Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 121 A Night on Privet Drive

With a wave of his hand, Dumbledore caused the crown and sapphire on the table to disappear.

He's kind of handsome.

Loren blinked, pulled up Dumbledore's sleeve and looked at it again and again, but still couldn't find the spatial equipment anywhere.

"How did you do that?" He was planning to craft a small, close-fitting spatial device and wanted it to look just as cool.

Dumbledore chuckled and said, "You'll understand when you grow up."

He took Loren's hand and led him outside.

"Headmaster, how are you going to destroy the crown?" A clear voice rang out in the corridor.

"I don't plan to destroy it yet."

Leaving aside the significance of these founders' relics to Hogwarts and their various extraordinary uses.

Dumbledore's desire to preserve Horcruxes stemmed from a desire to find a reliable way to detach the evil souls attached to them, obliterate them, and preserve the vessel.

Whether it's the pain of Harry's scars, his Parsleyan voice, or his strange dreams, all these prove that Voldemort also left his mark on Harry.

Dumbledore already had a plan to remove the mark, but it was too risky. He wanted to find a better, safer way.

Fortunately, Voldemort has not yet been resurrected, and there is no hope of him being resurrected in the short term, so he has plenty of time.

Loren understood; the Horcruxes would be kept for experiments.

"What should we do with the blue gemstone that represents wisdom?"

He was frantically hinting that he wanted to experience Ravenclaw's extraordinary intelligence.

Dumbledore recognized the meaning, and his voice held a hint of amusement: "I don't know either, but like Gryffindor's sword, wisdom comes when someone needs it."

Loren fell silent.

He understood that the sentence meant: "Watch me, Dumbledore, direct what I'm going to do."

The two slowly walked out of the hall.

It was already dark outside, the stars and moon were bright, and the night was quiet.

Loren looked back at Hogwarts Castle, its black exterior exuding an air of majesty.

Looking at the castle, which had once again become deserted, Mommy curled up in a corner of the bathroom ceiling.

In the underground chamber, the slumbering basilisk exhaled a long breath, dispersing some of the dust in the cave.

In a brightly lit, ornately decorated study, Gilderoy Lockhart, having just finished writing a reply to a reader, looked delighted at an invitation letter bearing the Hogwarts crest on its envelope.

On a desk at the Ministry of Magic, a search warrant signed Cornelius Fudge was sealed in a bag.

The story of one year has come to an end, and the story of the next year is about to begin.

"Where are we going?" Loren asked.

He had already mentioned to Dumbledore that they couldn't find Grandpa Bates in a short time and therefore couldn't treat him.

As for whether Dumbledore could find a Muggle, Loren thought it was possible, but unnecessary.

Dumbledore led Loren out of the castle, away from the area protected by ancient defensive magic. "Let's go see Harry."

He waved his wand in one hand and held Loren's hand in the other.

Loren felt his navel being hooked again, and he was pulled and stuffed into a rubber tube, then squeezed.

A gentle breeze rustled the neat hedges lining Privet Road, and the street was silent and spotless under the dark sky.

The Dursleys stood blocking the entrance to their detached cottage, while Harry stood in the yard. The atmosphere was tense as they faced each other.

Harry got off the train and went straight with Sirius. Uncle Vernon didn't pick them up and waited at the train station until dark.

Given Harry's terrifying past and the mystery and danger of the wizarding world, Vernon Dursley thought something had happened and returned home with Aunt Petunia, feeling uneasy. It turned out that the boy had gone off to play on his own.

My uncle, like a bull, glared and hissed, "This is your house! What do you think this is? A motel?"

"This is the Dursleys' house! Not a place you can come and go as you please!"

Harry stared coldly at the Dursleys, a lump forming in his throat, threatening to explode. It was a pent-up feeling of depression, resentment, and anger that had been building up for ten years.

In the past, Harry wouldn't have retorted. He would have silently gone into the storage room, curled up in that small space, and fallen asleep listening to the Dursleys' curses. Tomorrow would be another day.

But today is different, and Harry doesn't want to do that in front of Sirius.

"That's enough!"

Harry yelled back, "What do you take me for?"

"I'm locked in the storage room. When guests come, I have to hide myself and not even make a sound!"

