HP: White Lord of Slytherin

Chapter 263 Undue Suffering

It was very quiet in Little Whinging; it was nearly midnight and most people were asleep.

Gloria followed the old man and watched him take out the Deluminator.

When the clock hits twelve, the lights-out device absorbs all the light from the street lamps, plunging the entire street into darkness.

“Why turn off the lights?”

She had been open and aboveboard when she came with Sirius last year.

"Oh Gloria..." Dumbledore put away the Deluminator, "Look at my clothes. Why don't I dress like a normal Muggle? Finally, don't let people around us find us. Your clothes won't attract attention, but I prefer wizard robes."

Gloria chose to keep her mouth shut.

Dumbledore rang the doorbell and it was Mr. Vernon Dursley who opened the door. The sound of a TV came from the living room.

Seeing the two people appear, Vernon stood up reflexively, "You..."

It seemed as if they were not expected to show up at this time.

And there was a sound of something being dragged upstairs, it seemed that Harry knew they were coming.

"It seems that Harry didn't say I would come." Dumbledore said without any awkwardness, "I'm sorry that I brought a guest."

Petunia Dursley came out of the kitchen wearing rubber gloves. The Dursleys' house was always so clean and tidy, thanks to this hard-working lady.

Penny grabbed the hem of her skirt and took a few deep breaths before speaking, "Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

Dumbledore was quite surprised by her attitude. He was well aware of Petunia's disgust towards wizards.

But he noticed that this was said to Gloria.

"Thank you then, I think Harry will need some time to pack."

Gloria answered appropriately. It seemed that a little Muggle money was very effective in avoiding hostility every time they met, but it was not easy to attack Muggles.

Vernon didn't say anything. He returned to the sofa and sat down silently, facing the TV, but his eyes kept glancing at Dumbledore.

Dudley, who was supposed to be sleeping, poked his head over here, probably woken up, took a careful look and ran behind his mother.

Harry ran down, telescope in hand, "Principal Dumbledore, Leah, you're here too!"

Penny took off her gloves and sat next to her husband with her son.

"Harry, you should know about Ms. Bones, and Ms. Vance's sacrifice."

Dumbledore's words made the Dursleys huddle together in fear.

Harry squeezed the telescope tightly and said, "I saw it in the Daily Prophet."

"Because of this, I want you to leave early and stay at the Burrow." He said, "Leah is here today because she has an adventure tonight. Go pack your luggage."

Harry went back upstairs with his head down.

During this time, the Dursleys remained silent, listening quietly to the noise upstairs.

More than ten minutes later, Harry came down with his luggage. If the headmaster had not been there, Gloria would have been happy to watch him use the levitation spell to carry his luggage.

"Well," Dumbledore stood up and looked at the Dursleys. "I'm sure you've noticed that Harry will be an adult in a year."

"No." Penny's voice trembled, "He's still 18 years old..."

"A wizard becomes an adult at the age of seventeen," Dumbledore explained directly. "The dark wizard named Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, has returned to the wizarding world. Our world is at war, and it is far more dangerous than it was fifteen years ago. Harry was almost killed by him several times."

Petunia hugged Dudley tightly.

At this point, Dumbledore's voice remained calm, but a chill emanated from him.

"I now know one of the reasons why your attitude towards me has changed. Money." Dumbledore said, "Forgive me for not considering this comprehensively."

"You hate wizards and have a bad relationship with Lily, but she is dead. Harry is the child she risked her life to protect. Even for the sake of a little sisterly blood, you should not abuse and ignore Harry and allow your own son to hurt him!"

"Dudley didn't—"

Vernon was about to retort, but Dumbledore raised his hand to silence him.

"Penny, you know how to send me a letter. If you need money, even if you send just one letter, I will definitely deliver it. You hate your sister, but she is dead. If you are dissatisfied with raising a child for free, you should resent me for not leaving any compensation, instead of taking revenge on Harry. He is just a poor child who lost his parents and was hunted by a powerful dark wizard. He should not bear these sufferings."

Vernon was speechless, Dudley lowered his head, wondering what he was thinking, and Petunia blushed.

"In order for Harry to grow up safely, the sacrificial amulet left by Lily and the magic I cast will protect him as long as he regards this place as his home until he reaches adulthood. So he will come back again next year. I hope you can open the door for the last time and let him stay there."

Dumbledore's Legilimency was very good. He silently saw that the Dursleys accepted the money from Gloria and the subtle change in their attitude towards Harry during the holidays.

After saying this in a tough manner, Dumbledore took off his hat and saluted them.

Harry said goodbye to them calmly, "Goodbye."

After they went out the door, Gloria put her hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, don't be sad about this. You have family and friends now."

Harry said, "Don't worry, I won't be sad about this kind of thing anymore."

Dumbledore drew his wand, "In order to ease into the next adventure, I will send these bags to the Burrow."

The wand tapped on the luggage and it disappeared along with Hedwig's cage.

The whole Little Whinging area was very quiet, with only the three of them walking in the dark night.

Harry couldn't suppress his joy. He wouldn't be able to leave the Dursleys' house for long, and he began to imagine the happy life he would have during the remaining holidays.

Then he asked curiously: "Principal Dumbledore, why did you mention money just now?"

"Because I saw in their memory that Gloria kept the Muggle money." Dumbledore sighed, "It's my fault."

Harry quickly retorted, "No, I will have money after I go to school, so I should give it to you."

He didn't expect Gloria to do this silently.

"You help them do a lot of things every day. You get bullied for not having new clothes. Your hard work is not in vain." Gloria said calmly, "During the summer vacation of the second grade, Dobby's troubles did cause them to lose a lot of money. Before you leave completely, the less you get involved, the better. Use a little money to buy you a smoother life during the few days you live here."

This is also an investment in Harry, with legitimate reasons and just starting point.

Harry scratched his head, remembering that in second grade, Uncle Vernon did say that he had an important business, which could buy a bigger house for the family if it was successful.

"I'll go get some more money before school starts..."

"Don't worry Harry," Gloria said, "I know you have the money to pay back. What's important is tonight's adventure."

Dumbledore also stopped and held out his hand. "I can't bear to interrupt you two as you are so engrossed in your conversation. Now take my hand. I will take you home soon after we are done."

As soon as Gloria and Harry held hands, the three figures disappeared into the street.