A matter of Law

5

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Albus Dumbledore could barely summon a twinkle to his eye as he read the latest report from Arabella Figg, whom he had convinced to move near the home of Harry Potter's relatives. He sighed, and read the report again.

They really don't care about the boy Albus. I see him all the time outside doing the most awkward things for chores. He's only a little boy, and so far this summer they've made him cut their grass, tend to the garden-and not once have I noticed he had gloves to protect his hands-and painting the shutters around the windows of the house. Every time he asks for water to drink while doing it, that woman screeches at him that water is too expensive to waste on him, and to finish whatever he's doing quickly. And he really is too small for his age; the clothes they give him to wear just hang on him.

Folding the report, he wrote a quick reply to Mrs. Figg, thanking her for the information. He was sure she was simply misunderstanding the situation. Petunia would care for the boy, surely. He was her sister's son, after all. That made him Petunia's family, and family always looked after family. Thanks to the blood wards, he was also better protected there than anywhere else. It was imperative he stay with Petunia and her family. Arabella was imagining things as usual. Harry would be just fine; a little hardship built character for many. He refolded the report and slipped it into a folder containing other, similar reports. No, Harry Potter had to stay where he was, at all cost.

It was for the Greater Good, after all.

Kyle walked into his office, and went to his assistant's desk. He had quite a to do list in order to help Harry Potter, so he needed to get started.

"Deborah, can you see if Brian Greengrass is available? I need to speak with him if possible."

"I can find out for you. Did you want him to come here, you go to his office, or speak by Floo?"

"I'd prefer he come here, Deborah. It's best I have the files at hand when we talk."

"Yes, Mr. Stanton," she replied, as Kyle walked into the inner office to his desk.

A short time later, the senior partner of the firm, Brian Greengrass, stepped into his office. The look on his face was one of mild curiosity.

"Deborah told me you needed to speak to me, Kyle? Is it to do with something for a client?"

"Yes and no. I'd better begin with the day I moved to my new house. The neighbor next door, which I saw through the window in response to his shouting, was shaking a child, so I knocked on the door to distract him by introducing myself," he paused, gathering his thoughts, and then continued when Brian nodded.

"When the man introduced himself, the names of himself and his wife sounded familiar, so I asked Deborah to see if they had been involved in, or had been a client for any of our cases. There was only one mention of their names; in the client file for James and Lily Potter, specifically their Last Wills and Testaments. I was able to have the wills unobscured at Gringotts, as the Ministry copy had been sealed by Albus Dumbledore-and mind you, the folder for the sealed will at the Ministry was lacking the official seals of the Minister, or the Wizengamot. There wasn't even an official seal from the ICW on the folder, which is why I went to Gringotts, as they should also have a copy. The Potter Account Manager was able to remove the obscurity spell, and we both skimmed through our copies. I was going under the assumption the child I'd seen might be the lost Potter heir, so I concentrated on the guardianship clauses of the wills. In the event of their deaths, James and Lily Potter stated their son was to be placed with their son's oath-bound Godfather, Sirius Black. As Sirius Black is directly mentioned by the Potter wills, Gringotts was able to tell me that the only information they have ever received about Sirius Black as it relates to this situation, is the date he was incarcerated in Azkaban, and his prisoner number. His personal accounts remain active."

"That doesn't add up at all. They should have also been provided with a transcript of the trial so they could freeze his account until his release. Are you thinking Black never had a trial at all?" Brian asked, intrigued.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. I need to concentrate on representing the Potter heir-and I was able to confirm the child I saw is named Harry Potter-so it might create a conflict of interest if I attempted to look into the circumstances surrounding Sirius Black and his incarceration. Could you-," he began, and was cut off.

"I'll look into the Black situation. As Arcturus is still living, he's Head of House Black, so I'll approach him initially about this. If he has a copy of the trial transcript, fine, and I'll ask for permission to copy it as it relates to a client of ours for another case. If he doesn't, I'll offer to represent Sirius in order to get him his trial, and hopefully Arcturus will put us on retainer for the case. I can't see any Head of House being willing to allow an Heir to remain incarcerated in prison if it isn't deserved."

"Thank you Brian, I appreciate this. There is still one question that is bothering me about all of this."

"What question is that?"

"How does Albus Dumbledore fit into all of this, and does he have a motive? He was the one that sealed the wills, and as Chief Warlock, he should have pushed to allow Sirius Black his day in court, yet to all appearances, Black was simply tossed in a cell and forgotten."

"Interesting question and certainly something to keep in mind during investigation for these cases. I can write Arcturus and ask for a time to meet, so we can get that part started. Were there any other concerns?"

"Those were the most immediate. Thank you, Brian."

With a nod of acknowledgement, the senior partner left Kyle's office.

During the next few hours, Kyle dealt with paperwork for other cases, hoping to get everything to a point that spending several days on gathering information to help Harry wouldn't jeopardize anything he was doing for someone else. Harry was important, yes, but the people who came to the firm for help deserved to know they were being well represented. It was almost four when an inter-office memo landed on his desk.

Appointment to speak with Arcturus Black scheduled for tomorrow.

I hope you know what you're doing.

Brian Greengrass

Reading the short message, Kyle mentally ticked off another item from his to do list. He wished Brian luck in dealing with Arcturus; based on reputation alone, he was set in his ways and uncompromising when family was involved.

Harry Potter sighed, and surreptitiously tried to stretch his arms and shoulders while washing the few dishes he'd needed to use while preparing dinner. Uncle Vernon hadn't been at all pleased when he'd disappeared for a few hours the other day. And of course, Dudley had made sure to throw a tantrum because he 'didn't get to play his favorite game', so he was in trouble for not letting Dudley beat him up as well. Uncle Vernon had been angry enough to throw Harry backward after shaking him, hard enough that his back had slammed into the small door frame surrounding the cupboard where he slept. Now his back and arms both were sore, making it hard to move easily.

He hoped Mr. Stanton could help him the way he'd said he helped other kids. He didn't like being blamed for everything, whether or not it was his fault. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair.

But at least now there was an adult who said that they believed him, so maybe, just for a little while, it would be okay to hope it was going to stop soon.