days at Hogwarts

Chapter 273 Harry’s summer vacation surprises

The holidays in July were a bit sultry, and no one had watered them in the past month. Some of the branches of the sycamore tree planted by Bates behind the courtyard were withered by the sun, but they were not completely dead. They were hanging on the trunk with some remaining vitality.The leaves are dry and hard in the sun, and occasionally a gust of wind blows by, making a rustling sound.

Bates was so distressed that he went to the gardening store every day to ask the store clerk how to save the trees so that they would bloom with purple pom-pom flowers next year.

The Granger couple's dental clinic is not in peace either. They accumulated a lot of patients during their vacation in Egypt and did not deal with it. Now that they have reopened, they are so busy that they have had dinner at Loren's house these days.

Loren and Hermione have been catching up on their summer homework these days, especially Hermione. She completely overturned the outline of the history of magic paper she had prepared before, and planned to condense the ancient history of magic in Egypt into her own paper.

Loren said she was torturing the old professor Binns.

On the morning of July 7, in Hampstead Gardens on the outskirts of the city, in the Granger family villa.

Loren leaned on the armrest of the sofa, put the phone receiver to his ear, and waited for the answer before speaking: "Hello? Hello, I'm looking for Harry Potter."

A middle-aged woman's voice came from the other side of the phone: "Wait a minute, he is upstairs opening the birthday gift he received today."

Then the voice moved farther away, lower in volume but higher in pitch: "Harry! Your friends are looking for you!"

From further away, a smaller Harry's voice came: "Here it comes! Aunt Petunia!"

After a clicking sound came downstairs, the receiver was handed to another person's hand, and Harry's voice was full of joy: "Hello?"

"Happy birthday, Harry," Loren said.

This sentence suddenly opened Harry's long-closed chat box, and he started chattering non-stop: "Loren! I knew you were back. Hanhan flew away in the evening five days ago, and Hathaway didn't either. I went looking for it and received gifts and greeting cards in the early hours of this morning. I was still thinking about contacting you. How about Egypt? Is it fun? Have you met Ron? By the way, thank you and Hermione for sending it. The Broomstick Care Kit, I love it!”

"Oh!" Loren held the receiver a little further away. "You sound like you haven't spoken to anyone in a month."

Harry's tone was gloomy: "If I could also travel to Egypt, instead of staying here with my Muggle relatives and taking care of two owls flying around all day long, then I probably wouldn't be so depressed.

Otherwise, what can I do? Tell my Muggle aunt and uncle about the history of burning witches in the fourteenth century, or tell my Muggle cousin about the headache-inducing shrinking potion. I can only talk to Hanhan and Heather every day. Wei talks, but they always stay up at night. "

Loren: "..."

The strong resentment seemed to be turning into substance and spreading along the phone line.

After a moment of silence, Loren coughed twice and changed the subject: "How are you getting along with your aunt's family? Do you still have a headache?"

"It's the same as before." Harry let out a long sigh. "I can't accept their love calmly, nor can I be angry with them calmly. You know, Aunt Petunia still let me move to the bedroom upstairs. Well, Uncle Vernon actually prepared a birthday present and cake for me. Well, although most of the cake was eaten by Dudley...

Aunt Petunia actually said she would take me to the zoo, but I didn't agree.If I had dreamed about this scene two years ago, I would have immediately realized that it was a dream. "

"Last time you wrote to me and told me to get along with them like strangers, I tried, but I couldn't... To be honest, I would rather they treat me like they did two years ago, then I would feel better Better off.”

Harry's tone was complicated, a mixture of hatred, disgust, and discomfort with this kind of care.He has always longed for family affection, but has never experienced real family affection. When family affection comes in such a way, Harry cannot let go of the past and is full of entanglements.

Loren didn't have any good suggestions for this: "If you don't feel comfortable getting along with each other, then spend less time together."

"That's what I do now. I stay in my room alone when I have free time." Harry sighed regretfully, "It's hard for me to believe it. There's still one month left before school starts. My homework has been finished."

