That person... How could she possibly be Harry Potter's girlfriend?
She wasn't! He didn't have one! Could you all please stop making things up?!
The Weasley family... Harry's side had noticed them gathered in a corner of the crowd too, but only Mr. Longbottom nodded to the Weasleys. No one went over to greet them.
It wasn't because they weren't close. On the contrary, Molly Weasley's two older brothers, the Prewett brothers, had both been brave members of the Order of the Phoenix who died in battle. They had been close comrades of the Potters and the Longbottoms.
But this was Diagon Alley, and many people in the British Wizarding World knew that if you ran into the Weasleys there at the start of term, it was best not to go out of your way to greet them...
Because you might embarrass them.
Still, not everyone followed this unspoken rule. Lucius Malfoy, for example.
"Why, if it isn't Arthur Weasley!" The head of the Malfoy family strode out of the crowd, one hand on his son's shoulder as he forcibly pulled him away from Harry. Then he turned toward the Weasley family at the back of the crowd.
He was deeply disappointed in his son. Draco Malfoy hadn't done particularly well on his exams last year, and now he had just acted like a brainless fool.
The Potter family had such a fine reputation in the Wizarding World these days, and Harry Potter had practically been made out to be the next leader of the Order of the Phoenix... Lucius had never imagined that his son would foolishly provoke him!
As a noble, pure-blood family with platinum-blond hair, there was nothing wrong with throwing your weight around in front of a bunch of paupers. You just had to pick an easy target...
For the record, this wasn't some despicable Malfoy family trait of bullying the weak. It was simply the kind of sound judgment expected of a Slytherin.
So the Weasleys were perfect for it.
As a disgrace to the Pure-blood Family and the poorest of the poor, the Weasleys had not only too many children, but also a tendency to act impulsively. More importantly, they were all carrying a pile of secondhand junk.
A family like theirs was the perfect place to hide that thing—and to pin the blame on Arthur Weasley, that nuisance who was always making trouble for him.
So Lucius made his move without hesitation.
"I hear you've been terribly busy with Ministry business, old chap. All those raids—I'm sure they paid you overtime, didn't they?"
He reached into the Weasley girl's cauldron and pulled out a tattered copy of An Introductory Guide to Transfiguration from a brand-new set of Gilderoy Lockhart's books.
"Well, it doesn't look like it. Good heavens, if you can't even earn a decent wage, what's the point of being a disgrace to the wizarding world?"
With a stream of cutting, malicious insults, Lucius mocked every member of the Weasley family, from the adults to the children. At last, he successfully ignited Mr. Weasley's fury, and the two began brawling right outside the bookshop!
The scene descended into chaos. Ginny Weasley's cauldron went flying, the two men rolled around in a pile of Lockhart's books, the Weasley children cheered them on, and Draco Malfoy stood frozen in place, panic-stricken.
As for Mrs. Weasley, she was trying to break up the fight along with the shop assistants, but the men, blinded by rage, paid them no heed.
"Enough! Can you two stop now?" In the end, James was the one who stepped in to break up the fight.
As a top-notch Quidditch player, James was strong and easily pulled the two men apart.
By then, Mr. Weasley's lip had been split, while one of Lucius's eyes was bruised. He was still holding Ginny's old textbook.
"Here, little girl. Take your book. It's the best thing your father can give you!" He struggled to break free of James's grip while reaching out to hand the old textbook back to Ginny.
But just then, another hand suddenly grabbed his outstretched wrist!
"Frank Longbottom?" Lucius looked stunned. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm just curious about what you slipped into this book."
Frank spoke coolly and reached for the textbook in Lucius's hand. Lucius grew extremely tense, but with both his hands restrained, he could only let Frank take the old book.
"Mr. Malfoy, I think you'll need to explain why you put something like this in a child's textbook." Frank quickly found an old diary hidden inside the book, which bulged noticeably in one spot. His expression turned very serious.
"In my experience as an Auror, there's no doubt that this is a Dark Magic object! Mr. Malfoy, I believe the Ministry searched your home before. May I take this to mean that you're still deliberately keeping dangerous objects expressly forbidden by the Ministry of Magic?!"
"Longbottom, how dare you frame me?!" Lucius tried desperately to hide his panic, shouting denials over and over. "Never mind whether it's even a Dark Magic object. Even if it is, how can you prove that I slipped it into this tattered textbook?!"
"Proving that is easy. We just need to provide our memories." Alice Longbottom, an Auror herself, smiled with confidence. "When you got into a fight with the Weasleys, you picked up the textbook yourself. It was still a normal thickness then; Lily and I both watched carefully. But when you tried to return it to that little girl just now, it had suddenly gotten a lot thicker... And you're still going to say you didn't put anything in it?!"
"You... That's nothing but baseless speculation. You're slandering me!"
