Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the intellectual property associated with Harry Potter.
Hi all,
In this chapter, Harry meets a familiar character. It shouldn't be hard to guess who it is.
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Chapter 4
"This street is weird," Celeste said.
Harry strolled down Privet Drive and could feel eyes on him from nearby houses. There were quite a few people on Privet Drive that rivalled Petunia Dursley in their penchant for nosiness and gossip. They were probably not used to seeing him with clothes that fit—stupid old bints.
"When we arrive home, speak to me telepathically. If the Dursleys discover you, there will be hell to pay."
"Fine. But it would be best to put your horrible relatives in their place. I can't believe they make you sleep in a cupboard."
Harry had given her the cliff notes of his life when they went to the supermarket. Celeste had been appropriately outraged and suggested several horrific pranks to get back at the Dursleys. Harry felt they deserved whatever Celeste dished out, but he worried the fairy would go too far. In their short time together, he learned she was very vindictive. It was like a little devil sitting on his shoulder, suggesting wicked ideas while the angel was away.
Harry walked up the path to the front door. It was just past 8 pm, a bit later than he liked, but he was still within the Dursley limits. Besides using him as a servant, they wanted nothing to do with him. He opened the door and shut it behind him.
"Where have you been?"
Harry paused in the front hallway when his Aunt Petunia called him from the doorway to the living room.
"Nowhere in particular," Harry said.
Aunt Petunia marched up to him and grabbed his ear, and Harry hissed in pain. "What happened to the clothes we gave you?"
"I don't know; they just shrunk," Harry paused. "Like magic."
Aunt Petunia shrieked and reached out a hand to wallop him when she screamed. Looking down, she saw her finger was bleeding heavily. She gasped and stumbled back in fear, clutching the bloody finger to her chest.
"Freak, look what you have done," Petunia said, paling rapidly. It seemed the sight of blood had made her dizzy.
"What are you doing, boy?!" Uncle Vernon came storming out of the living room and took the situation in with a glance. His neck swelled, and his face turned puce with anger. Mount Vernon was about to erupt.
Harry conjured a {Fireball} and held it in front of him, and Uncle Vernon halted mid-step. His small piggy eyes widened, and an inarticulate grunt escaped from him.
'Flame that fat lump of lard.'
"I'm not in the mood for your tender care, So back the fuck off," Harry said.
If he was honest with himself, he knew what was coming since he walked inside with his clothes shrunk to fit him. The Dursley tolerated nothing outside their narrow-minded view of the world.
"You better get that treated, Aunt Petunia," Harry suggested. "You don't know where the pesky rodent that bit you came from."
'Hey!'
Harry retreated to his cupboard and opened the door. "Keep the door unlocked, or I will burn the house down while you sleep."
Shutting the door behind him, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. He raised his hands, and they were trembling.
Celeste appeared and alighted on his head. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Harry replied. "Tell me, why does facing down my relatives scare me more than monsters looking to take my life?"
"I can't answer that," Celeste shrugged. "I'm not one to look too deeply at things as I live for the moment. But if I had to take a guess, it is hard to shake years of conditioning that they put you through, whereas monsters are simple. They want to kill you, but they are honest with their intentions. They don't hide behind a thin veneer of civility."
Harry lay down on the lumpy mattress and took out a bag of chocolate from his inventory. Unwrapping it, he popped it into his mouth.
"Is that chocolate?" Celeste asked eagerly.
"Can you eat them?" Harry asked doubtfully.
"Of course. Gimme one, please."
Harry unwrapped another chocolate and gave it to the fairy. Celeste took dainty bites out of the chocolate and moaned in pleasure. "This is much better than I remember."
He took off his glasses and placed them in his inventory. His head hit the pillow, and he closed his eyes. Everything that happened today had made him exhausted. Tomorrow was another day.
{0(((..)))0}
{Thursday 20th June}
You are well-rested.