"What am I? Your pet?"

"Not even as good as a pet." After shouting these words, tears were already streaming down his face.

"When you go out to play during holidays, you lock me in the storage room."

"I must always obey your orders, and I can only ever wear this fat pig's old clothes. He even leads a group of people to chase and beat me up at school."

He's been here since he was a child, never even remembering anything. Didn't he ever think of this place as his home? How can a child who's just begun to understand things consider a place as his home?

Countless nights, he endured the pain of bruises all over his body to fall asleep, his pillow soaked with tears.

Why doesn't he have a mom and dad? How he longs for his own mom and dad. How he longs for a home where he doesn't have to eat leftovers, doesn't have to be beaten, and can speak freely.

Such dreams have filled Harry's mind since he was old enough to understand.

Sirius Black's face contorted with barely suppressed rage, and he trembled uncontrollably. "How dare you! How dare you!"

The wand pointed at the Dursleys, emitting a thumb-thick red beam that shot straight towards them.

"Stop!" A dignified voice rang out.

Dumbledore suddenly appeared in the path of the magical beam, his wand pressed against the red light, and flicked upwards, deflecting the spell.

The red light shot upwards, exploded in the sky, and scattered into tiny sparks, like fireworks.

Petunia and Vernon watched this scene with mixed feelings. Initially, they hid Harry out of concern for him, fearing that others would discover his existence and implicate the family.

As Harry grew older, they gradually lowered their guard and sent him to school, but their concealment of him turned into abuse. They didn't understand why things had turned out this way.

Lights gradually came on in other houses in the community, and people were awakened from the quiet night to see what was happening outside.

Dumbledore remained silent, then took out his silver Deluminator from his pocket and slid open the lid.

Outside the house, the streetlights flickered like candle flames and were sucked into the lighter, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

In a fleeting glimpse of light, Loren saw Sirius for the first time.

A thin but energetic middle-aged man with protruding cheekbones; the skin on his cheeks was pressed against his bones, and there seemed to be no flesh below.

Meanwhile, Sirius Black did not notice Loren hiding behind Dumbledore.

Dumbledore glanced at the frightened Dursleys, then at Harry, who was crying his eyes out, and said gently, "Mrs. Dursley, I'll talk to Harry. You should calm down with your family first."

He turned to Sirius Black and said, "Come on, Sirius, take us to your house."

Sirius and Harry walked ahead, leading the group along the side of the road. The house he bought was right next to the Dursleys' house.

Mrs. Dursley watched them walk away, a tear rolling down her cheek.

The tear came so quickly, so full, that it instantly dripped from the corner of the eye. The high cheekbone prevented it from touching the cheek, leaving only a faint watermark at the corner of the eye.

"Mom." The tall and strong Dudley was a little at a loss; he was frightened by what had happened today.

Auntie pressed Dali's head into her arms. "It's okay, none of them can hurt you."

My uncle said in a gruff voice, "These evil bastards, if they don't leave, I'll make them taste the bullets."

He put his arm around his aunt, sandwiched Dali between them, and their large bodies swayed as they walked into the house.

Sirius Black bought his house right next to the Dursleys' house.

The yard was overgrown with weeds and had an old-fashioned Muggle lawnmower. The walls were neatly painted, the living room was spacious and brightly lit, and there were two game console controllers and various game cartridges under the large CRT television.

It has a refrigerator, a microwave, and everything else you could need. It's like a perfect home.

The group sat on a soft, comfortable sofa.

Dumbledore spoke cautiously, "Back then, I left a letter, telling them everything. For Muggles, adopting you was a very dangerous thing, but they still raised you until you entered Hogwarts."

Sirius looked indignant.

"Harry, they are your family."

Harry remained silent.

"Your mother's love for you... the power of family... they are your family too."

Sirius finally couldn't help but ask, "Was he raised like family? He was treated worse than a house-elves."

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "This shouldn't be how family members should be, Harry."

Harry remained silent. He couldn't forgive. How many nights had he been beaten, his body covered in bruises, lying in the cramped storage room unable to cry out in pain? How many times had he fallen asleep gazing at the grain of the wood in the storage room?

If this is the price of surviving, he would rather die with his parents.

