I do not own Harry Potter, it would have much darker if I wrote the franchise.

Hello guys, Badger here. It has been a while since I last updated my stories. I do apologise. My second Uni semester started, delaying writing time and yesterday I went to Comic Con, as my Uni has events there. It delayed this chapter but I was able to meet some Doctor Who actors so I'm not entirely sorry about that.

Anyway, I am glad to see that you lot enjoyed the first chapter and how this story has already massively diverged from the canon and I will say, it will diverge even more as time goes on. That is all I will say for now, read on, enjoy and I will see you at the end.

Chapter 2

A Sorting And An Arrest

Harry wasn't completely sure what to think about Hannah. She was very bubbly and excitable. It was a bit too much at times, but Harry enjoyed her company none the less. After Susan explained things to her, Hannah agreed to help Harry any way she could. As the journey towards Hogwarts continued, the more he felt at ease with the two girls opposite him and felt like they could be true friends. In fact, Harry smiled when Hannah brought it up. As Harry never had friends growing up, because of the Dursleys influence on every part of his life, he agreed immediatley, after he was asked. The journey also gave him time to learn more about Hannah and Susan. They seemed to be total opposites to one another. Even though the two girls had a lot in common, Susan seemed to be the more calm and quiet one, whereas Hannah was aforementioned excitable, loud and eccentric. When they were close to their stop, the three got changed into their school robes. Harry had left the compartment, so they could change first and to give them privacy, slightly embarrassed to do so. Hannah and Susan merely smiled in appreciation and in return, left when they were done, so he could change in private too.

After the train came to a stop, Harry made sure his scar was covered by his hair, not wanting to be noticed, as they left the compartment. There were a lot of students, but thankfully, they were too excited to even look in his direction. Harry made sure he stuck with Hannah and Susan, as he saw Hagrid arrive, holding a lantern so he can see where to go in the dark and asked for new students to follow him to the boats and for returning students to go through the gates, towards the carriages. Harry wondered why new students weren't allowed to go to the carriages, as he felt the air get chillier, as they approached the boat house. Harry was certain he was going to get frostbite with how cold he was getting. He helped Hannah and Susan into the boat, as it was quite rickety, Harry was slightly worried that it was going to break sooner or later. After a moment, Hagrid looked around, to make sure that everyone was in a boat, before he pulled out his umbrella and tapped it against the platform in the boat house three times. This caused a sudden jolt as every boat began to slowly pull away, gently gliding along the water. The boats steadily made their way around a small mountain where Harry saw, lit up by the shine of the moon, Hogwarts Castle standing proud on top of it's own mountain.

Harry couldn't help but look at the castle in awe.

…

Meanwhile, across the country, Amelia Bones stood in a Muggle street, facing 4 Privet Drive. After her visit to Gringotts, Amelia spent some time in the Ministry gathering up a few Aurors to join her to a visit to the Dursleys. She also asked for one of her assistants to look for the records on Sirius Blacks trial, before she left. There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered and she was going to get them.

"So Amelia, how are we going to do this?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked

"I want you and the other Aurors under the disillusionment charm, until I give a signal" Amelia replied "Child abuse towards a magical child could see them in prison for life…however, as much as I doubt they're innocent, we still need some kind of evidence…as I have them talking, I want some aurors searching the house, to find anything that can be used against them in court"

"I'll let the other Aurors know" Kingsley said, before heading to the small group behind him

Amelia merely nodded in response, as she kept her gaze on 4 Privet Drive. She was still curious as to why Harry was placed in the Dursleys care, when James and Lily's will clearly states he shouldn't be. Granted, his godfather was, possibly, falsely imprisoned, his godmother had her mind completely snapped and his grandparents were deceased, but Andromeda Tonks was still a possibility. Thinking of the woman made Amelia think about possibly paying a visit. If Andromeda was listed in the will, there must have been a reason for it. Amelia sighed in frustration. Her visit to Gringotts was just adding more questions onto the bucket load she already has. Placing a hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on, she heard someone approaching. There was no one there, but she knew it was Kingsley again.