Energy/Mana restored to full.
All minor debilitating status effects have been removed.
"Wake up," Celeste screamed in his ear.
Harry swatted at the annoying fairy, who evaded his hand. Groaning, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up, stretching. Sleepily, he retrieved his glasses and opened the cupboard door.
"Haven't you got a quest to complete? It's best to do it early without those pesky relatives around." Celeste flew around and landed on his shoulder.
"Right," Harry muttered. He put his shoes on and headed outside.
The rising sun cast a rosy hue across the morning sky. It was already warm, hinting at another day with high temperatures. Harry took a breath of fresh air and opened his map. Pinpointing the buried object's location, he approached the single pine tree at the back fence. Stopping a metre before it, he scuffed the ground with his toe.
"X marks the spot," Harry said.
He grabbed a shovel from the garden shed and began digging a hole. Celeste flew around him in interest, doing a poor job as a cheerleader by shouting insults. Harry almost brained the fairy with the shovel but resisted the temptation.
Half an hour later, his shovel scraped against something hard. Dropping the shovel, he reached into the hole and started digging dirt out with his hands. After clearing enough dirt, Harry lifted a medium-sized rock out of the hole and placed it on the ground.
"It's a runestone," Celeste exclaimed.
Curious, Harry used {Observation}.
Multi-Protection Ward | Runestone | Rare |
Description: A runestone with various protection charms etched into the surface.
On the stone's surface were etchings of several complex characters intertwining to form a complex diagram. In the middle was a matrix linked to several smaller clusters of characters that covered the entire surface of the rock. It made Harry dizzy staring at them for too long.
"Does it say what it's for?" Celeste asked.
"It says it has protection charms," Harry replied. "But my skill is too low to read any specifics."
"Then you should put it back," Celeste said seriously. "Until we know more, it's best not to mess with it."
What Lies Beneath?
Objective updated!
Current Objective: Level up Observation enough to read the full description of the runestone.
Time Limit: One Week
He would have to devote time to increasing his {Observation} skill. Thankfully, he could scan ordinary objects although they gave less experience. Harry hadn't tried it on a person yet, so that the Dursleys would be his guinea pigs. Looking at his supply of Witches Caps, he still had a hundred and thirty left, and there were still the five mana potions. Grinding the skill shouldn't be too hard.
Harry placed the runestone back and filled the hole back up with dirt. "I'm going to have a shower. I need to prepare breakfast and get ready for school."
"School? You mean the non-magical version?" Celeste wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"What do you mean?" Harry carried the shovel back into the shed. He started using the {Observation} skill on everything he saw and only stopped when he came close to emptying his Mana.
"How old are you?"
"Ten. I turn eleven next month."
"Then you will go to Hogwarts in September if things haven't changed in the last few decades."
"Hogwarts?" What a funny name. It sounded like some skin disease.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All wizards have to get a magical education when they turn eleven."
"Really? How many wizards are there?"
Celeste turned invisible as Harry stepped back inside. He climbed the stairs to the second floor.
'Lots. Wizards have their own society and government. They make sure that non-magical don't find out about their world.'
Interesting. It looks like there was another thing he would have to investigate over the summer. There must be plenty of new spells he could learn as well.
'Alright, explore on your own while I take a shower. But don't get into any trouble.'
Celeste poked her tongue at him and flew off back down the stairs.
Half an hour later, Harry looked at the new skill he had received.
Cooking | Passive | Level: 24 | Next: 56% | Cost: 0 |
Description: Cooking has been an essential skill ever since man discovered fire. It determines the player's effectiveness in preparing, cooking and plating food that pleases the palate and dazzles the eyes. The player may gain buffs from the food he cooks, but no one else has the same benefit.
-24% less wastage when preparing ingredients.
+24% bonus to buff parameters and duration.
+24% speed in learning a new recipe.
+12% chance to discover a superior version of a known recipe.
The player has unlocked the Archives.
