Rescue Successful

By the time the car returned to the Burrow, dawn had already broken.

It was still early. Arthur Weasley definitely had not returned yet; he had written earlier that the Ministry of Magic would be working overtime.

The group moved as quietly as they could, only praying that Molly Weasley had not gotten up yet—at the very least, that she would not notice both them and the car had disappeared.

Unfortunately, how could an exceptional housewife like Molly Weasley, who single-handedly kept a family of nine in perfect order, possibly fail to notice?

"Where have you all been?!"

Molly Weasley appeared before them as if she had teleported, her shrill voice startling even Harry, who had still been admiring the Burrow's cozy atmosphere.

"Oh, it's lovely to see you, Harry."

Molly Weasley instantly changed faces, leaving Harry completely stunned.

"The beds were empty, there wasn't even a note, and the car was gone too. You could have died, or someone could have seen you!"

"Of course, I'm not talking about you two, Eli and Harry."

This was a blatant display of double standards, and Eli wholeheartedly approved.

"Hehehe..."

Eli only grinned foolishly, while Harry looked somewhat at a loss.

He wondered why, when they were both parents, Molly Weasley could treat him so kindly, while his aunt...

Yes, she was still his aunt—his mother's own older sister.

Ron Weasley had always been a little hotheaded. Even when the twins did not dare utter a word, he still tried to explain.

"They didn't give Harry any food! They locked him up and even boarded up his window!"

Still in a rage, Molly Weasley had no interest in hearing Ron Weasley's explanation. She practically pointed at his nose.

"Careful, or I'll board up your window too, Ron Weasley!"

It was over. Once Mum said your full name, you were basically finished.

Still, there was one rule: when guests were in the house, it was not a good time to beat the children.

Ron Weasley very fortunately escaped a beating, though no one knew whether it was still waiting for him later.

It was early enough that Molly Weasley had not even prepared breakfast, having been worried sick about them.

Now that they had returned safely, Molly Weasley still wanted to make sure the children had a full meal.

It had to be said that, as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Molly Weasley's magical skills were by no means lacking.

Just her masterful household magic alone proved why she would later kill the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange in the final battle.

The advantage of waking early was getting to enjoy a delicious breakfast first.

Before Molly Weasley could even set down the plates, they had already taken their seats and started eating.

"Eat, Harry. Help yourself."

As a mother, nothing upset her more than seeing children suffer, especially someone as kind as Molly Weasley.

Though she had not said anything just now, hearing Ron Weasley describe what Harry had endured at the Dursleys' still broke her heart.

Light footsteps sounded on the stairs. "Mum, have you seen my sweater?"

"Oh, yes. It's on the cat."

Ginny Weasley came downstairs. She had just gotten up and was still wearing pajamas.

"Morning, Ginny!"

With a fried egg stuffed in his mouth, Eli greeted her unclearly.

Harry hurriedly put down his knife and fork. "Hi, good morning!"

Ginny Weasley spotted Harry beside him and suddenly acted as if she had seen something unbelievable. Without saying a word, she spun around and ran away.

Eli secretly smiled. Ginny Weasley admired the Chosen One, Harry Potter, more than anyone. When she had first seen the real, living him at the Hall home, she had been too nervous to say a word.

Now she had appeared before her idol with her hair a mess, so of course she was even more embarrassed.

The twins exchanged glances, both wearing sly, teasing smiles.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Harry asked blankly, looking at Ron Weasley, who was fighting with the food on his plate.

"She's been going on about you all summer. It's driving me mad."

Eli shot Ron Weasley a disdainful glance. Was his little-sister complex already showing?

"Didn't you say she'd been going on about potato chips all the time?"

Eli refused to accept that. Could Harry possibly smell better than potato chips?

Ron Weasley shrugged. "She went on about both."

Eli nodded in satisfaction. Harry was just as important as potato chips.

"Morning, Weasleys!"

Arthur Weasley returned, carrying his bag and looking travel-worn. Exhaustion showed all over him, so much so that he did not even notice the two extra children in the house.

"What a nightmare. The department carried out nine raids in one night—nine!"

Arthur Weasley worked in the Ministry of Magic's Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Recently, the Ministry had gone mad searching everywhere for Dark magic items, even searching private homes.

"Oh, Harry, Eli, it's wonderful to see you. When did you get here?"

Only after sitting at the table did he notice Harry and Eli beside him.

"Your sons took Eli in your car and flew to Surrey yesterday! That's how they brought Harry back."

The implication was obvious: he had better hurry up and show some head-of-the-household authority by properly disciplining his lawless sons.

To everyone's surprise, Arthur Weasley asked them eagerly, "Well? How did the car perform?"

He had barely driven it himself since buying it, but he adored the car that looked like a Muggle item.

Molly Weasley backhanded him so hard that his hat was knocked crooked.

Only then did Arthur Weasley put on a serious expression. "Ahem... That was extremely dangerous. You must never do it again!"

There was not the slightest hint of reproach on his face.

An owl soon arrived carrying several letters, including some for Harry and Eli.

They were Hogwarts' school supply lists.

"Oh dear, that's so much stuff. It won't be cheap."

Since the previous Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Quirrell, had already turned to ashes, a new professor had arrived this time.

From what Eli knew of the plot, the man was a narcissistic fraud.

With masterful use of Obliviate, he claimed other people's adventures as his own and turned them into novels. He was now a hugely popular figure.

This time, all of his novels had been assigned as the Defence Against the Dark Arts textbooks!

That was quite a challenge for the Weasley Family.

Eli felt a little weighed down. This term probably would not be easy for him.

Because there was also a Basilisk at the school that could kill anyone who met its gaze!

Voldemort's first Horcrux—the diary—had entered Hogwarts, and Ginny Weasley would obtain it.

Under the temptation of Voldemort's soul, Ginny Weasley would open the Chamber of Secrets, release the Basilisk, and attack half-blood Wizards everywhere.

Many students would fall victim to it. They were only lucky enough not to look directly at it, so they were merely petrified.

Ginny Weasley would ultimately have her life force drained by Voldemort, and Hermione Granger would be petrified as well!

Who knew whether some unforeseen change might kill one or two people?

Besides finding a way to deal with the Basilisk, Eli also needed to acquire the land and build a factory as soon as possible.

So, his tasks this term would not be light.

However, he seemed to remember that the diary had been slipped into Ginny Weasley's book by Draco Malfoy's rotten father, Lucius Malfoy.

Then perhaps he could get the diary ahead of time.

As long as he stopped old Voldemort from causing trouble, things would be much easier for him. At the very least, he could focus on building the factory.