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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