Harry's Magic
The trio was taken back to Grimmauld Place by Mundungus—using a one-time Portkey. Ginny, Neville, and Luna, however, were excluded due to confidentiality and had to return to Hogwarts Castle the same way they came. Hermione felt guilty at the look in Ginny's eyes before she left; she already knew who Queenie was, and once this was over, she would definitely grab Hermione and demand an explanation.
Number 12 Grimmauld Place was just as it had been when Harry first saw it—dilapidated and mysterious. Harry took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Queenie wasn't there; Sirius was standing there to greet him.
Seeing his godfather unharmed, Harry rushed to him and gave him a tight hug, then weakly asked, "Where's Queenie—?"
“She’s in your room, she’s been sleeping for a while.” Sirius gave him a reassuring smile. “Now come with me, there’s something more important waiting for you.”
Harry was ushered into the dining room and immediately spotted the long-unseen headmaster, "Professor Dumbledore!"
Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Long time no see, Harry."
Harry glanced around at the people at the table. The Weasleys were looking at him with concern, Lupin and Kingsley were smiling, and Tonks and Moody were winking at him like they were in a competition... The main force of the Order of the Phoenix was almost all gathered in this ordinary dining room. Harry had a strong feeling that from this night onwards he would join this side of justice and participate in some major operation. Suddenly, the stinging sensation of his hair being pulled from his scalp made him cry out in pain.
Sirius handed Harry's hair to Dumbledore, who carefully added it to a potion. They then did the same to Hermione and Ron.
“Harry, tell us your dream, don’t miss any details.” Dumbledore’s deep blue eyes gleamed with wisdom.
“Unless you take me with you,” Harry tried to bargain. “I mean tonight’s operation.” If Voldemort deliberately showed him false memories to lure him in, then there must be Death Eaters lying in wait at the Ministry of Magic. Since the Order of the Phoenix knew in advance, they would never let go of this opportunity to turn the tables on him.
Hermione and Ron both stepped forward to stand beside Harry. "If Harry goes, then we'll go too—"
Before they could finish speaking, two Stunning Charms struck them, followed by a Levitation Charm. Harry stared in horror at his friends, who were now floating in mid-air like two corpses. Had he been tricked? Was this actually the Death Eaters' stronghold? The Death Eaters around him were all intoxicated with Polyjuice Potion. Had the Order of the Phoenix been wiped out without his knowledge?
"Don't worry about Harry, just let Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley rest for a while. Young people always have plenty of energy."
Harry swallowed unconsciously and honestly recounted what he had "seen."
Dumbledore tapped his thin, long fingers lightly on the table. "I think Voldemort wants Harry to retrieve the Prophecy Orb." He set aside the bottle of Polyjuice Potion mixed with Harry's hair. "Looks like I'll have to take you with me tonight, Harry."
"Dumbledore!" Mrs. Weasley was the first to voice her disapproval.
Dumbledore explained gently, “I happen to know a little about the Prophecy Orb, which can only be picked up by the person mentioned in the prophecy. I’m afraid Harry will have no choice but to go, given that Tom is clearly unwilling to expose himself to others.”
"But that's too dangerous, he's just a student!"
"Then please believe me, as the principal, that I will definitely protect my students."
"Of course I believe you, but Death Eaters—you know what kind of people they are!"
“I want to go,” Harry suddenly said, his green eyes filled with determination. “If it’s something only I can do, then I’ll go.”
“Well done, Harry! So, as planned, I’ll be Ron, and Tonks will be Hermione. Who will play these two Death Eaters?” Sirius said, grabbing the two unconscious men from the corner. “I remember their names are Avery and Mulce?”
Queenie had a dream.
In her dream, she was a medieval noblewoman, beautiful and captivating, yet possessing a wild spirit. She was of marriageable age, but her parents had rejected every young man in town they had chosen. One day, a young nobleman moved into the long-abandoned manor in town; he was gentle, handsome, melancholic, and wealthy. After attending several balls held at the manor, Queenie fell in love with him. However, one morning not long after, members of the church arrived from the morning mist, claiming that the people in the manor were vampires they had been searching for for centuries. The butler, the family doctor, and even the hostess's friends who were visiting the manor were all arrested by the church. Finally, when her lover revealed his fangs, Queenie awoke with a jolt.
The dark room was filled with rapid breathing. She hadn't forgotten this dream, but vampires... it was too surreal... No, maybe it was real. Once you put that into mind, everything made sense. Just think, Sirius and Ron were both so good-looking!
Queenie remembered seeing the dog turn into a person before she fainted. She shook her head to clear her mind of the unreliable thoughts. She reached for her phone but found nothing, realizing that Sirius had taken it. She got out of bed, stumbled to the window, and drew back the curtains. Soft moonlight quietly streamed into the room. Judging from the moon's position, dawn should be approaching soon.
Queenie ran to the door to try to open it, but it was locked. She had no choice but to go back to the window and peer out to see if she could escape through the window.
A click suddenly sounded in the quiet room. Queenie turned sharply to look at the door; the doorknob had turned.
The door opened gently with a long creak, and a dark figure squeezed through the crack. Startled to see her standing there so still, the person quickly tapped the wall with something, and the chandelier instantly lit up. In the dim light, Queenie could see the person's face clearly.
Despite the strange sense of incongruity, she would never admit to being wrong.
"Harry?"
It's Harry, a Harry in a sailor's uniform.
Harry experienced so much in that short night.
