Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 731 Searching for Clues

Harry smiled at his former neighbors and whispered in a voice only his friends could hear, "This lawnmower was bought on sale at the supermarket; it always jams and sometimes catches fire. Sirius Black bought a house over here, and Mrs. Figg, who used to live there, was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix, which I only found out about two years ago... There's a small playground over there, and for a while, my cousin Dudley and his friends would sneak in, vandalize public property, smoke, and throw stones at passing cars."

Ginny and Ron listened attentively.

Hagrid looked around curiously, and any resident who met his gaze would quickly look away.

Loren and Hermione, meanwhile, were deep in thought, wondering why Felix Felicis would lead Harry to bring them here.

The houses in the Little Huijin district are very close together. Just walk a few blocks and turn two corners, and you'll reach the Dursleys' house. There are owl claw marks on the mailbox in front of the door.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, Harry stepped forward and rang the doorbell.

The door was opened by a burly, or rather obese, middle-aged man with blond hair, a full beard, and small eyes. He seemed surprised that it was Harry knocking, paused for a moment, then made an angry expression and roared, "Kid! How dare you bring your weirdo friends here without my permission—"

"I just came to take a look."

Harry interrupted him, "I'm here to visit Aunt Petunia, I'll be leaving soon, and I won't be having lunch here."

This gentle attitude seemed to provoke Vernon more than an angry retort; his almost nonexistent neck bulged slightly, his purplish face flushed, and he turned as if to call his wife inside, then paused, stepping aside the burly figure blocking the doorway: "Come in."

Harry seemed caught off guard, standing frozen in place until Vernon roared, "What else do you want? Do I need to say that word? Come in!"

Harry inexplicably felt that this tone was more pleasing to the ear, so he gestured to the people next to him and strode into the room.

The house wasn't luxuriously decorated, but it had a very homey feel, and it was clean and tidy. You could tell that the lady of the house had put a lot of effort into it. After passing through the entrance hall, I followed Harry toward the living room. Further away was the kitchen and dining room, and I could faintly hear the sounds of spatulas clattering and video games playing.

Loren casually glanced around the room when a glimmer of light suddenly flashed in the closet, catching his attention. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he carefully examined it for a while before recognizing what it was. As if remembering something interesting, he turned his head and looked at the burly Vernon with great interest.

Vernon was staring at Hagrid, the last to enter the room. Six years ago, this half-giant had come to pick up Harry, leaving a deep impression on him. Only after everyone was seated did he call out in a muffled voice, "Penny, Petunia!"

"Is something the matter? Who's here?"

A slightly high-pitched female voice gradually approached, and a thin, blonde woman emerged from the kitchen and hurried to the doorway. Upon seeing the group of wizards sitting there, she seemed very surprised, her light-colored eyes widening slightly.

"Aunt Penny."

Harry was the first to greet them, his voice gentle and polite, as if he were greeting a professor at the school. It was unclear whether this was due to the effects of Felix Felicis or simply because he was in a peaceful mood.

Penny wiped her hands on her apron and body, looking a little nervous and embarrassed: "Harry, you wrote that you wouldn't be coming back for the summer vacation, and we couldn't get in touch with you, so we didn't make any preparations for your birthday."

Harry shook his head, unconcerned: "I didn't celebrate my birthday when I lived on Privet Drive."

"..."

Penny remained silent, her posture growing increasingly reserved, her expression complex.

Harry was somewhat dazed at the sight. When did Aunt Petunia begin to change? Was it a few years ago when Sirius moved in, or when he just saw him?

Will you come back someday?

It's not clear yet.

"Because of that demon... Demon King?"

"Voldemort," Harry whispered, surprised even himself with his calm and gentle tone. "Voldemort has been defeated, and the wizarding world has returned to normal order."

"and you……"

"But he hasn't been arrested or eliminated yet. Considering his hatred for me, and to avoid implicating people in the neighborhood, he can only stay at the school for the summer vacation."

"This is Ginny, my girlfriend."

Penny glanced at the girl with a tense face, clearly a little nervous. A color she had never seen before flowed in her light-colored eyes. Noticing her red hair, she seemed to think of something and nodded slightly at her.

"..."

The room echoed with the sounds of their conversation, like that of an ordinary aunt and nephew, with occasional moments of silence, yet always gentler than any other interaction. Some lingering emotions seemed to quietly fade away in the calm of their conversation—not a forgiveness to forget all unpleasantness, nor a complete severing of ties with the past.

The conversation lasted for more than ten minutes, and just as Harry was about to get up and say goodbye, he suddenly heard a muttering.

"So you're not coming back?"

The one who spoke was Dudley, who was standing at the door. If Vernon could be described as burly, he was simply obese. The fat he lost during his boxing diet last year had doubled back. If it weren't for the height limitations of ordinary humans, Harry had no doubt that he could grow to the size of Gropp.

He seemed to have been listening for a while; the game sound effects from next door had stopped ten minutes ago.

"What?"

"I'm saying, are you not coming back at all?"

Harry looked at his cousin Dudley with some surprise: "I thought you hated me and didn't want me to come back."

Dudley hesitated for a moment, then said, "You saved my life."

"You can't say that. Dementors only suck your soul away."

"Anyway, I should thank you, and also, happy birthday."

"..."

Their conversation was even shorter. It seemed that for Dudley, expressing such subtle emotions was more difficult than exercising or dieting. In the end, he couldn't speak anymore, and could only blush and take the initiative to shake hands with Harry.

Harry then rose to say goodbye, and the Dursleys, with mixed feelings, saw them to the door.

"Splash splash splash..."

Three obviously overweight people walked on the gravel driveway, their hard soles scraping against the stones, making heavy footsteps.

Just before their final parting, Loren stopped and called out to the pillar of the Dursley family, "Mrs. Dursley."

"What?"

"There's a bottle of potion hidden in the cabinet next to the hallway, isn't there? That's a wizard's stuff."

Looking at the stunned Dursleys, Loren thought of the professor's wicked sense of humor and couldn't help but smile, "Perhaps your memory is a little hazy, but I can remind you that the potion hidden in the cabinet is just a weight-loss drug. It won't have any embarrassing side effects, so you two Mr. Dursleys can take it without worry."

"I understand."

"..."

About ten minutes later, a sudden burst of air exploded in the deserted alleyway of Xiaohuijin District.

The next location was determined by Loren, or rather, guided by Felix Felicis, also in London—

Spider's End Alley.