Seeking a Trace

Harry smiled at these former neighbors and said softly, in a voice only the friends beside him could hear, "That family's lawn mower was bought during a supermarket clearance sale. It always jammed, and sometimes it even caught fire. The house Sirius Black bought is over there. Mrs. Figg, who used to live there, was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix. I only found out two years ago... There's a small playground over there. For a while, my cousin Dudley and his friends would always sneak in to vandalize public property, smoke, and throw stones at passing cars."

Ginny and Ron listened intently.

Hagrid looked around curiously. Whenever any of the residents met his gaze, they hurriedly looked away.

Loren and Hermione fell into thought, guessing why Felix Felicis had brought Harry here.

The houses along the streets of Little Whinging stood close together. After passing several intersections and turning two corners, they arrived at the Dursley house. The mailbox outside still bore owl claw marks.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Harry stepped forward and rang the doorbell.

The door was opened by a burly—or rather, fat—middle-aged man with blond hair, a thick beard covering his face, and a pair of tiny eyes. He clearly had not expected Harry to be the one knocking. After freezing for a moment, he put on an angry expression and roared gruffly, "Boy! How dare you bring this bunch of freak friends of yours here without my permission—"

"I'm just here for a visit."

Harry interrupted his shouting. "I came to see Aunt Petunia. We'll leave soon, and we won't be staying for lunch."

This mild attitude seemed to provoke Vernon even more than an angry retort would have. His nearly nonexistent neck swelled slightly, and his purplish-red face grew redder. He