From the night Eric quietly installed a few small things, the Wayne family lived peacefully for a whole week.
These days, the headline of the Daily Prophet has been changed to the boy who survived a near-death experience and is about to start school.
"Harry Potter..."
Eric would mutter the name several times a day, his throat hoarse.
"Dad, isn't this great?"
Vincent has been worried about his father's receding hairline lately, "Maybe that reporter is scared."
"That would be best."
Eric, with a slightly disgruntled expression, was definitely envious and jealous of his future classmate.
What's wrong with drinking a bottle of Gamp Wine?
With this little bit of buzz, how could it possibly outshine the Chosen One who chased away the bald guy with the power outlet?
Vincent, with his easygoing attitude, seemed to have seen through the world's illusions after he blew up almost the entire third floor.
The limited-edition Famicom is gone, so be it.
There's nothing to regret about the IBM 5100, which is said to be coveted even by time travelers.
Signed albums by the world's top stars always have the opportunity to be reissued.
He wouldn't be sad about it at all!
But according to the only person in the know, Gu Gu, this seemingly calm and collected young man had just knelt in front of a pile of shards last night, speechless and choked with sobs.
Ah, Merlin! The price of learning magic is just too high!
If it weren't for the Repairing Charm, Vincent would have gone mad with despair.
After learning the spell a few days later, he quickly reached the point where he would deliberately break things to practice.
Under the classic Vincent's Theorem, the Wayne family's appliances and furniture are basically always in a state of being either in good condition or damaged.
Five days before the start of school.
After being bombarded for over half a month, the boy who survived the disaster has finally had his headline removed from the Daily Prophet.
"Muggle Advantages and Disadvantages of Half-blood -Potter vs. Wayne Families"
Using such a title is clearly meant to stir up trouble.
After breakfast, the Wayne family exchanged knowing glances.
If nothing unexpected happens, something is bound to happen today.
With a beaming smile, Eric took out a large peanut from the shop window and carefully placed the golden peanuts inside one by one.
"Private property is sacred and inviolable..."
When he uttered those words, Vincent thought it was incredibly cool.
"Dad, please don't kill him."
"I know, I know what I'm doing."
Night quietly fell beneath four mischievous grins.
The Wayne family's Temporary Headquarters was set up on the third floor, which had been bombed countless times.
The most advanced night vision surveillance equipment currently available shows that there are no abnormalities inside or outside the entire building.
"Be patient." Eric, wearing night vision goggles, held the new AW sniper rifle, his eyes scanning the nine small screens in front of him.
Vincent, wand in hand, glanced out the window. "Mom, you didn't call the police, did you?"
"Not now." Evelyn tossed her long, light blonde hair. "It'll be hard to say once we catch them."
"Gu Gu— " The Gu Gu with its wide-open eyes seemed to have sensed something was wrong.
Following the gaze of the family of three, we spotted a small beetle flying low in the night sky.
"Captain, the powerful magic is ready."
"Okay." Eric rested the gun on the windowsill and instantly aimed at the target flying towards the first floor.
"Deputy Captain, keep an eye on the surveillance equipment at all times."
"Received." Evelyn replied softly, her smile fading.
"Ready—" Eric, who was completely focused, pressed his index finger slightly against the trigger.
"Fire!"
A 7.62mm diameter peanut pierced the night sky, hurtling towards the left with a loud bang as it sped off towards the small wings flapping.
"Puff--"
Eric didn't miss; it was just that the little beetle was too agile.
Vincent had just raised his wand, immediately realized what was happening.
"Locomotor Mortis!"
The tip of the cane seemed to emanate a large amount of invisible sound waves, covering a half-meter area near the main entrance on the first floor.
The little beetle's head, struck by the curse, had its three pairs of legs stuck together as if glued with superglue.
It struggled precariously to maintain its balance.
Eric released his index finger. "Captain, it's your turn!"
"Gu Gu— "
The round, Gu Gu leaped high into the air and slammed down hard on the spot where the little beetle was.
"Thump~"
Less than three meters from the gate, it successfully subdued its target with its large, newly-feathered rear end.
That proud little expression of triumph was deeply imprinted in the Wayne family's minds.
Such an awesome owl should belong to Wayne!
How could Hogwarts, with its dilapidated environment, possibly accommodate such a divine beast?
Under the watchful eyes of three pairs of glowing green eyes at the gate, the little beetle under Gu Gu's crotch trembled violently.
It lost because of its contempt for Muggle.
When it was put into a small glass dome, it suddenly started bumping around like crazy.
"Give up, this is tempered glass produced by the only major power in the East—"
Eric casually pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "This thing is more than enough to withstand rocket launchers."
The cigarette he was holding was in Evelyn's hand in the blink of an eye.
"Honey, didn't you quit smoking?"
"Well, I just wanted to take a sniff."
Vincent's eyelids twitched involuntarily at the sight of this aggressive external stance coupled with its submissive internal behavior.
Look at Bruce,
Let's look at James again.
Should I change my name to Vince?
"Bang—bang—"
He carried the glass case and followed his parents back down to the first floor.
"This little beetle is quite stubborn,"
He shook the cover vigorously, "Even after all this, it still won't behave."
Eric, who was on guard at the door, glanced at his watch. "Kyle should be here soon."
With such a loud gunshot, the London Metropolitan Police will definitely send officers over.
Moreover, it's highly likely that the person coming will be Kyle, an old acquaintance of his from the military.
Vincent, thinking of this unserious, overweight man, put down the glass cover with little interest.
This person may appear to have a respectable job, but in reality, he's a seasoned veteran driver.
There wasn't a single entertainment venue in London, big or small, that he hadn't visited.
Bored out of his mind Vincent started fiddling with the handheld thermal imager he had just disassembled.
Given this kind of setup, that reporter probably won't come back.
According to the Ministry of Magic, there hasn't been a wizard who dares to openly violate the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy for eleven years.
"Be gentle, I can't afford to pay for this." Eric turned around fearfully.
"Don't worry." Vincent flipped the screen and pointed the device at Gu Gu, who was eating dried fish.
The orange-red color proves that the owls in the Wizarding World don't have much different body temperatures than ordinary owls.
"40.5 degrees, normal."
He aimed the thermal imager at the small beetle inside the enclosure.
Aside from being a bit lighter in color, its overall temperature was actually higher than the outside temperature.
"Dad, something's wrong!"
Even if the little beetle kept hitting the glass, it shouldn't be able to remain so active when its shell is hotter than the outside temperature.
"It's almost 29 degrees Celsius."
Four pairs of large eyes stared at each other from afar, and then quickly realized what was happening.
This persistent little beetle is actually the first unregistered Animagus of this century.