Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Additionally, there are refences to canon abuse of authority and child abandonment. Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: There's no real crossover elements in this particular fic, but in my heart, this is a sequel to my fic Through the Hedge, where Rowena adopted Harini.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Quidditch League (Post S10); Hogwarts 2.0 (Term 01); RAVEN (2023); MC4A (Fa-Y6)
Individual Challenges: Quaffles (Y); Bludgers (Y); Pet Food; Vegetable Broth; Gift Wrapped; Colors of the Sky; Gryffindor MC; Slytherin MC; Sandbox (Y); Reader; Cinematic; Tiny Terror; Tossed Chum [x2]; Elder Berries [x2]; Short Jog; Bucket Listing; Eating Cake (Y); Exchange (Y); Greatest Gift; Green Ribbon; Two Cakes (Y); Salt Wrench; Outer; Lunar Era; Rainbow Connection; Hold the Mayo
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Assignment: Term 01-02
Subject [Task (Prompt)]: Horology [Task#3: Write about losing track of something (time; person; etc.)]
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Gather [Barbarian (Battlerager)](Fury)
Post Season QL Challenges: Bingo [E5](Privet Drive)
RAVEN Challenges: Colors [62](Hickory); Items [22](Cake Pop); Settings [32](Club Meeting)
Other MC4A Challenges: FaB [3C](Fence); Set [3A](Sunny); Chim [Wintervine]("Bonfire Hearts" – James Blunt; Turned Left Instead AU; Race Bend); Hunt [Fa WD (Amputee); Fa Set (Sunset); Fa Con (Sandwich); Fa Items (Jacket/Coat)]; Fire [x3](World View); Garden [Aya's Redux Blend (Prosthetic); Aya's Blend (HPverse); Hats (Yelling/Shouting); Bargain Beans (Lavender); Rainbow (Yellow); Yard Tools (Cucumber Sandwich)]; Harvest [Characters (Vain); Descriptions (Lavender); Fandoms (Multi-Media Fandom; HPverse); Items (Jacket; Sandwich); Ships (Club); Settings (Quiet; Sunset); Tropes (A-Plus X)]; Hang [Phrase1](n/a); Soup [N](Nag)
Representation(s): Albus Dumbledore; Alastor Moody; Petunia Dursley & Dudley Dursley; Bridge Club Interrupted
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Casper's Blood; Hot Apple; Turtle-Duck; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Persistence Still; Middle Name; Mother Hen; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; Lovely Coconuts; Lyre Liar; Muck & Slime; Rock of Ages); Chorus (Pear-Shaped; Wabi Sabi; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Delicious Lie; Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; A Long Dog; Larger than Life; Wind Beneath; Abandoned Ship; In the Trench; Surprise!); Demo 1 (Under the Bridge; Where Angels Fear; Easy Zephyr; Over the Hills); Demo 2 (Sitting Hummingbird; Some Beach; Getting On; Hot Stuff; Sailor Delight; Gingersnap; Saucy Buns; Tootsies)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Toad); SN (Rail; Negate); O3 (Oath); War (Monomania; Sanctuary; Ennui); TY (Ntaiv; Kulonbozo; Enfant); Mea (Ennui; Rampant)
Word Count: 1444 words

(^^)
Through Neglect
(^^)

Albus Dumbledore had a plan for everything. He was meticulous. He had to be, or else the world would fall into chaos. Albus had already learned the hard lesson of how fallible emotions were. It was only right that he used the trust that the wizarding world had in him to coax it in the correct direction for the Greater Good. Without his hand to guide it, who knew what would happen to the wizarding world?

He was careful not to let his ego drive him as it had his beloved Gellert. Thus he refused the suggestion that he become the Minister of Magic. Besides, the minister was an elected position and could be removed easily by simply losing a ministry vote. The Chief Warlock position was considered a lifetime appointment unless a super majority of the entire Wizengamot and Ministry voted no confidence. It was much more secure from the whims of the magical populace. Removing a headmaster of Hogwarts was even harder, requiring a unanimous vote of all twelve of the school governors to even start an inquiry into a headmaster's decisions and policies and death to do more than sanction one. Supreme Mugwump was an unexpected boon that had been thrusted upon him despite his rejection decades before.

Between his three major positions, Albus had very little free time. Yet he still managed to carefully cultivate a network that kept him informed of important details that allowed him to keep his machinations on track. That network had also helped him maneuver Voldemort where he was needed.

Not that there hadn't been a few mishaps over the years.

Albus had not expected the Black heir and the Potter heir to become such fast friends during their first time on the Hogwarts Express. Nor had he expected that they would adopt Albus' pet project. Fortunately, it took very little manipulation to have the three befriend their easily-swayed dormmate over the more strong-willed Shacklebolt heir.

He was not as successful steering James Potter towards more appropriate targets than the fiery muggleborn wild card of Lily Evans. Fortunately, the witch seemed to fall more or less in line with Albus' plans, at least more so than young Sirius Black who remained rebellious even as he started a career as a warlock with the ministry. It was a pity that Albus had had to remove the boy from the board in order to ensure his control over the prophecy child. He just couldn't risk Sirius challenging where he had sent the girl.

