Knock, knock, knock.
The moment the knock sounded, Aunt Petunia took a large stride to the door. She grasped the handle with some nervousness, then twisted it open with force.
An old man with white hair and a white beard appeared before her. Behind the old man, there was a large wall of brown leather texture. A shaggy black head lowered, and only then did one realize that the wall was actually an incredibly burly and tall giant of a man.
Hagrid, standing over three meters tall, possessed a broad physique resembling two doors pieced together. His thick, powerful arms were nearly as wide as a normal adult's waist, and his hands were the size of trash can lids, leaving no doubt that he could crush a human skull with a single hand. The ultimate masculine, wild power he radiated in that moment was even more imposing than facing a rearing Kodiak brown bear—and a bear king at that, weighing in at nearly a ton.
Yet even in the face of such imposing might, Aunt Petunia did not retreat half a step, guarding the doorway like a hen protecting her chicks.
The expression on Dumbledore's face froze slightly; the gap between the Petunia in his memories and the one before him was simply too great.
"Long time no see, Petunia. Perhaps you remember me?"
"Headmaster Dumbledore, right? Ten years ago, you were the one who sent Li... Harley here."
"She was just a baby then, chubby and very cute. I remember him, too. He was the one who brought Harley."
Petunia pointed a hand toward Hagrid. Hagrid, somewhat surprised, revealed a look of flattery and shock; he was genuinely surprised that this Muggle woman actually remembered him.
"Is there some mistake?" Hagrid scratched his shaggy beard. "Did you just say 'she'? Isn't Harry a boy?"
"This is the reason I have come, Hagrid," Dumbledore said, soothing Hagrid's currently confused emotions. "Perhaps we could go inside and talk?"
"Of course, please come in."
Petunia stepped aside to clear the doorway. Dumbledore and Hagrid stepped into the house. With Dumbledore present, Hagrid's massive frame easily squeezed through the door frame—which seemed to adapt to his size—without breaking the door.
Once Dumbledore and Hagrid walked into the living room, both of them, without exception, froze in place. However, Dumbledore's reaction was quick; he was only stunned for a moment before he began to move again.
"He's Harry?" Hagrid reacted only after Dumbledore had taken several steps. With a bewildered look, he pointed at Dudley, then looked suspiciously at Lynn off to the side. "Which one of them is it?"
"If I am not mistaken, it should be her."
Dumbledore sat down on the sofa, his gaze falling upon the face of Harley, who was sitting beside Lynn looking nervous.
"You certainly haven't forgotten what Lily looked like back then, have you, Hagrid?"
Dumbledore spoke softly, turning his head to look at Hagrid.
"Of course no—Lily? How is that possib—"
As soon as Hagrid spoke, his voice cut off the instant he saw Harley.
His thick fingers rubbed his eyes vigorously, but after shaking his head and staring again and again to confirm, Hagrid had to admit that the girl before him, who bore an eighty or ninety percent resemblance to Lily, was indeed very likely Lily's child. Definitely biological; one could make a final judgment without needing a paternity test.
"But why is it a girl? Eh? Why?"
Hagrid sat down on the floor with a thud, yet he was still a head taller than everyone else. His line of sight easily passed over everyone's heads to land on Harley.
"Back then... I clearly remember back then..."
"Huh?"
"It's impossible!"
Hagrid, constantly doubting his reality, felt his brain about to overload.
"Did I remember wrong? Or is it something else... A joke? A prank? James was indeed a guy who loved playing pranks on people, but he wouldn't..."
"Is Harry really a girl???"
Aunt Petunia spoke with absolute certainty at this moment. "Yes, that's right. I have already confirmed it. It isn't fake."
"Although I am not clear on why this is the case, I have a theory."
Aunt Petunia, once again transforming into Detective Sherlock Holmes, began her deduction. Uncle Vernon occasionally added a sentence from the side. After days of brainstorming, the two of them had developed a very self-consistent logic, so much so that Dumbledore was left bewildered by their explanation.
Hagrid, sitting to the side, was even more shocked, his jaw dropping, unable to speak for a long time.
"You believe this is... Lily's protection for Harley?"
Dumbledore spoke with a somewhat dry voice. He didn't want to believe this theory, but the problem was that ten years ago, they hadn't opened the swaddling clothes to check if the baby actually had a 'little ding-ding.' And even if he did back then, the current reality was—Harry had truly become Harley.
"Aside from that, is there any other possibility?"
Aunt Petunia shook her head. "Lily was smart from a young age. Since she knew at the time that her situation wasn't safe, it wouldn't be surprising for her to have prepared any number of means, would it?"
