On Tuesday morning, Uncle Arthur had asked a friend at the Floo Network Management Office to help him 'temporarily' open a connection to the Dursleys' fireplace.
"Isn't connecting the Floo Network to ordinary people's fireplaces illegal, Uncle? How did you manage it?" Aiden asked with genuine puzzlement.
"Friends!" Arthur replied with a mysterious smile.
"Aiden! Our beautiful little brother," George announced dramatically as he approached.
"Are you really not going to change into more wizard-like clothes?" Fred asked, hooking arms with George in their typical twin fashion.
The Aiden before them was wearing a crisp white shirt, brown jeans, and clean white sneakers. If not for the distinctive dragon horns on his head, walking down any street he would most likely be mistaken for an ordinary handsome modern teenager.
"We can't visit Harry's relatives while wearing wizard robes, can we? Don't the Dursleys despise wizards?" Aiden asked with logical confusion.
Arthur, who had been eavesdropping on the children's conversation, was already reconsidering whether he should change his own traditional outfit.
Meanwhile, Vernon had also risen early that morning, putting on his finest suit. Though it might appear to be out of politeness, Harry knew perfectly well that Vernon was simply trying to show off his supposed superiority.
With the distinctive sound of magical flames being swept by strong winds and roaring through the network, Vernon had expected guests to arrive by conventional automobile, but they unexpectedly materialized in his family's sealed fireplace.
Since the Dursleys had recently installed a modern electric fireplace, they had completely sealed off the connection between the old hearth and chimney.
"Damn it, someone actually sealed their fireplace completely. How are they supposed to add firewood?" Arthur's genuinely puzzled voice echoed from inside the blocked stove.
"Because they installed an electric heater," Harry explained from outside with growing amusement.
"Hmm, a heating device with a plug? Wait, I absolutely must get a proper look at it when I get out. Children, step back for safety."
Mr. Weasley warned them, then used a powerful Blasting Curse to demolish the Dursleys' carefully constructed wall.
Earth, stone fragments, and bricks accompanied by thick smoke and choking dust filled the entire pristine room. The cleanliness-obsessed Petunia immediately fainted onto the sofa from shock.
"Oh, you must be the Dursley family. Hello there, don't worry at all; I'll repair everything later," Arthur greeted everyone with graceful politeness despite the destruction.
The twins, Ron and Aiden, also emerged from the rubble-filled fireplace. Aiden casually snapped his fingers, casting a subtle Cleaning Charm on himself to remove the dust.
Harry could clearly see from Mr. Weasley's excited eyes that he was desperately eager to examine the television and DVD player scattered on the floor.
The twins cheerfully went to help Harry move his packed luggage, while Mr. Weasley attempted polite conversation with the shell-shocked Vernon in the devastated living room.
"Oh, your lives are so fascinatingly different from ours. I've always wanted to understand how your technology progresses. My nephew told me about these remarkable inventions..."
Arthur excitedly engaged Vernon in conversation. Vernon could only respond awkwardly while dealing with Arthur's enthusiastic curiosity, his small eyes occasionally sizing up that unnaturally attractive horned boy.
Noticing Vernon's uncomfortable stare, Aiden diplomatically intervened to restrain Arthur's overwhelming enthusiasm.
"Uncle, asking people so many questions at once makes it difficult for them to organize coherent answers."
Arthur, who had been carried away by excitement, also calmed down considerably, and the two men's strained conversation gradually returned to something resembling normalcy.
While the twins were helping Harry gather his belongings upstairs, they encountered the arrogant Dudley lounging in the hallway. The two exchanged meaningful glances and identical mischievous smiles.
Obviously, the pair was planning to teach a well-deserved lesson to Dudley, who had been systematically bullying their beloved surrogate brother since early childhood.
Before George entered the fireplace with Harry's heavy luggage, he used subtle magic to extract two innocent-looking candies from his pocket and casually dropped them on the polished floor.
Then both twins disappeared into the emerald flames with Harry's belongings, leaving no trace of their presence.
Sharp-eyed Dudley, who had been systematically starved by the strict diet food during this torturous period, immediately spotted the colorful candies on the ground. He rushed over greedily to scoop them up and stuff them into his mouth without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Harry also stepped confidently into the fireplace. He turned around politely and attempted to say goodbye to Vernon.
Vernon glanced at him with cold indifference without speaking, which made Arthur's expression darken with disapproval.
"Won't you say goodbye? You won't see your nephew until next summer vacation!"
