Whether it was a conspiracy or an open scheme, the Ministry of Magic had already made its move. Now it was a matter of seeing how Dumbledore would respond.
Dumbledore was not completely unprepared for this. He knew all too well about the Ministry's underhanded methods. It was just that he had entrusted the matter to the wrong person.
To protect Harry's safety, Dumbledore had gone to great lengths. Not only had he found a way to extend the protection provided to Harry by the underage protection law, he had also arranged for the Squib Mrs. Figg to secretly keep an eye on Harry.
Now that Voldemort had returned, Harry's security level had naturally been raised accordingly. Dumbledore arranged for bodyguards to protect Harry, taking shifts to ensure his safety.
Today's bodyguard was Mundungus Fletcher, an unreliable fellow.
It was precisely because Mundungus Fletcher abandoned his post that Harry lost the protection he should have had, allowing the Ministry's little scheme to succeed.
In the kitchen of Number 4 Privet Drive, Harry explained everything that had happened that night under Vernon's repeated questioning.
But Vernon did not believe Harry, especially with Dudley, who was still delirious, incorrectly identifying what had happened.
Vernon bellowed at the top of his lungs, his voice deafening. "You cast some weird spell on my son, making him hear someone talking inside his own head, and making him think that he... that he'd never be happy for the rest of his life, didn't you?"
"How many more times do I have to tell you?" Harry said, his voice and temper both rising. "It wasn't me. It was two Dementors!"
"What?" Vernon shouted in confusion. "Two what sort of ridiculous things?"
It was understandable that a Muggle could not understand what Dementors were. After all, they could not even see Dementors.
Harry said each word slowly and clearly. "De-men-tors! And there were two of them! I cast the Patronus Charm and drove the Dementors away, which is why the two of us were able to come back safely!"
"And what sort of weird things are these Dementors?" Vernon pressed, the fat on his face trembling with anger.
"They guard Azkaban wizard prison," Petunia suddenly said while taking care of Dudley.
As soon as the words left her mouth, there were two seconds of complete silence. Then Aunt Petunia suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, as though she had accidentally said something disgustingly filthy. Vernon stared wide-eyed at his wife.
Petunia gave Vernon an apologetic look. She wanted to explain herself to her husband, but Eda spoke before she could.
"I think it's perfectly normal for Mrs. Dursley to know what Dementors are. Her sister was a witch, after all."
Petunia's expression became as ugly as if she had eaten a dead fly. For all these years, she had done everything she could to conceal it, but in reality, she still remembered everything she knew about the wizarding world.
Vernon opened his mouth, then closed it. Then he opened it again and closed it again.
After a while, he said hoarsely, "If, and I mean if, that thing you're talking about really exists, then what are they? Those... monsters?"
"You can think of them as depression, Mr. Dursley. They feed on positive human emotions such as happiness, driving people insane and even making them lose the courage to go on living," Eda said. "I don't think now is the time to dwell on that. For Harry's sake, I can help your son."
Just then, another owl flapped into the kitchen. It was already the third one tonight. This owl had also brought an official letter, containing the Ministry's latest notice regarding Harry's punishment.
Eda and Harry did not know how Dumbledore had negotiated with the Ministry of Magic, but the Ministry had changed its previous ruling. A decision would be made when Harry went to his hearing on August 12.
The alarm had been lifted. At least for the short term, there was no need to worry about the Ministry making another move against them. Dumbledore's personal visit had forced the Ministry to restrain itself considerably. Now only the problem of the Dursley family remained.
"What now?" Vernon said roughly. "Have they sentenced you yet? Do people like you have the death penalty?"
"I'm going to have a hearing," Harry said. He had long since grown accustomed to Vernon's rough treatment. Compared with Vernon, what worried Harry more was the hearing.
Harry was used to it, but Eda had never seen it!
Eda knew that the Dursley family treated Harry badly, even to the point of cruelty and abuse. But no matter what, she had never imagined that Vernon Dursley could actually ask something like that!
Growing up in such a terrible environment, yet not becoming twisted and still having such a kind heart, Harry Potter really was Harry Potter!
If she honestly asked herself, if she and Harry had switched roles, there was absolutely no way she could have become like Harry. Eda would only have made the Dursley family understand what cruelty truly meant.
For example, right now, Eda especially wanted to go to the North Sea, capture a few Dementors, and throw them all in front of the Dursley family.
"If everything is settled, I'd like to have a few words with my friend in private..."
"No!" Vernon roared aggressively. "Dudley! I want to know what happened to my son... what's wrong with him!"
Vernon's repeated questions and roars, along with his rudeness and stupidity, not only made Eda, who was watching from the side, furious, but also caused Harry's temper to flare up again.
Harry suddenly stood up and tightened his grip on his wand. Sparks continuously sprayed from the tip, the chandelier flickered, and the furnishings in the kitchen trembled nonstop.
The prohibition against underage wizards using magic outside school was not only meant to ensure compliance with the International Statute of Secrecy. It was also for their own safety.
Underage wizards varied greatly in their mastery of magic. In addition, some underage wizards did not have stable magical power or sufficient control over themselves, which was why they were forbidden from using magic outside school.
Harry inflating Marge earlier, as well as his current behavior, were signs that his magic was becoming unstable. If it could not be properly controlled and was allowed to continue running wild, it could potentially endanger Harry himself as well as others.
Eda quickly stood up as well. She turned Harry's face toward her, looked into his eyes, and said gently, "Calm down, Harry, calm down! Leave the rest to me. I'm here."
Perhaps Eda's ring had taken effect, or perhaps her emerald-green eyes made Harry feel reassured. In any case, Harry calmed down. His hands were no longer clenched tightly, the chandelier stopped flickering, and the furnishings in the room stopped shaking.
Only after watching Harry sit down on the sofa like a deflated balloon did Eda walk toward Vernon. In a commanding tone, she said, "Sit down!"
As soon as the words fell, Vernon's eyes instantly became vacant, and his entire body sat down on the floor with a loud "duang."
...
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