Hmm, Better to Be a Little Strange

The train arrived at the station, and after saying goodbye to his friends, Harry saw the Dursleys waiting outside, looking extremely unwilling to have come and pick him up. Not wanting them to discover his phone, he had already tucked it inside his trunk while he was still in the station.

Uncle Vernon gave Harry a sour look, and Harry didn't expect them to treat him particularly well anyway.

Fortunately, they wouldn't check Harry's trunk.

Meanwhile, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy also saw Molly and Arthur, who had come to pick them up. Ginny was there too, looking around as if searching for something.

"No need to look. The Chosen One you're after has already gone home." Fred saw through Ginny's thoughts at a glance and said it bluntly. Ginny blushed a little at having her thoughts exposed. "How did you know?"

George put on a mysterious air beside them. "Because we, your brothers, learned how to read minds. It's magic!"

"That's right, that's right! We learned it at Hogwarts!"

Ron was baffled. When had those two learned mind-reading? Wait, could they actually learn that kind of magic in their classes?

"Wait, isn't that-" Ron had just started to speak when George clapped a hand over his mouth, because Mum was still there! If she found out about the phones, she would definitely confiscate them and stop them from using them! Arthur was taken aback when he heard what the two mischievous children said.

Was Hogwarts really that impressive now? How had they even come up with mind-reading? He remembered they hadn't had it when he was at school.

Ginny was still looking at George and Ron, whose mouth George was covering, with a mixture of belief and doubt, but Fred looked utterly confident. "Don't doubt us! We're just that good!"

Ron: Mmph!!!!

Molly was happy to see the children getting along so well, while Percy looked at his twin younger brothers suspiciously. Mind-reading? How come he didn't know about it?

Percy guessed that they might have seen something on those so-called phones.

Percy felt a headache coming on...

After they got home, Ginny was still suspicious, so she went to ask Ron what was really going on.

Unable to hold out, Ron had to tell her about the phones. When Ginny learned that their fans were in the group, she was excited for a moment, then asked Ron if she could get one too.

"We only got ours at the start of this school year. I don't know if they'll send any more," Ron said awkwardly. Ginny looked at the phone longingly. "Then will I get one when I start school?"

Ron looked even more conflicted, because he didn't know either! Not everyone had received a phone. Percy, for example, didn't have one, so Ron couldn't guarantee that his little sister Ginny would get one.

Fred and George were hiding in their room, scrolling through their phones and writing down the most interesting ideas. They had a grand ambition! In the future, they would hold a massive convention in the name of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!!

They would be the owners of the joke shop! Their ultimate goal was still to make money!

But they discovered that the group seemed to hate a rat with a passion. There had suddenly been a lot more discussion about Scabbers over the past few days. The two exchanged a silent glance. They couldn't mean Ron's rat, which had already been alive for ten years, could they?

The potential danger seemed to be right beside them. The two hurriedly put down their quills and huddled together to read.

In the main group.

Don't Date Under the Tree: Every time I watch the third season, I want to travel through the screen and punch that stinking rat!

Remus in One Arm and Sirius in the Other: If it weren't for him, Sirius wouldn't have been wrongfully imprisoned for so many years! His own godson still misunderstood him when he escaped!

This Old Monk's Heart Is Still as Water Today: Come to think of it, Ron really had it rough, living with an Animagus for so long.

I'm Air: Who remembers that Peter Pettigrew was Percy's pet before he was handed over to Ron...

[Admin] Yan: Percy, poor guy.

Ced Is Mine: If I could, I'd really like to turn that rat over to the Ministry of Magic early and expose the truth about what happened back then...

The Niffler Who Got Lost Looking for Galleon: qwq Hurry up and clear Sirius's name and set him free, damn it. Harry would have been so happy just living with his godfather!

Pacific Saury Fish Fish: Stop with the angst, there's Regulus too. I'm really going to burst into tears. I wish Sirius could learn the truth so badly (sobbing.jpg)

Bug Ming: What's this, are you all voluntarily posting angst again? (twisting in pain.jpg)

Mrs. Diggory: So damn that Peter Pettigrew! It's all his fault for betraying Lily and James back then! He got Sirius thrown in prison and misunderstood by everyone, and made Professor Snape feel guilty for all those years too!

