Read my new story (CaveLeather)
Game of Thrones: The Sword King
Game of Thrones: From Deserter to Power
Game of Thrones: King of Harrenhal— Garth Greenhand Stat Panel
"Who is it?"
Petunia Dursley, dressed in her Sunday best, apologized to her distinguished guests before rising and walking to the door.
"It's me, Aunt Petunia."
Lynn smiled as he spoke. Petunia's initial irritation at being interrupted vanished instantly.
"Oh, it's you, Lynn! Are you here to see Hallie?"
Petunia took Lynn's hand, led him inside, and asked softly.
"I am. This is a little gift for you. I'm sorry for dropping by without calling first—I see you have company. I really apologize for the intrusion."
Once Petunia saw the small velvet box in his hand, any potential complaints evaporated. Inside the box lay a delicate bracelet adorned with modest but brilliant sapphires—surprisingly, it matched her outfit perfectly.
"Why did you bring something so expensive?"
Petunia gave Lynn a look of feigned reproach, but quickly broke into a smile. "I'm just happy you came to visit, you didn't need to—"
"It's the thought that counts, isn't it? Besides, it suits you perfectly. I don't think anyone else could wear it as well as you. It's just a small token within my means, so please, accept it."
"You always know how to charm your aunt."
Petunia gave Lynn a light hug. After fastening the bracelet around her wrist, she beamed, took Lynn's hand, and led him into the living room.
"Vernon, Lynn is here. He's here to see Leah."
In the Dursley household, "Leah" was the alias Hallie used to conceal her identity.
"You've gotten more handsome this year, Lynn!"
Uncle Vernon was actually quite pleased to see the boy. Unlike Aunt Petunia, Vernon liked Lynn because Dudley had successfully lost weight under Lynn's guidance. When Dudley came home for the holidays, he had even said, "Dad, girls at school are asking if I want to hang out during the break. Should I get a slightly bigger allowance?"
This made the old father incredibly proud. His foolish son was becoming a popular, handsome young man at school—that made him happier than anything.
"Hello, Uncle Vernon."
"Sorry to disturb you today; I didn't realize you had guests."
"I heard you're a fan of Chateau Margaux. I happen to know an upperclassman at Oxford who has connections in that area, so I asked her to pick out a bottle for me."
"Chateau Margaux, 1982." Lynn set the bottle down and gave a mischievous wink. "Same vintage the Prime Minister drinks, you know."
"Hahaha, you assume too much, kid!"
The comment about the Prime Minister struck a chord with Vernon. The guests he had invited today were crucial clients regarding a massive order of drills. If he landed this deal, he could do nothing for the rest of the year and still earn more than usual.
"Mr. Mason," Uncle Vernon turned to the guest, whose eyes held a hint of amusement, "allow me to introduce Lynn. This creates is my niece's classmate; they attend the same private school."
"Hello, Mr. Mason, Mrs. Mason. Please forgive my intrusion. May I perform a little magic trick as an apology?"
"No need to apologize, son, but I'd love to see a trick," Mr. Mason said graciously.
He didn't mind such a polite child at all. If Vernon Dursley's niece attended school with a boy of such "good taste," he might actually have to raise his estimation of Vernon. Not just anyone knew the value of a Robert Parker perfect-score wine.
That 1982 Chateau Margaux was one of the legendary wines that had received a perfect score from the famous critic.
Lynn flicked his wrist, and a white silk handkerchief spiraled out from his sleeve.
"Please, blow on it."
Curious, Mr. Mason blew a breath of air onto the handkerchief. The silk floated up lightly, and the moment it left Lynn's palm, a flower hair clip made of pure white quartz appeared, resting quietly in his hand.
The quartz wasn't valuable—Lynn had ruined baskets of the stuff experimenting with wand materials at Hogwarts. He had simply recycled the waste into trinkets. The advanced transfiguration and switching spells he learned from the house-elves were perfect for parlor tricks like this. Since it didn't use active spell-casting, it wouldn't trigger the Trace.
"I hope you and your wife like it."
