Thick Of It

Jason and his grandmother, Q, sat across from each other at the dining table, a chessboard between them. The summer sun filtered through the curtains, illuminating the carved chess pieces mid-battle. Jason furrowed his brow, staring intently at the board, while Q calmly sipped her tea, her face unreadable.

Jason: [moving a knight forward] "Hmm, grandma, I need your help with something."

Q: [raising an eyebrow, her hand hovering over a bishop] "Lately, you seem to come to me for every little problem. Getting lazy, are we?"

Jason: [smirking but keeping his eyes on the board] "Hardly. I can handle it myself, but asking for your help is... efficient. Otherwise, it might turn messy."

Q: [moving her bishop to put Jason's knight in jeopardy] "Efficient, he says. You're getting lazy, lad. Sometimes messy is good—it's how you learn."

Jason: [countering with a pawn] "Not this time. I'm not asking for me; I'm asking for a friend."

Q: [pausing mid-sip, looking at Jason suspiciously] "A friend? You're lying. This is one of your tricks to throw me off. Well, it's not going to work." [moves her queen into an aggressive position]

Jason: [leaning back, slightly annoyed] "Gran, come on, I'm not that much of a selfish bastard."

Q: [grinning as she moves her rook] "And that, dear boy, is a checkmate."

Jason blinked at the board, realizing too late that her seemingly innocuous moves had cornered his king.

Jason: [pointing at the board indignantly] "You deceived me!"

Q: [calmly setting her teacup down] "Then you shouldn't let yourself be led by the nose. Tactics, Jason, tactics."

Jason: [sighing in defeat] "Alright, fine. You win. Again. But can we focus now? I really do need your help."

Q: [leaning back in her chair, amused] "Alright, alright. What's the problem?"

Jason: [hesitating slightly] "One of my friends at Hogwarts... He's being mistreated at home."

Q's expression shifted, her amusement replaced with concern.

Q: "That's awful. But tell me, Jason—this friend of yours... is he a Muggle-born?"

Jason: [shaking his head] "No--"

Q: [grimacing] "That poor lad. But Jason, you know I've severed my ties with magical Britain for a reason."

Jason: [raising a hand quickly] "I know, Gran, and I wouldn't ask you to cross any lines. I just need a little... pressure applied. He was born into a wizarding family, but his parents died in the last war. He's been raised by his Muggle relatives, who despise magic. Something to make his life bearable."

Q: [narrowing her eyes] "You're hiding something."

Jason: [reluctantly] "Fine, maybe. But it's nothing drastic. I don't need an army; I just need the right amount of influence in the right place. Enough to scare his guardians into treating him decently."

Q: [sipping her tea thoughtfully] "So, you're not looking to separate him from them?"

Jason: "No. That could cause... complications. I just want them to leave him alone."

Q: [setting her cup down with a quiet clink] "You're planning something, aren't you?"

Jason: [grinning slyly] "Planning? Me? Never. Just taking precautions."

Q: [leaning forward] "So, what exactly do you need?"

Jason: "Someone who can make them think twice about laying a finger on him. A bit of fear goes a long way."

Q: [sighing] "You're playing with fire, Jason. But fine. There are implications if he's removed, aren't there?"

Jason: [nodding] "It's not confirmed, but there could be."

Q: [standing up decisively] "Right, I'll call M. Better her headache than mine."

Jason smiled, grateful but cautious.

Jason: "Thanks, Gran. You're the best."

Q: [smirking as she walked to the phone] "Flattery won't win you another chess match, Jason. But nice try."

======

The smell of roast beef lingered in the air as Harry scrubbed at the sink, his mind swirling with thoughts about how he could possibly approach Uncle Vernon about his trip with Jason and the boys. The Dursleys weren't exactly the "reasonable request" type, and he still had the problem of finding a bicycle without having to beg or borrow.

A sharp knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.

Vernon: [gruffly] "Harry! Stop daydreaming and open the bloody door!"

Harry: "Yes, Uncle.[muttering under his breath] Heaven forbid your royal dinner be interrupted." [He dried his hands on a towel and shuffled to the door.]

