Harry and his friends were still asleep.
Half an hour later, Kreacher, as usual, woke Harry with his eerie smile and a cup of hot tea.
Harry instinctively touched the pillow next to him, only to find it still warm.
Once he confirmed that Ron was awake, he began to get dressed and persuaded the disgruntled Hedwig to go back to her cage.
At that moment, Ron burst into the room, looking very angry.
Harry noticed that his left hand was tightly clutching a newspaper.
"That idiot Fudge!" Ron rudely spread out his newspaper. "I knew this would happen."
Another prison break from Azkaban
The Ministry of Magic confirmed today:
Peter Pettigrew, considered the most notorious prisoner ever held in Azkaban's castle, escaped from Azkaban.
"We are working to recapture Peter," Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge said this morning. "We ask the Wizarding World to remain calm."
Some members of the Wizengamot criticized Fudge for sending Peter to Azkaban —knowing that Dementor were ineffective against Animagus.
The easily angered Fudge said, "Then where should I lock him up? Should I build another wizard prison so you can make money off him?"
"I specially arranged for two experienced Auror to live next to Peter's cell as jailers, and also fed him a dose of confusion drug every day."
"Who knew that under these circumstances he could turn into a rat and escape from prison?"
"He must possess some kind of evil magic that the rest of us can only dream of! Otherwise, how could he have escaped from there? I suspect that person whose name we can't even mention taught him some tricks!"
"How can I compare to that man, Dumbledore? I have done all I should have done."
"What we should do now is be careful of rats, and wizarding families should not keep them as pets unless absolutely necessary."
"It is best to choose cats and owls that feed on mice."
"I am very worried that the Weasley family's situation will be repeated in other wizarding families."
"Also, we need to protect Harry Potter, Peter is likely to target him."
I am very curious about how the Ministry of Magic will proceed with its protection.
But Fudge ended the interview citing confidentiality.
Ron slammed his hand on the table again.
"What do you mean our family's situation will be repeated in other wizarding families!"
"That guy isn't stupid, why would he hide in a wizard's family again?"
"Scabbers, ptooey! Peter is hiding in our house only to escape being hunted down."
"Not all of Voldemort's supporters eventually made it to Azkaban. He was afraid they would get wind of his presence and know that he was still alive."
"Choosing a wizarding family is also to hear about new developments at any time. If one day my old protector— Voldemort —gains power again, I can go back to him to ensure my safety."
"Peter is probably hiding in the sewers now."
"No wizard would want to go into the sewers and find him among thousands of rats."
"And he still talks about Dumbledore, all he does is shift the blame!"
Harry frowned. "You know Sirius, right? He—"
Ron nodded. "He looks very unwell, and so does Lupin."
They dragged their luggage downstairs and, sure enough, saw Sirius and Lupin with furrowed brows.
He relaxed slightly when he saw them appear.
Sirius managed a weak smile. "Good morning. Kreacher's tripe pie is delicious today, you must try it."
Lupin stood up. "Your dad said he's coming to pick you and Harry up for school."
"He's waiting outside right now."
"Aren't you coming along?" Harry understood the implication.
Because Grimmauld Place and King's Cross Station are so close, they were even prepared to walk to the station with their suitcases if it weren't for that turquoise car parked outside.
But regardless of which plan they choose, Lupin will stick with them.
Lupin's facial muscles twitched involuntarily. "Because I'm Werewolf."
He looked exhausted, and although he looked young, the gray hairs mixed in with his light brown hair were even more noticeable.
It was as if the pillar had been removed from the body, and the person had lost all energy and spirit.
Sirius sighed and got up in annoyance. He patted Lupin on the shoulder reassuringly, "Let me speak."
Fudge believed that Peter had escaped from prison, would target Harry.
"So the Ministry of Magic specially arranged a group of guards on Harry's way to the station."
"Everyone who traveled with Harry was thoroughly investigated, Remus was no exception."
Harry was a little angry. "So I'm going to break up with Lupin? Are you kidding me!"
