"Dudley yelped, clutching his rear end as he stumbled towards the staircase.
Dobby appeared pleased with itself and bowed deeply to Harry. "Harry Potter cannot return to Hogwarts this year, sir. "Harry Potter cannot return to Hogwarts this year, sir. It is all for..."
Dobby's words trailed off as it vanished into thin air, leaving the startled boys alone in the room.
I am sorry, but Dobby has no other option. "Apologies, I hope I did not frighten you," Harry said with a sigh. "Harry Potter cannot return to Hogwarts this year, sir.
"What was that?" Evan asked, "Who did it?"
Harry replied with a look of frustration, "It was Dobby the house elf. I'm in trouble because Dudley's been transformed into a pig's tail again and Aunt Vernon will be furious." Harry shook his head, "It won't matter.
Evan reassured him, "I'll testify on your behalf."
They won't believe me." Harry leaned against the wall, trying to steady himself.
As it turns out, he was correct.
Seconds later, Vernon Dursley ran up, breathing heavily, with a scowling face and devilishly bright little eyes, completely unaware that Evan was also present.
"Boy, I warned you. How could you use those...on Dudley?" Vernon Dursley growled at Harry.
"I didn't. It was more...just now," Harry weakly defended.
"Read this!" He waved the letter in his hand and roughly shoved it towards Harry, "Take it, read it!"
Evan approached Harry, who looked pale. He noticed that Harry was holding a letter that read: "Dear Mr Potter, we've been told you used a Transfiguration spell at your home tonight at 8.20pm.
As you're aware, young wizards aren't allowed to use magic outside of school. If this kind of behaviour happens again, you could be expelled from school, as stated in the Reasonable Restraints on Underage Wizards Act 1875, Section III."
Please remember that any magic that could attract the attention of Muggles (non-magical people) is a severe violation of the International Confederation of Wizarding Secrecy Act, Section 13.
Enjoy your summer! Mafalda Hopkirk, Ministry of Magic, Department for the Prevention of Magical Misuse.
Harry raised his head, feeling nervous.
"You never informed us that doing magic outside of school is forbidden." Vernon Dursley looked crazed, "I forgot to say this earlier, it slipped my mind..."
He pushed Harry down aggressively, "I have some good news for you, boy. I'm going to imprison you and you'll never return to that school again! If you attempt to use magic to escape, you'll be expelled!"
"Mr Desiree, you can't behave this way!" Evan quickly intervened, "I can demonstrate that Harry did not do what you are accusing him of."
"Son, you don't comprehend!" Vernon Dursley gasped, appearing to have regained his senses and remembering who Evan was.
"I believe I witnessed the entire incident; a house elf was the one responsible."
Evan gazed up and saw everyone approaching the room's door. His parents wore anxious expressions, while Mrs Desiree whimpered and twitched. In her arms, Dudley cried loudly, covering his buttocks.
"It makes no difference," Vernon Desiree muttered.
Unbothered, Evan went to his parents and whispered.
Harry stood harmlessly, thinking sorrowfully about his future.
He understood that Aunt Vernon was serious now that the Dursleys were aware he couldn't do magic outside of school. With no other options, he was at risk of being expelled if he couldn't leave and made the term start late.
But, using magic to flee would result in the same punishment. Ron and Hermione might attempt to rescue him, but as Dobby the house elf has severed all communication, nobody is aware of his current predicament.
Whilst Dobby has spared him the horrors of Hogwarts, Harry has lost his sole source of happiness, and he is unsure of what the Dursleys have in store; he may even starve here.
Unless, of course, the boy Evan is able to offer him assistance.
Harry felt a glimmer of hope as he watched another boy talk to his parents and take a letter out of his pocket. The boy pointed to Dudley and then to himself.
At first surprised, Mr and Mrs Mason soon seemed convinced by their son. Together with Aunt Vernon and Aunt Penny, they whispered.
The atmosphere became a little strange, Dudley gradually stopped wailing, and his fat body tried to move forward so that he could hear what they were saying, and Harry tried to do the same, and then he saw Evan turn back to him and give himself a reassuring smile.
Time passed and after a heated argument, nearly half an hour later, the four adults finally agreed.
"Kid, don't ask anything, now go down and pack up your things, then get the hell out of here!" Vernon Dursley's forehead was pulsing with anger as he bellowed at Harry.
