After hearing Fudge's explanation, Link felt a little irritated.
To be honest, he really didn't want to do this kind of coaxing-kids psychological support work for others.
Link shook his head and said, "I think, Minister Fudge, someone from the Weasley family would be more suitable for this kind of thing, right?"
"I know that too," said Fudge, "but unfortunately Arthur Weasley just won the grand prize from the Daily Prophet, so the whole family went on a trip to Egypt."
Link frowned and said, "A trip? I remember his family isn't particularly well-off? Why didn't they use the prize money to improve their lives instead of going on a vacation?"
"Obviously," Fudge said with a mocking expression, "compared to new clothes and a new house, they think spending the prize money on travel and splurging is more worthwhile."
Link didn't speak. Though he also felt that the Weasleys' behavior was quite 'wise'.
Judging from this incident alone, the Weasley family truly deserved to be so poor.
Fudge continued to persuade, "Take a look at this, Link. Things outside are quite chaotic recently. I just need you to go and talk Harry Potter into not running around anymore. The rest of the protection work will be handled by the Aurors."
After speaking, Fudge handed Link a piece of parchment.
On it was clearly engraved a crazy and filthy face, with the headline below, [Shocking! Notorious Death Eater Sirius Black Escapes! This criminal once killed hero Peter Pettigrew and 13 Muggles, extremely dangerous! If found, immediately flee and notify the Ministry of Magic!]
Staring at that thin man howling on the parchment, Link took a deep breath.
Sirius Black.
A tragic, foolish, yet lovable hero.
In his previous life, Link really liked this character.
On the other side, seeing Link's "cold breath intake," Fudge somewhat awkwardly explained, "This was an accident. Azkaban's defenses are absolutely fine. I guess he must've used some very strange method to escape, like training some rats to dig tunnels for him."
At this point, Fudge suddenly fell silent, and his expression became even more awkward.
Because he knew very well, setting aside whether normal rats could dig through walls made entirely of magically forged obsidian alloy, the living conditions in Azkaban were so harsh that rats simply couldn't survive there.
"Alright then, I can help you with this. Let's head out." After thinking for a moment, Link finally spoke.
This made Fudge overjoyed. He pulled Link toward the fireplace while saying,
"Great! Rest assured, Link. The Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'm already working on it. Supporting me will definitely benefit you!"
Seeing Fudge hastily grab a handful of Floo Powder, Link curled his lips in disdain.
Crackle! Crackle!
With a burst of explosion-like noise, Link and Fudge passed through the Floo Network and arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.
Coughing and brushing off the soot from his clothes, Link walked out from the fireplace and began observing this tavern which played many roles in the original work.
To be honest, Link was a little disappointed.
In the original movie, this place gave off an impression of mystery, antiquity, and warmth.
But after actually being here in person, Link found that it was not like that at all.
The so-called antiquity and mystery were just other ways to say it was old and shabby.
The greasy stains on the table tops and bar counters, the dusty fireplace, all kinds of strange decorations, and the murky air, all kept proving to Link that this was simply a rundown countryside tavern.
"Link! And… Minister sir? Why are you two here?"
Just as Link was scanning the surroundings, Harry at the bar suddenly stood up in surprise.
"Good evening, Harry."
Link casually sat next to Harry, first throwing away the milk in front of him, then said to Tom the bartender, "Give us two Butterbeers."
"I'm sorry, kid. Underage wizards aren't allowed to drink!" Tom said expressionlessly.
He had no fondness at all for kids like Link who looked roguish.
"I think tonight might be an exception. What do you say, Minister Fudge?"
Hearing Link's words, Fudge, who had just finished brushing off soot and walked over, was stunned for a moment, then said, "Make that three glasses. Too many things have happened tonight, I need a drink too."
Hearing that, Link smiled and gave Tom a look that said, "See?", which made the wrinkles on Tom's face deepen.
But in the end, three glasses of Butterbeer with thick foamy tops were still placed in front of them.
"Ah! Burp!"
Draining most of his mug in one go, Link let out a satisfied burp.
Fudge gulped down his in one go.
So-called Butterbeer was actually just a non-alcoholic butter-flavored beer, the alcohol content was almost negligible.
But it still tasted pretty good.
Unlike Link and Fudge, Harry didn't touch his Butterbeer. He clenched his fists, hesitated for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, "Minister sir, are you here to expel me from Hogwarts?"
"Burp!" Fudge belched again, then asked in surprise,
"Expel? Why would I expel you?"
"Because I used magic outside school, violating the 'Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery' law!"
"Er, well…" Fudge began to stammer awkwardly again.
He really didn't know how to explain this to Harry.
After all, even though some things were already common knowledge, with his position, it was still uncomfortable to say it outright.
At that moment, Link said, "Minister Fudge, you go rest now. Leave this to me."
"Wow! That really helps a lot!"
Fudge clearly let out a sigh of relief, and without delay, left quickly.
Once he had left, Arkham, who had been wrapped around Link's arm the whole time, also came out for air.
"Ssssss!~" (You're amazing! Harry Petter!)
"Uh, it's Harry Potter. Fine, fine. Good evening."
Harry also spoke in Parseltongue, trying to correct Arkham. But seeing Arkham's indifferent expression, he eventually gave up.
Watching the two, Link grinned and also spoke in Parseltongue, "Go ahead, Harry. What exactly happened tonight?"
"It was Aunt Marge, who came to visit my uncle's house. She's a hateful person. Her favorite thing to do is belittle me to elevate my cousin Dudley."
"All of that I could bear, Link, really! I endured it! But tonight, she insulted my father… so I lost control of my magic. Um, I think that's what happened. Anyway, she inflated like a human balloon, probably still floating near the ceiling of my uncle's house right now."
