A Hogwarts Magic Professor Chapter 319: Protecting - Novel Cool

Chapter 319: Protecting

Chapter 319: Protecting

Vernon Dursley was driving in the front seat, his face turning a deep purple. He kept sneaking glances at Harry and Sirius through the rearview mirror.

Harry couldn't believe his good luck. Although being caught in a lie by his godfather was a bit embarrassing, he was now brimming with happiness. Just a few minutes before getting off the train, he had been dreading the prospect of spending at least six weeks with the Dursleys. He could imagine what those days would be like: enduring the Dursleys' white-eyed tolerance for two days, then sneaking down to the kitchen at night to write his summer homework.

Then, he would count the days, hoping the Weasleys would rescue him from his misery. It would be even better if someone sent him a letter during that time. He was confident that Ron, Hermione, Dobby, and Sirius would send him at least one birthday card. He even started planning how to meet up with them during the summer. The Dursleys' house was in Surrey, while the Burrow was in Devon, and Hermione was in London. If the Grangers didn't have any travel plans, they might meet up during the summer...

Sirius interrupted Harry's daydreaming: "I have a birthday gift for you. You'll love it."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you. I've been holding back for a long time, but I can say it's perfect. James would have loved it..."

Vernon took a turn, his hands tensing up as various thoughts raced through his mind. A hippie Wizard, looking not much different from the one he had seen over a decade ago, and possibly even worse. Surely, this guy wasn't planning to stay at his house, right?

He had no intention of taking in poor relatives, especially a murderer. Even if Sirius wasn't a murderer, he had still been in prison, hadn't he?

"Bang!"

The car suddenly blew a tire with a loud noise, and everyone inside was thrown to one side by the inertia. "Watch out, Harry!" "Ouch!" "Damn it!"

Vernon slammed on the brakes, the remaining three tires screeching and sparking as they came to a stop. Vernon was at his breaking point, spitting out a string of curses. Harry watched in amazement as Vernon's face turned red with rage. Maybe the next two days would be quieter because of this?

Sirius, with a grim expression, finally spoke: "If you don't shut up, I'll glue your mouth shut." Vernon fell silent, but after a few seconds, he muttered, "You're not a murderer, you said so yourself."

"Don't remind me! Do you want to see what I learned in Azkaban?" Sirius roared, but his threat didn't have much effect because Vernon didn't know what Azkaban was. Harry quietly explained that it was a Wizard prison, and Vernon's carrot-like fingers trembled as he finally quieted down.

Vernon struggled to open the car door and got out, unable to crouch, he had to lie on the ground, grumbling, "The front tire is blown, and we're still halfway home. Calling a tow truck will cost a fortune... Nothing goes right..."

Sirius got out of the car, his hippie attire drawing curious glances from passersby. Vernon hissed at him, "Can't you just sit quietly? I'll call a tow truck. What if someone starts asking questions..."

Sirius pulled out his wand from his jeans, using Vernon's large frame to shield himself. "Excuse me, can you cover for me?" A thin beam of light flashed, and the tire was instantly repaired.

Vernon stared in disbelief, rubbing his eyes. He roared, "Magic!" The first two syllables were so loud, like a lit firecracker, but he quickly noticed the stares and swallowed his words.

"Do you think I should be grateful? Freak, worm in the gutter! Just like a little monster—"

Sirius pointed his wand at Vernon's triple chin, his voice cold. "I can already imagine how you treat Harry."

The rest of the journey was silent. As they approached Privet Drive, Vernon suddenly realized how he was going to bring this trouble into his house without drawing attention.

Harry didn't think this was driving; he could walk faster. The car was moving at a snail's pace.

Sirius was also aware that he wasn't welcome, perhaps from the very beginning. He wanted to see how Harry was doing, so he had suppressed his temper. But now, he was on the verge of losing it.

"Stop the car", Sirius said. The car stopped immediately.

He handed Harry a mirror. "This is a two-way mirror. There are two of them; I have the other one. If you need to find me, just call my name, and you'll appear in my mirror, and I can appear in yours to talk to you. James and I used this to stay in touch when we were apart."

He looked at Uncle Vernon: "You're not going to stop me, are you?"

"Of course... not."

Harry took the mirror, examined it from all angles, and found it somewhat similar to the Weasley Twins' Lovers' Mirror. He had secretly bought it, intending to give it to some acquaintances, but the twins insisted on not taking any money, so he didn't feel right taking more.

Harry whispered, "Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I know the place, Number 4 Privet Drive", Sirius said. Uncle Vernon's body trembled, but Sirius ignored him and continued, "Dumbledore told me that your aunt and uncle's house is protected by magic, which shields you from prying eyes..."

He turned to Uncle Vernon and said coldly, "This protection extends to you as well, you should know that."

"Protected by magic?" "What have you done to my home!"

Sirius replied, "Dumbledore didn't go into details, but I suspect it's some powerful protective magic, perhaps something like the Fidelius Charm? I'm not sure..." He hurriedly changed the subject.

Sirius was lying. He and Dumbledore had a heated argument over Harry's custody. To pacify him, Dumbledore revealed more information.

There were two layers of protection on Harry. The first came from his mother.

It was an ancient magic that took an extremely long time to prepare. It belonged to the same category as powerful curses, both involving the manipulation of mental energy. However, this magic was far more difficult, requiring the transformation of deep love into a protective force. Lily Evans had prepared this for her unborn child.

But this was just the first step. Using blood ties as the casting bond was not uncommon in the wizarding world. What was rare was the subsequent step: the blood relative who cast the spell chose to sacrifice themselves, which greatly enhanced the magic's power. Any spell cast with malicious intent would automatically be deflected.

"This magic protected Harry once and should have become ineffective, but I extended its effects. At the time, I had a choice: to protect a group or an individual. What was there to hesitate about? Even though Voldemort had disappeared, yes, I admit he was only missing, and he would return in five, ten, twenty years... I had to make a decision. While others were celebrating their hard-won victory, I was already thinking about what would happen when Voldemort returned.

"So I made the logical choice. This was the strongest protection I could provide for Harry—as long as he considers a place with the same blood as his mother his home, he will be safe from Voldemort."

"To maintain this, he must return at least once a year and stay for a while."

The second layer of protection came from Dumbledore. He used multiple spells to conceal Number 4 Privet Drive but did not completely seal it off. He set a condition: any malicious magical person would not be able to find the place. Even if the address leaked, they could only pinpoint a general area and would have to search randomly, like headless flies. Dumbledore would receive word of this long before they could cause any harm.

This was to prevent the remaining Death Eaters from seeking revenge, protecting both Harry and the Dursleys.

"I left this information in Harry's cradle, explaining everything. Once I was sure they had accepted Harry, I left with a heart full of hope for the future. I knew the Dursleys weren't kind, but that was part of what I needed at the time. I didn't want Harry to grow up in a pampered environment or be blinded by the honor of past events he couldn't remember."

"Sirius, I hope you fulfill your role as godfather, bringing Harry more love, but at the same time, you must be cautious in your words and actions..."

...

Sirius left, and before he went, he told the sullen Harry, "I plan to rent a place nearby. You can come over anytime. You can do whatever you want, except stay overnight!"

This chapter was unexpectedly difficult to write. I originally planned to describe Sirius and the Dursleys having dinner, with some interesting events happening, but it just didn't seem to fit with 'interesting.'

As for Dumbledore's explanations to Sirius, they were necessary because, unlike in the original story, Sirius is no longer a fugitive and has more rights to Harry's custody than the Dursleys.

(End of Chapter)

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