"Why would you ask about him?" Petunia looked uneasy.
Vernon had just come in, and his gaze grew increasingly dangerous.
Him?
Some man he'd never heard of had made his wife look like that.
"He's my professor now." Harry pushed his luggage aside and sat on the sofa. "He and my mum seem to know each other."
Petunia gritted her teeth. "They knew each other before they went to that freak school!"
"Ever since she met him, Lily went completely mad!"
Harry raised an eyebrow.
That was surprising.
"Could you tell me more about it?" He sat down and asked.
Petunia took a deep breath and sat at the other end of the sofa. Vernon sat beside her and held her tightly. "Your mother, Lily, was very clever. She'd always been exceptional, even as a child."
"We still lived in Cokeworth back then. Snape was a kid from the poor neighborhood nearby. I remember he lived in Spinner's End, the poorest part of town. He was filthy, and so was the whole street."
Harry added, "It's still about the same."
Petunia faltered. After a pause, she continued, "When Lily was nine, some strange things started happening to her, just like you."
"She could make withered flowers bloom again and heal injured birds..."
As she spoke, a faint trace of envy showed in her eyes.
"That was when she met Snape. They were always close, and then they went to that school together and became wizards."
"But when they were fifteen, they suddenly went their separate ways and stopped talking."
"Or rather, Lily was the one who cut ties with Snape."
"I saw him secretly hanging around near our house several times. Several times."
So...
The picture of his mother in the drawer had been taken when she was fifteen.
The past, the past... What was it hiding?
Harry asked again, "Why did they fall out?"
"I don't know." Petunia shook her head, a trace of satisfaction in her voice. "But Lily gave that nasty fellow the boot. Isn't that a good thing?"
"Didn't you ever ask her about Hogwarts?" Harry continued.
Petunia shook her head. "No."
"You wanted to become a witch. Why didn't you ask her about any of it?" Harry asked, surprised.
Petunia looked alarmed. She glanced instinctively at Vernon. "No. How did you know about that? I've never told anyone..."
"Dumbledore told me," Harry replied.
Petunia gritted her teeth. "How dare he!"
Harry sighed. He'd thought Petunia was Lily's sister and would know more about her, but the truth had opened his eyes.
"Did something happen between you?" Harry asked.
Petunia didn't seem to want to talk about it.
"Let me guess." Harry stared at Petunia. "You hate wizards, so was it about the letter you sent to Dumbledore?"
Petunia's expression changed.
"Did my mum see it and say something unkind?" Harry said slowly, watching her face for a reaction as he continued.
Petunia began to lose patience.
"And did Snape get involved?" Harry raised an eyebrow and added.
Petunia looked at Harry, frightened and bewildered.
Vernon stood up and stepped in front of Petunia, shouting at Harry, "That's enough, you brat! Don't use any of your damn mind-reading magic on us!"
"I'm not using a spell." Harry looked sincere. "Young wizards aren't allowed to use spells outside school."
"Looks like Aunt Petunia and my mum got along even worse than I thought. You didn't know about any of this?"
Vernon nodded. His expression and tone were almost delighted. "Aha! You're not allowed to use those strange tricks. That's a good rule!"
"I wouldn't try anything foolish if I were you." Harry's voice was calm. "Even without magic, I think I can handle you."
Vernon and Harry stared at each other.
He remembered what had happened last year and instinctively reached for his waist.
After a moment's hesitation, he sat back down and held Petunia.
Harry stopped hoping that Petunia would tell him more about his mother. He'd formed a new impression of her, too: she might not have been very good at reading people, much like Hermione.
He spoke gently. "Aunt Petunia, thanks for your help. To repay you, would you like me to help Dudley lose some weight?"
Petunia screamed in alarm. "What are you going to do to my precious boy?"
Vernon patted her back. "Potions, dear. It's just Potions."
"You two are quite funny." Harry waved a hand. "I've learned a weight-loss potion. If you need it, I can brew some."
Vernon shook his head emphatically. "Impossible. I'm telling you, absolutely impossible. Our family would never drink any of your strange—"
He didn't get to finish.
Dudley poked his head over the stairs. "Dad, I think I need it!"
Vernon froze, and he and Harry both looked over.
Dudley took a deep breath and spoke more emphatically. "I really need it!"
Harry stood and went over to his luggage, dragging it toward the stairs. "Of course. I'll send it to you as a Christmas present."
"Why not now?" Dudley asked, as if it were obvious.
