Chapter 510: Chapter 510: Letters from All Sides (Edited)
The sunlight slowly filtered into the room, and Harry's lamp light didn't seem as bright under the glow of the rising sun. Harry had finished writing the letter to Tom and spread the parchment on the table. He read it from beginning to end to make sure there were no issues and then rolled up the parchment. He would send it to Tom as soon as Hedwig returned.
He checked the clock on the wall and realized that the Dursley family must already be awake. So he quickly dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.
Since Dudley had accidentally bumped into his father at the fast-food restaurant last time, Dudley's pocket money had been confiscated. As a result, Dudley threw his video game from the second floor, but that didn't solve anything. The Dursleys had resolved to stick to their diet to the end, and Aunt Petunia also regained control of Uncle Vernon's money.
But all of that had nothing to do with Harry. Every day, he hid in his room and enjoyed canned meals. Occasionally, he could even afford to go to the fast-food restaurant. It seemed like he had gained a little weight in recent days.
When Harry arrived in the kitchen, the Dursleys were already seated at the table. Today's breakfast was dreadful: grapefruits. They were really unpleasant, but fortunately, Aunt Petunia had reduced Harry's portion, easing his suffering.
While Harry quickly devoured the grapefruits on his plate, an unusual letter arrived at the Dursley household.
The letter came from the Weasley family, and the envelope was covered in stamps.
The letter brought good news: tomorrow at five in the afternoon, the Weasleys would come to Privet Drive to take Harry to the Burrow for a few days. And then they would go together to the World Cup stadium! Due to that letter, Uncle Vernon was furious, but there was nothing he could do once the wizards had made a decision. Besides, it wasn't so bad to get rid of Harry ahead of time.
With permission granted, Harry contained his internal joy and returned to his room.
Hedwig had returned from outside at that moment, carrying Ron's letter with her. Harry quickly wrote his response and sent it off with the owls, including the letter to Tom. He watched as the two owls flew away, one large and one small, and deep in his heart, Harry felt like they were carrying his worries away.
In London, Tom was having breakfast with the Granger family. The food on the table was much more plentiful than at the Dursleys': roasted sausages, fried bacon, half-cooked fried eggs, crispy toast, and fruit cereals. Calorie-rich but able to start a wonderful and happy day.
After living with the Grangers for a long time, Tom had adapted quite well, and he could even tell English jokes at the table now. However, he was still determined to buy a house of his own in the future, as his new home. He didn't want to keep living with the Grangers forever.
"We should understand that this is an era of reconciliation; we must seek consensus and acknowledge the positive aspects of our opponents instead of criticizing them endlessly. Everyone has their strengths," Mr. Granger said as he shared his opinion on international politics.
"Except for the French," Tom skewered his sausage on the plate.
The words made Mr. Granger laugh, and he struggled to contain his laughter before saying seriously, "No, even the French are included."
The table was filled with joy.
At that moment, a gray owl flew in. It was a response from the official World Cup ticket agency. Tom had sent them the ticket purchase information two days ago and was now receiving confirmation. Since the magical world relied entirely on manual service and considering there were hundreds of thousands of spectators at the World Cup, the efficiency was already quite high.
"Dear Mr. Tom Yodel, we have received and processed your request. Enclosed in the attached envelope are two doses of a magical potion that removes the effect of the Muggle-Repelling Charm. The potion's effectiveness lasts for 48 hours and should be reapplied after that period.
Furthermore, in accordance with the Ministry of Magic's 'Confidentiality Agreement during the World Cup Final,' you must proceed to a designated location and use the Portkey to access the competition venue. The location and schedule for key distribution are provided in the attached appendix."
Tom took out two small bottles of the magical potion and a long list from the envelope, which contained the locations of the two hundred Portkeys, spread throughout the United Kingdom.
"It's a letter about the World Cup..." Tom briefly said, explaining the contents of the letter. Mr. Granger took the list and examined it, checking the mentioned locations.
"The most suitable for us would be at the Leaky Cauldron in London... Portkey? What are they exactly?" he asked.
"They are magical objects that, once activated, can transport you to a pre-set location," Tom explained.