"But that's how Aurors investigate cases. That suspicion alone gives me the right to use Veritaserum on you." Alice was a round-faced witch, but her smile now was anything but kindly. "To prove your innocence, Mr. Malfoy, you'd better come back to the Ministry with us. I hear Lily's newly improved Veritaserum tastes wonderful. You can try some while you're there~"
"Damn it! I won't—"
"And there's something else you don't know..." Lucius had just opened his mouth to argue when Alice pressed on relentlessly. "You just came out of Knockturn Alley with your son. I saw it with my own eyes. Care to let me guess where you went? Perhaps... Borgin and Burkes?"
"Ugh..."
At that moment, it was as if someone had grabbed Lucius Malfoy by the throat. His eyes were full of terror and panic...
He was finished!!
Harry Potter, one look, two or three years~
Just because Alice Longbottom had glanced at Lucius Malfoy once in the crowd, the next two years of Harry's life became utterly uneventful... It sounded ridiculous, but this really was the inner logic of cause and effect that wizards couldn't understand.
Lucius Malfoy's premonition had been right. He really was finished this time.
As elite Aurors with the Order of the Phoenix backing them, the Longbottoms held considerable influence at the Ministry of Magic. So the process of convicting Lucius could only be described as lightning-fast.
After saying goodbye to the Granger family, the Potters and Longbottoms worked together to haul Lucius off to the Ministry of Magic. They immediately sought out Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and asked her to convene an immediate hearing before the Wizengamot!
As luck would have it, Amelia's brother Edgar Bones had also been one of the Order of the Phoenix's casualties, so she was more than happy to do them this small favor.
After all, the Wizarding World ran on personal connections~
At the hastily convened Wizengamot hearing, Alice and Lily submitted their memories of what had happened in Diagon Alley. That was enough to establish on the spot that Lucius had hidden a Dark Magic object and deliberately framed Arthur Weasley.
By the time Narcissa Malfoy—that was, Lucius's wife—hurried to the Ministry with a large amount of gold, hoping to bribe the Minister for Magic, Lucius had already been sentenced to six months in Azkaban.
By then, the Potters and Longbottoms had already finished their business and left the Ministry. That was how efficient they were~
Of course, the Potters later remembered to have Harry send a letter to the Grangers, inviting them to dinner or a game of ball during the holidays.
"We're all parents of classmates, so it's nice to keep in touch and get to know each other. And maybe discuss the children's future... No, I mean, just become friends with them~" James said when Harry asked what the letter was about.
"Mm-hmm, just making friends." Lily nodded in agreement. "The adults make friends, the children make friends. James is absolutely right."
Hearing his parents put it that way, Harry thought it made a lot of sense. So he happily bounced off to write Hermione a love let—er, a letter~
And so the last days of Harry's first-year summer holiday passed with Hedwig flying back and forth between London and Godric's Hollow.
Harry's second year was peaceful too. No one was petrified, and no one had their arm broken by a Bludger...
The only thing that happened was that a useless show-off who insisted on setting up some kind of Duelling Club got blasted off the platform by Harry in a practice match~
Exposing Gilderoy Lockhart in front of Hermione was probably the only bit of "excitement" Harry had in his second year.
Harry's life was rather dull, but other people's lives were as thrilling as a roller coaster. Lucius Malfoy, for instance.
He had been sentenced to six months in Azkaban, so he should have been released after the Easter holidays...
Then his sentence was increased~
The thing was, the Malfoy family had no shortage of money. So when it came to the Malfoys, bribery might be late, but it was never absent.
Sure enough, Narcissa promptly bribed the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and quietly asked him to reopen her husband's case. Fudge accepted the money and readily agreed—and he really did go ahead with it.
The problem was that Lucius had already been convicted of concealing illegal goods and framing a Ministry official. Since he was being questioned again as a criminal, he could be given Veritaserum.
And so he spilled even more secrets...
Then everyone on the Wizengamot found out that the diary wasn't an ordinary Dark Magic object at all. It was the Dark Lord's Diary, belonging to You-Know-Who. Lucius had successfully earned himself an extra charge~
And that wasn't all. They also uncovered a lot of unexpected information.
For example, the Malfoy family had been bribing Ministry of Magic officials for a long time, including Fudge. Other Pure-blood families had also been hiding old belongings from Voldemort's time. And most importantly... Many members of Pure-blood families hadn't been under the Imperius Curse at the time, as they claimed. They had willingly joined the Death Eaters, and they were still Death Eaters to this day!
And so, with all the charges piled together... thanks to Narcissa's powerful financial offensive, Lucius's sentence had gone from six months to...
Six years.
In theory, when Draco Malfoy graduated from school, he could swing by Azkaban and pick up his father on the way out... Though there was a good chance he wouldn't be able to.
However, the Wizengamot ultimately didn't accept Lucius's testimony about Fudge and the others, since Fudge kept making excuses throughout his confession.
"Veritaserum isn't infallible. Lucius Malfoy may have been able to resist its effects. Apart from what he said about himself, his accusations against other people—especially me—were nothing but vile slander!"
