I'm the wrong age, gender, and nationality to be JK Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter, dammit.

A/N: Hello again, it's time for another chapter!

A/N 2: SinceCharlie Weasley is going to be one of the main characters, people have been asking me the ages of the Weasleys. In this story, on the date of November 2, 1981, Charlie is 19 and Bill is 20. And before you ask, that still has James Potter as Head Boy in 1978 and Bill Weasley as Head Boy in 1979 (I checked the dates with HP Wiki). I'm going to have all the other Weasley kids be the same age as canon. This may seem strange, since there will be 14 years between Charlie and Percy, but I know quite a few families that have large gaps of time between children, my own childhood family included.

Chapter 5 – Dursleys

Excerpt – The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven, pg. 387

Memory Charm

The Memory Charm was created by Mnemone Radford in 1625 shortly after the Statute of Secrecy was enacted in order to better protect our way of life. The charm, also known as the Forgetfulness Charm, is a spell that is used to erase memories from an individual's mind. The incantation for this charm is Obliviate and the wand movement is a small circle with a flick toward the subject. This charm is different from the charm that is used to create false memories.

Memory Charms are generally intended to erase a specific memory. They are regularly used on muggles if they happened to witness something relating to the Wizarding World. The Ministry of Magic has teams of Obliviators that remove the memories of the events, such as if a muggle sees a dragon. Occasionally, mass use of Memory Charms is necessary to cover up major incidents that violate the Statute of Secrecy, such as the Ilfracombe Incident. Some muggles often slip through the cracks in these situations, according to Blenheim Stalk in his book, Muggles Who Notice.

When particularly intense memories need to be erased, it often leaves the subject dizzy and disoriented for a short period of time. However, they recover quickly with no aftereffects other than a mild headache. However, if a Memory Charm is performed improperly, it can erase significant portions of a person's memory and can cause brain damage, with difficulty in recovery.

Miranda Goshawk – The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven

o0o0o0o

As Charlie walked back to the living area of the cavern, he absently flicked his wand and banished the chalk circle he made, leaving the cavern floor pristine. Young Henry giggled as he tried reaching for his wand, but pouted when Charlie flicked it back into his wrist holster. Charlie smiled as he bounced him on his hip.

"None of that sad face, little man! You'll be getting your own wand in no time at all!" Charlie's attitude was infectious and had Henry giggling along with him. Rashikira watched their interaction with twinkling, amused eyes and knew that Arlen would be happy here. After getting Henry settled into his playpen, Charlie turned to the white dragon with a puzzled look on his face.

:Is there something wrong, Charlie?:

"No...well, yeah, there might be something wrong. I mean, there's nothing wrong with the ritual we just did and I have no regrets that we did it, but what are we going to do about the people who might be searching for Henry? You've read Dumbledore's letter, some of the Dark Lord's followers might be looking for revenge, and I'm pretty sure that Dumbledore himself will want to know where Henry is once he finds out that he was dropped off in the woods! I know already that casual observers just pass the place by, but do you think the protections on this cavern will keep anyone who's determined to search for Henry from finding him?"

Charlie was at first exasperated and even a little angry when Rashikira's rumbling laughter filled the cavern. However, the longer she laughed, the more reassured Charlie became until he was chuckling along with her.

:You must remember, Charlie, that I've been living here for a very long time, much longer than before you and I first met. And in all that time no one, and I mean NO ONE, no matter if it was muggle, wizard, or dragon have ever been able to find this cavern unless I invited them in here! Trust me, we're completely safe here:

Nodding, Charlie agreed with Rashikira that Henry wouldn't be found unless and until they themselves wanted to reveal him to the world.

o0o0o0o

Several hours earlier...

In one of the tallest towers of a castle in Scotland, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore stretched and yawned as he got out of bed just as the light of dawn peeked through the curtains of his bedroom window. Since he got just a few hours of sleep, he downed a pepper-up potion to help keep his energy levels going after a very long night. Setting the empty vial on his desk, he sighed as steam came from his ears and shivered slightly when he felt the potion's effects going to work on his exhausted body. He knew there was a price to be paid later, but for now there was just too much work to be done before he had a chance to properly rest. After performing his morning ablutions and walking the short distance to his office, he started to work on the endless stacks of paperwork that were his responsibility since he held three of some of the highest offices in the Wizarding World. However, he was distracted from this chore when several of the devices on the bookshelf behind him began to warble and whistle. He paled, dropping the quill and paperwork on his desk and turned his attention fully to the silver devices to find out just what their alarms truly meant.

"NO! There can't be anything wrong with the protections I cast on Privet Drive! Nobody meaning any harm to young Harry should have been able to find him! Just what does this mean?" Albus temporized to himself. Running to the fireplace and grabbing a handful of floo powder, he threw it into the flames and when they turned green he called out, "Arabella Figg!" He had to wait for a few minutes and was about to call out again when he saw her sleepily coming into the living room.

