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Chapter 232: I'm Sorry!!
Darren thought it over. His godfather was most likely Remus Lupin.
After all, his dad James Potter had only a few close friends.
It definitely wouldn't be Peter Pettigrew.
As far as the world knew, Pettigrew was dead.
Darren sighed.
Dumbledore was really unreliable sometimes. Couldn't he have at least told Darren who his godfather was?
A bit excessive.
Darren looked down at the parchment in his hand.
Curious, he tapped it with his wand.
Immediately, words unfolded across the page:
> I just received Dumbledore's letter, and learned you're alive…
I'm sorry I can't be with you right now, so I'm sending you this parchment instead.
Use it well. And if fate allows, you may one day receive the full version—made by your father and the rest of us.
I solemnly swear I will not be up to any good.
Prank over.
Love,
Remus Lupin.
Darren froze.
So it really was Lupin.
His godfather was Remus Lupin.
He felt strangely touched—and then… a bit awkward.
After all, he carried Remus's blood in this world.
That made things… complicated.
He felt a moment of sympathy for James Potter.
Luckily James was already dead, Darren thought darkly. Otherwise this would be so awkward.
Recovering himself, he looked back at the parchment.
According to Lupin, it should be a map.
So he tapped it again and spoke clearly:
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
The parchment instantly expanded as if someone had cast an Extension Charm, and the entire layout of Hogwarts appeared before him.
Tiny labeled dots moved across the map, showing where everyone in the castle currently was.
Darren was stunned.
This was incredible—so detailed it even showed Dumbledore.
And this was supposed to be the simple version?
It felt exactly like the original Marauder's Map to him.
After examining it for a long time and failing to find any difference, Darren finally put it away.
Even if it wasn't immediately useful, it was a gift from his godfather. He wasn't going to throw it out.
By the time he finished opening all his gifts, it was already afternoon.
Darren hurried out to find Harry.
"Oh, Darren, finally! If you didn't come out soon, I was going to Snape—Professor Snape—to check if you were okay."
Harry sighed and pulled an opened envelope from his pocket.
Darren looked at the sender.
Uncle Vernon.
"They put your mail and mine together, so I thought it was all for me. I opened it by mistake," Harry admitted. "When I read it, I thought I'd been kidnapped or something… Then I realised it was for you."
He fumbled in his pockets and dumped out a pile of candy.
"These are the gifts they sent you."
Darren opened the letter.
It was full of thanks—gratitude for the gifts Darren sent them, appreciation for his generosity, paragraphs of warm expressions.
"What did you send them?" Harry asked incredulously. "This doesn't sound like them at all."
"I sent Aunt Petunia a diamond necklace, Uncle Vernon a custom watch, and Dudley the newest game console.
Brother, don't look at me like that. I just wanted to thank them for raising you all these years."
> [Ding! Father +100]
[Ding! Father +100]
[Ding! Father +100]
Harry's eyes reddened.
Once again, Darren was doing more for him than he ever did in return.
"I didn't even think about sending something to your orphanage…" Harry said, voice trembling.
But he fell silent when he saw Darren's uncomfortable expression.
Before he could ask, Hermione jabbed him sharply in the ribs.
"Harry, honestly! Darren wasn't just from an orphanage. He was sold by them. He didn't grow up like you did."
Hermione hissed. "When Darren first left the orphanage, Dumbledore had to pay extra to buy him back."
Harry's jaw dropped.
"That's horrible! I—I have to do something about them!"
"Brother…" Darren said softly.
Harry immediately quieted.
"I'm sorry, Darren," Harry muttered. "I didn't know… You're always thinking of me, and I never think enough about you."
Darren smiled gently.
"I don't care about the orphanage. You're my family. You and I—we're the closest people to each other. I know you didn't think about it. If you had, you'd definitely go deal with them. But I don't want you burdened by guilt for my past.
Besides… I'm still grateful that Mrs. Linda took me in at all. I could've starved to death without her."
> [Ding! Father +100]
[Ding! Father +100]
[Ding! Father +100]
"But they didn't even feed you properly sometimes!" Harry burst out. "I can't imagine how you survived. I always thought I had it rough… but compared to you…"
Harry rubbed at his eyes.
"Oh, brother, it doesn't matter," Darren said warmly. "It's all in the past. I'm not going back there. As long as you don't leave me, I'm fine."
> [Ding! Father +100]
[Ding! Father +100]
[Ding! Father +100]
"Of course I won't leave you." Harry sniffed. "Honestly… you're too kind. If possible I'd tell you to be a bit more—oh never mind. Stay the way you are."
Harry sighed helplessly.
Nobody could scold Darren when he was smiling like that.
Of course… Harry also had another reason for not wanting to guilt-trip him.
He was planning to break school rules again.
He, Ron, and Hermione were preparing to use Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Slytherins and sneak into the Slytherin common room to interrogate Malfoy.
Just thinking about what would happen if they were caught made Harry's heart pound.
Hopefully Darren wouldn't worry himself sick when he found out.
And maybe… just maybe… Dumbledore wouldn't expel them.
Harry was the Boy Who Lived, after all.
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