Obviously, Arthur was projecting his own family's loving emotions onto Harry's situation.
Vernon's face turned an alarming shade of purple at being lectured about basic manners by the man who had just demolished his living room, but seeing the threatening wand in Arthur's experienced hand, he still reluctantly mumbled a grudging goodbye to Harry.
Just before Harry stepped into the Floo Network, absolute chaos erupted throughout the house.
Dudley had eagerly consumed the Ton-Tongue Toffees the twins had strategically dropped, and his tongue immediately began swelling dramatically, protruding grotesquely from his mouth like a purple balloon.
Hearing her precious son's urgent, muffled cries of distress, Petunia jolted awake from her faint. "Ah! My precious Dudley!"
She frantically assumed her son had been cursed by some evil witchcraft and began pulling desperately on Dudley's enormously swollen tongue.
Witnessing this perfectly deserved scene, Harry couldn't suppress his delighted laughter, but he wisely decided to leave this complicated matter for Mr. Weasley to handle while also allowing him to witness firsthand how truly terrible the Dursley family could be.
So he threw down his Floo Powder without hesitation and clearly announced, "The Burrow!"
Vernon, seeing his beloved son in this humiliating state, began hurling dishes and household objects at both Arthur and Aiden with mindless fury.
"Sir... Mr. Dursley, please let me through, I can restore him to normal," Arthur kept calling out reasonably.
"Get away from us, you freaks! You're deliberately trying to harm my innocent son," Vernon shouted, throwing dishes continuously like he'd completely lost his mind.
Aiden calmly took responsibility for defense. The hurled dishes were all blocked effortlessly by automatically appearing hexagonal crystal barriers that materialized in the air.
"Petrificus Totalus." Arthur finally took decisive action, casting full-body binding spells on the entire hysterical family.
His face was grim with controlled anger as he walked past the petrified Vernon to carefully restore Dudley's tongue to its normal size and function.
Then he released the Petrification Curse with a flick of his wand, and the traumatized family immediately huddled together while staring at Arthur with pure, undisguised terror.
"I am truly sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. I offer my most sincere apologies for my sons' inexcusable behavior," Arthur said formally, bowing deeply with genuine remorse.
Aiden waved his hand with casual authority, and the scattered dust and broken bricks throughout the living room flew back toward the fireplace as if time itself were reversing.
Arthur guided Aiden through the restored opening, and the damaged fireplace was completely repaired to its original condition.
Back at the warm and welcoming Burrow, Mr. Weasley was absolutely furious with George and Fred.
"Look at what you've done," Harry said quietly, having never seen Mr. Weasley display such intense anger.
Aiden thoughtfully placed a steaming cup of tea beside Arthur, hoping the familiar comfort could help him calm down.
"Do you understand what your behavior represented? Tormenting Muggles for entertainment, this is my personal shame."
Mr. Weasley, who had devoted his entire professional life to opposing Muggle abuse in any form, had been forced to cast spells on innocent Muggles, which made him feel deeply uncomfortable about his own actions.
"Mr. Weasley, please don't be too angry with George and Fred. Dudley brought this punishment on himself entirely. I saw him choose to eat that candy voluntarily. George and Fred simply dropped it accidentally."
Harry, displaying unexpected diplomatic skill, cleverly used seven parts truth mixed with three parts strategic omission to deflect the worst consequences.
"Uncle, you've experienced their behavior yourself. We who master magical power and ordinary people exist in two completely different social systems. If you want them to truly gain meaningful understanding, there are only two realistic paths to pursue," Aiden spoke with meaningful weight, also advocating for the twins' forgiveness.
"Hmph, you two will each write me a six-inch reflection essay about appropriate behavior," Arthur declared.
After both Harry and Aiden pleaded for them, Arthur gradually restrained his righteous anger. At the same time, knowing his two sons' mischievous nature perfectly well, he wisely chose not to inform Molly about this particular incident.
Just then, Percy entered from outside, looking professionally exhausted.
"Phew, Mr. Barty Crouch is incredibly rigorous about everything. He actually reviews work multiple times with extraordinary attention to detail. He truly deserves to be the distinguished head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation," Percy sighed with obvious admiration.
But where he couldn't see them, the twins were secretly making faces and sticking their tongues out at his pompous commentary.
"Percy, you're back safely," Arthur said, seeing his son, who was already working in the professional world. His expression brightened with paternal pride.
The twins exchanged triumphant high-fives, silently celebrating their narrow escape from serious consequences.