Work Text:
It was just a few hours after she’d wrapped up all the loose ends in Stillwater when she rushed to MACUSA and purchased a portkey to the British Ministry. Upon landing the abject misery and sorrow she felt was at odds with the happiness on people’s faces in the portkey arrival area. As she made her way to the Children’s Services department she was met with many people exclaiming with joy over Voldemort’s death. The worker who was set to help her went on and on about how lucky they all were. Disgust swirled in Shannon’s stomach. She excused herself and decided to go to Gringotts and see if they had the means to help her instead of fighting with a bureaucracy that found glee in the death of her loved ones.
Thankfully, the dverger were able to help. Lily, bless her soul, had misgivings about how unconcerned Dumbledore had been in the Potter’s final few months. She’d hidden herself under James’ cloak and made her way to the bank just a few months before her death. She’d opened a vault under Shannon’s name and placed a letter and a copy of her and James’ will inside.
It seemed that in the days after James and Lily died Dumbledore had been busy. He’d not only essentially kidnapped Harry and placed him with Petunia, but he’d also sealed the Potter wills claiming it was for the safety of the only remaining Potter. Shannon’s digging also unearthed questions about the validity of Sirius Black’s incarceration. She’d only met the man in person once, but she’d learned of him through the years from Lily. There was no way in Shannon’s mind that he would turn on the brother of his heart or his godson.
Thankfully, both of the wills answered the most pressing of her questions. Sirius was not only the magic sworn godfather of Harry Potter, he wasn’t the secret keeper for the Potters. Peter Pettigrew was still alive according to the magic of the will. Sirius might be guilty of other crimes but he still had his magic so there was no way he’d betrayed the Potters or killed Peter Pettigrew. Unfortunately for him, Shannon had enough on her plate at the moment. She requested that a copy be made available to Arcturus Black and put it out of her mind for the time being. If after she got things squared away with Harry Sirius was still imprisoned, she’d dig into it more then.
As for Harry, he was never supposed to be in Petunia's custody. He was always to go to Shannon first as long as Shannon was alive. There was a long list of people he was to go to if Shannon passed before Lily and Petunia was specifically listed as never to be an option. Shannon should have been notified when the wills were executed within days of their death at the latest. Since they were sealed, that never happened.
Shannon had landed and arrived at Gringotts later than Petunia had asked her to call yesterday. She didn’t want to rock the boat and bring any extra danger to Harry so figuring he was at least safe, she got a room at the Leaky Cauldron for the night after she met with the dverger. They promised to have paperwork and passports available within 24 hours. She was exhausted from the travel, the stress, and the grief that still clung tightly to her heart, so she curled up in the bed and tried to sleep.
When she woke up the following morning, she headed out of Diagon Alley to call Petunia from the first payphone she’d found in London. After confirming that Vernon had left for the day Shannon apparated into Petunia's neighborhood following the directions she’d been given. She hadn’t imagined they’d be as necessary as they were. Every single house and yard looked just like the one before it. She’d seen cookie-cutter subdivisions back in America but this took the cake. It was as if the whole place intentionally made sure things matched down to the flowers in the beds. Madness if you asked her.
She knocked on the door with a sad smile affixed on her face hoping for the best when it was ripped open and a bundle was thrust out at her.
“Take it and leave,” Petunia scornfully said while also dropping a small bag at her feet.
Taken aback she reached out and took hold of what she discovered was Harry. A very thin Harry who had the smell of being unwashed and was littered with bruises. “What? Petunia, what in the world happened to him?” she nearly shouted.
“HUSH!” Petunia hissed through her teeth. “You want him, you’ve got him. That’s all he came with,” she said, pointing to the bag at Shannon’s feet. “Leave before one of the neighbors sees you or him and start asking questions.”
Shannon’s shock at Harry’s condition was quickly replaced with rage. She reached down to grab the bag on the ground, balancing Harry on her hip as carefully as she could. She didn’t want to risk further hurting him. “I doubt you care, but I’ll never forgive you for this. He’s your flesh and blood, Petunia! How could you let him be hurt like this?” Shannon was baffled. She’d assumed Harry went without getting a toy when Dudley did. Maybe he didn’t get a bedtime story or tucked in lovingly at night. Never, in her wildest imaginings did she think Petunia would allow physical harm and apparent outright neglect to come to him.
“You’re right. I could not care less what you or your kind think of me or my actions. Now for the last time, leave. Do not darken my doorstep again,” she disdainfully said before slamming the door in Shannon’s face.