"You and the other Aurors ready Kingsley?" She asked

"Yes Amelia" Kingsley's voice replied "All disillusioned and ready when you are"

"Okay then" Amelia said "Make sure you keep your distance and wait for my signal"

Making sure there were no Muggles around, Amelia approached 4 Privet Drive, the disillusioned Aurors not far behind her. Taking a small breath, Amelia rang the doorbell, where the door was soon opened by a thin, unpleasant looking woman.

"Who are you?" She demanded

"Mrs Dursley, I am Amelia Bones, from the Surrey Police Force" Amelia replied, pulling out a fake Muggle Police Badge "I understand that a Harry Potter resides in this house…we have had reports of Harry being a trouble maker in the area and we were wondering if you could give me some information…if your info checks out with these reports, we could see Harry being placed in a Juvenile Detention Center"

"Oh, well please, come on in!" Petunia replied, seemingly delighted at the thought

Amelia gave the woman a fake smile, as she entered the house. Taking a moment to look around, Amelia noted that there were no pictures of Harry, or any kind of evidence that Harry even lived in the building, adding more to her suspicions. Making her way into the living room, Amelia met the woman's obese husband and child. With how thin Harry looked when she met him at the platform and how obese Mrs Dursleys own child was, Amelia made a mental note to have Harry checked for malnourishment.

"Pet, who is this?" Vernon asked, noticing Amelia

"This is Amelia Bones, from the police department" Petunia replied "She wants to know if Harry is a trouble maker…they could see him placed in Juvie, if our reports checkout"

"Oh, well please sit down" Vernon smiled a toothy grin "We have so much to tell"

Amelia smiled, as she sat down. She discreetly put a hand in her pocket, grasping her wand. There was only one way she would get the truth out of these people, and while it was permitted for Aurors to use such spells if it was necessary, Amelia still felt sick in her stomach at the thought of using them. As Vernon opened his mouth to start talking, Amelia quickly removed her wand.

"Imperio!" She said

All three Dursleys went still, as their eyes went cloudy and glazed, the Imperius Curse settling in. Settling in her seat, pocketing her wand, she removed a note pad and an enchanted quill, that didn't need ink to write.

"Okay, Mr Dursley" She said "Tell me, who placed Harry Potter in your care?"

"Albus Dumbledore" Vernon replied, in a monotone voice "We found him on our doorstep one night…we thought about getting rid of him, but a letter told us he needed to stay, for both his and our protection"

"Why did he need to stay for your protection?" Amelia asked, the enchanted quill taking notes as they spoke

"Dumbledore didn't explain" Petunia replied "He just said it was necessary"

"Why did you think about getting rid of him?" Amelia asked, choosing to move on, but knew she was going to have to speak to Albus Dumbledore as soon as she could, seeing as he placed Harry in their care

"Because he is a freak!" Vernon spat "All of his kind are…good for nothing, worthless freaks…we didn't want him here, so we treated him the way all freaks should be treated"

"And how is he treated?"

"Poorly" Vernon replied "I make sure he is beaten at least once every day…he gets extra beatings, if he shows his freakishness, he doesn't get his chores finished on time or if he fails to obey our instructions, sometimes I get my son to help me beat the freak…if he continues to fail our instructions, I whip his back with my belt, the boy still has the scars"

Amelia's hand clenched into a fist, her knuckles going white. Even though she was expecting some kind of abuse to be happening, hearing Vernon spout everything to her, made her blood boil. Even her enchanted quill seemed to be angry, with the way it was irritably scribbling words on the note pad. Harry was treated worse then a House-Elf…and Dumbledore was indirectly responsible, for having Harry placed in their care. The old man better have a reason for placing Harry in this place. As much as she wanted to wrap this meeting up now, she still had one more question to ask.

"I understand that Harry is incredibly thin" She said "Is he well fed?"

"He is fed, what we believe he deserves to be fed" Petunia replied "Stale bread and a glass of water"

With nothing else to say, Amelia stood up and undid the Imperius Curse, watching as the Dursleys vision cleared and shook their heads, feeling disorientated.

