0023 Special Days

Words : 2009 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

The long days of summer had stretched on, and it was already approaching late July. The air was heavy with humidity, and the occasional breeze brought little relief from the scorching heat that had settled over Little Whinging like a hot blanket. By this point in the summer, Harry should be receiving his eagerly anticipated Hogwarts acceptance letter any day now. The anticipation had made Harry completely unable to focus on his Potions studies with Adrian. During their sessions, his eyes would dart nervously toward the window every few minutes, his attention completely diverted from the bubbling cauldron in front of him. His gaze would scan the clear blue sky, hoping to glimpse the silhouette of an owl gliding down with the letter clutched in its claws. Because of this understandable distraction and the resulting series of near-disasters with simple brewing exercises, Adrian had pragmatically decided to temporarily suspend Harry's Potions lessons until the matter of the Hogwarts letter was resolved. At precisely noon on July 24th, as the sun reached its top in the summer sky, Harry arrived at Adrian's shop as usual. The bell above the door jingled merrily as he pushed it open. The moment he crossed the threshold into the pleasantly cool interior, he rushed frantically toward Adrian, nearly colliding with a display of potted Flutterby bushes in his rush. Adrian was leisurely watering the potted plants on the shelves. Since Lupin had begun helping him, Adrian had found himself with considerably more free time than he'd been accustomed to. He even had time to personally water the non-medicinal flowers. After so many hectic weeks of constantly rushing between responsibilities, Adrian found these unaccustomed moments of tranquility almost disorienting. "Sir!" Harry exclaimed breathlessly, his chest heaving with effort as if he had run the entire way from Privet Drive. His black hair was even more disheveled than usual as he spoke with urgent intensity: "I received a letter today, delivered by an owl, just like you said might happen! But before I could even touch it, my aunt snatched it away and tore it to pieces before I could see what it said—but it must have been my Hogwarts acceptance letter! The envelope had this strange crest on it, with animals and everything!" Adrian carefully placed watering can down on a nearby table and turned his attention to the agitated boy. He made a calming gesture with both hands, motioning downward as if physically lowering Harry's anxiety. "Calm down, Harry, take a deep breath," He said in a reassuring tone. "This isn't nearly as disastrous a problem as you might imagine." Harry's eyes instantly dimmed like candles being snuffed out, the spark of hope fading as if he hadn't truly registered Adrian's reassuring words. His shoulders slumped noticeably as he said with a dejected expression: "Does this mean I've lost my chance? That I can't go to Hogwarts after all?" Observing Harry's crestfallen expression, Adrian couldn't suppress a small smile. He had initially considered teasing Harry a bit about the situation, perhaps suggesting that Hogwarts only sent one invitation per potential student, but quickly abandoned the notion when he saw the genuine distress in the boy's face. It wouldn't be proper or kind to leave unnecessary psychological turmoil on a child who had already endured so much hardship in his life. "Don't worry yourself unnecessarily, Harry," Adrian said kindly as he settled himself into a chair behind the carved counter. "Hogwarts has extremely effective measures in place to ensure that every eligible student receives their acceptance letter. As long as you haven't personally read the contents of the letter and formally declined the offer, they will persistently continue sending you additional letters until they receive confirmation one way or another." "So," Harry began, a cautious hope rekindling in his voice as he processed this information, "I can still receive another letter??" His small hands, which had been clenched into tight fists at his sides, gradually relaxed. Adrian nodded confidently with a reassuring smile. "Of course, you can." With those comforting words, Harry finally exhaled a sigh of relief. He naturally had complete trust in Adrian's knowledge of the wizarding world. "However," Adrian continued, his tone shifting subtly as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter, "if you wish to attend Hogwarts, you will need your legal guardians' formal permission." Harry's face fell againe, the brief moment of relief vanishing. "They will absolutely never agree to it," Adrian crouched down, ruffled Harry's hair, and said in a meaningful tone: "That's not necessarily true, Harry. Trust me when I say that they can be persuaded to acquiesce. Consider this: no one truly wants to keep someone they dislike around. You just need to... perhaps make them dislike your more intensely, or... make them fear the consequences of refusing. Sometimes, the thought of an unpleasant alternative can be quite motivating." Harry nodded slowly, his brow furrowed in thought as he absorbed the subtle suggestion behind Adrian's chosen words. Observing Harry's thoughtful expression, a fleeting gleam of cunning satisfaction flashed in Adrian's eyes. "Of course," he said, "if you really don't know what to do, I can help you—just a wave of my wand, and the problem will be solved." "No, thank you, Mr. Westeros," Harry replied after a moment's hesitation, his face showing conflicted emotions. "Isn't it against the law to use magic in front of ordinary people? Wouldn't you get in trouble?" Now it was Adrian's turn to show genuine surprise as his eyebrows were rising slightly. "I don't recall mentioning this during our lessons. Who informed you about the restriction against performing magic in the presence of Muggles?" "Mr. Lupin told me," Harry explained, glancing up nervously. "He mentioned that the Ministry of Magic handles enforcement of these