The Archives is a function that displays any information, such as characters, history, equipment, magic, locations and monsters that the player has discovered.
Bestiary and Recipe Book have been added to Database.
Recipe Book displays any recipes the player has discovered. The old version is automatically replaced if he learns a superior version of the same recipe.
[Bacon] + [Eggs] + [Pancakes] has been added to the Recipe Book.
Harry placed the food at the table where the adult Dursleys were unusually subdued. Dudley looked at his parents in confusion but then got distracted by his enormous plate of food. Their passivity would not last for long, especially his Uncle Vernon. The man was used to being in a dominant position in his household and wouldn't tolerate it for long. But for now, Harry got some peace.
He didn't cook anything for himself because he had already stuffed himself with the mushrooms to restore his Mana and was no longer hungry. A disappointing discovery he made was when he was fully satiated; he longer gained any more benefits from the mushrooms. It meant he couldn't continuously grind skills as long as he had an endless supply of Witches Caps.
Speaking of, Harry turned the skill on his relatives.
Dudley Dursley | Age: Eleven | Magic: Null | Condition: Poor |
Description: Dudley Dursley is a bully that takes great pleasure in tormenting his cousin. However, he has the misfortune of having parents like Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Raised with zero discipline, the boy is too spoiled and massively overweight. If his behaviour and diet do not change, then he is in for a short and miserable life.
Vernon Dursley | Age: 38 | Magic: Null | Condition: Poor
Description: Vernon Dursley is a narrow-minded bully concerned about status and appearances. He works at Grunnings, where he is the Director and enjoys moderate success. Vernon is devoted to his family but hates his nephew, who he considers a freak because of the boy's heritage.
Petunia Dursley | Age: 34 | Magic: Null | Condition: Fine
Description: The sister of Lily Potter. She is jealous of her sister because Lily is talented, vibrant, beautiful and has magic, all traits Petunia cannot be accused of possessing. That hatred has transferred to her nephew, who takes great pleasure in Harry's misery. She knows more about the magical world than she lets on.
Harry turned around to clean the counter to hide his expression. The information he gleaned from observing his relatives had been a revelation.
He had never looked at his cousin from the perspective of a victim. Ever since he was little, Dudley had made life a misery. Even though he could understand that a lot of the boy's behaviour was his parent's fault, he found it hard to drum up any sympathy for him.
Uncle Vernon was as expected. He was simply an unpleasant man with a narrow view of how the world operated. His Aunt Petunia, though, really made him angry. The miserable bitch treated him horribly because she was jealous of his mother.
Maybe he was vindictive, or Celeste's bond affected him more than he realised because he found some pleasure in her getting hurt. Did that make him a horrible person? No, he believed he would never think the same of an innocent person, but his Aunt Petunia deserved a little pain.
'That's it, my little minion. Join the dark side.' Celeste cackled.
{0(((..)))0}
Harry stood outside Miller's Fitness Centre. Ben had certainly undersold his product because it was more than just a gym. It was a huge, sprawling two-storey building that looked brand new. The two floors were designed differently, with the first floor open and the exterior made from glass, allowing a lot of sunlight to filter through. The second floor was clad entirely in cedar wood panels, contrasting well with the glass, and gave the entire building a pleasing aesthetic.
Another school day had ended, but he did not waste his time. He continued to grind his skill between classes while eating as many mushrooms as possible. By the end of the day, he had gone through the entire stock, but it showed results.
Observation | Active | Lv:7| Next: 2% | Cost:5 MP |
Description: Knowledge is power. Observe an object or living entity and learn its secrets. The higher the skill level, the more information is revealed. Reveals information on living things nine levels above the player.
Observation Range: 6.40 metres (Modifier: Perception)
He also gained three points in {Perception}, which was a nice bonus. Now he had to wait till his Mana regenerated on its own or when he slept for the day. Harry didn't want to go and grind the Dungeon yet, as he wanted to get some more skills under his belt. Besides, he still had a week to finish the quest.
