Carrying the Biting Cabbage in his arms, Harry walked down the street with unsteady steps. Although the plant had quieted down, he still felt as if he were holding a bomb.
I should have given this thing back to Mr. Vinson, Harry thought with a trace of regret. But now that he had already brought it home, he couldn't just throw it away.
With growing nervousness, Harry arrived at the front door of the Dursley house.
Unfortunately, the very thing he didn't want to see happened.
Dudley was standing at the entrance, a lollipop stuck in his mouth, glaring down the street. The moment he spotted Harry, his fat face twisted into his familiar nasty expression.
"Hey, Potter! Didn't my dad tell you to stay home?" Dudley lifted his chin arrogantly.
Harry pressed his lips together and said nothing. He didn't want to engage Dudley, but his silence only made Dudley angrier.
Seeing Harry ignore him, Dudley felt deeply provoked. He spat the lollipop onto the ground, strode forward, and shoved Harry hard.
"Did you hear me, Potter?" Dudley shouted. "What were you doing outside?"
Harry stumbled back, nearly losing his balance. Worse still, he couldn't keep a steady grip on the Biting Cabbage.
With a dull thud, the clump of emerald-green plant slammed into the ground.
"This is bad," Harry muttered.
As he expected, the Biting Cabbage was clearly furious. It shook its leaves violently, opened its jagged, toothy mouth, and released a low hissing sound like an enraged beast.
"What the hell is that?!" Dudley's eyes widened in terror and disgust. "I'm warning you—don't bring that disgusting monster into my house!"
Harry frowned. He knew things would only escalate if he delayed any longer.
He crouched down, trying to pick up the Biting Cabbage, but the plant had no intention of cooperating. It moved far faster than Harry had imagined.
Suddenly, the Biting Cabbage bounced off the ground as if propelled by springs and launched itself straight toward Dudley's stomach.
"Ahhhhh!" Dudley screamed in a heart-wrenching shriek, flailing his arms wildly as he tried to fend off the small green monster.
The cabbage was incredibly agile. It scrambled up Dudley's chest, climbed onto his shoulder, and bit his face hard.
"Get it off! Get it off!" Dudley screamed, spinning in circles like an enraged wild boar.
Watching Dudley panic, Harry felt flustered—but at the same time, a secret sense of satisfaction bubbled up inside him.
Serves him right, Harry thought. Who told him to keep bullying me?
This was entirely Dudley's own fault.
Fortunately, the Biting Cabbage didn't bite to kill. After tearing off a mouthful of flesh and drawing blood, it released Dudley and dropped to the ground.
Clutching his face and howling in pain, Dudley charged toward the house and slammed into the wall with a dull bang. Despite his size, he rushed up the stairs with unnatural speed, screaming as he went.
"Mum! Mum! A monster bit me!"
Of course, no one answered.
Mrs. Dursley wasn't home yet.
Eventually, Dudley stumbled into his bedroom and slammed the door shut, locking it tightly behind him.
Harry stood still, watching as the Biting Cabbage proudly shook its leaves like a victorious warrior. Carefully, he picked it up and cradled it in his hands.
"Well done, little guy," Harry whispered.
"But please don't bite people so casually. Even if he's annoying, we can't really send him to the hospital, right?"
The Biting Cabbage bobbed slightly, almost like it was nodding in response.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. At least it understood him.
However, another problem quickly surfaced.
He looked down at the plant in his hands and frowned.
"But now… where should I hide you?"
The Dursleys' garden was clearly not an option. If anyone saw it, there would definitely be serious trouble.
After some thought, Harry found a broken flowerpot no one wanted in the utility room. He took some soil from the backyard, carefully planted the Biting Cabbage, and hid the pot inside his cupboard under the stairs.
By the time he finished, he was exhausted.
He crawled into bed inside the cupboard just as he heard the sound of the front door opening.
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were back.
Harry let out a quiet sigh. He knew tonight was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Early the next morning, Harry got out of bed and rubbed his aching temples.
Last night, after Dudley's tearful complaint, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley had shouted at Harry for a full two hours.
At breakfast, Aunt Petunia said fiercely, "You won't have a chance to sneak out again. I'll be watching you all day."
Harry shifted his gaze toward Dudley, who was busily stuffing pancakes into his mouth while sneering.
His left cheek was wrapped in a palm-sized piece of gauze. No matter how Harry looked at him, Dudley looked ridiculous.
But Harry didn't have time to enjoy the sight.
He slowly stirred the thin oatmeal in his bowl, anxiety creeping deeper into his heart.
He had promised Mr. Vinson that he would come again today to learn how to brew Essence of Murtlap.
If he failed to show up on time…
Mr. Vinson will definitely be disappointed, Harry thought.
Even though he knew Vinson probably wouldn't be angry, the thought still made his stomach twist.
"Eat quickly. Don't dawdle!" Aunt Petunia barked. "When you're done, go weed the garden and clean up the front yard!"
Harry tried his best to hide his worry and replied softly, "Yes, Aunt."
Maybe I can sneak out while I'm cleaning the front yard, he thought.
But he quickly abandoned that idea.
As soon as he stepped outside with the tools, he noticed Aunt Petunia watching him constantly from the living room window.
Just as Harry began to feel completely hopeless…
"Ding dong."
The doorbell rang.
"Coming," Aunt Petunia called.
Harry watched as she stood up from the sofa and walked to the door.
About ten seconds later, her voice rang out from the entrance.
"Harry! Come here."
Harry felt confused, but he put down his tools and walked toward the front door.
That was when he saw Vinson standing outside.
Instantly, Harry felt like he could finally breathe again.
"Good morning, Harry!" Vinson greeted him cheerfully. "I guessed you might run into a bit of trouble, so I came to pick you up."
"Good morning, Mr. Vinson," Harry replied nervously. He then cautiously glanced at his aunt standing beside him.
To his shock, Aunt Petunia had lost her usual sharp, cruel expression. Instead, she was smiling warmly at Vinson.
Harry froze for a moment before realizing the truth.
Magic.
Vinson caught the stunned look on Harry's face and added gently, "I've already spoken with your family. I'll be taking you out for a while and bringing you back tonight."
"Ah—" Harry started to say something, but stopped.
Aunt Petunia's expression hadn't changed at all. She simply nodded.
"So, shall we go?" Vinson asked with a slight smile.
Harry hesitated for just a second, then stepped out of the doorway and stood beside him.
In a low voice, Harry asked curiously, "How did you…?"
"I told Mrs. Dursley that we're holding a community activity for children, and that you'll receive a potted plant as a reward when you're done," Vinson explained softly, winking at him.
"That sounds very unreliable," Harry replied honestly.
Vinson shrugged. "But magic is reliable, isn't it?"
With a simple flick of his wand, he had made all of this possible.
To him, altering a Muggle's memory was as easy as turning his hand.
As long as the Ministry of Magic didn't find out…