As the Hogwarts Express pulled into Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station.
The young wizards packed up their luggage, got off the train, and, guided by a withered old guard, filed out of the wall in an orderly manner.
Ron said to Harry, "You have to come visit my house this summer. I'll send you a letter by owl."
Horatio looked at Hermione expectantly. "Hermione, I want to hang out with you."
Hermione looked speechless. "No. My family can't handle you causing trouble."
Outside Platform 9¾, the Weasley parents and Mr. and Mrs. Granger were already waiting. When they saw Harry's muscular body, their jaws practically dropped.
A red-haired Little Girl hid behind Mrs. Weasley, too afraid to come out. Ron and Hermione stepped forward to explain things to the Weasley parents and the Grangers respectively.
Then the red-haired Little Girl glared furiously at Horatio. Finding it amusing, Horatio made a face at her. She stamped her foot in anger, turned away, and ignored him.
If Horatio set aside his love of causing trouble and his carefree attitude, he could absolutely be called Hogwarts's most handsome boy. Otherwise, why would Pheobe, such a face-lover, enjoy playing with him?
Mrs. Granger had originally liked the handsome little boy quite a bit, but after Hermione pulled her aside and whispered a few words, the way she looked at Horatio became somewhat strange.
Horatio's radar went off. One look told him Hermione had been badmouthing him behind his back, and he immediately shot her a glare.
Hermione stuck out her tongue at him, then turned to say goodbye to Ron and Harry before pulling Mr. and Mrs. Granger toward the station exit.
As she passed Horatio, Hermione still stopped, gave him a hug, and whispered in his ear, "Goodbye, Mr. Horatio. Remember to write to me." Then, blushing, she hurried out of the station.
In the car, Mr. Granger looked at his daughter beside him, who had her head lowered and cheeks flushed, and asked, "Hermione, was that hairpin you keep in your favorite display case given to you by that boy?"
Hermione said nothing, merely nodding with a red face.
A murderous glint flashed in Mr. Granger's eyes. He had to strike hard against any pig trying to steal away his precious cabbage. Tomorrow, he would go learn Muay Thai from his friend in Southeast Asia. The next time he saw that boy, he would give him a deliberate blasting punch.
After Hermione left, a middle-aged man so fat he practically had no neck, with a full beard covering his face, walked over. It was Harry's uncle, Vernon Dursley.
When he saw Harry's sturdy physique, he rubbed his eyes and slapped himself. After confirming that this was reality, he felt his entire worldview collapse.
Horatio gave Harry a look, and Harry instantly understood. He took out the solid steel pipe Horatio had given him on the train and forcefully folded it in half twice, turning it into four sections.
Watching the sturdy steel pipe get folded in half twice so easily, Vernon collapsed onto the ground in terror and shouted, "Freak! You're just a freak!"
Horatio frowned as he watched Vernon rolling around on the ground. This method only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. It seemed he needed to think of another way.
Then he left the station and, in an empty corner, released Nut from the pet carrier he had shut her in before getting off the train. He pressed a button on her saddle.
Nut returned to her original form and nudged Horatio's chest with her eagle head, venting her displeasure.
Horatio stroked her neck to comfort her, then climbed onto her back and, after turning invisible, flew toward St. Maria's Orphanage.
When he arrived at St. Maria's Orphanage, he saw Sister Marilyn, whom he had not seen for a long time.
"My God, it really is you, Ho—Horatio." Sister Marilyn pulled Horatio into her arms, stroked his cheek, and said, "You and that old man disappeared without saying goodbye last time, and you frightened me terribly. Luckily, I found the letter you left behind, or I would have called the police. And thank you for the golden bed you left behind. It really improved the orphanage's finances."
"How have things been at school?" Sister Marilyn asked.
"Very happy. I made many friends at school, and they all respect me greatly. If I tell them to go east, they would never dare go west.
"The professors like me too, especially our Head of House. When I left school, she shed tears of excitement, and she and the other professors celebrated by beating gongs and drums."
"???" Sister Marilyn sensed that something was off. She vaguely felt that Horatio might be rather unpopular at school.
Sister Marilyn dismissed the thought and said, "Come in quickly. Your room has been kept for you."
"Speaking of that..." Horatio told Sister Marilyn that he wanted to leave the orphanage.
Sister Marilyn fell silent after hearing this. After a long while, she finally said, "I know you are a very independent child. The moment you stepped into that world, I foresaw that this day would come. In the end, we belong to two different worlds."
Sister Marilyn looked seriously into Horatio's eyes. "I only want to ask one question. Are you happy over there?"
Horatio looked at Sister Marilyn and answered seriously, "I am. Very happy."
