Uncle Vernon was still ranting about Harry ruining Dudley’s birthday party the next day, despite the fact that he hadn’t even been there for most of it. That was the best part, Harry thought. 

Unfortunately for his uncle, Harry had a warmth in his chest that no amount of lashes of his belt, nor going hungry after being locked in the cupboard overnight without dinner, could diminish. 

Ethan and Amelia had requested that he call them by their first names, which had taken him a while to get used to, but it was nice. They’d bought him lunch and even a dessert, any type that he had wanted, which Hermione insisted that they share with each other, which meant that they had to feed each other apparently. Harry blushed, remembering when she had reached over with a finger to remove a drop of fudge that he’d gotten on his cheek. Her parents had just sat there with happy smiles on their faces, watching them. 

He still couldn’t believe how great a day yesterday was, and towards the end Hermione and Harry had been holding hands, and neither one had even realised it at first. They’d spent most of the few hours that they’d had together talking about the magical community and all that Hermione had learned from her reading. Harry could listen to her talk about anything for hours. 

Harry’s smile wouldn’t leave him, even when his uncle muttered under his breath, or yelled at him to quit smiling, that it was unnatural. He hardly even noticed the bacon splatters burning his hands as he cooked the Dursleys’ breakfast. 

His reminiscing of yesterday was interrupted by a knock on the front door, all three Dursleys instantly turning to look at him. 

“Well. Go see who it is, boy. Don’t keep them waiting!” Uncle Vernon ordered, gesturing in the general direction of the front of the house. 

Harry sighed and turned the stove down to a simmer, before making his way towards the unexpected visitors at the door. 

Opening the door, Harry stepped back in shock at the weirdest person he’d ever seen. A grizzled old man, with an eyepatch over one eye, a wooden leg, literal chunks missing from his flesh, and scars crisscrossing every part of his body that Harry could see. It took him a moment to realise that there was a woman standing beside him, looking at him with a concerned expression on her face that she was trying to hide behind a professional smile. 

Harry looked between the pair, not knowing which to address, “Ahh, hello? Can I help you?”

He noticed that they both gave his scar a glance before either of them answered. After a moment's pause, the woman stepped forward slightly and cleared her throat. 

“Good morning, Mr. Potter, my name is Andromeda Tonks, you can call me Andi, and this is Alastor Moody. We’re here on Ministry business, may we come in?”

Harry relaxed a little bit, their names told him that they were decent people. He gave her a puzzled look. “What ministry?”

It was Andi’s turn to look puzzled. “The Ministry of Magic of course.” 

She answered like it was obvious, and that everyone should know about it. It did answer some of Harry’s questions, but also gave him new ones. 

Harry cringed as Uncle Vernon yelled at him from the kitchen. By the sounds of it though, he was moving closer, “Boy! Who was at the door? What did they want?”

Coming up with several different options and rejecting them all, Harry began panicking; Uncle Vernon was most definitely not going to like this turn of events. 

Alastor, seeing his indecision, strode forward, pulling out a long walking stick from underneath his dark cloak. “Right, I’m inviting myself in, that alright with you, Potter?” He growled in a gravelly voice that was, nonetheless, surprisingly soft. 

Harry nodded his head, quickly stepping out of the way of the strange man. Andi sighed, pulling out a stick-like item into her hand, Harry recognising it as a wand. Hermione had told him all about it, she’d been dying to try out spells with hers. 

“Who the bloody hell are you?!” he heard his uncle roar from nearby. Yelling and screaming ensued for a moment then silence fell after dull thud reverberated through the house. Harry felt some kind of tingling sensation pass through him, and he could’ve sworn that he’d seen a ripple in the air as it passed. 

“Enough, Dursley. Sit and be a good little bull, won’t you? That’s a good man,” Harry heard Moody say, in an almost jovial tone of voice. It came across even more menacing. 