Speaking of skills, Harry had visited the library and searched for books to learn new skills. However, they were just ordinary books, which saved him from feeling guilty for destroying books he did not own. Harry borrowed a few that seemed interesting and depicted his current interests.
There was Meditation, which would be an essential skill to learn. Celeste said that it was a good foundation for plenty of disciplines in the future. She also recommended learning Latin because wanded spells used the language for all its incantations. A book of basic construction because he had the idea to build himself a shelter in the grove of aspen trees, just in case he needed somewhere to escape. The last book was on hunting, which taught a few skills that sounded useful, like tracking, moving quietly, camouflage, etc.
He had stopped there because of the limit on borrowing books and because his inventory was full. Harry had discovered that he could spend 100 pounds to increase his inventory slots by one. Once he did some more dungeon runs, he would prioritise getting some more space. Harry still needed to find out what he could do with the materials in his inventory. Maybe he could find a crafting skill?
Celeste had flown off to explore as she had no interest in seeing him exercise. It had unsettled him when he could no longer feel her over the bond. There was a limit to their communication range.
Harry opened the door, walked inside the gym, and over to the reception desk. A young woman typing on a computer looked up and offered him a professional smile.
"Hello. Can I help you?"
"I want to join the gym," Harry said.
The woman frowned. "I'm sorry, but you're a minor. You need your parent's permission."
"It's okay, Sharon," Ben walked up to the desk. "He's a friend of the family. I will sort the paperwork out later."
"Of Course," she nodded. "It was nice meeting you…"
"Harry," he said.
"Come on, Harry. Let me show you around the place."
Harry followed Ben into the central area of the first floor.
"This is the cardio area. It is the busiest because most people here are only interested in maintaining a healthy weight and gaining stamina. There are several machines you can use, depending on your preferences. The treadmill, rowing machine, assault bike, elliptical and stair climber."
Harry tried to follow along as Ben showed him the different machines, but he felt slightly overwhelmed.
Ben noticed his predicament and grinned. "Don't worry about it for now. You don't have to understand everything at once. This is where I want you to start because your stamina is awful. It looks like you need to put on some weight as well."
Harry flushed in embarrassment, but he nodded. "I'm aware."
"Before we start, I want you to join me in my office so we can review your membership. Follow me."
They climbed the stairs to the second floor and into a long hallway.
Ben noticed he was looking at the closed doors in interest. "This is where I make the real money. We offer personal trainers in their own private rooms, and people will pay top dollar to hire them."
Harry followed him to a closed-off area with a kitchen and several offices. Two people were sitting at the table having a discussion. They looked up as Ben and Harry entered and looked at the boy inquisitively.
"This is Harry, a potential client. Harry, this is my wife, Julia and a colleague, Michael."
Julia raised a questioning eyebrow at Ben but stood up and shook his hand. "Hello, Harry. It's nice to meet you."
"Same here," Harry replied awkwardly. The woman was beautiful, with long curly brown hair and hazel eyes filled with warmth. He noticed she walked with a limp, but he would not say anything. It wasn't any of his business.
"Hello, Harry. Have you fallen victim to Ben's old sales pitch? Don't believe a word he says." Michael joked.
"Let's say I'm reserving judgement," Harry smirked.
The adults laughed, and Michael sat back down. The other three entered a spacious office and sat down in chairs.
"What is going on?" Julia asked impatiently. She sat down on a chair and rested her leg on a leg rest.
Ben held his hand up to signal patience and turned to Harry. "Listen, Harry. I may have brought you here with ulterior motives. Nothing bad," he added when he saw Harry rise. "I was concerned when I first met you because of the state of your clothing."
Harry stiffened. Where was the man going with this?
"Your clothes were at least three sizes too big for you," Ben said. "By how you react to adults, I was concerned about your home life."
