8: Chapter 8 Schemes on the Return Journey

After buying everything, Hagrid finally announced it was time to return.

Harry let out a sigh of relief.

He was hugging Hedwig's cage, a book bag on his back, and carrying a cauldron in his hand. He looked a head shorter under the weight of his new school supplies.

Allen was empty-handed, his sleeves clean, without even a feather.

Hagrid looked at Harry, then at Allen, his beard twitching twice.

"You two really should learn to balance things out," Hagrid said. "One looks like he's moving house, the other like he's out for a stroll."

Allen yawned.

"This is space management."

Harry glanced at the cauldron on his arm and couldn't help but ask, "Can you help me store some of this?"

"No."

"Why?"

"It's easy to develop a dependency."

Harry shut his mouth.

Hagrid laughed happily, then lowered his voice, "But Allen, you should use that way of storing things less at school. Not everyone is as laid-back as me."

Allen glanced at him.

This wasn't something Hagrid would think of.

Hagrid was a good man, soft-hearted, loud-voiced, and couldn't hide anything. But that sentence just now was very sharp.

Allen put his hand in his robe pocket, his fingertips touching the edge of his wand box.

"Who reminded you?"

Hagrid's footsteps paused.

Harry also looked up.

Hagrid scratched his hair, making his messy hair even messier.

"It doesn't count as a reminder. Professor Dumbledore said you grew up in a Muggle orphanage and weren't taught many things. He asked me to keep an eye on you on the way, not to let you wander into Knockturn Alley, and not to let you get cheated."

Allen didn't speak.

Dumbledore.

Sure enough, this name couldn't be avoided.

Hagrid continued, "The Professor cares quite a bit about you. He's the one who had people look into your parents' affairs. If he hadn't dug up old files and checked the blood pact with Gringotts, you wouldn't have received that part of the Potter Family inheritance so quickly."

Harry was stunned, "Professor Dumbledore did that?"

"Yes." Hagrid nodded. "He's always busy, but he asked about this personally. He also said that both Potter Family children should get what they are entitled to."

Harry looked down at his money pouch, a bit of gratitude appearing on his face.

Allen, however, only felt his sleepiness recede by half.

Busy?

Dumbledore was certainly busy.

Busy arranging The Chosen One, busy guarding the Philosopher's Stone, busy keeping the British magical world on the track he approved of.

In such a situation, he could still spare the time to investigate a distant relative of the Potter Family in an orphanage.

This wasn't kindness.

At least, not just kindness.

A child forgotten for eleven years, suddenly found before enrollment; a Potter who had never appeared in the public eye, suddenly receiving half the inheritance; the Goblins at Gringotts would follow the rules, but they wouldn't take the initiative to dig up old accounts for a Wizard.

Someone gave it a push.

That hand, white beard, half-moon spectacles, likes lemon sherbet.

Troublesome.

Very troublesome.

Hagrid didn't notice Allen's silence and kept rambling, "Professor Dumbledore is the best Wizard I've ever met. If you encounter any trouble at school in the future, you can go to him. He will help you."

Allen looked up, "For free?"

Hagrid was stunned, "What?"

"Is the help free?"

Harry said softly, "Allen, Professors helping students shouldn't cost money, right?"

Allen looked at him, "Then you'd better remember, free things are usually the most expensive."

Harry didn't understand and frowned.

Hagrid was also confused, just assuming Allen had stayed in the orphanage too long and wasn't used to other people's kindness.

"You child, don't think ill of everyone," Hagrid said. "Professor Dumbledore has saved many people."

"Saving people and arranging people are two different things."

Hagrid opened his mouth but didn't respond.

The Leaky Cauldron was right ahead.

Tom the innkeeper smiled at Harry from behind the counter, and people in the pub were still peeking at his scar. Harry felt flustered being watched and subconsciously hid behind Hagrid.

Allen took advantage of the commotion to hide on the other side.

Very smooth.

Harry as a signpost was too useful.

As long as he stood out, the whole room would automatically go blind.

Hagrid led them out of Diagon Alley from the backyard. The brick wall closed, and the noise of the magical world was shut behind them.

The sound of traffic on the streets of London squeezed into their ears; Harry hugged Hedwig's cage tightly, as if afraid that everything just now was only a dream.

Hagrid was to take Harry back to Privet Drive and then take Allen back to St. Marys Orphanage.

Allen had no objection to this route.

He needed some time to break down the information he got today.

Wand, cracked pocket watch, void, books, Potter Family inheritance.

Great gains.

But Dumbledore's hand had already reached his side.

This was the most valuable intelligence of the day.

In the subway station, Hagrid got stuck at the turnstile again.

His build was very unfriendly to Muggle facilities; passing through the gate was like a Troll trying to crawl through a dog hole. Harry held the cage and stifled a laugh, Allen leaned against the wall to catch up on sleep, the void coiled on the stone fragment in his Portable Space, unresponsive to the vibrations outside.

Hagrid finally squeezed through and let out a long breath.

"Muggles are really troublesome. Why make the gate so narrow? To keep out Giants?"

Allen closed his eyes, "The effect is quite good."

Harry couldn't hold it in this time and laughed out loud.

Hagrid laughed too, his laughter scaring several Muggles nearby into changing carriages.

The carriage swayed.

Harry sat beside Hagrid, touching Hedwig's cage from time to time. He wanted to talk to Allen, but every time he looked over, Allen seemed to be asleep.