Ron said indignantly, "That's right! Don't they realize we've been living with Lupin for over a month! If he were to attack us, we would have already—"
Lupin gave a wry smile. "But Peter has lived in the Weasley family for almost 11 years and hasn't made a move or done anything, has he? That doesn't stop him from being a dangerous Death Eater. In the eyes of the Ministry of Magic, I, as Werewolf, might be just like Peter, simply waiting for an opportunity."
Harry couldn't help but kick the box hard, Hedwig, inside the cage, pecked his finger in annoyance.
He wanted to say he didn't need the Ministry of Magic's protection, but judging from Lupin and Sirius's expressions, they both suggested that Harry go to school with the Ministry of Magic staff.
"Fine! Let's go!" Harry angrily grabbed his luggage and walked out of the room with Ron.
The Ministry of Magic has two cars, both old-fashioned dark green vehicles.
Mr. Weasley was standing in front of his light green Ford Anglia 105E luxury sedan, looking at himself in the mirror.
They hadn't yet realized that they had already left the house.
"What are you angry about?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"I'm angry at myself!" Harry's fingertips turned white. "I'm so weak!"
"Basil is right, only the strong can decide their own destiny."
"For my safety, I have to accept living under the same roof as the Dursley."
"For my safety, I have to stay away from my friends."
"For safety reasons, I have absolutely no right to choose freely!"
Ron's eyes showed even more confusion. "But Basil couldn't decide not to go to France either!"
"He complained in his letter. He didn't want to go to Nick Flume's place."
In his eyes, Basil was a strongman, but even a strongman like Basil had to do things he didn't want to do.
Harry wanted to argue, but Mr. Weasley had already come up to him.
Mr. Weasley's tall, thin figure, with his Mediterranean Sea visible in the wind, was so striking.
Harry forgot his words immediately.
"Harry, Ron, it's time to go." Mr. Weasley ran a hand through his hair, covering his exposed Galleons- sized scalp.
He warmly accepted the luggage from Harry's hands.
Together, we strode across the short pedestrian crossing to the second car, put our luggage on it, and then headed to the first car.
The first car was driven by a cunning-looking male wizard dressed in a bright green velvet suit.
"Get in, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, glancing left and right across the street.
Harry walked to the back of the car, and Ron followed.
Ron looked around. "Where are Mom and the others?"
He had just checked the second car, which only contained their luggage and the driver.
Mr. Weasley glanced at his son. "Shouldn't you be happy? You know, when Molly came back and found you and Harry missing, and saw the letter you left behind, she almost turned the Burrow upside down. She came all the way here to Sirius."
Ron seemed to choke on his food. "A letter? But this is for Fred and George, they should—"
Mr. Weasley sighed, wondering how his youngest son could be so stupid.
"Of course they put the letter back unopened. They didn't want to run into an angry Molly."
"What is this?" Harry exclaimed.
He had been listening intently to Mr. Weasley and Ron's conversation to ease his worries.
But the way the Ministry of Magic driver drove really startled him.
This driver seems to have no idea how to drive in the Muggle World.
This causes the car to keep crashing into the sidewalk, but it doesn't hit anything: rows of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jump aside to avoid the car as it drives by, and then return to their original positions after it has passed.
They didn't slow down even when there was a traffic jam ahead.
But strangely enough, this car could easily squeeze through the gaps in the car that even the slender Kreacher would have difficulty squeezing through.
This is amazing.
"What?" Mr. Weasley was also watching the driver's fantastical maneuvers, but he wasn't surprised, or rather, he couldn't find any reason for Harry's surprise.
He seemed to be used to all of this.
"I mean, how did it squeeze through? The gap was so small," Harry quickly added.
Mr. Weasley explained, "This is an advanced use of the Confundus Charm, to deceive reality."
"Take Hogwarts, for example. Although it's just a ruin in the eyes of Muggle, with a sign at the entrance that says, 'Danger, Do Not Enter, Not Safe,' the world is so big that there are always Muggle willing to take the risk."
"We can't just use the land temporarily and expect the nearby Muggle to suddenly remember their urgent needs."
