Chapter 733 - 286: Family
Chapter 733: Chapter 286: Family
My family?
Harry thought it over from every angle, and still couldn’t quite picture the Dursley family coming to Hogwarts to visit him.
His Godfather, then? That was possible.
"You still have relatives alive?"
Pabi asked from beside him.
Harry: ?
He lowered his head to look at Pabi and gave her a little kick.
"Listen to yourself, you’re one of my family members too—are you not alive?"
"Oh oh oh oh oh." Pabi let out five consecutive oh’s, then shrank her head back. "I know who it is—just don’t you dare tell Vivi what I just said... absolutely don’t..."
"So you do know fear?" Harry raised an eyebrow at her.
"Heh heh!" Pabi chuckled, looking very cute and adorable, and utterly innocent.
Harry didn’t say anything else. He stood up, walked down the aisle of the Great Hall, and pushed the door open into the antechamber.
Victor Krum was in one corner, speaking rapid Bulgarian with his dark‑haired parents; he’d inherited his father’s hooked nose. On the other side, Fleur was chattering non‑stop in French with her mother, and her little sister Gabrielle was holding their mother’s hand.
She waved at Harry, and Harry waved back, grinning.
Then he saw Mrs. Weasley and Bill standing in front of the fireplace, beaming at him, and not far away Little Sirius was sitting elegantly, reading the newspaper.
"Didn’t expect this, did you!" Mrs. Weasley said warmly.
Harry’s face lit up as he hurried over.
"We wanted to come see you compete, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley bent down and kissed his cheek. "We’d wanted to come for the second task, but we just couldn’t get away."
"Oh, how’ve you been?" Bill said with a smile, shaking Harry’s hand. "Charlie wanted to come too, but he couldn’t get off—he said that fight you had with the tree wasps was brilliant, absolutely unbelievable. I honestly can’t imagine a fourth‑year kid facing a Fire Dragon head‑on and actually beating it. That’s practically an impossible feat!"
Harry noticed Fleur Delacour peering around her mother’s shoulder to look at Bill with great interest. It was obvious she didn’t mind long hair and fang‑shaped earrings one bit.
Pretty girls all liked Bill’s... well, that type, Harry understood.
What Harry didn’t know was that this was basically like saying rappers always have a special crit effect on vocational‑school bad girls.
"I’d suggest you don’t be too surprised yet, seeing as there’s more coming that’ll amaze you in a minute."
Little Sirius didn’t even look up as he said this to Bill, seemingly very taken with whatever was in the paper.
"I really didn’t expect you’d come to watch me compete," Harry said happily. "I know Little Sirius has been really busy, ha... Merlin knows I was just thinking it might be the Dursley family coming."
"They won’t be coming." Little Sirius said, head down. "But that big ’flying column’ uncle of yours asked me to bring you a message: be careful, and don’t let some bloody trick cost you your little life."
"That really does sound like the Dursley family," Harry laughed. "Very familiar tone—I used to hear them talk like that all the time, just not in such a tactful version."
"Yeah, Muggles never did understand what manners are."
Little Sirius couldn’t help laughing too, remembering the way Vernon Dursley’s face had gone scarlet with awkwardness as he’d said it.
"But your aunt..."
As he spoke, Little Sirius pulled a photo out of his pocket and handed it to Harry. "This is from your aunt for you, it’s a photo of your mum... She said she hopes your mum will keep you safe and sound."
Harry took the photo. It was of his mum under a tree, looking about sixteen or seventeen, her smile bright and warm as a little sun.
He looked at it for a while, then tucked it into his robes.
"I’ll be safe." Harry said seriously. "Don’t worry, Little Sirius, I’ll be fine."
"Oh." Little Sirius said, "I’m not actually worried about your safety. I’m just thinking the Magical Creatures they’ve put in that maze are in for a world of trouble—and also, you know."
As he spoke, Little Sirius winked at Harry.
Harry understood that Little Sirius was specifically referring to Voldemort.
"What can I say?" he shrugged, and sat down on a nearby chair.
"Where’s Vivi?" he asked Little Sirius again. "Honestly, I actually thought she’d come."
"Haven’t you read the paper?" Little Sirius shook out the newspaper in his hand. "Oh, my dear Godson, this is today’s biggest story—it’s explosive news—"
Yeah, Harry thought, explosive for sure. Pabi, Hermione and I all exploded...
"Of course I’ve seen it," Harry said. "Doesn’t stop me from wishing, does it?"
"You’ve got a point there." Little Sirius spread his hands.
"You mean Miss Grindelwald’s news?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "I saw it this morning too—Arthur even sprayed milk all over the paper—he never imagined Miss Grindelwald would become Minister of such a big Ministry of Magic at the age of seventeen..."
"Oh, it’s not just Mr. Weasley," Harry said. "When I saw the story I sprayed pumpkin juice all over mine too—"
"She really is impressive." Bill was looking around at the walls, smiling cheerfully. "Ah, it’s good to be back... Huh? Isn’t that Lady Pang? What’s she doing here? Isn’t she supposed to be guarding Gryffindor’s door?"
Following the direction of Bill’s finger, Harry saw Lady Pang in the same frame as her girlfriend Olette, waving at them.