As Harry followed Andi through the hallways, he could hear muffled complaints from the Dursleys. Stepping into the living room, he saw all three of his relatives tied up on the couches with their mouths covered in cloth and Alastor Moody looming over them, despite leaning on his wooden cane with both hands. 

“You alright there, Potter? Didn’t mean to just barge in, but I thought it best that I take care of the rodents first, before we have our little chat. Not that we need one, mind you. I can see the cage they keep you in. Sorry, kept you in, we’re getting you out of here, regardless of whatever Dumbledore says.” 

Andi sighed, looking over at the Dursleys then Moody with a disapproving frown on her face. “Just because they’re muggles doesn’t mean you should treat them like this.”

Moody shrugged, before pointing at Uncle Vernon, “You didn’t see, but this great big idiot tried to attack me. No idea whether or not the other two are as stupid as he is, but I decided to err on the side of caution and tie them up too. Constant Vigilance.”

“Right. Well, we’ve got a job to do, where is this cupboard under the stairs that is apparently your bedroom, Harry?” Andi said, turning towards him with an eyebrow raised in question. 

Harry stared at her in shock, and a little fear. No one was supposed to know about that. He wondered how they knew for a moment before the answer came to him. Magic. Of course it was magic. Even if he hadn’t seen it directly, he knew that Moody had used magic, he had felt it, and they’d even said that they had come from the Ministry of Magic. Which sounded pretty official to him. 

“Over there,” Moody growled, pointing towards where Harry’s cupboard was before Harry himself could answer. 

Sighing, Harry followed Andi, resigned to whatever punishment he’d get after they left him all alone here with the Dursleys again. 

Andi’s face was grim when she saw his room for the first time, and she became even more distressed when she saw the lock on the outside. “You live here? How often do they lock you in?”

Harry winced, wringing his hands nervously. “Umm, most nights?” 

“How could anyone do this to another living being? How could Dumbledore allow this to happen?” Harry felt a pressure push against him as Andi’s eyes narrowed and her face set into an angry scowl, her hand gripping her wand tight enough it had turned white. Harry cringed, worried she was angry at him. 

After a moment, the pressure he felt from Andi decreased, her shoulders losing tension as she relaxed a little bit, seemingly coming to a decision. “Right, this isn’t on. No one is going to be allowed to live like this under my watch. Pack your things, you’re coming home with me.”

Harry stood staring at her in shock, he hadn’t really considered the possibility of someone rescuing him. He secretly feared that he wouldn’t even get a letter to Hogwarts like Hermione had. “What?”

“I said, pack your things. You can’t stay here another minute. I won’t allow it.”

“Err… ok,” Harry replied in a daze, unable to believe that it was happening, that he was finally being rescued. He felt pressure in his chest as his heart pounded erratically. Harry quickly grabbed the meagre possessions that he’d wished to keep, his glasses certainly, but he was already wearing those. His most precious being the little piece of paper that Hermione had written her phone number on to give to him. 

In a very short amount of time later, Harry was following Andi back out to the living room, where the Dursleys and Moody were eyeing each other distrustfully. 

Moody turned to look at them as they approached, “Dumbledore won’t approve,” he said, shaking his head. 

“I don’t care what Dumbledore would approve of. This is absolutely no way to raise a child,” She pointed towards Dudley, shaking her head. “Just look at how horribly they’re treating this boy as well. If he wasn’t a muggle, I’d rescue him too.” 

Dudley shrank in on himself, or tried to, he was rather large. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia attempting to hide him from her view with their bodies. 

“Come on, let’s go, Harry,” Andi sighed, turning away from his family. “We’ve done enough damage here. I’ll give you a thorough medical examination back home. Got everything?”

Harry nodded his head, giddy with disbelief. Was this really, actually happening? 

Andi gave his laughable pile of possession’s he was keeping a withering look, before she strolled out. Harry glanced at Moody, then the Dursleys, “Well… bye then,” he said, waving at the only family he had ever known, for hopefully the last time. He wouldn’t miss them. 

