Chapter 112: Oh My Goodness
"Boom boom boom!"
The instant that engine sound rang out.
Mrs. Weasley shot up from her stool.
Dylan leaned back, blinking.
But Mrs. Weasley turned around and strode out the door.
Her furious expression made Dylan think that whoever was outside was in big trouble.
Dylan also slowly stood up and walked towards the door.
Just as he approached, Mrs. Weasley's usually gentle voice, now like small stones forcefully thrown, drilled into Dylan's ears.
"Well, well! You lot have gotten bold enough now! Daring to take the car without permission?"
"Do you know how dangerous that was? If the Ministry of Magic had found out—oh, thank goodness, you're all back safe and sound."
"Do you have any idea how worried I was about your safety?!"
Mrs. Weasley's face was full of anger, one sentence following another, barely leaving a gap for breath.
It made Dylan feel like he was Ron standing in front of Mrs. Weasley, being scolded like a little chick.
Dylan looked ahead. Ron was sandwiched between Fred and George, heads bowed, not daring to utter a single word in the face of their mother's reprimand.
At this moment, Harry cautiously climbed out of the opened car door.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, they came to pick me up—I didn't expect them to come like this."
Harry looked shy and embarrassed, staring at his toes. "I'm sorry for making you worry, but I was really happy that Ron and the others could come and get me."
Mrs. Weasley paused, looked at Harry, and her gaze softened.
—She had obviously heard from Ron how badly Harry's aunt and uncle treated him.
"Hello, Harry, how was the journey?"
She glanced at the sky.
It was almost morning now.
—Heaven knew how worried she had been waiting for these mischievous imps all night!
However...
Although these three troublemakers had ultimately brought Harry back safely without any incident, she still had to give Ron and the twins a good scolding!
"Even if you wanted to bring Harry over, you could have told me about it beforehand. Instead, you took the car without permission."
"What if something happened on the way? If something happened to you, that's one thing, but what if something happened to Harry?!"
"(°°)…" Ron was stunned and raised his head in disbelief.
Mum, what are you saying?
The twins also lifted their heads, looking pitifully at their mother.
"Aren't we your favorite children anymore?"
"No, after what you did—Ginny is."
Mrs. Weasley said expressionlessly.
The twins immediately wailed, "Oh, no—!"
Harry, who had initially been a bit scared seeing Mrs. Weasley so angry, almost burst out laughing when the twins made such a ghostly howl.
Mrs. Weasley was also a bit amused by the twins' antics, but she still maintained a stern face and scolded Ron and the twins for a good while longer.
It wasn't until she heard Harry's stomach rumble loudly that her scolding paused.
Mrs. Weasley glared at Ron, Fred, and George, then looked at Harry and said softly, "Are you hungry, dear? Come inside quickly, I'll get you something to eat."
"And your friend Dylan is here too—he just arrived, not too long ago."
Hearing Dylan's name, Ron, who had been hanging his head and kicking the dirt with his toes, suddenly looked up, a look of surprise and delight flashing across his face.
"Dylan? Did he decide to come over after receiving my letter? Where is he?"
Harry also looked towards the house with some surprise.
Dylan stepped out from behind the door at the right moment, revealing himself.
—Earlier, he was worried that if he appeared too early, it might interrupt Mrs. Weasley's scolding.
"It really is Dylan! Hey! Good evening!"
"No, it's good morning!"
The Weasley twins greeted Dylan.
Dylan glanced at the sky, which was gradually turning a fish-belly white, and waved back at them.
"Hello to you all."
Ron glanced at his mum, and seeing that she had no reaction, he jogged over and slipped next to Dylan.
"You came without saying anything beforehand! We could have picked you up along the way!"
No sooner had Ron's words left his mouth.
A chill suddenly ran all the way up his spine.
Ron shivered and didn't dare to turn his head.
"Let's go, let's go! We should go inside quickly!"
He pushed Dylan, leading him back into the house.
The Weasley twins also rushed in, surrounding Dylan, chattering away and making a racket around his head.
Outside, only Mrs. Weasley and Harry remained.
"Don't be nervous, come inside quickly. Sorry you had to see that just now," Mrs. Weasley said with a gentle smile.
After all, it was Harry's first time visiting Ron's house—and at such an odd time.
He was a bit embarrassed, but hearing Mrs. Weasley's words, he obediently stepped into the house.
Mrs. Weasley closed all the car doors, walked into the house, closed the front door, and then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the youngsters.
The space inside the Burrow wasn't very large.
