COMPLAINT LINE CALL LOG, 4.3.1989

#D2334

Child

Potter, Harry J.

Gender

M

Age

8yrs 9mos

D.O.B

31/7/1980

Child resides?

Petunia and Vernon Dursley

bio. aunt + husband

4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey TW21

addtl: Student St. Gregory's Primary School

Subject of Complaint

Guardians, see above

Complaint

Child presents w/signs of neglect

inadequate clothing, poor hygiene

persistent hunger/lack of food

reports bullying by same age cousin

guardians do not prevent

possible signs of abuse:

untreated animal bite on right side

misc. bruising/scrapes

troubling affect - self injury? depression

Action

Screen In: File #D2334, assign CW ASAP

7 April 1989

Hello journal. Today we have a prompt. Our prompt is the best thing that happened since last time we wrote. The best thing that happened to me since last time we wrote in our journals was Monday. I thought I was in bad trouble but instead I got to go inside and have food with Mr. Crossley. He shared his whole sandwich with me and gave me anpesetick for my knee and things. First we talked about not nice things but then we got to talk about books and he told me lots about James and the Giant Peach because he read it over the break and then we talked about our new book for reading group and it is called The Secret Garden which is by the same lady as the book about the princess but it has boys in it so I bet it will be better. He gave me the book early and I got to read it all day until bell and then Aunt Petunia had to pick me up and was bad mad. Then I was poorly and could not come to school for three days. But I had my best thing with Mr. Crossley all day before that and it was worth it even though I am in trouble and I would like a best thing again but next time maybe without the trouble and not coming to school. Signed, Harry Potter.

Harry - I had a very nice time with you as well Monday. Please remember, you are not in trouble with me! If you would ever like to talk again, you are always welcome - perhaps we can even have another snack and talk about books. I hope you are feeling better now, we've missed you! Remember we don't start sentences with the word but!

Spelling: Antiseptic. Write three times for next class.

11 April 1989

Hello journal. Today we have a prompt. Our prompt is would you want to visit the moon. I think it would be nice to visit the moon because then you could go someplace not many people have been. I heard part of a film on astranots once on the telly and they have to do lots of training and things to go to the moon but I think maybe I would like that because you have to go away to learn them. Being in space is almost like flying because you have no wait so you float around and eat things upside down like special ice cream and that would be fun. The moon is probably very dark and empty but it would be a place to explore and the other astranots could be my friends and we would have adventures on the moon if there were aliens or things to see, like what the ground is made of or what the air feels like. I would not like to visit the moon without an astranot suit thought because then I would not be able to breathe and might die. So I want a suit to visit in. Signed, Harry Potter.

Creative, Harry! You sound like you would make a very good astronaut. Don't you mean you saw a film about astronauts?

Spelling: Weight, astronauts. Write three times for next class.

14 April 1989

Hello journal. Today we have no prompt. I do not know what to write. Everyone has been acting strange lately grown ups I mean. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were bad mad about the roof but then they ended my punishment early but won't say why which is strange. At school though they are strange to because Dr Starke keeps asking if I want to talk at all and made me come in not my time to talk but it is hard enough to talk at my time so I didn't talk. Mr Crossley is wierd to (sorry Mr Crossley) because he gave me the food and the anteseptik last week and talked and was nice and now he keeps asking if I want to talk but I never talk and no one talks to me since Dudley hurt Sanjeev and I don't know why they want to talk to me now anyway. Aunt Petunia even let me ride to school and I don't know why. It makes me nervus a little because I like when things are the same even if they are bad because I know what they do but now I don't know and that is strange. Signed, Harry Potter.

PS I am sorry I called you strange Mr Crossley.

Does Dudley have two bedrooms? That is strange too! I think people just want you to know that if you feel lonely or like you just want to talk to someone, there are lots of people who would like to do that. One of the reasons we love journals is because we can say anything to them - maybe these people are just trying to be a different type of journal to you!

Spelling: Weird, Too, Antiseptic, Nervous. Write out three times for next class.

#D2334 Notes

Interview w/TC, current teacher of HP

Says HP presents unhappy, depressed

sent to school counselor earlier term for depress. + poss. self-injury (on file)

TC claims poor relationship w. same-age cousin and legal guardians

claims legal guardians do not curb same-age co. inappro. behav. to HP

parents dead? car accident. why no prev. file?

TC reports frequently missing necessities - lunch tickets stolen by same-age cos., missing gym kit, inappro. winter clothing, etc. (dates noted in file)

reports HP walks to + from school, same-age co. receives ride

multiple minor injuries poss. inflicted by same-age co. (self-inflicted?)

medical neglect, untreated dog-bite found after Easter holiday

presented w. lice start of year - med. neglect? 3 other students also, prob. not

TC suggest speak w. HP, told that HP would be interviewed in course of investigation

Also suggest speak DS, school counselor HP referred to for depress., self-injury

18 April 1989

Hello journal. Today we have a prompt. Our prompt is imagine you had 100 pounds. Only if you have it you can't keep it and use it yourself, you have to do something for other people. I think if I had 100 pounds I would want to use it to make sure that people who are hungry get enough to eat. Not like me people but other people. I could go and get sandwiches and Mars bars and milk and I could hand it out to hungry people if they wanted it. 100 pounds is a lot of money so I could feed a lot of hungry people so that would be good because they would not be hungry anymore and it's not nice to be hungry so I would like to help them not feel bad like that. That is what I would do with 100 pounds. Signed, Harry Potter.

Harry - what a nice thing to think to spend money on. All people should have enough to eat.

Spelling: None! Very good!

