Egypt

The Dursley ' dinner came to an end in a somewhat strange atmosphere.

"Would you like something to feed your owl? I've saved some bread." Aunt Petunia placed Raspberry Jam in the center of the table, and her Dudley immediately scooped out a large spoonful.

"No need, it's used to flying outside and will find its own food at night," Harry explained.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Vernon's beard twitched, and a bit of broth dangled from his thick beard.

Petunia wanted to say something more, but her words were drowned out by her Dudley's long, loud burp. "I'd like some more bacon."

"There's still some in the frying pan," Aunt Petunia replied, getting up to fetch it. "Harry, are you full? Would you like some more?"

"No."

Harry was closest to the frying pan. He first shook his head and refused the bacon, then got up and handed the frying pan to him. "I'm full. I'm going to continue my homework. You can leave the pots and pans in the sink. I'll clean them up later."

Closing the stairwell door, Harry took out a Magic Crystal Ball for lighting, its soft, silky light preventing the small room from falling into complete darkness.

Outside the door, the Dursley seemed to relax after he left, and Uncle Vernon and his cousin Dudley's voices became much more unrestrained.

"Mom! I want some more!"

"Eat, eat more, we need to hurry up and fatten you up... Look, the school food has made you so thin." Aunt Petunia's voice was filled with heartache and tears.

"Nonsense! I never went hungry when I was in Smeltings." Uncle Vernon's voice was agitated. "Dudley ate well, didn't he, son?"

"Hehe..." Dudley's silly laughter.

Looking at the half-finished paper on the bed, Harry leaned against the door and sighed softly.

Ever since Dumbledore to mediate last summer, Aunt Petunia has been a completely different person. She's truly become a dutiful aunt, caring about his Dudley needs, always saving Dudley some of his food, and even concerned about the speed of his hair growth.

As a result, his Uncle Vernon and Dudley no longer bossed him around or yelled at him like before.

Last year, he spent all his time with Sirius Black and didn't spend much time with the Dursley, but this year is different.

"What on earth is Sirius Black doing?" Harry complained grumblingly.

Unable to concentrate on his thesis, he pulled out some stationery from his suitcase, lay down on his bed, and began writing a letter.

Dear Sirius Black:

I hope everything goes well for you!

Sigh, I don't know what you're doing, but leaving in such a hurry must be something important. Since the long and boring summer vacation is still several weeks away, please tell me.

Aunt Petunia has tried to persuade me to move out of the storage room for the third time, but I still refuse. I'm a little scared; I'm afraid I'll forget the years I spent in that dark little room...

I look forward to your reply.

Harry

Harry placed the letter he had written on the bedside table, weighing it down with the alarm clock to prevent it from being blown away by the wind. Hedwig was outside keeping watch, and the letter could only be mailed after the clock returned.

Just as Harry was about to continue writing his paper, the telephone rang not far from the stairwell, and Harry heard his Uncle Vernon answer it.

"I am Vernon Dursley."

Harry was stunned when he heard Ron's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? I—want—to—find— Harry — Potter!"

It was probably Ron's first time making a phone call, and he was shouting so loudly that Uncle Vernon was startled. He held the receiver a foot away from his ear and stared at it angrily and in fear.

"Who is it?" Vernon yelled into the receiver. "Who are you?"

"Ron Weasley!" Ron shouted, as if he were talking to Uncle Vernon across a football field, "I'm— Harry —a—friend—at school—"

Harry hurriedly pushed open the door and went over. Uncle Vernon glared at him with his small eyes, slammed the phone down on him, and stormed off.

"Ron, it's me!" Harry said, suppressing his excitement and joy.

"Oh! Harry —I hear—your voice!"

Harry: "..."

He pressed his ear, which was a little sore from the pressure on his eardrum, and he roughly understood why his Uncle Vernon was so angry.

"Ron, listen to me, just speak normally, I can hear you," Harry whispered, noticing that the TV volume in the dining room had been turned down.

"Hey Harry, this is amazing!" Ron's voice returned to normal. "Ginny, move back a bit, don't block the signal."

"Dad said the signal is inside the wire, how could I be blocking it?"

