章 127: 0127 I Know
The kitchen, which had been meticulously cleaned and organized by the diligent Aunt Petunia, was now enveloped in a peculiar atmosphere. This atmosphere seemed to have a stifling effect on the Dursleys, who were the rightful owners of the house at Number Four, Privet Drive. They sat rigidly on one side of the dining table, like wax figures in a museum, not daring to look at Harry, who was anxiously narrating the events that had led to this situation, but at Bryan, who was casually enjoying a fried egg with toast and bacon.
When Harry mentioned that he was baffled by the possibility of wizards having cancer, a disease that he had only heard of in muggle terms, Bryan put down his knife and fork and looked up at him with a serious expression.
"No, Potter, wizards don't get that kind of disease–"
"Why, Professor Watson?"
Harry interrupted him, still using the title that he had given him when he was the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even though he knew that Mr. Watson was no longer teaching there, Harry still felt a sense of respect towards him. Harry was curious about the reason behind Bryan's statement, as he thought that cancer should not discriminate between wizards and muggles. So Facing Professor Watson's explanation, he showed a puzzled look,
"This disease, I don't know much about it, Professor, but I think it shouldn't matter whether we are wizards or not."
"It's because of the magic."
Bryan swallowed the food in his mouth and calmly said, "This involves the fundamental difference between wizards and muggles, Potter. You see, we and muggles alike, the cells in our bodies are constantly mutating, but our bodies contain a high concentration of magic that muggles do not have.
Magic is a very amazing force, it is like a unique immune system that only exists in the bodies of wizards. When it detects the diseases that exist naturally, such as viruses, bacteria, or parasites, magic will spontaneously annihilate those sources of disease–"
Looking at Potter, who was unconsciously sitting upright, as if he was in class, Bryan smiled. To be honest, apart from Dumbledore's unpleasant 'trick', he had a lot of fun in the few months he returned to Hogwarts in the first half of the year.
"–Most of the sources of disease that do not involve abnormal magic cannot cause wizards to get sick. In addition, magic also has a weak effect of strengthening the physical quality, so you will find that, as long as they are not sick or disaster-prone, most of the wizards with high magic power will basically live a long life."
"Just like Dumbledore!"
Harry, who had been a little confused, reacted immediately.
'You're almost competing with Rubeus Hagrid for the position of Dumbledore's number one fan, Potter.'
Bryan secretly rolled his eyes, but smiled and nodded.
Aunt Petunia, who was sitting opposite the two of them, showed a trace of hard-to-detect envy in her fearful eyes when she heard this, and as the topic evolved, Uncle Vernon, who almost occupied half of the other side of the dining table, unconsciously clenched his fists under the table, deliberately suppressing his breathing also slowly increased, it seemed that he had reached the limit of tolerance.
In fact, if it weren't for the fact that this young man with a very special temperament had almost the same appearance as Mr. Watson when he was young, he might have already 'politely' asked him to leave.
But since it came to this, Uncle Vernon was puzzled again.
This man should be Mr. Watson's son–without much intelligence, Uncle Vernon figured it out himself. His eyes might have inherited his mother, but his features and that soft gray hair were almost identical to Mr. Watson when he was young. If they weren't father and son, that would be puzzling!
But Mr. Watson had no children, which was confirmed by Mr. Watson's loyal old butler, Mr. Lawrence!
Uncle Vernon had been in that drilling company for most of his life, and he knew the family situation of every old employee in the company, let alone their boss, Claude Watson.
Could it be that Mr. Watson had a bastard son that even his faithful old butler Lawrence didn't know about?! Uncle Vernon blinked his piggy eyes and felt that he had discovered the explosive truth.
Then, since Mr. Watson had no other children except this bastard son, why didn't he try to find him back when he was so sick, after all, he had such a huge family business with no one to inherit? Looking at the young man who was enjoying Petunia's breakfast and chatting with Petunia's annoying nephew, Uncle Vernon struggled to turn his head, quietly thinking about this question.
Suddenly, Uncle Vernon opened his eyes wide and held his breath, thinking of a shocking possibility! From the conversation, it could be heard that this man had been a professor at that school that, which means that he must be one of those weird and freaky people they hated! Those who could do unnatural things with a flick of a stick, those who had ruined his peaceful and normal life by sending his nephew to that place!
And Mr. Watson must have known this, no doubt, Mr. Watson was a decent person, so he never wanted to admit or reveal that he had such a shameful bastard son, he didn't want to have anything to do with him! He must have abandoned him as soon as he found out his true nature, and never looked back!
Bryan, who seemed to have noticed something, casually glanced at Uncle Vernon, who had changed his expression from confusion and fear to contempt and superiority. He wondered what had made the fat man who had shown him such hostility and suspicion suddenly feel so smug and proud. He also noticed that the kid who was almost a miniature version of him had been covering his butt with his hands since he saw him. What was wrong with that? Could it be that he had been persecuted by someone and had some misunderstanding of him?
