Chapter 843 - 844

No matter the answer, this is not a good sign; it means that Voldemort has set his sights on Harry. Harry has no other choice but to remain pitifully at the Dursley's home, praying that the Ministry of Magic doesn't dismiss him. This feeling of powerlessness agitates him greatly, but what's even more agitating is Uncle Vernon's reaction.

Unexpectedly, the person who once tried to kill Harry's parents has returned to Uncle Vernon. After the recent dementor attack on his precious son, he immediately decides to kick Harry out of the house. Harry had expected this from Uncle Vernon, but what truly surprises him is that they receive an owl letter, a Howler, and this letter is addressed to Aunt Petunia.

After a long silence, the red envelope bursts into flames, and a fearful voice emanates from the burning letter, filling the entire kitchen and echoing in the confined space, uttering just a few words, "You finally remember me, Petunia!"

Harry doesn't understand what this means or why Aunt Petunia has any connection to wizards. She grasped the significance of Voldemort's name and knew about Azkaban and dementors long before Harry mentioned them. For the first time since birth, Harry fully realizes that Aunt Petunia is his mother's elder sister. He can't help but feel this intensely at this moment, though he only knows that something related to Voldemort's return is happening.

What astonishes Harry even more is Aunt Petunia's reaction. After hearing those words, she quickly regains her usual demeanor of cold pride. She persuades Uncle Vernon, who is hissing angrily, to agree to let Harry stay. She orders Harry to return to his room and sleep. He has been lying there since yesterday evening.

Aunt Petunia delivers three meals a day to his room through a small trap door that Uncle Vernon installed three years ago. Every time Harry hears Aunt Petunia's footsteps approaching, he wants to ask her about the Howler and what it means. But asking her these questions would be as useful as asking a doorknob. Besides delivering food, the entire Dursley family avoids his bedroom. Harry realizes that staying with them doesn't serve any purpose and would only lead to more useless arguments and possibly violating the law by using magic.

Harry writes letters to Sirius, Evan, Ron, and Hermione, inquiring about his situation and when he can leave. He sends these letters with Hedwig, but as of now, there has been no reply. It's like tossing a stone into the sea.

Harry sighs and falls back onto his bed, preparing to let himself drift off to sleep. This routine continues for three days, during which Harry experiences periods of restlessness and anger. He paces in his bedroom, his mind filled with frustration towards everyone in the house. At other times, he's completely listless, spending hours lying in bed or sitting in a chair, absentmindedly staring at the ceiling, dreading his impending trial at the Ministry of Magic. What if the verdict goes against him? What if they break his wand? Where will he go?

Living with the Dursleys as he did before is not an option for Harry; he has seen another world, his true world. Could he move in with the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor? Sirius had suggested it more than once, but each summer, Harry had other obligations, accompanying Evan on risky adventures around the world.

Harry is angry with Evan and Sirius for not taking him with them. He feels that he is strong enough and has proven himself trustworthy. He had friends like Ron and Hermione who were better at magic than he was. But Dumbledore never agreed to let him go, even though Harry had done a lot to prove his trustworthiness. His requests to see Dumbledore during the last semester had been rejected, despite his efforts to show that he was responsible enough.

After Hedwig leaves on the fourth night, Harry falls into a listless state. He lies on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his weary mind almost blank. Suddenly, Uncle Vernon enters his room. Harry slowly turns to look at him. Uncle Vernon is dressed in his best Western-style clothes, wearing a smug expression.

"We're leaving, boy," he says.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Harry responds.

"We, meaning your Aunt Petunia, Dudley, and I, are leaving."

"Alright," Harry says dryly, his heavy eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"We're leaving, but you cannot leave your room."

"Alright."

"You cannot touch the television, make noise, or touch any of our things."

"Okay."

"And you're not allowed to sneak into the refrigerator for food."

"No problem," Harry says listlessly, as Uncle Vernon eyes him suspiciously.

"I must lock your door."

"Fine, lock it."

Uncle Vernon continues to stare at Harry, clearly puzzled by his compliance. Then, he leaves the room, locking the door behind him. Harry hears the key turn in the lock and listens as Uncle Vernon's heavy footsteps recede downstairs. After a few minutes, he hears the sound of the front door closing, the rumble of the engine, and the unmistakable sound of their car driving away.

For Harry, their departure doesn't make much of a difference. They might as well not be home; he can't even muster the energy to turn on the bedroom lamp. The room gradually grows darker, and Harry lies there, listening to the sounds around him. The empty house makes creaking noises, and the water in the pipes flows. Harry lies on the bed, feeling numb, with no thoughts and a heavy heart. He forces himself to sleep, just as he has been doing for the past few days.

Then, he hears footsteps in the corridor outside his room. Someone has arrived. It's too soon for the Dursleys to be back, and he hasn't heard their car return. Harry sits up abruptly, grabbing his wand from the headboard. Are these burglars, thieves, or Voldemort's followers?

The next moment, the door lock clicks, and Harry's bedroom door is flung open. Harry jumps in fright. In the dim light, he sees a familiar figure entering— it's Evan!

After receiving the Lupin letter, Evan and Hermione returned to Britain immediately and encountered Dementors attacking on the third day. They were rescued by Mr. Weasley and Professor Moody at the airport, and the group proceeded directly to 12 Grimmauld Place. The location served as the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, and it was quite different from what they had seen a month ago.

