章節 2: Chapter 2: Visits
September 18th, 1989, London, 221B Baker Street, 7:45 AM
Monday's sunlight shone through the bay window, illuminating Harry's slightly haggard face and thus waking him up.
Harry reached for his glass with minimal difficulty. Much to Harry's surprise, his glasses seemed to be renovated overnight. It fitted perfectly; it also had a lustrous black frame and crystal-clear lens.
His clothes were still the same kind, although they looked as good as new, and his shoes were also in good condition, all clean and nice.
The study was now clearer than last night. Illuminated by the morning light, the room was painted in a light teal colour with a white ceiling and a light brown wooden floor, decorated with numerous landscape paintings, bookshelves, and some sundries.
Out of curiosity, Harry began to explore the room, and the bustling atmosphere of London penetrated through the window. One could see pedestrians, commuters, milkmen, and deliveries engaging on the first day of a new week.
On the research table opposite Harry were crystal balls of various sides placed inside a box, cards with fascinating images and descriptions such as 'The Hierophant', magnifying glasses, some herb samples, unscrupulous metals, ores, tree barks, leather, canvas, fountain pen, pencil, quill, notes, unknown books,... Harry's eyes sparkled like stars as he examined every object.
'Who exactly is Mr. Esther, He can order those dishes to clean themselves and conjure odd liquid compared to those aspirins the nurse at the primary schools give me whenever I could not stand the bruises.'
Thinking back on how last night went put a smile on Harry's face; all of this was real. More importantly…
'He said that I'm not a freak; does that mean he's like me or does that imply I can do what he did?'
Harry's excitement grew rapidly, but life as a'slave' for years taught him not to put on a high hope. Harry shook his head. He wore a self-deprecating smile as he kept on examining these strange objects.
However, one thing stood out the most to the boy: it was a colourful, moving picture. Harry was taken aback as he saw the figure in the picture smiling brightly. It depicted a young man and woman standing beside each other; their hands were intertwined, and even the grand background composed of an ancient castle, a great lake, vast mountains, and forests could not overshadow the girl's beauty.
Golden blonde hair, azure eyes, her facial features, and the shape of her face were matched with stunning beauty. Her bearing and elegance were clear and pure. The yellow stripe scarf only added to her cheerfulness.
In contrast to her lively ambience was the shy boy beside her, yet his smile was genuine; he was like a younger version of Mr. Esther. The boy in the picture wore a similar dark robe and a blue scarf.
'This picture must have been taken during his school days,' Harry commented. As Harry turned the picture around, a small message came into view.
"August 17th, 1979. Happy birthday, Ethan Leonard Esther! My gloomy genius, the soon-to-be greatest seer of our time."
Love, Aelia Silvie Evolet
PS: Do you remember what we talked about that day?
November 17th, 1978
The clueless boy scratched his head as he put the picture back in its place. Harry then noted that a small note was attached to the door. He quickly went over and picked up the note.
It was from the owner of this house. The content of the note was to inform Harry that Ethen needed to attend to some important matters and that he'd be back by 8 a.m. Meanwhile, he suggested Harry take a bath. The bathroom was at the left end of the second floor's corridor.
…
Finally, it had been, like, forever since Harry was able to enjoy bathing like this. The bathroom was covered in a creamy white colour; it looked like that in a luxurious 5-star hotel. The only odd one out was the bird-wavey-patterned orb light bulb hanging from the ceiling that emitted bright light. Harry had never seen anything like this before, and the light it emitted was soothing to see.
Much to Harry's delight, all those bruises, old and new, seemed to have healed up completely, although his malnutrition still appeared. Mr. Esther wasn't kidding; a smile bloomed on the young boy as an emanation of relief and gratitude. He couldn't wait to ask Mr. Ethan about all that had happened since last night.
Hungriness urged Harry to venture downstairs. As Harry opened the door to the guest room, Mr. Esther was already there, waiting for Harry. The man greeted the boy with a subtle smile.
Ethan was reading newspapers, which seemed to be from The Guardian, and a few others were spread out in the corner of the broad table; they were either from The Daily Express or The New York Times; some were familiar to Harry as Uncle Vernon did subscribe to them. However, The Daily Prophet, The Quibbler, The Wizarding World News, and The Wizard's Voice? There were also moving pictures featured in those newspapers.
The man was wearing the same outfit last night. His slivery square-frame glass rests on his neat, lively complexion. On one hand, he was holding a brown mug containing the fragrant aroma of a latte. His posture truly befitted that of a gentleman, making Harry subconsciously straighten his back.
"Good morning, Harry," Ethan said calmly.
"Good morning, Mr. Esther," Harry replied quickly, although the shyness was still there.
"Please take your seat, Harry; breakfast is ready". Ethan sent those newspapers away into a recollection in the study, and the breakfast would be laid out by themselves. 2 dishes of scrambled eggs sprinkled with chives, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, and two slices of toast each All of this made the boy's mouth water, yet he held it back so as not to shame himself further.
