Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

"The minister told me everything that day."

"I won't be expelled from Hogwarts, you know? That's great, it's just a pity that I still have to go back to my uncle's house next year."

Although Eric's concern didn't change anything, Harry's heart was still warmed.

Keep in mind, this was the only person who had tried to show him any kindness in all these days.

Of all the people Harry had met in the past few days, Fudge and Old Tom were, needless to say, completely businesslike towards Harry.

Although Old Tom was responsible for looking after Harry, he wasn't Harry's nanny, nor could he take the initiative to step in and soothe Harry's inner emotions.

Harry's two best friends, Ron and Hermione, went on a holiday trip abroad with their families, making it difficult for them to keep in touch with Harry.

Harry didn't have any friends here. If Harry felt anything, it was loneliness. He felt extremely lonely.

Although he has a lot of freedom, there is no one here who can talk to him.

Eric nodded in response, "Really? That's good."

"Why haven't I seen you for so many days, Eric?" Harry asked curiously.

Eric said, "I need to prepare for the start of school, since I'm going to Hogwarts this year."

"Oh right!" Harry exclaimed, realizing that Eric was indeed younger than him.

Harry immediately covered his mouth in surprise at his discovery.

He recalled what Eric had said to him and Fudge that day, and Fudge's attitude toward Eric.

The confidence that Eric exuded was something Harry had only ever seen in very powerful adult wizards.

Harry knew he could never get the Minister of Magic to stand still and listen to him.

Eric can do it.

Eric looked very young, but by all accounts, he perfectly fit the image of a genius wizard.

Moreover, he was very clever, able to deduce the general course of events simply from Fudge's arrival.

Harry still hasn't forgotten Fudge's ashen face.

Harry recalled his time when he first enrolled, when he knew absolutely nothing about magic.

Eric is much better than he was back then.

Therefore, Eric must know something about Blake.

“Well then, if you have nothing else to do, Harry, I’m going back to my room.”

Seeing Harry staring at him in shock and not moving, Eric didn't care and deliberately smiled as he spoke.

After saying that, Eric was about to get up, but Harry quickly stopped him.

"That one! Eric!"

"Huh?" Eric stopped. "What's wrong?"

Harry said softly, somewhat embarrassed, "Actually, I need to talk to you about something."

"It's about Blake that you mentioned that day..."

Eric chuckled. "I knew you'd come looking for me someday, Harry, but what do you want to know?"

The smile left Harry somewhat bewildered. He had also seen the newspaper reports about Black's good deeds and didn't understand what was so funny about mentioning Black.

Of course, what puzzled him the most was Eric's statement that day that Blake had come for him.

Harry is a straightforward person; he says whatever comes to mind.

Harry said eagerly, "I saw the article about that Black you mentioned in the newspaper!"

"Is he really after me, as you say?"

“What do you think?” Eric didn’t answer him immediately, but slowly sat down, then gestured for Harry to sit down as well, and asked a question in return.

Faced with this response, Harry scratched his head and said blankly, "I...I don't know."

Eric suddenly waved and called out to Old Tom at the bar, "Old Tom, two cups of black tea!"

Old Tom, hunched over the bar counter, stared idly at the door when he heard this and looked at them.

The teapot was casually placed in front of old Tom.

Harry waved his hands repeatedly to indicate that he didn't need it, but before he could refuse, two cups of black tea flew across half the bar and landed on their table with Old Tom's wand.

Old Tom glanced at the two of them again, said nothing, put away his wand, and lay back down on the bar.

Eric smiled with satisfaction, put the sugar cube from the saucer into the black tea, stirred it a couple of times, took a small sip, and said to Harry, "Try it, Harry, the tea here is pretty good."

This time, Harry didn't refuse and followed suit, gently sipping his black tea.

“You are a very courageous person, Harry. Even though I haven’t enrolled yet, I’ve heard about the things you’ve done. For your age, that’s really remarkable.”