The entire Weasley family had relocated from The Burrow, and many members of the Order of the Phoenix were also present. Evan and Hermione learned about these recent changes from Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. Before they discussed anything further, they noted significant changes in the protective magic surrounding Harry, which had become a matter of great concern.

Public opinion had turned against them, with the "Daily Prophet" reporting on the situation. The Ministry of Magic was doing everything in its power to suppress Dumbledore, who had not only resigned as Hogwarts headmaster but also relinquished all his other duties. On another front, Sirius was sending weekly letters from Norway, but they were very cautious about what they revealed and only asked for assistance in taking care of Harry, leaving out any other details about his activities.

The communication between Lupin and the werewolves remained a mystery, as he would occasionally return but appeared visibly exhausted. Evan and Hermione hadn't seen him for several days.

Unfortunately, Ron and his three friends were not privy to much information due to their exclusion from Order meetings. Fred and George tried to eavesdrop, but the information they obtained was quite limited. They weren't even aware of the specifics regarding Harry's stay at the Dursleys'.

Evan learned that the biggest change was related to Percy. When Hermione asked about Percy's whereabouts, the Weasley siblings exchanged somber glances, and Ron cautioned them not to mention Percy in front of their parents and Harry.

"Why?" Hermione asked, perplexed.

"Because," Ron began, his voice catching a bit, "whenever Percy is mentioned, Dad clenches whatever he's holding and Mum bursts into tears."

"It's really awful," Ginny added sadly.

"In short," George chimed in with a wry expression, "we think we've finally gotten rid of him."

"Did something happen to Percy?" Hermione inquired.

Evan knew exactly what had happened. Fudge had likely lured Percy over to his side, and Percy had apparently made a decisive move to align with the Ministry of Magic.

"Shortly after you two left, at the end of the first week of the semester," Ron explained, eyeing Evan and Hermione with a complex expression, "we were getting ready to join the Order of the Phoenix when Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted."

"How is that even possible?" Hermione asked in surprise. "Aren't they investigating Percy?"

In the matter of Barty Crouch, Percy had failed in his duties as a supervisor quite seriously. He hadn't realized that his boss was under Voldemort's control, which had led to his poor performance at the Ministry of Magic. In normal circumstances, Percy's career at the Ministry should have been over before it even began. During their stay in Egypt, Bill had told Evan that Mrs. Weasley was hoping to find Percy a job at Gringotts. Evan had even considered having Percy work at "Hogwarts: A History" instead.

But now, upon his return, Percy had decided to make a public relations comeback.

"We were quite surprised, too," George said, "because Percy had caused quite a stir with the Crouch incident. They said Percy should have realized Crouch's mental instability and promptly reported it to higher authorities. But you know Percy; Crouch gave him a significant responsibility, and he was looking forward to it."

"But how could they promote him?" Hermione wondered.

"We were wondering the same thing," Ron continued, "when he came home looking all smug, it was usually a cause for concern. Imagine, he told Dad that they'd given him a position working directly under Minister Fudge. For a recent Hogwarts graduate, that's quite a prestigious job: Assistant Minister! He probably expected Dad to be thrilled."

"But Dad wasn't," Fred said with a touch of melancholy. "Fudge was raging at the Ministry, forbidding anyone from having any contact with Dumbledore. You know how Dumbledore's reputation in the Ministry has been dragged through the mud recently."

"Yeah, they think he's intentionally spreading news about Voldemort's return to provoke chaos," George added.

"Dad said that Fudge made it clear that no one at the Ministry could associate with anyone connected to Dumbledore," Fred said. "The problem is, Fudge suspected Dad of having a close relationship with Dumbledore. He also knew we were supporting Dumbledore, and he thought Dad was a bit strange, especially since he was advocating for Muggles."

Hermione nodded, understanding the situation. She remained silent, sitting beside Evan.

"After Percy announced this news," Ron continued, "Dad thought it over. He believed Fudge had placed Percy in that position to keep an eye on our family, even to monitor Dumbledore."

"Without a doubt, Percy wouldn't have wanted to hear that," Evan remarked, well aware of Percy's temperament.

"Exactly," George agreed. "When he heard what Dad had to say, he was furious. He spouted a whole bunch of nasty words at Dad." Ron paused and then let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, he said that ever since he joined the Ministry, he'd worked tirelessly, trying to get rid of Dad and bring shame to our family. He even said that Dad had no ambition, making us live in poverty. And, you know what? He's not entirely wrong about that..."

Ron's justification fell flat, and Ginny let out an angry sigh. "Percy has gone too far!"

"It got even worse afterward," Fred continued. "He told Dad and Dumbledore that they were foolishly clinging to our family. He claimed Dumbledore was going to cause trouble soon, and they'd both end up in trouble."

"Doesn't he know that Voldemort has returned?" Evan asked.

"He probably does, but he doesn't care," George replied mockingly. "Clever Percy thinks he knows where his loyalty should lie, and it's with the Ministry of Magic. He said that if our parents insisted on betraying the Ministry, he'd make sure to cut ties with our family. That night, he packed his bags and left. He's currently living in London."