matters, similarly to the police in our world. But please don't worry," he added hastily, lowering his voice to a whisper, "I never revealed anything about the magic you used on my aunt that time." Adrian dismissed the concern with a casual wave of his hand, then placed his index finger on his lips. "Shh—" He said with a smile. "Some matters are best kept between us, wouldn't you agree? Not everyone needs to know about this, right?" Adrian had never considered himself one of those rigidly orthodox wizards who stick slavishly to every letter of the Ministry's often random regulations. In his view, the Statute of Secrecy had its place, but why not use magic to efficiently resolve problems when it was possible? Observing Adrian's relaxed attitude toward magical regulations, Harry also relaxed, releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Some of the tension had gone from his thin shoulders. "I'll get the letter," He promised. ........ For the next several days, Adrian didn't catch even a glimpse of Harry in the shop. Lupin found Harry's long disappearance increasingly concerning as the days passed with no word or visit from the boy. Although Harry had never made any secret of his dislike for the challenging Potions lessons that often left him frustrated and occasionally covered in failed concoctions, he had rarely missed any scheduled days without at least sending word. His complete disappearance for so many days was truly unusual. "Aren't you worried?" Lupin looked at Adrian, who was unhurriedly brewing a potion at the counter of the plant shop. "Harry hasn't appeared for several days." "He's probably being held up by his aunt or uncle," Adrian replied, seemingly unconcerned about Harry's safety. "If you're worried, you can go check on him. Ah, though I should warn you—I suspect you wouldn't particularly enjoy meeting the Dursley family." Lupin watched Adrian stirring the potion in front of him and couldn't help feeling irritated. "What exactly are you brewing with such concentration?" he finally asked, gesturing toward the cauldron. Sёarᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Adrian continued focusing intently on his potion, carefully counting each clockwise stir under his breath, and said without looking up, "It's a secret—it's a birthday present for Harry." Lupin was taken aback, clearly not having made the connection. "Birthday present?" He asked, a hint of confusion appearing in his voice. "Is it Harry's birthday soon? I must have lost track of the dates." On this particular point, Lupin realized with some embarrassment that he really wasn't especially focused. Adrian glanced at the calendar on the table and said casually, "If I'm not mistaken, it's today, July 31st." "Today is the 31st already?" Lupin exclaimed, genuinely surprised as he looked at the calendar on the table where today's date was circled in red. "Why didn't Harry tell me about this?" Hearing Lupin's bewildered question, Adrian gave him a strange, almost pitying look over the rim of the cauldron: "Perhaps because... he doesn't like you?" Lupin laughed awkwardly, "I don't agree with that." For most wizards and witches in the magical community, the eleventh birthday is an important day. It symbolizes that a wizard's innate magical capabilities have reached a crucial stage of maturity, indicating they can now begin to learn and control magic in a formal environment rather than experiencing the unpredictable bursts of accidental magic that characterize their childhood. Adrian, understanding the significance of this particular birthday in wizarding culture, naturally wouldn't neglect to prepare a special gift for Harry's entry into this important phase of his magical development. "Um..." Lupin said slowly, a hint of guilt creeping into his voice, "Do you think it's too late for me to prepare some kind of gift now? I should have remembered the date..." After hearing Lupin's hesitant question, Adrian smiled slightly, a knowing look in his eyes as he added the final ingredient to the cauldron. Adrian then glanced meaningfully out the front window of the shop. "I think," Adrian replied with a hint of amusement, "it might indeed be too late for shopping—unless you happen to possess the ability to turn back time to yesterday. Which, incidentally, would be a rather useful ability in many situations." Lupin followed Adrian's gaze toward the window, where two figures—one enormous and one small—were approaching the shop along the street. The smaller figure was undoubtedly Harry while the identity of the larger figure, however, caused Lupin's eyebrows to rise in surprise Adrian had just finished cleaning and organizing the various tools scattered across the workbench when he heard a crisp knock at the door. A few seconds later, the door was pushed open with eager enthusiasm, the bell overhead jingling wildly as Harry practically burst into the shop, his face had an expression of unrestrained excitement. "Sir! I got it!" He exclaimed breathlessly as he triumphantly held out a slightly crumpled parchment envelope for Adrian to see which clearly bore the Hogwarts crest. Adrian looked at Harry's expression and smiled slightly. "Congratulations, Harry." He was about to take the letter when he heard a slight bumping sound from the doorway. Then, a large figure squeezed through the door, ducking his head to avoid the doorframe but still managed to bump on it. "Ouch..." the mountain of a man rumbled, turning back to rub his head with a hand the size of a dustbin lid. His wild, tangled black beard covered most of his face, but couldn't disguise his sheepish expression. His small, beetle-black eyes crinkled with embarrassment as he directed his gaze toward the people inside the shop and said, "Is anyone 'ere? Harry said... ah, it's you, Professor Westeros, and..." His voice trailed off as his gaze shifted to other person here and his expression changed from friendly curiosity to stunned recognition. "Lupin? Remus Lupin?"

0023 Special Days

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