Heir to the Moon (V2)

I.IV Punishing the Dursley's Part II

The morning of October 8th dawned crisp and cold. After stepping into his outfit, Harry made his way across the dew-soaked grass to where Artemis stood waiting for him. He broke into a run and cried out "Mama!" before throwing his arms around her neck.

"Hello, my little moon," she cooed, stroking his hair gently. "Are you ready to return to school today?"

Harry nodded shyly before burying his head into Artemis' shoulder. A wave of fear rushed through him as he remembered his constant torment from Dudley. His voice wobbled as he muttered "Yes Mama... But I am scared that Dudley will pick on me."

"How about I go with you and talk to your teacher about Dudley?" asked Artemis.

"Sounds good Mama," said Harry.

With a wave of her hand, she transformed the chariot into a 1985 Chevy Astro and teleported them from their home in the forest to the street outside the campus. Artemis drove the short distance to the entrance, and as they pulled up, a tall woman with silvering hair pulled back tightly strode towards them; this was Mrs. Wilson, the headmistress.

"Hello, Mrs. Wilson?" asked Artemis as she opened the driver's side door.

"Yes, I am," Mrs. Wilson replied in a no-nonsense tone. "I take it you're the new Guardian of Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, I am," Artemis nodded. "I'm Artemis Phaesporia, Harry's new guardian." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Did the police talk to you about what happened to the Dursleys?"

"Follow me to my office, and we can discuss this privately," Mrs. Wilson replied, her stern features softening slightly as she glanced at Harry. The boy clung to Artemis, peeking out from behind her, his silver eyes wide and curious.

They walked silently through the school's halls, passing by children chattering and teachers greeting one another. The atmosphere felt thick with anticipation for the day's lessons. Artemis could sense Harry's anxiety, his small hand gripping her dress tightly.

Once inside Mrs. Wilson's office, the headmistress gestured for them to sit. It was a well-appointed room with bookshelves lining the walls, filled with academic tomes and a few awards and plaques on display.

Mrs. Wilson sat behind her desk, her eyes trained on Artemis. "The police did inform me about the unfortunate incident with the Dursleys," she began. "from what I understand, Vernon and Petunia are under arrest for abuse (child, physical, mental, emotional and psychological), false imprisonment, child negligence, starvation, child slavery, cruel and unusual punishments, torture, child endangerment, attempted second-hand child murder, Fraud, Bribery, Tax evasion, and other crimes. I am going to bring in Harry's teacher for his first year Mrs. Thompson to this conversation if that is okay with you."

"It is" replied Artemis.

Mrs. Wilson pressed a button on her intercom and within a few minutes, Mrs. Thompson, a petite woman with short curly hair and glasses, entered the room.

"When the police came to talk to us about what happened a lot of things came to light that needs to be addressed," said Mrs. Wilson, her voice taking on a grave tone.

Mrs. Thompson nodded, taking a seat beside Mrs. Wilson. She looked at Harry with concern. "Firstly, Harry, I'd like to apologize on behalf of the school. It's our responsibility to ensure that every student is safe, and we failed you."

Harry just nodded; his eyes cast downward.

Mrs. Thompson continued, "In light of the revelations, we've begun an internal review. We realized that many signs of abuse were overlooked. There were instances when Harry came to school with visible injuries, and while they were reported, no adequate action was taken."