"Who is it?"
Petunia Dursley, dressed in her finest clothes for the day, apologized to her distinguished guest before rising and walking to the door.
"Aunt Petunia, it's me."
Lynn spoke with a smile. Petunia's slight irritation at being disturbed instantly dissipated.
"Oh, it's you, Lynn. Are you here to see Harley?"
Petunia took Lynn's hand, led him inside, and asked softly.
"Yes. This is a small gift for you. I'm sorry for coming over without notice today. You have guests, don't you? I truly apologize for the intrusion."
Upon seeing the small velvet box in his hand, Petunia couldn't possibly say anything negative. Resting quietly inside the box was a bracelet adorned with several modest yet elegant sapphires, which unexpectedly matched her outfit perfectly.
"Why did you bring such an expensive gift?"
Petunia gave Lynn a look of mild reproach, but she immediately smiled. "I'm very happy you came to visit, but as for the gift—"
"Isn't the thought what counts the most? Mainly, it suits you very well. No one else would be more suitable for it than you. It's just a small gift within my means, so please, accept it with an easy mind."
"You always know how to make your aunt happy."
Petunia gave Lynn a gentle hug. After putting the bracelet on her wrist, she led Lynn into the living room, beaming with joy.
"Vernon, Lynn is here. He's here to see Leah."
In the Dursley household, "Leah" was the fake name Harley used to conceal her identity.
"You've become even more handsome this year, Lynn."
Uncle Vernon was also quite happy to see Lynn. Compared to Aunt Petunia, he liked Lynn because Dudley had successfully lost weight with his help. When Dudley came back for the holidays, he had even said, "Dad, girls at school asked me if I wanted to go out during the break. Should you give me some pocket money?"
This made the old father feel incredibly gratified. His foolish son had become a popular, handsome young man at school; this made him happier than anything else.
"Hello, Uncle Vernon."
"I'm sorry to disturb you today; I didn't know you had a meeting with a guest."
"I heard you really like Château Margaux. It just so happens that a senior of mine I know at Oxford University has connections in that area, so I asked her to pick a bottle for me."
"Château Margaux 1982." Lynn placed the wine bottle down and smiled mischievously. "The same vintage the Prime Minister drinks."
"Hahaha, you kid!"
The phrase "same vintage the Prime Minister drinks" instantly touched Vernon's heart. The guest invited to the house today was a very important client, linked to a massive order. If he landed this deal, he would earn more this year doing nothing than he had in previous years.
"Mr. Mason." Uncle Vernon looked toward the guest, whose eyes also held a hint of amusement. "Please allow me to introduce Lynn. This child is a classmate of my niece; they are both students at a private school."
"Hello, Mr. Mason, Mrs. Mason. Please forgive my presumptuous intrusion. May I perform a small magic trick as an apology?"
"No need to apologize, son. However, I look forward to your magic trick."
Mr. Mason spoke with great elegance. He felt no aversion to such a polite child. The fact that Vernon Dursley's niece attended school with a boy of such "good taste" even made him raise his evaluation of Vernon slightly. Not just anyone knew the value of a Robert Parker perfect-score wine.
That bottle of 1982 Château Margaux dry red was one of the wines on that renowned critic's list of perfect scores.
Lynn pulled from his sleeve, and a white silk scarf unfurled in his hand.
"Please blow on it."
With a look of curiosity, Mr. Mason blew a breath onto the scarf. The scarf floated up lightly, and the moment it left Lynn's palm, a flower hair accessory made of white crystal lay quietly in Lynn's hand.
White crystal wasn't valuable; Lynn had ruined several baskets of it during wand material experiments at Hogwarts. He had simply recycled the waste to make some trinkets. The advanced item-switching technique he had learned from the house-elves earlier was perfect for this little trick. Since this sleight of hand didn't use actual magic, it naturally wouldn't trigger the Trace.
"I hope you and your wife like it."
Mrs. Mason was beaming beside him. Women and dragons were the same—they all loved shiny things. This little surprise put her in a wonderful mood.
After casually assisting Vernon Dursley with an "assist," Lynn left the living room and headed toward the second floor. The conversation downstairs became more enthusiastic than before; presumably, the drill business would go much more smoothly now.
