The Dursleys were having dinner. On the table were shortbread, fried cod, sausages, and vegetable soup. Dudley also had a fragrant portion of mashed potatoes.
"I don't want this!" Dudley threw a tantrum. "I want cheese on toast! And I want roast meat!"
"I'll make it tomorrow morning, Duddikins," Petunia looked at her chubby son with affection. "You need to eat well and get plump before school starts."
She always thought her son wouldn't get enough to eat at school.
"I want roast meat now! Or I'm not eating!"
Dudley stubbornly insisted, and tears quickly welled up in his eyes, as if he'd suffered a grave injustice.
Petunia Dursley immediately panicked. "Alright, alright, just a moment. Mummy will make you roast meat right away."
She got up to go to the kitchen. Just then, the whole family heard the doorbell ring.
"Who's visiting today?" Petunia asked, puzzled.
"No guests... maybe it's the postman."
Vernon initially wanted to tell Harry to open the door, but suddenly remembered the boy was locked up. He reluctantly pushed his chair back and went to open the door himself.
Standing outside the door were two strangers, one tall and one small, both well-dressed and distinguished, and neither carrying mail.
"Hello."
Vernon's annoyance at having his dinner interrupted quickly dissipated when he saw who it was.
He began to rack his brain... Was the man in front of him a business partner he knew?
Vernon politely asked, "Can I help you, sir?"
Petunia heard the voice and came out of the kitchen. Seeing the man at the door, she felt a sense of familiarity.
"Hello, Mr. Dursley," Lupin said coolly. "I do have something important to discuss, but it's not with you."
Vernon wasn't sure what was happening, but he involuntarily stepped aside, watching this man whose name he didn't even know walk into his house.
"Wait—who are you looking for?"
Vernon hurried to catch up and ask.
Petunia at the door suddenly gasped, her arm trembling as she pointed at Lupin. "You... you... you're... you're the best man..."
"Remus Lupin," Lupin said, looking at the thin woman. "Twelve years, Mrs. Dursley."
Vernon looked at them suspiciously, ultimately trusting his wife more. He asked, bewildered, "You know him, Petunia?"
"Actually, you should know me too, Mr. Dursley."
Lupin walked into the house, scanned the room, and then looked at the owners of the house:
"—We were both at James and Lily's wedding, weren't we?"
Vernon gasped in shock. "You're... you're with that... that... wizard?"
His voice sounded like it was squeezed out of an air tank.
Dudley, who was gnawing on fried cod, let out a shriek. He dropped his plate, frantically clutched his backside, spun around like a headless chicken twice, then plunged into the toilet and locked the door, refusing to come out.
—The last wizard he saw was Hagrid, who had left him with an extra pig's tail as a souvenir, which he eventually had to have surgically removed at a private hospital.
"Oh—my poor Duddikins—"
Petunia rushed over, wanting to comfort her frightened son, but she only heard a "bang," and the toilet door almost hit her face.
Vernon was startled too. He backed away repeatedly, grabbing a dining knife, holding it with both hands pointed at Lupin, and yelled, "What do you want? Get out! Petunia, call the police!"
Lupin couldn't be bothered with them and turned to walk upstairs.
Petunia lunged for the phone, but the receiver was already picked up.
"Calling the police, are we? I can help."
Wade said unhurriedly, "999? Or 116111? I think either would work."
As he spoke, he started dialing the number. But before he could connect, a pair of cold hands pressed down on his.
He looked up to see Petunia's pale face. "Don't call the police... Don't call the police, Vernon..."
"What?" Vernon asked loudly. He wanted to go upstairs to stop Lupin, but also didn't feel comfortable leaving his wife and son, too busy to think.
"Bang!" A loud crash came from upstairs, as if the small bedroom door had been blown open.
Then came Lupin's angry voice: "This is what they feed you?"
Vernon's face was filled with fury, but Petunia's showed a hint of embarrassment.
But they had no choice but to listen to Wade.
"116111 is the hotline for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)."
Wade kindly explained, "This is the only charitable organization in the country with statutory powers."
Vernon stared at him in astonishment, his small eyes darting rapidly.
In the small bedroom, Harry jumped out of bed, staring in terror at the stranger who had suddenly burst through the door.
"You... who are you?"
He frantically grabbed his pillow to shield himself.
"Come with me, Harry," Lupin took a deep breath, his eyes moist as he said, "I'm a friend of your parents... I've come to take you away."
Harry hesitated for only a second before jumping out of bed and grabbing his hand.
To him, there was no worse place on earth than the Dursleys' house. Many times, he thought he would starve to death.
"Wait, Hedwig!"
Harry ran over and picked up his owl cage.
Lupin looked with disgust at the bowl nearby. There was only a clear, watery vegetable soup at the bottom, and the owl's food dish only contained a few wrinkled vegetables.
Downstairs in the living room.
"Of course, you can also dial 999 to call the police, but I must remind you that as guardians, intentionally failing to provide sufficient food, clothing, medical care, or accommodation to a ward under 14 years of age when you have the financial means to do so is against the law."
Wade said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, Harry was locked in a room upstairs, wasn't he? And the windows were boarded up."
"Imprisonment of children, child abuse, and child neglect are all criminal offenses. Physical abuse, emotional abuse, and domestic violence all constitute child abuse. If reported, you will be subject to fines and imprisonment."
"Your actions have already violated the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act, the Guardianship of Children Act, and the Children Act enacted three years ago."
"If you don't believe me, feel free to look it up. Or call the police and let them judge right from wrong."
"I just wonder, if you two are arrested and sent to prison, what will your neighbors think of you? And your Duddikins... what will his situation at school become?"
"You... how do you know all this?" Petunia asked, incredulously. "You're... you're one of them... one of those strange people, aren't you?"
These laws, let alone wizards, even ordinary people didn't know much about them.
"My parents aren't magical either. I grew up in the same environment as you."
Wade slightly raised his voice: "What do you say, Harry? If you choose to call the police, I'm certain this couple will be punished."
The Dursleys spun around in panic, only to see that Harry had already come downstairs with Lupin, at some point unknown to them.
Both were instantly terrified.
Police... prison... Dudley being bullied by his schoolmates... maybe even being expelled...
Their future was suddenly enveloped in a terrifying shadow, and this shadow was brought by the brat they had always disregarded.
Harry's heart churned with hatred.
For a moment, he truly wanted to call the police, to send this couple to prison, to let the whole world know his grievances.
But he opened his mouth, tried to speak several times but couldn't bring himself to do it, finally raking his hand through his hair distractedly and saying, "I... let's go..."