Conditional

"The boy what now?" Petunia looked at Augustus incredulously.

"Um well..." Augustus wasn't sure how to explain this to the no-maj.

Everyone knows about the boy who lived, Godric Potter and this extended to his family, the Potters who were one of the oldest magical families in Great Britain. Although they were not considered among the sacred 28 magical lines (due to their names being considered to be too common even among muggles), they were still known for their pureblood magical lines. Although the current Lord Potter is married to a muggle-born witch making the boy who lived a half-blood. Godric Potter is the first and probably the only person to have survived the Killing Curse, a curse so reviled that no one can defend against it even if you create shields. But this little boy was able to do at the age of one, while at the same time vanquishing the dark lord, Voldemort, the leader of the dark forces in the wizarding war in Europe. It was considered an amazing feat that the Potters became famous worldwide.

Augustus is also aware that the Potters have another child, Lilac Potter, who was dubbed one of the luckiest siblings in the world, all because she has Godric Potter as a brother. But no one has heard that they have other children. Judging from their ages, it would seem, that Harry, Iris, and Godric were part of a set of triplets but the two were discarded because they were squibs which Augustus finds odd. It's rare for magical multiples to be squibs, even rarer if one of the parents is a muggle-born as they tend to have magic children if their partner is also magical. Multiple siblings also tend to have a magical connection so it is difficult to separate them at all.

There is also the part that despite every assessment from healers, there is no guarantee that the child born will be magical or not. Squibs are rare and many of those who were declared as squibs at an early age are often not squibs, although they tend to have a less magical capability and a much smaller magic core (the magical core is less developed when they are below the age of eleven). This is why it is encouraged for them to monitor their children (and sometimes try to do things to push the magic out of them, some of which Augustus frowned upon) and from the looks of it, it doesn't seem like the Potters were monitoring them well even if they were assumed to be squibs and the fact that their aunt was able to travel to another country without needing input from the Potters.

But judging from the problem with the accidental magic they keep detecting, it doesn't seem like the magical cores of these two children are too weak that they could be mistaken to be a squib. This raised questions for Augustus and this usually means a "red flag". Normally it is easier to detect accidental magic but, in this case, there seems to be something that is blocking it which is why Augustus was sent to the field to find the family where accidental magic is happening. Frequent and powerful accidental magic usually happens when the child is very powerful or when the child is been through abuse and constantly has bouts of accidental magic to protect themselves. Usually, it's abused which is why this mission was declared urgent.

When Augustus gave a short view about the Potters and their fame in the magical community, Petunia was furious. "So, my sister gets to be rich and famous and play happy family while leaving her children in my care without even bothering to provide any financial support for them? I have to sell the house me and my husband bought it together so we could feed ourselves. If it wasn't for this job, we would have struggled even more."

Augustus was feeling awkward after that but mostly disappointed. He listened to Petunia and was horrified to find that the two Potter siblings were left at the door in the middle of the night, had no communication, no arrangement for care, or even considered Petunia Dursley's feelings about the situation. Are there no alternatives to the care of squibs in Great Britain? Even a no-maj has to go through so many hoops just to find the right kennel for their dog let alone their children.

In the U.S., squibs were considered to transition effectively to the no-maj world with magical contracts to ensure they never reveal the magical world. They are also well-compensated for it as well which reduces resentment of them and the possibility of siding with scourers. In fact, as someone who worked in his department, many of the squibs have become vital sources of keeping the magical world a secret, especially those working in no-maj security, military, technology, business, and government agencies.

Augustus is very disappointed. He was one of the people who looked up to the Potters (although not at the same level of worshipping them and the American wizards were less concerned about the British Wizarding world). If this is proven true, then the Potters are considered risking the statute of secrecy. The MACUSA is very – very strict regarding the statute of secrecy. They did face a lot of complaints from the international magical community on how strict they were but due to the country's experience of no-maj and breaches from scourers trying to reveal their existence (and still do as they face more of such an issue compared to their European counterparts), you can't blame them.

First of all, even if they were squibs, leaving them with no-maj relatives is very risky. What if the child is not exactly a squib? Some squibs do have some sort of magic just not strong enough to be able to produce magic itself and this could still raise attention from the no-maj community. How could they be irresponsible? He knows squibs were often treated harshly in magical families the same way some first generations of wizards and witches are treated in some no-maj families but for the Potters who were avid supporters of no-maj rights, you would think they'll be less harsh towards their squib children? Let alone try to communicate and monitor their well-being. And what about Petunia Dursley and her son? They were no-maj. They could also be potentially harmed if Harry and Iris will have a bout of accidental magic-like explosions for example that could injure them. Unlike wizards where minor scratches or broken bones are not seen as a big deal, for no-maj, it could be life-threatening.

"As much as I believe that your nephew and nieces should stay with you especially since I noticed that they are being taken well, leaving them alone without a magical guardian is still dangerous for you and your son."

"What do you mean dangerous?" Petunia looked surprised.

"Ms. Dursley..."

"Petunia, please call me Petunia."