Mrs. Mason was beaming. Women are just like dragons; they can't resist shiny objects. The little surprise put her in a fantastic mood.
Having successfully played the wingman for Vernon Dursley, Lynn left the living room and headed upstairs. The conversation below grew even more animated than before; the drill business was sure to go smoothly.
---
"Care to introduce your house-elf friend?"
Once out of the Dursleys' sight, Lynn Apparated directly into Hallie's room. A startled house-elf tried to bolt instantly, but Lynn grabbed him by the arm.
"Name. Purpose. And how did you confirm the identity and location of this house?"
Lynn held the elf's arm, his gaze turning cold. "I know house-elves are bound not to reveal their master's secrets, so I won't force you to talk about that."
"But you'd better explain what you can talk about right now. Otherwise, I don't mind roasting you medium-rare and feeding you to a certain three-headed dog. He loves tender meat cooked medium-rare. I'm guessing Fluffy has never tasted house-elf before."
Terrified by the threat, the elf went limp, his lips trembling. His massive, tennis-ball eyes looked pitifully at Hallie, filled with helplessness and pleading.
"Lynn... Dobby is..."
"Shh."
Lynn pressed a finger to his lips. "If you aren't a good girl, I won't take you out to play later."
"I promise, I'll shut up."
Hallie mimed zipping her lips and sat obediently on the bed, hugging her knees.
"Your name is Dobby, right? Now, tell me why you're looking for Hallie, how you confirmed who she was, and who told you where she lived."
Hallie was protected by her mother Lily's blood magic, backed by Dumbledore's enchantments. Her address was a secret. Even if someone knew "4 Privet Drive," if they harbored ill will toward Hallie, they wouldn't be able to find her even if they had the address. Malicious mail and packages couldn't even be delivered. (This filled the massive plot holes from the original stories).
Even if an enemy stood face-to-face with Hallie here, they would perceive her as empty air.
This power of love would protect Hallie until she came of age. As long as she was in a place she called home, with relatives who shared her blood, she could not be harmed.
"I... I..." The elf was still shivering, unable to form a complete sentence.
Lynn squeezed the elf's arm tighter. "Shall I send you to the oven right now and sear you to a nice medium-rare?"
Overwhelmed by fear, Dobby looked ready to collapse, tears the size of beans rolling down his face.
"Dobby only... Dobby only wanted to save Hallie Potter..."
"Dobby has no intention of hurting her! Dobby just... just..."
"Terrible things are going to happen." Dobby looked at Lynn with terror. "Dobby knows you, too. You are Hallie Potter's best friend, a wizard who is kind to house-elves. You can help Dobby... tell Hallie Potter not to go back to Hogwarts, right?"
He almost begged Lynn. "Hallie Potter must not go to Hogwarts. She will die..."
"Then explain it clearly. Or else... you know the consequences."
"Yes, sir... yes... Dobby will tell you everything... everything..."
Wiping his tears and sobbing, Dobby stammered, "Dobby heard from the house-elves at Hogwarts that the Girl-Who-Lived is actually Hallie Potter, not anyone else. The elves saw her scar when washing her laundry and cleaning her room. Dobby is friends with them, so Dobby knows."
"No one told Dobby where Hallie Potter lives. Dobby secretly followed... at Platform 9 3/4... Dobby followed the Muggles who came to pick up Hallie Potter to find this place."
"Dobby truly wants to save Hallie Potter's life. She defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and saved many, many house-elves."
"She is a very great person. Dobby cannot bear to see her hurt."
On the side, Hallie was covering her mouth. Her curiosity was practically overflowing, but remembering her promise, she stayed quiet, only tugging on Lynn's hand and shaking it, signaling him to ask more. She wanted the tea!
"So, you saw or heard someone planning to harm Hallie, and that's why you came, correct?"
"Y-Yes... Dobby knew two weeks ago, before Hallie Potter even came home."
Dobby shuddered violently. Since Lynn was holding him, he couldn't bash his head against the wall or table, so he opted to slap himself in the face instead.
"Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! How could Dobby think bad things about his masters..."
"Alright, knock it off."
