Chapter 266: Let Harry Decide
Inside the pub.
The conversation naturally drifted to the issue of Harry's guardians—the Dursleys.
"They locked Harry up! Harry said the place was like a prison cell. Then, they only gave him miserable canned soup to eat, and there weren't even many vegetable leaves in it..."
Ron complained indignantly. Right now, he wished he could rush to the Dursleys' house and stuff those mean-spirited people's mouths full of slugs.
Sean remained silent.
The Dursleys were indeed archetypal villains: narrow-minded, petty, doting on Dudley while abusing Harry. Even without Harry's presence, they could hardly be called good people; for instance, even without Harry around, Dudley would still be a bully who tormented the weak.
But their image was far more complex than that of a simple "villain."
In a world without magic, wizards have never maintained a particularly good image. Most of the time, they are synonymous with trouble, evil, and terror. Those without magic naturally harbor a resentment toward wizards.
Not to mention Petunia, who had been rejected by the magical world. She had once written to Dumbledore asking to attend Hogwarts, only to be refused. From then on, her longing for magic transformed into hatred.
Vernon, on the other hand, was someone who completely rejected the existence of the magical world. He was arrogant, looking down on those "abnormalities" while simultaneously fearing them.
Strictly speaking, they should never have adopted Harry. Even if Harry had ended up in an orphanage, it wouldn't have been...
...Never mind, being adopted was better; at least he survived.
Fate, at times, is like a joke. After Dumbledore's arrival, they had to adopt Harry, as he needed to stay with his blood relatives.
So, despite being extremely reluctant, they did fulfill Dumbledore's requirement. They provided a shelter of "blood protection" for Harry, allowing him to survive. Dumbledore once wrote in a letter: "While he can still call home the place where his mother's blood dwells, there he cannot be touched or harmed." They achieved this, albeit in an appalling manner.
The issue lay in the fact that they—at least Petunia—did not lack familial affection for Harry entirely.
This could be proven. For example, after Harry received his Hogwarts letter, they could have easily let him go. They should have even been happy about it; after all, they were temporarily getting rid of a burden.
But their—at least Petunia's—reaction was abnormal. She had once held the absurd idea that they could "stamp the magic out" of Harry.
On Harry's eleventh birthday, when they failed to throw away the letters from Hogwarts, Petunia and Vernon began to pin their hopes on the old superstition that "witches cannot cross water." However, she had seen Lily skipping across stones by the stream many times in her childhood. So, when Hagrid effortlessly crossed the stormy waves to reach the shack on the island, she shouldn't have been shocked at all.
When love and hate are intertwined, simple right and wrong become impossible to discern.
The Dursleys were indeed small-minded people, but Harry's life could have been much less miserable... it just required some maintenance funds.
Thus, the second major problem arose: wizards believed the power of magic was far superior to gold coins, and no one thought of this practical point. Consequently, Harry became an inescapable, likely dangerous responsibility...
With an unfavorable premise for adoption and unfavorable adopters, one could say Harry's bleak childhood was destined from the start.
Noise drifted in from outside the Leaky Cauldron. As the door was pushed open, music from the record shop next door wafted in.
"Goodness, Harry, why didn't you ever tell us—"
Hermione's voice appeared at the pub door, every syllable seemingly trembling. Her gaze swept across the pub, immediately spotting Sean and the others sitting together. She walked over quickly.
"We must call the police! Those bastards! They are..."
"Calm down, Hermione," Justin comforted her.
"It's not worth the anger, Hermione," the brooch said.
Hermione looked at Sean in surprise; those words certainly didn't match the calm expression on the young wizard's face.
"Well, since everyone is together, shall we...?"
Justin waited quietly for something, only to receive a confused look from Sean.
"Let's go," Justin said, feeling a bit like laughing at the absurdity.
People bustled about on the streets of London, and the young wizards were picked up by a stretched limousine. Ron looked curiously at the mahogany interior and wool carpets, whispering:
"Can a car really be made this long?"
Sean was reading Soul Transfiguration, Neville kept his head down, while Harry and Hermione looked slightly stiff. Harry opened his mouth but failed to say anything. He seemed to understand the form the "help" Justin mentioned would take.
The Dursleys were classic examples of people who judged others by their status. At this moment, the entire family was busy preparing for an upcoming major client. Because this client was reportedly related to them and had the capacity—and likely the intent—to place a huge order for drills (Vernon's company made drills).
In the living room, Vernon cleared his throat importantly and said:
"We all know today is a very important day. Today, I might close the biggest deal of my life. I think we should go over the arrangements for the afternoon once more—everyone should be in their places by two o'clock. Petunia, you should be...?"
"In the lounge," Aunt Petunia answered readily, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home."
"Good, good. Dudley?"
"I'll be waiting to open the door for them." Dudley put on a sickeningly affected smile. "May I take your coats, Mr. Green, Mr. Finch-Fletchley, and Mr. Potter?"
After saying the name "Potter," he retracted his smile and curled his lip. How could people with the same surname be so different? One was a benefactor his father had to treat with total respect, while the other was just a freak.
In the car.
The young wizards were also discussing their plan.
"Alright, so what we need to do is—construct a new identity for Harry..."
Justin slowly stated his plan. Sean wasn't particularly interested in this house-like game, but he had to admit Justin's method was meaningful in a certain way.
The core of the plan was actually just one point: Let Harry decide.
No one had the right to help Harry make his decisions; all they were doing was giving Harry an identity that allowed him to determine his own fate.
The identity of a lucky winner who inherited "the Muggle world estate of a missing distant relative from the Potter family"—including two moderately famous construction companies—would be enough.
Justin was busy making arrangements, and everyone was immersed in the expectant atmosphere. Only Harry, as he turned his head away, quickly wiped away his tears.
Dudley was wrong. At Hogwarts, so many people cared about him.
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