"Petunia, then. You may call me Oggy if you like." Augustus then cleared his throat. "As you may know, accidental magic can be dangerous. It is called accidental because it's done unintentionally, especially during their early ages which I am surprised you were able to live through it. Most magical parents can handle it because they have magic to protect them. But no-maj parents often do not have that protection which is why in some cases, in Britain for example, their magical government has agents in place to protect the no-maj (usually by obliviating them) until the child reaches the age of eleven when they start getting a formal education. However, in our country, we find that riskier as the more agents in the field could still gain attention so we often have to assign a first-generation child with a magical guardian."

"Wait. Are you telling me you are taking them away from me?!" Petunia shrieked. She is panicking now. Even if she tries to fight, she can't do anything. She doesn't have the magic to fight back.

"WHAT?!" Three voices interrupted the two adults.

"Children," Petunia called out to them.

"No no no!" A tiny, redheaded girl ran to her aunt's arms. "I want Aunt Petunia. Don't let him take us away, Aunt Petunia!"

"Evil!" A boisterous boy, Dudley who ran behind hugging his mother, called the man out and Harry, the one with glasses said. "I'll go get a frying pan."

Why does he need a frying pan? Augustus thought but that was the least of his worries.

"Please, um." But the little girl's wailing is drowning out his voice.

"Riri, please calm down." Petunia chastised the redhead. "He is not going to take you away from me, right?" She raised her eyebrows at the man, goading him to agree.

"But..." Augustus sighed. "Yes, Ms. Potter. I am not going to take you away from your aunt."

"Really?" The little girl looked at him teary-eyed. That only made Augustus feel hurt, knowing he made a little girl cry like that. He didn't mean to.

"What I was trying to tell you Petunia is that you can still have custody of the children. The magical guardian will serve as a liaison officer between you and the magical world. They can act as consultants, teachers, and even lawyers if you think about it, helping transition the children from the no-maj world to the magical world and will also help you in any legal process if needed. This can be given as a compromise but it will not be easy because there are going to be a lot of inquiries and vetting to ensure that you will not violate the statute of secrecy, not to mention that the children's magical parents are alive and capable of raising them." Augustus explains.

"I heard about it. The law that stipulates that magic should not be known to my world?" Petunia stated. Augustus nodded at her.

"I have someone in mind that can help with the vetting process so you don't have to face too many queries from the government and he can also serve as a magical guardian as well. But that is still up to you." Augustus continued.

"I don't know. Is there a chance to think about it?" Petunia asked.

"Well, you do, but please note that other agents may not be as lenient as I am. They might forcefully take the children before the vetting could be finalized and it would even take months or years to even get that." Augustus said.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Petunia asked.

"You can't," Augustus answered honestly.

"Are you sure you don't want others to know about this? We can help you communicate with your sister. (They are already violating our laws leaving two magical children in the hands of no-maj, or so Augustus thought)."

"What?" Petunia looked surprised and paused. She has trouble reaching out to Lily but after all this time raising all three children by herself, Petunia has gotten used to Harry and Iris in her life.

"No." a loud, clear voice said.

The two adults turned to the green-eyed, messy-haired boy who is currently holding a wok.

"I don't want to meet my parents." The little boy declared so coolly that it surprised the two adults in the room.

*****

Harry James Potter has always wondered about his parents. His aunt Petunia didn't try to lie and make them think that she is their mother (they already do think she is but Aunt Petunia didn't want them to feel like they were being lied to growing up). The moment he was aware of himself and his magic, he became fascinated by it. He wondered if any of his dreams were related to this and wondered why all that just disappeared from his life.

He has always been able to remember things more easily compared to Dudley and Iris who were more playful and creative even though they are still very young but Harry who occasionally helped Aunt Petunia in the kitchen saw many of the issues growing up. He saw once when Aunt Petunia didn't eat that day because the only food has been only enough for the three children or on their birthday, they couldn't pay for the electricity on time so they started this tradition on their birthdays to have it at midnight (between his and Iris' birthday) and celebrate with only treacle tarts and candles to light up the room. It wasn't even last year that they finally can afford a cake. Even though it was a fond memory of Harry, he saw how her aunt struggled.

He, Iris, and Dudley eavesdropped on Augustus Blake who claimed to be part of the magic government. Harry was fascinated by the idea of learning magic. It was hard to learn more about it since he can't exactly find any information except those fiction books in the library but according to Aunt Petunia, they are not exactly true. So the thought he can be able to gain access to the magic community made him excited, that is until Augustus Blake told them about their parents.

Their parents don't want them. That's what he got from the meeting.

Their parents kept their brother and another sister but they didn't want them.

"Harry, dear. What do you mean?" Aunt Petunia kneeled in front of Harry.

"Our parents don't want us," Harry said.

"Oh, darling. That's not true. Your parents didn't know you are magical and I have trouble trying to contact them. If they know about it, I'm sure they would have kept you."

"That's just it."

"Huh?"

"Aunty, our parents didn't want us because we weren't magical. If we were, they would have kept us. Their love for us is conditional."

Petunia almost gasped at Harry. Her Harry has been thinking like this? He is barely six.

"Oh, Harry darling. I didn't know you feel that way." Petunia hugged him.

"I want to stay with you, Aunty. You could have just left us at the orphanage but you kept us."