, wonderful and free of pop-ups! Birthdays are always fun.
Harry's brain was still in a state of excitement when he climbed into his bed. As the son of the Xavier family and the invisible darling, he received all kinds of gifts, and finally got the approval of Professor Xavier to practice flying or floating for the first time.
At first, it was Jean who took him flying. He awkwardly hugged the beauty's neck and was carried up into the air by her.
"But I have to say it was awesome." He murmured to himself, closing his eyes and savoring the feeling of flying during the day.
Humans don't have wings, and neither do most mutants, so what Harry needs to do is float himself up - just like he floated small objects before. Generally speaking, it is a bit difficult to do this. Ordinary people often cannot lift things heavier than themselves, but Harry can lift things heavier than himself, but lifting himself is undoubtedly a control problem.
But he has Jean, who is more skilled than him in this aspect, so he first experienced a little bit of the fun of flying.
"Oh my God." Mr. Xavier looked at the sky with a little surprise and appreciation, "He has such a talent - why doesn't he have a pair of wings?"
The boy seemed to be born from the wind. If Jean is a kite with a string tied, the boy is like a bird. The wind and air pressure seem to be his good helpers. He is like a fish in the water, but only a few seconds later. In minutes, he can fly in a more dangerous and better position than Jean, and he will never fall down. Every time he flies up, he will rotate 360 degrees, causing the girls to gasp and scream. , vowing to tell him what traffic safety means when he gets down.
And when Harry came down, there was another surprise waiting for him.
"Guess what this is?" With a smile on his face, he held a gift box in his hand. The cream box was tied with a pink bow, "A birthday gift from afar."
"Nina's gift!" Harry guessed it immediately and took it happily, "Thank you, aunt!"
"And Nina's father," as if he didn't see her boyfriend looking at her in surprise, "he also prepared a gift for you."
"Why!" Sean said, "What did he do in the past ten years? Why did he do this again now?"
"It's none of your business, Sean." he retorted.
Harry and his father looked at each other and chose to ignore it, while Mr. Xavier coughed and smiled to interrupt the glares of his relatives and friends, "Open it and take a look, Harry. Maybe my old friend may have a whim this year." ——Okay, Sean, I’m also curious about what gift he gave Harry, aren’t you curious?”
"No, of course I'm curious." Alex reluctantly obeyed Mr. Xavier's will, "Okay, open it, Harry, and let's see what a special gift you have received."
So Harry opened the box under all kinds of unclear looks - except for him, everyone seemed to know what the so-called 'professor's old friend' was.
"Wow, this is... really cool."
There was a lot of cotton stuffed in the box, perhaps to protect it from shocks. The first thing Harry saw was a pearl brooch. The pearl was as big as a small fingernail. It was enough to fascinate any little girl. It looked very expensive. He smiled and opened the greeting card placed next to him. There was a girl's handwriting on it, describing in very cute words how Nina got the pearl from Mr. Clam, and how she asked her father to make a brooch for her. of.
"I hope it appears on your new school uniform..." He read the sentence on the card and said in his mind, 'Okay, no problem. '
It was another gift that made him say 'that's cool'.
Harry picked up a necklace from the bottom of the box.
It was obviously made of some kind of metal. The flat and smooth circle was only as big as a thumb, but it had complex carving patterns on it. A big . He turned it over to the reverse side. The reverse side was very simple, with only a line of small words engraved on it.
Harry showed this line of writing to his father, who collapsed in his wheelchair with laughter when he saw the pendant, "Open it, Harry, do you remember Nina's pendant?"
Harry remembered that Nina did have a necklace with a photo in the middle, so he looked at his pendant sideways, and sure enough, he found that although it was tightly closed, it could be opened.
"How do you know, dad!" Harry said in surprise, "I didn't notice it at all!"
"Because you wear glasses and I don't...oh don't look at me like that, well it's because I know him," Mr. Xavier smiled and put the necklace in his hand, "I'm sure he will treat my son no worse than him. He also likes to do some of these things with his own daughter, so I know, I knew it from the beginning."
"Of course you know," whispered someone nearby, "you always knew."
Mr. Xavier gave his sister a comforting look and said to Harry: "I think you can take a picture now, adjust the size and stuff it in. Even I have to admit that this gift is very good - it has There’s a beautified version of the x logo.”
"What do you mean 'even I have to admit it'," Sean muttered, "It's like you're not satisfied with him giving Harry a gift."
…
At dinner time, they enjoyed a sumptuous meal together. Everyone was eager to grab Harry's specialty pudding and several very rich and authentic stews, as if they had come all the way here just to have a good meal.
"It would be great if you could come to school quickly," Sean's eyes were filled with tears, "You can't believe what kind of life we lived in the beginning - no chefs, no takeaways, and Hank's skills are really amazing It’s unflattering.”
"Sean! No! Just! The person who had the glass shattered because oil splashed on his hand in the first place! No! Same as you!" Hank shot back.
"When can I go to school there?" Harry asked enthusiastically before they started bickering again. "If I go there, I promise to make late-night snacks for you every day."
"It's important to lay a good foundation, Harry," Hank said very seriously on this issue. "You don't want to know what will happen after you attend the class halfway."
At the dinner table, a few people who had been failing all the time silently lowered their heads - obviously they were the group of people who had not yet laid a good foundation and had entered school halfway.