"There will be a lot of people at the Leaky Cauldron," Hermione frowned, as everyone knew it was the most convenient location. "Who knows how many people will go to the Leaky Cauldron to use the keys?" Besides, to maintain confidentiality, most Portkeys were located in remote areas, avoiding large cities like London. The Leaky Cauldron was the only location within the city of London where Portkeys were placed.
After all, in other locations, it was difficult to ensure that you wouldn't be seen by Muggles while transporting.
There was some dispute about where to use the keys. After all, once they left London, the destination didn't matter much. Everyone had to drive to remote areas and then find a place, like a farm, to leave their car and walk to where the Portkey would be placed.
However, their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of two owls: one large and one small, one gray and the other white. They were Hedwig, Harry's owl, and Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl.
Tom was surprised. He received the letters from the talons of the two owls. He first opened Ron's letter, the contents of which excited him.
"Mr. Granger, I think we can go to the Portkey point near the Burrow Hill," Tom said, stopping the discussion with his wife and searching for the location of "Ottery St. Catchpole" in the attached list.
"The hill to the northwest of the village of Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon?" Mr. Granger looked confused. "Why?"
"Because my classmate, Ron, from Gryffindor, has sent us an invitation to join him in witnessing the World Cup final together," Tom handed Ron's letter to Mr. Granger. "His father asked us, mentioning that the 'Confidentiality Agreement' might be uncomfortable for us... By the way, Harry Potter is going with them."
While Mr. Granger read Ron's letter, Tom opened the letter sent by Harry.
Chapter 511: Chapter 511: Come On, World Cup! (Edited)
Harry's letter was not much longer than Ron's, and it began by thanking Tom for the second round of provisions: Tom had sent Harry a small cake and a simple magical item for his birthday. The function of this magical item was straightforward, to keep things fresh. It was meant to be used by potion masters to preserve their potions, but it was a good idea to give it to Harry.
Harry had received several cakes on his birthday, and obviously, he couldn't eat them all at once. The space beneath the floor wasn't suitable for storing cakes, so Tom's "refrigerator" came in handy.
After thanking Tom, Harry talked about his recent life and, in the end, mentioned his scar, which prompted Tom to tease him a bit: "You really are very British, always adding a ton of small talk at the beginning and leaving the most important part for the end."
But that was nothing compared to British office workers, who often filled their letters with unnecessary nonsense at both the beginning and end, even though they could have said what they wanted in a single sentence. Their letters were like green beans, short at both ends.
Tom wasn't surprised that Harry's scar was hurting him; after all, Voldemort had regained his power, and it wasn't something to worry too much about. Writing him a letter to console him would suffice.
At that moment, Mr. Granger had finished reading Ron's letter and thought it would be a good decision to join the Weasley family to go to the World Cup final.
"Now that we've made a decision, let's pack!" Mrs. Granger said, putting an end to the discussion with her authority and shooing everyone out of the kitchen to go to their rooms and pack.
For Tom, packing wasn't a complicated affair: he simply folded the clothes and packed them in the suitcase. But for Hermione and Mrs. Granger, obviously, packing wasn't that simple.
"Change of clothes, toiletries, face cream, hand sanitizer, and also... and also..." Mrs. Granger carried a basket full of things, muttering as she moved around the room, and said with some dissatisfaction, "I should have made a list beforehand."
Tom now knew where Hermione inherited her personality.
Not only was Hermione excited, Mr. Granger also seemed excited, as he had pulled a large travel bag from some corner of the house, filled with camping gear.
But it was normal; outdoor camping was a popular holiday option for the British, so it wasn't strange that Mr. Granger enjoyed it.
"Wait a moment, we won't need the tent," Tom stopped Mr. Granger as he attempted to retrieve a packed tent from the top of the closet.
"When we went on our trip to Egypt last year, we bought a magical tent that has plenty of space inside. We don't need to take a regular tent," Hermione recalled the luxurious camp they used on their trip to Egypt.
"Great!" Mr. Granger snapped his fingers, "I've never heard of a magical tent before, is there enough space inside?"
Hermione: ...
At that moment, she realized a problem: how was she going to explain to her father that the tent had only one room?
The atmosphere instantly turned uncomfortable.