"Sss!" (Cool!) Arkham sincerely exclaimed.
"I also thought it was cool," Harry gave a bitter laugh. "But now I really regret it. Because of this, I'm about to be expelled from Hogwarts and driven out of the wizarding world!"
"Don't worry, Harry. Burp! You won't be expelled. I think you're overthinking it."
Said Link after taking another big gulp of Butterbeer.
Hearing that, Harry's eyes widened, "Why not?"
"Because your identity is very special!"
Link explained, "Think about it, the Boy-Who-Lived who defeated Voldemort gets expelled from the wizarding world during summer break just because he turned his aunt into a flying balloon. That's so ridiculous the public won't accept it. They'll just think the Ministry is bullying a hero."
"So I won't be expelled?" Harry said uncertainly.
"You were never going to be!" Link continued. "That so-called restriction law is mainly aimed at Muggle-born wizards. If you study how the Trace works on wands, you'll understand."
"The Trace, as a tracking method, isn't that strong. It can only detect signs of spell use nearby, not identify who cast it. That means, as long as there's an adult wizard or a house-elf nearby, you can cast spells without consequence. Because the Trace can't tell who actually cast them. Like this!"
As he spoke, Link pulled out his wand and refilled the nearly empty Butterbeer.
This made bartender Tom's expression twist.
If he could, he really wanted to grab Link's ear and sternly warn him that casting Refilling Charms inside the Leaky Cauldron was strictly forbidden.
But seeing the two people and a snake speaking in Parseltongue, like they were plotting how to blow up all of Diagon Alley, Tom eventually swallowed his words.
Harry was a bit nervous at first, afraid Link would also receive a punishment letter.
But after waiting a long time, he finally whispered, "So, pure-blood and half-blood little wizards can use spells freely, but only Muggle-borns can't."
"Exactly."
"That's not fair!" Harry shouted angrily.
Arkham, coiled up like a snake cake on the bar, said, "Sssssss!" (Ha! There has never been such a thing as fairness in this world!)
Hearing Arkham's words, Harry fell silent.
Because his past experience told him that the world was indeed like that.
Like how Dudley always had better toys and food than he did.
Closing his eyes in pain, Harry finally calmed himself down after a long time.
"Thank you, Link. I feel much better now," Harry said sincerely. "But what should I do next? I can't go back to my uncle's house for now, and there's still a while before Hogwarts starts. Maybe I should find a new place to stay."
After speaking, Harry lowered his head and occasionally glanced at Link.
The meaning was almost spelled out.
But Link played dumb and said, "Of course you're going to stay at the Leaky Cauldron. This place offers lodging, and you have money."
Hearing this, Harry was stunned. He froze and said, "Huh? Aren't you going to invite me to your place?"
"Why would I?"
"Be-Because we're friends, I thought you…"
"It's exactly because we're friends that I want you to stay at the Leaky Cauldron!"
Link said seriously, "Harry, your whole life you've lived under others' expectations. Even at Hogwarts or the Weasleys', you've always had to consider your roommates' and the Weasleys' feelings."
"That's a nightmare! Trust me, living alone is better than you imagine! Sleep whenever you want! Eat whatever you want!"
"And during the day, you can roam Diagon Alley freely, eat ice cream, hunt treasures in secondhand shops, shop at the magic joke shop, browse the Quidditch store…"
Listening to Link's description, Harry's eyes became dreamy.
And just then, Link suddenly changed the subject, "And besides, things outside aren't very safe now. Staying here is probably the best choice."
"Huh? What do you mean by 'not safe'?"
Link didn't answer immediately. He first dismissed bartender Tom, then cast a Silentium Charm to isolate them from the outside world.
Only then did he hand the parchment from earlier to Harry.
"Sirius Black?" Harry exclaimed after reading the parchment. "I just saw his wanted poster on TV!"
"That's normal. Wizards and Muggles aren't entirely disconnected. In fact, many dangerous magical criminals are also pursued by the Muggle world, because they threaten harmony between the two." Link said seriously.
"A little about this Sirius Black. He's the only criminal in recent decades who has escaped from Azkaban. As for how dangerous he really is, it's all written on that parchment."
Harry nodded. Even ignoring the so-called heroic Peter Pettigrew, just killing 13 innocent people would be enough for a death sentence in the Muggle world.
At this point, Link suddenly paused, then continued, "Harry, to be honest, according to Minister Fudge, I shouldn't tell you these things. But I believe, as the one involved, you have the right to know everything."
"Yeah! Go ahead!" Harry said nervously.
"From what I know, Sirius Black was once your father James Potter's best friend. Your father even made him your godfather."
"But in the end, he betrayed your father. He was the one who revealed your parents' location to Voldemort.
"He was the one who handed your parents' lives to Voldemort. And he was the one who killed Peter Pettigrew, their closest friend, who fought to the end for your parents."
"And now… he's escaped. As a loyal Death Eater, we have every reason to believe that his first target… is you, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived!"
At this moment, Harry was completely stunned. This was the first time he had ever received such detailed information about his parents' deaths.
"Harry, you know what? There are many Aurors hidden nearby. They are here both to protect you, and to use you as bait."
Link squinted and said, "As soon as Sirius Black gets close, these Aurors will appear to capture him. So Harry, for now, you should stay in Diagon Alley. It's for your safety, and to catch Black."
"I, I understand!"
Harry gritted his teeth and said. His heart was now so filled with fury that even his cheeks had turned red.
"Get some rest early, Harry. Sweet dreams."
"You too, Link! And… thank you!"
Harry said earnestly. Then he drained his now foamless Butterbeer and went upstairs.
Watching his back, Link grinned.
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