Harry shook his head. "Spells aren't allowed during the summer holidays, my dear cousin. I just told you that. Your brain doesn't seem much better than a Troll's."
Dudley pressed his lips together. He didn't dare boss his cousin around like he used to, and nodded reluctantly.
They met on the stairs.
Harry looked Dudley in the eye. Before he'd gone off to school, he'd been shorter than Dudley, but now they were about the same height. "Perhaps you should say something to me?"
Dudley took half a step back, frowning as he tried to think. He managed, with some difficulty, to say, "Thanks."
"You're welcome, my dear cousin," Harry replied.
He dragged his luggage back to his room, read for a while, then went to sleep.
The holidays were much duller than school. Without being able to cast spells, he could only learn so much from his textbooks and had no way to put it into practice. He'd have to endure at least a month of this.
Hermione's letters were the best way Harry had to pass the time.
But after only three days,
the letters stopped without warning.
Hermione didn't send any more for several days. He wrote to Ron, too, but got no reply.
Of course, perhaps they didn't want to write back, or had simply forgotten.
But owls didn't suddenly change their speed. Hedwig had been returning far too early these past few days, taking almost three times less time than usual.
Could owls go on strike?
Or was someone...
intercepting his letters?
It was a pity he didn't know how to speak owl, or he could have asked Hedwig directly.
He rolled up the parchment, put it in an envelope, and tied it to Hedwig's leg. After telling her to fly slowly, he put on his Invisibility Cloak and quietly followed her.
They hadn't even left Privet Drive when Hedwig had just flown past a house.
"Pop—"
A crisp sound rang out.
A creature as short as a Goblin appeared out of thin air. It snapped its fingers, and Hedwig suddenly froze in midair before obediently landing in front of it.
The creature was tense and cautious. It carefully untied the letter from Hedwig's leg, then did something that left Harry utterly baffled.
It hammered its head against the ground with a series of thuds, sending clods of dirt flying. Before long, blood appeared.
Was this...
some strange way of expressing happiness?
Harry took off his Invisibility Cloak, walked up behind the creature, and pressed down on its head. "So, you were the one intercepting my letters?"
The creature turned around in alarm. When it saw Harry, it began pounding its head even more frantically. "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Dobby was caught by Potter!"
"Your name's Dobby?" Harry grabbed its hands and pinned them behind its back, then gripped its wrists together and hauled it up like prey. "No more celebrating. Answer my questions."
"Dobby is punishing himself!" it shrieked. "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"
"Stop yelling!" Harry raised his voice above its.
It worked.
Dobby immediately quieted down, only sobbing softly from time to time.
"Why did you intercept my letters?" Harry asked.
Dobby looked frightened. "Dobby has to protect Harry Potter. He has to keep Harry Potter here. Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."
"I don't see how you're protecting me." Harry shook his head. The creature's eyes were clear, and it didn't seem to harbor any ill will or malice. For now, he decided to give it the benefit of the doubt. "Why are you doing this?"
"It's a conspiracy! There's a conspiracy!" Dobby looked even more frightened. "Something terrible is going to happen at Hogwarts this year!"
"What could be so terrible? More terrible than Voldemort?" Harry pressed.
Dobby shuddered, his whole body shaking violently. "No, not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Tell me what it is." Harry's voice softened.
Dobby shook his head. "No, Dobby can't say!"
Harry raised his hand and made the Sign. He'd confirmed with Professor Flitwick that the Trace didn't seem to detect the power of a Sign.
Axii!
White light sank into Dobby's head.
Harry was just about to speak.
Dobby came to his senses almost instantly. "Oh, no! Harry Potter, what are you doing to Dobby?"
Harry was surprised.
Had the Sign worn off that quickly?
"Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts!" Dobby said, speaking faster.
Harry frowned. "Tell me why, or I'll chop your head off."
Dobby wasn't afraid. He sounded perfectly sure. "Harry Potter would never do that. He's so great, so kind..."
Suddenly, Dobby froze.
"Dobby has to go."
"Dobby's master is calling him."
With a pop—
just like when it had arrived, Dobby vanished without a trace.
Harry looked at his empty hands. It had just... left?
What kind of creature was it?
Harry had never read about a creature like this in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, nor had he seen one mentioned in any other books.
It had a thin, small frame, and Harry could barely sense any magical energy from it. Yet this kind of ability...
Unwanded, wordless magic. There weren't many professors at the school who could manage that.
Harry picked up Hedwig, who was standing on the ground looking confused. His heart heavy, he headed back home.
Three chapters today and tomorrow~
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