"What?!" Harry was unsure if he had correctly heard Aunt Vernon's demand for him to leave the house. Aunt Penny stood nearby with pursed lips but did not object.
Harry couldn't help but think that the Masons' confusion must have rubbed off on the Dursleys, if he didn't know they were Muggles.
"Let's go, what are you waiting for?" Evan gently pulled Harry along.
"What were you talking about? Something feels off," Harry asked Evan, noticing the smile on his face.
"Nothing really. If you want, you can spend the rest of the summer holidays at my house," replied Evan. "No need to worry.
"Really?!" Harry exclaimed, then lowered his voice, "My aunt and uncle won't approve. I can't go anywhere, they might lock me up."
"Don't worry, Evan said, "You heard what your aunt and uncle said. My dad promised Mr Desiree a lot of rigs. Your aunt and uncle would love to have you stay at my house until the end of the summer holidays."
"Oh, thank you, Evan!" Harry didn't expect things to turn around to such an extent, "I'd be willing to go anywhere as long as I can get out of here, but why are you helping me out so much, mind you, we've only met for the first time ..."
"Haha, it's nothing, I think as a senior, you shouldn't mind chatting to your dear schoolmate about Hogwarts."
Seeing Harry's look of surprise, Evan produced a letter from his pocket and shook it, saying, "Can I borrow Hedwig for a while? I don't have my own owl to reply to the school's letters."
"Evan, you're a new student at Hogwarts, this is great news!" exclaimed Harry with delight. He never thought he'd be so fortunate.
He felt lucky today. Firstly, he saw Dudley's misfortune and didn't receive any punishment. Secondly, he got rid of the Dursleys more than a month earlier. Lastly, he met a new classmate.
"Hurry up, unless you want to say goodbye to the Dursleys."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Harry Potter moved into Evan's house and found it to be a wonderful home compared to the Dursleys.
Harry Potter moved into Evan's house and found it to be a wonderful home compared to the Dursleys. Harry Potter moved into Evan's house and found it to be a wonderful home compared to the Dursleys. The Masons were quick to accept that Harry was a wizard, and they treated him with great kindness.
Mrs Mason would prepare Harry's favourite meals and feed him multiple times a day. Here, Harry could complete his summer assignments without any fear. During his free time, he could either play new video games with Evan or share with him some details about Hogwarts.
Talking to people about the magical universe made Harry happy as he did not have to worry about people staring at his scars anymore.
Interestingly, Evan also enjoyed Harry's company.
He had glanced through Harry's first-year magic textbook and with Harry's help, he now had a general idea about all the classes.
Harry seemed to have a strong dislike for Potions and their teacher, Professor Snape. However, he excelled in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class.
Furthermore, Evan heard Harry give him a tour of the Hogwarts Castle, including the secret passages and spooky creatures, the grand feast hall, the living quarters of Gryffindor students, the cozy bed chambers in the dormitory, along with Hagrid, the gamekeeper, his buddies Ron and Hermione, and Quidditch, the most favored sport in the world of magic.
"Evan, you must join Gryffindor, it is the finest house in Hogwarts, even Dumbledore was a Gryffindor alumnus." Harry told Evan at breakfast a week later, "I feel really bad about Slytherin after hearing you out.
Plus, my parents are muggles, so they wouldn't have let me in there." After a pause, Evan said, "I'm not sure if I can get into Gryffindor. I don't know anything about it, so I'll probably end up in Hufflepuff."
"Don't panic, all the new witches and wizards are at the same level, and you're one of the quickest learners I've seen, except for Hermione," said Harry sincerely.
When Evan learned that Professor Snape, who taught Potions, was known for being tough on his students, he spent almost a week memorising most of the Magic Potions and Potion textbook.
This amazing book is the primary source of knowledge for the magic potion class's O.W.L.S. certification, and Harry seeks Evan's feedback while completing his potions homework.
As Harry was about to speak, two owls arrived on Evan's balcony in quick succession. One was Hedwig, and the other was a stunning brown-feathered owl that Harry had never seen before.
"If my mum saw them, she would have fainted," Evan joked with a smile.
"I hope Mrs Mason doesn't see them." During this time, Harry was aware of Mrs Mason's strong fear of birds, causing him to keep Hedwig at his friend Ron's house.
"Evan, please take care of Hedwig for me."Harry directed his attention to the other brown owl, "It is the school owl and brings the list of books needed for second year."
