Before School Starts

Privet Drive, Dursley house.

Harry continued to live in the storage room, even though Aunt Petunia had hinted that he could move upstairs to a normal bedroom. Harry chose to stay there, and he couldn't explain why, but he just didn't want to move.

Today, the cramped storage room welcomed a special guest. He was short and thin, with two large, bat-like ears and a pair of protruding green eyes as big as tennis balls.

This is a quirky House-elf who calls himself Dobby.

"You intercepted all my letters, so I couldn't contact my friends all summer!" Harry glared angrily at the House-elf in front of him.

Hedwig stood on the crossbar of the suitcase bird stand, flapping her white wings and loudly "cooing" to denounce the wicked House-elf, as if she were pointing her finger at Dobby and cursing him.

Hedwig set off in the morning with the birthday present Harry had given to Loren, singing as she went, when she was abducted by this House-elf. This behavior was utterly outrageous to the owl.

Dobby blinked anxiously, looking up at Harry: "Harry Potter, don't be angry... Dobby was hoping, hoping that if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him... Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir..."

The more Harry talked, Dobby angrier he got. Dobby was simply impossible to communicate with! The two soon started fighting, one chasing after the other, the other running around the room, even knocking over Hedwig's cage.

Bang!

The door to the storage room was kicked open.

"Sirius Black!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, "Quick, subdue it! It intercepted my letter!"

Upon receiving word from the Dursley house, Black rushed to the scene and immediately drew his wand, aiming it at Dobby. Magic Power was building up, and a conflict was about to erupt.

"Dobby is here to protect the great Harry Potter. He can't go back to that dangerous school where people and Werewolf are mixed up. Dobby is here to warn him!" Dobby howled in a shrill voice, snapped his fingers, and disappeared.

The Dursley, who were cautiously hiding behind Black, stared wide-eyed, recalling in astonishment the monster they had just seen and the magic that had vanished in an instant.

Loren and Bates didn't have many relatives or friends in London, so they simply invited the Granger house to dinner. Of course, the cake was ordered from a bakery over the phone.

After tidying up the cupboards with magic, Loren stepped out of the Kitchen and heard the voices of three adults sitting on the sofa, talking animatedly. Bates even occasionally laughed so hard he tilted his head back.

Hermione waited outside the Kitchen, her hands behind her back, as if she were hiding something.

"What are they talking about that makes them so happy?" Loren walked past Hermione, pulling out a tissue to dry his hands.

"We were talking about our favorite foods, and we were just saying that you like burnt food," Hermione said absentmindedly, her gaze wandering, almost avoiding Loren's eyes.

"What's that burnt smell?" Loren's face stiffened for a moment, then he said nonchalantly, "Let the adults talk, let's go upstairs and play."

This was exactly what Hermione wanted. She nodded and followed Loren upstairs.

"I received a letter from Ron this morning. He asked if we could get in touch with Harry. He hasn't replied to any of our previous letters, not even a birthday greeting," Loren explained to Hermione, pointing to Errol, who was sleeping upside down on the curtain rod.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock.

Loren thought she was worried about Harry and comforted her, "Harry has his godfather with him now, he'll be fine."

"No!" Hermione plopped down on the edge of the bed, angrily patting the blanket. "We forgot Harry's birthday, and neither of us thought to write him a letter."

Harry's birthday is July 31st, and they were on the ship that day, so they didn't even remember Harry.

Loren blinked. It sounded a bit... that the two of them had forgotten their friend's birthday because they were traveling together. He coughed and changed the subject. "Ron invited me to the Burrow."

Hermione did indeed look up at him.

"I'm planning to turn him down. I think Grandpa Bates might need my company more," Loren shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I also feel more comfortable at home."

"I've heard that wizards have a lot of magical items in their homes. I hope I can see them sometime."

"Our home appliances seem amazing to them too..."

The two started chatting about the magical furniture. That's how second-year students are; they always have endless topics to discuss.

