The streets of London were much more crowded than usual.
More and more passersby were taking photos on the street corner. Some were wearing homemade wizard robes and holding wands made of tree branches, striking various poses for their companions to take pictures.
Harry followed Vernon with his head down, trying to keep his steps as light as possible, wishing he could shrink into a speck of dust.
Although his face had nothing to do with Harry Potter, Uncle Vernon's nervous expression made him nervous too.
Vernon walked quickly, as if he wanted to get off the street as soon as possible.
But just as they reached an intersection, some passersby in the crowd suddenly began to whisper among themselves.
"Wait, look at that chubby kid next to that person."
"That fat man in the gray suit, I remember he's Dursley from Number Four, Privet Drive."
" The Dursley? Could they be the family from the book?"
"I don't know, but I think it's very possible."
"Who's that chubby kid next to him?"
"I don't know, I've never heard of the Dursley family having a son besides Dudley."
"Wait..." the voice suddenly lowered, "Do you remember? The book mentioned Polyjuice Potion."
" Polyjuice Potion?"
"Yes, in the second Harry and his friends used Polyjuice Potion to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room."
"You mean..."
"That chubby kid, he might just be Harry Potter after drinking Polyjuice Potion."
"No way?"
"Why not? The second part is already out, who doesn't know what Polyjuice Potion are for?"
"Hey, how about we give it a try?"
How do I try it?
"Just call out and you'll know. If he were Harry Potter, he'd instinctively turn around."
Harry didn't hear the conspiracies of the passersby; he was frantically praying that Uncle Vernon would hurry up.
But Vernon's pace was already fast enough; he couldn't possibly run.
Suddenly a voice rang out.
" Harry!"
Harry instinctively turned his head.
His neck moved faster than his brain, and by the time he realized what was happening, his face was already turned toward the direction from which the sound came.
A young man called his name and stood on the street corner, with several other people beside him. All of them had that "I knew it" look on their faces.
"I knew it!" The young man patted the shoulder of the person next to him, his voice filled with the excitement of winning the lottery. "I knew it was him! He drank the Polyjuice Potion!"
Harry's mind went blank for a moment.
He forgot that the book mentioned Polyjuice Potion. Everyone knew what Polyjuice Potion were, and everyone knew that drinking Polyjuice Potion would turn you into a different person.
His subconscious turn of his head just now was tantamount to admitting his identity.
Vernon coughed loudly beside him, as if something had gotten into his trachea.
Harry immediately turned his head back and quickened his pace.
But the sound had already spread.
"What? That chubby little guy is Harry Potter?"
"That round-faced fat man? He drank the Polyjuice Potion?"
"I knew it! The description of that Polyjuice Potion in the second book was so detailed. It's based on real events, so it's real!"
" Merlin's beard! He's using Polyjuice Potion to hide from us!"
"Look, look! That's Dursley next to him, the uncle from the book!"
"This is a real person!"
" Mr. Potter! Can you change back? We want to see your face!"
"Don't go! Just take one picture!"
Harry kept his head down, almost burying his face in his coat collar.
Uncle Vernon, who was standing next to him, didn't say a word, but his pace quickened.
People started to swarm over.
Some people raised their cameras to take pictures or stood on tiptoe to peek in this direction, while others took out the book " The Chamber of Secrets " and flipped to the cover to compare it with the photos.
To Harry's greatest surprise, one person was wearing a complete robe and a comical pointed hat.
He was holding a wand that looked taller than him, and he was waving at him from the roadside.
" Mr. Potter! Over here! Can we take a picture together?"
Harry almost thought the man was a real wizard, but he quickly deduced from the various inconsistencies he made with the Wizarding World that he was just a Muggle.
He quickly lowered his head again.
Uncle Vernon finally stopped in front of a familiar house.
The Dursley family ' house was largely unchanged since Harry left, but there were noticeably more things around it.
Several banners hung on the fence, featuring Harry Potter covers cut from newspapers.
Next to the porch stood a handwritten sign that read "Do Not Disturb" in large characters, in Vernon's handwriting.
The mailbox has been removed, and a wooden board has been nailed to its place with the words "No Mailbox" written in bold on it.
There were at least fifty or sixty people standing on the street opposite the house.
They held cameras or notebooks, and some just stood there staring at the Dursley family ' windows as if waiting for something rare to pop out.
"Go inside," Vernon said behind Harry, his voice carrying a weary calm.
Harry pushed open the door and went inside. Aunt Petunia was standing in the living room, clutching a rag in her hand.
She saw Harry come in, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just nodded.
"You go upstairs first," Vernon said.
Harry nodded and dragged his suitcase upstairs.
He went into his room, closed the door, leaned his suitcase against the bed, and then let out a long sigh.
The sounds of people outside seeping in through the glass were a buzzing, mingled with the occasional click of a camera shutter and whispers.
Harry sat on the bed, looking down at his hands.
There are many more people outside than last year, and judging from their appearance, they won't be leaving anytime soon.
Does that mean I'll be stuck indoors all summer like last time?
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
" Potter." It was Vernon's voice.
Harry stood up and opened the door.
Vernon stood in the doorway, still wearing his suit jacket, his expression somewhat complicated.
"What's wrong, Uncle Vernon?"
Vernon was silent for two seconds, then shrugged.
"You don't need to worry too much about those people outside," he said.
Harry paused for a moment.
"I've already applied for a restraining order from the police," Vernon said with a shrug.
"I estimate that road closures will begin in this area in a few days, then they won't be able to get in or disturb us."
Harry looked at Vernon's nonchalant expression and suddenly felt a little sorry for Uncle Vernon.
People who used to get easily angered by the smallest things now seem quite used to this kind of situation.
It's hard to imagine what he's been through during this time.
"Thank you..." Harry said sincerely, " Uncle Vernon."