The Daily Prophet, a well-known newspaper in the British Wizarding World, gave this statement the headline...
"Cornelius Fudge, Doggedly Fighting Back"
Also, after the Wizengamot's retrial, the diary that had caused all this trouble was eventually handed over to Dumbledore.
Since it had once belonged to Voldemort, it was certainly best left to the greatest white wizard to investigate and keep safe.
Harry's second year ended around then, too. Leading the team to win the Quidditch Cup and keeping the House Cup for a second year running were basic stuff. What made him happiest, of course, was that his "friendship" with Hermione had grown a little stronger.
Nothing unusual happened to Harry during the following summer holiday. He simply practiced magic, celebrated his birthday, and exchanged letters with Hermione by owl, enjoying a peaceful life.
As for Hogwarts, it seemed that the school had completely renovated its plumbing system. No one knew why Dumbledore had suddenly decided to take on such a project.
But the school didn't seem to have changed much. When term started again, Harry and the others found that the so-called pipe renovation had only involved redecorating the haunted bathroom at the end of the third floor and cementing over the excessively gaudy faucet in the wall...
Er... Don't ask Harry how he knew. He definitely hadn't sneaked into the girls' bathroom with Neville~
"That guy's really too much. I'm seriously going to consider Dad's advice and decide whether I should stop being friends with him!" After Myrtle in the bathroom splashed him with... water, Neville gritted his teeth and let out yet another declaration that he was going to end their friendship that school year.
Unfortunately, he had never once acted on it.
"Be grateful, Neville... Harry's already much better than his father. At least he didn't take you along to pull someone's trousers down right there~" said Professor Lupin—newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, one of the Marauders, Werewolf.
"Uncle Remus, were you all that bored back then?" Neville took a frightened step sideways, suddenly thinking that this school really was dangerous.
And the headmaster wasn't even around...
"By the way... where did Professor Dumbledore go?" Neville asked curiously, remembering that the headmaster had been gone for some time.
"He went to the Ministry of Magic." Lupin lowered his voice, his expression serious. "There seems to be something wrong with that diary. Dumbledore wants to use Legilimency on someone to investigate further. Also..."
"Someone's sentence might be changed from six years to life imprisonment~"
My Cousin Deserved a Good Beating
In 1989, in an alley in Little Whinging, Surrey, the weather wasn't particularly bright just after Christmas.
"Phew... phew... phew..."
The slender boy gasped for breath as he hurried along. His tousled black hair bounced with every stride, and his bright green eyes darted about, constantly checking where he was going.
He moved nimbly, easily dodging the few pedestrians on the road before slipping down unexpected side streets. He was as agile as a darting monkey.
Behind him, angry curses and the heavy, scattered sounds of footsteps rang out from a distance. Someone was chasing him.
But the boy wasn't worried. After all these years, he knew every main road and alley in Little Whinging by heart. With one easy turn, four of the five sets of footsteps chasing him immediately went the wrong way.
The one who remained only got closer after the boy deliberately slowed down.
"Harry, stop! I'm warning you, stop! Do you hear me?!"
Dudley Dursley felt as if his lungs were about to explode. His cousin, who never seemed quite normal, had no idea what had gotten into him today. He had dared to talk back to Dudley in front of his friends and make him look like a fool!
So Dudley swore he would catch the monkey skipping around ahead of him and show him who was boss in the Dursley house!
Unfortunately, his pig-like build wasn't made for speed. No matter how hard he tried to catch the boy in front of him, he always fell just a little short.
"Damn it! You'd better pray I don't catch you, because if I do, a beating will be the least of your worries!"
Dudley kept swearing, but the boy ahead didn't bother responding. He just glanced back in a taunting way and raised a classic, universally understood hand gesture.
"You little bastard... You're finished, Harry! I swear, I'll knock every last tooth out of your mouth!!"
Another thread of Dudley's reason snapped. Of course, he didn't understand the true meaning of the gesture, but Harry's expression told him it contained a string of ***** that couldn't be put into words.
And as they ran, Dudley also failed to notice that he had gradually made his way into a deep, deserted alley.
"Hey!"
Just as Dudley was boiling with rage and plotting how to deal with Harry, a sharp shout suddenly rang out ahead.
Dudley instinctively looked up. A clump of yellow-brown flew straight at his face. Before he could make out what it was, pain shot through his eyes, and he was temporarily blinded.
"Ah! Harry, you rotten bastard!"
Dudley cursed furiously. Harry had dared to throw sand in his face!
Double! He'd make the punishment he had just decided on twice as bad—no, four times as bad!
But just as he thought this, Dudley suddenly felt a sharp pain in his foot, followed by a dizzying, Armstrong-style somersault.
He had tripped over a stick. The sudden fall made Duddy feel as if his back were about to break apart. But just as he tried to struggle to his feet, he realized the other person had pinned his arm in place with a hard knee. Both his arms immediately went numb and sore, and he couldn't move them at all!
Before you continue