 1982
Dear Gellie
Albus is being a stubborn fool again with his belief in blood wards and family protections where poor Harry is concerned. From what I can see and hear of the Muggles in question, they hate Harry and cannot wait to be rid of him. If I can be certain Volodymyr and Ruslana would not be stopped by the Ministry from leaving the country, I would have invited them over to take the kid home to Koldie. I mean, it takes a village to raise a child and they have an unplottable village of magical and Muggle folk there. No one will care much about his parents, you-know-who or pester him about them. He would just be another orphan among many there in the care of old Mother Koldie's kibbutz.
Leaving the poor lad locked up at home while they go out for the day indeed. They left him bawling for hours. If something unfortunate happens to his aunt and uncle, who will get custody next? I do not want to waste hours on a curse and then getting all mucky crawling under their family car to make it stick, only to have the boy sent off to a Muggle orphanage.
XXXX
Your Auntie Bathilda
Spring 1982
Dear Auntie
Are you sure you were not trained in Durmstrang, or in Hogwarts' Slytherin House at the very least? You surprise me with your cunning. My knowledge of wizarding law might be out of date but as far as I recall, magical children should not end up in the custody of Muggles or squibs unless they are proven squibs. That was the law since the 16th century, and I doubt they have changed it yet. The way Dumbledore is playing it, he would probably dump the child on some very confused distant cousin of the late Lily Evans Potter. Poor boy will have no idea of his parentage at all. In normal circumstances, Harry should be placed with his godparents. I understand the most likely candidate for his guardian is conveniently in Azkaban and likely half- insane from Dementor exposure.
Do sit tight and stay out of trouble. You do have an idea who is keeping an eye on the family for Albus, don't you? If the boy does a runner, have that someone inform you to pick him up. I will not mind if he takes up residence with a centaur herd in the Forbidden Forest or in Godric's Hollow.
Proud to be your nephew
Gellert Grindelwald
31st July 1982
Dear Tante Giselle
I have been referred to you by a friend of a friend. My baby boy has been sentenced to Azkaban for life for torturing the Longbottoms into insanity! I cannot bear it! Barty is not a bad, only misguided. He is barely of age. I am sure he was not involved with the torture of the two Aurors, even if he was with those Death Eaters and took their mark. My husband was in a bit of a pickle as a Ministry man and being so outspoken against the Dark Lord. I have tried to plead with my husband to no avail. He even disowned our son in court! My baby boy must be suffering so.
However, I recently learnt from the healers that I am terminally ill. I want to try one last time for my son's freedom. I know my husband cannot reverse the Council's judgement now, but perhaps with some Polyjuice… this old witch might be able to trade a few weeks of discomfort for my son's freedom. How can I persuade my husband to listen this time? I will need his help to allow me to see my son in Azkaban.
Mrs C
Summer 1982
Dear Madame
As a matter of principle, I have little fondness for Aurors. However, wanton use of torture is frowned upon. There is no purpose served if the recipient of said torture is rendered insane and unable to learn from their mistakes or provide much needed information. Moreover, a wizard is of age at seventeen and your son seems to have tossed in his lot with those Death Eaters. In all honesty, I have little sympathy for your son. Yet I can empathize with your pain. A mother's love knows no bounds, does it?
The question now is whether your sacrifice to give your son his freedom will serve any purpose for him. Is he repentant and willing to atone for his past misdeeds? If he persists in the error of his ways, there is a strong likelihood he would come to a far worse end than Azkaban. Please do not delude yourself about the man as his mother. I will leave this judgement to you as mother should know best.
The next step is convincing your husband to go along with the scheme. I do hope you are still on cordial terms. Perhaps an appeal to his sentimental side to soften him up a bit. Tea in the café where you used to go when dating? Serving up his favourite dessert after dinner? Hold the terminal illness bad news first before springing it on him with the tears and pleading. Do show some restraint here as overdoing it may backfire.
Good luck with your Barty.
GG
Author's Notes:
Grindelwald is unknowingly setting the stage for the Goblet of Fire with his advice to Mrs Crouch.
It will be quite a while before Harry gets his Hogwarts letter in 1991. Ten years of complaints to Albus about the Dursleys. Oh, imagine if Harry did not end up with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon but with some other family. A Hawaiian island or Russian kibbutz-raised Harry? Yes, I have decided to go with the kibbutz idea for the village linked to Koldovstoretz. Or tutored by centaurs – ref classical Greek heroes.