He could have endured that kind of life without Hogwarts and Sirius Black, but once a person sees the light, they can no longer adapt to the darkness.

The hatred that lingered through countless nights could not be erased by Dumbledore's words of kinship.

But this was Dumbledore, and Harry could only express his attitude through silence.

"I'm going to talk to the Dursleys. Harry, think it over carefully, even if it's just to deal with Voldemort and keep Lily's amulet on you." Dumbledore said, getting up and walking outside.

The next sentence made Harry raise his eyelids slightly, but he still didn't say anything.

Click.

The gate is closed.

"If you ask me, you should turn the entire Dursley family into hamsters and raise them. That way, they'll be like family to you." Sirius seemed to genuinely consider this a feasible plan.

Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore is right. Although I don't want to acknowledge them, he is my mother's sister."

Even if I never want to forgive them.

Loren curled up on the sofa, reminiscing about everything related to Harry.

He was exceptionally talented and should have been happy, flamboyant, and unrestrained. Even if he wasn't as arrogant as his father, James, he should never have been like this, timid and submissive, harboring a deep sense of inferiority.

No one knows how long this inferiority complex will remain in his heart; perhaps it will last a lifetime. If it weren't for the lack of parental love from a young age, Harry wouldn't be so obsessed with everything about his parents.

Dumbledore's talk of family and love is too abstract; at least for now, it's not enough to heal the wounds in Harry's heart.

Harry wiped his face clean, took a deep breath, and forced a smile. "Let me introduce you. This is Loren, Loren Morgan. I told you about him; you were able to get out of Azkaban thanks to him."

He turned to look at Loren, somewhat embarrassed by his appearance in front of his friend. "This is Sirius Black, my godfather."

Sirius Black suddenly became very friendly, a warm smile on his face, and he almost stood up to hug Loren.

He danced with joy, thanking Loren for exposing Peter Pettigrew's true colors.

Loren had a strange feeling in his heart, but he couldn't figure out what it was, and he dealt with it absentmindedly.

A moment later, Dumbledore re-entered the room.

"I spoke with your aunt and uncle for a while, and they won't treat you like that again." Dumbledore paused, then continued, "I hope you can understand the true meaning of family, or at least stay with them until you're an adult."

"Sirius is around you, and you can use magic. But I hope you'll use it in the right way."

Harry's smile vanished again. He nodded and went out toward the Dursleys' house.

Watching Harry disappear, Dumbledore sighed. Some truths can only be understood through personal experience, or perhaps never will be understood at all.

He looked at Sirius and instructed, "Teach Harry Occlumency during the summer vacation."

Why did Harry want to learn that kind of magic?

Sirius Black scoffed, "Only shameful pure-blood families would make their young wizards practice Occlumency to prevent people from discovering the filthy, evil thoughts that fill their minds."

"The Death Eaters are probably also pleased that Harry's mind is completely unguarded."

Dumbledore's words silenced Sirius.

Sirius was silent for a moment, then chuckled, "Unfortunately, I also happen to come from a filthy pure-blood family."

Dumbledore was relieved. "Loren, let's go."

The door slammed shut again, and Sirius curled up on the sofa.

The lights went out.

Only a pair of eyes shone in the darkness.

In the Dursleys' house, under the dim light, Petunia, with tear stains on her face and a red nose, stood behind the lamp, looking at Harry with a sad yet unfamiliar gaze.

Harry glanced at her but didn't say anything. Seeing the kitchenware still in the sink, he waved his wand, and the dishes floated up by themselves, rinsed clean, and were neatly arranged on the table.

"Won't you get a warning letter for doing this?" Auntie's eyes showed a look of nostalgia and envy. Lily was always like this; every summer, the family would receive several warning letters, but she never cared.

"Hmm." Harry turned around, went into his storage room, and closed the door.

There was no light in the silent night.

The grudges cannot be eliminated, there are endless contradictions, and they have seen each other's ugliest side.

These are family members.

Loren's memories will be revealed in the second year, but here's a brief mention of it.

Regarding the Dursleys and Harry, the abuse was real, the upbringing was real, and the childhood trauma was real. Let's just leave it at that.

(End of this chapter)