Vernon and Petunia Dursley of number four Privet Drive used to be able to say they were perfectly normal. It was something they took great pride in. Then Petunia's sister, the one neither ever spoke about, was killed along with her wastrel of a husband, landing Vernon and Petunia with their son. They just knew the boy would be just as abnormal, just as freakish as his parents, so they needed to teach him to be normal and did their best to do just that by his chores and the occasional-at least in their eyes-mild discipline. They had taught the boy a schedule to keep so their meals were always on the table on time, and their house stayed clean.
That morning the schedule was put behind. When Petunia woke up, she took her usual time getting dressed for the day before going to the kitchen to have her customary cup of tea that the boy was supposed to have waiting for her as he cooked breakfast for Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley. As she entered the kitchen, she immediately saw something was wrong.
There was no cup of tea waiting on the table for her, and the boy wasn't cooking breakfast. Angry, she stormed over to the door of the cupboard under the stairs and knocked loudly.
"Get up! Your uncle will be down for breakfast soon and nothing is ready!"
Not hearing anything from inside the cupboard, Petunia yanked open the door, only to find it empty. Furious, she went into the kitchen to begin breakfast so Vernon wouldn't be behind schedule, all the while trying to decide what she would do when she found the boy. Although, she couldn't rightly remember seeing the boy the night before, either. Vernon had gotten a small raise at work, so had taken his family, which for him was Petunia and Dudley, out to dinner to celebrate, and she remembered locking the cupboard door before they left to make sure the boy didn't wander around the house bothering their things. She had assumed the boy was in the cupboard, and didn't bother to look.
She heard Vernon coming down the stairs and started to go to the door to bring in the daily paper-something else the boy should have done, lazy, worthless freak, she thought to herself-when she was startled by someone knocking. Opening the door, she saw an officer and someone in a suit. She sensed Vernon coming up behind her, and tried to smile in a slightly curious, but still friendly manner.
"Is there something I can help you gentlemen with? I'm afraid you've just come at breakfast, and my husband will need to leave for work soon."
"Yes ma'am, I am Constable Peter Jones and this is Stephan Carlisle with the DfE. We received a report yesterday about a child who had been harmed. May we come in?"
"Well I don't know who would have reported anything like that; Vernon and I would never hurt our little Dudley! Please come in," she said quickly, hoping to keep the neighbors from seeing.
After entering the house, the two men glanced around as Petunia hurriedly shut the door. Tugging on her skirt in a nervous gesture, she looked toward Vernon. A few moments later, Dudley clambered down the steps, stopping once to jump a couple of times on one of the steps before coming down the rest of the steps into the small foyer.
"This is our little Dudley, and as you can see, he's not harmed in any way!"
"Ma'am, I haven't even asked any questions as yet. You are Mr. and Mrs. Vernon and Petunia Dursley, correct?" Constable Jones asked.
"We are," Vernon blustered, face turning a slight red, "but as my wife just said, our son isn't harmed."
"We actually aren't here about your son, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. It is in regard to another child. You have a nephew that lives with you, do you not?" Mr. Carlisle asked.
"Is the freak in trouble? Mummy and Daddy said that the next time he got in trouble, he wouldn't be allowed to eat for a month, since a week never worked. Is he in trouble?" Dudley asked hopefully.
"I never said he was in trouble young man, but what do you mean that someone wasn't 'allowed' to eat?" Mr. Carlisle asked.
"You will not question my son without my permission!" Vernon shouted, face going a dark red.
"Mr. Dursley, as part of our investigation, I am allowed to ask questions of any child who may have witnessed or been a victim of harm, with or without his or her parents' permission. The fact you don't want him questioned suggests to me that someone has something to hide. Now if you like, Constable Jones can escort you and your wife into another room while I speak to your son, or you can both be quiet and remain in the room. I also find it telling that you haven't yet asked the name of the child who was harmed, since I've already said it wasn't your son. Shall I ask the Constable to escort you to another room?" Mr. Carlisle asked.
After a glance between Vernon and Petunia, both shook their heads and Mr. Carlisle smiled at Dudley.