"What?" Julia asked, looking at Harry with concern.
"Nothing's wrong," Harry growled. "As you can see, I'm wearing proper clothing now. So leave it alone."
"I was the same as you," Ben said softly. "I came from an abusive home as well. When I first met you, it was like seeing myself twenty years ago. But I got help to escape that situation, and I'm offering the same to you."
Harry stood up and took a few steps toward the door. "My home situation may not be perfect, but I can be completely honest and say that my relative won't be trying anything again."
"Harry, wait…"
Harry walked through the doorway and collided with someone, and they tumbled to the floor together. The stranger landed on him, and he sucked in a breath at the impact.
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm here to see my aunt and uncle and was ever so excited to see them that I came running through the hallway. Anyway, are you okay? I think I dug an elbow into your ribs." Harry felt the girl's bushy curls brushing his face as she started patting his stomach while still sitting on his legs. "It doesn't feel like there's anything wrong, but I'm not a doctor. My parents are, though, so maybe they can have a look at you. Well, they are dentists, but they have had medical training…"
"Can you get off me, please?" Harry groaned.
The girl blushed and pushed herself off him. He saw a glimpse of chocolate brown eyes before she turned towards the door. Two more adults were standing in the doorway and looked highly amused.
"Wow, Hermione. Aren't you starting a little early? Already having a boy fall for your charms?"
"Mum," Hermione whined. Her face was like a tomato, and she looked like she was going to faint.
"I hope you didn't maim him for life, kitten." the man grinned.
"I think I'll survive," Harry stood up, brushing off his clothes.
"Hello, everyone. You're here early," Julia stood and hugged them.
"When you have Hermione as a daughter, you not only have to be on schedule but twenty minutes early," Jane said wryly.
"I'm not that bad," Hermione protested.
"Yes, you are kitten, but we love you all the same," Darius chuckled.
Ben came around the desk and repeated the ritual of hugging everyone. Harry stood there awkwardly, eyeing the door and thinking of escaping.
Jane noticed his look and smiled at him. "I'm sorry. Were we interrupting something?"
"I was just leaving," Harry said politely.
"This is my niece Hermione and her parents, Jane and Darius Granger. Everyone, this is Harry..." Ben trailed off and looked at him expectantly.
"Potter." Harry finished.
"Oh my god, you're Harry Potter," Hermione exclaimed. Harry turned to her, shocked. How did she know his name?
The adults all reacted the same, looking at him with interest. Harry inched toward the door, but Ben closed it and stood there with his arms crossed. "Is your name Harry Potter?"
"So what?" Harry retorted.
Hermione ran over and lifted his fringe, revealing his scar. Harry frowned and shifted back, getting unnerved by the attention.
"Hermione," Jane scolded. "We don't touch people like that without permission. Apologise."
"But…."
"Hermione." A warning.
"Sorry," Hermione looked down, abashed. "I was just so excited."
"What is going on?" Harry said.
"Are you aware of the magical world?" Ben asked carefully.
Harry looked around in shock. "Are you wizards?"
"No," Darius chuckled. "But Hermione is a witch. Males are Wizards, and females are Witches."
"So it's not hereditary?"
"I'm a muggle-born. A magical born to muggle parents." Hermione said. "But there are families that carry down magic through their lines. How do you not know any of this? Your Harry Potter!"
Harry looked at her blankly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Hermione furrowed her brows and opened her mouth to speak when Julia clapped her hands. "Time out. I think we need to all take a break. Harry looks overwhelmed."
Ben moved from the door. "Julia's right. We didn't mean to scare you, Harry, but to be honest, all this magic stuff takes a lot to get used to."
'Are you okay, Harry?'
Celeste was back in communication range.
'I'm okay. I just discovered one of my kind. A witch.'
'Oh, interesting. I'll be there in a second. Open the window.'
Harry walked towards the window and opened it, letting in a slight breeze.