It was late at night when Monica called to Hermione that they should chat a little longer before going home.

"I've prepared a birthday present for you, I don't know if you'll like it..." Hermione muttered softly, her face flushed.

She spent the whole night mentally preparing herself, finally suppressing her shyness, and presented the gift.

Hermione took out a small pendant from behind her. It was carved from ivory-white cypress wood into a smiling Dolphin with a streamlined body and simple carvings of fins and snout. The simple design conveyed the Dolphin's agility.

There are some knife marks and imperfections on the surface. Through these marks, Loren seems to be able to see a little girl with her head down, focused, using a hand knife to slowly shave wood shavings.

"You told me not to bother you, just so you could do this!" Loren took the pendant with delight, his heart seemingly filled with something warm.

Hermione explained earnestly, "It was mainly for practicing spells; the pendant was just something I made during breaks."

Wearing the pendant around his neck, Loren held the little Dolphin in his hands, constantly stroking it with his fingers, examining it inch by inch in front of his eyes, his mouth never closing in a wide grin.

Although the design is simple and the carving is not particularly exquisite, it just gets more and more beautiful and more and more likable the more you look at it.

Seeing Loren's response, Hermione felt an overwhelming joy welling up inside her.

"What kind of wood is this? It has a pleasant fragrance—"

When Loren looked up, he met Hermione's bright, sparkling eyes, which were moist and reflected the light like bright stars and the moon.

He couldn't help but want to see more clearly, and even more clearly.

Hermione's cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering. "It's made of cypress wood, I carved it myself, I didn't, I didn't use Transfiguration..."

For some reason, she covered her eyes, and Loren felt that her thin, rosy lips looked even more beautiful, like a pendant, becoming more and more beautiful the more he looked at them.

Hermione felt once again the same strange emotion she had when she saw Loren with the birthmark between his eyebrows in the Library.

The two of them found themselves gazing into each other's eyes, their reflections mirroring each other's faces. The light grew increasingly dim, but the faces became clearer and clearer.

Thump!

Knock knock!

The sound of a window being struck rang out.

The two of them, like startled rabbits, hurriedly looked away.

Loren looked out the window and saw a snow-white owl with fluffy feathers tapping on the glass.

"Hedwig?" He opened the window and let the owl in.

Harry's Hedwig, with her beautiful white feathers, is so eye-catching that anyone who has seen her can recognize her at a glance.

It was the same package containing a letter. Loren opened the letter and quickly read through it; the contents were pretty much what he expected.

After the birthday wishes, Harry briefly explained what had happened to him.

"Harry said a House-elf named Dobby intercepted all his mail during his holiday, and his godfather suspects Malfoy and has already started investigating." Loren summarized part of the story and relayed it.

Hermione smoothed her hair, the blush on her face not completely fading. "No, it's alright. I'll go back now."

The little Witch quickly left the room, but her steps seemed to indicate that she was fleeing in panic.

After counting the candy Ron gave him and the handheld game console Harry gave him, and replying to their letters, Loren's 12th birthday came to an end. So ordinary, yet so beautiful.

"Honestly, what should we be careful about when we go to... Diagon Alley?" Wendell asked nervously. He felt uncomfortable no matter how he positioned his hands and feet in the passenger seat, and even his clothes seemed out of place.

In the back seat, Hermione, nestled in Monica's arms, sighed helplessly, "I asked Professor McGonagall before, and you can just go shopping like normal, just don't use Pound Sterling to buy things."

The holidays were almost over, and they had agreed to go shopping together for supplies for the new school year. Mainly, they wanted to replace Hermione's broken quill, buy textbooks for their second-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and Gilderoy Lockhart's complete travelogue.

The creatures involved include six strange beings: a female ghost, Werewolf, a giant, Ghoul, a snowman from a certain snowy region, Hag, and Vampire.

When discussing the itinerary, both sets of parents insisted on accompanying the group, and their stance was firm. Loren and Hermione had no reason to refuse, and so the five of them set off for the Leaky Cauldron.

