svetikya Chapter 169 Vernon and Penny
Chapter 169 Vernon and Penny
Chapter 169 Vernon and Penny
No. 4, Ligustrum Road.
The Dursleys.
Mr. Vernon, a tall and imposing man, got out of his car on his way home from get off work at the Groning Company, causing the car's tires to swell.
Even his full beard couldn't hide Vernon Dursley's unusually grim expression today.
Even when his beloved son Dali came out to greet him, it couldn't smooth the furrow in his brow.
However, having two large vehicles parked in front of the door would make the entrance too crowded, which was not dignified. So, the two vehicles, one large and one small, only stopped for two breaths before going inside one after the other.
Penny emerged from the house, her thin frame looking distracted: "Is he going on vacation?"
Fernon hummed in agreement. "If he comes back, it'll be the same as before. He's not allowed to ask questions, and he's not allowed to appear outside his room except during mealtimes—"
"We are a respectable family, normal gentlemen, a very proper family, and we absolutely do not allow ourselves to associate with any shady dealings!"
He spoke softly, but this was the result of a whole day of contemplation in his ninth-floor office, sitting with his back to the window.
On his way to work today, the image of someone discovering Harry's freakishness kept flashing through his mind, causing the Dursleys to become the infamous family in the eyes of their neighbors and friends.
Thinking about the consequences, he wished he could just go down from the ninth floor to the first floor to buy a pack of cigarettes, without taking the stairs or the elevator.
Seeing his wife's extreme fear, he suppressed his own anxiety and comforted her, "It's okay, Penny."
"At worst, we'll lock him in the small room upstairs!"
He didn't blame his wife for this, nor did he want to cause her any trouble. If he had a sister like that, he would find it equally unacceptable.
Just as the family of three was huddling together for warmth, the doorbell rang.
In an instant, everything changed in the senses of the Vernon family of three, as if an indescribable scarred demon was about to emerge from hell, bringing unspeakable trauma to their family.
It was as if opening the door would lead them into a hell of fire and water, into endless darkness, with no light left!
The doorbell kept ringing, stiff and mechanical, the sound like the screams of a hanged prisoner.
It took Vernon a long time to realize that his doorbell was rusty.
There were faint sounds of people talking near the door.
"Uncle Vernon isn't home! Surely he's not trying to avoid me!"
Fernón felt that the voice sounded like the "person whose name I couldn't even mention" who used to live in his house.
"Your uncle, cousin, and aunt are all home, about five meters behind this door, but they probably don't want you to go in."
Finnon had never heard this voice before, but the emotion in the tone, the natural confidence, and the unintentional air of the man at the door made him think that even the chairman of Groning Company was not as good as the man at the door.
How is that possible!
They're just a bunch of freaks!
He made up his mind and mustered the courage to open the door.
He was prepared to see it, draped in a cloak and dressed in strange clothes.
Moreover, there were two people standing at the door, both dressed in suits and ties, clearly elite individuals.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that the smaller "elite" was actually in their home—the person whose name couldn't even be mentioned!
The other one should be about fifteen or sixteen years old. He couldn't see him clearly because there was indeed some lingering childishness in the other person's eyes, but more of a cynical attitude and a keen insight.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Vernon Dursley. My name is Lane Welsh, Harry's professor."
Ryan conjured out of thin air a bottle of ordinary red wine from one of the three Chorus Estates in Gloucestershire, labeled as produced in 1980.
The year's label was handed upwards to Vernon.
"How can this be!" This kind of etiquette for visiting someone's home calmed Fernon's mind and allowed him to enter his area of expertise. He accepted the expensive bottle of red wine with both hands and carefully handed it to his wife, Penny.
Penny took the bottle of expensive red wine—a bottle that even her family couldn't afford—and went to the wine rack by the wall, carefully placing it in the most conspicuous spot.
Harry, who followed Lane into the Dursleys' household, discovered for the first time that his aunt and uncle could actually talk to him properly.
Not speaking politely under Hagrid's intimidating presence six months ago, but simply communicating normally like this.
"Mr. Vernon, let's cut to the chase and get straight to the point," Ryan said, sitting down on the sofa and interrupting Vernon Dursley, who was about to exchange a few pleasantries.
Finon readily agreed, and the sofa beneath him creaked.
Ryan took out a square rectangular paper package and pushed it along the coffee table.
The seemingly heavy paper package made no obstruction to the contact surface between the package and the glass of the coffee table; the slight friction produced no sound.
Business as usual.
He watched as Vernon took the paper package with a puzzled look, tore it open with a ripping sound, and said, "I've come here to make everyone happy. My student, Harry Potter, has expressed his desire to stay at Hogwarts as a boarding student from now on. After a unanimous decision by the headmaster and the professors, Mr. Harry Potter's request has been granted."
"Before coming here, I checked the prices here and inquired about the normal cost of raising an eleven-year-old child. I'll offer a tenfold refund based on that. Please take a look, Mr. Fernon."
As Ryan finished speaking, Vernon tore open the paper package, the smell of ink and banknotes blinding him.
Penny yelled, "What do you mean?! Harry is my nephew! We raised him with so much care! Are you trying to humiliate us?!"
Looking at the thick wad of pounds, Vernon thought Ryan was very good at persuasion. He had been convinced and genuinely agreed that Harry would no longer appear in front of them.
So he pulled Penny down to sit and whispered in her ear.
“Ms. Petunia Evans, how could that be?” Lane shook his head and chuckled. “How could this be an insult? Harry grew up and lived here for many years. This is just an expression of gratitude to both of you.”
He glanced meaningfully at the plump, healthy-looking Dudley, then at Harry, who had only reached a normal, thin physique after eating for half a year at Hogwarts: "Of the two children in this room, one was indeed raised with great care, while the other, please forgive my offense, the other child's growth is more about simply surviving."
Penny's eyes bulged, and she held her neck, twice as long as others', high: "I disagree! I'm his aunt, and for his safety! I don't approve of what you're doing!"