"Are you hot?" Julia asked.
Harry shook his head and waited. Everyone was looking at him, confused, but they held their questions.
'I'm here.'
Celeste landed on his shoulder, and Harry shut the window. She turned corporeal, and then there were shocked exclamations from the others at her appearance.
"Is that a fairy?" Hermione asked eagerly, creeping up to him and looking like she wanted to snatch Celeste off his shoulders.
"I'm not like those other dumb fairies, Bushy Hair," Celeste replied. "I'm an Umbra Fairy, the best of the best. That's right, worship me," Celeste preened.
Harry flicked her gently, and she flew off in protest before landing on Jane's shoulder. The woman looked at the fairy in alarm. "Is she dangerous?"
"Her name is Celeste, and she is my familiar. So as long as you don't try to hurt me, she is not dangerous."
"That's right. I tore a chunk out of that horsey, but she tasted foul," Celeste shuddered.
Hermione looked at her in alarm. "You hurt a horse?"
"She's talking about my Aunt," Harry chuckled.
"Why would she do that?" Ben asked, frowning.
"Because she took exception to Harry doing magic," Celeste protested. "She took a swing at him, but I got her in the end."
"Celeste," Harry yelled. The fairy gasped and flew away and hid in the corner.
Hermione looked horrified, as if the world made little sense. "But, all the books say that you live in a castle. That your learning lots of magic."
"That's why you don't take books as gospel," Darius said gently. "How many times do we have to remind you?"
"All right, I'm going to make some dinner," Julia said. "Everyone out besides Harry and Ben."
The others shuffled out and left the two males standing there. Celeste poked her head out of a potted plant. "Is it safe to come out?"
Harry rubbed his forehead. "It's fine, Celeste. I'm not angry."
Celeste flew over, landed on his shoulder, leaned over and kissed his cheek. Harry smiled and stroked her wings gently.
"So you live with your aunt?" Ben asked, leaning back against his desk.
Harry wished the man would not be so bloody nosy. It was not something that he was used to, as adults were usually so disappointing. Where had he been years ago when Harry wasn't so cynical and believed that adults would actually help him? No, he was a survivor and not a victim. Now that he had Gaia, he had more control of life than ever before and needed help from no one.
"My aunt, uncle and cousin," Harry finally replied. "They are afraid of magic, which is why I get such grief from them."
Ben raised a sceptical brow. "It cannot be that simple."
"Okay, they are poor excuses for human beings." Harry chuckled. "Look, I appreciate the help, but now that I have a means of protecting myself, they will not try anything more."
"Is that why you have new clothes and glasses? Because they are afraid of you?" Ben queried.
"In a way," Harry lied. "I demanded back pay for all the chores they made me do without getting any pocket money. So I have money now that I spend to feed and clothe myself."
Ben ran and hand through his hair, looking torn. "It's not ideal, but I will not push you to have those animals charged with child abuse. But only if we make a deal. If anything changes and you feel unsafe, I want you to run away and come here."
Harry nodded rapidly, relieved that Ben was finally leaving the subject alone.
"Shake on it," Ben held out a hand. "Real men who make a promise and shake on it must keep their word."
Harry shook his hand, and Ben placed a hand on his shoulder. "So, how about the gym? Are you interested in joining?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I hate being so small, and I would like more stamina. How much is membership?"
"How about this? I will waive the membership fee if you do me a favour."
"What is it?"
"Hermione is my niece. She is brilliant but socially awkward, so she doesn't have any friends because she comes across as bossy and a know-it-all," Ben laughed. "Well, she is kinda those things. But she is used to spending time with adults, not kids her age. She needs to learn to relax and have some fun."
"Are you bribing me to be her friend?" Harry asked straightforwardly. "Because it's not like I'm much better. My cousin always scared off any potential friends."
"No, but I want you to give her a chance to get to know you before some of her manic tendencies scare you off," Ben said. "She will calm down once she feels more secure. Besides, she has already read a lot of books on magic. You could borrow her books or have her teach you."