Bates, who was driving, turned his head to look at Loren, then quickly turned back to look at the road. He asked tentatively, "Loren, how about I wait for you outside and we don't go to that... Wizard's Diagon Alley?"

Loren also sighed deeply. It was you who suggested going to see it at home, but now that we're almost there, it's you who wants to back out.

"Please, gentlemen, you are not even as calm as Mother Hermione."

Monica smiled, hugged Hermione, and shook her. "That's because I believe the two little wizards will protect us."

This composure lasted until she saw the filthy, dark the Leaky Cauldron. The black stains covering the exterior walls completely obscured the original color of the walls, and Monica didn't want to go near it just by looking at it.

Not to mention the strangely dressed wizards in the bar, who looked at their clothes with odd eyes, making them feel uncomfortable with every single item.

Hermione took Monica's hand and explained softly, "If you come here on your own, you won't be able to see the Leaky Cauldron; it's been enchanted."

"The development of wizarding society lags behind that of modern industrial society. Our clothes are rare items to them. There are also young wizards from wizarding families in schools who ask Muggle-born Wizard to help them bring them clothes."

Loren tapped the wall a few times with his wand, opening the door to the magical world. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

The vendors selling owls, crucibles, and oddly shaped brooms amazed Bates and his companions, but they were even more surprised by the sights others saw along the way.

After walking for a short while, the three of them couldn't stand the stares anymore. The wizards' scrutiny made them look like monkeys in the street.

When Loren and Hermione came out of Gringotts, Bates and Mr. and Mrs. Granger were standing awkwardly on the white steps. On the Diagon Alley streets, which had been widened by spatial magic, there seemed to be no place for them to stand.

"Hermione, how about..." Wendell whispered, suggesting that he wanted to leave.

Loren felt a little stifled. They were all warm and cheerful people, and they shouldn't have to endure such scrutiny, much less be suppressed to give up their curiosity.

"Loren! Hermione!" A familiar voice rang out, and Harry ran towards them from a distance, his face covered in soot.

Loren spotted Hagrid's massive figure in the distance and his eyes lit up. "Harry, Hagrid, it's so good to see you two!"

"This is my grandfather, Bates, and these are Hermione's parents, Wendell and Monica." Loren pulled Hagrid over and introduced them, "This is Hagrid, our friend."

"Hello, Loren and Hermione are both good kids, and you must be good parents too," Hagrid said with a hearty laugh.

Bates and Mr. and Mrs. Granger stared blankly up at Hagrid's face before they reacted and greeted Hagrid. Although the man was enormous, his gaze was gentle, unlike that of other wizards.

"Hagrid, our parents aren't feeling too comfortable in Diagon Alley. Could you take them for a drink? Preferably somewhere clean and not too crowded," Loren asked.

"Of course! You little ones can go find the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley together and have them help you buy your school supplies." Hagrid readily agreed and tugged at Bates and Wendell's clothes to leave.

Bates and Mr. and Mrs. Granger were dragged away by Hagrid like adults taking three children, completely bewildered.

"Oh, right, Loren! Buy me some Medicine for Flesh-Eating Slug!" Hagrid's voice came from afar, like thunder, scattering the dark clouds in the sky and letting in clear sunlight.

Hagrid is like that; he's more than happy to drink, especially with kind people.

Hermione fixed Harry's glasses, only to look up and find that their parents had abandoned them.

"Harry, did you go to Gringotts to get the money?" Loren asked casually.

Harry was still a little dazed. "I... I'll go after I find the Weasley family."

The family of redheads could be spotted even in Diagon Alley, amidst the strangely dressed wizards. They looked around and saw Ron, Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley hurrying towards them through the crowded street.

"Harry, great news! Molly is frantic." Mr. Weasley gasped, "She's right behind us."

"Where did you come from?" Ron asked.

"Knockturn Alley".

George and Fred shouted together, "That's so cool!"