Shannon looked down into the scared and battered face of her nephew and took a deep breath before making her way towards the apparition point. She knew she had to be careful with her next steps. While it was obvious Harry needed care as soon as possible, she had no papers, and showing up at the hospital with a beaten child and dubious custody would raise all kinds of red flags. The last thing she needed right now was Dumbledore getting wind of her existence. It was clear the plans the wizard had for her nephew weren’t made with even the barest hint of good intentions.
No, as much as she’d love for Petunia and Vernon both to pay for what they’d done, it would have to wait until her claim on Harry was more stable. But they would pay one day.
As she reached the apparition point she knew her only option was the dverger. They weren’t fond of wizardkind—the gold they charged for their healing services showed that, but it was worlds above what would be found at St Mungo’s. “Hold tight, Harry. Auntie Shan is going to make it all better, sweetheart.” She leaned down and kissed the top of his head before disappearing into nothing.
_____
While Shannon herself was outraged at Harry’s condition, that didn’t hold a candle to the outright fury the dverger showed. Which was uncommon as it was anyway, dverger went out of their way to not show emotions to wizards but apparently, this was more than they could handle.
When Shannon arrived back at Gringotts she held Harry tight to her chest and approached the counter asking for Urlig since she had a meeting with him later to pick up the paperwork. Since she was unfamiliar with this branch of Gringotts and who handled healing, she hoped the dverger would be able to connect her with someone able to help Harry.
Urlig took one look at the boy’s face and quickly led her and her charge into his office before calling out for another dverger to send Nanook to his office immediately. When Nanook arrived she quickly introduced herself before she began casting and the results of her scans made her face blanche.
“Who is responsible for this child?” she demanded to know, incensed.
Shannon swallowed, she’d never seen a dverger show any emotion other than indifference. “As of about 30 minutes ago, I am. He’s my nephew and has been in the care of my sister, his other aunt.”
Nanook nodded. She knew who the child was, the scar was clear to see on his forehead that the wizards loved to brag about. Made no sense to her why you’d celebrate the disfigurement of a child but she’d always thought wizards were out of their minds. “He is extremely dehydrated and malnourished. He also is riddled with several hairline fractures and sprains.” Nanook paused as Shannon began to cry. “Unfortunately, those are minor injuries compared to the other grave injustices forced upon this wizard.”
Shannon’s face paled and she and Urlig both snapped their eyes to Nanook’s face. “Will he live? Is it something fixable?” Shannon asked pleadingly.
Nanook tilted her head to the side as if she knew the answer she was about to give was going to be less than ideal. “Were he hale and hearty? I would have no doubt. In his current condition? I can not say.”
“Healer Nanook, what else ails the boy?” Urlig asked.
“I’m not extremely familiar with the exact foul magic, so I do not currently have all the answers you might seek. I would ask you, Ms. Fielding, if you would please be patient while I summon Ragnok.” Urlig paled, worrying Shannon even more but she gave a nod knowing there was nothing she could do to hurry anything along if she wanted their help. Nanook opened the door and told the dverger guarding it what she needed before closing the door back and again casting more magic towards Harry while waiting.
Shannon just sat there holding Harry in a fog, thinking and fearing the worst. Her grief and worry encompassed her heart and mind. It didn’t take long before Ragnok walked into the office. Both dverger bowed deeply before Nanook began speaking at Ragnok’s raised brow. “Ms. Fielding, I have summoned our chieftain because the magic under which the child suffers is forbidden magic to the horde. Many generations ago a wizard perverted knowledge he had stolen from the dverger and twisted it into what it is today. We have tried to erase all knowledge of this magic but it is obvious we have failed as it affects your nephew today.
“Because of that, all discussion of this magic is under a taboo of sorts and if discussed without Ragnok present, sets off multiple security alarms in the bank.”
Shannon nodded her understanding while her heart almost was beating out of her chest. She was now terrified of what else could come out of Nanook’s mouth.
“You are sure?” Ragnok asked.
“Yes, I am certain,” she replied to the chieftain who now had a grim look on his face.
“Explain it to Ms. Fielding as I confer with Urlig on the specifics of this case,” he said, turning to Urlig and inclining his head to the corner of the room.
Nanook refocused on Shannon before lowering herself into the chair next to her to look the woman in the eyes. “The scar on your nephew's forehead contains a soul tether known as a horcrux. The preparation and spells required to create the tether are some of the most foul and cruel imaginable.”