"–I saw a picture in that drawing room, it was."
Harry hesitated for a moment, as if he was reluctant to admit his relationship with the Dursleys in front of Professor Watson, just like the Dursleys always thought that having a relationship with him was a disgrace.
"–It was a group photo of all the employees of Uncle Vernon's company many years ago, and it also had the boss of this company"
"And then you found out that the boss of that drilling company looked almost exactly like me?"
Bryan, who had eaten seven or eight points full, elegantly wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with a napkin, and nodded gratefully at Aunt Petunia,
"Your cooking is great, Mrs. Petunia, I haven't had such a delicious breakfast for a long time."
Aunt Petunia, who received the compliment, did not show any emotion related to happiness. She pursed her lips and lowered her head to look at those plates. Although she was eager to get this man out of her house, even if he might have a close relationship with Vernon's company boss, she didn't dare to say a word. She was afraid of what he might do if he got angry, or worse, if he used his magic.
"So, how is he doing now, I mean, Claude Watson."
Harry was not surprised that Professor Watson would care about the health of Uncle Vernon's company boss, he was surprised by the tone of Professor Watson when he mentioned this name, that was a kind of casual, not very caring tone, as if he was discussing a stranger who had little to do with him!
"Very bad, Professor, he could die at any time"
Harry didn't go on, but he believed that Professor Watson would understand what he meant. He wondered why Professor Watson didn't seem to care about his father's condition, or didn't try to contact him or visit him.
Looking at Professor Watson, whose deep eyes were hard to see, Harry hesitated for a while and asked,
"Do you know, I mean, did you know this Mr. Claude Watson very early, Professor. Because, you don't seem very surprised?"
Bryan sighed, he leaned back on the chair and looked up at the spotless ceiling, his fingers tapping on the dining table one by one, making a dull and depressing knocking sound. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, recalling some memories that were not pleasant or happy.
"Yes, I know."
After a while, Bryan nodded and answered the question, "I knew about the existence of this Mr. Claude Watson very early."
"But I heard Hagrid say that you grew up in an orphanage?"
Harry opened his mouth and asked blankly.
"That's right, Potter."
Bryan lowered his head and looked at Harry, showing a deep smile that was hard to understand, "I did grow up in an orphanage, these two things are not contradictory, are they?"
******************************************
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章 128: 0128 Second Visit
After several days had passed, Harry once again found himself standing in front of the luxurious and magnificent Watson Manor, which was surrounded by a high wall and a large iron gate. The last time he had come here, he had been accompanied by the Dursley family. This time, however, the person next to him was changed to Professor Watson, who had shown him kindness and curiosity.
"Professor–"
Harry whispered, pointing his finger at the guards who looked at them with a wary and hostile look from behind the bars of the gate.
"If we don't make an appointment in advance, I'm afraid they won't let us in."
"Oh, don't worry, Potter, we'll find a way."
Bryan, who had been immersed in his memories of the past, was pulled back to reality by Harry's reminder. He took a confident step forward and walked towards the manor, saying in a casual tone, while Harry, who followed behind him, didn't know what Professor Watson's method was, but he thought that if it was relying on the power of magic, it might not be very appropriate in the muggle world.
"We are here to visit the owner of the manor, gentlemen, can you please help us open the door?"
Bryan stood in front of the guards, who were all dressed in black suits and had cold and expressionless faces, and politely requested. His voice was calm and courteous, but there was a hint of authority in it.
'This is Professor Watson's method?' Harry was disappointed. He had expected something more clever and magical.
The leader of the guards was a strong and muscular muggle, who looked at the young man who looked a bit familiar with a suspicious and doubtful look, and the child next to the young man, feeling that they both looked a bit familiar, too. He wondered if they had seen them on the television or in the newspapers.
"Sorry, gentlemen, we didn't get any notice in advance that someone would visit Mr. Watson today. Maybe your appointment was unsuccessful, or maybe you got the wrong time."
The guard leader said, trying to sound polite and professional. Of course, most of the people who came in and out of here were noble and upper-class people, and he didn't dare to offend them without a reason.
"Maybe Lawrence forgot to tell you–"
Bryan smiled and lied, "You can go and confirm with him again, um, you can say that the son of Mrs. Melina Depp wants to visit Mr. Watson, I think he will let us in."
The guards looked at each other, they had been working here for a while, and they all knew the old housekeeper's rigorous and meticulous work style. Normally, if these two strangers really had a prior appointment with Mr. Lawrence, he shouldn't forget to tell them, but the unique and elegant temperament of the young man in front of them and the confident and charming smile on his face made them not so sure of their guesses.