"Hermione must be very envious of you. She is having a headache over her history of magic thesis." Loren said with a smile.

"You must be joking. Hermione will have a headache over the History of Magic paper? Will she have a headache and be unable to write down her thoughts on the parchment?"

"Absolutely. She plans to condense the history of ancient Egyptian magic into her thesis. She is expected to write several more volumes of parchment."

"Hahaha, this is indeed what Hermione would do." Harry said, "Is she around? I want to say a few words to her."

"Actually, this is Granger's phone number. Wait a minute." Loren shouted towards the study, "Hermione, Hermione! Harry wants to say a few words to you."

Hermione heard the sound and ran out of the study with a quill in her hand. She took the phone from Loren: "Harry, happy birthday!"

"Thank you Hermione!" When someone changed, Harry's conversation became more interesting again. He asked Loren's unanswered question to Hermione again, "How was your trip to Egypt? Did you meet Ron or the others?"

"Oh, actually it's very complicated. We didn't meet Ron, but we met his eldest brother, Bill Weasley. We also met Professor Babling of Ancient Runes, who participated in the development of a pyramid ruins. , I can’t tell you the specific situation, Professor Babling asked us to keep it secret.”

Hermione said and glared at Loren. While she was talking on the phone, the man took out his quill and drew a little turtle on her hand.

"It must be a very exciting adventure!" Harry's eyes turned green with envy.

"What about you, how was your birthday?" Hermione asked.

"Excellent! I like all your gifts. Ron gave me a looking glass, and Sirius gave me a Firebolt. I just happened to try out your broomstick care kit."

Recalling the three-digit price tag I saw in the Quidditch supplies store that day, it was an old-style broomstick. The price of the Firebolt was negotiable...

Hermione fell into silence for a while. Pure-blood families were really rich.

Look at Loren who painted little turtles on his nails. Well, this man is also rich.

"By the way, have you received the book list for next semester from the school? The textbook for Care of Magical Creatures is very interesting. Hagrid has already sent it to me."

"Really? I can't wait to preview the content for next semester. But we haven't received it yet. I guess the owl is still on the way."

……

"Speaking of birthdays, I remember Loren's birthday is August [-]th, which is coming soon. I'm hesitant about what birthday gift to give Loren. He doesn't seem to like Quidditch very much. You know him better. Do you have any suggestions? ?”

Listening to Harry's voice over there, Hermione glanced at Loren calmly. This fool was still painting the back of the little turtle black: "Birthday gifts can be given by friends."

"It makes sense, then I'll think about it."

"Ah."

Suddenly there was a vague voice over there, and Harry's voice became a little flustered: "Okay, let's stop talking today. I'm going to discuss with my aunt and uncle about hosting Aunt Maggie. Goodbye Hermione."

"Again-" Before Hermione could finish her farewell, the other party had already hung up the phone.

Loren watched Hermione put down the receiver and took her other hand out of her own. A cleaning spell washed away the turtles painted on it, making it white and tender again, and then the white and soft hand Pressed it on his face...

4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.

"Aunt Marge?" Harry blurted out, standing at the edge of the table, as if he had been punched. "She - she's coming here tomorrow?"

Aunt Maggie is Uncle Vernon's sister. She lives in a house with a large garden in the country and has many bulldogs. She doesn't come to Privet Drive often, but every time she visits, Harry is horrified. The impression is still fresh in my memory.

At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Maggie used her crutch to hit Harry's calf hard, just to prevent him from beating Dudley in the game... There were many such things, and the last time was Harry The year before he went to Hogwarts, Harry accidentally stepped on the paw of her precious dog. The dog chased him outside into the garden and climbed a tree. It took Aunt Maggie midnight to get him out. The dog barked back.To this day, Dudley still laughs until he bursts into tears whenever he thinks about it.

Aunt Peggy looked at him with a very strange expression, and Harry was in a daze. He couldn't remember what he said to Uncle Vernon. In short, during the week when Aunt Maggie came to live, he had to behave Just like ordinary middle school students.