21 April 1989

Hello journal. Today we have a prompt. Our prompt is describe the oldest person you know. I don't know very many really old people because my aunts parents who are my mums parents to are dead and my dads parents are probably dead to but my aunt won't answer the question so I have no grandparents I think. I think probably my uncle is the oldest I know because he is probably older than my aunt because he is bigger. He is big and he has a big mostash and big hands. He has a big voice to when he shouts and he shouts a lot (scribbled out words). The only person who might be older than my uncle is his sister because maybe she is his older sister. She is big to but her mostash is littler. She says in my day a lot when she talks to me about what they used to do with orphans so she is at least that old. I think that is an old person thing to say. But this is probably wrong for our prompt because even if Uncle Vernon is the oldest he isn't really old like the olderly but I don't know anyone else except maybe Aunt Marge who isn't my aunt but still isnt really a very old person. Signed, Harry Potter.

Harry - there's no wrong way to answer a prompt, you know that! Does your uncle's sister really have a moustache? How strange! Remember your apostrophes, please.

Spelling: Too, Moustache, Elderly, Isn't. Write out three times for next class.

25 April 1989

Hello journal. Today we have no prompt and are talking about our reading group book which is The Secret Garden. I liked The Secret Garden a lot. It was about a girl from India named Mary and her parents both die of the kolura and she is sent to live with her uncle and cousin in England. She doesn't know about the cousin at first though. Mary is very sour and cross and lonely in the beginning. Her uncle has a crooked back and is sad and lonely because his wife died so he can't take care of Mary or his son properly at first but he gives her a room and gives her food and doesn't (scribbled out word) punish her even if he doesn't really take care of her. Mary has no friends in India but in England she makes friends who are Martha a maid and Ben Wetherstaf a gardener and Dickon a boy who is Martha's brother and can talk to animals and make them understand him. She also finds out about a secret garden that belonged to her aunt before she died and her and Dickon find the key from the robin and start to take care of the garden again. Then she meets her cousin Colin. I like Colin. I like Mary and Dickon to, but I like Colin because he starts of and is not likable. He is spoiled and selfish and whinges a lot but it is because he is scared and lonely. Everyone in the book is lonely but in the end they all find each other and are not lonely anymore that is why I like it. Colin is stuck in bed but Mary and Dickon take him out to the secret garden and it makes him better like magic and heals him and they teach him to walk and in the end Colin's father comes and sees walking in the secret garden and they get to all be like a family. I like in this book two things the most. One is that the characters are unhappy and that means at the start you don't like them but then you learn to like them and want them to be happy and then in the end they are and that is the best. Two is the garden and when they talk about taking care of the garden. When I take care of the garden I am going to pretend it is the secret garden and that Mary and Dickon and Colin are with me and that magic is in the ground waiting to help me like it helped Colin. I liked this book a lot and it is for boys and girls not like the Little Princess book which is maybe mostly for girls. Signed, Harry Potter.

Wow, what a lot to say! I am glad you enjoyed The Secret Garden so much, you really seem to understand a lot of the themes in the book. Feel free to come and talk to me more about the book in person - Burnett wrote some other books too that you may enjoy, so don't hesitate. Keep an eye on your sentences for run-ons, but otherwise very nice work!

Spelling: Cholera, Too, Weatherstaff. Write out three times for next class.

#D2334 Notes

Home Visit HP

Lives aunt + uncle, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging

Petunia, homemaker, sister to HP mother, deceased

Vernon, management, drills - Grunnings

only son Dudley, cousin age 8yr10mos

House clean, in good repair

PD and boys home on arrival - cleaning up kitchen from after school snack

PD: HP walks to + from school only when misses ride w/aunt and cos.

PD takes on tour of house - cos. and HP have age appro. bedrooms

HP filled w. broken toys - etc.

PD: HP destructive, breaks everything he is given

same w/ new clothes - reason present w/inappro. clothing?

HP and DD - sibling-esque rivalry

Re: dog bite - HP provoked dog, hid bite b/c previously warned about bothering dog, situation has since been resolved (injury healed)

Home well supplied with food, clothes, etc. for two growing children

Requested interview with HP, granted.

28 April 1989

Hello journal. Today we have a prompt. Our prompt is What if you woke up in another country and no one understood a word you said? I would like to see another country because I don't think I have ever been out of Little Whinging really because I don't go on trips or anything. I would like to see a place that was new and different. I do not talk to lots of people now so I do not think it would be much different if I went somewhere and could not speak the langwige. It might be nice even because if they could not understand me, I could say anything I wanted to them and not get in trouble. I would not say mean things though. I would just say secrets or things I don't like to say when people can hear me and it would almost be like really saying them, except no one would hear me or shout at me or think I was stupid. Sometimes there are things I want to say but I don't know how to say them but with the people who don't understand me that would be all right because they would not know I was saying things wrong and I would not think that they would understand me so it would not be sad that they didn't. I would get to be somewhere new and different and talk, which I think I would like. Signed, Harry Potter.

Harry - I hope you know that you can always talk to me, about anything, any time you need to. There is never a wrong way to say something, and sometimes, we all need to say our secrets, just to not feel alone. Please come and speak to me, whenever you need to.

Spelling: Language. Write three times for next class.

#D2334 Notes

Case investigated thoroughly - interviewed teacher (reporter), prim. caregiver, home visit made

lack of evidence/substantiation re: abuse and neglect allegations

Home is clean, well provided w/essentials, VD salary more than sufficient,

Neglect unlikely/unsubstantiated

No noticeable injuries/etc. on HP

HP makes no complaint of ill treatment/neglect.

No immediate danger or risk to HP to be found

Suggested Course of Action: File closed as of this time.