Hogwarts: Jade, stop controlling Harry!

Aunt Penny came over with a teapot and put it on the coffee table, but she didn't offer any invitation to drink tea.

Instead, Dumbledore drew his wand and waved it.

The teapot then floated up automatically and began pouring tea. Once the teacups were full, it flew to each person present.

"Oh! Damn it!" Uncle Vernon exclaimed in surprise and anger. Harry turned his head and saw the teacup flying so fast that tea had splashed out...

Dumbledore pretended not to hear, picked up his teacup and took a sip, looking somewhat dissatisfied. He then pulled out a few sugar cubes from somewhere and threw them in... At the same time, the small spoon in the cup automatically started stirring.

Harry was stunned. Wouldn't it be too sweet with so much sugar?

"Well, where were we?" Dumbledore said casually, seemingly oblivious to Harry's strange gaze.

"Oh right, about the arrangements for Harry to come back every summer... I think I've reached an agreement with you, Petunia, on this, right?"

Penny nodded quickly to indicate that she understood.

"That's good. Also, I must apologize for some mistakes I made earlier." Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction, and then took an envelope from his silver robe and handed it to Petunia.

"What is this?" Penny was clearly puzzled.

"Due to my negligence, Harry's child support has not been paid to you all these years. Please accept this," Dumbledore explained.

Penny was clearly taken aback, while Mr. Vernon muttered, "Thank goodness you finally remembered."

Penny frowned, placed the envelope back on the table, and said with some displeasure, "I didn't take in this child because of the money! It's the letter you left me years ago..."

Dumbledore smiled and said lightly, "Of course I know, but this is what you deserve. Otherwise, this child wouldn't have chosen to run away from home, would he?"

Upon hearing this, Petunia's expression changed rapidly, and Harry seemed to see a hint of shame and unease in her.

Penny took a deep breath, looked at Harry, and stammered.

"Okay... to be honest... I have to say that over the years, I have indeed... some..."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

Penny said with difficulty, "It feels a bit neglected..."

Well, Harry thought, although ignoring her this time was a bit too subtle, what more could he ask for than for Aunt Petunia to say it?

"I forgive you."

Harry said that he might have wondered before why Aunt Petunia didn't like him and treated him so differently than she treated Dudley.

But Harry doesn't care anymore; he has someone who treats him well now.

"I'll only come back for a month each year from now on, until I'm an adult... or maybe even less," Harry said calmly. "So I won't bother you for too long."

Upon hearing this, Penny fell silent, and the room fell silent for a moment.

"Is there anything else, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry frowned, disliking the atmosphere, and turned to ask Dumbledore. "I think if not, we can go."

Dumbledore shook his head, quickly picked up his teacup and took a big gulp, then stood up. "Well then, now that things have been explained, Harry and I will take our leave."

After saying that, Dumbledore and Harry walked across the living room toward the door.

As they walked down the corridor, Penny suddenly rushed up behind them.

"etc!"

Harry turned his head in confusion, only to find that his aunt's expression wasn't very pleasant.

"I'll tell you the truth!" Penny said, somewhat agitated.

"I admit, I haven't been good to you all these years, because of your parents!"

"My parents?" Harry was taken aback.

"That's right... your mother Lily! My sister!" Penny said bitterly, her chest heaving and her eyes reddening.

"I hate Lily! I hate that she stole all of our parents' love! Why is it that every time she comes home, Mom and Dad only care about her, surround her, and treat her like the apple of their eye!"

"Watching her pull one little trick after another... but nobody cares about my feelings at all."

Harry was stunned for a moment, then something suddenly occurred to him.

If his mother was a witch, then why was Aunt Penny just an ordinary person?

"Penny...I remember you wrote me a letter back then, asking about your chances of getting into school..." Dumbledore said softly. "I advised you against it."

"Persuade?" Aunt Penny's nose was red, and her voice trembled slightly. "Yes, let me accept that my sister is a witch, and I'm just an ordinary person, right?"

Dumbledore didn't speak, but sighed.

Penny then looked at Harry, "So the first thing I did after I grew up was move away from that disappointing place!"

Harry didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.

"I barely kept in touch with Lily during those years, but I still attended her wedding... but at the wedding, your father played a trick on me and your uncle in front of his group of wizard friends!"

Penny spoke very quickly and excitedly, as if she wanted to say all the things that had been bottled up in her heart over the years.

Harry frowned. Judging from Aunt Petunia's tone, it seemed like his parents were entirely at fault? Of course, Harry didn't think so, but he still politely said, "Is that so? That sounds terrible."

"Yes, it's terrible!" Penny said, but then she fell silent, stared into Harry's eyes, and after a moment spoke with difficulty.

"But when I heard news about Lily again... I received news of her and my brother-in-law's deaths."

"They died, but you survived. Dumbledore said that if you didn't live with us, your life might be in danger... so I took pity on you and adopted you."

"However, I still can't let go of what happened in the past, which is why I treated you that way..."

Harry now understands more or less that perhaps it was all a tragedy.

Perhaps it was his mother's unintentional boasting, or perhaps it was his maternal grandparents, whom he had never met, showing excessive favoritism towards their youngest daughter.

In short... now he is disliked in this family.

"I understand..." Harry finally said.

But Aunt Petunia didn't stop there. She shook her head and said, "Harry, your eyes look just like your mother's..."

Penny's voice choked with emotion, "I do resent her, but she's still my sister... Yet I can't forgive her, forgive my parents for their favoritism towards her..."

"Over the years, I've vented all my resentment on you, but only after you left did I suddenly realize what I've been doing all these years..."

"You are my only sister's child... How could I do this?"

Penny buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

Harry blinked. Was Aunt Petunia confessing?

Harry thought for a moment, then took a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to Aunt Petunia. "Actually, I don't blame you."

Although Aunt Petunia wasn't very nice to him, she did raise him after all, and after learning about these old stories, Harry didn't dislike Aunt Petunia as much anymore.

She was a pitiful person too.

"Thank you..." Penny took the handkerchief, quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said with a hint of apology, "Although I know it's too late to say anything now."

"But I still want to say, I'm sorry... Harry."

.....