"This is my first time making breakfast for guests; I hope it suits your taste." Ethan gestured for Harry to take a seat opposite him, parallel to the fireplace.
"Thank you, Mr. Esther," Harry said with the utmost respect as he waited for Ethan to dive in first. Both were enjoying the silent company.
Harry intended to ask after he finished this delicious breakfast. 'Mr. Esther was too humble about his cooking; this alone far surpasses Aunt Petunia's skills.'
Before Harry could raise his voice to suggest Mr. Esther let him do the dishes, this was the only thing that came to Harry's mind as he was wondering how to repay Ethan's kindness.
Upon realising Mister's capability last night, Harry quickly halted his words, disappointed at his uselessness.
Yet his intention was keenly recognized by Ethan.
"Why don't you come and help me clean these dishes? It's best if we're doing housework together. Besides…"
He whispered, "It's not like I can do what I did in broad daylight." He gestured at the pedestrians out the window.
This not only drew a beaming smile on the boy's face but also relieved Ethan, for there seemed to be more lights in those clouded black-amber irises.
He then gestured for Harry to sit down for a conversation regarding his circumstances as he conjured a glass of fresh water for the boy.
*Gulps* Harry subconsciously did that as he looked at Ethan's complexion, which turned solemn.
"Harry, I know you have a lot of questions, but worry not, for I will answer all of them, but first let me address this 'freakiness' of yours." Harry could hear this heartbeat faster as he finally grasped the truth about his peculiarity.
As he finished taking a sip of his latte, Ethan began to explain to Harry the basics of the Wizarding World, saying that there were truly wizards and witches with real magic.
Ethan was amused by watching the boy's bewilderment.
He continued elaborating on 'Accidental Magic' and stated that it was normal for young wizards and witches to experience this incident.
Then a thought struck across his mind 'His guardians are Muggles, no doubt, yet they put up with Harry's conditions as well as drilled into his head that what he possessed was equal to some unknown, uncurable disease. Why did they do this? What could they achieve? Were they aware or at least some of them aware, of Harry's true nature… Very Interesting.'
His eyes, from that faraway look, turned back into their usual slight dullness. Only then did he notice the frightening look on Harry's complexion.
The boy wore a pale face, his eyes filled with utmost horror. He was shaking non-stop as he curled up in his chair, and both of his hands held his head tightly.
'Accidental Magic... uncontrollable... hidden threats...' These thoughts kept echoing in his already fragile mind.
He kept mumbling to himself as his tears fell silently. "I killed them, it's all my fault, I killed them all, I should have died with them…"
Immediately, Ethan rushed to the boy's side and pulled him into his embrace. He patted Harry back gently, and with his concerned tone, he asked, "What's happened, Harry?"
Seemingly affected by the man's calmness, Harry gathered himself as he told Ethan about his parent's demise. According to the Dursleys, who passed away in a car accident when Harry was one year old, they kept making sure Harry remembered how unlucky his parents were. Perhaps Harry was the source of their misfortune.
Despair shrouded the boy's world.
Ethan's face darkened at the boy's words; his dull eyes were replaced with a pure darkness containing subtle madness and undulating rage. The amber hue only made those eyes look like they belonged to some unfathomable horror.
"It's all bollocks, Harry. I can assure you that your parents loved you with all they had, and you were certainly not the reason they died. I promised I'd tell you everything after we deal with those so-called 'Guardians' of yours."
It took a while for Harry to finally come down.
"Good, now I need you to visit a place with me first; after that, we can settle those savage 'Guardians'; they have to face their consequences."
Earlier in the day, Ethan had already made a trip to the police station to report Harry's condition. Ethan already had the relevant information on the Dursleys as he pried into Harry's memory through Legilimency. He had also contacted a prestige law firm, Hawthorn Co., as well as the Muggle Liaison Department, for this to be resolved completely.
Now he only needed to make a trip to Gringotts to get a hold of Harry's parents' will. He got a hunch that something had gone south regarding Harry's adoptions.
Ethan put on a knee-length dark overcoat and wore a stylish black half-top hat.
Harry blinked at Ethan's choice of fashion, which only added to the man's menacing and elegant posture.
Ethan gave Harry an assuring smile as he held the boy's hand, called a taxi nearby, and headed towards a broken-down old shop front on Charing Cross Road.
On their way to the Leaky Cauldron, Ethan's mind once again drew upon another realisation.
'Harry lived with Dursleys at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, How could Harry make it to my doorsteps? Don't tell me. Did the boy accidentally triggered Apparitions with the prerequisite that he must have seen Baker Street before… With such powerful magic, perhaps he truly befits the title The Boy Who Lived.'
September 18th, 1989, London, Charing Cross Road, 9:08 AM
They were standing outside of what was considered to be a broken-down old shop. Before they sat foot in the old pub, Ethan waved his hand as Harry only felt a small wind blow past his hair. He has just cast a small illusion to hide Harry's distinguished scar, considering how famous he was in the Wizarding World.