Evan gave something to Hedwig and then joined Harry to look at the reading list for second-year students. The list includes Standard Spells, Level 2, along with books by Miranda Gorshak, Giedroyc Harte, and Walking with the Gargoyles, Holidaying with the Stalker and Travelling with the Ghouls. Travelling on a boat with a vampire and travelling with a werewolf are books written by Giedroyc Harte. Also, Harte has written another book called "Wandering with Werewolves" and "A Year with the Tibetan Yeti".
These books are required for Defence Against the Dark Arts class for first-year students, and it's possible that the new teacher is a fan of Lockhart.
"I hope this new professor is dependable. These books appear to be fiction rather than magical textbooks."
Harry remembered Chilo, who had Voldemort stuck to the back of his head during last year's adventure, but thankfully he ended his plan. It was believed that nobody could teach Defence Against the Dark Arts for more than a year because they were cursed by Voldemort.
"Stay positive and read the letter from Hedwig," Harry thought,
"It's Ron's response!"
A faint grin finally arose on Harry's face, "He and Hermione are heading to Diagon Alley next Wednesday to purchase textbooks and invited us to join them. Will you be coming along?"
"Sure, that sounds great." Evan eagerly anticipated visiting Diagon Alley, and noticed that Harry appeared slightly hesitant, asking, "Did the letter contain anything else?"
"Ron enquired if I'd like to stay at his place for a bit." Harry felt a little shy, obviously concerned about how Evan's family might feel. "The letter said that if you were also willing to come, it would be wonderful," he said.
"Really? That's great news. I've always wanted to visit a wizard's home," Evan responded, waving his hand. "Don't worry about my mother. I'll persuade her."
The next Wednesday, Mrs Mason woke up Harry and Evan bright and early. After a quick breakfast and packing their bags, Mr Mason drove them to the Broken Cauldron pub.
"This is it!" It is under a magical safeguard," Harry informed her. Harry exclaimed, pointing to a shabby and cramped pub. "This is the Broken Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley," he added.
"I never expected to find a place like this in our city; it looks like it belongs to a different era."
Mrs Mason let out a sigh, and when Harry pointed it out, she noticed the small pub wedged between a large bookshop and a record shop."Mum, the Broken Kettle pub is quite popular. It's protected by a spell against non-magic folk and can't be marked on a map. Muggles won't be able to see it unless they know the exact address." Evan tried to recall what he had read in the book 'Theory of Magic'."I don't reckon it's smart for us to chat about a grubby pub in the street, my dear young wizard." Mr Mason interrupted Evan and ushered him and Harry inside the shop.
The establishment was infamous, as it was dingy and grimy.
In the poorly lit room, Evan spotted two elderly women donning outfits similar to that of witches from medieval times. They occupied a corner, indulging in sips of sherry from tiny glasses. Meanwhile, a sly, bandaged man sat at the bar with a modest portion of raw liver in front of him. The bar's proprietor, an aged gentleman with a severe hunch, greeted Evan with a warm "Welcome, Mr Potter!" as he appeared before them without sound.Evan reciprocated the greeting, saying "Hello!" in return.
Not just the Masons, even Harry seemed a little formal, as Hagrid had escorted him here last year.Shortly after, they came across a family that was just as out of place as they were."Harry, Harry!"Hermione Granger rushed over from the other end of the pub to welcome them, and not too far behind her, the Grangers stood with very awkward expressions."Harry, I arrived early when I heard you were coming today. Ron told me the Ministry of Magic found out you used a Transfiguration spell, and I became worried about you. I hope they didn't do anything to you."
I'm glad you're looking well. "Thanks, Hermione. I'm fine!" Harry smiled and introduced Evan Mason, a freshman this year, who helped him escape from the Dursleys this summer.Evan met Hermione Granger, whom he had mentioned some time ago.Upon seeing her, he realised that this was the brain of the Golden Trio, the renowned Miss Know-It-All, with her thick brown hair. Evan shook her hand.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Granger!" "Harry told me you were top of your class in the finals last year, that's impressive.""It's not a big deal, just a bit of cleverness and a lot of studying!" replied Hermione.Hermione blushed slightly and shook hands with Evan. He then said, "You can call me Hermione and I can call you Evan later if that's alright with you?" "Absolutely fine Hermione.As a matter of fact, I've been studying Harry's textbooks for some time now and have a lot of questions to ask you."The Weasleys appeared from the fireplace in a burst of green flames.