"Get up, get up now!"
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump...
A rapid, heavy knocking echoed in his ears, jolting the sleeping Harry awake.
This method of knocking was by no means friendly. If it had been the short-tempered Dudley, he would have likely had a serious argument with Aunt Petunia.
But Harry was already used to it and didn't have the right to argue. He could only turn on the light, get dressed in the cramped cupboard under the stairs, and pick up the broken glasses from the cabinet behind him to put on his face.
Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp...
Just as he sat up, Harry heard a barrage of heavy footsteps from the stairs above him.
The owner of the footsteps was clearly doing it on purpose, even jumping up and down on the stairs. The violent shaking caused a large amount of dust to fall from the ceiling, some of it landing on Harry's head and some on his perpetually dusty blanket.
"Wake up, cousin! We're going to the zoo!"
That boisterous, bratty voice belonged to Dudley, Harry's cousin.
Dudley always liked to bully him in various ways. He had tried to resist, but his aunt and uncle always sided with Dudley, and he was far from being as strong as Dudley, so he could only endure the constant bullying.
At times like these, Harry would fantasize about having magic like in the fairy tales, so he could turn Dudley into a pig and teach him a lesson.
Unlike other children, for Harry, this wasn't purely a fantasy. He had encountered many mysterious incidents in his childhood. For instance, if he imagined Dudley tripping, he would really trip.
This happened more than once, and Harry didn't think it was a coincidence.
It was one of the few times he gained the upper hand in his 'battles' with Dudley.
After getting dressed, Harry stood up, preparing to leave the cupboard.
He knew exactly what would happen. As soon as he opened the door, Dudley would, as usual, shove him back inside and slam the door shut.
But he had to go out anyway. If he didn't, Dudley could keep him there all day.
And when Aunt Petunia found out, she would never scold Dudley. Instead, she would punish him harshly. Either way, he was the one who would suffer.
Therefore, even knowing what would happen next, Harry pushed the door open, ready to cooperate with Dudley's daily prank.
But today, things seemed a little different...
Harry stared blankly at the scene before him. The sky was dark, with only the dim glow of streetlights providing illumination. It was clearly nighttime!
The desolate street, the stench of rotting garbage from the roadside, and the scattered people loitering about—all of this told Harry that this was not the familiar Dursley home.
Where is this? What happened?
He had just opened the cupboard door; how did he end up in such a strange place?
And the time was wrong. Why was it night? It was supposed to be morning!
In the past, Harry had always longed for a change, but when the change suddenly arrived, he felt a little scared, especially since his current environment didn't seem safe.
He was in a deserted alley. The staggering adults wandering the street like zombies did not look like reputable people.
Harry was terrified. He carefully walked along the side of the road, hoping to reach a main street with more people, which he assumed would be much safer.
But his greatest fear came true. As he turned a corner, the dim light from a streetlight was blocked by a tall man, casting Harry into shadow.
The towering figure was a middle-aged man with greasy hair and a foul stench, as if he hadn't bathed in a long time.
What terrified Harry was that the man was pointing a gleaming black pistol at him and sneering.
"Hahaha, what's my luck? Look what I've found! A little rascal wandering a deserted street in the middle of the night! I can sell you for some good money. That should keep me comfortable for a few weeks!"
Facing the dark barrel of the gun, fear, like the deepest darkness, engulfed Harry.
He tried to fight back, but terror bound his limbs. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't move an inch. He could only let the man's rough hand grab his collar, just like Uncle Vernon used to drag him and throw him into the cupboard.
But this was different. Although Uncle Vernon was mean, he wouldn't kill him. The man in front of him, however, would definitely not hesitate to break his limbs.
Change had come, but it hadn't made Harry's life better; it had made it worse.
In that moment, Harry thought about his old life. Before the change, he was bullied by his aunt's family and was unhappy.
But now that the change had occurred, was his life destined to become even more miserable?
No!
It can't be like this!
A fierce unwillingness burned like a fire in Harry's heart.
With a sudden burst of courage, the eleven-year-old boy bit down hard on the man's hand. As the man yelped in pain, Harry broke free and ran.
"Damn you, you little bastard! I'm going to kill you!"
The man's roar echoed from behind. It was clear that if he were caught again, the outcome would be terrible.
Faster, I have to run faster!
A child's physique was naturally much weaker than an adult's; he would be caught in just a few steps.
