The Space Ring Is Returned to Its Original Owner / Calling Her "Big Sister" Is Absolutely Out of the Question

Was it really because he was a wizard that he could put himself above ordinary people and do whatever he wanted without consequence?!

"Enough, kid. Stop wasting time and make your decision!" Dawlish raised his wand and pointed it at Harry. "Since you've already seen through me, I have no choice but to force you to choose! Pick the adoptive family that best suits you, as I instructed. Otherwise... I'll stun you right here and take you away!"

"I'll make you repent..."

Harry clenched his fists, the veins bulging on the backs of his hands throbbing with anger. His messy black hair began to move as if stirred by an invisible wind!

"Heh. Repent? Kid, are you so nervous you've lost your mind?" Dawlish sneered, his voice dripping with menace. "I'll ask you one more time. Which adoptive family are you choosing..."

"I said... I'll make you repent!!"

"Stop joking around! You're a stubborn little brat. You'd better come quietly with me. Stupefy!"

His wand swept through the air, and a flash of crimson light shot from its tip, hurtling toward Harry!

But Dawlish, still grinning, failed to notice that Harry's emerald-green eyes had already turned a deathly white!

A vast surge of magic burst from Harry. An intangible yet substantial storm whirled around him, tearing Dawlish's spell into scattered sparks in an instant!

At the same time, the dark wind seemed to find its true target. Howling, it swept toward Dawlish!

Deep cracks scored the floor, and the chandelier crashed down from the ceiling... The terrifying gale seemed ready to tear everything it touched to pieces!!

"T-this is... an Ob... Argh!!"

Dawlish sensed something was wrong, but in the blink of an eye the gale had ensnared him, and he began screaming in agony against his will!

He struggled wildly in the wind, trying to free himself by waving his wand, but all the spells he'd learned seemed to have stopped working. None of them could hold back the gale!

The terrifying wind roared and whirled, its blade-like energy lashing Dawlish again and again!

It snapped his wand, shredded the supposedly immaculate trench coat he wore, and stripped away his flesh as if he were being flayed alive, carving him until he was covered in blood!!

"Waddiwasi!"

Suddenly, an old but powerful voice rang through the guest room. Dawlish's body shot out of the dark wind's reach like a cannonball, then crashed heavily into the desk behind him, leaving a blood-soaked human outline in its wake.

"That was a close call... He actually went out of his way to provoke Harry. The fool was practically asking to die."

The white-haired old man in a trench coat glanced back at his handiwork, without a trace of guilt on his face.

"Well, it was a bit rough, but it's still better than being torn to pieces~"

After barely saving Dawlish's life, the old man turned to the gale raging around Harry. With a helpless shrug, he took a delicate silver ring from his pocket and slowly pressed it toward Harry's forehead.

"Good grief, Harry's Obscurus really did erupt... As expected, Albus Dumbledore's schemes never disappoint~"

Strangely enough, the wind that had just been raging as if it meant to destroy everything began to subside as soon as it touched the ring. Then it retreated into Harry as if it had encountered its natural enemy.

"Clear Mirror Still Water!"

As the ring touched Harry's forehead, the old man spoke too, uttering a spell that sounded quite mysterious.

And... he had cast it in Chinese!

"Mm... What happened to me?" The spell seemed perfectly suited to Harry's condition. After only a moment, he regained consciousness.

Meanwhile, the old man had already repaired all the damage in the room. He was now stopping the bleeding and bandaging Dawlish, who lay sprawled on the floor.

"Who are you... Are you one of his accomplices too?" Seeing this, Harry demanded warily.

"An accomplice? No, no, I'd never team up with those idiots from the Ministry of Magic~" Seeing that Harry had misunderstood him, the old man hurriedly waved his hands to explain. "I came here purely to help you. As for why I saved him... If he died here, he'd leave you with endless trouble!"

"That..." Harry hesitated.

The man was completely right. Whether the man named Dawlish died here or somewhere else, Harry would be in trouble as long as he died!

Thinking it over, Harry really couldn't tell whether the old man before him was an enemy or a friend.

So he could only stand warily where he was, letting the old man secure Dawlish's entire body with bandages and splints, then stuff him into the box at his side.

Mm... It was an old hand-held case measuring just a few dozen centimeters, yet it could hold a full-grown man. The old man was clearly no ordinary wizard.

"All done! Now, let's get properly acquainted." When he'd finished, the old man smiled and held out a hand to Harry. "I'm Newt, Newt Scamander. Albus—uh, Dumbledore sent me to find you."