"Albus? Is there something wrong? Why are you calling so early in the morning?" she said as she gave a huge yawn.

"Arabella, this is very important! Is there anything going on at Harry's house that seems suspicious?" Albus asked anxiously.

"Suspicious? Why would anything be suspicious, Albus? You've only had me in this house for less than a day to keep tabs on young Harry and you're saying that something has already gone wrong? Just what is happening Albus?" Arabella shrieked with rising panic in her voice.

"Please calm yourself, Arabella" Albus replied in a calm tone that he absolutely did not feel himself. "I'm sure it's nothing to get excited about. It's just that some of the instruments that I've set up to monitor young Harry have been giving off some strange signals and I was checking to see if you've heard anything from where you are."

"No, everything is quiet in the neighborhood, Albus." Arabella frowned as she remembered something else that Albus said. "You had monitors on young Harry that you could check on him from Hogwarts? Just what is the purpose of me being close to where he lives if you could tell what is going on with him from the safety of your office?" she said with a little heat.

"Arabella" Albus sighed. "I cannot emphasize enough the importance of young Harry's safety. Yes, I had instruments that monitored him, but I also needed someone that I trusted close to where he lived that could check up on him and give me progress reports from time to time. I cannot do that with the devices I have. Please trust me when I say that you are NOT a redundant component when it comes to Harry's safety!"

Mollified, Arabella however was still concerned with the reason that Albus called in the first place.

"Thank you for your confidence, Albus, but I still say that the neighborhood is completely quiet. Are you sure your instruments are working correctly?"

Dumbledore turned his head away from the fireplace to look at the instruments on the shelf still blaring their alarms.

"I'm fairly sure they are working correctly but do you mind if I come through so I can go to Number 4 myself and check to see whether or not if it is a false alarm?" he asked hopefully.

"By all means, Albus, come on through" Arabella replied as she stepped back from the fireplace.

Albus stood back up with a little painful creaking of his joints. Grabbing a bit more floo powder so its magic would enlarge the fireplace and allow him to travel through, he threw it into the green flames and repeated, "Arabella Figg". Stepping into the magic flames, he twisted through the floo system until he arrived at his destination. Stepping out of the fireplace, he absently waved his wand over his robes to banish the soot and ash that clung to his robes and hair. Waving his wand again, he transfigured his garish robes for an outfit that he believed would help him fit in better in a muggle neighborhood, but unfortunately for him, turned out to be just as outlandish as his regular robes. Straightening the lapels of his bright purple overcoat, he turned to Arabella and twinkled his eyes at her.

"Well? How do I look?" he asked in a hopeful tone.

Arabella didn't have the heart to tell him that he looked like a caricature of an early 1970's pimp, and a very bad, very...exaggerated one at that. "You look...err...fine, Albus. Just...umm...fine."

Albus beamed brightly at her. "Excellent! Then I'll get going and let you get on with what you were doing earlier. Good day, Arabella." He stepped around her and made his way to the door. Just as he was reaching for the handle, Arabella stepped in front of him.

"Albus, you seriously aren't thinking of going out into public wearing...that... are you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Albus looked down at what he was wearing and then back into the eyes of the woman standing before him.

"I most certainly am! You yourself said that my outfit looked 'fine'. Isn't this considered high-fashion in the muggle world?" he asked with all seriousness.

"Albus, when was the last time you actually went out into the muggle world and interacted with them?"

"You know that just as well as I do, Arabella. After all, it was just last night when I dropped Harry off at his aunt's house."

"Yes, yes, I know that! But did you actually talk with them and interact with them?"

"Of course not! I do know about complying with the Statute of Secrecy! I let them know about what was going on with young Harry in a letter I tucked into his basket and didn't have to come into contact with them at all." Albus answered as if he was proud of himself.

Arabella pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off the headache she felt coming on. "You mean to tell me that you just dropped Harry on their front doorstep and the only thing that explained his presence to them was written in a letter?" Albus flinched involuntarily as the last word came out in an angry hiss.

"Arabella, I can assure you..."

"NO! You will NOT gloss this over with your assurances, Albus! These are muggles we're talking about, and a simple letter is NOT sufficient enough to explain just what they are supposed to do with young Harry! Now, you are going to change the colors of what you are wearing, even though the style is a little outdated, and you are going to go and explain to the Dursleys PERSONALLY that they are entrusted with Harry's care!" Even though she was a squib without an ounce of magical power to her name, Albus quailed under her stern gaze.

"Um, what colors should I use on my outfit?" he asked meekly.

"Basic black for the suit and shoes, red for the tie, and white for the shirt."

"But...but, those colors are so...boring!" he whined.

"Just do it, Albus!" she snapped.