Tom could sense a change in the air, and he saw Mr. Granger's gradually unfriendly gaze. It was as if he could see the label "friendship-1" on Mr. Granger's forehead, and it cleared his throat before Mr. Granger's relationship with him changed from "friendly" to "cold."
"The living room in the tent is spacious enough for two people to sleep comfortably," Tom said.
"Oh, I see," Mr. Granger's expression softened, "but let's still take the tent, Tom, help me with it."
Tom dared not refuse and grabbed a chair to help Mr. Granger retrieve the tent bag.
"It's quite dusty," Mr. Granger gently wiped the dust off the tent bag, "the last time we camped was when Hermione was in primary school, it's been five or six years."
Tom, obediently, stood aside nodding his head, as Hermione took the opportunity to sneak away while her father cleaned the tent. As for poor Tom, he trusted he would get along with her father.
However, Hermione didn't feel comfortable for long, as just as she was going up the stairs, Mrs. Granger caught her and led her to pack her things. At this moment, Hermione was extremely thankful for having packed her clothes in advance; otherwise, it would be difficult to explain some things to her mother...
The next few hours were endless and tedious, and Tom felt trapped as if he were in prison. But everything has an end; after Mrs. Granger announced several times that they were done packing but suddenly remembered they could still add things, the Granger family finally finished packing.
Looking at the three suitcases in front of them, Tom unconsciously said, "Actually, we'll probably only be there for one night..."
"Tom is right," thinking about having to carry all those suitcases for several kilometers, Mr. Granger immediately expressed his support for Tom.
"But there are also matches that last for half a month," Hermione said, expressing a different opinion.
"That's only in exceptional cases. We spent three years at Hogwarts; was there ever a match that lasted more than a day? Professional matches are even faster and more intense. Besides, the Bulgarian national team's Seeker, Krum, is extremely good," Tom asserted.
Hermione blushed and tried to say something but was stopped by Mr. Granger. He said with all seriousness, "Tom is right."
So the four of them unpacked and redistributed their belongings, trying to fit all loose items into the bewitched extension charm suitcase. In the end, the three suitcases turned into one package with the tent and a large suitcase.
Everyone was satisfied.
The agreed-upon time with the Weasley family arrived quickly.
This invitation was initiated by Mr. Weasley. Hospitality was a tradition in the Weasley family, so they actively invited Harry, Tom, and other friends to their home, and then they would go to the World Cup stadium together. Harry was Ron's friend, while Tom had less contact with Ron, but he always got into trouble with Fred and George... well, he got along quite well with the Weasley family.
Of course, as Tom had frequent business dealings with Fred and George, he wasn't as well-liked by Mrs. Weasley as Harry. Although Mrs. Weasley wasn't pleased that Tom always bought inappropriate toys from her mischievous sons, she still considered Tom a friend of the Weasley family; after all, friends are friends! And as friends, Tom was within the scope of the invitation.
When Mr. Weasley casually found out that the Grangers were also going to the Quidditch stadium to watch the match, he nearly went crazy with joy. They were living Muggles! He had unlimited time to chat with them without worrying about violating the Statute of Secrecy. It was a unique opportunity.
So Arthur immediately asked his youngest son, Ron, to invite Tom and the Granger family. That was the story behind the invitation letter Ron sent.
As Muggles who knew almost nothing about the magical world, the Grangers really hoped the wizards would guide them. Both parties quickly agreed.
According to the original plan, Mr. Weasley would go to the Dursleys' house to pick up Harry at five o'clock in the evening on August 21st, then they would go to the Granger's house to meet them. The Weasley family, the Granger family, and Tom and Harry would spend the night at the Burrow and depart early the next day for the match location.
The match would start on the night of August 22nd, and its duration would depend on the outcome.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger had been a little nervous since the afternoon of the 21st. They put on camping clothes and sat in the living room with stiff postures. Mr. Granger had cut his hair and shaved his beard, while Mrs. Granger had bathed and changed her clothes, even styling her hair differently.
Everyone's luggage was arranged in a corner of the room, on which Crookshanks was crouched with crossed paws, looking like a yellow stuffed toy. Tom's pigeon, on the other hand, perched on Crookshanks' head. Tom had attached the Muggle-Repelling Potion to a strap of the tent backpack.
