https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-113-Should-We-Call-the-Police-I-Can-Help-/12572397/
Chapter 114: Chocolate
Chapter 114: Chocolate
Lupin's expression held a hint of disapproval, but after a moment of silence, he ultimately respected Harry's decision.
The Dursleys simultaneously heaved a sigh of relief, but their faces contorted again as they thought about being 'forgiven' by Harry.
"Er..."
Harry looked at Lupin, unsure how to address him, and turned to Vernon for help.
"This is Remus Lupin, my tutor and your father's good friend," Vernon introduced him. "You can trust him."
"Mr. Lupin," Harry said, pointing downstairs. "Could you help me open this lock?"
"Of course."
Lupin was eager to do something for Harry and immediately used the unlocking spell to open the lock, glancing briefly at the small, dim storage room without paying it much mind.
Harry handed the owl cage to Vernon and squatted in front of the storage room, rummaging through it to retrieve his personal belongings—his wand, robes, magic books, crucible, flying broomstick, and at the very bottom, the photo album.
As soon as the summer vacation started, Vernon had locked up all of Harry's things in this tiny storage room. Harry had tried his best to at least keep the photo album from falling into Vernon's hands...
"It's just a piece of parchment!"
He jumped but still couldn't reach the photo album in Vernon's hands, and could only shout angrily.
But because he showed how much he cared about it, Vernon had taken the album away first and hid it at the very bottom.
"Don't you dare!" Vernon shouted at him in a terrifying voice. "Don't you dare pollute our house with your evil things!"
...
Harry shook his head as if to cast off those terrible memories and the gloom of the storage room from his mind.
He stuffed everything haphazardly into the box and stood up with a relieved smile. "Vernon, Mr. Lupin, let's go."
Without another glance at the ashen-faced and stiff-bodied Dursleys or Dudley, who was shaking in the bathroom, Harry walked out of the house, his heart swelling with joy at every step.
Vernon accompanied him, asking, "Did you hear what I said earlier?"
"Mhm." Harry replied softly.
"You should know that not just today, but until you turn eighteen, the Child Law will protect your legal rights," Vernon said.
The Dursleys' faces turned green, and they looked like they wanted to gag him.
Vernon, of course, had said that for their benefit.
Harry thought he could permanently leave the Dursleys, but Vernon knew that until he graduated, he would still have to return here every year for a while.
He reminded Harry, "Don't think that just because you don't have your wand, you can't stand up to adults. In the Muggle world, the law is your weapon to protect yourself."
"I understand, thank you... Vernon."
Harry said gratefully.
No one had ever told him that he could also protect himself this way.
He certainly understood that Vernon had given him a powerful weapon... No one knew better than him how much Vernon and Petunia feared their family being 'different.'
If the police came to their doorstep, it would be no different from asking the Dursleys to die for them.
Lupin followed silently behind them. As they reached the door, he turned and looked at the Dursleys.
"I know your relationship with Lily wasn't very good," he said coldly. "But if... if something had happened to you two eleven years ago..."
"James and Lily would never have treated your son like this!"
...
The group walked quietly for a while.
Due to Lupin's last sentence, Harry's eyes suddenly became moist, and he blinked hard, quickly wiping them discreetly with his sleeve.
Both Vernon and Lupin pretended not to notice.
Once the moisture in his eyes had subsided, Harry heard Hedwig making loud cries from inside her cage.
Vernon lifted the cage and frowned at the snowy owl, asking, "Is she hungry?"
"Oh, she's been cooped up!" Harry quickly went to unlatch the cage. "She's been locked up and hasn't stretched her wings for a long time."
As soon as the cage was opened, Hedwig eagerly flew out and disappeared into the sky in an instant.
Harry watched as she vanished, his stomach suddenly growling loudly. He quickly covered his aching, hungry stomach and looked awkwardly at the other two.
"Er... where are we going...?"
Vernon and Lupin stopped in their tracks and exchanged a glance.
"First, we're going to the farm," Vernon said. "Everyone's waiting for you there, Harry!"
Lupin nodded. "I need some time to prepare as well. At least, I need to have a house... erm..."
He spoke with some embarrassment. "Harry, I don't think I've asked you this before, but would you like to live with me?"
"Even though you don't know me that well, James and I were truly the best of friends... If you're willing, I'll take care of you like a father would..."
"Live with you?" Harry asked. "You mean... leave the Dursleys?"
"Of course," Lupin said, bending down and speaking seriously. "I've been living a nomadic life for the past several years, and I'm currently staying at a small inn... But if you'd like, I can buy a house. It might not be in the best condition..."
"I'd love to!" Harry interrupted him eagerly. "Do you need money? I have some savings at Gringotts..."
As long as he could leave the Dursleys, Harry was more than happy to do so.
Although he didn't know Lupin well, he trusted him, and Lupin's impression of him was a thousand times better than that of his Aunt and Uncle.
"There's no need for you to spend your money, Harry. That's the inheritance your parents left you."
Lupin chuckled and rubbed Harry's head affectionately. "Thanks to Vernon, I've managed to save up some money... and houses in the countryside aren't expensive."
He looked at the two of them and said, "I'll send you both to the Grangers' farm... Once I've made the necessary arrangements, Harry, I'll come to pick you up."
"That's wonderful... the farm?"
Harry suddenly realized what that meant.
"You've missed out on a lot," Vernon said. "We can talk more on the way."
He raised his wand, and in no time, a purple triple-decker bus bounced into view, with a nearby trash can nimbly jumping out of the way, startling Harry.
"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus, an emergency transport service for witches and wizards in distress—"
The young man with the flapping ears poked his head out, but before he could finish his spiel, Vernon had already tossed a few Knuts into the fare box and pushed Harry onto the bus.
"Granger Farm, please. And—I'd like some chocolate, too."
"Alright, alright... You're a regular now, aren't you?"
Stan Shunpike pocketed the Knuts with a broad smile and offered a cup of hot chocolate.
Harry took a eager sip, and as the bitter-sweet aroma melted on his tongue, he felt his hungry stomach finally settle.
A new life seemed to be unfolding before him.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