He sighed, waved his wand, and changed the colors of his outfit to conform to Arabella's wishes. She looked him over, nodded once, then stepped aside and opened the door. Keeping as much dignity as he could, Albus nodded back to her, walked out onto the sidewalk, and then made his way down the street to Number 4 Privet Drive.

Albus was all alone as he turned the corner onto Privet Drive as it was still quite early. When he was halfway down the block and Number 4 came into his view, he activated his Mage Sight to check the status of the wards he set around the house. He stumbled slightly in shock when the result of his Sight showed absolutely no wards active around the house!

"That's not right! I should be able to at least see a flicker of the wards even if Petunia hasn't taken Harry into her home! Just what does this mean?" he thought with growing alarm. He picked up his pace and almost ran to the front door of Number 4. Slowing to a walk just before he reached it and taking a deep breath to gather himself and reign in his chaotic emotions, he reached up to the brass knocker and rapped on the door five times. He could hear someone inside exclaiming something unintelligible, then steps coming closer to the door, then stopping just on the other side of the door. Instead of opening the door, Petunia decided to interrogate their visitor while the door remained closed.

"Who is it?" He voice sounded very irritated. It was followed immediately by another snapped question. "What do you want?"

Albus cleared his throat. "Ah, Mrs Dursley. We haven't formally met, but my name is Albus Percival Wulric Brian Dumbledore and I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts." He purposely did not mention that Hogwarts was a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, not while he was standing outside their door where the neighbors could quite possibly overhear him speaking. "I was hoping to speak with you about your nephew. Can I come inside where we could be more comfortable? I'm sure this would only take a few moments." There was a few moments delay as it seemed Petunia was weighing her options of keeping the door closed and hoping the old, strange wizard would just go away, or opening the door and getting the discussion over and done with. After hearing three sets of latches clicking, the door was thrown open with Petunia standing as close to the wall as she could get. She had a pinched look on her face as she wordlessly gestured for him to come inside.

"Ah, yes, thank you, thank you very much, Petunia. I can call you Petunia, can I? Yes, that would be for the best. Now, do you think we could have a spot of tea while we discuss young Harry?" Petunia brushed past him without acknowledging him or answering his questions. She reached the kitchen counter and whirled to face him with her arms crossed.

"No, you can't have any tea and no, I do not give you leave to call me Petunia!" she snapped angrily. "Now, I brought you inside so the neighbors won't see you standing outside my door and gossiping about things that aren't any of their business. However, I did NOT invite you into my home to socialize or for you to treat us like we're some of your freak students from your freak school! In other words, say what you want to say without any of your flowery rhetoric and then GET OUT! We want NOTHING to do with you and your world of freaks!"

Albus flinched, actually flinched at the vehemence he heard in Petunia's voice. He was beginning to have doubts that this was the right place to leave Harry, but first he needed to find out just what was making his instruments that were monitoring the boy sound off their alarms.

"Yes, well...um...Pet-" Seeing the glare in her eyes, he quickly corrected himself. "My apologies, I meant to say, Mrs Dursley, I was wondering how young Harry is doing? May I please see him?"

"The freak's not here!" Vernon interrupted from the dining room table.

"Excuse me?" Albus turned to look at him.

"You heard me, the freak's not here! We're a nice, normal family and want nothing to do with freaks and those...things...they do!" Vernon at first tried to be intimidating, but was quickly losing his composure as the aura from the powerful wizard started making the atmosphere in the small house stifling.

"And just where is Harry, may I ask?" Vernon missed the dangerous tone in the old wizard's question, but Petunia didn't. She tried catching Vernon's eye and shaking her head, but Vernon's attention was totally focused on Dumbledore.

"We got rid of it, that's what we did! Dropped it off far enough away that it will NEVER make its way back here!" Vernon seemed slightly proud of what he did and tried intimidating the wizard in front of him by staring in his eyes. Albus's rage became a palpable thing as he read Vernon's surface thoughts.

"YOU..left a..CHILD..in the middle of the..WOODS! HOW COULD YOU? WHAT KIND OF HEARTLESS MONSTER ARE YOU? What did young Harry Potter ever do to you that would make you do such an evil and cruel thing?" Albus's eyes were almost glowing and his limbs were shaking in his anger, however, Vernon was just as angry, although for a much different reason.

"How did you kn...YOU USED YOUR FREAKISHNESS ON ME TO READ MY MIND! How DARE you! GET OUT! GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Vernon tried using his larger bulk to force the wizard from his house, but was thrown back onto the couch and bound with ropes that materialized out of nothing. He looked up in shock and saw that the freak had his little stick out and was pointing it at him. He never even saw him draw the blasted thing!

"VERNON!" Petunia cried as she ran to the sofa and tried pulling on the ropes to try and free her husband. Albus scowled at the pair as he holstered his wand.

