Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 108: 107. The Ministry of Magic surrenders and the butler Alfu
Even though Dobby is considered rebellious and ambitious among house elves, to be honest, his ambition is only a little bit.

Complying with Dobby's wishes, Harry felt that living a free life for a while might allow Dobby to come up with more ideas, and maybe he would have a longer-term plan for his future... Anyway, house-elves have a long lifespan, so Dobby has enough time to learn and grow.

"Yes! Master Harry!" Dobby shouted happily, changing the address back to normal.

"Don't call me Master," Harry said helplessly, "Just call me Harry."

"No!" Dobby shook his head firmly, "Dobby is Harry's assistant now, he must be called that!"

Such was Dobby's professionalism, and Harry... Harry had given up on trying to correct the house-elf's ideas for a while, it was too much.

"So you want to change your name, Dobby?" Harry thought for a moment and said, "In my hometown, people who have experienced major changes in their lives often change their names to prove that they are no longer their past selves, as a way of saying goodbye to the past."

"Change the name... say goodbye to the past..." His eyes were shining, and Dobby's gaze was full of longing. "Dobby wants it too! Dobby is no longer the house-elf of the Malfoy family! Dobby is no longer the Dobby of the past!!"

"Master Harry, can you help Dobby come up with a new name?" Dobby said expectantly, "It's really great that the hero who freed Dobby gave Dobby a new name."

"——Afu" Harry didn't know where the inspiration came from, but a light bulb suddenly appeared in his mind and he blurted out, "How about this name?"

"Afu... Afu..." Dobby muttered a few words in a low voice, and then nodded vigorously, "Dobby thinks this name is good! From now on, Dobby will be called Afu!"

Master Harry and his assistant Alfu are simply perfect.

....................................

Dobby... Oh no, Alfred quickly got into work mode. Harry only needed to shout "Alfred!" and he would appear in front of Harry with a crackling sound of Apparition, trying his best to meet all his requirements.

To be honest, Harry more or less understood why Mrs. Weasley wanted a house-elf. By the way, he also understood why there was a saying in the wizarding community that "having a house-elf at home is a sign of pure-blood nobility."

If this kind of life continued for many years, Harry really felt that he might be spoiled by Alfred.

And after a week, Alfred was promoted to Harry's butler, and his salary was increased to... eleven Galleons per month at Harry's strong request.

Giving a house-elf a raise is a real painstaking job.

Rita Skeeter's actions were slower than Harry had expected, because everything Harry said to her that day did not appear on the front page of the Daily Prophet until the fourth day, and that morning, Harry also received a letter with the Malfoy family coat of arms, which had only one sentence on it.

It won't hold you back anymore

Harry felt that this was a letter of commendation. At the same time, he also felt that he seemed to have overestimated Rita Skeeter's influence on the Daily Prophet. He didn't expect that she couldn't even send out such a small matter smoothly.

And looking at it this way, Skeeter's almost explicit slander of Dumbledore could be smoothly sent out through the Daily Prophet every day - Harry thought he might need to pay attention to the Minister of Magic.

By defaming Dumbledore's achievements and undermining his reputation, either overtly or covertly, what was the Minister of Magic trying to do? To bring Dumbledore down?

The Ministry of Magic acted much faster than Harry had expected. Basically, they sent people the next day after the news was published in the newspaper.

"...Tonks?" After opening the door, Harry looked at the familiar-looking woman in front of him with surprise. After some thought, he remembered the name.

"Aha!" Tonks snapped her fingers handsomely and said, "It seems our bull-headed boy still remembers me."

The person knocking on the door was none other than the Metamorphmagus who could change his appearance and hair color at will, Harry's senior, Nymphadora Tonks - she had been an intern at the Ministry of Magic before, and it was unknown whether she had become a full-time employee yet.

"The Ministry of Magic sent you?" After just a moment's thought, Harry had guessed why Tonks appeared at the door of number 4 Privet Drive.

"Clever!" Tonks sighed deeply. "Only things like this can...ah ha, let me think about what I should say."

"Dear Mr. Potter, the Ministry of Magic is very sorry for what happened to you. Over the past eleven years, the Ministry of Magic has been committed to ensuring peace and stability in the wizarding world. I believe you will understand our efforts in the face of complex challenges, but we must also admit that in view of some unforeseen special circumstances and... uh, what was it?"

Obviously reciting a passage with her eyes rolled up, Tonks stopped talking abruptly. She tried her best to think, and her eyebrows were squeezed together - really squeezed together, her facial features seemed to be fighting each other, one eyebrow directly covering the other eyebrow, and even other organs were twisted in very strange places.