"You said... who?"

Hearing the name he was most wary of come out of Scamander's mouth, Harry's heart began to pound. He couldn't decide whether to take the offered hand...

The Space Ring Was Returned to Its Owner

"Oh, my, you've been wary of Dumbledore from the very beginning... Never mind. I'd meant to give this to you when we shook hands, but I'll just hand it over now. Here~"

Seeing that Harry still distrusted him, Scamander didn't take offense. He simply flipped his hand and tossed the silver ring toward Harry.

"What is this?" Harry caught it uncertainly and asked, confused.

"A magical device made using alchemy together with the Undetectable Extension Charm: a Space Ring. You... uh, I mean, a friend of mine gave it that name."

Scamander explained with a genial smile. "You can use it to store important things. If you use a particular spell with it, it can also help calm your mind. Most importantly, it can stabilize an Obscurus—that power you just used without realizing it."

"Why are you giving it to me?" Although Mr. Scamander seemed very friendly, Harry was still quite suspicious.

The so-called Space Ring in his hand had a flawless silver band, with many delicate patterns etched along its edge. Inside the band were the letters "L&H," whose meaning was unclear.

In short, this ring was definitely valuable!

Could something this precious really be given away just like that?!

"I wouldn't call it a gift. It's more like returning it to its rightful owner~" Scamander wore the mischievous smile of a cheeky old man. "There's a saying, isn't there? In fantasy novels set in another world, if you don't wear a Space Ring, you're too embarrassed to even greet anyone~"

"Who are you, really?!" Scamander's joke put Harry instantly on alert!

There was something off about this man!

Some of his mannerisms, and certain details in the way he spoke, were so much like those of a fellow transmigrator!

"Newt Scamander, ninety-three years old. As for my occupation... I suppose you could call me a retired bestselling author."

Scamander waved a hand, signaling Harry to calm down before speaking slowly. "Harry, I know you're deeply resistant to everything in the Wizarding World right now. But I hope you understand that there are still plenty of people here worth trusting..."

"Like you?" Harry stared at Scamander without committing himself. "You were sent by Dumbledore, just like that other man. Do you think I'd trust you so easily?"

"That man? I see. You've misunderstood~" Scamander immediately realized what had confused Harry and hurried to explain. "He's an Auror working for the Ministry of Magic, not someone Dumbledore sent. As for why Dumbledore asked me to come, it's mainly because he was worried you'd suppress your magic too much and develop an Obscurus."

"An Obscurus..." Harry repeated Scamander's words under his breath. He was beginning to believe the other man.

At ninety-three, this old gentleman was far more powerful than Dawlish—by several orders of magnitude. If he really meant Harry harm, there would be no need to waste so much time talking!

"What an Obscurus is is explained in detail in the book I left in the ring. There's some other information in there too. Read it yourself when you get back. I've already lifted the spells on everyone else in the manor, so I can't stay here any longer."

Seeing that Harry seemed to trust him now, Scamander calmly straightened his clothes, then took out his wand and prepared to leave.

"So... what does Dumbledore want, exactly?" Seeing him about to leave, Harry urgently pressed him. "Do I really have to go back to the Wizarding World? Do I have to attend his school?!"

"Unfortunately, yes~" Scamander nodded with a conflicted look...

But then he suddenly grinned like a mischievous child~

"Hey, did I scare you? Listen, Albus's opinions only ever represent what he wants. He does want you to attend Hogwarts, but your legs are your own. If you don't want to go, he can't exactly come and tie you up himself~"

"I see... But can I really do that?"

Harry was now fairly sure that although Scamander had been sent by Dumbledore, he really was trying to help him.

There was one fundamental difference between him and Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic: Scamander allowed Harry to make his own choices freely!

Harry just wasn't sure whether he had the right to make such choices.

As far as he knew, not only Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic, but even Prince Charles, who had been looking after him, wanted to use him in some way.

"Of course you can~" Scamander smiled encouragingly, but the wrinkles on his face somehow seemed to carry a note of resolve!

"People must make their choices freely and as equals. If you don't believe in something yourself, then even with a wand pressed to your forehead, you must never give in!! By the way... those words have encouraged me for almost seventy years~"

"Mr. Scamander..." Harry was moved. Scamander's words had struck right at the heart of what he felt.

