When the transmigrator had been small in his previous life, there had been countless Harry Potter films: the original based on the books, several remakes, and a number of prequels. All of them differed from one another. For instance, the magic in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was far more powerful and spectacular than in the original films. In the remakes, the level of special effects went completely off the charts, and many scenes were altered to satisfy modern legislation and ideas of tolerance. For example, the hero's female friend became Black, the antagonistic teacher was rewritten as gay, and the best friend turned into a vegan.
That said, the transmigrator hadn't watched those old movies, though he'd heard a little about them. He had no interest in staring at a flat screen. He hadn't read the Harry Potter books either. But when the remake holo-show came out, he had seen it… partially. But according to rumors from the HoloNet, things there were entirely different.
First, the plot had been updated to suit modern sensibilities. Wizards coexisted alongside the human world, where people used antigravity cars and fliers, communicators, and other blessings of civilization.
Second, the special effects were on a completely different level. And to make the magical world more appealing to viewers, the wizards in the film were portrayed as absurdly powerful. Child wizards could summon hurricanes or tsunamis with a flick of a wand, while Muggle-born mages actively used communicators and the HoloNet. The strongest wizards could even trigger apocalypses on a planetary scale. All of this was meant to explain how magic-users could remain hidden from highly advanced technology.
Third, the screenwriters preserved the atmosphere of the old castle and the adventures of the main character. Because of that, a person raised in modern society couldn't shake the feeling that the real villain of the story was the school's headmaster, who allowed situations dangerous to students to occur within his institution. Throughout the entire film, there lingered a sense that the headmaster of the school of magic was deliberately engineering circumstances that repeatedly brought the protagonist to the brink of death—as if the old man's goal was to have Harry Potter killed by someone else's hands, without regard for the casualties among the students.
All in all, the holo-show didn't impress the transmigrator much, so he only watched the first episode and fast-forwarded through a couple of the next ones. Yes, it was a series. Each season was stretched over ten episodes, covering one academic year at the school of magic. There were seven seasons in total.
In the first episode he watched, there was a scene set in the home of the villainous guardians—people who, in the future world, would have long since been thrown behind bars for abusing a foster child. But Harry Potter himself was almost exactly as portrayed by the actor in the series. Except that the cinematic Harry was older and sturdier, and his scar was larger and far more striking.
And now Richard was plagued by a question: which canon should he orient himself toward? What was true, and what wasn't? Were the wizards here truly mighty, or merely mediocre? Though all these questions were pointless, since the transmigrator wasn't familiar with any version of the Harry Potter canon. He knew only in broad strokes that an orphaned boy lived with his mother's sister. There was some evil wizard who tried to conquer the human Empire or destroy the Solar System. And in the end, Harry was supposed to defeat the villain and save the world. There also seemed to be a villainous headmaster—a sort of gray eminence—who set the protagonist against the antagonist.
***
After Richard's outburst, silence settled over the living room of the house on Privet Drive for a couple of seconds.
John asked his ward,
"Sir, excuse me—what did you say?"
"Nothing," Richard replied, pretending that nothing had happened. "I was just thinking that Mr. Potter would look quite good as an actor in the future, once holographic cinema is invented. Madam Taylor, do you see what I see? I believe we need to make sure the neighbors' complaints weren't unfounded…"
Petunia gasped, went deathly pale, and raised her hands to her mouth.
"What—neighbors' complaints?!" she whispered.
Vernon flushed crimson, his cheeks swelling with blood. He angrily twitched his mustache, shifted his gaze to Madam Taylor, and snapped at her,
"And who are you supposed to be?"
The elderly woman didn't lose her composure. She twisted her face as if deeply offended by the man's words and replied,
"I am Jessica Taylor from Child Protective Services. We came with Mr. Connor, a representative of a charitable foundation"—she indicated him with a nod—"and with Lord Grosvenor, to check how well you are caring for the orphan you took into your custody. We received a report from your neighbors stating that you are not taking proper care of the child. And now I can see quite clearly that this is indeed the case. Your son is dressed far better than Mr. Potter. Moreover, he is completely ill-mannered. I would venture to say that you spoil him excessively, while paying insufficient attention to Mr. Potter."
Mr. Dursley abruptly turned pale, his skin—just moments ago scarlet—becoming whiter than chalked paper. The man swayed and clutched at his heart.
"This is all your fault, you little bastard!" he hissed venomously, addressing Harry.
The police officer stepped into the conversation. He addressed Mr. Dursley,
"Sir, I must warn you that everything you say can and will be used against you in court. Mrs. Taylor, please proceed."
"Yes, yes," the old woman nodded. "Mr. Dursley, show me where the child lives."
(End of Chapter)
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