Harry hated nothing more than the first month of summer vacation.
He couldn't cast spells.
Advanced potions required magic as well.
He couldn't do anything.
All he could do was read theory books. Professor Flitwick had sent him a batch, along with a letter hoping that Harry would visit the Burrow this year and enjoy a happy summer vacation.
But Professor Flitwick's hopes were dashed.
The Weasley family had won a grand prize from the Daily Prophet and received a large sum of compensation from the Malfoys. They decided to travel to Egypt during the last month of the summer—right after Harry's confinement at the Dursleys was over—and warmly invited Harry to join them.
Harry declined.
He preferred to train with Professor Flitwick. There was still a lot of room for him to grow.
The idea of "Horcruxes" weighed on him like a boulder, making it hard to breathe.
Hedwig wasn't too busy this summer.
Hermione finally remembered the existence of a thing called the "telephone." They could communicate using it—it was convenient, fast, and clear.
Hedwig was quite pleased with this. When idle, she often spent entire days hooting at Petunia, chasing her to cook owl treats.
This summer wasn't too unbearable.
The Dursleys had improved their attitude toward him considerably.
Dudley, in particular, had changed the most.
Though he didn't dare disturb Harry while he was reading, he was enthusiastic during meals, asking if there was any potion that could make him more handsome.
"Harry, have you started dating someone at that school of yours?" Dudley asked, holding his knife and fork, trying to eat gracefully. "I've already been in three relationships."
"I even held hands with four girls."
"I almost kissed one of them, if not for that damned teacher…"
Petunia listened with great interest.
Every mother is eager to see their son demonstrate charm.
"You remind me of one of my professors," Harry said softly after swallowing a bite of fried fish.
Dudley was curious.
Harry continued, "He loved dating students, just like you. He had three relationships in one term."
Vernon frowned. "Scum! Trash! Can't you weirdos produce a single decent person?"
Dudley, with little understanding of "student-teacher relationships," still looked intrigued. "And then? What happened?"
"He exploded," Harry said succinctly.
Dudley froze.
Harry, being considerate, slowly raised his fist from the table, bringing it up to Dudley's eye level, and then suddenly spread his fingers wide: "Boom, like fireworks."
Dudley shuddered.
Vernon and Petunia looked horrified.
"Don't scare Dudley; he's nothing like you freaks," Vernon grumbled, stabbing his fork hard into his fried fish.
"I'm not joking," Harry replied, withdrawing his hand. "He really exploded."
Petunia swallowed hard. "Lily never told me Hogwarts was that dangerous."
Dudley's face turned pale. "Is… is dating really that terrifying?"
Harry recalled the bed Yennefer had flung, which had almost hit his head. He nodded with lingering fear, "Dating one person is fine. Dating multiple people, though, can be very dangerous."
"No, it's not!" Vernon glared, trying to correct his son's perception by explaining some of his own ancient escapades. "My dear Dudley, you must know that men—"
"Men what?" Petunia interrupted with a sharp look as she daintily sliced her fried fish.
"Men should be devoted," Vernon immediately changed his tone, speaking earnestly. "Harry's right. If you're unfaithful in a relationship, you might really explode."
Dudley's face turned even paler.
In the past, he would never have believed such nonsense. How could someone just explode out of nowhere?
Until…
He met Harry and saw magic firsthand.
This left a shadow in the young boy's heart that no amount of math problems could resolve.
A month passed quickly.
Professor Flitwick arrived on time to pick up Harry. He looked up at his student and sighed, "Harry, you should really take a proper vacation and relax."
"Professor, now's not the time for relaxation. You know… Tom," Harry replied, shaking his head as he dragged his suitcase.
Flitwick raised his wand.
Harry's expression changed. "Not the Knight Bus again, is it?"
"No alternatives," Flitwick said impassively.
Half a day later.
Harry threw both his suitcase and the bus conductor off the Knight Bus.
"Hey, I'm not your luggage!" the conductor grumbled, clutching his back in protest.
Harry apologized insincerely, "Sorry, I was dizzy and confused."
"You're taking revenge on me, Mr. Potter," the conductor retorted, holding his waist. "Next time you ride, I'll have a surprise for you."
"You know me?" Harry tilted his head back in surprise.
The conductor pointed to his eyes. "Lion-like eyes. Very distinctive."
"I suggest you go back to school," Harry said earnestly.
The conductor was stunned.
Harry continued, "Lions have round pupils. These slit ones are more like cats or snakes."
"Really?" The conductor looked doubtful. He pulled out his wand, turned a piece of chocolate into a Gryffindor crest, and examined it carefully. Then, in astonishment, he exclaimed, "It's true!"
"Lions' pupils are really round!"
He felt as if his worldview had been upended. According to Muggle logic, weren't lions feline?
Harry ignored him, feeling a bit recovered, and dragged his suitcase toward Godric's Hollow.
As usual, he stopped for a drink at the pub.
"Harry, I think we should take a few days off," Flitwick suggested after downing a glass of whiskey. "You've only been on vacation for a month…"
"Professor, I don't need much rest," Harry replied earnestly. "I've gone a whole month without magic at my aunt's house."
Flitwick hesitated, sighed, and swallowed his words along with his drink.
He thought he'd have to ask Dumbledore for an extra month's salary—double pay, of course!
"How's Ragnok lately?" Harry asked.
Flitwick shook his head. "Not too well. After your last report, he was raided. Quite the surprise."
"Except for the weapons he crafted."
"They also found a stash of weapons, armor, and even half a wand."
"Half a wand?" Harry was puzzled. "What's the use of that?"
"Not much, but wizards see it as a provocation," Flitwick explained with a sigh. "For a non-human to even think about owning a wand…"
"He's still alive, right?" Harry asked with some concern.
Flitwick nodded. "Of course, he's alive. In fact, he's doing better now. With help from the Ministry of Magic, he's opened a blacksmith shop."
He emphasized the word "help" heavily.
"Well, that's great," Harry nodded. "I've been stockpiling quite a few materials."
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Powerstones?
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