Early the next morning, Harry slowly opened his eyes.
For a few moments, he lay there blankly, staring at the ceiling while trying to remember what had happened last night.
It all felt like a dream.
A strange, unbelievable dream.
He remembered a black-haired boy around his own age arriving in the middle of a storm. He remembered magic. Wands. Hogwarts. A terrifying Dark wizard named Voldy-Pants.
Most importantly, he remembered learning that his parents hadn't died in a car crash at all.
They had been murdered.
And somehow… he was a wizard too.
Harry shut his eyes tightly for a second.
No. Impossible.
Things like that didn't happen to people like him.
Besides, there was no way the Dursleys would ever suddenly start treating him properly just because some wizard boy told them to.
That part especially had to be fake.
With a sigh, Harry sat up instinctively, already preparing himself for Aunt Petunia screaming about breakfast if he woke too late.
Then he froze.
The bed beneath him was unbelievably soft.
Harry blinked several times in confusion.
A large blanket covered him warmly, and the mattress beneath him felt more comfortable than anything he had ever slept on before in his life.
Slowly, Harry turned his head.
Then his mouth fell open.
On the other side of the hut, Lucas stood beside the stove calmly making breakfast.
Meanwhile, Vernon Dursley was politely helping him arrange plates.
Politely.
Petunia was preparing tea without yelling at anyone.
Even Dudley sat quietly at the table without trying to punch Harry.
Harry's brain nearly stopped functioning.
This wasn't a dream.
A strange warmth suddenly spread through his chest.
It was happiness.
Real happiness.
The kind he had never experienced before.
Throughout breakfast, Harry felt as though he were floating through some bizarre fantasy world.
Petunia actually asked him whether he wanted more toast.
Vernon awkwardly offered him sausages.
Dudley didn't insult him once.
Harry kept secretly pinching himself under the table to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
Lucas, meanwhile, looked entirely amused by Harry's confused expression.
After breakfast ended, Lucas casually raised his wand.
The comfortable bed Harry had slept on instantly transformed back into several pieces of rotten wood.
The luxurious sofa dissolved into broken stones.
The shining silver coffee table crumbled into battered planks.
In seconds, the beautiful room reverted completely back into the miserable shack it originally was.
Harry stared in amazement.
No matter how many times he witnessed magic now, it still felt unbelievable.
Could he really learn to do things like this someday?
The thought alone made his heart pound with excitement.
Lucas finally gestured for Harry to follow him outside.
The sea breeze blew gently across the rocky island while morning sunlight reflected brilliantly across the water.
Behind them, Vernon nervously followed out of the hut.
Lucas reached into his coat and handed him a slip of paper.
"If it's convenient," he said casually, "drive to this address later this afternoon and pick Harry up there."
Vernon accepted the paper immediately.
"Of course! Absolutely!"
His smile stretched so wide it looked painful.
"And don't forget the contract," Lucas added lightly.
"Never!" Vernon said at once. "I'm a very trustworthy man!"
Harry stared at him in complete disbelief.
What in Merlin's name had happened last night?
When Vernon first signed whatever agreement Lucas gave him, Harry distinctly remembered him looking like he'd swallowed a dead fly whole.
But now…
Now Vernon looked at Harry with something dangerously close to affection.
Harry genuinely felt frightened.
Could magic really alter personalities that much?
As the Dursleys headed back towards the hut, Harry finally couldn't hold himself back anymore.
"Lucas…" he began hesitantly. "Why are they acting like this now?"
Lucas smiled mysteriously.
"Simple. We signed a contract and made a mutually beneficial arrangement."
Harry blinked. "What kind of arrangement?"
"I'll explain later."
Naturally, Lucas had never actually used magic to control the Dursleys.
That would've been illegal.
Well.
More illegal.
The truth was far simpler.
After terrifying them half to death with the Obscurus performance last night, Lucas had immediately pulled out a thick parchment covered in dense writing and forced Vernon to sign it.
Then he calmly informed the Dursleys that it was an extremely powerful magical contract.
According to Lucas's explanation, if they failed to treat Harry like their own son from now onwards, horrifying magical consequences would destroy their family completely.
Naturally, every single word of that was nonsense.
The parchment itself was completely ordinary.
Lucas had simply enchanted it slightly while Vernon signed so it glowed ominously and looked magical enough to scare him senseless.
And honestly?
It worked beautifully.
Still, Lucas understood human nature very well.
Threats alone only created resentment.
If you wanted long-term obedience, you needed incentives too.
So after Harry fell asleep last night, Lucas had secretly dragged Vernon aside for a private conversation.
He explained that magical contracts always required "balance."
As long as Vernon properly fulfilled the agreement until Harry graduated from Hogwarts, the Dursley family would receive an enormous reward.
Specifically—
Two solid gold bricks.
Lucas had even handed Vernon one immediately as a "deposit."
The second would supposedly arrive after Harry graduated.
Of course, Vernon had nearly fainted when holding the gold bar.
After all, he was ultimately just a businessman.
Treat Harry slightly better for a few years and receive enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of his life?
To Vernon Dursley, that sounded like the greatest deal in human history.
Now Harry had transformed from unwanted burden into golden goose.
No wonder Vernon suddenly looked at him differently.
Back when Harry first arrived, raising him had only meant additional expenses and constant irritation. Combined with Vernon's hatred of James Potter, Harry's miserable childhood had become inevitable.
But now?
Now Harry represented profit.
As for the gold itself, Lucas genuinely didn't care.
With the Philosopher's Stone in his possession, creating gold was practically effortless. He could literally transfigure random rocks into precious metals whenever he wanted.
Hiding useful resources simply because others might ask questions seemed idiotic to him.
And if anyone ever did become suspicious about where his wealth came from?
Easy explanation.
"My pet's venom sells for five hundred Galleons per ounce," Lucas would say proudly. "I've still got several barrels left."
Perfectly reasonable.
Lucas turned back towards Harry and extended his hand.
"Ready?"
Harry looked at him uncertainly. "Ready for what?"
"We're leaving."
Lucas smiled faintly.
"Grab my hand. The first time can feel a bit unpleasant, so prepare yourself."
Harry cautiously grabbed Lucas's arm.
The instant he did—
CRACK!
A sound like a whip splitting the air echoed across the island.
Then both of them vanished without a trace.
....
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