In the end, Sister Marilyn agreed to Horatio's request to leave the orphanage and walked him to its entrance.
Before leaving, Horatio thought of something and asked Sister Marilyn, "Sister Marilyn, do you know anyone who works at Gronning Company? I want to meet their boss."
If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author. It may have simply been renamed!
Gronning Company was a British company specializing in the production of drilling rigs, and its owner was Wayne Stark.
Recently, he had been worried about the company's funds. Poor performance last year had left the company's cash flow somewhat tight this year, and he had been repeatedly rejected when applying for bank loans.
That day, he was in his office calling an old friend, hoping the man could lend him some money to help him through the crisis.
After being refused, he leaned back in his executive chair and worried. At that moment, one of his managers came to him and said that a young master from a wealthy family was willing to invest in him.
Wayne Stark nervously looked at the little boy across from him, who was drinking tea. The boy wore an obviously expensive suit, and every gesture he made appeared elegant and noble.
The little boy set down his teacup, gently stroked the black cat on his lap, and said, "I am Horatio Quibble, heir to the Quibble Group. I heard that your company has recently encountered some problems with its cash flow, and I am willing to offer assistance."
Wayne Stark said excitedly, "Yes, Young Master Horatio. Our company has recently been short on funds. How much capital can your company provide?"
"Money is not the problem." Horatio snapped his fingers. A tall bodyguard in a suit and sunglasses stepped forward behind him, carrying a case. "The key is, what can your company bring me?"
When the case was opened, the gold packed inside left Wayne Stark staring blankly.
In the end, Wayne Stark reached an agreement with Horatio. Horatio obtained ten percent of Gronning Company's shares.
Vernon Dursley had recently received some good news. A director from his company would be visiting his home soon, and he had to prepare well. This concerned his future.
"Listen, this dinner concerns my job. If you dare ruin it, you can forget about ever coming out again." Although Vernon had initially been frightened by Harry's physique, they still exploited Harry's kindness and made him do plenty of heavy labor.
On the day of the dinner, Frank, a supervisor from Gronning Company, fawned over a well-dressed boy as he arrived at the Dursleys' home.
"It's you???" Vernon recognized Horatio, who had been with Harry that day, and replied in shock.
"Director Frank, it seems I'm not welcome here," Horatio said as he turned to Frank.
"How dare you, Vernon! This is Mr. Horatio Quibble, the company's third-largest shareholder. Show him some respect!" Frank shouted at Vernon.
"Please, come in, come in." The Dursleys hurriedly invited Horatio into their home.
When they reached the living room, Horatio sat on the sofa and asked Harry's aunt Petunia, "Excuse me, do you have any milk? My cat is a little hungry."
Petunia looked at the little boy before her, who carried an aristocratic air, and answered nervously, "Yes, please wait a moment."
After Petunia brought over the milk, Horatio poured it into a small dish and fed it to Hathor.
"By the way, where is my classmate Harry? Why wasn't he invited to dinner?" Horatio asked Vernon while feeding Hathor.
"Supervisor Frank, you should really thank my classmate. It was through my classmate's family situation that I learned about your company and recognized its potential," Horatio said as he turned to Frank beside him.
"Yes, yes, yes. Vernon, hurry up and invite Young Master Horatio's classmate over," Frank ordered.
With no other choice, Vernon had Dudley bring Harry downstairs.
Frank looked at Harry's huge frame and, suppressing his surprise and fear, said, "Young Master Horatio, your classmate has quite a distinctive appearance."
"Mm. After all, he wouldn't be worthy of being my follower if he weren't built a little sturdier," Horatio replied calmly after taking a sip of black tea.
Although Harry was surprised that Horatio had come to his uncle's house, he still obediently followed Dudley into the living room.
At dinner, Horatio's elegant conversation and extensive knowledge earned the respect of everyone present except Dudley and Harry.
Dudley could not understand a word Horatio was saying, while Harry was questioning his entire life because Horatio's current demeanor was completely different from how he was at Hogwarts.
Horatio said Pheobe had forced him to learn it.
After dinner, Horatio followed Harry to his room.
"How was that? Your aunt's family won't make things difficult for you now, right?"
Harry expressed his immense gratitude to Horatio.
"There is an ancient saying in the distant East: a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring." Smiling, Horatio took out a contract. "Come on, sign this deed of servitude. Consider it repayment for my kindness."
Harry felt that this was more like Horatio's usual style. In the end, he signed his name on the deed of servitude.
As Harry's name was written down, Horatio's limited-time trial card for House-Elf No. 2 officially upgraded to the permanent version.
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