Eric looked at Harry and smiled.

This sudden praise made Harry blush, and at the same time he felt a little strange. Eric was clearly younger than him, but when the two of them talked, Eric acted like an adult, while Harry could only passively follow Eric's lead.

"That's exactly why, Harry, just as you think, there are some things I know, but I can't tell you."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously.

Eric said softly, “You consider yourself a brave and fearless Gryffindor, a belief you’ve always held, and you’ve certainly never backed down from a challenge.”

"That's a good thing and a bad thing."

"You have the courage to face challenges, but that doesn't mean you're qualified to stand in that position."

"You are not good enough now, far from enough."

Chapter 30 Only He Knows

Eric's words only confused Harry more.

What challenge? What qualifications? What's not enough?

Harry looked at Eric with a blank expression.

Was what he just said really in English?

Harry could only stammer, "I don't quite understand what you're talking about."

Eric ignored him and continued with a smile, "Sorry, Harry, old Tom asked me a similar question the other day."

"What I told him at the time was that I hope everyone can be honest with their own heart and find their own path."

“I admire people with real courage, I mean those who discover the essence of a problem and dare to resist certain things.”

"I will offer help to people I admire, and that certainly includes you."

"There are some things I hope you will discover for yourself."

"Whether you admit it or not, your position is very special."

“You have had a lot of attention and support from the very beginning.”

"Naturally, your fate is also intertwined with these people."

"And right now, you are not psychologically prepared to face these truths."

Harry and Eric sat in a corner of the bar.

It was the height of the sun, and sunlight streamed through the narrow window, falling on Eric's back and creating a dazzling halo around his head, making his face appear even more somber and mysterious.

Harry sat opposite Eric, and although he found the angle a bit dazzling, he was still firmly drawn to Eric's appearance.

Eric's voice seemed to have a magical power, completely captivating Harry's attention.

He opened his mouth wide, unsure how to answer.

Eric's words were as tactful as possible, but they were still beyond Harry's comprehension.

In Harry's mind, his current life is still mainly about eating, drinking, and having fun.

Although he did a few things that his classmates considered extraordinary, those were just a very small number of isolated cases.

Harry was quite satisfied with his life at Hogwarts, at least much better than his previous life.

The peaceful environment didn't give Harry a chance to think about these questions.

After a moment of silence, Harry could only manage to stammer out, "You mean... my magical abilities aren't enough?"

That's the only way Harry can understand it.

Harry was very positive about his first impression of Eric.

When Harry suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar environment, it was Eric who spoke up to help Harry out of the predicament, and it was Eric who was the first to take the initiative to show him goodwill.

In his previous plans, he hadn't considered the possibility that Eric would refuse to tell him, so this sudden turn of events was a bit hard for Harry to accept.

“It’s not just a matter of ability.” Eric shook his head and tapped his head with his finger. “Nobody expected a third-year wizard to achieve anything amazing or be that great.”

"What I'm referring to is your perspective and your way of thinking."

"Let me guess, all along, have you never been willing to doubt the professors, or the people who care about you?"

"You can accurately distinguish who is genuinely kind to you and who has ill intentions towards you."

"It's a very special talent, and I guess it's related to your upbringing."

“You were raised by someone like your uncle. If you didn’t have that kind of ability, you probably wouldn’t have made it this far.”

"But what I want to say is that you have never tried to look at the problem from a more objective perspective."

"Some things are not necessarily true just because you see them, and what's more, sometimes what you see is not the whole truth."

"Sometimes you are just wishful thinking and willingly let your emotions control you."

"This kind of emotion can easily dominate you and make you sink deeper and deeper."

Harry said blankly, "...I don't understand."

No matter how famous he is, Harry is still just a 13-year-old boy.

Harry is always straightforward in his interactions with his friends, saying whatever comes to mind.

Now, suddenly encountering Eric, who can talk so much, has completely baffled him.