Shannon gasped and began sobbing drawing the attention of the two dverger in the corner of the room. She hugged Harry, who had long ago fallen asleep in her arms, tightly to her chest before wiping her face with the back of her hand and asking, “You said if he were healthy he could survive, did you mean he could survive with it in him?”
Nanook shook her head, “Honestly, I’m not positive. As I said, I’m not extremely familiar with this magic and have never heard of it in a living vessel,” she answered. “Adding to the issue is that there is a heavy block placed on his magic. I’d estimate that should the block remain, he would have access to less than half of his magic, at best.” Ragnok, who had been caught up with who this client was and the details going on, rejoined the others leaning against Urlig’s desk. “Both magics are obviously extremely detrimental if they remain on him long term.”
Shannon was shaken at this information. “So we’re all assuming the horcrux is from Voldemort, right?” She looked to the others in the room and saw they nodded their agreement.
Ragnok chimed in, “The ritual itself isn’t impossible for an average witch or wizard to do, but it does leave a certain stain, if you will, on one’s soul. All dverger are trained in noticing this taint. The only others with access to young Mr. Potter have been in the company of the dverger since it was placed. They bear no evidence of it belonging to them.”
Shannon nodded, “Alright, so he did this ritual and then bound Harry’s magic? Then tried to kill him?" She was confused as to why the block was placed.
“Oh, my apologies, no. There are two different magical signatures on the boy. One placed the horcrux and one placed the block,” Nanook clarified. “A very powerful and rather obscure block to be more precise.”
Shannon quickly realized what this implied, “And it is not the typical block placed on children by their parents to prevent injury from accidental magic?” At Nanook’s head shake, she continued, “So based on who had access to Harry, Dumbledore? That’s what we’re all not saying, right?”
“Yes, unfortunately, based on the facts we have, I would have to agree,” Urlig conceded.
Shannon wasn’t as shocked as she felt she would have been even 24 hours ago. After all of the behind-the-scenes scheming the man had done, this block just felt like another piece of a puzzle she hadn’t quite put together yet. She hadn’t had time to fill Gibbs in on all that was going on but she had no doubt in her mind that he’d be able to see the way to the big picture.
But she didn’t really need the big picture just yet. There would be time for that after she got Harry somewhere safe and out of the headmaster’s reach. The quicker the better. “Okay, how healthy does he need to be to remove the horcrux? Are we talking about a few potions and a good night's rest? Or weeks or months?”
Ragnok stared at the witch in front of him. The love for the child in her arms was clear to see written on her face as well as the anger towards those who had hurt him. “Realistically, he could be healed of both his physical injuries as well as from the tether within a day or two at most. But I don’t know if that’s the best plan to go forward with.”
Shannon’s bewildered gaze rose to Ragnok’s face. “What? Why? Surely the sooner we get him healed and safe the better?”
Ragnok hummed before answering, “What are your plans after that? It’s clear Dumbledore has some sort of plan for the child, even if we aren’t sure exactly what those plans are. Healing him and removing both the horcrux and block is a priority, but so is his long-term safety.”
Shannon didn’t disagree, but her mind was spinning in a thousand different directions. God, she really wished Gibbs was here to help her decide what would be the best route to take. “Honestly, I’m extremely overwhelmed with everything going on. I’m hardly sure which way is up at the moment. I’m open to hearing any suggestions.”
Ragnok rose from his spot leaning against Urlig’s desk and sat in the chair next to Shannon. “Urlig filled me in on you a little while you spoke with Nanook earlier but he only had the basics, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong at any point,” he paused and waited for her nod of acknowledgment before continuing on. “I understand you are to be married soon and plan to raise the boy with your husband?”
“Yes. We actually had to postpone the wedding for me to get here to get Harry.”
“And you plan to continue to live in America?” At her nod, he pushed on, “And do you plan to stay in touch with anyone here in either the muggle or magical world?”
Shannon took a moment to think about this. Obviously, she never planned to speak to Petunia again and anyone else she knew here was either dead, imprisoned, or their whereabouts were unknown. “At this point, I can’t think of a soul I would need to contact. Maybe one day in the future if Sirius Black is freed but….” she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. “There’s no one that comes to mind.”
“If that changes, I’d recommend being extremely vague with your location and details until you can confirm that they only have Mr. Potter’s best interests at heart.” At Shannon’s look, he continued on, “Albus Dumbledore has built himself a strong reputation and devoted followers. It wouldn’t take much for him to convince one of them to track you down and find a way into your confidence.”
