Upon arriving at the farm, Harry was immediately surrounded by everyone, and Steven enthusiastically prepared a lavish dinner.
"So, what exactly happened?" Theo asked after dinner.
Harry, cradling a goblet of pumpkin juice, recounted his experiences—at the start of the summer holiday, the Dursleys had confiscated everything related to magic.
But even then, he still had some freedom of movement, until he met a house-elf who called himself "Dobby."
"He said something terrible was going to happen at Hogwarts and didn't want me to go back."
Harry said awkwardly, still finding that day absurd even now.
"He said he wanted to protect me, and to do so, he not only intercepted your letters to me but also used a Hover Charm to overturn Aunt Petunia's dinner for her guests, ruining Uncle Vernon's business."
Under the concerned and tense gazes of Hermione and the others, Harry tried to recount the events in a lighthearted tone.
"Then I received a warning from the Ministry of Magic and was locked up... well, until Wade and Mr. Lupin came to rescue me."
"That's so strange," Theo frowned. "Without a master's command, a house-elf shouldn't act on their own or use magic."
"Who would do such a thing?" Hermione asked, looking around.
"It must be Malfoy!" Harry said. "He hates me."
The group discussed the various misdeeds of Malfoy and his father for a while. Michael noticed that Wade hadn't offered any opinions.
When some people started yawning, Wade said, "Go to bed. The farm has spells set up; house-elves without permission cannot enter."
Harry nodded. He was gradually starting to agree with everyone else—Dobby was just sent by Malfoy to tease him, and it would be foolish to take his words seriously.
Everyone returned to their respective bedrooms, with Michael staying behind.
"Wade," he asked, "are you still thinking about that house-elf's warning?"
"What do you think?" Wade asked.
Michael thought for a moment before saying, "My family doesn't have house-elves, but I've heard my father talk about it… given the nature of these creatures, all their actions should be driven by their master."
"However…" Michael's tone shifted. "I believe that for anything with its own thoughts, nothing is absolute."
"House-elves betraying or even murdering their masters, though rare, are not unheard of."
"But there's nothing to worry about," Michael said naturally. "Dumbledore's still here!"
At this moment, Michael's admiration for Dumbledore had arguably reached its peak.
Although he hadn't said it, for most of the previous year, he had been constantly on edge, fearing that the Dark Lord might unleash a massacre on the students at any moment.
But the subsequent outcome proved that the dark wizard who had once cast a terrifying shadow over the British Isles was merely a pawn on Dumbledore's chessboard.
What could be more terrifying than the Dark Lord? "Indeed," Wade nodded. "Let's hope Hogwarts is peaceful this year."
Michael went to bed. Before going upstairs, he looked back.
Wade was sitting by the window, flipping through a newspaper, with the flickering candlelight beside him. Silvery moonlight spilled onto him, as if he were draped in a cloak.
An owl streaked across the night sky.
Wade's gaze settled on an advertisement in the newspaper—
Gilderoy Lockhart to sign and sell his autobiography, Magical Me, in Diagon Alley.
…
In the bedroom, even though Harry was incredibly sleepy, he still opened his long-awaited Book of Friends.
This one connected him, Ron, and Hermione.
Having received no birthday wishes, Harry had thought his friends had forgotten him and was beyond disheartened.
But after Dobby appeared, Harry learned that they had all sent him gifts, only to have them intercepted by the hateful house-elf. He naturally regained his confidence.
Hermione was at Graling Farm, and Harry felt he should also let Ron know he was safe, and that he hadn't wanted to lose touch with them, but simply couldn't.
He had barely sent a greeting in the Book of Friends when Ron's messages started pouring in, one after another.
Ron: Thank Merlin, you're still alive!
Ron: Why haven't you been replying to my messages? I invited you twelve times, and Dad said you used magic in front of Muggles and received a warning from the Ministry of Magic…
Ron: Are you okay? I'm going to steal Dad's car to pick you up, Fred and George are coming too.
His handwriting was messy, written quickly, and every time Harry thought to reply, Ron's next message would pop up on the parchment.
Seeing the last sentence, he was startled and quickly replied:
Harry: No need.
Harry: I've already left the Dursleys'.
Ron: What happened?
Only then did Harry have the time to explain everything to him slowly, also telling Ron about everyone's theories.
Suddenly, he heard a thump-thump-thump at the bedroom window. He looked up and saw Hedwig outside the window, staring at him sternly.
Harry opened the window, Hedwig strutted in, then placed a fresh dead mouse on the table, pushing it towards her master with her claw.
"For me?"
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you, good girl… but I don't eat mice, you eat it yourself…"
…
Life at Graling Farm was very interesting.
They followed Steven, learning to care for Diricawl babies, rescuing fairies tangled in vines, and watching Hippocampi playfully splashing in the lake with their foals.
They collected mooncalf dung in the dewy dawn, exchanged food with Murtlaps for the juice of their tentacles, and in the evening, left chicken and fresh fish near the Demiguise's burrow.
"They usually hunt for themselves, but it's nursing season now," Steven explained to them. "If they don't have enough food, they might abandon one or two weaker young."
The young wizards occasionally found Diricawl feathers dropped in the grass, which were ingredients for Veritaserum and Memory Potions, and could fetch a good price. Steven generously stated that they could keep anything they found.
In the afternoons when they had nothing to do, they would do homework in the living room, practice spells, and sometimes fly around the farm on broomsticks.
A few days flew by, and the young wizards each went home via the Floo network. Lupin also got his new house ready and came to pick up Harry.
Before that, he first confessed something: "Harry, Wade, I… I am a werewolf."
He hadn't intended to tell anyone this, but after much thought, he felt he shouldn't conceal it.
"A werewolf?" Harry looked bewildered.
It wasn't that he didn't know what a werewolf was, but he had no real sense of their danger.
Wade nodded. "I know."
"You... know?"
Lupin was surprised at first, then gave a bitter smile. "No wonder you never contacted me on the full moon nights. I never even thought of it..."
He looked at Harry and explained, "I was bitten by a werewolf when I was little, which is why I became one too."
"But I promise you, you're safe. Before every full moon night, I'll leave the house. And I'll always take the Wolfsbane Potion…"
After getting the job Wade gave him, he finally had enough money to buy Wolfsbane Potion. This was a potion that allowed werewolves to retain their sanity even after transforming.
"Of course." Lupin, worried that Harry might mind, quickly added, "Actually, you can also stay at Graling Farm. I asked Mr. Mori, and he's happy for you to stay here until school starts."
"I'll go with you," Harry said firmly, gripping his hand. "I trust you won't hurt me!"
He had longed for a place to call his own for too long. Not even a werewolf could make him afraid or back down.
…
"Get ready, Wade." After a quiet day returned to the farm, Steven said happily, "We'll visit Mr. Scamander tomorrow. I've already arranged it with him."
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