But for some reason, Harry felt a continuous stream of power surging from within his body. This power grew stronger, enhancing his body and allowing him to temporarily evade capture.
The man, wanting to sell Harry for a higher price, didn't shoot but chased after him at full speed.
Just like that, the two of them gradually approached a busier area.
Suddenly, Harry saw a couple ahead. They were different from the zombie-like adults around them. The man was handsome, and the woman was beautiful. Their faces were lit with smiles that brightened the surrounding darkness.
Harry had an intuition that they were a kind couple who could help him.
He quickly ran behind the stronger-looking man, gripping the corner of his coat tightly, and said in a trembling voice on the verge of tears:
"Sir, please help me... Please help me!"
The couple was clearly taken aback at first, but when they saw the middle-aged man chasing close behind, they immediately understood the situation.
At first, Harry worried they wouldn't help him. After all, the fierce-looking man was clearly a vicious villain, and more importantly, he had a gun!
But to his surprise, once the couple realized what was happening, they didn't hesitate for a second and immediately shielded him.
The woman gently hugged him, protecting him from behind.
It was obvious that she was also very scared, but she still comforted him in a shaky voice:
"Don't be afraid, child. Ben will stop the bad man!"
She seemed to be comforting him, and perhaps herself as well.
The man named Ben stood in front of them, bravely facing the vicious criminal.
"Sir, I'm not sure how my child has offended you. I apologize on his behalf. Please, forgive him."
The criminal, holding the gun, had an extremely ferocious expression.
"Cut the crap and get out of my way! You don't know him! Don't meddle in other people's business, or I won't mind killing two more!"
The gentle woman's comforting words still echoed in his ears. Harry stared at Ben's back and suddenly felt a wave of warmth.
In the past, no one had ever cared for him. At the Dursleys', he never had a birthday party like Dudley, nor did he ever receive any care from his aunt and uncle.
There was only an endless amount of chores, always wearing Dudley's old hand-me-downs, and always sleeping in that cramped cupboard.
His life was just that, all alone. He had never experienced such selfless concern. If he got into a fight with other children, his aunt and uncle would only make him apologize, regardless of who was right or wrong.
To them, he was a burden, never their beloved son.
But now, he felt this warmth from a strange couple. They were even willing to risk their lives to help him and patiently soothe his emotions.
Harry had never experienced such a feeling before.
In a daze, a beam of light pierced the darkness and shone into Harry's life. He suddenly felt that today's change wasn't as bad as he had imagined.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Suddenly, a series of harsh gunshots rang out.
Harry felt something warm on his cheek. He subconsciously touched his face and looked down to see crimson bloodstains.
The next moment, the beautiful and gentle woman let out a tragic cry:
"Ben!"
Looking forward, he saw that Ben had fallen into a pool of blood. The gentle woman was now cradling his body, crying in grief.
The criminal's face grew even more savage, his teeth clenched like a demon from the abyss.
"I warned you! This is what you get for meddling! Hahaha, this chick is pretty too. I can probably get a lot more for selling you. Now I won't have to worry for a few months!"
CRACK!
The gentle woman's sobs echoed in his ears. Harry felt a crisp sound, like glass shattering in his mind, as if something that had been stretched to its limit had finally broken.
He suddenly felt time begin to slow down. Since arriving in this place, the faint power within his body erupted like a volcano.
Perhaps this power had never been in an environment so rich with energy. It expanded continuously, bringing with it an unparalleled strength.
Just as the criminal was about to violently grab the gentle woman's hair, the power inside Harry reached its peak, and he exploded.
"How dare you?!"
An endless black mist erupted from Harry's body, instantly enveloping him.
In a moment, the thick, tangible black mist completely covered the area around him.
Perhaps because the energy level of this world was higher, the dark power known as an Obscurus, which terrified wizards in the wizarding world, unleashed a force far beyond what it could in that world, and Harry could control it with ease.
The black mist carefully avoided Ben and the gentle woman, instantly binding the terrified criminal.
Surrounded by the black mist, Harry slowly walked towards the criminal, a terrifying storm of mist and flashes of crimson energy lightning trailing behind him.
He stood before the immobilized criminal. With a mere thought, the criminal was lifted into the air by the black mist.
Harry's face was filled with rage. He could still maintain his sanity, but he didn't want to.
He repeated:
"How dare you?!"