“Shit. I didn’t even think about that. Here I am thinking we heal him and it's all over and done with. But that’s not quite true, is it?”
“No, not quite. My suggestion would be to heal Mr. Potter’s body of its physical ailments first. Thankfully, he didn’t linger under your sister's care very long. We would perform a ritual after the child consumed a few potions. He then would be put into a healing sleep where he would slumber for anywhere from one to two days. During that time, he would remain in our healing hall. You would be welcome to remain with him, but if you needed to step away to deal with anything, he would not be left alone. A dverger healer would remain with him at all times to monitor his vitals,” Ragnok paused to take a breath when Nanook chimed in.
“I would like to request to be his healer of record, Chieftain. I can’t help but feel that the less that know who we are healing and of what, the better.”
“You suspect a dverger would aid or inform Dumbledore?” Ragnok asked.
Nanook wrung her hands in front of herself before shrugging as if unsure. “The wizard has his spies everywhere. At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past the man.”
“As long as Ms. Fielding agrees, you will be the one to heal Mr. Potter,” he turned to Shannon to seek her permission for this. Since she had no reason not to trust the dverger in the room she quickly agreed without a thought. “Very well. Nanook, take your leave to prepare for the ritual while we discuss the steps to come after.”
Nanook said her farewell and left the room.
“After his healing sleep, we would remove the horcrux. It is a rather simple ritual considering the abomination it is removing. From there, we will transfer the horcrux to an inanimate object of no value to verify it is the only one Voldemort made,” Ragnok continued to lay out the plan.
“How common are multiple horcruxes, if I’m allowed to ask?” Shannon questioned.
Ragnok saw no reason not to be truthful as the information wasn’t sensitive and it did affect her charge, “It is rather uncommon, but it is done before the destruction of any horecrux just to verify. If there are more, we can use the one in our possession to track the others.”
And wasn’t that a weight off Shannon’s mind? She wouldn’t put it past the vile creature who caused such pain and suffering to have made more than one. He’d definitely want backup plans for his backup plans. But it seemed the dverger had the process well in hand to take care of it. “How long is the removal ritual?” she asked as it hadn’t been completely clear. She wanted to get back home and as far away from the British Wizarding World as quickly as possible.
“With the child healed completely? Less than an hour.”
Shannon relaxed even further into the seat with the knowledge that she’d be home in less than a week as long as everything went according to plan. “Perfect,” she said.
Ragnok couldn’t help but agree. “Now, as you plan to raise him as your own, I would recommend one last step to further distance him from Dumbledore’s future machinations. As it currently stands, you are Harry Potter’s legal and magical guardian. By British wizard’s law, you are responsible for him until he reaches legal age. He is your ward.
“However, as you plan to raise him as your son, I would recommend instead to legally adopt the child, both in the muggle and wizarding world. We could expedite the papers here for the wizarding side of it and file them along with an abundance of other mundane and ordinary paperwork. It should go with zero notice to anyone. As for the muggle side, we could help facilitate that as well. Since his parents are deceased, you are named his guardian in the will, and your American citizenship, it should be rather easy to start the process here, then finish it there.”
“And the benefit to that? It just seems like it would lengthen the time I am here. And my instincts are screaming at me to get him as far away from this place as quickly as I can,” Shannon asked.
“Besides the long-term legal benefits to the child as far as inheritance and such? You can change his name. Legally and magically . Many tracking spells rely on stating the true magical name of who you are searching for as well as biological input, generally hair or blood, and I do not doubt for one second that Dumbledore acquired plenty of both while Mr. Potter was in his custody.”
Well, shit. Shannon hadn’t really had time to think far enough ahead to realize that logically it stood to reason that one day Dumbledore would find out that Harry wasn’t where he’d left him. That would obviously lead to trying to find out exactly where he was. She thought through both options. It seemed clear that the safest option was to go through with the adoption. She couldn’t imagine Lily or James being angry for any action taken to protect Harry from whatever plots Dumbledore was attempting to hatch. If their roles were reversed she’d be cheering the option on from the afterlife. “Alright, let's go the adoption route. I’m assuming while he’s sleeping we will start the paperwork?”
“Indeed. You should be able to leave with your happy, and more importantly, your healthy son in less than 2 weeks.”
At that reassurance, Shannon looked down at the sleeping child in her arms and couldn’t help but smile. She swore to honor James and Lily’s choice and sacrifice by raising him knowing that he was blessed to be loved by two sets of parents.