Actually, Allen wasn't asleep.

His mind was very clear.

Since Dumbledore could find his lineage, he could find the orphanage records.

Those abnormal events in the orphanage, Mrs. Martha's fear, the avoidance of Billy's group of children, and even the chandelier falling this morning—as long as someone investigated carefully, they could find the inconsistencies.

Wizards might not understand Muggle files.

But Dumbledore understood people.

That's what's annoying.

If he performed too poorly after enrollment, he would be treated as a problem student.

Too well, and he would be treated as a genius.

Too withdrawn, and it would attract the Professor's concern.

Too gregarious, and it would be a waste of energy dealing with stupid people.

The safest position was ordinary.

Average grades, a slightly cold personality, but not antisocial. Occasionally show a reasonable interest, preferably Transfiguration or Charms, and don't touch space.

Legilimency also had to be guarded against.

The soul layer could block it, but blocking it too cleanly was a flaw in itself. People like Snape and Dumbledore weren't afraid of seeing lies; they were afraid of seeing nothing.

Allen opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in the train window.

An eleven-year-old child.

Thin, pale, sleepy.

Very good.

This face was naturally suited to be background.

Harry suddenly spoke, "Allen."

"Hmm."

"Professor Dumbledore... can you really not trust him?"

Hagrid also looked over.

Allen didn't answer directly.

"You can trust him."

Harry was startled.

"Why can I?"

"Because you are The Chosen One."

Harry didn't like this title and said in a low voice, "I'm not. I don't know how to do anything."

"Then you should trust him even more." Allen closed his eyes again. "People who can't swim shouldn't complain about the ugly color of the lifebuoy."

Hagrid nodded with satisfaction after hearing this, "That actually makes some sense."

Harry, however, was even more confused.

He always felt that Allen wasn't praising Dumbledore.

After the train arrived, Hagrid took Harry to Privet Drive first. At the entrance of the Dursley family, Uncle Vernon saw Hagrid and the flesh on his face twitched; Aunt Petunia hid behind the curtains, and Dudley didn't even dare to show his head.

Hagrid put Harry's luggage at the door.

"Prepare well for the summer vacation, Harry. September 1st, King's Cross Station, Platform 9 3/4."

Harry nodded, then looked at Allen.

"See you at the start of school."

Allen was very sleepy and only replied with two words, "Don't die."

Harry was stunned for a moment, then actually smiled.

"I'll try."

Hagrid frowned, "Do you Potters greet each other so strangely?"

Allen didn't reply.

After leaving Privet Drive, Hagrid took him to St. Marys Orphanage.

The sky was already dark.

The iron fence at the orphanage entrance was rusty, and a few pieces of wall plaster had fallen off. Compared to Diagon Alley, this place was as gray as an unwashed old sock.

Mrs. Martha lost half the color in her face when she saw Hagrid.

She originally wanted to scold Allen for returning too late, but when Hagrid stood at the door, her temper shrank back.

"This is his enrollment supplies." Hagrid handed over a piece of parchment. "He needs to go to school on September 1st. Don't touch his things during this time."

Mrs. Martha looked at Hagrid's umbrella, then at his half-Giant build, and squeezed out an ugly smile.

"Of course, sir."

Allen walked past her.

Mrs. Martha subconsciously made way.

Hagrid saw this scene, frowned, but didn't ask further.

Before leaving, he bent down and said to Allen, "Write a letter if anything happens. You can use a public owl. Don't always carry it alone."

Allen glanced at him.

Hagrid, this person, really had no bad intentions.

But people without bad intentions are the easiest to be used as messengers.

"Hagrid."

"Hmm?"

"After you go back, thank Professor Dumbledore for me."

Hagrid grinned, "That's more like it."

Allen added, "Just say I am very grateful for his arrangements, and I will study hard at Hogwarts and not cause trouble for the Professor."

Hagrid looked quite happy.

"I will pass it on to him."

Allen nodded, turned, and went upstairs.

The door closed.

The fatigue was still on his face, but his mind was very cold.

This sentence would reach Dumbledore's ears.

A polite, sensible orphan willing to integrate into the school.

This persona was safer than being a silent freak.

The room was still the same, narrow bed, old cabinet, cracked window frame. Allen locked the door, waved his hand, and the books, robes, medicinal materials, and cauldron he bought today fell into the partitions of his Portable Space one by one.

The Thestral hair wand lay quietly in the corner.

The cracked pocket watch pressed down on a faint blue light.

The void coiled on the stone fragment, silver eyes staring at the two items.

Allen took off his robe and collapsed onto the bed.

Sleepiness finally overwhelmed him.

Before falling asleep, he rearranged the rules for after enrollment.

First, enter Slytherin.

Second, hide the Portable Space ability.

Third, give Dumbledore a relatable ordinary persona.

Fourth, Harry continues to stand in the front row.

Fifth, Malfoy can be used, but don't let him realize he's being used too early.

The last point—

Anyone who tries to dig up his background must pay the price.

Outside the window, Mrs. Martha's lowered cursing came from the orphanage corridor. Soon it drifted away.

Allen closed his eyes.

The boundary of the Portable Space expanded in his sleep, and the books bought today were neatly swallowed into the shadows, like a private Library that hadn't been lit yet.

Hogwarts hadn't started yet.

But on the chessboard, someone had already made a move.

Dumbledore had seen him.

Then let the other party see an Allen Potter that should be seen.