A Salesman's Instinct

With a burst of bright flame unique to phoenixes, Isaac and Professor Vinda "reappeared."

The moment they "landed," Isaac caught the salty tang of the sea. They had set foot on a reef in the ocean.

Although they could see the coastline, there was no "road" leading to shore anywhere in sight.

This meant that ordinary people could only reach this reef by boat.

Or... by rappelling down from a helicopter?

A dilapidated little house stood alone on the reef.

Isaac could only reluctantly call that thing a "house."

He dared to guarantee that the place leaked drafts everywhere at night. If it rained heavily outside, it would probably drizzle indoors as well.

Vernon Dursley had really gone to great lengths to find a place like this.

If they had been hiding from people in Muggle society, he might actually have gotten away with it.

Unfortunately, they had brought Harry Potter, a living tracker, with them.

Unlike Isaac's amazement, Professor Vinda seemed somewhat disgusted by the environment.

She even briefly doubted Isaac's prophecy—would anyone really live in such a godforsaken place?

"Come on, Professor Vinda. Let's pay the residents here a visit." Isaac did not call them the "owners."

Because the place was probably rented by Vernon Dursley as well.

Otherwise, unless it had been passed down through the family, Isaac truly could not think of any reason Vernon would spend money buying such a wreck.

It could not be because Vernon enjoyed wilderness survival, could it?

With that body shape, the old man did not look like someone who enjoyed going hungry.

Fawkes circled the reef once, then returned to Isaac's shoulder, not even sparing Professor Vinda beside him a glance.

"Fawkes, go play for a while. The people we're about to meet probably won't have the courage to face you directly."

Isaac reached out and scratched the fine down on Fawkes's neck. Fawkes let out a pleased cry, then spread his wings and soared into the sky.

Once Fawkes had flown high enough, Isaac walked toward the wooden door of the little house.

Professor Vinda remained half a step behind Isaac, following him.

Inside the cabin, the Dursley family and Harry Potter had all heard the phoenix's cry just now.

Vernon's expression changed instantly.

Dudley Dursley looked at his parents in confusion.

"Did you hear that sound just now? That didn't sound like a seagull, did it? What was it?"

Dudley looked utterly terrified.

Not just Dudley—if anyone suddenly heard a sound they had never heard before in a deserted, isolated place with no sign of human life—

Especially while hiding from danger—

A normal person would not be curious. They would be afraid.

The unknown had always been humanity's greatest fear.

The next second, Vernon gripped his rifle and warily scanned the surroundings.

Vernon had originally been quite satisfied with this house. Mainly because the Rock Hut was remote enough that those "mysterious" owls might not... no, definitely would not be able to find it!

But now, looking at this drafty house again, he nearly wanted to cry.

Damn it, there were too many weak points in this place. Where was he even supposed to defend?

Isaac did not let Vernon Dursley struggle for long. Standing outside, he directly knocked on the cabin's wooden door.

The Rock Hut's door did not open immediately. Half a minute later, Isaac knocked again.

This time, there was finally a response from inside.

With a click, the door opened a crack.

Isaac slowly pushed the door open and said casually to Vernon Dursley, who stood at the entrance with a guarded expression and his gun aimed at them:

"Relax, Mr. Dursley. We mean no harm."

During the half-minute Isaac had spent knocking, Vernon Dursley had imagined all sorts of figures standing outside the door.

A vampire baring its fangs, a werewolf covered in fur, an ugly wizard wearing a pointed hat, or perhaps a giant three and a half meters tall?

But he had never expected the uninvited visitors to be a woman accompanied by a child.

Vernon subconsciously lowered his gun, though his expression was no longer as guarded as before. Then he noticed the clothes Professor Vinda and Isaac were wearing.

More precisely, the fabric of their clothing.

The most fundamental difference between Twilfitt and Tattings and Madam Malkin's Robes was the quality of their fabrics.

As a luxury store in the Wizarding World, every ready-made garment at Twilfitt and Tattings was made from the sort of fabric that made people think, at a glance, These clothes must be expensive.

As a sales manager at Grunnings, Vernon paid close attention to such details.

Although Vernon had never seen clothing in styles like theirs on the market, that did not stop him from recognizing that these two were "worth a fortune."

In the Wizarding World, knowledge was power. But in Muggle society, money was the greater power.

Thus, Vernon Dursley's attitude mysteriously softened a little further. At least, he was no longer as hostile toward Isaac and Professor Vinda as he had been moments ago.

Isaac noticed that Professor Vinda had no intention of negotiating with the Dursley family, so he could only handle the "work" himself.

"Mr. Dursley? Oh, this must be Mrs. Dursley, and young Mr. Dursley.

Of course, there's also Mr. Potter.

Good afternoon."

When a well-dressed, refined, and obviously expensive little gentleman greeted Vernon, the instincts of a sales manager made him unconsciously straighten up a little as he replied, "Good afternoon."

The greeting slipped out before Vernon's expression immediately turned rather ugly.

Damn it, hadn't he just lost all his momentum?

"Everyone can relax. How about we sit down and talk, Mr. Dursley?"

Isaac's act of taking charge on someone else's turf made Vernon lose face somewhat. With a stiff expression, he half turned and let Isaac and Vinda inside.

Watching this from the side, little Harry Potter's eyes sparkled.

Holy crap, bro, you're seriously awesome!

Isaac glanced at Harry. Compared with children his age—or simply compared with Isaac himself—Harry Potter was rather small.

After living in a cupboard for so long and suffering from malnutrition, it would have been strange if Harry had grown tall.

Though Harry was small, Isaac liked his eyes. Whether it was envy or anticipation, at least there was no numbness in Harry's gaze.

Not being numb meant knowing how to resist.

At Harry's age, considering what he had endured, that was remarkably rare.

Isaac did not mind the rather shabby sofa in the cabin. Nor did he care about the expensive fabric of his clothes as he sat down openly.

Professor Vinda was not quite so "free-spirited." She simply stood behind Isaac.

That position made Vernon realize that, in this pairing of one adult and one child, the child was actually the one calling the shots?

This boy looked about the same age as his own son!

Vernon knew perfectly well that Isaac and Professor Vinda were people from "that world." Their relationship only further reinforced his stereotype of the Wizarding World.

Well... perhaps it was not really a stereotype.