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Chapter 319: Protection
Chapter 319: Protection
Chapter 319: Protection
Uncle Vernon was driving in the front seat, his face turning a shade of purple. His small eyes stole glances at Harry and Sirius in the back seat using the rearview mirror.
Harry could hardly believe his luck. Despite being caught lying by his godfather, he was overwhelmed with happiness. The minutes leading up to leaving the train had been filled with anxiety about spending a miserable six weeks with the Dursleys. He could already envision the days ahead enduring glares for a couple of days, then sneaking downstairs to work on his summer assignments in the dead of night, opening the cupboard under the stairs to retrieve his belongings.
Then there would be the endless countdown of days, hoping the Weasleys would rescue him from this misery. Perhaps there'd be letters from Ron, Hermione, Dobby, and Sirius he was most certain about those at least a birthday card, if nothing else. He even started to consider the logistics: the Dursleys were in Surrey, the Burrow in Devon, Hermione was in London, and if the Grangers weren't off on vacation, maybe they could all meet during the summer...
Sirius's words cut through Harry's reverie: "I've got a birthday present for you, something you'll love."
"What is it?"
"I can't tell you, I've held onto this secret for a long time. But I can tell you it's something truly remarkable, something James would have loved..."
Uncle Vernon turned a corner, his grip on the steering wheel tense. His mind was racing with various thoughts: a wizarding hippie who looked pretty much the same as he did fifteen years ago, perhaps even worse. Could he be planning to stay at his house?
Vernon wasn't one for helping impoverished relatives, especially not a convicted murderer. Even if he wasn't, he had a stint in prison, didn't he?
BANG!
The car suddenly had a flat tire, causing a loud bang. The occupants inside were thrown to the side due to the force. "Careful, Harry!" "Ouch!" "Damn it!"
Uncle Vernon slammed on the brakes, and the three intact tires screeched to a halt, sparking against the road. The car came to a stop. Uncle Vernon's patience reached its limit as he vented his frustration with a string of profanities, spittle flying. Harry stared at him, dumbfounded. His mind seemed to be smoking by this point; perhaps the next couple of days would see him quiet down from overuse?
It wasn't until Sirius, his face darkened, said, "If you don't shut up, I'll stick your mouth shut," that Uncle Vernon finally fell silent. However, after a pause of two or three seconds, he muttered under his breath, "You're not a murderer, you said it yourself."
"You don't need to remind me! Would you like a taste of what I learned in Azkaban?" Sirius roared, but his threat didn't have the desired effect on Uncle Vernon, who had no idea where that was. Harry whispered to remind him it was a wizarding prison, causing Uncle Vernon's carrot-like fingers to tremble. He finally fell quiet.
Uncle Vernon struggled to open the car door and got out. Unable to squat down due to his size, he had to lie on the ground and grumbled, "Front tire blown, halfway from home, calling for a tow truck will cost a fortune... Everything's going wrong..."
Sirius stepped out of the car, his hippie attire attracting curious looks. Uncle Vernon muttered under his breath to him, "Can't you just sit quietly? I'll call for a tow truck. In case someone asks you..."
Sirius drew his wand from his jeans and used Uncle Vernon's hefty frame as cover. "Excuse me, could you block for me?" A faint light flashed, and the car tire was immediately restored.
Uncle Vernon stared at everything in astonishment, wiping his eyes in disbelief. He shouted, "Magic!" The first two syllables were so loud, like a lit firecracker, but he quickly noticed the anomaly. His small eyes scanned around rapidly, and the sound got swallowed.
"Do you think I'll be grateful to you? Freak, maggot from the gutter! Just like a little monster"
Sirius directed his wand toward Uncle Vernon's triple chin and coldly said, "I can already imagine how you've treated Harry."
The rest of the journey was silent. It continued that way until they were about to enter Privet Drive. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Uncle Vernon: how could he discreetly bring this trouble into his home?
Harry thought they were hardly moving at all, he could walk faster than this. The car was crawling along.