Harry went upstairs to his bedroom glumly. He slowly gathered up all the gifts and birthday cards, as well as the homework, magic books... Thanks to Loren, at least the storage scales saved him from digging a hole. Hide these things.

After packing up, Harry walked towards Hedwig's cage. Next to him was Ron's Errol, an old owl who was exhausted from delivering him birthday gifts and was now sleeping with Hedwig. Zhengxiang, head buried in the wings.

"Hedwig, Hedwig!" Harry slapped the snowy owl awake with a frown on his face, "I'm afraid you have to go away for a week, so you can send Errol back with him. I'm afraid it will have an accident on the way, and Ron will take care of you. .I will write a text message to Ron and explain the matter to him clearly."

<divclass="contentadv">Snowy Owl Hedwig's big amber eyes were full of blame.

Harry apologized: "I'm sorry, but we can't let Aunt Maggie find you..."

Ten minutes later, Errol and Hathaway flew out the window together with a text message for Ron.

The next day, nine in the morning.

"Okay, Petunia, I'm going to pick up Maggie at the station." Uncle Vernon said, standing up awkwardly, "Dada, do you want to go for a ride with me?"

"I don't want to." Dudley spoke to his father rudely.

"Dada is dressed up beautifully today. It will definitely make her happy to meet Auntie at the station. There is also a beautiful bow tie that Mummy bought for you." Aunt Petunia combed Dudley's thick golden hair with her hands. Hair, leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Maybe Aunt Maggie will be happy and give you a lot of pocket money."

Dudley stood up immediately, his fleshy body trembling and followed Vernon, and together they went to the station to pick someone up.

Harry sat blankly on the sofa, with the settlement animation of Dudley's failed game in front of him. He actually didn't care what was in front of him or what was happening around him. He planned to cope with it in this state for a whole week.

Aunt Petunia walked to the TV and packed up Dudley's game console. Her skinny figure dangled in front of Harry and said calmly: "I don't really like Maggie very much."

"Huh?" Harry slowly came to his senses.

"Her dog always chews up carpets, sofas, curtains and tablecloths. She always gives human tableware to dogs, some of which are very expensive... The dog's saliva and urine spilled on the floor, and I had to clean it up for a long time. Only then can it be cleaned.”

"But, why..."

"Because she is Vernon's sister." Aunt Petunia finished, put the game controller back in the cabinet, turned and walked back to the kitchen, where she was going to start preparing today's lunch.

Harry froze in place.

The TV was disconnected from the game console, and the broadcast signal reoccupied the TV screen. The newscaster was inserting a news:

"...The public is reminded that Lestrange and Peter are armed and extremely dangerous. A dedicated hotline has been set up and anyone who sees the two is asked to report it immediately."

In the blink of an eye, there was the crunching sound of gravel being crushed outside. Uncle Vernon's car slowly turned into the driveway. Several people got out and walked along the garden path.

"Get to the door!" Aunt Petunia said to Harry in a low voice.

Harry went over and opened the door dejectedly, and there stood Aunt Maggie at the door.

She looked a lot like Uncle Vernon, tall and stocky, with a purple face and even a mustache, but not as thick as Uncle Vernon's.

She was carrying a suitcase in one hand and cradling a grumpy old bulldog in the other.

"Petunia!" Aunt Maggie strode past Harry as if she couldn't see him.

Aunt Maggie and Aunt Petunia kissed each other, a kiss, but Aunt Maggie bumped her big chin hard against Aunt Petunia's thin, dry cheekbone.

Harry's eyes welled up with tears when he saw Aunt Petunia in pain.Maggie and Vernon probably thought they were tears after a long separation, and they both laughed happily.

By the time Harry carried Maggie's suitcase upstairs and came back down, they were already sitting together enjoying tea and snacks, and the old bulldog Lippi was purring in the corner to drink more tea.

