"—Crying?"
Harry suddenly felt as if he didn't recognize the word.
He leaned out and saw a few familiar boys supporting each other as they walked out from around the corner by the wall next to the supermarket. Some of them, like Pete, were actually crying.
Behind him, Vid lowered his sleeve and said to the somewhat dazed cashier, "Please give me my change."
"Oh... alright," the cashier said hurriedly.
As they walked out of the supermarket with the groceries, Harry still looked incredulous.
"How did you do it?" he whispered to Vid, "Did you use magic?"
"I learned some combat techniques from Professor Abigail, and of course... magic,"
Vid whispered back. "Here's a little trick for you—use the Supersensory Charm on yourself to enhance your perception. It makes you more agile in a fight."
"Doesn't using the Supersensory Charm trigger the Trace?" Harry asked, puzzled.
Vid smiled and said, "Who said I just used the Supersensory Charm?"
This seemingly inconspicuous yet very useful charm, he had been maintaining it for a long time.
Moreover, Vid had something he hadn't told Harry—
After learning Animagus, Vid discovered that using a small Transfiguration on himself wouldn't trigger the Trace.
The magic power flowed within him, acting on himself without being released, thus not being monitored.
His hands opened and closed a few times, and his previously large-knuckled fingers gradually returned to those of a thirteen-year-old boy.
Behind them, Pete, who had been hit on the nose, was crying bitterly, and his friend beside him complained, "Who on earth is that guy? His fists are as hard as rocks."
"And his insults are terrifying," another boy said, patting Pete's shoulder empathetically, "It's okay, cry it out, Pete. I understand you... I nearly cried just listening from the side."
"Young Potter seems to have found someone powerful," another person glared at Dudley, questioning, "Dudley, did you know all along that guy was strong? Why didn't you step in earlier?"
The only one not hurt, Dudley, stammered, "I... I ate something bad today, not feeling well... so..."
In truth, he was worried he might grow a pig tail again.
Ever since Vernon learned that Harry couldn't use magic outside of school, his attitude had mostly reverted, often yelling at Harry and sometimes even attempting to hit him with a cane.
But Dudley was much more cautious in this regard.
His thinking was simple—Harry was only banned from using magic, not unable to use magic.
And the law prohibits hitting people! Yet Dudley didn't stop bullying other kids just because it'd break the law!
Thus, whenever Harry pretended to use magic, Dudley would jump in fright.
But these concerns couldn't be understood by his friends, who were unaware of magic.
They were upset with Dudley's "selfishness," and Dudley, feeling guilty, could only follow behind awkwardly.
A group of kids, some crying, some yelling, made their noisy way down the street.
Then, two men squatting by the roadside, seemingly trimming shrubs, turned their heads to glance at them, then looked the other way.
Vid and Harry were already far away.
One of the dark-haired men spoke softly, "Harry Potter? Who would have thought he'd live here... and who's that boy beside him?"
"You must have heard his name—Vid Gray," the other brown-haired man said with a hint of pride, "My student. He used to admire me greatly when I was teaching at school."
The dark-haired man gave him a peculiar look and exposed, "So... why are you hiding from your admirer, Lockhart?"
Lockhart's face changed, and he urgently lowered his voice, "Don't say my name, Gall! What if someone hears it?"
"We must leave this area quickly!" Gall said to himself, "There must be Ministry of Magic protectors around Harry Potter. Staying here, we'll likely be discovered soon."
"It wasn't easy to find a job here with high pay and less work..." Lockhart was reluctant.
"If you want to go back to Azkaban, you can stay. But I'm leaving,"
Gall said and decisively left along a small path.
"Wait for me!" Lockhart hurried to catch up, saying, "How long can we keep hiding like this? Why don't you come with me to Telford? There's a fan of mine there who's very likely to help us."
"Don't forget your deceit has been exposed!" Gall said bluntly, "Those who once admired you might now hate you more than anyone else!"
Lockhart was speechless for a moment, then asked, "So what do you think we should do?"
"Speaking of which... I know a vampire who is kind of my uncle," Gall said thoughtfully, "Maybe we could seek refuge with him..."
...
Vid did not know he passed by the two escaped convicts he was looking for.
The two of them returned to the Black Family's home. Since someone he disliked got beaten, Harry was evidently pleased and recounted his past experiences with a sense of nostalgia.
"Once, they chased me so much that I jumped onto the school chimney... I've never jumped that high!"
Harry said wistfully, "Why was it that when I didn't know I had magic, I could jump ten meters high, but after learning magic, I couldn't?"
"Because children who know nothing are more capable of creating miracles, perhaps because their minds are unrestrained, right?"
Sirius, who happened to be coming downstairs, heard him and continued, "But grown-up wizards can control their power."
He still had some soot on him, indicating he had just used the Floo Network to go to Grimmauld Place No. 12 and returned with Regulus's portrait.
Vid pondered for a moment and said, "If an adult were to lose all their memory entirely, with a mind like a young child's, could they possess both qualities? Like a child accomplishing remarkable things through sheer will, yet also quickly mastering their power."
Sirius blinked and, after a long pause, said, "An interesting idea... but you'll need to find an amnesiac adult to test it, right?"
"Actually, there is one," Lupin said, coming out of the kitchen with a tray, "—the kind of person you're talking about, with both qualities."
"Really? Who?" Harry asked curiously.
"Credence Barebone, an Obscurial who survived into adulthood, caused huge destruction years ago in New York in the United States, and then died,"
Lupin said, "I once read about his story in an old newspaper, and I think he fits what you're describing."
"What's an Obscurial? What kind of person is that?" Harry asked.
"The story is too long for now, but it's lunchtime," Lupin offered, "Who wants to help set the table?"
The three people on the sofa stood up together.