"But..." Dumbledore felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to say that Professor Trelawney's prophecy pointed to a boy born at the end of July, not a girl. But just then, Dumbledore suddenly remembered something.
Born to those who have thrice defied him... born as the seventh month dies...
Frank and Alice... their son Neville... seems to have been born at the end of July as well?
Did Tom make a mistake? Or...
Deep in a mental storm, Dumbledore knit his brows tightly. It was rare for such a distressed, contemplative expression to appear on his face.
"Sigh..."
After a moment, Dumbledore let out a long sigh.
"Since things are already this way, let us discuss the official business of my visit today."
"Miss Harley Potter, Mr. Lynn."
Dumbledore's gaze looked toward the two children sitting together in front of him.
"Let me introduce myself again. I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore. I am here to invite the two of you to enter Hogwarts to learn the knowledge of magic. At school, professors will teach you how to control your magical power and use it correctly. If this power is overly suppressed, or triggered incorrectly, the resulting outcome is likely to be catastrophic."
"For example, it can give birth to a dark monster called an Obscurus. That is a monster that will kill you and cause terrible disasters over a huge area. However, since magical education has become widespread, such tragedies have become increasingly rare. As long as you receive proper guidance, you can both become wizards proficient in the use of magic."
" The power of magic truly exists in this world, it is just that it can only be used by a portion of lucky people."
Dumbledore pulled out his wand, then tapped it gently on the coffee table. The table turned into a patch of grass, with countless fresh flowers growing from the green blades, filling the living room with the scent of blooming flowers.
"Then... is it possible for me to learn magic?"
Dudley stared at the table of blooming flowers with a somewhat glazed look and muttered the question.
"I regret to say, and I am very sorry, Dudley, but even children born to two wizards may not possess the talent to cast magic. And among non-magical people, the probability of a child being a wizard seed is about one in ten thousand."
"Being able to become a wizard is already a low-probability event. But you do not need to be depressed. As Harley's relatives, you possess the basic right to visit the magical world for tours. Furthermore, you are permitted to have some simple magical items in your home, but the prerequisite is that they cannot be noticed or discovered by other non-magical people. This rule is included in the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy."
"If you violate the Statute of Secrecy, staff from the Ministry of Magic will come to your door immediately. On one hand, to handle related matters, such as modifying memories and restoring the original state of things; on the other hand, they will also issue you a fine. If the nature of the violation is serious, they may also revoke this right of yours."
Dudley's originally depressed heart brightened a little at this moment. He looked at Harley and Lynn with some envy. Although he couldn't become a wizard and learn magic, he at least had a bit more right to contact this marvelous world than others. However, the forced exercise room didn't count—he really didn't want that thing. Just seeing it made Dudley want to cry.
"So now, I invite you, as Harley's relatives, to head to Diagon Alley in the wizarding world for a tour. This is the place where young wizards purchase study materials and other tools before entering Hogwarts to study. Of course, the most important thing is to obtain your first wand."
"Hagrid is very willing to serve as your guide and take you to visit Diagon Alley, but please do not get separated from Hagrid, or some unnecessary trouble may arise."
"There is one more thing."
Dumbledore looked at Lynn. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has financial aid for students in difficulty. The magical world has an independent currency. Although this sum of money isn't a lot, it is enough for you to buy all your study materials in Diagon Alley. However, you may have to buy second-hand textbooks, as the price of new books is relatively expensive."
Dumbledore handed Lynn a small pouch containing coins. Hogwarts' background checks on students were clear; he was well aware of Lynn's origins.
"Then is there any method for me to exchange magical currency?" Although Lynn knew about this, he still had to ask what needed to be asked.
"Of course. Gringotts Wizarding Bank provides a service for Muggle-born young wizards to exchange Muggle currency for Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts, but there is a limit. If you need to exchange more money, you can use gold. The exchange rate of Muggle money to Galleons is decided based on the price of gold—one gram of gold exchanges for one gold Galleon."
"So that's about 5 pounds to 1 Galleon?"
"Yes. You can learn the specific details from the goblins once you arrive at Gringotts."
"However, Harley, your parents left you an inheritance in Gringotts. The key to the vault will be returned to you by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after you become a new student. I was keeping it safe for you beforehand, and now it is yours."
Dumbledore took a small golden key from his robes and placed it gently into Harley's palm.
"Thank you... Professor Dumbledore." Harley grasped the small golden key and thanked Dumbledore.
"You are welcome." Dumbledore waved his hand. "Then, I leave the following matters to Hagrid."
"This is a route map to the entrance of Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron. I assume you will be driving there."
After handing a piece of parchment to Petunia, Dumbledore stood up with a smile to take his leave.