"Now, can you tell me what you meant when you said that about someone not being allowed to eat?" he asked again.
"Oh, when the freak is bad or in trouble, Mummy and Daddy says he isn't to be allowed to have meals. Sometimes just for a day or two, sometimes for a week. But last time they said the freak wouldn't be allowed meals for a month if he got in trouble again. Is he in trouble?"
"Who is this boy you keep calling 'freak', Dudley? You were taught that it isn't nice to call someone names, right?"
"Mummy and Daddy call him that all the time, but sometimes Daddy calls him 'boy' too. He came to live here a long time ago, and he's my cousin, Mummy said. In school they call him Harry Potter, though."
"I see. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, I'll need to speak to your nephew as well please."
"I haven't seen him this morning yet," Petunia said quietly.
"Well then would you call him please?" Mr. Carlisle asked, well aware of where Harry Potter was at that moment thanks to Kyle Stanton's phone call.
"He could still be sleeping, Pet," Vernon said, becoming nervous.
"Not to worry, I can wake him, and the questions won't take long. Where is his room?" asked Constable Jones. He noted that Petunia's eyes quickly darted toward a small cupboard door under the stairs.
"I'm sorry, but as I said, you came just at breakfast, and I need to go to the kitchen. I've left things on the stove," Petunia said, looking at both men before beginning to walk to the kitchen. She didn't notice one of the broken toys that had fallen when she opened the door earlier and lodged in the door when she tried to close it. She started to stumble when her shoe caught on the toy and the door opened to around an inch. She made a grab for the door to catch herself, and inadvertently dislodged the piece of paper that had been taped inside the door. Both men watched as it fluttered to the floor, 'Harry's Room' clearly written on it in a childish scrawl.
"Mrs. Dursley, the Constable will accompany you to the kitchen so you may shut off the stove. You are then to come back in this room and sit down. Mr. Dursley, you may wish to contact your employer, because if I open that door and find what I think I will based on that piece of paper and what's written on it, you won't be going in to work today," Mr. Carlisle said in a low tone.
Vernon and Petunia looked at each other before doing as Mr. Carlisle had suggested. It looked as though their days of being perfectly normal had ended. They were taken outside after completing their tasks, as Mr. Carlisle almost retched after opening the door of the cupboard. They were each restrained, handcuffed, and given their arrest warnings for suspicion of child abuse and neglect, with probable further charges pending after the investigation completed. Petunia was especially hysterical on being told Dudley would be placed in foster care. Both Vernon and Petunia were thinking the same thing.
This is all that little freak's fault.
OOO
Two hours later, a short message was delivered to Kyle Stanton, along with an envelope marked 'Photographs: Do Not Bend'.
Evidence against your client's soon-to-be FORMER guardians. Both of us have an appointment with the magistrate for an emergency hearing in two hours. Young Harry may need to be there, so it would be best if you found a way to contact him.
Stephan Carlisle
Kyle nodded to himself, mentally checking off another item from his 'help Harry' to do list, and made a Floo call to Lord Arcturus Black. If he had judged the man correctly, Arcturus would definitely want to be at the hearing.
Ten Minutes Later
Lord Arcturus Black walked into the library where he found Harry reading a copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard. He smiled as he remembered reading that very book to his son Orion, and later his grandsons Sirius and Regulus. He cleared his throat to catch the boy's attention.
"Is it time for lunch already, sir?" Harry asked, setting the book aside after placing a ribbon between the pages.
"No, Mr. Potter, it isn't, however I would like to ask you to go and get cleaned up. Your friend and solicitor Mr. Stanton has just contacted me and informed me that there will be a hearing in just under two hours. The magistrate will likely wish to speak to you as well, so it is important that you be there."
"Am I in trouble, sir? I don't remember doing anything wrong."
"Mr. Potter, I believe if you were the one in trouble, Mr. Stanton would have mentioned it when he contacted me. Please go get cleaned up."
"Yes sir."
As he watched Harry leave the library, he thought it was a very good thing there were laws about muggle baiting, or he would be sorely tempted to exact a bit of retribution for the way Harry had been treated.