"If the number of cases is too large, it will be too obvious. This would require Ministry of Magic staff to work on the cases one-on-one to modify the memories."
"The workload is too heavy."
"And then there's the Leaky Cauldron. Why did Muggle used to accidentally wander in all the time, but now there are almost no such cases?"
"It's all for one reason."
"An object or building affected by this Confundus Charm does not exist in reality."
"Only creatures with magical powers can touch and reach it."
"We've arrived."
They arrived at King's Cross Station, with twenty minutes to go before the train was scheduled to arrive.
The Ministry of Magic's driver helped them find a luggage cart and unloaded their suitcases.
He touched Mr. Weasley's hat brim with his hand, then drove away.
Thanks to the Confundus Charm, the car jumped to the front of the line of cars that were stuck at a red light.
Mr. Weasley stayed close to Harry until they entered the station.
"Now," he looked around at the students, "There are so many of you, and Harry is with me."
Ron looked at the sparse crowd around him, unsure of what to say.
Harry's elderly father abandoned him and pushed Harry's luggage cart toward the railing separating platforms 9 and 10, seemingly very interested in the intercity train 125 that had just arrived at platform 9.
"Follow me," Mr. Weasley said.
He gave Harry a meaningful look and casually leaned against the railing.
Harry followed his example.
A moment later, they passed through the iron railings and landed on platform 9 from the side.
Ron was left standing there, dumbfounded.
He gritted his teeth and rushed forward.
After passing through the railing, Ron quickly ran to Harry's side.
Harry didn't even turn his head; relying on their unspoken understanding, he sensed Ron's arrival.
He complained to Ron, "Mr. Weasley went to help us with our luggage. Ugh, so many cats."
Ron knew Harry disliked cats, just as Harry hated cabbages.
Harry had told him that every time Dudley a birthday, Harry would be left behind and left to Mrs. Figg —a crazy old woman who lived two blocks away from the Dursley family.
Mrs. Figg's house smelled of cabbage and she kept many cats.
Harry complained about it too many times, and Ron could even pronounce a few of the cats' names: Tick, Cher, Mr. Paws, and Moose.
And now, almost everyone owns a cat.
They all seemed to believe Fudge's account in the Daily Prophet.
Ron was incredulous. "How could they be so stupid? Back when Peter was just Scabbers, he never attracted any attention from the cats."
"According to Basil, it's because there's a contract between the pet and the wizard. A wizard's pet will not prey on animals that share the same identity as it."
Even if it's within its hunting range.
"Not to mention wizards."
"Wait a minute," Ron's expression suddenly turned sour, "Scabbers is a wizard."
Harry turned his head, looking puzzled. "Yeah, didn't you already know? And you were disgusted by it all summer."
Ron repeated, "Scabbers is a wizard, not a mouse."
"So, I can't actually enjoy the benefits of keeping a rat as a contracted pet!"
He touched his chin and stomach in horror, "Now I know where all this fat came from!"
Harry was speechless.
But suddenly, he saw a group of red.
"I suggest you get on the bus as soon as possible."
"What if Mrs. Weasley corners us—"
Ron wasn't listening to what Harry was saying.
He was gripped by anxiety about gaining weight. "I don't want to end up like Crabbe and Goyle!"
He took Harry's hand, interrupting Harry's advice.
She placed it on her stomach and said, "Feel it, isn't it soft?"
"You have experience, but I'm still a long way from Dudley's level."
Although Ron had never met Dudley, he knew that Dudley was fatter Goyle Crabbe.
"Ron Weasley!" a high-pitched female voice rang out.
Ron's body froze instantly.
He turned around frame by frame, as if in a stop-motion animation, calling out, "Mom!"
The woman standing before him was Mrs. Weasley.
It's hard to imagine that someone with such a kind and gentle face would make the expression that makes her look like a tigress.
Ginny, hands on her hips, glared at Ron.
He learned about 70-80% of his mother's expressions and movements.
She seemed equally angry that Ron had taken Harry away.