According to the plan, Mr. Weasley and the others should have arrived around five-fifteen, but an accident occurred.
The clock on the wall struck five-fifteen, but nothing happened. Five-twenty... five-thirty... five-forty-five...
At that moment, the phone in the living room suddenly rang.
Mr. Granger answered the phone, and a very young voice could be heard from the receiver.
"Hello, is this the Granger residence?"
Tom immediately recognized the voice as Harry's.
Hermione approached the phone, took it from her father, and put it on speaker.
Would it be rude to ask directly why they hadn't arrived yet? That's what he thought in his mind.
Mr. Weasley's voice came from the other end of the phone, "Is this the telephone? It's really amazing; I want one too... Oh, sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to interrupt you..."
Chaos could be heard on the other end of the phone.
Harry grabbed his forehead in pain and tried to speak in short sentences, "We can talk about that later. I need to confirm one thing with you, Hermione, your fireplace isn't sealed, right?"
The Granger family directed their gazes at the fireplace in the living room. At that moment, the fireplace was extinguished but definitely not sealed.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Harry and Mr. Weasley felt relieved.
"Wait for us for a few minutes; we're on our way... remember to stay away from the fireplace!" After saying that, Harry hung up the phone, took out some coins, and handed them to the convenience store attendant. Then, along with Mr. Weasley, he left the store as if they were flying.
After a few minutes, the green flames in the living room fireplace suddenly soared to over a meter high, and then a middle-aged, somewhat balding man suddenly appeared in the fireplace flames. The flames licked at his green robe but did him no harm.
The way he appeared was amazing in the eyes of the Grangers.
Mr. Weasley looked a little tired. He stepped out of the flames and shook hands with the Grangers.
"It's a good thing you didn't seal the fireplace! You must be Mr. and Mrs. Granger."
Mr. Granger smiled and nodded, shaking hands with Mr. Weasley.
"This afternoon, I connected your fireplace to the Floo Network... and also the Dursleys'. Strictly speaking, this kind of operation is prohibited, but I have an acquaintance in the Floo Network Department, so..." Mr. Weasley explained as the flames behind him grew again. Harry emerged from them, staggering, and Tom quickly caught him.
"This is Harry," Mr. Weasley introduced Harry to the Grangers.
A few seconds later, Tom's acquaintances, Fred and George, also appeared in the Grangers' living room. Seeing his two sons here, Mr. Weasley's expression momentarily lost control, but he quickly concealed it.
After making sure that no more people were arriving, Harry told everyone the reason for their delay and what had happened at the Dursleys' house.
It turns out that according to the plan, Mr. Weasley would use the Floo Network to go to the Dursleys' house, pick up Harry, and then use the Floo Network again to go to the Grangers' house and take the entire family. However, this plan was thwarted from the beginning: the Dursley family had sealed their fireplace.
Mr. Weasley, caught between his own fireplace and the Dursleys', was forced to use a blasting spell to open the Dursleys' fireplace, making the encounter awkward. The Tongue-Tying Toffees that Fred and George had deliberately left behind only worsened the situation between the two families.
Mr. Weasley had to make a great effort to fix things: repairing the Dursleys' fireplace, curing Dudley's long tongue, and, incidentally, cleaning up the Dursleys' living room.
This encounter really left a big impression on Mr. Weasley, so the first thing he did when he returned to the Burrow was not to settle scores with his twin sons but to have Harry contact Hermione and ask if her fireplace was sealed.
Fortunately, there was a public phone near the Burrow, fortunately, Harry had exchanged phone numbers with Tom and Hermione before, and fortunately, he remembered that number; otherwise, today's encounter would have been delayed even more, and Mr. Weasley really didn't want to fly another fireplace.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Mr. Weasley and Harry set off together for Hermione's house.
After hearing this strange story, everyone in the room was dumbfounded. Tom quickly looked around to make sure Fred and George hadn't left any strange products lying around.
Mr. Weasley immediately understood Tom's look and shot a fierce glare at the twins, who were lost in thought. Then he rubbed his hands together and addressed Mr. Granger, "Well... I think we can leave now, right?"
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