Chapter -27.
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging...
As Theodore stepped off the bus, he made his way to the house mentioned in the letter. Just a few steps from the front door, he felt someone watching him from a distance. The gaze didn't seem threatening, so he brushed it off and knocked twice on the door.
"Who is it? It better not be another postman!"
A loud, grumpy voice boomed from inside, followed by heavy footsteps that shook the house a little.
*Click*
A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal a rather large man in oversized clothes. This was Vernon. He stared at Theodore for a moment, as if sizing him up, and then, satisfied that he didn't look like a postman, he opened his mouth and asked, "Yes? Who are you?"
Theodore patiently waited for Vernon to finish his little mental checklist. Finally, he smiled and said, "You must be Mr. Vernon Dursley! Hi there, I'm Theodore Green, a child support officer. Our office received a letter this morning about the boy named Harry Potter, who seems to have been living with your family for the past ten years."
At first, Theodore thought he should just barge in and confront Vernon for neglecting Harry's well-being all these years; but then he realized that might end up making him look like the bad guy in the savior's eyes. So, he decided to take a different approach.
Since he was now acting as a child support officer, there wasn't much this big guy could do except let him in and hand the letter over to Harry.
"What kind of letter is it? Just give it to me, and I'll pass it on to the kid," Vernon said, surprising Theodore. It seemed like he wasn't ready to back down just yet.
"I'm not sure what it says since I didn't open it, and I can't give it to you, Mr. Dursley. I was instructed to deliver it directly to Harry Potter and to stay until he reads it," Theodore replied, raising his voice a bit to sound more authoritative.
"Ugh, fine, but the kid isn't home right now, so you'll have to come back later," Vernon said, realizing he had no other choice.
He didn't want to deal with government officials and get any bad outcome, so he decided to lie. Plus, he was planning to leave the house for a few days since the letters had been arriving at an annoying pace. He figured if this official left now, there would be no way to deliver the letter to Harry later when no one would be home.
'Trying to pull a fast one on me, huh?' Theodore scoffed at Vernon's lie and decided to take a firmer stance. "No problem, Mr. Dursley, but since I'm here, I think I'll start the house inspection right now. If Harry Potter shows up while I'm here, I'll hand him the letter then. How does that sound?"
Vernon felt a little tremble at the mention of "house inspection." He hadn't expected this official to be so determined to stick around, and in trying to send him away, he had unintentionally invited more trouble.
"H-House inspection? I don't think I can allow that! How can we let a random person into our home? What if you hurt my family or that Potter kid instead of just delivering the letter?" Vernon tried to reason, though his logical thinking rarely saw the light of day.
The atmosphere becamethick with tension as Theodore stood his ground, his demeanor calm yet assertive. "Haha, there's no way I would harm that kid or your family, sir," he began, his voice steady and reassuring. "I receive money from the government to protect them and help them escape any kind of abuse they encounter. And anyway, if you want, I can even show you my identification card to help ease your troubles regarding safety." Theodore had anticipated this encounter, having meticulously crafted a plan on his way over.
He was prepared for any tricks that Vernon Dursley might attempt to pull, and without a moment's hesitation, he reached into his pocket and took out a magic-enchanted identification card. The card shimmered slightly in the light, a testament to its authenticity and the power it held. He handed it to Vernon while simultaneously pushing him aside, making his way into the house with a sense of purpose.
"Hey? You can't just barge in like that!" Vernon protested, his voice rising in indignation as he hurried after Theodore, who was already striding confidently toward the living room.
"For your information, Mister Dursley, I have the authority to do so when I have doubts about a certain someone," Theodore replied coolly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he assessed the situation. "And at the moment, Mister Dursley, your actions are suspicious." He finally reached the living room, where Dudley was sprawled across the sofa, a tub of ice cream in hand, blissfully unaware of the unfolding drama.
Theodore's annoyance bubbled to the surface as he observed the scene before him. "Kid, that's no way to eat ice cream," he admonished, his voice rising above the chaos.
Dudley, startled by the sudden intrusion, let out a high-pitched scream that echoed through the room. "Ahhh! Dad, there's a stranger in the house!" he shrieked, leaping off the sofa in a panic, ice cream splattering everywhere like a chaotic explosion of dairy and sugar.
"Shut up, Dudley, and go back to your room!" Vernon huffed, his face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment as he rushed back into the living room. He found his son looking like a disheveled mess, akin to a pig that had just been startled from its slumber, ice cream smeared across his face and hands.
Seeing his father enter the room, Dudley began to calm down, his wide eyes darting between Theodore and Vernon. He was about to retreat to the safety of his room when Theodore's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Kid, let me ask you something," he said, his tone shifting to one of authority.