208: Chapter 208 Harry's Summer Vacation

Allen took the letter. The seal was the red wax Harry often used, and the handwriting was steadier than it had been two years ago. The family crest scanned it: no tracking charms, no hidden layers, only the dust from a standard owlery and soot from the Weasley Family fireplace.

The door knocker muttered, "The Weasley Family has enough soot to use as a signature."

Allen opened the letter. The first half of Harry's letter was written in a relaxed tone. Privet Drive was still difficult to endure, but Sirius would send an owl periodically to report that he was safe, and the Weasley Family had invited him to the Quidditch World Cup. He also mentioned that Hermione had told him not to run around during the summer vacation, and Ron insisted that the Quidditch World Cup could make anyone forget about Dementors.

Only at the end of the letter did the hook appear. "Are you doing well this summer? That cracked pocket watch—has Dumbledore mentioned it?"

Upon reading this, the door knocker paused, its iron ring hanging in mid-air. "He's asking about the cracked pocket watch? Who taught him to do that?"

The family crest's silver thread swept across the paper. "The pressure of this sentence is lighter, suggesting it was added as an afterthought. The drying interval of the ink is longer; it was added about three minutes after the rest of the letter was finished."

"Someone mentioned it during a conversation." Allen circled the final sentence. "Harry doesn't realize the weight of it."

Peter poked his head out from the cage. "Dumbledore is using Harry to ask you? The old fox didn't even bother with the sentimentality card; he's using little Potter as an owl."

The door knocker chuckled. "You have the nerve to talk about foxes? You can't even steal cheese properly."

Peter shrunk back, not daring to talk back.

Allen placed Harry's letter next to the Dumbledore file. At the end of the term, Dumbledore had warned him about the cracked pocket watch, and now he was using Harry to ask again during the summer vacation. He hadn't specified the owner of the cracked pocket watch, leaving the word "old item" for Harry to ask about on his own.

"If I deny it, Harry will be suspicious. If I admit it, Dumbledore will gain progress." Allen picked up his quill. "Reply with a generic answer."

The door knocker urged, "Write it harshly. For example, tell the Principal to stop prying into a student's belongings."

"Harry will show it to others exactly as written." Allen spread out the reply letter. "He can't keep secrets."

The first paragraph of the reply was a short greeting. "Writing essays this summer; the Potter Manor is quiet enough. If Black writes to you, do not include locations or routes in your reply. The Quidditch World Cup will be crowded; stay close to Mr. Weasley, and don't trust any strange Portkey."

The door knocker snorted as it read. "Is this you caring about him?"

"It saves trouble." Allen continued writing. "If Harry dies at the Quidditch World Cup, the trouble afterwards will double."

The second paragraph only addressed the cracked pocket watch. "The cracked pocket watch is a family heirloom and is of no use. If Dumbledore asks, you can tell him to write directly to Potter Manor."

The door knocker was silent for a moment. "You're kicking the ball right back into the Principal's face."

"It's polite." Allen sealed the letter. "If he wants to use Harry to ask, I'll invite him to ask directly. Adults should stop involving children."

Peter let out a short laugh, which was quickly met by a tail swipe from the Void. He clutched his shoulder. "You're talking about adults? You're only thirteen!"

The door knocker retorted on Allen's behalf. "You've lived for decades, and you're still just a rat."

Peter shut his mouth.

Just as the letter was sealed, a soft sound came from the ebony box. The cracked pocket watch glowed blue beneath the cracks of the box; the fine gold thread moved half a notch along the crack, then stopped.

The tip of the Void's tail immediately pressed down on the lid. Its silver eyes stared at Allen, the meaning perfectly clear: don't touch it.

The door knocker also cursed, "You just wrote that it's useless, and it lights up to show you. Is this broken watch trying to undermine you on purpose?"

Allen handed the reply to the owl, not touching the ebony box. "Record."

The family crest projected the reaction of the cracked pocket watch. "The trigger source is suspected to be keywords. Among the four items—cracked pocket watch, Dumbledore, Harry, and Quidditch World Cup—the cracked pocket watch has the highest correlation, and the Quidditch World Cup is secondary."

The door knocker shook its iron ring in annoyance. "It can even listen to letters? Will you have to avoid certain words when doing your homework from now on?"

"Triggering by keywords does not equal a leak." Allen had the family crest seal the residue on the paper. "The reaction is inside the box; there are no fluctuations outside Potter Manor."

The family crest confirmed, "External observers have not increased detection. The Wizard in the grey cloak at the street corner changed positions once, but did not approach."

Allen filed Harry's letter into the Harry file, next to the records for Silver Light, Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Black Lake, Black, and time-turner. Harry was asking about the Silver Light, Hermione was asking about the structure, and Dumbledore was asking about the cracked pocket watch. All three threads had circled back.

"Will he come to Potter Manor?" the door knocker asked.

"The Dursleys won't let him go. The Weasley Family will take him to the Quidditch World Cup first." Allen dragged the Quidditch World Cup file to the desktop. "The real point of contact will be at the stadium."

Upon hearing Quidditch World Cup, Peter stirred immediately. "Large campsite, foreign guests, Ministry of Magic, old Death Eaters. If the Dark Mark rises, everyone will look for Harry first."

The door knocker said coldly, "You're quite familiar with it."

Peter's throat tightened. "I've seen them gather. With their masks on and drinks in hand, everyone thinks the Master is still sitting at the head of the table. The Quidditch World Cup is perfect for their nostalgia."

Allen wrote "nostalgia" into the old Death Eater file. "Old associates use the commotion to test their courage, the Ministry of Magic is busy maintaining appearances, the Order of the Phoenix is watching Harry, and the Department of Mysteries is watching the time anomaly."

"And there's a Black dog out there looking for a rat," the door knocker added. "Add a bowl of water, and you could make soup."

The family crest suddenly projected a small map, marking the route of Harry's letter. "This letter stopped at the Hogsmeade owl station for seven minutes. During the stop, a Wizard wearing a round hat entered the station but did not touch the letter."

The door knocker's iron ring tightened. "The round hat has appeared again?"

"Record." Allen placed the round-hatted Wizard next to Harry's letter. "The Department of Mysteries is also watching Harry's communication routes. Perhaps for Black, perhaps for the cracked pocket watch."

Peter said in a low voice, "If they investigate Harry and the cracked pocket watch together, they will discover the Potter bloodline."

"They have been investigating for a long time." Allen lowered the curtains. "The difference is that they don't know how far the cracked pocket watch has awakened."

The door knocker spat. "The Principal knows the shape of the problem, the Department of Mysteries is measuring it with a ruler, and Snape is forcing you to write the answer. And you can still sleep?"

Allen looked at the ebony box. The blue light had faded, but the tip of the Void's tail remained pressed on the lid, like it was holding down a string that could snap out at any moment.

"I can." Allen pulled Snape's essay back to the surface. "Only by sleeping do I have time."

After a silence, the door knocker cursed, "Sooner or later, you'll wake up and find everyone in the room waiting for you to explain."

Allen picked up his pen and wrote the next line of his essay. "Then I'll just keep sleeping."