Harry saw Aunt Petunia frown slightly as the dog spilled tea and drool onto the clean floor.

The people at the table were chatting, but as soon as Harry sat down, Lippi yelled at him as if he were an outsider in the house.

This made Aunt Maggie's attention turn to Harry for the first time, and she yelled: "Why are you still here!"

"Yes." Thinking of Aunt Peggy's words, Harry forced a forced smile towards her.

"Don't smile at me!" shouted Aunt Maggie. "I can see that you haven't improved at all since the last time I saw you. I was hoping that going to school would teach you some rules."

She took a sip of tea and wiped her mustache: "Vernon, tell me again, where did you send him to school?"

"Hogwarts, a first-class school for young delinquents." Uncle Vernon immediately said.

"Got it," Aunt Maggie yelled across the table, "Do they use whips at Hogwarts, kid?"

"Used." Harry thought of the words that Administrator Filch had used to threaten them, and added with a smile, "Mr. Administrator will hang the students by their thumbs from the ceiling, and then whip them. "

Aunt Petunia's eyes widened immediately. This was different from what Lily said. Hogwarts had been restructured?

"That's great." Aunt Maggie said, "I don't want to listen to those boring sermons about why corporal punishment is not allowed, and some things should be spanked. In 99% of the cases, just slap them away. It can solve the problem..."

Aunt Maggie was still chattering, claiming she was going to write to the school to intensify the caning.

Harry thought that this person would get along well with Filch, and Filch thought so too, but letters written by parents to the school were usually read by Professor McGonagall or Principal Dumbledore, and they would probably throw the letter away. Enter the fireplace.

In this way, Aunt Maggie settled at No. 4 Privet Drive. She always took the opportunity to pick on Harry and scolded him loudly. Sometimes Harry even missed the days before, at least without Maggie.

Maggie frequently dropped insinuations about why Harry was such a loser.

"Vernon, don't blame yourself for this child becoming like this. If something inside his bones is broken, no one can do anything about him."

……

"This is a basic law of inheritance that is often seen in dogs. If there is something wrong with the female dog, the puppies will definitely not be much better."

……

Harry suppressed his anger until the last day.

It was a sumptuous dinner that day, and while Aunt Petunia curled her orchid fingers and enjoyed her after-dinner coffee, Dudley was eating his fourth cookie.

Aunt Maggie smacked her lips, burped loudly, and patted her big belly: "Excuse me, but I'm so happy to see a healthy boy, Dada, you will become a strong man, just Like your dad."

"Look at this one again," she tilted her head towards Harry, "this one looks like a wimp with the eyes of a roe-headed rat. Some dogs are like this. I drowned one last year. It looked like a little mouse and was sick. Waiwai, stunted development.

Like I said, it's all genetic.Bad genetics will show up sooner or later. "

Aunt Petunia's smile became forced and ugly. She finally put down the coffee in her hand and looked at Maggie coldly.

"Oh, Petunia, I'm not saying anything bad about your family." Maggie patted Petunia's bony hand with a shovel-like hand, "But your sister is such a scum. Sometimes good families show up. Such a person later eloped with a scoundrel, and the result is now sitting in front of us.

That guy named Potter, a good-for-nothing, a slacker, a liar, a good-for-nothing, they gave birth to this lying scoundrel and became a burden to these decent, hard-working relatives! "

Aunt Maggie became more and more angry. She looked into Harry's angry eyes and screamed: "You rude, ungrateful little -"

When Harry heard these words, he felt a strong impulse in his heart. He couldn't help but tremble in his hands. Anger surged up in his blood, making his head feel a little swollen and painful.

The world fell silent, everything slowed down, and Harry could see the wine dripping down the tablecloth and onto the floor, making uneven splashes.

He saw Aunt Petunia's mouth opening and closing, her long, thin pony face flushed, and she was arguing loudly with Maggie.

Some kind of powerful energy cheered around the whole body. They were flowing rapidly, filling the small house, responding to Harry's will, and moving like an arm...