Hogwarts' Golden Glory

Harry enjoyed "kingly" treatment at the Dursleys' house for three whole weeks.

Every morning, Aunt Penny would nervously bring over a hearty breakfast;

Uncle Vernon was like a dutiful butler, even ironing Harry's socks himself;

Dudley, on the other hand, became a completely silent shadow.

As soon as Harry appears, he scurries away like a startled rabbit.

On the last Wednesday of July, things took a turn for the better.

Vernon Dursley's obese body sank deeply into the living room sofa.

The beer can in his hand spun unconsciously with his stubby fingers.

On the television screen, a magician is waving his arms exaggeratedly.

Show the audience how to make objects "magically" levitate in the air using almost invisible nylon threads.

"It's all a bunch of scams," Vernon scoffed, his beer belly rising and falling with his breath, "just like those street hustlers."

Aunt Penny's thin, bony fingers were busy knitting an ugly sweater.

Without even looking up, he chimed in, "Exactly, who in their right mind would believe that?"

Dudley was stuffing his fourth piece of chocolate cake into his mouth, cream smearing all over his chin.

He mumbled, "But that guy on TV last month really made the elephants disappear..."

"That's all photography technique, son," Vernon said smugly, as if he were a magician revealing secrets.

"These days, television can fake anything."

The magician on TV continued explaining, "The key is to make the audience believe they are seeing real magic, when in reality..."

The scene cuts to behind the scenes, revealing transparent fishing lines as thin as hair.

Vernon suddenly sat up straight, the beer can creaking under his hand.

A strange expression slowly appeared on his greasy face, as if he had discovered some major secret.

"Penny," he whispered, even though there was no one else in the house besides them.

"Do you remember all those 'tricks' that Potter kid used to pull?"

Penny stopped knitting, her long, thin neck craning like a turtle's: "You mean..."

"Just think about it!" Vernon's voice trembled with excitement.

"The time he made Dudley's pig tail disappear—who among us actually saw it? And that time he locked Dudley behind the glass in the snake enclosure—there are so many blind spots in the zoo's surveillance system!"

Dudley stopped chewing, cream dripping from the corner of his open mouth. "Dad...you mean Harry's magic wasn't real?"

Vernon's small eyes gleamed mischievously: "I was thinking... if these magicians can fool the audience with invisible threads, then that Potter kid..."

The three of them looked in the direction of the stairs, which led to Harry's storage room.

The other person is currently staying in the community, since he has never liked being there.

Penny's hands gripped Vernon's arm like a spider's: "Vernon, darling... if that's really the case..."

"We need evidence," Vernon's breathing became heavy. "Let's go check his room while the kid's out."

Dudley immediately jumped up, cake crumbs raining down on him: "I want to go too!"

The three of them tiptoed upstairs like spies on a secret mission.

The lock on Harry's small storage room door had already been removed by Vernon—"No locked doors are allowed in my house."

That's what he announced at the time.

Vernon pushed open the door; the room was very simple.

After all, how could their family bear to give that kid Potter those expensive pieces of furniture?

Harry's owl Hedwig and its cage are both missing—it always seems to find a way to escape.

"Search separately," Vernon directed, "anything suspicious—threads, mechanisms, hidden devices."

Penny immediately pounced on Harry's suitcase, her bony fingers expertly rummaging through it.

Dudley then began to lift the mattress, hoping to discover some secret compartment.

Vernon's gaze fell on a loose brick in the wall.

That place currently appears to be the most suspicious location.

His fat fingers laboriously pried open the bricks, revealing several cards and...

"What's this?" Nong pulled out a crumpled envelope.

The gold-embossed Hogwarts crest on the envelope remained striking even in the dim light.

Penny sidled closer like a shark smelling blood: "It's from that school!"

Vernon roughly tore open the envelope and pulled out the parchment inside.

His eyes quickly scanned the ornate text, then suddenly stopped on a particular paragraph.

His face first turned red, then turned a sickly purple.

Listen to this!

He practically roared, "'According to Article Thirteen of the International Wizarding Union's Law of Secrecy, underage wizards are prohibited from using magic outside of school. Any violation of this rule will be dealt with seriously by the Ministry of Magic...'"

Penny's mouth formed a perfect "O" shape: "So... he can't cast spells at home at all?"

Dudley suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh that made the windows downstairs vibrate slightly: "That means all his threats were fake! He can't use any magic on us at all!"

Vernon's hands trembled with excitement, and the parchment rustled in his hands.

He continued reading: "'...any use of magic outside of school will be monitored...' Look! They have surveillance! That kid wouldn't dare use magic at home!"

A twisted, triumphant expression spread across Penny's face: "So all these years... those floating cakes, the disappearing glass, the discolored hair... were all fake?"

“Not all of it is fake,” Vernon’s eyes gleamed with malice. “The previous ones might not have been detectable, and this one could be the work of that damned owl, or some gadget he brought back from school. But the point is—”

He waved the letter in his hand, "He himself can't use any magic on us!"

Dudley jumped up and down excitedly, making the floor thud. "I'm going to tell him I know! I want to see him scared!"

"No, son," Vernon gave a sly smile, "we must make good use of this information. Think about it, now we know his trump card..."

Penny had already started making a list in her mind: "First, he could move into Dudley's second bedroom—it's just a pile of toys anyway. Then he could take care of all the housework..."

“Not only that,” Vernon interrupted her, a calculating glint in his small eyes, “if he doesn’t behave, we can certainly… take some measures. After all, he can’t protect himself with those little tricks anymore, can he?”

The three exchanged a knowing glance, almost intoxicated by the thrill of finally having control for the first time in many years.

The magician on the TV downstairs was still going on and on: "...So what the audience sees as 'magic' is actually a carefully designed illusion..."

Vernon laughed and stuffed the letter into his pocket. "Come on, let's go downstairs and keep watching. I think we've just witnessed the most exciting magic reveal of the year—Harry Potter's true face!"