"Ronnie, talk to Harry!"

"Yes, yes, speak up!"

A smile crept across Harry's lips; he could picture the scene on the other end of the phone. The Weasley family were gathered around, Ginny pressed against the receiver, and George and Fred's eyes were glued to the phone with inquisitive interest, seemingly eager to tear it apart.

"Compared to magic, the telephone isn't all that magical. Oh, and remember to remind Mr. Weasley to pay the phone bill, or it'll get disconnected," Harry said with a smile.

"Don't worry!" Ron said quickly. "I called in a hurry to tell you that my dad won the Daily Prophet's grand prize. You can't believe it, right? A whole seven hundred Galleons!"

"We were planning to use the money to go to Egypt for the summer vacation. My Bill works there as Curse-Breaker at the Gringotts Wizarding Bank."

Harry vaguely realized something and his mood plummeted. "So?"

"So don't let Hedwig deliver messages to us for the next month, lest it have to fly all the way from England to Egypt, which is too cruel for an owl. Don't worry, we'll call you again when we get back!"

"Sigh~" Harry sighed mournfully, rambling on like a lonely old man, "I know, you're all busy with summer vacation, you are too, and so are Loren and Hermione."

"Loren and Hermione? Are they going to Egypt too?"

"They haven't written me a single letter or made a single phone call to this day."

His tone was like that of a little girl, and George and Fred couldn't help but laugh out loud. They leaned over the receiver and told him, "That's how it is. People in love are like that. Percy spends all day upstairs writing letters to Penelope."

"George! Fred!" Percy's voice was filled with annoyance and embarrassment.

A burst of laughter came from the other side.

After a while, Ron's voice came through again. "By the way, Ginny keeps grabbing the phone, do you want to say a few words to her?"

Harry snapped out of his reverie, "Oh, okay."

Some clattering sounds indicated that the phone had been handed to the red-haired Weasley girl, but her voice was not heard for a long time.

"Good evening, Ginny!" Harry greeted her.

"Good evening, Harry."

After a few weeks apart, Ginny seemed to have become shy again.

"How was your summer vacation? Remember to take some photos for me when you go to Egypt. I heard there are many Magical Ruins there."

"Okay, okay." Ginny took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say, "We'll be back a week before school starts, and then we'll go to London to buy our new textbooks for next semester. Can you come to London then? We hope to see you there."

"I will definitely go."

"Also, don't let those Muggle make you unhappy."

Ginny spoke quickly and softly, but Harry still heard her clearly. For some reason, Harry felt a warm feeling flow through his heart. He paused for a moment and said, "Yeah, no way."

George and Fred then took turns speaking to him, exchanging greetings before the rare phone call finally ended.

The Dursley could be heard talking in the Kitchen.

"Someone like him actually called the house, this—I...I just—" Uncle Vernon sounded a little unhappy.

"Let him hit him. His godfather and the headmaster of the magic school have both promised that those messy things won't involve us."

Dudley clearly didn't care about these things. He let out a burp and said, "Can I turn the TV volume back up? And give me some more broth."

Harry paused briefly, then strode briskly into the stairwell. He planned to write a letter to Loren and Hermione; otherwise, he couldn't imagine how he would get through the next month.

Hampstead Garden, a suburban villa.

Hedwig, with its snow-white feathers, landed on the Second Floor window. It tilted its head and looked through the glass to see that the recipient inside was still fast asleep.

Having served as an owl for two and a half years, Hedwig was experienced in dealing with this kind of situation. She shook her head, put the letter in her beak aside, and tapped on the window with her beak.

Bang! Bang!

The recipient in the room did not respond.

Hedwig tilted her head, a hint of human-like doubt flashing in her eyes.

Was I knocking on the window too quietly?

Hedwig moved her little paws to make more room and shook her head, increasing the force with which she knocked on the window.

Bang bang bang!

Oops, I used too much force.

Honest eagle Hedwig felt a buzzing in her head, a little dizzy. She spread her wings and flapped them twice to prevent herself from falling out of the window. After a moment, Hedwig looked out the window.

The recipient in the room did not respond.

Hedwig felt even more dizzy.

