A Certain Scientific Harry Potter

"Hi! Harry, you're here~"

Buckingham Palace, the same familiar reception room as before. When Prince Charles saw Harry, he immediately stood up to welcome him with a hug.

"Sigh... the vile language from the Dursley family, even through the broadcast, I found it shockingly unbearable!" After the pleasantries, Prince Charles patted Harry on the shoulder with a look of feigned sympathy. "Child, you really shouldn't have gone to the scene yourself."

"Thank you for your concern... but that is a responsibility I must bear! I am the plaintiff in this case; how could I shrink back in fear just because of a few insults from the defendants!"

Harry wore a look of gratitude, yet he shook his head firmly.

Admittedly, just as the Prince said, Harry didn't actually have to attend today's public trial.

Prince Charles had once instructed his adjutant to warn him that if he appeared at the trial, he would certainly be subjected to some truly nasty curses from the Dursley family.

But Harry felt that he had to be there.

This entire ordeal was destined to end in his total victory. The Dursley family would naturally be unwilling to accept it, and it was only logical that they would lash out at him in court.

However, what they didn't know was that once they displayed such hysterical, ugly behavior during a public trial, no matter how well they behaved in prison afterward, they would never have a chance at any sentence reduction!

As for Vernon's threats about taking revenge after his release?

Hmph, that was nothing more than wishful thinking!

Harry could confidently pat his chest and say that if the Dursley family really dared to come back for revenge after things had settled down... Harry wouldn't need to go through this much trouble to deal with them again!

"Oh, Harry, you truly are an upright child. Every word you speak rings as clear and sharp as the sword in the hand of the Goddess of Justice." Prince Charles excitedly took Harry's hand. "If all the children in England could be as clever, brave, and righteous as you, how promising the future of this country would be!"

"Your Royal Highness, you are far too kind..."

Harry twitched the corner of his mouth in embarrassment. Although he didn't consider himself thin-skinned, Prince Charles was laying the praise on a bit thick.

"No, no, this is not an overstatement at all!" The Prince hurriedly waved his hands in defense. "In fact, if I could, I would even want to adopt you myself. If William and Harry could grow up with you and learn a thing or two from you, I, as a father, would be immensely gratified!"

"This..."

"However, it is a pity..." Before Harry could speak, the Prince's expression turned dejected. "Harry, you know... the Royal Family has already intervened too much in your affairs... so regarding your subsequent adoption, I... sigh~"

Prince Charles let out a heavy sigh at the end, his face filled with self-reproach for being unable to help.

"Your Royal Highness, the help you have given me these past few days is enough for me to remember for a lifetime." Harry stood up, bowed respectfully to the Prince, and then asked seriously, "Regarding the decision on my adoption, you can tell me directly."

"Very well... Harry, take a look at this first." The Prince gestured behind him, and his well-prepared adjutant immediately presented a booklet at least several dozen pages thick.

"This is... the list of families willing to adopt me? But why are there so many?"

Harry flipped through it briefly. The dozens of pages were filled front and back with profiles of families willing to adopt him, meaning there were at least eighty, if not a hundred, families on the list!

Goodness... when did he become so popular?

"Harry, the list first obtained by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice only contained twenty households..." Prince Charles explained apologetically. "Later, I took the initiative to expand the list to one hundred. I am very sorry, child... this is all I could do for you."

"This... please allow me to express my most sincere gratitude to you once again, your esteemed Royal Highness!"

At this moment, regardless of whether Prince Charles was truly using him or not, he was absolutely worthy of Harry's genuine thanks.

With Harry's intellect, how could he not guess the background of those initial twenty families?

They were nothing more than families Dumbledore had hand-picked to keep monitoring him after the Dursley family was imprisoned, using pressure on the British government to force them onto the list!

And because the British government, under pressure, couldn't simply strike those twenty families from the list, Prince Charles had simply played a hand by expanding the sample space, allowing Harry to pick one out of a hundred!

In this way, the probability of him drawing a "bad lot" was reduced to one-fifth of what it had been.

For Harry, this was already the best possible outcome.

Prince Charles must have tried his best to mediate; if he still happened to pick a bad one despite the one-in-five chance, then he would just have to accept his fate.

"Harry, you can take this list back and study it carefully. Once you have made your decision, you can officially announce your choice at the press conference!"

"I understand... thank you again for your help!"

After thanking Prince Charles once more, Harry left Buckingham Palace under the guidance of the adjutant.

