Rescuing Harry Potter

Allen and Flag had agreed to meet at the school gate before heading off to find Harry.

"Allen, over here!" In front of a fried chicken shop by the school gate, Flag waved cheerfully at Allen with one hand while holding a sandwich in the other.

Having graduated with excellent marks, Flag had received a generous amount of pocket money from his parents as a reward. When they heard he was going out with Allen—his volunteer tutor, the top student in the grade, and a mentor-like friend—the Flag couple had happily given their permission.

"Allen, have you had breakfast? Want some fried chicken?"

"Sure, though I've already eaten. But another piece of chicken sounds great. I'll buy some milk tea and pack a portion for Harry," Allen said, pulling out two pounds.

The two first went to the Baccarat boutique toy store to buy a birthday gift for Harry, then took a bus to the neighborhood where Harry Potter lived.

"4 Privet Drive, this is the place!" Flag checked the street sign and turned to tell Allen.

Allen was looking at a cat crouching on a wall. There are no spectacle-like markings around the cat's eyes; it should just be an ordinary cat. Professor McGonagall, the dignified Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, wouldn't be loitering at a Muggle's doorstep for no reason, even if it is Harry Potter's foster home. Allen chuckled at his own wild imagination.

Flag had already rung the doorbell. A gruff man's voice came from inside: "Dudley, go open the door!"

"Make Harry do it, I want to watch cartoons!" Dudley's voice was extremely impatient.

Immediately after, heavy footsteps approached. A middle-aged, blond man with a double chin opened the door. He looked greasy and asked in a rough tone, "Boy, who are you looking for?"

"Hello, we are Harry Potter's classmates. Is Harry home?" Flag asked politely.

"Harry? There's no Harry Potter here." Vernon Dursley looked impatient and moved to slam the door shut.

Allen stepped forward and braced the door. "Sir, is Dudley home? I'm Allen Harris, Dudley's classmate."

"You're Allen Harris? The one who's first in the grade?... Dudders, your classmate Allen Harris is here to see you!" Mr. Dursley gave Allen a suspicious look before shouting into the house.

"Come in, then." Vernon Dursley stepped aside. It seemed that "mastering math, physics, and chemistry will take you anywhere" should be replaced here with "strive to be a top student, and you'll have friends everywhere." Vernon was also willing to let his son associate more with the top student in the grade.

"Allen, Flag, you guys—"

"Yes, Dudley, we're here to exchange some boxing tips." Before the shell-shocked Dudley could finish, Allen walked up, threw an arm around his shoulder, and steered him toward the living room, not allowing him to break free.

The living room was kept very clean and tidy. In the photos on the mantelpiece, the boy was sturdy and strong, either riding a bicycle, standing by a flower bed at a fair, playing computer games with his father, or hugging and kissing his mother. These photos showed no sign that another boy lived in the same house. Even though Harry was indeed living right there, Allen glanced at the cupboard without a trace; he knew Harry was in there right now.

"Bang, bang, bang..." Harry was pounding desperately from inside the cupboard. Allen, Flag, I'm in here. Harry wanted to get his friends' attention.

"That's Harry's voice. Mr. Dursley, you aren't illegally imprisoning Harry, are you?" Allen squinted at Mr. Dursley and asked deliberately.

"Yeah, we haven't seen Harry in a long time; he even missed the final exams!" Flag had also heard the noise and was very worried about Harry.

"Of course not, how could that be? We've worked so hard to raise him... oh, damn it!" Mr. Dursley was embarrassed; he had just been trying to hide Harry's existence.

Allen had no interest in listening to Dursley's excuses. He quietly pulled off a cufflink, flicked his wrist with a clever motion, and tapped the tip of his finger against the cupboard latch. The door clicked open.

Before Dursley could lock it again, Harry had already crawled out of the cupboard. Behind him, the cupboard door hung limply open; the pitch-black space looked like a gaping mouth, swallowing the bright and happy childhood Harry should have had.

Allen had originally only been following his father's wishes to deliberately befriend Harry Potter, but he hadn't expected the reality of Harry's abuse to be far worse than what was described in the novel.

No wonder Harry was so thin and small, always wearing baggy, old clothes—this was blatant abuse! Children with parents are treasures, while children without them are like weeds by the roadside, trampled by anyone. That Harry hadn't grown into another Dark Lord and remained upright, brave, and kind was thanks to Mrs. Kelly's patient guidance and his own innate sense of justice and goodness. It had to be said that not growing up with a selfish, lazy personality like Dudley's was another stroke of great luck.

Allen could remain a cold bystander while reading the book, but now that Harry was his friend, seeing him abused like this made Allen indignant and furious.

"Mr. Dursley, I suspect you have been keeping Harry in a dark cupboard for a long time. I have reason to believe that Harry was illegally imprisoned and abused by you recently. Flag and I are eyewitnesses. If you cannot improve Harry's situation, I will have to seek legal aid for him." Suppressing his anger, Allen issued a warning to Mr. Dursley, striving to improve Harry's circumstances.

"That's right, my sister is a lawyer. If Harry needs it, my whole family will do everything in our power to help him!" Flag didn't back down either.

Harry looked at his friends with gratitude. In his darkest, most helpless moments, it was Allen and Flag who brought him light, allowing him to still feel love and hope.

"Fine, fine. Harry, I was going to take you to the amusement park, but now you and your friends can get out of my house!" It was clear that Mr. Dursley was burning with shame and anger.

Allen, Harry, and Flag looked at each other without saying anything else to provoke Mr. Dursley; after all, Harry still had to stay at the Dursleys' until he came of age.

"You guys are so great. Last time on Dudley's birthday, I actually let a python out at the zoo... The Dursleys had never been that angry before, so they locked me up." Like a bird released from a cage, Harry told his two friends about his previous adventure.

"Harry, don't rush off. That postman seems to be coming to your house. I sent you a birthday card." Seeing the postman riding a motorcycle in the distance, Allen remembered the plot and called out to Harry, who was sharing fried chicken with Flag.