"Can you introduce me to this elf friend?"
Once out of the Dursleys' sight, Lynn used a blink spell to flash directly into Harley's room. A startled house-elf tried to run away instantly, but Lynn caught him by the arm.
"Name. Purpose for being here. How did you confirm the identity and find Harley's home?" Lynn held the elf's hand, his gaze turning slightly cold. "I know house-elves cannot reveal their master's information, so I won't force you to speak about that."
"But explain clearly what you can say right now. Otherwise, I don't mind roasting you over a fire until you're rare—about thirty percent cooked—and feeding you to a three-headed dog. He likes tender, rare meat. I'm guessing Fluffy has certainly never tasted what a house-elf implies."
terrified by the latter half of Lynn's threat, the house-elf went limp, his lips trembling. He looked pitifully at Harley with his enormous eyes, which were filled with helplessness and pleading.
"Lynn... Dobby he..."
"Shh."
Lynn placed a finger from his free left hand over his lips. "If you don't listen, I won't take you out to play anymore."
"I promise to keep my mouth shut tight."
Harley made a zipping motion across her lips and sat down quietly, hugging her knees.
"Your name is Dobby, right? So now, tell me your purpose for seeking out Harley, how you confirmed her identity, and who told you the location of her home?"
Harley was protected by her mother Lily's magic, plus Dumbledore's protection. Her address was confidential. Even if someone knew about Number 4 Privet Drive, if they harbored ill will toward Harley, they wouldn't be able to find her even with the address. This included malicious letters and packages, which could not be delivered. (Author's note: A fanfic patch; the original canon is full of holes.)
Even if someone stood face-to-face with Harley, they would treat her as air.
This power of love would protect Harley until she came of age. As long as she was with relatives she acknowledged as family and with whom she shared a blood connection, Harley would not come to any harm.
"I... I..." The elf was still shivering, unable to speak a complete sentence for a long time.
Lynn tightened his grip on the elf's arm. "Then I'll send you to the stove right now and roast you rare."
Immense fear caused Dobby to nearly collapse, beans of tears rolling down his face uncontrollably.
"Dobby only... only wants to save Harley Potter..."
"Dobby has no thought of hurting her, Dobby only... only..."
"Terrible things are going to happen." Dobby looked at Lynn with terrified eyes. "Dobby knows you too. You are Harley Potter's best friend, a wizard who is very good to house-elves. You can help Dobby... tell Harley Potter not to go to Hogwarts, right?"
He practically begged Lynn, "Harley Potter must not go to Hogwarts. She will die..."
"Then explain things clearly, or else... you know the consequences."
"Yes, sir... yes... Dobby will tell you everything... everything..."
Wiping his tears and sobbing, Dobby began to speak tremulously: "Dobby learned it from the elves at Hogwarts. The Girl Who Lived is actually Harley Potter, not anyone else. The elves saw her scar when taking dirty clothes to wash and cleaning the room. Dobby is friends with them, so Dobby knows."
"No one told Dobby where Harley Potter lives. Dobby secretly followed... at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters... Dobby followed the Muggles who came to pick up Harley Potter to find this place."
"Dobby really wants to save Harley Potter's life. She defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named back then and saved many, many house-elves."
"She is a very great person. Dobby cannot bear to see her get hurt."
To the side, Harley covered her mouth. Her curiosity was overflowing, but remembering the agreement, she obediently stayed silent. She just tugged at Lynn's hand and shook it, seemingly wanting him to ask a bit more—she wanted to hear!
"In other words, you saw or heard somewhere that someone plans to harm Harley, and then you came here, correct?"
"Yes... yes... Dobby knew two weeks ago, before Harley Potter had come home."
Dobby suddenly shuddered violently. But because he was being held by Lynn, he couldn't use his head to bang against the wall or the table, so he chose to slap himself in the face.
"Bad Dobby, bad Dobby! How can Dobby think bad words about his masters..."
"Alright, be quiet."
As Lynn's voice fell, Dobby tensed his body.
"Is the thing that will harm Harley a person? You only need to nod or shake your head."
Dobby nodded, but then shook his head.