At Lynn's command, Dobby went rigid.
"Is the thing that will harm Hallie a person? Just nod or shake your head."
Dobby nodded, then shook his head.
"Is it a person bringing a dangerous object into Hogwarts?"
Dobby nodded vigorously.
"Can that object directly harm Hallie?"
Dobby hesitated, then shook his head.
"Will that object attract or release something else?"
Dobby shook his head again.
"Does that object open a place that holds something dangerous?"
Dobby nodded frantically.
"Alright, I get it."
Lynn let go of Dobby's hand. "No self-punishment in front of me. It's annoying to listen to."
Dobby, who was just about to headbutt the wall, snapped to attention.
"Thank you for the warning, Dobby. Your mission is complete. You can go back now."
"Will you stop Hallie Potter from returning to Hogwarts, sir?" Dobby looked at Lynn with puppy-dog eyes.
"No. Hallie will go back. But with me there, she won't get hurt."
"But—But—"
"If you don't go back now and your master realizes you're gone, that would be bad, wouldn't it?"
The next second, Dobby vanished. Lynn had forcibly Apparated him a few miles away.
---
"Phew~ Finally, I can talk."
Hallie patted her chest, letting out a sigh of relief.
"But Lynn, what kind of charades were you playing just now? I didn't understand a word of it."
"That's because you're a dummy."
Lynn made himself comfortable on Hallie's bed, pulling her pillow over to prop himself up.
"Hmph! Stingy! You're the big dummy!"
Hallie, shuffling her butt to sit on the bed as well, huffed in annoyance. She immediately shoved her freezing cold feet—so cold an electronic thermometer probably wouldn't even register them—right into Lynn's lap, making him flinch.
"Did you wash your feet? I just lay down and you're already torturing me. Too far!"
"I did, I did! I just took a shower. They smell good. Want a sniff?"
Looking at the foot practically shoved in his face, Lynn spat and slapped it away.
"They stink."
"They do not! I smelled them myself after washing."
"I'm not into feet. Don't wave those popsicles in my face pretending they're ice cream. You know my type. I like 'em with curves and long legs. A nice butt makes it even better."
Hallie covered her small backside with her hands. "You finally showed your true colors."
"Like you have anything to show. You're a bag of bones; I'd just bruise my hands."
Lynn rolled his eyes. "By the way, want to go to the Burrow? Fred and George were acting mysterious on the train about something. Want to check it out?"
"I thought you'd invite Cho. Looks like I'm still more important to you, huh?~"
"Cho went traveling with her parents. She won't be back until August. Besides, you heard her—aren't we going to Professor Chang's island villa for a hot spring vacation in mid-August anyway?"
"Oh, right."
Hallie paused for a moment, remembering.
"Then I suppose this lady will reluctantly accompany you."
Even though she really wanted to go, Hallie had to play hard to get. Maybe it was the flat chest—it spread like a virus. Nine out of ten flat-chested girls were tsundere. It only got better once that archetype went out of style.
"Honestly, though, I missed you over the break. It's great having someone to warm my feet. Sleeping alone, I can never get the blanket warm."
"Don't you have your cousin?"
"I still remember how he used to bully me," Hallie huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm not forgiving him that easily."
"Oh! Lynn, I went to the mall the other day and bought these super cute over-the-knee socks that turn iridescent in the sunlight. Want to see?"
"I mean, sure," Lynn grinned. "Never seen that style before."
"I'll get changed right now!"
She retracted her arms into her nightgown, and whoosh—the gown flew into the air. Hallie, apparently going commando underneath, skipped over to the wardrobe and tossed out several brand-new, unworn summer outfits.
"How about a pleated skirt and a blouse? Is that too plain?"
"Is there a possibility that you are being a little too... unreserved?"
Lynn rubbed his forehead, a mild headache forming. He really didn't want to look.
"Just treat me like one of the girls. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
"A bag of ribs paired with a washboard? That combination is honestly painful to look at."
"That's mean, Lynn! I'm still growing, you know. And I'm not a washboard—an A-cup is still a cup!"