However, Harry did not see that after he left, the Prince, who had previously worn a look of dejection and fatigue, gradually revealed a faint smile.

In fact, for the Prince, it didn't matter at all which family on the list ended up adopting Harry.

Because no matter whether he was raised in an ordinary family or a wizarding family in the future, Dumbledore would absolutely bring him into the Wizarding World!

But after playing this hand, Harry's resentment toward the Wizarding World would be even stronger, while he himself could maximize his display of goodwill toward the boy.

Come to think of it, he really had to thank that Minister for Magic for her 'generosity'~

If she hadn't insisted on being so arrogant in front of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, he wouldn't have had this opportunity to push the boat with the current.

Sigh, I hope this child, caught in the vortex of struggle, can make a choice that follows his own heart...

Even if it's only for a little while~

Chapter 12: A Prince Does Not Brew Tea Himself

The night at Highgrove House was quiet and serene. In the midst of the absolute silence, only the low hooting of an owl echoed from time to time.

Although it was late, the guest room was still lit with a dim, yellow light. Having finally escaped the Dursley family, Harry was sitting at the desk, carefully flipping through the list of adoptive families he had received from Prince Charles.

After reading through it, Harry realized that accurately avoiding the twenty minefields among these one hundred families was no easy task.

Some families were easy to distinguish, such as those marked as ancient families dating back to the 1930s; they were undoubtedly wizarding families.

As for the others, they were harder to distinguish. Presumably, there were people from the wizarding world monitoring the situation, so Prince Charles couldn't afford to leave the clues too obvious.

However, Harry had already determined a fairly reliable method of screening.

For instance, in certain families, the job descriptions for the husband or wife were vague, and some were clearly fabricated at a glance; these were undoubtedly wizards!

Creeeak~

A soft sound came from the door behind him. Harry turned to look and discovered that the person pushing the door open was the Prince's eldest son, William.

In his other hand, he was carrying a tray with an exquisite tea set.

"Your Royal Highness?" Harry raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why aren't you resting at such a late hour?"

"I'm just concerned about you~" Prince William subconsciously glanced at Harry's forehead and poured a cup of steaming black tea for him. "Drink a little; it can help you calm down."

"This... thank you for your concern." Harry hesitated for a moment. After expressing his thanks, he didn't pick up the teacup but instead rubbed his forehead in distress.

"Are you struggling with the issue of the adoptive family?" Prince William asked with concern.

"Yeah... one hundred families, all with different jobs. It's making my head spin just picking one~"

Harry complained wearily. Seeming impatient, he pouted and pushed the roster aside while stretching his body.

"If you don't mind, let me help you look through them." Prince William took the opportunity to pick up the roster that had slid in front of him. After flipping through it casually, he pointed to one of the families to confirm with Harry, "What do you think of the Abbott family?"

"Hm?" Harry narrowed his eyes, then immediately shook his head in refusal. "No, the Abbotts have a girl my age. It wouldn't be convenient to live together."

As expected... ever since he walked through the door, Prince William had been acting a bit strange.

Harry lowered his gaze, trying his best not to let the other person notice he was secretly watching him, and sure enough, he discovered that Prince William had begun flipping through the roster rapidly.

"Then, what about the Brown family or the Goldstein family? Both of these should have boys~"

Prince William didn't notice Harry's suspicion and kept enthusiastically helping him look for a suitable target family.

"Your Royal Highness, I think you shouldn't worry about my affairs anymore." Harry smiled, picked up the black tea at his side, and paced the room as if relaxing. "These families are all about the same anyway; I'll just pick one at random later."

"How can you just pick one at random?!" Hearing Harry say this, Prince William's tone couldn't help but become urgent. "Harry, I think you should know very well how important a good adoptive family is! So, when it comes to choosing, you must be extremely cautious! If those two families won't do, then the Longbottoms..."

"Alright, my dear Prince, while you're worrying about me, don't neglect your own family." Harry changed the subject with a face full of smiles. "Prince Charles went to a polo club party tonight; hasn't he returned yet?"

"That Mug... I mean, Father, he should be back soon." Prince William's tone was inexplicably tangled for a moment.

"Oh, and what about the Princess?" Harry gradually paced behind the Prince and continued to ask casually, "I heard she had a charity ball tonight; it should be ending soon, right?"

"Soon... soon! Mother should be back soon as well."

"And little Prince Harry, has he already gone to sleep?"