"Is it a person bringing something dangerous into Hogwarts?"
Dobby nodded vigorously.
"Can that item directly harm Harley?"
Dobby hesitated, then finally shook his head.
"Will that item attract something?"
Dobby continued to shake his head.
"Then, will that item open a place that holds something dangerous?"
Dobby nodded excitedly.
"Okay, I understand."
Lynn released his grip on Dobby's hand. "You are forbidden from physically punishing yourself in front of me; it's noisy."
Dobby, who had been planning to bang his head against the wall, immediately stood at attention.
"Thank you for your warning, Dobby. Your mission is complete now; you can go back."
"Will you stop Harley Potter from returning to Hogwarts, sir?"
Dobby looked at Lynn with puppy-dog eyes.
"No, Harley will go back. But with me there, she won't be hurt."
"But—but—"
"If you don't go back soon, and your master discovers you're gone, that would be terrible, wouldn't it?"
In the next second, Dobby vanished instantly. Lynn had teleported him several kilometers away.
"Phew~ I can finally talk."
Harley patted her chest, which only rose and fell slightly, and let out a sigh of relief.
"But Lynn, what kind of riddles were you speaking just now? Why couldn't I understand a single sentence?"
"Because you're a dummy."
Lynn sat comfortably on Harley's bed, pulling over her pillow to lean back.
"Hmph~ Stingy ghost! You're the big dummy!"
Harley, who also scooched her bottom to sit on the bed, huffed angrily. Her icy feet, which even an electronic thermometer wouldn't register, suddenly stuffed themselves into Lynn's embrace, making him shiver from the cold.
"Did you wash your feet? Subjecting me to torture as soon as I lie down—that's too much!"
"I washed them, I washed them! I just took a shower, they smell nice. Why don't you smell them?"
Looking at the foot about to poke him in the face, Lynn spat a "Pah!" and slapped it down.
"Stinks to high heaven."
"It does not! I smelled them myself after washing."
"I'm not a foot fetishist. Don't wave those things around in front of me pretending they're ice cream. You know my type; I only like big chests and long legs. Perky butts are even better."
Harley covered her small bottom. "You've finally exposed your true nature."
"As if you have one. You're all ribs; I'd complain it hurts my hands."
Lynn rolled his eyes. "By the way, do you want to go to the Burrow? Fred and George were being mysterious about it on the train. Want to go check it out?"
"I thought you'd invite Cho along. Looks like I still carry more weight in your heart~"
"Cho went traveling with her parents; she won't be back until August. And you heard it, aren't we going to Professor Zhang's island villa for a hot spring vacation in mid-August?"
"Oh, right."
Harley paused for a moment; she remembered now.
"Then, this lady will reluctantly accompany you."
Even though she really wanted to go, Harley felt compelled to act a bit tsundere. It was probably the fault of having a flat chest; this thing spread like a meme—nine out of ten flat-chested girls were tsundere, and it only got better after the archetype fell out of style.
"But I really missed you during the break. It's great having someone to warm my feet. Sleeping alone in the blankets, I can never get the duvet warm."
"Don't you still have your cousin?"
"I still remember how he used to bully me." Harley hugged her chest and hmphed. "How could I forgive him that simply."
"By the way, Lynn, I went to the mall a few days ago and bought a pair of super cute over-the-knee socks that turn colorful in the sunlight. How about I wear them for you to see?"
"That's acceptable."
Lynn grinned. "I actually haven't seen that style before."
"Then I'll get changed right now."
She retracted her hands inside her nightgown, and with a whoosh, the gown flew into the air. Harley, currently hanging completely bare underneath, skipped over to the wardrobe and tossed out several brand new, unworn summer outfits.
"How about a pleated skirt with a shirt? Is it too plain?"
"Is there a possibility that you are currently being a little too lewd?"
Lynn, having a bit of a headache, covered his forehead. He truly didn't want to look even once.
"Just treat me like a girl, what's there to be embarrassed about?"
"A rack of ribs paired with a washboard—this combination is simply too painful for the eyes."
"That's mean, Lynn! I'll grow up eventually. And I'm not a washboard; an A-cup is still a cup!"