I Use a Cauldron for Hot Pot: If Harry were reborn one day with his memories intact, would he be unable to resist trying to catch Scabbers the first time he saw him, so he could get his godfather out?

Kerun: Good! So here's a pen! Writers, please write it!

Avada Do Homework: This is when I know what to do, @Bug Ming, time to come out and update!

Bug Ming: ? Don't be ridiculous.

[Admin] Yan: I still have a question. When the twins looked at the Marauder's Map, did they really never find it suspicious that their younger brother spent every night with a suspicious man?

My Younger Brother Isn't as Handsome as Me: Good question.

Why was that? Fred and George pulled the Marauder's Map they had brought back from school out of their trunk. Why had they never noticed the name Peter Pettigrew before?

"I think we used the Marauder's Map to learn the secret passages every time," George said, recalling it. Fred fell into thought too. It seemed that since they had learned every corner of Hogwarts, they had rarely opened the thing, although it was also one of the secrets to their success.

Proprietress Number Two: Maybe the twins just never paid attention?

Ginny was still pestering Ron with all kinds of questions about Harry at school, leaving him no time to pay attention to the important matter being discussed on his phone. If he had seen it, though, he probably would have been too scared to stay with Scabbers.

Meanwhile, Harry had just arrived home and returned to his room, where he carefully locked the door, because he didn't want Vernon or Dudley suddenly barging in while he was looking at his phone.

They would definitely take it away, and then his only source of happiness at home would be gone.

Hedwig had been shut in her cage and placed to one side. Harry sat on the edge of the bed and opened his phone, only to see them discussing Scabbers and Sirius.

He remembered Scabbers; he was Ron's pet rat. He remembered Sirius too. He had heard them talk about him: he was the godfather Harry had never met. Harry had also looked him up, but Sirius was currently in Azkaban for murder. That couldn't be right, though.

Harry preferred to believe he had been wrongly accused. If he were that kind of person, Dad wouldn't have made him Harry's godfather. That was the conclusion Harry had drawn from regularly reading the chat history in the group.

They said Sirius and his dad had been very good friends! Like actual brothers, just like Fred and George! How could Sirius possibly be a murderer?

Harry was shocked as he read the chat history.

So Ron's pet rat was the real culprit who had betrayed his parents!

After a whole semester, he naturally believed what the group said without a doubt. Although he still didn't know who had sent the phones, he felt that the person behind it all must be trying to do something...

Huawancheng: Seriously, I feel so bad for Harry. His godfather had only just come back, and then he was gone...

James Bearing Half the Criminal Code: I'm crying, guys (bawling.jpg)

A Certain Hogwarts Gossiping Group Owner: Stop with the angst, stop with the angst.

Bug Ming: Fuck, I'm traveling to the Order of the Phoenix right now to drag Sirius down.

Bug Ming: (rolling up sleeves.jpg)

[Admin] Yan: There are too many things I can't get over... If only they were all alive. If Tom's birth had been different, could everything that happened afterward have been avoided?

Riddle's Little Darling Wife: That's too painful, I can't take it (collapses).

At that very moment, the members of the Cedric Fan Club had created another small group without Cedric to discuss how to let Harry know about Dobby with a perfect excuse.

Someone suggested they simply upload the original books and films to the group files for them to see.

The group owner, Ced Is Mine, rejected the idea.

[Group owner] Ced Is Mine: That's too obvious! Hermione and the twins would definitely figure it out.

Mrs. Diggory: Our goal is to prevent every regret!!

After Cedric's identity had been exposed, they had frantically told him he must never enter the Triwizard Tournament!!

But as fans, they knew that even if Ced knew how he ended up, he would still put his name in, so they began to plot.

Since everyone who needed to be in the main group was there, they could steer the conversation toward things that fit the timeline around Harry.

[Group owner] Ced Is Mine: Guys! Hurry and let Harry know his godfather is still alive! Peter Pettigrew is still fucking alive too!

Cedric's Girlfriend: Just thinking about Professor Snape and Dumbledore being in the group too, and then looking at our usual chat history-help, I've already clawed out an entire Hogwarts!