"Of course he has, it's already so late~"

After several consecutive questions, Prince William seemed to have steadied his rhythm, and his tone became relaxed once again.

"Then... what about Prince William?"

"He is, of course, also in his own... wait, no!!"

The 'Prince William' who suddenly realized his mistake turned around abruptly. However, what greeted his eyes was a face full of splashing tea!!

"Ugh, ahhh!!"

A shrill scream instantly pierced the silence of the night. The guy disguised as Prince William had his face doused with the steaming tea, and his eyes were instantly forced shut!

However, just as he subconsciously reached up to wipe his face, Harry had already swiftly grabbed the teapot from the table and smashed it hard against the man's head!!

Crash!

The expensive tea set shattered into pieces on the floor, and a stream of bright red blood began to trickle down the imposter's forehead.

"Tch, was that too light?" Harry pouted in frustration at the sight and quickly turned to run toward the door, secretly regretting that there wasn't a handy 'weapon' in the guest room.

If he had a brick in his hand right now, he would have likely sealed the victory already; why would he need to hit and run?

"Don't you dare run! Impedimenta!!"

However, just as Harry was about to grab the doorknob, a beam of light arrived first, locking the door shut before Harry could reach it!

"F**k!" Harry cursed hatefully. He had guessed the other party was a wizard in disguise and had tried to strike first, but he was still a step too slow.

"Damn it... you damn little brat!" The imposter in the room wiped the water stains from his face with hatred, his body beginning to tremble and change.

He was certainly not the eight-year-old Prince William, but a tall, burly middle-aged man!

"Damn it! I clearly used Polyjuice Potion; how on earth did a brat who hasn't even started magic school discover me?!" The middle-aged man straightened his clothes and cursed indignantly.

Because Harry's actions had been so sudden, he was now even vigilantly drawing his wand!

"The reason is simple!" Harry tried his best to press his body against the door, his voice suddenly rising by several octaves. "Prince William is no ordinary British noble. Even if he were close to me, he would never personally pour tea for me!!"

"So that's how it is..."

"And there's more!!" Seeing the other party about to take action, Harry hurriedly shouted, "And the Princess, too! She and the Prince have been on bad terms lately; she wouldn't have returned to the manor after the ball ended tonight!!"

"Heh heh, not bad~" A playful smile gradually appeared on the middle-aged man's face. "I didn't expect that coming here would actually allow me to hear gossip about the Muggle royal family!"

"Muggle... who on earth are you?!" Harry feigned surprise and questioned loudly, but inside, he was already incredibly anxious.

What was going on?

He had been screaming at the top of his lungs for so long, could it be that every single guard at Highgrove House was dead?!

"I am John Dawlish, a noble wizard!" the middle-aged man sneered with a face full of smugness. "Boy, there is no need to waste your breath trying to stall for time! Every Muggle in this entire estate, including those two Muggle princes, has already been hit by my spell. There isn't a soul who will be able to hear your cries for help!!"

"What did you say?!"

At this moment, Harry's expression suddenly turned incomparably grim!

Chapter 13: Harry Is Someone You Absolutely Must Not Provoke

"What... are you scared already?"

Watching the tension on Harry's face, Dawlish laughed even more triumphantly.

As expected, a brat is just a brat; threaten him a little and he's already about to wet his pants.

"Rest assured, I am an Auror. I'm not like those Death Eaters who hide in the shadows; I have no interest in taking the lives of those Muggles." Dawlish struck a condescending pose. "They are merely in a deep sleep; there is no danger to their lives..."

"That is not what I asked!" Harry snapped, cutting him off. "You just said... you actually cast a spell on two children as well?!"

"Hey, I don't see any problem with that!" Dawlish waved his wand dismissively. "When dealing with a bunch of Muggles who don't understand magic at all, if I don't cast a Stunning Spell on them, am I supposed to let them discover my presence and cause me even more trouble?"

"So... this is how wizards behave?"

Harry's tone grew increasingly low, the corners of his mouth began to twitch slightly, and the emotions he had only just managed to settle were once again stirring restlessly!

He had long since sensed the arrogance of the wizarding world from the predicament of Prince Charles, and now, Dawlish's high-and-mighty face gave him a visceral realization of how these self-proclaimed noble wizards looked down upon ordinary humans!!

By what right could he use that mocking tone to label ordinary humans who didn't understand magic as 'Muggles'?

And by what right could he speak so lightly about having cast a spell on two innocent children?!