CHAPTER 19
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CHAPTER 19
A few days later, McGonagall visited the Fawley Estate to ask for her help,
"Professor, thank you for your trust, but I don't want to be a part of this. I just want my son to be safe."
McGonagall was a bit disappointed, but she had to try,
"I understand, but we have no other choice but to come to you; everyone related to us can be followed, but we have no relation. Even when I came here, I sneaked out of Hogwarts. We can't endanger the child's life by getting involved."
Elizabeth was stuck in a hard place; if he was any other child, she would have helped, but getting involved in this meant getting into a fight between the two sides. Just as she was about to refuse again, the door opened,
"Mum, are we not going to help Harry?"
Elmi entered the room with an innocent look on his face. Elizabeth said,
"We have, dear; this is Professor McGonagall from Hogwarts. She is going to take care of it."
Elmi said,
"But we can help him too. Can't you talk to the bad relatives of him and tell them not to bully Harry?"
"We can't get involved; you will understand when you grow up."
"Why is it because he is the Boy Who Lived?"
Both Elizabeth was surprised he knew who Harry was since she never told him about the boy.
"How do you know that?"
"I have read it in the book Recent History of Magical Britain. Ah, where are my manners? I am Fredrick Elminster Fawley. It is a pleasure to meet you, Professor."
McGonagall smiled and said,
"Pleasure is all mine."
Elmi turned to his mother and said,
"Mum, don't you always tell me we should help the less fortunate and the weak? Harry is both right now; I want to help him."
After Elmi's constant pressure, Elizabeth relented and agreed to look after Harry by once in a while visiting the Dusley's home and inspecting how they were treating him.
...
After that day, Elizabeth first observed the Dusleys without letting them know it, and she was appalled by what she saw. They were keeping the pitiful boy in a cupboard under the stairs. She left a letter stating she would be visiting them as a child protective service agent from the Ministry of Magic.
...
That day, after they sent Dusley and Harry to school, Elizabeth arrived at their home. Both Vernon and Petunia were sitting across her. Vernon was not able to take his eyes away from Elizabeth, and he was almost drooling. As for Petunia, she was green with envy. Elizabeth, with an angry tone, said,
"I have been observing you people for a week now, and I have seen how you treated that little boy."
Vernon got defensive and said,
"That is an invasion of privacy; how dare you!"
Elizabeth raised her hand and cut him off,
"I don't care about that; as far as I know, as the guardians of Harry Potter, every year you are paid a substantial amount to take care of him, and with that money, you buy this house, your car, and all of your child's expensive cloths and gifts with Harry's money. Which is given to you to take care of him, and you put him in a cupboard!"
When Elizabeth couldn't hold herself and shouted, both of them flinched. They knew the one before them was not an ordinary woman; she was a witch.
"From now on, a few times a year, I will visit your house unannounced, and I will talk with Harry to see if you are abusing him like before."
Petunia tried to say something, but Elizabeth cut her off,
"I don't care about your excuses and opinion; you took that boy's money for years without providing him an ounce of love or comfort. Even if you cannot give him the warmth of a home, you are going to give him the comfort of a hotel. He is not your servant or your punch bag for your envy of your sister.
Petunia was furious and tried to talk, but Elizabeth flung her wand and cast a lockjaw curse. This terrorized Petunia, and Vernon started to beg Elizabeth to realize her.
"Did I not tell you to shut up and listen? Didn't I tell you I didn't care about your excuses and opinions? Why are you still trying to talk?"
Vernon and Petunia were hugging each other and looking at Elizabeth with terror-filled eyes. With disgust in her voice,
"Don't act like you are the victims; you are the villains. Until Harry can stand on his own feet, you people are going to be the best BnB in England. As long as you act like human beings, I am going to treat you guys as humans, but if you act like pigs, I will turn your child into a pig. Do we understand each other?"
They nodded their heads with vigor while whimpering. Seeing this, Elizabeth beamed with a beautiful smile and said,
"Perfect, let's not see each other if not needed."
After dispelling her curse, she apparated from the room, leaving the Dusleys by themselves. After that day, they were still cold to Harry, but at least the psychological abuse and starvation were over. They had moved Harry to a small room on the second floor.
...
Elmi and Harry's friendship blossomed during their three years at St. Grogory's Primary School. It was more akin to Elmi taking Harry under his wing. Elmi recognized the emotional challenges Harry faced and was determined to help him.
Elmi occasionally invited Harry to his home, where they would play and learn about basic magic theory. The Fawley estate offered a warm and welcoming environment where they could explore magic in a safe and controlled manner.
During these visits, Elmi's younger cousins, Grim and Sullivan, would join in on the fun. They loved playing with the older boys and learning from Elmi, who was like their older brother. One sunny afternoon, as they gathered around the backyard,
"Harry," Elmi began with a grin, "how about a good old-fashioned game of Gobstones? We can have a mini-tournament, and the winner gets to order around the losers for a week."
Harry's eyes lit up at the idea. "Gobstones? That sounds fun! I'm in!"
Little Grim frowned and said,
"I don't like the smell, and I am the one always losing."
Elmi grabbed a small pouch of Gobstones and set up a makeshift board on the garden table. The rules were simple: take turns flicking marbles at the other player's Gobstones, trying to knock them into a small hole in the center. If you lose the game, your marble will squirt a putrid smell onto you.
Laughter and friendly banter filled the air as they played round after round. Elmi showed Harry some tricks to improve his aim, like adjusting the angle and force of his flick.
As the games progressed, each of them took their turn being the reigning champions. Finally, it came down to a match between Harry and Elmi. Harry managed to flick one of Elmi's Gobstones right into the hole, sealing his victory.
With a triumphant grin, Harry declared, "I win! I am the KING! I-AM-THE-KING!!!
Elmi chuckled and shook his hand in congratulations. "Well played, Harry. Well played. Yes, you are the king."