Ced's Second Life: But I'm still so happy. I'm already looking forward to the other group members' faces when they learn the truth, hehehe (rubbing hands in anticipation.jpg)

[Admin] I Am Cedric's Underpants: Damn it, if I could, I'd love to send a set of the original books straight over!

Mrs. Diggory: But we have no idea how qwq. Delivery services can't cross time and space, can they? It's still 1992 for them.

Miqiu: But how did they get the phones?

Miqiu: I suddenly realized something doesn't make sense. The first smartphone didn't go on sale until 1994, and the chat app we're using wasn't invented until 1999?!

A Little Honey Badger: ? And it just happened to be our group?

[Admin] Hufflepuff House Cub: I don't care, magic is real QAQ. Since we really can talk to them through our phones, why worry about it! Hurry up and spoil things! Voldemort hasn't been resurrected yet at this point qwq!

Cedric himself knew nothing about it. It was an action the fans had undertaken on their own, because, given the ability to do so, they also wanted to protect the character they liked, however fantastical and unbelievable it all was.

Over the next few days, Harry always hid under his blankets at night, at a time when Vernon wouldn't come in, reading the messages on his glowing phone. He had also come to understand the whole truth about what had happened back then, and knew that he now had a godfather in Azkaban.

Afraid of being discovered, Harry hardly dared touch his phone during the day, instead tucking it away in the wardrobe.

At home, Hermione also looked at the messages in her spare time between reading and studying ahead for next semester. As soon as she finished reading the group members' discussion about Sirius, she couldn't wait to look up the records.

Then she saw that Peter Pettigrew had turned into Scabbers and spent more than ten years disguised in Ron's home. She drew a sharp breath and almost sent Ron a message on the spot, but reason pulled her back in time.

If she told Ron just like that, he definitely wouldn't dare go near Scabbers anymore and would surely let Peter Pettigrew escape. Then Harry's godfather could never be cleared of the charges!

So Hermione sent Harry a message first.

But... with Ron's habit of scrolling through his phone whenever he had a spare moment, shouldn't he have noticed long ago?

Hermione sat at the desk in her room, reports about what had happened back then spread out in front of her, puzzled.

As for Ron himself...

Molly had confiscated his phone.

Oh, and by the way, everyone's results were out. Hermione had deservedly come first in the year, while Ron's results were less than ideal. Then Molly caught him using his phone, and although she didn't know what it was, she told Ron he had better study hard during the holidays too! Otherwise, she wouldn't give the thing back.

Arthur was delighted. He had never seen anything like it in the wizarding world, so it had to be something new invented by Muggles! He also asked Ron where it had come from.

Ron wouldn't lie to his dad, so he answered honestly:

"It fell out of the sky."

Arthur: ?

In a sense, that was true.

Poor Ron.

Fred and George, meanwhile, were discussing how to get hold of the rat.

Their limited brotherly affection stirred their consciences, and they decided to help their little brother escape his misery early.

At Malfoy Manor, Draco was furious that he had actually lost to a Muggle-born in the final exams!

Of all people, Granger had come first in the year! Draco glared at his textbook in anger, unwilling to accept it!

So Draco went to the study and found some books, determined to wipe away the humiliation in the next school year!! When school started, he would be going into his second year and would finally be able to try out for Quidditch! He refused to believe he could lose to that Potter at Quidditch too!

Having lost his phone, Ron had no choice but to keep in touch with his friends by letter, but he found that only Hermione had written back. He didn't see a single reply from Harry.

How strange.

Harry found it strange too. He had messaged Ron, but Ron never replied, so he spoke with Hermione and learned that Aunt Molly had taken Ron's phone away.

So Harry wrote a letter too and had Hedwig deliver it. Hedwig, who had often been shut in her cage without a proper chance to get some air, was delighted.

But there was no response to the letter Harry sent either.

Harry's first reaction was to check the group.

"Dobby?"

In the middle of the night, Harry's expression grew serious as he read what the group was discussing.

Something came up last night, so the update was delayed...

I tried changing my profile and pen name, but suddenly it was flagged as a violation and wouldn't be approved. Contracted authors can't even change their names. I was chatting with a friend, and he said I'd proven how my name came about through my own abilities...

I've already reported it, but I don't know when I'll be able to change it.

The power also went out at home today.

Sad...