Albus was just returning from a trip into Hogsmeade to have tea with his brother when he spotted Alastor Moody beside a large boulder on the side of the road. The hickory color of his leather duster made him blend into the trees just behind him. He was half leaning on the boulder, no doubt to take the pressure off of his peg leg. Albus could certainly understand the need. His own knees were already aching from the walk back from the Hog's Head.

"Hello, Alastor," he greeted as he came to a stop near his old friend. Alastor's expression did not waver in its stern grimness. Albus didn't let that bother him. Alastor was always mercurial in his moods and halfway to explosion. "How are you? It's been a while since we last had a chance to catch up."

"We have a problem," Alastor announced without returning the greeting. His fake eye swirled as it kept watch on their surroundings. "Figg returned from her trip. The girl is missing."

"Perhaps Arabella is mistak—"

"No," Alastor interrupted. "I checked myself. The girl isn't there."

Albus frowned. He disliked it when people acted without his advice. It always made things more complicated than they needed to be. Though he did suppose that it could be forgiven this time, if what Alastor was claiming was true. Unfortunately, there was only one option for verification that had the discretion required.

Which was how Albus found himself walking down the sidewalk from where Privet Court met Privet Drive towards a specific one of the identical houses that lined Privet Drive. Number Four Privet Drive was home to Mr. and Mrs. Dursley (two perfectly normal people) and their son Dudley (who was perfectly normal as well). Nearly eight years ago, he and a few of his trusted colleagues had left a sleeping toddler on the doorstep of this home.

That toddler was none other than Harini Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived.

She was also the niece of Mrs. Petunia Dursley, who was the only surviving relative of Harini's mother. The two sisters could not have been more different, both in personality and appearance. But the biggest difference of all was that while Petunia was perfectly normal, Lily had magic. Harini had inherited that magic, of course, and not just from Lily either.

It was that magic which had saved Harini's life when Voldemort had tried to kill her.

It was that magic which made Harini important for the fate of the world.

It was why Albus had to make sure that the girl was where he had left all those years ago.

He knocked on the sunshine yellow door. As he waited for someone to answer, Albus looked out towards the sky above the nearby trees. The blue sky was darkening as the sun headed towards the horizon. It would be dark soon. Hopefully, he would have finished his business here before that started. He turned back around at the sound of the door opening.

It was a rather rotund boy with straw blond hair. He wore a smart suit made out of a dark brown tweed. He had a burnt orange bowtie and some kind of cake ball on a stick in one hand. An unctuous smile covered his face. It slipped off as he looked at Albus from head to toe and back again. Albus resisted the urge to straighten his lavender robes.

"Hello, my boy," Albus greeted, bending slightly at the waist. "Is your mother home? I need to speak with her."

"Mummy is busy," Dudley answered. "Her bridge club is here. You'll have to come back later."

"Who's there, Diddy-kins?" Petunia called as she appeared in the doorway to the dining room. Her pale face got even paler when she spotted Albus. "You can't be here."

"Ah, there you are, my dear," Albus said as he moved past the boy. Petunia's hand on the doorframe tightened. "I only need a moment of your time."

"Petunia," called a voice just before a woman appeared in the doorway to the kitchen holding a small plate with cucumber sandwiches. She had the kind of red hair that was only possible from artificial source. It clashed horribly with the neon pink garden dress that she was wearing. Her brown eyes flicked between the three people. "Are you going to be long? It's your turn."

"I'll be right there, Lisbeth," Petunia answered. Her voice trembled with barely restrained emotion. "I just need to see this man out."

"Easy enough," Albus agreed. He folded his hands in front of his waist. "I just need to know where your niece is."

"Oh, Harini?" Lisbeth said, coming farther into the hallway. Her voice held a conspiring tone as she continued. "She ran off months ago. No one has seen or heard from her since."

"Lisbeth," Petunia hissed, "go back to the others. I'll be right there."

"Of course," Lisbeth said sweetly before disappearing again. Petunia's blue eyes were burning as she turned back towards Albus.

"You need to leave," Petunia commanded. She rushed to pull her son away from the front door. She ended up between the boy and Albus. "You heard Lisbeth. The girl isn't here and hasn't bothered us for months! So there's no reason for you to nag us about her any more than you already had by dropping that ungrateful brat here in the first place!"

"My dear girl—"

"No!" she interrupted. She shoved at his chest, making him stagger backwards in shock. He came to a stop on the porch. "I'm done! My family is done! The girl is gone, and if she ever comes back, I'll do what I should have done in the first place: send her to the nearest orphanage!"

With that, she slammed the door.

Albus fumed silently at the blatant disrespect as he made his way back to the apparation point. He would need to deal with Petunia's attitude at a later date. Right then, it was not the most pressing matter on his agenda.

He had to find where the girl had wandered off to before she fell into the wrong hands.