LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Harry's Days Seem Rough
The owl was, of course, the same one Hagrid had left behind.
But now
Its vision and thoughts were entirely under control.
Inside Charlie's mind
A grand scene unfolded.
Above the clouds.
Between towering buildings.
Gliding effortlessly.
Overlooking everything.
Humans and buildings alike appeared minuscule in Charlie's mind.
To be fair
Charlie had long been capable of flying.
After all, he could seamlessly enter his Animagus form
Transforming into a fire dragon.
But in the human world, that was hardly a viable option.
If a fire dragon were to soar through the sky
The Ministry of Magic's Aurors would likely have a bounty on him within half a day.
Controlling animals was simply more convenient.
Charlie had actually wanted to visit his younger brother for quite some time.
Deep down
There was still a trace of emotion.
But traveling had been too inconvenient before, and his own body too small, so he had put it off.
Now, things were different.
After mastering the Soul Parasite Technique, going anywhere felt effortless
Like returning home.
…
Privet Drive.
Inside a house.
There was a noisy commotion
As if a party was in full swing.
A plump woman, dressed in bright clothes
Was swaying her body.
It was called dancing, but it was no different from jumping around aimlessly
"Hey, Dudley, how do you think your aunt's dancing is?"
The person dancing was Marge, Harry's uncle's sister.
In other words, she was Dudley's aunt.
Harry also called her "Aunt Marge."
At this moment, it was Dudley's birthday.
Aunt Marge had come all the way from the countryside to celebrate with him.
Dudley didn't even lift his head, too focused on examining the gift Marge had brought him
A toy robot.
"Oh, I'm sure it looks great. My wonderful aunt," Dudley replied absentmindedly.
Harry's aunt, Petunia, and uncle, Vernon, were also indulging themselves in food.
Though neither of them had spared Marge a glance
Their words of flattery didn't stop.
"Marge, your dancing is the most unique I've ever seen."
"Oh, you two have such great taste! I absolutely adore you!"
Marge was completely lost in admiration for her own dance moves.
Harry, sitting nearby, was eating his food
A piece of dry bread, chewing on it like wax.
He watched Aunt Marge with disdain.
This time, Marge had brought Harry a gift too
A box of dog biscuits.
Of course, Harry had no intention of eating them.
One glance was enough before he set them aside.
Harry was now ten years old.
He was nothing like Charlie.
When his parents had their accident, Harry had no sense of self-awareness
Or rather, no memory of it.
For as long as he could remember, he had been living in Uncle Vernon's house.
His aunt and uncle were never particularly kind to him
Especially Vernon, who sometimes treated Harry quite harshly.
Harry never understood why.
Sometimes, he wished they would treat him the way they treated their son, Dudley
As their own child, throwing him birthday parties and all.
But after all these years, he had long given up hope.
At this point, all he wanted was for Dudley and Marge
To not cause too much trouble for him.
But, of course
The things you least want to happen
Are always the things that happen.
Marge had a bulldog.
She took it with her almost everywhere.
Today was no exception.
Even for Dudley's birthday, she had traveled from the countryside with the dog in tow.
Harry stood up.
He wanted to get himself a glass of water
The dry bread was just too hard to swallow.
But in an instant
He seemed to step on something.
"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"
A series of barks erupted.
Harry flinched.
Turning around, he saw that the large dog was already in an aggressive stance.
Harry was terrified.
He turned and ran.
"Aunt Petunia, help me!"
The dog lunged forward, chasing after him.
Harry, still just a ten-year-old boy
Was utterly frightened as the massive dog pursued him.
He called out for his aunt
But no reply came.
Petunia glanced at Harry, a flicker of hesitation flashing through her eyes.
"Just let him be, the dog won't hurt him. They're just playing,"
Vernon's voice cut in before she could say anything.
Vernon sucked his fingers, as if still unsatisfied with his meal
Then wiped the grease off on his napkin.
"Darling, grab me another slice of pizza, will you? Thanks."
"Oh, of course."
Petunia said no more and went to fetch pizza from the oven for her husband.
As for Harry's cousin, Dudley
He hadn't looked at Harry once throughout the entire ordeal.
And Marge
Far from being concerned
Looked pleased.
As if her dog's behavior
Was something to be proud of.
"You little brat,"
Marge muttered before going back to her dancing.
Outside the house
Harry sprinted as fast as he could.
His eyes were starting to water.
A wave of despair washed over him.
Why was no one helping him?
The dog chased him relentlessly
It looked like it could pounce at any moment.
Finally
Harry spotted a glimmer of hope not far away.
A tree.
Not too tall, just a few meters ahead.
If he could climb it fast enough, the dog wouldn't be able to get him.
Fortunately, Harry was fairly agile.
With a leap, he grabbed onto a branch and scrambled up.
"Haah…"
He gasped for breath, drenched in sweat.
His body trembled from exhaustion.
He had pushed himself to the limit in that desperate chase.
It was lucky he had managed to climb the tree
Avoiding being bitten.
But at the same time, he was also unlucky.
Because the dog
Didn't leave.
Instead, it fixed its eyes on him
Pacing around the tree, waiting for him to fall.
After catching his breath, Harry looked down at the persistent dog
And felt another wave of hopelessness.
His uncle and aunt
Clearly had no intention of calling the dog back.
Meanwhile…
Charlie
Still inhabiting the owl's body
Had been flying for quite some time.
The peaceful night sky
Was streaked by the silhouette of an owl, cutting through the heavens like a shooting star.
"Almost there."
"It's been nine years… That kid must have grown quite a bit."