Without glancing back, nor acknowledging the fact that the Dursleys didn’t even bother replying, Harry followed after Andi. He was vaguely aware of Moody growling some kind of threat at the Dursleys, but didn’t have enough presence of mind to pay attention. He was feeling lightheaded, his palms were sweaty and it felt like his heart was trying to push itself out of his chest, it was beating so hard. 

Stepping outside of the house, for probably the last time, Harry felt light, almost as if he was about to float away. 

He saw Andi glance at him with concern, “Are you okay, Harry? You’re looking rather flushed.” 

He quickly nodded his head, regretting it as the world spun a little bit as a dizzy spell struck him. Black spots prickly the sides of his vision. 

Suddenly, Andi was in front of him, one hand on his shoulder to help steady him. “It’s okay. Just breath, nice and slow. Listen to my voice and breath when I tell you to, can you do that?” Her voice was soft and calm, helping to soothe his racing heart. 

Harry nodded slowly, breathing in and out as she told him to, finally after doing the exercise for a minute or so, he could feel the panic attack receding. 

Andi gently patted his shoulder, the same one that she had been helping to steady him with. “There, how are you feeling now?” 

He nodded once more, “Better, thank you for that.”

She gave him a warm smile, “You’re welcome, Harry,” Andi turned to Moody who had come out while Harry was having his panic attack. “Please inform Amelia that I’ve taken Harry Potter home with me and I intend on having him live with us until the first term of Hogwarts starts.”

Moody shook his head, opening his mouth to reply, but before he could, Andi spoke again, “For the last time. I. Don’t. Care. What Dumblelore thinks. End of story. Harry is coming home with me. That is, if he doesn’t want to stay here?” she finished, looking at him questioningly. 

Harry quickly shook his head, “Anywhere but here. Please.”

Andi smiled with a nod at him, it brightened her whole face. “That settles it. Report back to Amelia, Alastor, let her know what we found.”

Alastor Moody sighed, looking between Andi and Harry with a resigned expression. “You’re right, of course. He can’t stay here. I’m feeling guilty thinking about it myself. Well… I’ll be off then, but not before you two go, I want to know that you leave here safely.” Moody nodded to the pair of them and moved back a few steps, before stopping and looking at Harry with a stern look. “By the way, Potter, you really should be more careful about who you trust. Here you are, leaving your family with two complete strangers. We could be anyone, especially when there is magic involved.”

Harry just smiled softly at him. “I knew you two were good people by your names.”

Moody’s face twitched into something resembling a kind smile. “You must be a good judge of character to figure me out so quickly.”

Blushing at the compliment, Harry replied meekly, “I like to think I am. Thank you for your kindness… and your advice.”

Moody nodded again, his face once again a stern expression. Andi stared at him for a moment, as if trying to puzzle something out, before shrugging slightly. 

“Alright, Harry. Take my hand. We’re going to apparate home. It will feel strange at first, you might even be sick afterwards, but that’s okay. That’s normal. Understand?”

Andi waited until Harry nodded, taking her hand. 

“Okay, good. We’re off, see you around, Moody.”

Harry had just a moment to glance back at Moody one more time, before he felt a gentle pressure all over his body at once as the world vanished. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, just not something he’d experienced before. Warmth seemed to radiate all around him in the endless second it took for them to apparate. 

With a gunfire sounding crack, the world reappeared suddenly, completely different to where he had just been standing. They were standing just outside of the front porch of a nice, but modest, house. 

“How are you feeling, Harry?” Andi asked, a warm hand on his shoulder. 

He shrugged. “I feel fine? It felt weird but not bad.”

His rescuer was looking at him with a puzzled frown. “Huh, well, you’ve got to be the first person that I’ve met that didn’t experience any bad side effects for their first apparation.”

Harry shrugged again, smiling slightly. Apparently even among freaks, he was weird. And for the first time, it didn’t bother him. 

~~~