First came the OWLs exams, then the effort to save Sirius, followed by the panic of having to confess to Queenie, and finally a thrilling battle at the Ministry of Magic. Incidentally, Voldemort failed to obtain the prophecy orb and was nearly captured by Dumbledore. Harry, seated in the special seating area, watched the old headmaster's duel with Voldemort, which greatly diminished his fear of Voldemort in Riddle Cemetery. Conversely, Harry's admiration for Dumbledore soared; he truly should be seen as the savior of the wizarding world.
Once everything was over, he returned to the previous unresolved issue and confessed to Queenie.
Ron is right. Queenie will be furious when she finds out all his lies. What can he do to calm her down?
Harry still holds a special place in Queenie's heart.
She couldn't help but meet him, her usually bright and confident honey eyes now filled with panic. Harry felt guilty and heartbroken. He hugged Queenie and gently stroked her trembling back.
The hug lasted for a while, then Queenie called him again, "Harry?"
Harry froze. He heard Queenie ask him, "When did you get back? Why didn't you tell me? And where am I?"
He let go of her, not daring to look her in the eyes.
Harry kept encouraging himself. He wasn't even afraid of Voldemort, so what else was there to be afraid of?
After a moment, he mustered his courage and met her surprised gaze again, saying dryly, "Queenie, I'm sorry... I lied to you."
These words buzzed into Queenie's ears like bees, echoing in her mind.
She unconsciously took a step back, and Harry's face turned pale instantly. He felt as if he had been hit by the Crucifixion Curse, and the pain was excruciating.
Before Queenie could speak, Harry continued in one breath, “Actually, I’m not a sailor, I’m a wizard—yes, like in Lockhart’s books. Sirius is my godfather, this is Sirius’s house, he’s a wizard too, as are the two who attacked you last night, but they were Death Eaters—you know, dark wizards… Most of us are Muggle-friendly, Muggles are—well, you know. Oh, and Sirius can turn into a dog because he’s an Animagus, I can explain that to you later… And all the gifts I gave you, including this hair clip—”
Harry gently touched the emerald hair clip by Queenie's ear, which had become somewhat dull due to the curse, and was extremely grateful that Queenie had always worn it.
"—We all come from the magical world… Actually, thinking about it carefully, the only thing I've hidden is my identity as a wizard, right? Oh, I'm not trying to excuse myself… I'm sorry… I've always wanted to be honest with you, but the magical world isn't peaceful right now, and I was afraid of putting you in danger…"
Harry couldn't continue; he had already put Queenie in danger, if it weren't for Sirius...
Harry didn't dare stare at Queenie while he was confessing, afraid of seeing the look of disgust on her face. He mentally prepared himself, looked up at her directly, and said to her for the third time, "I'm sorry."
The buzzing never stopped in Queenie's mind.
What did Harry say? He's a wizard? Lockhart wasn't writing novels? Are they all true? Oh right, according to Harry, those novels also come from the magical world, no wonder she couldn't find them in London bookstores.
No, wait. The events of this night were too erratic. How could she be sure this wasn't just another dream? Although she clearly remembered not being drunk, what if the alcohol was too strong? Maybe she'd already slept for hours.
Queenie remained silent for a moment under Harry's anxious gaze, then she said—
"Take off your clothes."
She had a way to verify whether it was real or an illusion, but she couldn't bear to hurt either of them, so she had to choose another method.
The unexpected reply stunned Harry. "What?"
“Take off your clothes.” She repeated, slightly raising her chin in self-satisfaction. You see, the Harry of her dreams was always fiery and alluring, while the real him, though still tempting, was—
"Queenie, now?" Although he didn't know why Queenie said that, Harry's face still blushed shamefully for a moment.
...It's confirmed, this isn't a dream.
Queenie fell silent again.
The room was unusually quiet. Harry could feel the air moving with Queenie's breath, and he could even hear Queenie's inner thoughts whispering judgments on him.
That was far more unbearable than facing dozens of Wizengamo members in the tenth courtroom.
She had reason to be angry, Queenie thought; Harry had been deceiving her for so long. But she was too shocked; her brain couldn't handle too many complex emotions at once.
Most importantly, Harry looks... like he's about to break.
The green lake water at this moment resembled a leaf swaying precariously, constantly battered by the rain.
She had to admit she preferred the joy and happiness emanating from those beautiful eyes, regardless of whether he was a vampire, a wizard, or anything else.
Queenie thought for a moment, then slowly said, "You said you were a wizard."
Harry nodded immediately.
"How can you prove it? How do you know that what you just said isn't another lie?"
Harry hurriedly drew his wand. "I... I can use some magic."
Queenie looked at the wooden stick that had once shared a bubble bath with her, trying to match it with Lockhart's novel settings, so this should be... a magic wand?
"Orchids are in full bloom."
Harry whispered a spell, and a bouquet of flowers suddenly burst forth from the tip of his wand, pure white with a faint blue hue under the moonlight.
Queenie's eyes widened. This was Harry's magic, far more wonderful than any magic she had ever briefly experienced.
She took the bouquet of flowers. "Was this created by magic? So it's fake? But I can clearly smell the fragrance. How long will it last?"
Harry replied blankly, "I don't know either, this is the first time I've used this magic..."
"..." She had just learned that the man had lied to her, but Queenie was still overjoyed by the word "first time".
"Is there anything else you're lying to me about?"
"There is none more, I swear to Merlin!"
She relaxed and then looked at Harry's strange combination of a sailor's uniform and a wand. "Given that Mr. Potter isn't a sailor, why is he wearing this?"
Harry stammered, "You...you like it? I think this might lessen your anger..."
His awkward expression pleased Queenie, and she finally realized where that awkwardness came from.
She remembered Harry being 7.2 inches taller than her, and now that they were standing face to face, she could almost look Harry in the eye... Was that right?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
