The Malfoy Manor was raided nine times in a single night—once every hour. Arthur Weasley, an officer from the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office in charge of the search, reported that they discovered numerous Dark Magic items. Whether these items posed any danger would require a thorough investigation. If found harmless, of course, they would be returned to Mr. Malfoy.
This incident made the front page of the Daily Prophet, giving Mr. Arthur Weasley a moment in the spotlight.
That very night, when Regulus Black was visiting the Weasley household, the Weasley twins and Ron secretly took Arthur Weasley's flying car and tracked down Harry Potter's home—or rather, the Dursleys' address.
With their help, Harry Potter successfully escaped. Uncle Vernon nearly fell to his death in the process.
"Master, Harry Potter has successfully escaped from the Dursleys'."
Kreacher had been keeping an eye on the Dursley residence and confirmed Harry Potter's escape. He even piled some plants where Uncle Vernon had landed.
By sunrise, the flying car had brought the four boys and Hathaway back to the Burrow.
It was Harry Potter's first time visiting another wizarding home, and everything driven by magic was a novelty to him.
"Where on earth have you lot been? Harry! It's so good to see you. There was no one in your beds, not a single note left behind, and you stole your father's car—you could've died on the way! You could've been seen by Muggles! And I'm not talking about you, Harry. Don't argue. You'd better pray I don't seal your windows shut next time. Come on now! Harry, you should have breakfast."
The Weasley boys couldn't escape a round of scolding from Molly, but thanks to Harry Potter being present, they managed to avoid actual punishment.
"Good morning, kids! Last night was exhausting—nine surprise inspections! Haha!"
Arthur Weasley had been busy all night. Though the results weren't especially fruitful, seeing the sour expression on Malfoy's face had made it all worthwhile.
So, despite being up all night, he returned home still energized. However, he quickly noticed they had a guest.
"And who might you be?"
Arthur Weasley looked curiously at Harry Potter eating at the table, though he had a good idea of who the boy was.
"Sorry, sir! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Harry Potter."
Arthur stared at Harry in astonishment. Just yesterday, they had discussed how unsafe things were around the Chosen One, surrounded by enemies.
"Ron has mentioned you before. When did you get here?"
Arthur lowered his head to start on his breakfast, avoiding eye contact with Harry.
"This morning. Your sons took your charming car in the middle of the night and brought him here."
Molly stood with her hands on her hips, clearly waiting to see how Arthur would react.
"Amazing. Is the car still running well?"
Arthur instinctively changed the subject, wearing a proud expression as he spoke of his sons.
"Works perfectly!" the boys chorused.
Molly smacked Arthur with a backward slap—this was the moment to discipline them, not ask about the car's performance!
"I mean... what you did was absolutely wrong. Completely inexcusable."
Arthur feigned seriousness in his reprimand, and the boys all lowered their heads, stifling laughter.
Arthur then turned his attention to Harry, eagerly asking all kinds of questions about Muggles—what rubber duckies were for, what window screens did, the purpose of welcome mats by the door. He seemed fascinated by all these basic details.
Harry was overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with the questions when, fortunately, the arrival of a mail-carrying owl brought the awkward session to an end.
"Must be Errol with the mail," said Mrs. Weasley confidently, as the owl crashed straight into the half-closed window. That owl's eyesight was truly something else.
"Percy! Go get the letters!"
Percy walked over to the window with an exasperated look. Errol had already jumped onto the windowsill and passed the letters to him.
"It's a letter from Hogwarts. It's Ginny's acceptance letter and our school supply lists. And they sent Harry Potter's letter too."
Percy held a stack of envelopes. With so many children in the Weasley family, school-related expenses naturally piled up. Not just for first-years like Ginny—each child's textbooks were a significant cost. So, wherever possible, they reused older supplies.
"Dumbledore must know that Harry Potter is here."
Arthur had a full understanding of Dumbledore's far-reaching abilities.
"These things aren't cheap. Just the spellbooks alone are extremely expensive."
The twins took one look at the book list and immediately estimated the cost of the entire set—it looked like they'd be buying secondhand books again.
"We need to buy everything on the list, and there's only one place where we can get it all. Looks like we'll have to make a trip to Diagon Alley."
The entire Weasley family prepared to head to Diagon Alley and lined up in front of the fireplace once they were ready.
"Harry Potter, you go first."
Mrs. Weasley held a jar of Floo Powder and beckoned Harry toward the fireplace.
Staring at the fireplace that was taller than a person and filled with soot, Harry was momentarily stunned. How did this even work?
"Mum! Harry Potter's never used Floo Powder before!"
Ron noticed Harry's reaction and immediately explained.
The reason they had Harry go first was because the more the Floo Network was used, the more ash would build up in the fireplace. And the Floo Powder the Weasleys used was the cheapest kind. But since Harry had never used it before, Ron had to go first to demonstrate.
"Then you go first! Let Harry see how it's done."
Ron grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, shouted loudly, "Diagon Alley!" and dropped the powder.
With a burst of green flames, Ron vanished into the fireplace.
"Did you see that? It's very simple, nothing to be afraid of. Come on. Grab a handful of Floo Powder, and remember—say it very, very clearly."
Harry followed all the instructions, but when it came time to say the destination, he slightly mispronounced it.
"Knockturn Alley!"
A flash of green fire swallowed Harry, and he tumbled out of the fireplace in Borgin and Burkes, located in the dark and dangerous Knockturn Alley.
It was Harry's first time using Floo Powder, and the result was getting lost and stumbling into a perilous, shadowy place.
Knockturn Alley was filled with shops selling Dark Magic items. The largest of these was Borgin and Burkes, which housed a Vanishing Cabinet connected to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. The store also sold shrunken heads, enormous black spiders, withered human hands, poisonous candles, and other magical oddities.
As Harry looked around curiously, someone he hadn't expected to see appeared.
Although Regulus Black had missed the start of Harry's first year, he had managed to catch the beginning of the second.
"Harry Potter! What are you doing here?"
Regulus Black pretended it was a coincidence, but in truth, after finishing breakfast, he had gone straight to Borgin and Burkes, and, after checking the time, entered the shop to wait for Harry's arrival.
Sure enough, not long after, a disheveled figure slid out of the fireplace—Harry Potter, covered in soot, had finally arrived.
"Mr. Black! I... the Floo Powder... I mean—"
Harry was clearly still shaken from the trip and stumbled over his words, unsure of what to say.
"You used Floo Powder for the first time and said the wrong name."
Regulus Black helpfully summed up the situation for him.
"Yes, Mr. Black. I was supposed to be with the Weasleys, but now I have no idea how to find them."
Harry was a bit nervous. He was covered in soot and ash, while the assistant professor standing before him was immaculately dressed. The gothic-style clothing enhanced his aristocratic air, and Harry felt inadequate in comparison—somewhat ashamed of himself.
"Scourgify."
With a sweep of his wand, Regulus Black cleared all the soot from Harry's body, even the smudges on his face, making him look as if he had just washed up.
"Reparo."
Another flick of his wand, and the delicate threads of magic repaired Harry's damaged glasses.
"Harry Potter, you must remember—you are a wizard. You should already be proficient in everyday magic like this."
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