The Protagonist Is Being Watched / A Car Is Essential for Escaping ...

His cousin and aunt were already there.

Dudley's bruised face wore an unmistakably gleeful smile, as though he were mocking Harry for bringing this on himself. Petunia's gaze remained cold, and her trembling lips seemed to hold the faintest trace of sadness.

As for Vernon behind them, he was absolutely furious, like a wild boar ready to charge at any moment.

The Dursley family all stared at Harry, and the air in the living room grew oppressively tense...

The Protagonist Is Being Watched

"I can hardly believe it, Harry... You actually did something like this."

After a long, oppressive silence in the living room, Petunia spoke first.

Her voice was calm, but it was merely the quiet before the storm. A second later, vicious, spiteful curses filled the entire room!

"You're just like your mother, you freak! You're a bastard who does nothing but cause trouble for your family! We must have been out of our minds to agree to take you in!"

"He's an ungrateful little mongrel!" Vernon shoved Harry in the chest with his massive palm, making him stumble backward.

But his anger still hadn't subsided. He pointed at Harry's nose and continued to bellow, "Even a dog knows to please its master! We've looked after you for years, and you don't have a shred of gratitude. Instead, you go and report us! You're a complete bastard!"

"Report you?!" Harry was stunned. Was that what the Dursleys were angry about?

"You know what you did, so don't pretend you can't admit it... Hey! Where do you think you're going, you little—"

Vernon was still shouting when Harry suddenly turned and bolted through the door before he could react.

"Bastard! You can't get away, Harry! I'll catch you and drag you back!" Seeing him flee, Vernon hurried after him with the rest of the family, all of them in hot pursuit.

Why? Harry paid no attention to the curses behind him. He focused entirely on figuring out what had happened.

He had deliberately timed his visit to submit the complaint just before the office closed yesterday, yet the matter had come to light by this morning. It made no sense!

Vernon was just an ordinary manager at the Drill Company. How could he have the connections to put pressure on both Social Services and the police?!

To find out who was backing the Dursley family, Harry had to go back to the Social Services Department!

Harry sprinted all the way there. But just as he was about to rush inside, he nearly collided with someone standing at the entrance.

"Mrs. Figg?" He managed to stop himself and stared in surprise at the familiar face.

Mrs. Figg was an elderly woman who lived alone, two streets away from the Dursley home. She had a great many cats, all with different patterns of fur.

She was one of the few people who had been kind to Harry. Whenever the Dursleys wanted to get him out of the way—when they went on family outings or had visitors, for instance—they would leave him in Mrs. Figg's care.

Though the old woman was a little eccentric, Harry felt he ought to be grateful to her.

But he didn't have time to chat with her now. He had to find the social worker he'd spoken with yesterday and learn what had happened!

"Don't bother looking, Harry..." Mrs. Figg took a step sideways, blocking his view inside. "There have been some staff changes here at the Social Services Department. Your former social worker has left, and your case has been handed over to someone else."

"She left?" Harry was taken aback. But he immediately understood and asked in a low voice, "Mrs. Figg, I never knew you were a social worker!"

Harry had to admit that this hurt.

On his way there, he had imagined all sorts of explanations. He hadn't expected Mrs. Figg, who had always looked after him, to be involved.

"Harry, take my advice and don't be so stubborn." Mrs. Figg patted his shoulder, trying earnestly to reassure him. "Whatever happens, your aunt and uncle are still your only family."

"Go home, Harry... You might not understand it now, but the Dursleys' home really is the best place for you."

Meow~

A cat mewled softly behind Mrs. Figg, and Harry's eyes had turned icy.

I'm being watched!

Since yesterday afternoon... No, I've been watched ever since I was sent to the Dursleys' when I was one year old!

Harry had crossed over as a baby, so he remembered everything that had happened to the original protagonist as a child.

Voldemort had murdered the original protagonist's parents, then fled after being gravely wounded. Hagrid had brought Harry here on a flying motorcycle. Professor McGonagall had turned into a cat and watched the Dursleys' home for an entire day. And... someone had decided that Harry would be raised by the Dursleys!

They had sent him to live with his aunt and uncle, telling him they were now his only family.

They had told him it was the best place for him.

What Mrs. Figg had just said to Harry was almost exactly what that person had said all those years ago!

"You little bastard, Harry! You're not getting away this time!"

Dudley, panting hard, grabbed Harry by the arm. Vernon, who was just as exhausted, seized him by the front of his shirt. Harry didn't resist as they dragged him back to the Dursleys' home.

All the way back, he kept repeating one person's name in his mind.

The person who had left him with the Dursleys, forbidden him to leave, and kept him under constant surveillance...

Albus Dumbledore!!

The Car Was Essential for Escape

Sure enough, Harry was put in detention as soon as they got home.

A few years ago, making the Dursleys this angry would have earned him a sound beating. But Harry's magic had been growing increasingly volatile, and Vernon and Petunia clearly didn't dare provoke him too much.

So locking him up had become their favorite punishment.

Vernon secured the door at the top of the stairs with a simple bolt. Unless something went wrong, Harry wouldn't get any food for the next two or three days.

But Harry had no intention of sitting around and waiting for his fate!

He had prepared for the possibility that his plan might fail, so he had a Plan B ready.

Late that night, the Dursleys, who had spent the whole day cursing and raging, were snoring like thunder.

In the stairwell, Harry quietly got dressed. He lifted a floorboard beneath his bedding, revealing a small compartment he had made for emergencies.

After making sure everyone was asleep, he took out a hacksaw he'd prepared in advance and began slowly sawing through the bolt on the other side of the door.

The lock Vernon had put on wasn't very sturdy, so Harry cut through the bolt quickly. In fact, he could have gotten out just by ramming the door, if he hadn't been worried about making too much noise.

