Harry looked at his skinny little arms, then at Uncle Mu En's muscular build, and suddenly understood.
"Get it now? Wizards have many paths they can take," Mu En said.
Harry was no longer a clueless kid who knew nothing about the Wizarding World. Looking at Uncle Mu En, he immediately thought of someone and nodded.
"I get it! Like Godric Gryffindor!"
Gryffindor, one of Hogwarts' four founders. Besides being a great wizard, he had also been the most outstanding fighter of his era.
Wand in his left hand, sword in his right—that had been the fighting style of him and his followers in those days.
As he thought about it, Harry suddenly grew curious. "Uncle Mu En, does that mean you're a Gryffindor?"
"Gryffindor?" Mu En looked surprised for a moment before shaking his head. "I never attended Hogwarts. I've never even seen it with my own eyes.
"But if I had to guess, my personality would probably fit... Slytherin!"
Mu En recalled the descriptions of Slytherin he had read in books: ambitious, shrewd and self-serving, victory above all else...
"Of course, that's only my guess based on those descriptions," Mu En added.
As they spoke, the two had already returned to Number 13, Privet Drive, and Lucifer opened the door at just the right moment.
"Oh, right, Uncle Mu En. Why were you at the park?" Harry suddenly remembered.
Mu En pushed open the door and went in first. "After I stopped researching magic, I always felt like I had nothing to do, so I started wandering around. Today, I went to the supermarket and bought some ingredients."
Only then did Harry notice the view outside Moonlight Castle's windows. It was already getting dark. Moonlight Castle had come to a stop beside a lake, and the star-filled sky illuminated the water.
Mu En clapped his hands. "We're having barbecue by the lake tonight!"
"Really?" Harry was delighted.
"Of course!" Mu En snapped his fingers and pointed at Harry. "You grill. I eat."
After dinner and cleaning up, Harry returned to the study and began reading.
It sounded like he only needed to finish one book a month, but those twelve books alone were nearly as tall as he was. Every one of them was an ancient, hefty tome.
Sometimes, when he encountered archaic and obscure words, he even had to consult a dictionary.
Oh, and besides those twelve, there was also a book about clothing...
In short... he still had a long road ahead.
At the same time, he took out the bound parchment notebook he had made himself and began taking notes.
"An outstanding wizard should possess a body of gold."
For a moment, Harry seemed to hear Uncle Mu En's words again.
Aim high, and you may reach the middle; aim for the middle, and you may fall below—
After thinking for a moment, Harry added another line beneath it.
"Anyone who can't do it is trash!!"
Mm. Harry nodded in satisfaction. That was exactly how it should be!
Early the next morning, Harry arrived at Moonlight Castle bright and early. Just as expected, the gramophone was spinning a vinyl record, while Uncle Mu En lay on the sofa with a book in his arms.
"I told you, I'm not doing research anymore. I'm just reading for leisure!"
Those had been Uncle Mu En's exact words.
But today...
Harry did not know whether he had seen wrong, but when he walked in, Uncle Mu En seemed to jerk suddenly.
As if he had been asleep.
Mu En stood up, wiped his face, smoothed his hair, then put down the book and looked at Harry.
"Good morning. What time did you arrange to meet Hermione?"
"Ten." Harry was clearly impatient to get going.
Mu En nodded. "I'll tidy up and change clothes. Lucifer, heat some water for me."
Harry was not in a hurry either. He went into the kitchen and began preparing breakfast.
After unremitting effort, he had finally earned the right to make breakfast.
Wonderful!
Half an hour later, a refreshed Mu En came clicking downstairs in a pair of carved Oxford leather shoes. "By the way, Harry. Are you sure you want to go to Diagon Alley with your scar exposed?"
Harry, who had just placed breakfast on the table, froze for a moment. Then he touched the hairstyle he had carefully fixed that morning.
After giving it some thought, he shook his head. "Forget it.
"I remember the last time I went to Diagon Alley. Since it was the start of term, I heard so many people talking about when I would be going to Hogwarts..."
Harry knew perfectly well that he had nothing to do with Voldemort, yet people—and even books published in recent years—credited him with "killing Voldemort and saving the Wizarding World."
Some books even called him The Boy Who Lived.
He felt... it made no sense.
It should not have been this way.
If there really was a savior, it should have been his father and mother, not him, a tiny baby.
In any case, he did not want that honor, nor did he want that kind of fame.
After spending so long at Mu En's side, Harry had thought many things through.
Fame, honor, strength!
He would earn them all himself.
He did not need empty titles like "The Boy Who Lived" or "the boy who survived."
"I'd better cover up this scar," Harry said helplessly.
Mu En neither agreed nor disagreed. This scar drew different reactions in different situations, and he understood Harry's decision.
But...
"Forget that headscarf. It's too ugly." Mu En looked thoroughly disgusted.
As he spoke, he flicked his finger slightly, and a brown newsboy cap flew straight down from the second floor.
Mu En placed the cap on Harry's head, then pulled it down a little.
"There. That covers it," Mu En said. "Or you can turn the brim a little more toward the scar to hide it better.
"But this is fine. Most people won't notice it anyway."
Harry paused, then touched the cap on his head and looked down at the oversized T-shirt he had inherited from Dudley.
"Uncle Mu En, I want to buy clothes." Having made up his mind, Harry took out his little stash of money.
He had wanted to do this for a long time. He had saved that money in the hope of buying himself some more decent clothes.
Just like Uncle Mu En's!
The corners of Mu En's lips lifted, though he looked somewhat helpless. "Looks like I'll have to help you pick some out."
Just as Harry expected, besides his extraordinary dedication to magic, Uncle Mu En also cared deeply about his appearance.
"Eat first, then we'll go to London," Mu En urged...
"Sweetheart, is this where you arranged to meet Harry?" Chris Granger parked the car on Charing Cross Road and looked at his precious daughter in the back seat.
To be honest, this was the first time he had seen Hermione arrange to meet a friend over the weekend...
Though it might not be quite appropriate to say so, Chris had to admit that his precious daughter did not have many friends at school.
After all, whenever the girl discussed anything related to studying, she became exceptionally demanding.
"Yes, Dad, this is the place," Hermione said with a nod. Then she looked out the window, and her eyes suddenly widened in surprise.
"Dad, is that Harry?" She pointed incredulously at the two figures standing by the roadside.
Harry stood by the road, unable to hide the happiness on his face. He wore draping tapered dress trousers, a simple white shirt and a waistcoat that accentuated his waistline, along with a slightly oversized jacket that gave him a more casual air.
Chris, who had been in society for many years, also spotted Harry.
For some reason, when he saw the child dressed in a crisp new outfit that belonged solely to him, with that eager expression on his face as though he could not wait to share it with someone, the father's face broke into a smile.
"Yes, sweetheart. That's Harry and Mr. Jones," Chris replied.
"I think Harry has been doing quite well lately."
Before you continue