Even the sofa Dylan had just sat on was quite small, and there was only one.
So, Dylan and the others now crowded around the dining table.
A large group squeezed together, and although it looked full and their shoulders were pressed tightly against each other, their knees occasionally bumped.
But with the Weasley twins around, and Harry and Ron having not seen Dylan for almost a month.
As soon as they met, there were always many topics to talk about, and the atmosphere among the young wizards was quite lively.
"Oh! My goodness, your mom and dad left you again to go traveling on their own?" Ron exclaimed.
Mrs. Weasley, who was cracking eggs, preparing to fry one for each of the youngsters, paused at the sound, muttering softly, "Poor dear."
Dylan smiled. "They're usually very busy. This time they specifically took time off to be with me. Since we've already spent so many days together, they can go out if they want. It's perfect timing for me to come and hang out with you guys."
Ron nodded repeatedly. "You're absolutely right!"
Harry sat stiffly. After coming in, although he was chatting with Dylan and the others, his eyes and gaze occasionally darted around, and his fingers unconsciously tugged at the hem of his shirt.
Dylan sensed that Harry seemed a bit nervous. Even the twins' occasional bursts of laughter didn't seem to ease his mood.
Dylan paused slightly, pulled out his chair, walked over to the hot tea Mrs. Weasley had poured for him earlier, picked up the teapot, and brought it back.
He flipped his hand, and his wand appeared in his palm. Then, with a gentle wave, Dylan followed with a whispered incantation.
A soft light flickered from the tip of his wand.
The spell enveloped the teapot, and before long, wisps of steam rose from the spout.
Dylan picked up a teacup and poured a cup of hot tea for Harry.
"Have some hot tea. Don't be so nervous. Mrs. Weasley is very nice, gentle and beautiful. Didn't you receive a gift from her at Christmas?"
Harry was taken aback, then took the teacup, holding it tightly with both hands. The warmth spread from his fingertips, slowly reaching his whole body.
Harry's spirits couldn't help but relax slightly. His tense shoulders slumped a little, and he nodded. "You're right."
Mrs. Weasley, who had almost finished frying the eggs, came over cheerfully carrying a large plate.
"Dear, you're so thoughtful. Hurry up and eat, you must be hungry too?"
She distributed several small plates to Dylan and the others. After they had each speared an egg onto their plates, she took the large plate away to fry sausages and bread for them. Passing by Harry, Mrs. Weasley gently ruffled his hair with one hand.
"Child, you did nothing wrong. It's all Ron and the others' fault."
Ron: …
The Weasley twins: ~
"In fact, if you still hadn't replied to Ron's letter, Arthur and I were going to come and pick you up ourselves."
"Don't listen to any mischievous imps who might tell you that Arthur and I weren't worried about you and would rather have you secretly drive over here yourself."
Mrs. Weasley glanced at Ron and the twins.
Ron quickly lowered his head, stabbed an egg with his fork, and shoved it directly into his mouth.
Harry could clearly feel the kindness Mrs. Weasley was showing him, and a smile couldn't help but appear at the corner of his lips.
"Thank you."
"What's there to be polite about? Hurry and eat, it'll get cold in a moment."
Mrs. Weasley patted Harry's head again before heading back to the kitchen.
Just one egg, everyone ate quickly.
Two bites and it was all gone.
After eating, Harry held his warm tea and looked around. He tilted his head and whispered to Dylan beside him.
"Dylan, is your house decorated like this? It feels very wizard-like."
Dylan also glanced around the room.
Although small, the house was filled with a strong sense of life.
Many photos hung on the walls, some magical, some ordinary.
The people in the magical photos moved. The younger versions of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waved and smiled at the start of a new day.
Besides that, there were many group photos of the Weasley family at various stages of their lives.
The fireplace looked a bit old, and the mantelpiece held many strange little objects, such as an hourglass with flowing golden powder and several small wizard statues.
Next to the fireplace was a wooden bookshelf with many magic books. Some of the book covers were badly worn, and the writing on them had become blurry.
—It was clear that they had been read countless times.
Dylan shook his head. "There aren't any magical objects in my house—you know, my parents are Muggles."
Harry blinked, then nodded gently. "There aren't any magical objects in my house either."
He paused slightly and added, "Or maybe there are. I always feel like something has possessed the Dursleys, making them seem so stupid and mean!"
Dursley was the surname of Harry's aunt's family.
Hearing Harry say this, Dylan pursed his lips, holding back a smile.