Once he was out of the stairwell, Harry carried an armchair from the living room upstairs and carefully slipped into the Dursleys' bedroom.

This was the most dangerous part of his escape plan, but also the most important!

"Phew... Found them! Just where I thought they'd be~"

He carefully took the car keys from Vernon's coat pocket, then quietly closed the bedroom door behind him. Harry let out a relieved sigh.

Harry was far too scrawny. If he tried to run on foot, he'd be caught again before long.

So he had to use Vernon's old car!

His guess had been right, too. Every night Harry was locked up, the Dursleys treated it like a holiday. They'd be sound asleep and wouldn't expect him to make a move!

Harry used the chair he'd carried up to wedge the bedroom doorknob in place. He also packed a large amount of food from the kitchen to take with him, then left the house, satisfied.

Of course, before he started the car and made his escape, he still had one last thing to do.

He fetched the long ladder they used for roof repairs and propped it against the window of the Dursleys' bedroom. Vernon always made him do this kind of exhausting work, so Harry was strong enough to manage it.

The Dursleys hadn't done any roof repairs lately, so Vernon wouldn't know that Harry had tampered with the ladder!

Put-put-put~

The old car's engine gave a low, muffled rumble. Harry started it without much trouble.

He'd had a driver's license in his previous life. Driving habits in Britain might differ a little from those in China, but Harry had watched Vernon drive a few times, so it was easy enough to get the hang of it.

Of course, because of his height, he needed to pile a few bricks on the seat. Sitting almost upright made it easier for him to reach the accelerator and brake pedals.

He started the car slowly, but didn't drive away just yet. Instead, he parked in front of the Dursleys' house.

Then Harry grabbed one of the bricks he'd used to raise the seat and hurled it with all his might at the window of the Dursleys' bedroom!

Crash!!

The shattering glass was followed by a flurry of panicked cries. Soon, the furious figures of Vernon and Petunia appeared at the window.

"Harry?! You little bastard, you got out—and you dared to take the car too?!"

Vernon roared in fury while Petunia hurried to open the door. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge!

"Oh, damn it! The door won't open!"

Of course it wouldn't. Harry had already wedged the doorknob in place with the chair. It wasn't going to open so easily.

"Harry, don't think you can get away! You just wait..."

Snap!

Unable to get the door open, Vernon didn't stop to think. He stepped onto the ladder by the window, but before he could climb down more than a few rungs, the ladder suddenly broke in the middle!

"Ugh! Harry... you little bastard!"

Vernon crashed to the ground, in so much pain he could barely speak. He couldn't even get up to chase after Harry.

"My dear aunt and uncle, it's dark out, so there's no need to see me off! Besides, this isn't over. Just you wait... the police will be coming to your door!"

Harry shot the Dursleys a cold glance, slammed his foot on the accelerator, and sped away~

This fall was only a taste of what was coming for the Dursleys. Harry's ultimate goal was still to send those despicable relatives of his to prison!!

The car sped along the broad road. As Harry watched the occasional road signs flash past, his spirits began to lift.

But he didn't let his guard down. All he'd done so far was complete the first step of his escape from the Dursleys.

Next, he had to go to the Social Services headquarters and the police headquarters, both at a higher administrative level, and take his complaint further.

If a local court couldn't solve a problem, you could appeal to a higher court. Anyone who knew even a little about the law should understand that.

Harry had no other way out of his predicament. He could only persevere and use the law to bring the Dursleys to justice!

Of course, while seeking legal assistance, he would also contact influential media outlets like The Guardian and The Times to break the story. He would make sure the Dursleys' crimes were known throughout Surrey, the capital, and even the whole country!

So... his next stop was the capital of Britain—London!

A new battle had begun~

Harry versus the Dursleys... No, it was Harry versus Dumbledore, who stood behind them!

He refused to believe that the disheveled old wizard with a scraggly beard could control all of Britain!

Bars Were the Best Places to Hide

That night, Harry managed to drive to the outskirts of London.

Surrey wasn't far from London. It was only a few dozen kilometers, so even though Harry only knew roughly which way to go, he reached his destination quickly by following the road signs.

But he was clever enough not to drive straight into London. He abandoned the car, which was so old it was nearly ready for the scrap heap, in the suburbs and continued on foot into the bustling, ancient capital of Britain.

The closer he got to the city center, the more likely he was to run into police officers out on patrol. Harry was definitely driving without a license, and if the police spotted him, they'd immediately notify the Dursleys to come and collect him.

So he couldn't drive around the city. And he couldn't wander around the busy main streets for too long either. After walking alone in a hurry for a while, Harry pushed his way into an unremarkable little bar.

Unless something went wrong, places like bars would be where he spent the nights over the next few days while he went to London to petition the authorities.

Doing his best to look inconspicuous, he carefully slipped past the drinkers who were knocking back their drinks and chose a seat in a corner. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a nap.

At the same time, he began planning his next few days in his head.

He'd learned his lesson. Someone had been watching him since childhood, so there was no telling whether the other side had informants in Britain too.

This time, Harry couldn't make his complaint under his real name, and he couldn't deal with the police just yet. Otherwise, once his personal information was leaked, they might order him home because he was a minor, ruining all his efforts!

So he decided to start by sending complaint letters to the Social Services headquarters and some smaller newspapers. He would anonymously expose the facts of "child abuse by the Dursleys" and "inaction by the Little Whinging Social Services Department," prompting the government and media to take notice and begin investigating.

Once the story began to gain traction, he would take it to media giants like The Guardian and The Times, aiming to maximize its exposure.

Only once the matter had reached the attention of London—or even the entire British public—would it be time to formally seek legal intervention!