"Thank you Mr Dursley, Mrs Dursley" She said, looking through her notepad "With what you've told me, you could be locked up for more then 20 years, for the abuse you've put Harry through"

"What!" Petunia screeched "We have done nothing of the kind…how dare you accuse us of such things!"

"Oh, I dare" Amelia replied, removing her wand and placing the three under a body bind "Especially when you told me yourself"

"You're…YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE FREAKS!" Vernon yelled, practically foaming at the mouth, as he struggled to free himself from the ropes "DID OUR FREAK NEPHEW SEND YOU, I'LL KILL THE BRAT WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!"

"You will do nothing of the kind!" Amelia growled, her glare burning holes in Vernon's forehead, as she placed them under a silencing charm "Your nephew did not send me after you, but after today, I'm certain he will never see you again…Kingsley, have you found anything?"

"Oh, we've found something alright, Amelia" Kingsley responded, where he and five Aurors disillusioned themselves, revealing themselves to the Dursleys "You may want to take a look for yourself"

Amelia followed Kingsley to the hallway, where he led her to a cupboard under the stairs. Amelia looked inside and was horrified by what she saw: the cupboard itself was full of cobwebs, spiders, mould and other disgusting stains. In the cramped space, was an old worn down bed and blanket, which was also covered in mould, as well as old blood stains. Amelia was disgusted and approached the Dursleys, releasing them from the silencing charm.

"Explain the cupboard!" She growled, her calm demeanour all but shattered by this point

"That is where the freak sleeps" Petunia spat "Its all he deserves…he is instructed to stay there, when he has finished his chores, because we don't want others to see his freakishness!"

"I think I've heard enough!" Amelia said, stunning the three Dursleys "Kingsley have these three placed in a Ministry holding cell, I will need to inform the Minister, so a trial can be placed"

"Of course Amelia" Kingsley bowed, before he and the other Aurors took the Dursleys and apparated out of the building

Amelia stayed behind for a moment, to try and calm herself. She had expected there to be cases of child abuse and neglect, but what she found was so much worse then she had first thought. It was possible that the son could be redeemable, but she imagined Vernon and Petunia could be locked up for the rest of their lives because of this. Bad enough that Harry is a magical child, but with Harry being the heir and last of the Potters, one of the most ancient and noble House of Potter, their punishment could be worse then life in prison. After taking a few more calming breaths, Amelia also apparated out of the building, to the Ministry.

…

Harry followed the rest of the First Year students, into the Great Hall. After arriving at the castle, Hagrid handed them over to a stern woman, who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall. She led the students to the Great Hall, where the students stopped in front of a stool, where a lone hat was sat. McGonagall held out her hand, where a scroll appeared in her hand and she picked up the hat.

"Now, I am going to call each of you up to the stool, one by one" She said, unrolling the scroll "I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be sorted into your Houses, starting with…Hannah Abbot"

Harry watched, as Hannah sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head. A few moments of silence passed, before the sorting hat yelled out 'Hufflepuff' and Hannah happily approached the Hufflepuff table, her tie and lapels of her robes changing to the yellow of the House colour, the crest of Hufflepuff also replacing the Hogwarts crest on the right side of her robe. Harry watched as more and more students went up, each one heading into different houses, with Susan also going into Hufflepuff where, after several moments:

"Harry Potter"

Harry felt nervous, as people began to whisper, when he approached the stool. He sat down and almost flinched when the hat was placed on his head. Harry felt a strange feeling in his head, before he heard a voice.