Ethan smiled warmly at Harry before taking hands and leading into the pub.
'Wow!' Harry was once again amazed at the scene layout in front of him.
Aside from the seemingly normal layouts of a pub, everything else seemed disconnected from the outside world: funny little witches from the country, up for a day's shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woollen balaclava.
However, the hit from anxiety made Harry instinctively stand closer to Ethan, both of his hands holding on tight to Ethan. At that moment, Harry looked like a baby Koala hanging on tight to his parents.
Many curious eyes scrutinise the new pair of customers. Only to be shunned when they met those emotionless, dark amber irises, the gentleman's friendly smile never reached his eyes, which only added to his mysterious menace aura.
Harry followed Ethan to the rear of the pub after Ethan had exchanged formal pleasantries with the owner, Tom, while Harry just nodded to the man. Tom raised an eyebrowed at the boy, though he kept his curiosity in check as he turned to nod back to the smiling gentleman "Good day to you sir".
The rear of the pub opened up onto a chilly courtyard that contained the entrance to Diagon Alley as well as the shady Knockturn Alley. Diagon Alley could be accessed by tapping the correct brick in the wall behind the Leaky Cauldron from the rubbish bin, three up and two across. The wall went into a small hole first but formed a large archway.
Harry's curious eyes were looking at everything presented at Diagon Alley, from those magical shops to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, etc.
The boy continued to follow Ethan closely until they reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops, Gringotts. Inside the bank, they were greeted by a goblin wearing a formal dark brown suit who presented himself as Gerrik.
"What can I help you with?" He spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Good day to you, Mr. Gerrik. I'm Ethen Esther, and here is Harry Potter. We came here today to discuss Harry's adoption according to his parent's arrangements. I believe something has gone unnoticed somewhere along the way." Harry watched what Ethan said respectfully, and although his tone was flat, he still wore that signature business smile of his.
It took a few seconds for the goblin to recover from what he just heard as he looked up and down at the slim boy with a prominent lightning bolt scar shape.
"Ahem, my apologies, sir; only those relevant to the will can gain excess to revise it.
"As far as I know, under the circumstances that his parents pass away, Mr. Potter here will be adopted by his godfather, Sirius Black, but we all know that man ended up in Azkaban.
"Therefore, the next candidates would be Alice & Frank Longbottom, who are also close friends with the deceased, yet they also ended up in St. Mungo being tortured into madness.
"After that, we have Mr. Pettigrew, who died during the war. That left Mr. Remus Lupin, who is also a close friend of the deceased. However, before we could contact Mr. Lupin, we only received the information that Harry had been adopted by his nearest relatives, which was also in line with the deceased's will. So, we…" Sweats broke out of the goblin's bald head as he tried to keep up his awkward smile before this menacing gentleman.
Ethan adjusted his glasses as he processed the information. "So, you technically skip his parent's will and take Harry's adoption for granted; no further examination about 'the information' you received? Your reputation is highly questionable now, Mr. Gerrik."
Harry can feel the subtly threatening tones emitted from Ethan's words towards the goblin, who now fell back a step unconsciously.
"Sir, we received the information directly from the renowned Mr. Albus Dumbledore. Thus, we assumed that Mr. Harry must be in good hands."
'The headmaster is involved!? This is getting deeply interesting.'
Ethan returned to his flat tone "Though I assume there must be more to the will, things like the responsibility of the adopter?"
Gerrik hesitated before he spoke up. "Absolutely! It is clearly stated that Harry would be raised with love and care."
"Does he look anything like he was raised with love and care?" Ethan's voice turned grim as he spoke. Unless you were extremely dim-witted, you would not notice the excessively haggard conditions of the boy to know that he had been'mistreated' for a time.
Gerrik sweated profoundly as he composed himself. "Our deepest apology, sir; we will immediately address this issue- "
"I already contacted relevant departments regarding Harry's abuse. What you need to do right now is contact Mr. Remus Lupin and act Accordingly to the will."
Gerrik stared at Ethan before taking a glance at the shy Harry. "Of course, sir, but it will take a while for us given that we have to locate Mr. Remus Lupin. I promised he would be here on Wednesday. Meanwhile… I assumed Mr. Esther here has been taking good care of you, Mr. Potter." The goblin directed his question at Harry.
Without a second thought, Harry nodded. Gerrik raised a satisfied smile. "I will issue a certification stating that you will be his temporary guardian until the arrival of Mr. Lupin; would that suffice, sir?"
Ethan turned to Harry, seeking his approval, as the boy only smiled brightly at him. Ethan's face relaxed, and he then proceeded to sign the certificate after he had made sure that there was nothing fishy.
The gentleman touched the brim of his hat as he saluted with a cold smile. "I'll be back by Wednesday."
The goblin sighed in relief, as if he had just avoided a catastrophe. That man was anything but simple, and Gerrik's intuition told him not to mess with that person.
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