—It seemed Harry was a bit angry about being bullied by them.
Ron leaned over at this moment. "Dylan, even though it's breakfast time now, when you arrived, it must have been the middle of the night, right?"
Dylan turned his head and nodded slightly. "Yeah, when I flew over on my broom, I saw your mum waiting at the door."
He chuckled softly. "I initially thought she was welcoming me."
A voice came from the kitchen—"Of course I was!"
Ron tilted his head. "You didn't even reply to my letter beforehand. I thought you weren't planning to come and hang out with us. Then you suddenly sneak over!"
Dylan sighed. "There was nothing I could do. It was too boring being alone at home. Actually, I was prepared that if you were all asleep, I'd just wander around the neighborhood for a bit."
Ron blinked. "But you flew over? You can... I mean, didn't we sign that pledge before leaving school?"
Dylan chuckled. "We did sign it, but that pledge didn't say we absolutely couldn't use magic outside—and I was riding a broom."
Ron was stunned. "What? Little wizards can use magic outside? But Fred and George told me..."
"If it wasn't allowed, wouldn't the Ministry of Magic have already found out about you secretly taking the car out this time?"
Dylan's words woke the bewildered Ron.
Ron made a "huh" sound, then glared at the twins.
"You guys lied to me!"
Fred and George exchanged a look, then burst into laughter. "That doesn't really count as lying, does it, our dear little brother!"
Ron said with a frustrated expression, "I was wondering why you and Hermione didn't pay any attention to me when we were signing that pledge!"
Dylan shrugged. "Maybe Hermione also thought that little wizards couldn't use magic outside. At least at home, you can use spells."
Ron thought of the spell Dylan had used to warm Harry's tea earlier, and then he understood.
"I haven't used any spells for a month! I'm almost forgetting how to even say the incantations!"
Harry had relaxed by this time and wasn't so nervous anymore.
He placed his teacup on the table and patted Ron's shoulder.
"It's okay, me too."
—He had also heard Ron's explanation about the notice and hadn't used much magic for the entire month.
This had led to his uncle treating him even worse, eventually locking him up and not even giving him food.
Dylan looked at Harry and said, "You had such a hard time at home, so what about the gift I sent you? You didn't not receive it, did you?"
Harry's birthday was on July 31st.
Dylan had mailed him a gift.
If his gift had been stolen or even damaged, he would make the Dursleys experience the terror of the Fool.
"I received it. Although Dobby kept trying to stop me from returning to Hogwarts, he didn't let Dudley steal my birthday present."
Harry shook his head, looked up, and said with gratitude, "Thank you, Dylan, I really like your gift."
"I didn't expect there to be real Golden Snitches for sale. It'll be really cool as a decoration. I brought it with me, planning to decorate our dorm with it."
"That's good." Dylan smiled. "I came across it when I was shopping in Diagon Alley, in the Quidditch store. It was a limited edition—but I bet it wasn't limited at all."
"Because on the display case that said 'limited edition,' I took the last Golden Snitch, and the owner immediately put another one there."
"Hahahaha!"
"That must be the owner's way of selling things!"
"I bet so too!"
Ron and the twins laughed non-stop.
Dylan nodded. "Hunger marketing, but fortunately the price wasn't too expensive. I thought having a Golden Snitch at home would be quite interesting, and it was perfect as a birthday gift for Harry."
The bread and sausages were quickly fried.
Mrs. Weasley placed them on the table and personally buttered the bread for Harry and Dylan.
"Hey! Mum, why don't you butter ours too?"
"Maybe because mischievous imps don't deserve it?"
Mrs. Weasley glanced at the twins.
At this moment, a voice suddenly came.
"You're all so noisy!"
Dylan turned his head and saw a little girl with red hair, holding a doll, wearing pajamas, rubbing her eyes as she came downstairs.
When the little girl clearly saw the people present and noticed two unfamiliar faces, her eyes widened. Then, without saying a word, she picked up her doll, held it in front of her face, and quickly ran back upstairs.
Dylan and Harry both blinked.
"Ginny is so rude, not even saying hello to guests."
Ron mumbled, then buttered his bread, added sausages, and took a bite.
At the same time, he mumbled to Dylan and Harry, "That's my sister Ginny. I've told you about her."
"You all don't know how many times she's mentioned Harry this summer. She always asks me to get her some of Harry's autographs—I really don't know what she wants them for."
Harry's expression was blank, as if he hadn't reacted.
His autograph?
(End of chapter)
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