Just as Hedwig was struggling with her dilemma at the window, the Hānhan Spectacled Owl had been wandering outside all night, returned.

Hedwig's eyes lit up with surprise. She was an old acquaintance Hānhan the Spectacled Owl, and she quickly went over and chattered away for a long time.

After listening, the Spectacled Owl nodded in a Hānhan. It was no longer a little bird and always put on a composed demeanor when doing things.

Spreading half a wing, it made Hedwig take a few steps back, then, Hānhan its back against the wall, it gripped the edge of the window with its claws and pushed hard, opening the window along the sliding track.

Hedwig's admiring shouts pleased Hānhan greatly, and he straightened his chest and neck.

The rest was simple: place the letter beside Loren's pillow, gently peck at his nose with his beak, and wake the sleepy recipient.

Loren opened his eyes groggily.

This snowy owl is very clean and takes frequent baths. It is pure white with fluffy fur, and its claws and beak are spotless, without any dirt or wood chips.

"Oh, it's Hedwig. Did Harry write to me?" Loren sat up, rubbed his Hānhan head, and then reached out to pat Hedwig.

Hedwig chirped twice and pointed with her wing to the letter beside her pillow.

Loren reached out and opened it to take a look.

It begins with a long complaint, accusing him and Hermione of prioritizing romance over friendship, and not calling him for weeks on vacation.

Then, when talking about the Weasley family ' trip to Egypt, Harry claimed that he would have liked to leave if he didn't have to live with the Dursley for a period of time every year before he was an adult.

He then began to confide his troubles with the Dursley, how he couldn't accept Aunt Petunia's concern, which made him unable to justify his resentment towards Uncle Vernon and his Dudley...

Traveling to Egypt?

Percy seems to have mentioned that there seem to be many Runes ruins in Egypt.

Why didn't the Weasley family use the money to improve their lives, but instead engaged in revenge spending?

George and Fred didn't even consider using the money to start a business.

Loren's mind wandered as he pondered these questions. He got up, sat down at his desk, and wrote back to Harry with his pen.

He didn't have many thoughts on Harry's relationship with the Dursley. Unlike Dumbledore, he didn't believe Harry should love his family, nor did he think Harry should see them as enemies.

In his letter, he wrote, "If we can't hate them completely like enemies, then let's treat each other like strangers. Accept their kindness with a clear conscience, and repay them with equal kindness, like a business transaction, where neither party owes the other anything emotionally..."

As he put pen to paper and looked at the words on the letter, Loren fell into deep thought, one hand holding the pen, the other stroking the two owls. Hānhan and Hedwig were obediently pecking at nuts and jerky.

Suddenly, Loren's eyes flickered, and he looked strangely toward the bedside.

With a loud bang, Hermione appeared at the bedside. Seeing that no one was on the bed, the little Witch looked puzzled.

"Coo coo?"

Turning around, she saw Hānhan and Hedwig both tilting their heads and staring at her, their suspicious gazes sweeping back and forth, their little heads full of question marks.

Loren demanded, "How do you explain this?"

"I'm here to wake you up." Hermione said matter-of-factly, "It's because you always sleep in. You haven't done your summer homework yet, and you haven't even previewed the material for next semester. I'm doing this to encourage you to study."

"Can't you just knock normally?"

"You couldn't hear the knocking." Hermione suddenly realized, looking at him in surprise. "You actually got up early today?"

Upon seeing Hedwig, Hermione exclaimed, "What did Harry say in his letter?"

She walked over on her own, took the letter, and read its contents as if nothing had happened, which infuriated Loren.

Five minutes later, Hermione picked up her pen and added her greetings to Harry after his reply. One handwriting was messy, while the other was neat and tidy, the difference between them obvious.

When Hedwig left, Hānhan followed, acting as if he were the host seeing off a guest. He was composed and had the demeanor of a mature owl.

Hermione watched them flap their wings and fly away, then suddenly remembered something. "I remember Professor McGonagall said that Professor Babbling also went to Egypt. It sounds like an interesting place."

Loren met her gaze. "What do you mean?"

Hermione's eyes sparkled. "We haven't gone on any trips this holiday, have we?"