Chapter 113: Should We Call the Police? I Can Help.
Chapter 113: Should We Call the Police? I Can Help.
The Dursleys were having dinner, with buttered scones, fried cod, sausages, and vegetable soup on the table, along with a generous serving of mashed potatoes for Dudley.
"I don't want this!" Dudley threw a tantrum. "I want cheese sandwiches! And roast beef!"
"I'll make them for you tomorrow, sweetie," cooed Petunia, adoringly gazing at her plump son. "You need to eat up and get nice and fat before school starts."
She always felt that her son wasn't getting enough to eat at school.
"I want roast beef now! Or I won't eat anything!"
Dudley stubbornly insisted, his eyes quickly filling with tears as if he had suffered a great injustice.
Petunia Dursley panicked, hastily saying, "Alright, alright, just wait a moment. Mom will make you some roast beef."
As she got up to go to the kitchen, the doorbell rang, causing the entire family to pause.
"Who could be visiting us tonight?" Petunia wondered aloud.
"It's probably not a guest... maybe it's the mail," Vernon guessed, initially intending to call for Harry to get the door, before remembering that he had locked him up. Reluctantly, he pushed back his chair and went to answer the door himself.
Standing outside were two strangers, one tall and one short, both impeccably dressed and exuding an air of distinction. They did not appear to be mail carriers.
"Good evening," said Vernon, his earlier annoyance at the interruption of his dinner quickly dissipating upon seeing his guests.
Struggling to recall, he asked, "Have we met before, sir? Do we have business together?"
Hearing the voices, Petunia emerged from the kitchen and, upon seeing the man at the door, felt a vague sense of familiarity.
"Good evening, Mr. Dursley," said Lupin nonchalantly. "I do have some important business here, but it's not with you."
Vernon found himself inexplicably stepping aside, allowing this man whose name he didn't even know to enter his home.
"Wait—who are you looking for?" Vernon hurriedly asked, chasing after him.
Petunia, standing at the door, suddenly drew in a sharp breath, her arm trembling as she pointed at Lupin. "Y-you... you... you're... you're the g-groomsman..."
"Remus Lupin," he said, looking at the thin woman. "It's been twelve years, Mrs. Dursley."
Vernon eyed them suspiciously but ultimately trusted his wife's judgment, asking with confusion, "You know him, Petunia?"
"In fact, you should know me too, Mr. Dursley," Lupin replied, stepping into the house and glancing around before fixing his gaze on the master of the house.
"We both attended James and Lily's wedding, did we not?"
Vernon was stunned. "Y-you're... you're with that... w-witcher?"
His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out of a gas cylinder.
Dudley, who had been happily munching on his fried cod, let out a shriek. He dropped his plate, clamped his hands over his buttocks, and began running around like a headless fly before dashing into the bathroom and locking himself in.
—The last time he had seen a wizard, it was Hagrid, who had departed with an extra pig's tail as a souvenir, eventually requiring a trip to a private hospital for its removal.
"Oh, my poor sweet Dudley—"
Petunia rushed after him, intending to comfort her frightened son, but the door slammed in her face, almost catching her nose.
Vernon jumped as well, backing away and grabbing a dinner knife. He brandished it at Lupin, shouting, "What do you want? Get out! Petunia, call the police!"
Lupin didn't bother with them and turned to walk upstairs.
Petunia lunged for the phone, but it was already off the hook.
"Call the police, you say?" drawled Sirius, pressing the numbers on the phone. "999? Or maybe 116111? I think either would do."
Before he could finish dialing, however, a cold hand stayed his own.
Lifting his eyes, Vernon saw Petunia's pale face as she whispered, "We can't call the police... we can't, Vernon..."
"What?" Vernon exclaimed. Torn between wanting to rush upstairs to stop Lupin and his worry for his wife and son, he was at a loss for what to do.
A loud bang reverberated from upstairs, as if the door to the small bedroom had been blasted open.
Lupin's angry voice carried down the stairs, "Is this what you feed him?"
Vernon's face twisted in fury, but Petunia's expression turned sheepish.
Yet, they had no choice but to listen to Sirius.
"116111 is the hotline for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children," Sirius explained amicably. "It's the only charity in the country with statutory powers."
Vernon stared at him, wide-eyed, as his small eyes darted rapidly.
In the small bedroom, Harry jumped off the bed, startled by the sudden intrusion of a stranger.
"Who... who are you?" Harry asked, his voice shaking as he grabbed a pillow to shield himself.
"Come with me, Harry," Lupin took a deep breath and said, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I'm a friend of your parents... I'm here to take you away from this place."
Harry hesitated for only a second before jumping off the bed and grabbing Lupin's hand.
In his opinion, there was no worse place than the Dursleys', and he had often wondered if he would starve to death there.
"Wait, Hedwig!"
Harry rushed over to pick up his owl's cage.
Lupin glanced at the bowl with disgust; the bottom was barely visible through the clear vegetable soup, and the owl's food bowl contained only a few wilted vegetables.
Downstairs in the living room...
"Of course, you can also call 999, but I should remind you that as guardians, it is illegal to deliberately fail to provide sufficient food, clothing, medical care, or accommodation to a child under 14 years of age if you have the financial means to do so," Sirius stated calmly.
"If I'm not mistaken, you've locked Harry in that room upstairs, haven't you? The windows are nailed shut."
"Child imprisonment, child abuse, and neglect are all criminal offenses. Physical abuse, emotional abuse, and domestic violence all fall under child abuse. If reported, you will be fined and imprisoned," Sirius continued.
"Your actions have violated the Child Abuse Prevention Act, the Child Custody Act, and the Children's Act enacted three years ago."
"If you don't believe me, feel free to look it up. Or call the police and let them decide who's right and who's wrong."
"I wonder how your neighbors would view you if you were arrested and sent to prison? What would happen to Dudley at school? He might even be expelled..."
"How... how do you know all this?" Petunia asked in disbelief. "Are you... are you like them... one of those freaks, too?"
These laws were unknown to most wizards, let alone Muggles.
"My parents were Muggles, and I grew up in the same kind of environment as you," Sirius replied, his voice rising slightly. "What about you, Harry? If you choose to call the police, I'm sure this couple will be punished."
The Dursleys spun around in shock, only to see Harry descending the stairs, having somehow joined Lupin without them noticing.
The couple was petrified.
The police... prison... Dudley being bullied at school... he might even be expelled...
Their future suddenly seemed engulfed in a terrifying shadow, and this shadow was cast by the very boy they had always disregarded.
Harry's heart seethed with hatred.
For a moment, he truly wanted to call the police, to see this couple imprisoned, to let the world know of his suffering.
But as he opened his mouth, he hesitated, unable to make up his mind. Finally, he ruffled his hair and said, "I... let's go..."
(End of Chapter)
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