Harry lay on his bed, deeply distressed.
He had only just arrived home, and Uncle Vernon had already locked all of his magic books, wand, cauldron, broom, and anything else related to magic into the cupboard under the stairs.
Harry could only be grateful that he himself hadn't been shoved back into that narrow, cramped cupboard as well.
Thinking of the years he had spent living there, accompanied by dust and spiders, his longing for Hogwarts grew even stronger.
Although he had been back for only a single day, Harry already felt close to his breaking point.
Hogwarts Castle, the paintings, the ghosts, the fascinating lessons, the friendly companions…
Hoo-hoot—!!
Hearing the owl's hoot, Harry turned his head to look at the owl locked inside its cage.
"Poor Hedwig. Vernon won't even let you leave the room…"
The thought made Harry feel even more miserable. If Hedwig couldn't go out, how was he supposed to write to his friends?
Knock, knock.
A soft knock at the door suddenly interrupted Harry's worries, and for a moment he couldn't figure out who it could be.
After all, Uncle Vernon would pound on the door while shouting, Dudley never knocked at all and would either barge in or kick it open, and as for Aunt Petunia—
Knock, knock.
No, it wasn't Aunt Petunia. She never knocked twice.
Harry sprang out of bed, slipped on his glasses, and opened the door.
Standing outside was a beautiful young woman dressed in black and white.
Harry was completely stunned, utterly unable to understand why such a person would appear in his house.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Harry Potter?"
The young woman spoke softly, her voice gentle.
Harry nodded instinctively.
"Young Master Lucien is downstairs. He asked me to find you; there is something he would like to discuss with you."
The moment Lucien's name was mentioned, Harry's eyes lit up. He paid no attention to the title "Young Master" and hurried downstairs.
"Thank you for telling me!"
Harry rushed down the stairs, heading straight for the living room.
But when he saw the scene inside, he froze.
...
Lucien sat alone in the middle of the long sofa, his posture elegant, nodding lightly from time to time, as if he were a boss listening to a report.
Opposite him, Uncle Vernon sat stiffly, wearing an obsequious smile and speaking with exaggerated caution. He clutched a handkerchief in his hand, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead and cheeks every few sentences.
Aunt Petunia and Dudley were squeezed onto the smallest sofa to the side, both looking extremely uncomfortable, not daring to breathe too loudly.
When had Harry ever seen a scene like this?
Uncle Vernon was always the overbearing head of the household, Aunt Petunia always echoed Vernon and spoiled Dudley, and as for Dudley... ugh..
Most of the time, he was eating.
At that moment, Lucien noticed Harry as well. He raised a hand in greeting and smiled.
"Good afternoon, Harry."
After Harry sat down beside Lucien, he listened to the conversation between Lucien and his uncle in a daze.
Before long, Lucien was doing most of the talking, while Uncle Vernon nodded every time Lucien spoke.
"Harry has only just begun his magical studies, and this is the stage where he needs to build a solid foundation."
Hearing Lucien openly mention the word "magic," Harry's heart skipped a beat. He immediately looked up at Vernon, afraid that his uncle, who deeply despised magic and wizards, would erupt and drag Lucien into it.
Vernon's fat face twitched violently, clearly still instinctively repelled by anything related to magic.
What nearly made Harry's jaw drop was seeing Vernon lift his handkerchief and wipe his cheek.
"Yes, everything you say is absolutely right. Harry certainly needs to build a foundation—study hard, study hard…"
His uncle was even using honorifics.
And Harry had never seen such a sycophantic expression on his face before.
Sometimes Vernon did bring business clients home, but never like this—never so obsequious, with a hint of fear mixed in.
"Studying is certainly important, but daily diet and proper rest are equally vital. These are essential factors in ensuring a child's healthy growth."
"Yes, yes, of course, Harry's usual diet…"
Vernon's voice trailed off.
Lucien glanced at Dudley. His very round figure, at that moment, resembled a king penguin chick nestled beside its equally large penguin parents.
Then he looked at Harry sitting next to him. After a year of decent meals at Hogwarts, Harry had only just barely escaped being painfully scrawny.
The contrast was obvious. Harry's life at his aunt's house had not been easy.
He hadn't eaten well, and he hadn't slept well.
This family's attitude toward Harry was deeply contradictory. He had been an infant left suddenly on their doorstep, the child of that terrifying, feared freak sister and brother-in-law, a boy revered by a group of odd people who called themselves wizards… They had raised Harry for ten years, and they had mistreated him for ten years as well.
Because the protective magic surrounding Harry required the shelter of family, strengthened by blood ties, he could only remain at his aunt's house.
Lucien understood that it was complicated, a tangle of resentment and reluctant responsibility.
"He should receive the same treatment as his cousin Dudley when it comes to meals."
"After all, Mr. Dursley's salary is more than sufficient, isn't it?"
Vernon nervously wiped the sweat from his face and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Dudley, standing to the side, tried to protest, but Petunia immediately covered his mouth and whispered soothing words to him.
"Oh, right. And the room Harry lives in…"
At this, Vernon and Petunia quietly let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they had changed Harry's room the previous year, moving him from the cupboard under the stairs into Dudley's vacated toy room—though only after being threatened by that terrifying, tall, burly man.
After discussing Harry's education a bit more, Vernon solemnly promised that he would allow Harry free time to study.
Finally, politely declining Vernon's enthusiastic invitation to stay for dinner, Lucien left Number Four, Privet Drive with Norris.
"Wait—wait, Lucien…"
Harry jogged after him.
Lucien stopped, turned around, and looked at Harry.
"Lucien, that, it's just…"
Harry hesitated, clearly struggling to find the right words.
"Do you know where I can exchange Galleons for Muggle money? I want to exchange some."
At first, Lucien didn't understand why Harry was asking, but he quickly formed a guess.
Harry continued.
"If possible, I want to give this money to… to my aunt and uncle."
"I didn't know before that Mum and Dad left me so many Galleons. I—I know that raising a child costs a lot of money, and Uncle has complained about it before, but…"
Lucien thought to himself, as expected. Harry wanted to "compensate" his aunt and uncle, at least financially.
Living under someone else's roof without proper support, enduring scorn and discrimination—Harry had borne that for ten years.
Such a kind child…
"No problem. That's easy to arrange."
Hearing Lucien's response, Harry quickly thanked him, then asked the question that had been troubling him.
"By the way, Lucien, how did you... how did you get Uncle Vernon to treat you with so much respect? He's only ever like that with the executives from his company."
Lucien replied calmly,
"Oh.. I bought the company."
________
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