Vernon studied Sullivan's serious expression and realized he wasn't joking. He tried to imagine himself with that kind of incredible power…
"I'm sorry, I—I mean—thank you very much! We can definitely work together nicely!" Vernon flipped his attitude again in an instant.
On one hand, the whole situation was a little terrifying if he thought about it too hard. On the other, the promise of profit was too tempting to ignore. If he could actually land a deal with Avery Construction—one of Britain's top three firms—his career would definitely get a nice boost.
Sullivan wasn't bluffing. The Avery family really did own a major real estate company in the Muggle world, run by Jack Avery's Squib cousin.
Over a decade ago, when Voldemort was preparing to take over Britain, Jack Avery had already started laying groundwork. He figured that once the Dark Lord conquered the wizarding world, he'd eventually reach into the Muggle side as well. So he sent his Squib cousin to establish the company. Over the years, with a little magical help here and there, it had grown into one of the biggest real estate giants in Britain.
Sullivan had only learned about it a couple of days ago while chatting with Jack Avery about family businesses. He never expected it would come in handy helping Harry.
"Alright then, I'll be taking Harry with me. You can pick him up at King's Cross Station next summer," Sullivan said, waving Harry over.
"Yes, Professor Sullivan! Understood!" Vernon nodded, watching them leave. Petunia and Dudley stayed quiet downstairs the entire time.
Once they were outside, Harry loaded all his luggage into the Bentley's trunk and asked, "Professor Sullivan, can I let Hedwig out? She's been stuck in her cage for a whole month."
"Of course. As long as she can keep up with us," Sullivan replied casually.
"Professor, where are we going?" Harry asked as he opened the cage. The snowy owl spread her wings and shot into the sky with obvious delight.
Sullivan started the car. "I've got two options for you. First, you can stay temporarily at the Flying Feather Magic Phone Experience Store in Hogsmeade."
"The second option is Ron's house. I already spoke with his parents—they'd be more than happy to have you."
Harry barely hesitated before choosing the Burrow. For a twelve-year-old, there was nothing better than spending summer with his best friend.
"Perfect. Buckle up—we're heading out!"
Sullivan's Bentley rose into the sky, following Hedwig. A moment later, the System notification came through.
Ding! Congratulations—you have completed The Boy Who Lived 3. You have earned +1 free skill point.
You successfully rescued Harry Potter. However, you have also discovered that a mysterious house-elf seems determined to keep Harry Potter from returning to Hogwarts.
Ding! You have triggered the main quest: The Boy Who Lived 4.
The mysterious house-elf warned that Harry Potter will face mortal danger if he returns to Hogwarts. A new conspiracy appears to be forming around Harry Potter. As his friend, you must help him. Assist Harry Potter in safely returning to Hogwarts and do everything possible to keep him alive. Reward upon completion: +1 free skill point.
After all the quests from the previous semester, Sullivan had started to see a pattern. The System seemed to be running two separate main storylines—one centered on Harry Potter, and the other on Dumbledore.
Now that the Harry line had triggered again, he wondered what kind of quest the Dumbledore side would throw at him this year.
He wasn't particularly excited about the quests themselves, but he was excited about the rewards. As his skills leveled up, Sullivan was starting to feel more and more that skill points were never enough.
---
Fifteen minutes later, Sullivan and Harry arrived at the Burrow. The moment they knocked and the door opened, Harry saw the entire Weasley family waiting inside—with a massive five-layer cake sitting in the middle.
"Happy Birthday, Harry!"
The whole Weasley family—and Sullivan—shouted it together.
Harry was completely stunned. The Dursleys had acted like they'd forgotten his birthday all day.
Well, not completely forgotten. Dudley definitely remembered, but instead of a "happy birthday," he'd just mocked and humiliated him.
That evening Vernon had locked him in his room and told him to pretend he wasn't even home. It had left Harry feeling incredibly miserable.
He thought his birthday was going to end like that—lonely and forgotten. He'd already given up on it by the time Sullivan rescued him from Privet Drive.
But now… a giant cake. This was the first real, proper birthday cake Harry had ever received in his life.
Hagrid had given him one last year, but it got squashed. This one was perfect—huge, beautiful, and it looked delicious.
"We can't celebrate Harry's birthday standing in the doorway, can we?" Sullivan joked.
Molly smiled warmly. "Of course not! Come in, come in. We still have to sing him Happy Birthday!"
As the cheerful birthday song filled the room, Harry felt like this was the happiest birthday of his entire life. His eyes filled with tears he couldn't hold back.
"Come on, Harry—you get the first slice!" Ginny said, holding out a plate with the piece that had the most fruit on it.
Harry had met the shy little girl briefly at King's Cross last year. Over the past few days of summer break, they'd chatted several times through Ron's Magic Phone.
Ginny's face was still a little pink, but they weren't complete strangers anymore. Harry took the plate with a smile. "Thanks, Ginny!"
Ginny looked down and mumbled in a voice so quiet it was barely audible, "Y-you're welcome…"
"Ginny's starting school this year, right?" Sullivan asked Arthur while they sat together, sounding amused.
"That's right. She's already received her acceptance letter," Arthur nodded.
"Don't you think she might have a little crush on Harry?" Sullivan teased.
Arthur suddenly perked up. He had six sons but only one daughter—his precious little girl. His gaze toward Harry instantly became more protective, the classic "dad watching a potential suitor" look. "She's only eleven!"
"Haha, I was just messing with you. Don't take it seriously," Sullivan chuckled and smoothly changed the subject. "I saw in the news that the Ministry seems to be gearing up for something big lately."
Arthur nodded. "Yeah, we've been cracking down hard on dark magic artifacts, including illegally modified Muggle items. We've got a major operation coming up—probably tomorrow or the day after. I'll tell you quietly."
"By the way, Arthur—what's your current position?" Sullivan asked out of the blue.
Arthur gave him a proud slap on the shoulder. "Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Don't worry—since you've got MACUSA backing, I won't touch any of your little gadgets."
Sullivan wasn't actually worried about that. He leaned in and asked seriously, "Arthur, tell me honestly—have you ever thought about moving up in the Ministry?"