Sirius also realized his unwelcome status, perhaps he'd known from the start, but he wanted to see how Harry was doing. Suppressing his temper, he held back, though he was on the brink of eruption.
"Stop the car," Sirius said. The car immediately came to a halt.
He handed Harry a mirror. "This is a two-way mirror, there are two in total. I have one with me. If you ever want to reach me, just call my name into it, and you'll appear in my mirror, and I can appear in yours to talk to you. Back when James and I weren't together, we used this to stay in touch."
He glanced at Uncle Vernon. "You're not planning to interfere, are you?"
"Of course... not."
Harry took the mirror, examining it from side to side. It bore some resemblance to the twin's Pairing Mirror that George and Fred sold, which he considered buying to give to some friends. But the twins refused to take his money, making him a bit uncomfortable about taking more.
Harry whispered, "Are you leaving?"
"Yes, I know this place. Number 4, Privet Drive." Sirius said, Uncle Vernon shivered at the mention. Sirius continued, "Dumbledore told me that your uncle's house is enchanted, to protect you from prying eyes..."
He turned to Uncle Vernon, his tone icy. "This is for your protection too, you should be aware of that."
"Enchanted? What have you done to my house?"
Sirius said, "Dumbledore didn't go into specifics, but I guess it's some kind of strong protective spell. Maybe similar to the Fidelius Charm? I'm not sure..." He hurriedly changed the subject.
Sirius lied. He had engaged in a heated argument with Dumbledore about Harry's guardianship, and to calm him down, Dumbledore had revealed more insider information.
There were two layers of protection on Harry, one of them from his mother.
It was an ancient magic, requiring an incredibly long preparation time. It belonged to the same category of magic that powerful curses did, tapping into the power of love, only it was even more difficult. It involved turning one's overflowing love into a protective force, something Lily Evans had done for her unborn child.
But this was only the first step of this magic. The blood connection formed as a bond for the spell, and while not rare in the magical world, what was truly rare was the subsequent aspect of this ancient magic. By willingly offering the blood of a relative who cast the spell, its power could be greatly amplified. Any malicious spells would be automatically repelled.
"This magic protected Harry once, and it was meant to expire then. I extended its effects. At that time, I had a choice: to protect a group or an individual? What was there to hesitate about? Even though Voldemort had vanished, yes, I admit he was only gone, for five years, ten years, twenty... He would return, and I needed to make a decision by then. While others celebrated their hard-earned victory, I was already contemplating Voldemort's return.
So I naturally made the choice, the most powerful protection I could offer Harry. As long as he still calls the place where he has the same blood as his mother 'home,' he won't be harmed by Voldemort."
"For this reason, he needs to return there at least once a year, for a while."
The second layer of protection came from Dumbledore. He used layered magic to conceal Number 4, Privet Drive. But it couldn't be completely sealed off. He set a condition: anyone from the magical world with malicious intentions wouldn't find it. Even if the address got leaked, they could only pinpoint a nearby area. Like headless flies, they would blunder about, but long before that, Dumbledore would be alerted.
This was to prevent any lingering Death Eaters from seeking revenge. It was both protection for Harry and the Dursley family.
"I left this information in Harry's crib, explaining everything. Once I was sure they had accepted Harry, I left with a heart full of hope for the future. I knew the Dursleys weren't the friendliest, but that's what I needed then. I didn't want Harry to grow up in an overly pampered environment or be blinded by the fame he couldn't remember."
"Sirius, I hope you fulfill your role as godfather, bringing more love to Harry. But at the same time, you must be cautious..."
...
Sirius left, telling a disgruntled Harry before he departed, "I'm thinking of renting a nearby place, you can come over anytime. You can do anything you want except stay overnight!"
This chapter turned out to be unexpectedly difficult. Originally, I planned to write about Sirius and the Dursleys having dinner with some interesting events in between, but no matter how I thought about it, it just wouldn't connect with the word "interesting."
As for Dumbledore's explanation to Sirius, it was necessary because, unlike in the original text, Sirius is no longer a fugitive. He has more rights to take care of Harry than the Dursleys do.
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