"How do you know about the magical world?" Celeste questioned. "Only the immediate family of a muggle born is allowed to know about wizards."
"Well, we don't care about that," Ben said. "Because of an accident, Julia cannot have any children. So Hermione is our entire world."
Ben straightened. "Why don't we join the others in the kitchen."
"Celeste, go invisible."
They entered the kitchen to see the two women preparing a meal while Hermione chatted with her father. Harry looked around; it seemed there were no other workers left upstairs.
"Come sit down," Julia invited. "We are preparing an easy meal today. Chicken salad. You're welcome to join us, Harry."
Harry sat at the table next to Hermione, who appeared to twitch around as if holding herself back from questioning him.
He decided to try {Observation} on her and hoped he wasn't invading her privacy.
Hermione Granger | Age: 11 | Magic: Active | Condition: Healthy
Description: Hermione Granger is a muggle-born witch that is very intelligent and loves to read. Because of her bossiness and know-it-all attitude, she is isolated from her peers and only interacts with adults. Hence, she has developed an unhealthy obsession with rules and authority.
Title: Muggleborn Witch
Level: 8
HP: 220/220 | Regen: 11 per hour
Mana: 140/140 | Regen: 7 per hour
Attributes
DEX:7 VIT:11 MAG:8 INT:28 WIL:7 PER:6 CHA: 4
Control: 98%
Hermione's {Intelligence} was over twice his own, which was incredible. He noticed she didn't have AP. Was that exclusive to him? Maybe everyone else levelled naturally, and their Attributes were sorted automatically into the relevant areas.
"Don't hold yourself back," Harry said dryly. "You look like you're going to pop a blood vessel."
Hermione smiled, showing off large front teeth. "So, how much do you know about the wizarding world?"
"Very little," Harry said. "Only what Celeste told me, and she hasn't been forthcoming. My relatives are non-magical, so I haven't spent time around magic."
"Isn't the proper term Muggle?" Hermione questioned.
"You said your parents are dentists?" Harry raised a brow. "So they can't be stupid."
"Of course not," Hermione huffed.
"So why do you want to call them Muggle? It makes them sound like they are gullible and not very smart. It is the same as Muggleborn. Why do they put a label on it? If it were me, I would want to be called a wizard and nothing else."
The adults watched in interest but didn't interrupt their conversation. Darius had a dangerous glint in his eye as if he was ready to come to his daughter's defence anytime.
Hermione protested. "But that's the proper term that the Ministry of Magic uses."
Harry sighed. This girl was indeed brilliant, but she also had some strange gaps in her logic. It seemed that because the government was an authority figure, she did not question it at all.
"That's because the Wizengamot is run mostly by purebloods," Celeste said, turning visible again. "It is the governing body that decides all the laws. Most pureblood families are very prejudiced towards muggle-born and half-bloods."
"What!?" Hermione looked scandalised.
"Why didn't Professor McGonagall tell us any of this?" Jane frowned.
"Because regardless of Hermione's status," Celeste said. "She needs to learn how to control her magic, or she may become dangerous. If you refuse her a magical education, they will seal her magic and wipe all of your memories of magic."
The room fell into silence. Celeste looked around and smirked at the trouble she caused, but then she looked at Harry, who glared at her.
"I'm making it sound worse than it sounds; there are plenty of good wizards and witches," Celeste said. "Not all purebloods act like they are superior. Despite what I said, there are basic laws that wizards have to follow."
"What about Voldemort?" Hermione asked.
Harry looked at the girl in question. Who was that?
"Never heard of him," Celeste declared.
"But Voldemort is why you're called the Boy-Who-Lived," Hermione said.
What the hell?
So what do you think? Hermione has entered the picture, and they are going to get up to plenty of shenanigans before they start Hogwarts. See you next week.
Cheers