Tom handled Harry's luggage and brought him before Fudge in the back room of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Oh, Mr. Potter, pleased to meet you," Fudge said warmly, treating Harry like a generous uncle would.
"Uh, I'm very sorry, Minister. When are you planning to expel me, and can I take my property with me?" Harry asked nervously.
"Expel you? Why would we do that? How could anyone be expelled for inflating their aunt?" Fudge chuckled, casting a meaningful glance at the hunchbacked Tom. "Right, Tom?"
"Yes, yes," Tom echoed repeatedly, nodding vigorously.
"About your aunt's situation, don't worry—Dumbledore has already sent someone to handle it. As for your property, Gringotts is now very safe under wizard supervision, so it's better to keep it there, isn't it?" Fudge's kindness made Harry feel surprisingly comfortable.
"Then, Minister, could you help me sign my Hogsmeade permission form?" Harry asked hopefully, treating Fudge like a benevolent guardian.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Potter, but this form only works if signed by a legal guardian," Fudge deflected smoothly.
"Well then, you should rest well here and try not to wander around outside the Leaky Cauldron during this time." After speaking, Fudge picked up his hat and walked out.
Meanwhile, on a chimney south of Sheffield, an old man and a delicate-featured young man stood on the rooftop, watching the inflated Marge floating in the air.
Aiden summoned a gentle breeze with his wand, and Marge was blown around like a balloon, occasionally bumping into nearby chimneys with loud thunk sounds.
"Hahaha!" Finally, Aiden couldn't help but laugh out loud, his clear, boyish voice echoing through the air.
Although he had been quite annoyed by Dumbledore's unexpected visit just moments ago, the scene before him made him feel this trip was worthwhile.
"Alright, stop playing, Aiden," Dumbledore said gently.
His magic dispersed the breeze, rescuing Marge from her aerial adventure. A phoenix swooped down, grabbed all three of them, and returned to the Dursley house in a flash of flames.
"Clear their memories, Aiden. Your methods are the most refined I've ever seen—they shouldn't cause any aftereffects," Dumbledore requested.
Snap. A finger snap echoed, and Marge fell unconscious.
"So you do know about aftereffects," Aiden raised an eyebrow.
Dumbledore said nothing, simply using a spell to float Marge back to her bed.
"You—you're Dumbledore!" The Dursley family, hearing the commotion, rushed out from inside the house.
Sharp-eyed Petunia easily recognized the old man who had once visited her home decades ago.
"It's been twenty years, Petunia," Dumbledore said slowly.
"It's you. Are you here to take away my family again?" Petunia protectively pushed Dudley behind her.
"Petunia, your son is too old now, and I'm sorry about what happened back then, but I was powerless to change it," Dumbledore spoke with hidden meaning.
"It has nothing to do with you. It was my own wishful thinking. But now please leave and don't interfere with our lives anymore," Petunia issued a firm eviction order.
Dumbledore sighed and disappeared with Aiden, leaving Petunia to collapse to the ground as if all her strength had been drained.
"Professor Dumbledore, you seem to have something more to say," Aiden observed.
"Aiden, let me ask you something. If there's a Muggle family with two sisters—one a Muggle and one a witch—and they have disagreements because of this difference, what should we do?"
Dumbledore's eyes seemed to be looking into the past, his voice distant and thoughtful.
"Find a way to make the other one a wizard too," Aiden shrugged.
"But no one can do that. The conflict between Muggles and wizards seems irreconcilable," Dumbledore said, somewhat dejected.
"But Professor, why do we always think about confronting ordinary people?" Aiden asked in return.
"Because of magic. Whether one can use magic has almost made us into two different species," Dumbledore revealed the essence of the matter.
"But what if there's a way to let ordinary people join the wizards? Just imagine—which ordinary person could resist the charm of magic? We habitually resort to force for everything. I admit force is convenient, but what if one day, the target of that force is ourselves?" Aiden frowned.
"Aiden, don't step onto a dangerous path," Dumbledore warned.
"No, we need to coexist with ordinary people. Professor, you might not believe it, but in just a few decades, perhaps they'll be able to make wizards have nowhere to hide."
Aiden's tone was serious, but from Dumbledore's expression, he clearly didn't believe it.
"Then I'll look forward to your path of coexistence," Dumbledore said. As he finished speaking, the phoenix took him away from the Dursley house, and Aiden returned to the Burrow.
For the next few weeks, Harry's life had been quite wonderful.
At the Leaky Cauldron, he could not only sleep until he woke up naturally every day but also freely stroll around Diagon Alley.
Harry would visit Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour daily to do his homework. The owner, Florean Fortescue, would not only help Harry with his assignments but also treat him to ice cream.
Since Gringotts had been regulated by wizards through new legislation, its management had become very standardized. Many wizards visiting from the Muggle world brought advanced financial concepts. At the same time, lending services began to appear, and large amounts of capital flowed into the market, making business in Diagon Alley increasingly prosperous.
As the third school year approached, Harry entered Diagon Alley to shop for his school supplies.
At the crystal ball shop, he learned that third-year students had Divination class, which required him to buy a crystal ball. Harry immediately fell in love with the pure gold Gobstones and crystal galaxy model on the shelf, but he resisted the urge to splurge. He only selected the necessary robes and textbooks before leaving.
Passing by Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Harry made his way to Flourish and Blotts.
Because of last year's disastrous launch event for Lockhart, Flourish and Blotts' brand image had been severely damaged. This allowed many second-hand bookstores to rise and quickly seize the market share that Flourish and Blotts had vacated.
"Welcome," said shop assistant Vincent wearily. This was his third part-time job, and it showed.
The exhausted Vincent didn't give Harry a particularly warm look. Judging by Harry's height, he could guess this was another young wizard who needed The Monster Book of Monsters.
"Who on earth made these books required textbooks? I really..." Vincent's complaint was interrupted by Harry.
"Sorry, sir, I don't need that book."
Hearing Harry's words, Vincent's expression immediately brightened completely. He quickly packed Harry's other textbooks and thoughtfully tied them with ribbon.
Under Vincent's suddenly 'affectionate' gaze, Harry left the bookstore.
Returning to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry spotted a familiar scene: a cat chasing a rat through the common room.
Seeing two very familiar figures, Harry showed a knowing smile.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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