"Hey, don't call me 'Mr.'!" Scamander hurriedly protested, waving his hands. "I may be in my nineties, but I don't think I'm that much older than you~"

"Fine, I won't. Thank you, Scamander."

"That's more like it, Harry. Follow your heart a little more, and you'll feel much clearer." Scamander smiled and nodded, but then seemed to suddenly remember something and slapped his forehead. "Look at me, I forgot the most important thing. You need a spell to use the ring to stabilize your Obscurus."

"A spell?"

"Clear Mirror Still Water." Scamander slowly uttered the words, which were so familiar to Harry.

"Clear Mirror Still Water? Isn't that..."

Harry murmured in disbelief. He had never imagined he'd hear his familiar mother tongue again in a foreign land after transmigrating!

"Ha, your pronunciation really is very good~" Scamander shrugged helplessly. "It was specially created to work with that Space Ring, and it has to be cast in Chinese. Honestly, I don't know what someone was thinking when they insisted on making the spell so awkward to say."

As he spoke, Scamander shot Harry a deeply aggrieved look, though Harry didn't see it.

"Anyway, I've told you everything you need to know... Do you believe now that we're friends?" Scamander asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"Mm-hmm~" Harry nodded like a pecking chick. Too much had happened that night, and his mind was clearly having trouble keeping up.

"Well, before I go, let me teach you one more thing. In Chinese, people describe this kind of friendship like this."

Scamander raised his wand and summoned magic to envelop himself. Then he said five Chinese characters to Harry, though his pronunciation wasn't quite right...

"Wǒ shì nǐ bàba~"

As soon as he finished speaking, Scamander vanished. Harry was left standing there, completely dumbfounded.

"Holy crap! You're taking advantage of me... Wait!"

Harry suddenly realized what he'd said, but then froze again.

Who exactly was Newt Scamander?

Why had he suddenly appeared and shown Harry such goodwill? What was his real purpose...

Harry's long-distance battle of wits with Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic had seemingly come to an end when the Dursley Family were sent to prison, but the aftershocks of the incident had yet to fade.

The attention of the British public was still fixed on Harry. They were waiting for the outcome of his adoption to be officially announced.

In the meantime, all kinds of rumors were swirling.

Some said Harry would choose his own adoptive family. Others claimed that the Minister of Justice seemed to admire Harry Potter. There were even rumors that the Royal Family planned to adopt Harry themselves!

Finally, after everyone had anxiously waited for two days, the British Royal Family helped Harry hold a press conference in his own name.

"Following the agreement reached between the Royal Family and the boy, Harry Potter, Harry will select one family from among one hundred caring households from all walks of life to become his adoptive family. Prince Charles will also pledge, on behalf of the British Royal Family, to cover all of Harry Potter's expenses until he reaches adulthood!"

The Royal Family's press secretary addressed all the media and the witnesses, including Prince Charles. Afterward, he invited Harry onto the stage.

"Harry Potter, you may now announce your choice to all the members of the press and the journalists here."

"Thank you! The adoptive family I'd like to choose is... the Granger family!!"

Facing the reporters scribbling away below and the camera flashes going off, Harry took a deep breath and loudly announced his choice!

He had chosen Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who lived in the outskirts of London, to become his new adoptive parents!

Harry had thought carefully before making this decision.

The Grangers came from a respectable background, and their employment records were clean and transparent. There was practically no chance they were a spy family planted by the Ministry of Magic.

Besides, although the Grangers were technically just an "ordinary middle-class family," both husband and wife were well-known dentists. Given the appalling British diet of desserts, strong tea, and the like, the Grangers' actual social standing was easy to imagine.

And Harry still had some professional experience from his previous life, so he'd have a fair amount in common with them.

As for the fact that the couple had a daughter his age, that wasn't a problem for Harry at all.

His earlier claim that it would be inconvenient to live with a girl had been nothing more than a bluff. He'd said it to avoid going to the Abbott family, who were obviously a wizarding family.

However, Harry didn't know that his decision had, in a way, greatly relieved both Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic.

The day after the press conference, Harry spent his last night at Highgrove House. The Prince and his family personally saw him off and put him in the car.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger had originally planned to come and pick you up themselves, but I thought it wouldn't be right to make your adoptive parents go to all that trouble. After all, you're the one moving in with them, so I politely declined."

With their farewell approaching, a trace of reluctance seemed to cross the already weathered face of Prince Charles. "Harry, you're a good boy, and I've truly enjoyed the time we've spent together. I must thank you as well. William and Harry have both learned a lot from you during this time."