Opening it, Harry was met with the sight of a sharply dressed man in a coat, holding a suitcase, flanked by two uniformed police officers.

Harry: "Er... hello?"

David: [flashing a badge] "Evening. David Mercer, Department of Children's Welfare. Would you mind fetching your uncle, young man?"

Harry: [confused] "Uh... sure. Who should I say is asking?"

David: [smiling faintly] "Just say government. That usually gets them moving."

Harry hurried to the dining room, his heart racing. Whatever this was, it didn't look good.

Harry: [nervously] "Uncle Vernon... there's someone at the door. From, uh, the government. With police."

Vernon's face went from ruddy to pale in an instant. He grumbled and stomped toward the door, muttering curses under his breath.

Vernon: [opening the door and glaring] "What do you want?"

David: "Good evening, Mr. Dursley. David Mercer, Department of Children's Welfare. May we come in?"

Vernon: "Children's Welfare? I don't know what you're on about—"

Officer 1: [firmly] "Step aside, sir."

Officer 2: "Please cooperate, Mr. Dursley. It'll save us all a lot of trouble."

Vernon hesitated but eventually stepped back, grumbling under his breath. David entered the house, taking in the perfectly laid dining table with three place settings—and none for Harry. His sharp eyes flicked over to the boy standing awkwardly in the hallway.

David: [motioning toward the table] "I see. Missing a plate, are we? You didn't feed him?"

Vernon: [stammering] "Well, he eats after—"

Dudley: [interrupting] "Why would he eat with us? He eats whatever's left over."

Petunia: [horrified, clapping a hand over Dudley's mouth] "Dudley!"

Vernon squeezed his eyes shut as if willing the scene to disappear.

David: [dryly] "Charming. Let's have a chat, shall we?"

David systematically questioned each member of the family. He inspected Harry's "room" under the stairs, now crammed with Dudley's broken toys, and moved to the small second bedroom where Harry now slept. Dudley's loose tongue filled in the rest of the gaps, painting a grim picture of neglect.

Later, David sat with Harry in the living room while the officers hovered by the door.

David: "So, they don't hit you, but verbal abuse and restrictions, huh? Not the worst case I've seen, but bad enough. Enough to put him behind bars for a while."

Harry: [nervously] "Am I going to an orphanage?"

David: [leaning forward] "Not yet. Let me be honest with you, Harry. Orphanages aren't what you think. Sure, you'd have freedom, but you'd lose privacy. Boys like you, with your books and bird, they'd bully you for it. It's a rough place to be."

Harry frowned but nodded.

Harry: "So... what happens now?"

David: [smiling faintly] "I'll handle it."

He motioned to the officers to bring Vernon and Petunia into the room. Vernon was sweating; Petunia looked as though she might faint.

David: "Mr. Dursley, you're in trouble."

Petunia: [gripping Vernon's arm] "Oh, Vernon, what now?"

Vernon: [snapping] "What kind of trouble?"

David: "Neglect. Enough to earn you two years behind bars."

Petunia gasped, her hand flying to her chest.

Vernon: [panicked] "We didn't hit the boy!"

David: "If you had, that would've added another few years to your sentence. As it stands, you're here because one of your neighbors reported those bars on Harry's window. Care to explain?"

Vernon: [grumbling] "Nosy busybodies! What do you want? Money? If you were going to arrest me, you wouldn't be talking."

David: [calmly] "Oh, Mr. Dursley, I don't need your money. What I want is simple."

Vernon: "Get on with it, then!"

David: "You will stop restricting Harry's activities. Let him live like any other boy. No more locking him up, no more snide comments about his parents. Understood?"

Vernon: [gritting his teeth] "Fine. Anything else?"

David: "You'll house him until he's of age. Fail to do so, and you'll serve time for it."

Vernon: [muttering] "You're not a judge."

David: [standing and adjusting his coat] "No. I was a lawyer. Fail to do so next time our meeting won't end in your house ." [He turned to Harry, his expression softening.] "You're free now, Harry. Enjoy it."

Harry's face lit up with a grateful smile.

Harry: "Thank you."

David tipped his hat and left with the officers, leaving the Dursleys to stew in silence. For once, Vernon didn't say a word.

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