"The challenge of the unknown?" Harry sighed and made up a story for Tonks.

"Don't make any noise, I'm thinking." As she said this, Tonks' facial features suddenly returned to normal, or at least to her normal appearance. "We have always been committed to providing all wizards with the best - uh, the best - forget it, never mind!"

With a feeling of self-abandonment, Tonks pulled a box from her pocket.

"Anyway, I'm here to deliver this." Shrugging, the senior student put her arm around Harry's shoulders in a familiar manner, and said with a smile, "Well done, Bull-Headed Boy, you've made the Minister, that good-for-nothing, very embarrassed."

Harry paused as he opened the box.

"...It sounds like you dislike the current Minister?" Harry asked casually, "I remember you were interning in the Auror Office. Are the current Aurors so dissatisfied with the Minister of Magic?"

"Who would like a good-for-nothing?" Tonks said nonchalantly, "Everyone knows how he got to that position. He relied on Dumbledore to secure his position... To be honest, I think it would be better to let Scrimgeour take the job - ah, you probably don't know him. He's the head of the Auror Office. Fudge can't really control us."

Harry nodded.

It sounds like there are a lot of factions within the Ministry of Magic, which is a good thing.

He had opened the box, and upon the velvet cushion lay a title deed—the title deed to the old Potter house.

And Tonks was still enthusiastically describing the wonderful sight of the Minister of Magic being bombarded by owls.

After the publication of the Daily Prophet yesterday, a large number of owls from outside poured the anger of wizards living all over the UK on Fudge's head. According to reliable sources, Fudge's office was like a shower of owl droppings, the roar of the Howling Letters never stopped, and employees like Tonks were so excited that they couldn't sleep well all night.

"Everyone supports you, Harry." Putting her arm around Harry's shoulders, Tonks said seriously, "If anyone bullies you, all you have to do is shout outside - even the Minister of Magic will be drowned out."

"...Thank you", after a moment of silence, Harry nodded and thanked him.

He felt that what Tonks said was not accurate, because these people could attack the Minister of Magic because of what was said in the Daily Prophet, and when the Daily Prophet changed its direction, they might naturally attack him... just like many people in the wizarding world were attacking Dumbledore now.

Of course, Harry still believed that there were some people who would firmly support him.

Tonks came and left in a hurry. As someone who had just entered the Ministry of Magic, she had endless work to do.

Putting the title deed of the Potter mansion back into the box, Harry walked back into number 4 Privet Drive. "What took you so long, kid?" Uncle Vernon said unhappily as soon as he entered the restaurant, "The food is getting cold. I told you, if it's an annoying salesman, just say we don't need anything. The more you get entangled with them, the harder it will be to get away. I know this business too well."

"Sorry, I should have let you eat first." Harry put the box back into the dragonhide bag, "I didn't expect it to take so long."

"What's that, Harry?" Dudley asked suddenly. "That box."

Dudley now looked like a completely different person from the one he had been last year—not in terms of personality, but in terms of body.

Dudley had lost weight, a lot of it. At first glance he looked like a stocky young man, very tall and strong.

The weight loss potion played a vital role in this process, so much so that Aunt Petunia was extremely friendly when she saw Harry during the holidays this year.

"The Potter family's title deed was just delivered by the Ministry of Magic." This sentence made his uncle and aunt's smiles fade a lot. Harry continued, "I'm afraid I won't be able to witness your glorious moment tonight, dear uncle."

"Where are you going, boy?" Uncle Fenon said rather annoyed.

Tonight is an extremely important day. Uncle Vernon has already said in advance that this may be the biggest deal he can do in his life - he is going to welcome a very influential business partner to his home, and for this purpose, everyone in the family has been assigned a task.

The same goes for Harry, who is responsible for making guests feel that the Dursley children are knowledgeable and well-informed even though they are very young.

But when the time comes, Harry wants to run away?
"Godric's Hollow," Harry answered simply, "The Potter family's ancestral home is there. A friend told me that the house has been destroyed by Voldemort. I want to go and take a look first... or something else."

"Oh, oh... okay, okay," Uncle Vernon said dryly, gesturing with his hands on the table. "So what do you need - uh, a construction team? Or housekeeping? I can help you make the contact. I have the connections."

"Not for now." Harry laughed. "Thank you for your concern, uncle, but I haven't decided whether to renovate the house. Maybe it would be better to rebuild it directly... Well, I'm not sure. At least go and take a look first... take a look first..."