"I do apologize Mr Dursley for doing a passive scan on your thoughts, but it's absolutely imperative that I find Harry and bring him back here safely. Thanks to your thoughts about where you dropped him off, I now know exactly where to go. I shall return shortly." He then turned on his heel and disappeared with a small 'pop'.

Albus reappeared with another 'pop' in the place where Vernon left baby Harry. Looking around quickly to make sure no one saw him, he then turned to the tree where Vernon placed the basket with the child inside, only to be shocked to see that nothing was there! Searching around to see if maybe an animal dragged the basket and boy away, he was both relieved and puzzled when he didn't find a trace of either. His relief was obvious, the boy was most likely still alive, but he was perplexed by the thought of who or what could have taken him. Drawing his wand, he waved a complex pattern in the air around himself while murmuring obscure charms under his breath. After several tries and several different spells, he now knew that something magical was here earlier and cast some very good spells to erase their presence. However, he was frustrated that it was only the tiniest of traces that he couldn't do a thing with it. He now was certain that something or someone magical had taken young Harry with them, hoping with all his heart that it was someone with good intentions. Hopefully, he could find whoever it was and get them to return young Harry to the custody of the Dursley's. After all, they are his only family. Now, he had to go back to the Dursley household and convince them that it would be best for them to take care of young Harry whenever he did find him. He apparated from the woods and reappeared back in the Dursley's living room a moment later. Vernon, still bound on the couch and noticed his empty hands, scowled at him.

"Well? Did you find the freak or not?" Albus was saddened and a little disturbed at the vehemence in Vernon's voice.

"No, I did not. However, I did detect a trace of someone erasing their presence using magical means. That means someone magical took him away after you dropped him off as if he was a load of rubbish!" Albus finished with some heat in his words. "How could you do that? He is your nephew!"

"That freak is no relation of mine!" Vernon blustered from the couch. "Besides, you said it yourself, one of your kind took it away. Well, I say they are more than welcome to keep it and good riddance!"

"Vernon..." When Vernon opened his mouth to protest, Albus quickly backtracked. "Forgive me, I meant to say, Mr Dursley. I fail to understand this animosity that you have toward wizards in general and in particular, your nephew. He is only a one-year old child! What did he ever do to you to make you hate him so much?"

"It never did anything to me or my family, but it's a freak, and it will grow up to do freaky things. If we DID take it into our family, keeping the freak out of sight in case it did anything, well, that would totally disrupt our lives! I won't have it! I just won't have it!"

Albus shook his head, there was just no getting through to the man. It was fortunate that it wasn't his blood that tied the blood wards to the house. Turning to Petunia, he asked for her opinion, hoping that her views weren't as harsh as her husband's.

"And how do you feel about this Mrs Dursley? After all, Harry is your nephew, the son of your only sister." Albus tried some gentle manipulation by guilt tripping her. He should have saved his breath.

"What? Were you hoping I would go against my husband's opinion? That I would give in and take that..freak into my home out of the goodness of my heart? FORGET IT! I had a sister once, but I lost her to your world as soon as she got that letter inviting her to that freaky school of yours. We used to be together all the time doing everything together, but after that first summer when she came back she said she couldn't be with me anymore, that I wouldn't understand her world. She was dead to me that day, the events of Halloween just put her in the ground. And now here you are, trying to foist the care of her spawn onto us. Well, it is no nephew of mine! I will NEVER allow it anywhere near my Dudders or anywhere in my home!"

It was only Albus's great skill in the mind arts that allowed him to keep a straight face after Petunia's proclamation. Her words basically amounted to a magical oath that now made it impossible to tie the wards to the house because Harry would never be taken in willingly. Now he would have to find another appropriate guardian for the boy, whenever he finds the child, that is.

"It saddens me greatly to hear you reject your own flesh and blood nephew, Mrs Dursley. I see now that it was a mistake bringing him here hoping you would take care of him and raise him as one of your own. Now I am going to have to find someone else to raise him. I am going to leave you now, but before I leave, and for your own protection mind you, I am going to erase the memories you have of our meeting."

Vernon and Petunia's eyes widened at this, but Vernon asked, "Would it make any difference to you if we didn't want it done?" he asked between clenched teeth.

Albus sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid none of us have a choice in the matter, Mr Dursley."

"There's always a choice, you old bastard!" Vernon growled. "You can choose to turn around, walk out that door, and leave us forever! But you just couldn't resist getting to use a bit of your freakishness on us poor, defenseless normal people, can you?" Albus looked uncomfortable, which made Vernon smirk. "Well, we can't stop you or fight you, so the sooner you get it done the sooner you can get out!"

The old wizard looked very tired as he drew his wand and dispelled the ropes that were still binding Vernon. With another wave of his wand, he focused his magic on the events of the past few hours as he invoked the incantation...

"Obliviate!"

A/N: That's all for this chapter. Please leave a review after reading to let me know what you think.