"Okay, sir, then please wait a moment–"
After hesitating for a while, the guard leader said this, and then ran to the manor to ask for instructions.
"Did you see, Potter–"
While waiting under the shade of a lush and green tree, whose gray-brown bark was covered with cracks of white wax, Bryan said, "Not everything has to rely on magic to solve."
Harry secretly rolled his eyes and kept quiet, but asked in a low voice, "Who is this Mrs. Melina Depp, Professor Watson?"
"Just like I said, Potter."
His eyes jumped over the magnificent and splendid building of the manor and gazed at the pure and flawless, high and distant clouds in the sky. Bryan moved his mouth and said in a slightly less crisp and clear voice,
"That's my mother–"
The actual manager of the manor, the loyal and faithful old housekeeper who had served the Watson family for two generations, came faster than expected. Looking at the old Lawrence who ran to the gate faster than the young and agile guard leader, Harry was surprised. In the last brief meeting, Harry's impression of this old housekeeper was that he was the kind of person that the Dursley family would like very much - meticulous, polite, and seemingly elegant in his bones.
But now, this old housekeeper who normally took every step with the same distance and pace was running wildly, which not only surprised Harry, but also made Bryan's calm and composed eyes change slightly.
"Where is that gentleman!"
The old housekeeper, whose gray hair was stuck to his sweaty and wrinkled cheeks, didn't even give himself time to breathe. He yelled at the guards who were a bit at a loss and confused from a few dozen feet away, with a sharp and urgent voice.
At the moment of eye contact, Lawrence suddenly froze. He looked at the young man who stood with no expression in the mottled and dim tree shadow, and swept his handsome and familiar features with a nostalgic and longing look. His nose, which had brown spots from old age, suddenly became sour and tingling.
"Yes, it's you." The old housekeeper approached step by step, and said softly in a mumbling and trembling tone. His voice was full of emotion and disbelief.
Harry looked at the old housekeeper who was excited and his eyes were red, and then looked at Bryan who still looked very calm and indifferent. His emerald eyes widened in shock and curiosity!
"It's you, definitely not wrong, you are that child, just like master when he was young."
The old housekeeper seemed to age ten years in an instant. He came to Bryan's front, completely ignoring Harry, and stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to touch Bryan's cheek. His hand was shaking and wrinkled.
"So alike, I've been looking for you for many years." He said, his eyes moist and shining.
"Hope you don't mind our rude visit."
Bryan took a step back, avoiding the old housekeeper's fingertips, and said in a tone without any fluctuations. His tone was cold and distant, as if he didn't want to have anything to do with the old man.
And his overly calm tone also woke up Lawrence like a bucket of cold water, making him regain some calmness and composure.
"You know everything, young master. I mean, what happened back then, did your mother tell you everything?"
Lawrence, who didn't want to leave Bryan's face for a moment, showed bitterness and regret. His face was pale and sad.
"Young master? Where does this come from, Lawrence–" Bryan said a bit helplessly, "If you don't mind, just call me Bryan."
"Bryan." Hearing him say that, Lawrence's old body shuddered, "That's the name of Mrs. Melina Depp's father."
"Let's change to a simpler way of communication,"
Bryan frowned with annoyance, to be honest, he didn't know how to deal with this old housekeeper. After taking a deep breath, Bryan looked at Harry, who was staring wide-eyed and also in a inexplicably excited state, and patted his shoulder and said to Lawrence,
"Maybe you have an impression of this kid, his name is Harry Potter, he visited here with the Dursleys last week, and accidentally found a photo of the owner of the manor when he was young in the living room, and he looked very similar to me, so he wrote to me, oh, by the way, I'm this kid's teacher, um, I taught him some self-defense skills."
Harry rolled a covert eye and continued to keep quiet. He felt that Bryan was lying too casually and unconvincingly.
"Out of curiosity, I came over with him to take a look, of course, if this kind of rude behavior makes you feel troubled, we can leave now." Bryan said, pretending to be polite and respectful.
"Leave? Oh, absolutely not!"
Lawrence suddenly recovered his vigor, he grabbed Bryan and Harry's arms, and said to Harry with a trembling and grateful voice, "You are Vernon's nephew, right? Oh, kid, I'm so grateful to you! You brought him back to me!"
"Oh, well,"
Harry showed a bit of embarrassment, and said hastily, "You're welcome, sir, I didn't really do anything."
In the blue sky, a large cloud of thick and dark clouds was driven by the wind mixed with moisture towards the sun, and the magnificent and elegant manor was gradually hidden in the darkness. The atmosphere became gloomy and ominous.
Bryan, who was dragged by Lawrence towards the house, looked at a sick room on the top floor, and his calm and composed expression gradually became complicated and conflicted.
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