After resolving the matter of the Chamber's entrance, Douglas went straight to Dumbledore's office.
"Professor, is there something else you'd like me to do?"
Dumbledore produced a thick envelope he'd clearly prepared in advance and handed it to Douglas.
He began to explain,
"I originally meant to give you this gift on your birthday, but I hesitated.
Through certain channels, I learned about your attitude toward your Muggle relatives, so I wasn't sure whether to tell you. But from what I heard from your neighbors...
Douglas, please forgive me—for certain reasons, I conducted an investigation into you without your permission..."
Douglas frowned slightly.
You've already done the background check, what can I say? When did Hogwarts start running background checks on people?
He opened the envelope. The first parchment was a family tree of his father's side—nothing remarkable, no familiar names. Six generations of pure Muggles.
The second sheet detailed his mother's lineage. Again, nothing stood out... Wait. In the column for his maternal grandmother's sisters, tracing upward to his great-grandmother's father, there was a note: (Squib). Above that, the name Dumbledore was written...
Douglas wasn't particularly shocked. Any Muggle-born wizard must have a wizard ancestor somewhere. He just hadn't expected his magical bloodline to trace back to the Dumbledore family.
He looked at Dumbledore, puzzled by his intentions.
Dumbledore followed Douglas's gaze and, seeing what he'd found, explained cheerfully,
"Oh, that was one of my father's cousins. My father said that, being a Squib, he lived in the Muggle world and changed his surname. But that's not the main point—you should keep reading..."
Douglas didn't bother about his distant connection to the Dumbledores. The blood tie was far too remote, and it was on his mother's side anyway.
Besides, he belonged to the Holmes family. If Dumbledore hoped to use this to make him call him 'ancestor,' he could forget it.
He traced the lines further down...
Mr. and Mrs. Evans—those names rang a bell...
Petunia Dursley / Lily Potter?
Dudley Dursley / Harry Potter!!!
Douglas stared at Dumbledore in shock.
Dumbledore nodded at him, smiling—clearly thinking Douglas was amazed to discover he had a blood relative in the wizarding world, even if the connection was rather distant.
But what truly shocked Douglas was that he was actually related to the protagonist of this world—albeit on his mother's side.
After a quick calculation, it wasn't too close, nor too far—he was probably some kind of distant uncle to Harry.
He looked at Dumbledore, still unsure what he was getting at. Was Dumbledore suggesting a change in guardianship?
Dumbledore seemed very satisfied to see Douglas recover from his shock so quickly.
No. 18, Rose Street, Surrey—Holmes residence.
Douglas had been back in the Muggle world for two days now.
He kept thinking over Dumbledore's final words to him.
The gist was: Harry is a pitiful child, growing up in a household that dislikes wizards and unable to experience real familial warmth. That's why he craves affection so desperately.
Dumbledore hoped Douglas could look after Harry in this respect, giving him some comfort as a relative. But before Harry turned seventeen, he still needed to spend part of every summer at his aunt's house.
Of course, Dumbledore made it clear that he would respect Douglas's wishes entirely. He hadn't told Harry about any of this—the decision to reveal it was Douglas's alone.
Douglas was still hesitating. After so many years alone, he'd grown accustomed to solitude and didn't long for family ties. But the thought of having a nephew named Harry... well, that wasn't so bad either.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Before Douglas could get up, Dobby, who was frowning over his third attempt at a career development plan, dropped his pen and dashed to the entrance.
Douglas couldn't help but smile at Dobby's eagerness.
He'd cast one-way blurring charms and Muggle-Repelling Charms on all doors and windows. No non-wizard could touch his front door, and any Muggle passing by—even with the door wide open—would see nothing inside.
If a Muggle neighbor did try to visit, they'd suddenly remember something urgent and leave before reaching the house. Only the mailbox remained unaffected.
So, anyone knocking had to be a wizard...
Just as he was getting up, a startled cry sounded from the hallway.
Dobby, trembling from head to toe, bowed and apologized,
"Sorry, Miss Granger! Dobby startled Miss Granger... Dobby should punish himself, but Boss won't allow it... It's all Dobby's fault..."
Douglas stood and called out,
"Dobby, go make three cups of tea!"
At the mention of making tea, Dobby's face lit up.
"Yes, Boss!"
It was a rare task these days. For two days straight, Boss wouldn't let him do any chores—only rewrite his career plan over and over. If the handwriting was messy, rewrite; if too short, rewrite. Dobby found writing far harder than housework...
Douglas welcomed the Granger family inside.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger entered cautiously, gifts in hand, their eyes never straying far from the kitchen where Dobby bustled about.
Hermione asked curiously,
"Professor, I think I heard Harry mention Dobby. Is he your...?"
Douglas smiled, gesturing to the sofa.
"Please, have a seat. We can talk at leisure."
Mrs. Granger set her gift on the coffee table, smiling.
"Last time we met, you seemed to enjoy Chinese food. These are pastries I learned to make from a Chinese client. Please try them, Professor."
Douglas's interest was obvious, finally putting the Grangers at ease.
Even without opening it, the gift box itself was exquisite—made from the latest holographic paper developed by Muggles, shimmering with every movement...
Douglas was just beginning to sense something odd when Wangcai shot out of the money pot, drooling at the sparkling box.
Hermione exclaimed,
"It's a Niffler! Professor, when did you get a Niffler? I've only ever read about them in books!"
Douglas laughed,
"Professor Kettleburn gave him to me. His name's Wangcai."
Mrs. Granger, seeing Wangcai's eyes glued to the gift box, assumed he wanted to eat the pastries inside. Enchanted by such a clever magical creature, she quickly opened the box to offer Wangcai a homemade treat.
But the moment she lifted the lid, Wangcai snatched it away, darted up onto the top of a tall cabinet, and sat there, clutching the sparkling cover.
Before Douglas could react, Wangcai was already out of reach.
Hermione explained,
"Mum, Nifflers love shiny things. I've heard the goblins at Gringotts breed them to hunt for coins buried underground."
The Grangers watched Wangcai in wide-eyed amazement.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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