Amelia's office door flew open as Fudge pushed his way past her assistant.

"Why are Potter's relatives locked up in our holding cells?" He demanded.

"Hello Minister. Please come in, have a seat. What can I do for you today?" Amelia answered as if Fudge hadn't just barged in. Her calm reply seemed to throw him off his stride.

"Now see here Amelia, I don't have time for your games. I just received a report that Potter's muggle relatives are in our holding cells? On your orders! What is the meaning of this?" He continued trying to find his footing.

"Well Minister, as you know, there was an incident last night involving Mr. Potter and one of his relatives. I thought it prudent to check on things myself since it involved Harry Potter. We wouldn't want it to be said that we didn't do our due diligence for such an important citizen. However, while I was at Mr. Potter's residence I discovered signs of abuse that I was going to take to the DCW." At that Fudge's face paled and he found his way to the pre-offered chair.

"If you only suspect abuse why were they brought in? You could be wrong and Potter will rain fiendfyre down on us! The media will have a field day when this gets out." Fudge said, his voice tight with stress.

"I brought them in because I found the evidence I needed. Cornelius, they kept him locked up in a cupboard under the stairs. They kept a child in a small broom cupboard when they had two extra rooms available for him to use. It would be bad enough if it was just used as punishment but that was his room. They took the wizarding world's savior and stuffed him into a cupboard like an unwanted house elf. And that is just the tip of the iceberg." Amelia told him in a cool voice.

"The question now Minister isn't why are Potter's relatives locked up but why wasn't it done sooner? When the media finds out they are going to want to know how this could have happened to the Boy-who-lived? How could the Ministry have allowed this to happen?" She continued giving Fudge a questioning look.

The thought of blame seemed to jar him out of his stupor "But it wasn't my fault! This is all Millicent Bagnold and Dumbledore's fault! They were the ones who decided to put Potter with those muggles. Everything was decided before I came into office." He exclaimed.

"That might have been an acceptable excuse when you first took office. However, you just started your fourth year in office and I doubt the public will understand why you still feel powerless against the former Minister and Dumbledore." Amelia followed with judgement in her voice.

Shaking his head, Fudge began to stand up. "I need to speak to my advisors before this gets out."

"If by advisors you mean Malfoy or Dumbledore I would advise against that." Her statement stopping him from walking away.

"Why would I not talk to them Amelia? Lucius always knows how to handle the media and Dumbledore is a part of this mess. He has to know what is happening." He questioned.

"I know I am not one of your usual advisors Minister but I hope you will at least listen to my advice." That seemed to catch Fudge's attention. Amelia Bones wasn't very political but she was highly respected and had maneuvered her way to Head of the DMLE without much opposition. She may not be his first choice but her advice might be useful.

"Of course Amelia, I would appreciate any advice you have to give on this matter."

"If it were me Minister, I would head over to the DCW and talk to Glenda. I would confirm if Harry Potter had been checked on, who did it, and what their reports say. I would then get ahead of this and figure out who is next in line to take in Mr. Potter. Then make very sure that these people are fit to take him in. You know if this gets out before custody has been transferred people will be crawling out of the woodworks trying to get him. Some with good intentions but many will be looking to use him and unfortunately some will see this as an opportunity to get revenge for He-who-must-not-be-named. Either way, it will be a mess that the Ministry will get dragged into."

Fudge was glad he had stayed to listen. He was right about her. Amelia wasn't actively political but she sure knew her way around it. "Thank you Amelia, I think I will do just that."

"I would also suggest you plug up any leaks and make it clear that no one is to talk about the Potter case. That will give you as much time as possible before the media gets wind of this. I would then launch an investigation into how Harry Potter ended up with those people in the first place. That way, when the media does come knocking, you will have answers for them and can point the blame at the proper parties. Those parties might involve Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy."

He could see why she stopped him. He would have to weigh throwing Dumbledore under the broom against their future relations. However, he wasn't sure what Lucius could have to do with this.

"I understand Dumbledore's part in this but what did Lucius do?" He asked.

"I'm not sure Minister, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I would look into everything and get a clear picture of who was involved before I asked for advice. Lucius Malfoy has had his hand in many important decisions over the years. Who knows what he may or maynot have known." Amelia finished with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes" He nodded. "Yes, you make a good point. I shall hold off on speaking to others about the case until I know what happened and who was involved. I guess I will have my hands full over the next few days. If you will excuse me Amelia, I had better get to it." He stood up again and walked towards the door. Pausing he asked "Would you be available to discuss the situation once I learn more?"

Under normal circumstances Amelia would have discouraged him from knocking on her door for advice, but she didn't trust him to do right by Harry Potter without proper guidance. "Of course Minister, and I will keep you updated on Mr. Potter's relatives."

"Thank you." He said as he walked out of the office.

Once alone in her office Amelia thought over the events of the last 48 hours. From the mysterious letter that brought Potter's relative to her notice, to the balloon incident, then finding that disgusting cupboard and arresting those muggles, and now she had Fudge coming to her for advice. The Potter case seemed to be on the fast track and she hoped that it was a good thing.

Checking her watch, she calculated she had enough time to go over one more report before her scheduled interrogation with Potter's relatives. She had been so mad last night she had bound the aunt in ropes and stunned her husband before storming out into the yard and calling for backup. She had sworn the arriving aurors to secrecy under their auror oaths, told them to have Marge Dursley look after the son when he came home, and carted the muggles off to a holding cell.

She explained why they were there and their rights as muggles before leaving. She then left strict instructions for them to be left alone. As in, don't fix the aunt's nose that had been bleeding after she face planted when Amelia bound her in ropes. Don't revive the husband and don't bring them any food until she gave them the go ahead.

Now that she had had time to calm down she would sit in on their interrogation and get every last detail about their abuse on the record. Then she would make sure charges were brought against them and they faced the maximum penalties.

I got my Ministry info from HP wiki.

In the next chapter we will finally get to check in with Harry.

Story Rec: Laughing All the Way to London by AppoApples