Very rarely, a look of hesitation appeared on Harry's face, and Harry at this moment reminded Uncle Vernon of his nephew's past... at least the past eleven years.

"How about, let's wait a little longer." After the atmosphere at the table became a little depressing, Aunt Petunia suddenly said, "I think I can go with you - I mean, tomorrow? After the matter with Vernon is over."

Aunt Petunia's words shocked not only Harry, but also Uncle Vernon and Dudley.

"Are you serious? Aunt?" Harry said in surprise.

In his past memories, his aunt had always avoided his family, especially anything related to magic, but now she took the initiative to ask to go to his ancestral home? A place where many wizards lived?
"Of course." Aunt Petunia nodded vigorously. She looked at her husband. "Sorry, Vernon, I want to see something..."

Sadness? Regret? Sorrow? Hatred? Harry felt that the expression on Aunt Petunia's face at the moment could not be described in simple words. After all, only those who experienced it at the time could remember it most deeply and unforgettably.

"Okay, okay," Uncle Vernon sighed repeatedly. He seemed to be mumbling something, but his voice was not loud and even the scattered words could not be heard clearly.

"You mean, you agree?" Aunt Petunia said with surprise.

She knew how much her husband hated wizards and magic. After he had a falling out with Lily and James, she and her family didn't even attend their wedding. Until the bad news came, the two sides never had the chance to meet again.

"That's right," Uncle Vernon rubbed his face and said, "I mean, why don't we just go there as a family? Dudley doesn't have anywhere to go during the holiday, so let's just treat it as a trip. Is it safe there? Boy, that valley."

The last question was directed at Harry.

"Of course, it's absolutely safe," Harry answered firmly, but he felt that his uncle might not have the energy to reply.

After Uncle Vernon finished speaking, Aunt Petunia sat down, hugged him, and gave her husband a deep kiss.

Even Harry had to admit that his uncle and aunt were indeed a couple with a deep affection for each other. Regardless of anything else, Uncle Vernon was indeed a competent husband and father, and Aunt Petunia was also a competent mother.

It's just nothing like my old self - Harry sighed silently.

Dudley on the other side of "Godric's Hollow" repeated the word in confusion. He looked at Harry and said, "Is there anything fun there? Like dragons? Monsters? Heroes?"

It's clear that Harry's cousin's mind has jumped to video games.

"If everything goes well, I can take you to see a dragon." Harry thought for a moment and gave a serious promise.

So Dudley instantly became the person in the Dursley family who most wanted to go to Godric's Hollow, which even made him a little impatient to welcome the guests in the evening, and he wished time would fast forward to tomorrow.

"Uncle, if you want to make sure that there won't be any accidents during the meeting tonight, I can recommend you a great helper." Harry thought for a moment and said, "Alfred."

Snapped!
There was a crackling sound in the air, and Ah Fu made a brilliant appearance.

"What do you want, Master Harry?" As soon as he appeared, he bowed and said proudly.

Alfred was now wearing a neat black suit, which was the right size for Harry. It was custom-made by Madam Malkin. He even had a tie around his neck and a flat-top cap on his head. At first glance, he no longer looked dirty as when they first met, but instead looked very handsome.

On the day when Harry promoted himself from assistant to butler, Alfred, the whole house-elf, was so excited that his nose and tears were covered with snot. Afterwards, he even asked Harry to find him some books on the professional skills of Muggle butlers so that he could learn them. He was determined to become a truly qualified butler and never disgrace the name of Harry Potter.

To be honest, after putting on this outfit, Harry felt that Alfred looked quite decent now.

"Goblin! Oh my God!!" Finally realizing what was around him, Dudley pointed at Alfred and shouted, "Goblins are real!!!"

He looked like a tragic old man with two holes in his chest, knife and gunshot wounds all over his body, and half of his head missing.

"Alfred is not a goblin!" Looking at Dudley, Alfred said with his eyes wide open: "Alfred is a house-elf!"

As for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia on the other side - the two of them were still hugging each other tightly, but this time it was not because of the deep feelings between the two sides, but because they were panicked by the strange-looking thing that could speak human language that appeared in front of them.

To be honest, Harry was pretty sure Uncle Vernon was trying hard to suppress the urge to rush into the room and get his double-barreled shotgun.

"Calm down, calm down!" Harry stood up and said loudly, "This is Alfred, the butler I hired for myself. He is a house-elf - you can never imagine how capable he is."

Without giving Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia more time to think, Harry turned to Alfred and said, "Prove yourself, Alfred."

"Yes! Master Harry!"

(End of this chapter)