"Hmm…interesting" It said "Very interesting indeed…you have an intriguing mind Mr Potter"

"Are you…are you talking to me?" Harry thought

"Correct Mr Potter, I am the Sorting Hat" The voice replied "My job is to go through a students mind, and place them in the House I believe they fit in most…something tells me you would do well in Ravenclaw, you have great intelligence but you choose to dumb yourself down out of fear…don't worry, I won't tell anyone…you could also do well in Slytherin, as you have a great ambition to prove yourself to others…hmm…what do you think Mr Potter…I do take a students choice into account…if you could go anywhere, which House would you like to belong to"

"H…Hufflepuff" Harry replied after a moment "I want to be with my new friends"

"Ah yes" The Sorting Hat said "Understandable…for so long you have been alone, I can see why you would want to stick with those you already have a sense of loyalty too…you have Helga in a rant, wanting you in her House, with how loyal you already feel to those you now call friends…fair enough Mr Potter…I see your requests and so, I welcome you to….HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table cheered and clapped in both excitement and surprise that the Boy-Who-Lived was in their House. The Gryffindor Table seemed quite upset too. Harry approached the table and sat next to Susan, who had moved slightly, so he had a space to sit in. Harry smiled at her, before he started to shake hands with others on the table, with each student making him feel welcome. Harry felt like he was in a place where he truly belonged.

…

Cornelius Fudge sat at his desk, reading through different reports on his desk. As much as he enjoyed being Minister of Magic, his job was never over. There was always an issue that needed to be sorted. Thankfully his paper work was interrupted, when there was a knock on his door.

"Enter" He said, putting the papers to one side, where Amelia Bones entered "Miss Bones, what a pleasant surprise, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I am here to request a trial on a Muggle family Minister" Amelia replied "I have them in a holding cell and I would like the trial to be as soon as possible"

"That is a surprise" Cornelius replied, slightly shocked "What has this Muggle family done?"

"Child abuse and neglect towards a Magical child" Amelia replied

Cornelius felt his blood boil at what she told him. One thing Cornelius hated was child abuse. It didn't matter if the child was magical or muggle. It made him rage every time.

"Well, I grant your request" He said "May I ask, who is the child in question?"

"Harry Potter" Amelia replied, handing him the notes from earlier "This is what they admitted to, but something tells me there is more they haven't said"

Cornelius had to take calming breaths as he read through the notes she had given him. Bad enough that they had abused a magical child, but the fact they were abusing Harry Potter, saviour of the Wizarding World, the Boy-Who-Lived, people were going to demand for the muggles heads to roll.

"Thank you for bringing this to me Amelia" He said "I will see when I can get a trial set and I will inform you of the date"

"Thank you Minister" Amelia bowed, before leaving his office and made her way back to her own

Amelia chose not to tell him about Sirius, just yet. It was still unclear if the man was innocent or guilty, though she had a suspicion it was the former. When she arrived at her office, the Auror who she tasked with finding records of Sirius Blacks trial was waiting for her.

"Madam Bones" He greeted

"Auror Smith" Amelia responded "Have you found anything?"

"I looked through all the records three times over" Smith said "I couldn't find any record of Black's trial, it seems he was just thrown into Azkaban as soon as he was captured by Aurors"

"Dear Merlin!" Amelia muttered, things were just getting worse and worse "Thank you Auror Smith, that will be all"

Smith nodded and left her office, as Amelia sat at her desk, placing her head in her hands. She was hoping things would be simple, but she should have known that it wouldn't be. It never was. Amelia sighed, before she grabbed her quill and some parchment. She needed to send a letter to Susan. With all the abuse Harry must of gone through, she could only imagine what psychological effects it has had on him and, if she trusted anyone to look after him during his time at Hogwarts, it would be Susan. After the Dursleys trial, Amelia was going to have Harry checked by a Healer, to see what kind of damage needed to fixed.

…

That is chapter 2 done. What did you guys think?

Before anyone asks, one thing that will be focused on is Harry's character development in the story. Due to his abuse by the Dursleys, he's quite mentally scarred, so he may seem weak and dependent on others, but as the story goes on we'll see him grow and become stronger. I must warn you though, it will be slow progress, as abuse and trauma isn't something you recover from overnight, some people don't recover from at all, so I don't want any reviews in the future saying how Harry is still weak or something like that.

That is all for now. I hope you enjoyed and I will see you next time.

Badger Out