"...Oh, then I'd better go to middle school." Harry suppressed a smile and said, "Maybe then I can dominate all the students in the school."
"You can do it, Harry, you absolutely can." Jean said easily. "It's very easy to dominate a group of people who focus on other things in class but beg you for answers during exams."
"Is this your experience?" Harry asked.
"Hmm." The red-haired beauty nodded.
The laughter of the girls came from the dining table again.
…
After seeing off a bunch of students, he stayed with Hank for the night, and let Harry take a fragrant bath. After doing all this, Mr. "We can send a reply to Nina tomorrow." "Yes, we will go to school to play." After waiting for some assurances, he left his son's room.
He knew someone was waiting for him in his study.
"Good evening." He pushed open the door of his study room and was a little surprised to see some arrogant and domineering scenes in the study room. "Long time no see, old friend, and first time meeting - I think you should be the professor from Hogwarts. ?”
A middle-aged man was sitting on the sofa next to the fireplace, with a chessboard on the table in front of him. When he looked at Mr. Xavier—or Charles, his expression was slightly dissatisfied.
"Just let this kind of thing - this kind of person with no etiquette enter your home, Charles." Eric's hand knocked on the table impatiently, his face was expressionless, obviously he was dissatisfied with the white man standing by the window. It was difficult for the bearded uninvited guest to be happy, "I heard someone is trying to take away your son, Charles."
"You said that?" Charles wanted to push himself over there, but the wheelchair started to move before he could do it. He said easily, "What you said is too serious."
"In fact, we will not take away anyone's child," the old man with a white beard, wearing a blue-gray robe, a pair of blue eyes and gray hair, made him wise and deep, he looked very old, his voice But he was as calm as a middle-aged man, with a charm that could make anyone trust him, "This is just an admission notice." He blinked, and another letter appeared in his hand that was the same as the one that was burned during the day. Exactly the same letter, "And, yes, I am from Hogwarts, but I am no longer employed. My daily job now is to sit in the principal's office and deal with some more important things."
"What's the important thing? We haven't accepted your words yet, Mr. Dumbledore." Erik parked Charles' wheelchair next to him with a sullen expression, "Harry is the only son of my old friend. Do you think that just by relying on your words? Can we allow Harry to go to an unknown school?"
"You don't seem to be the kind of person who doesn't believe that there are things in the world that science can't explain." Dumbledore shook his head, "You can control the wheelchair and move on your own, so why don't you believe that there are wizards in the world?"
"Actually, it's not that we don't believe there are wizards in this world," Charles interrupted what Erik was about to say and smiled, "It's just that we really don't know anything about that school - do you want some tea, Erik - Why do you think my Harry is a wizard? Why do I have to send him to your school? These are all questions we have to think about."
"Speaking of this, it's a long story," Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped it lightly in the air, and two names made of light were revealed.
jeams·r.
lily·r.
"Are these...the names of Harry's biological parents?" Charles looked at the two surnames at the end and remembered that he had not found out Harry's life experience in the past few years. He couldn't help but feel a little strange, "Do you know them?"
“In fact, I have been the principal for many years, Mr. , got married, had children, and died one after another before this old man like me - Harry's parents were once the best students in their class, and were the presidents of my male and female student unions. To this day, all the teachers still remember their voices, looks, faces and What good people they are, and for the one who came during the day, I have to apologize for him, but I hope you can understand his bad temper: his best friend is Harry's mother, and besides me, he is the most The one who cares about Harry. Care leads to chaos, Mr. Xavier."
"Are you concerned that a British child was picked up by Charles in the United States?" Erik was somewhat disapproving. "Does he have any relatives?"
"No." Dumbledore replied heavily, "His parents are dead, and his mother's only sister had a car accident not long after that - I think this is the reason why Harry is in the United States, a young wizard. In moments of crisis, some incredible power will always burst out, and it is not even conscious, it is his magic protecting him."
"I still don't quite understand." Charles took a moment to understand the cause and effect. "Is this why you have to send Harry to hogwarts? My child has some special abilities, but this does not prove that he is The child you are looking for - when I picked him up, he did have something on him to prove his name, but that thing was lost by Harry a long time ago, how were you sure?"
"Wizards always have some unique tricks of their own." Dumbledore winked playfully, "Just like your students also have some unique abilities."
"Okay," Charles changed his position and thought for a while, "Then what's the reason why you must win over him?"
The pleasantries and conversations that were not real or not real enough ended here.
"You are very perceptive, Mr. Xavier," Dumbledore said. "You may not believe it, but in the British wizarding world, Harry is a very famous child."
"What?" Erik said, "Eleven-year-old boy, famous?"
"Yes, the outside world often calls him the 'Boy Who Lives' or even the 'Savior'." Dumbledore put away his wand and crossed his hands on his chest. "I was afraid that he would do this. He grew up in an environment and sent him to his aunt's house. However, it seems that he is living well even without his aunt. I want to thank you, Mr. Xavier."
"I love my son. I don't need you to thank me." Charles raised his voice slightly and said, "No matter what you say, Harry is my son. He was only one year old when I met him, and I was already one year old. Twenty-six years old, all this is in compliance with the law, and no one except my son has the right to take him away from me, or to influence his opinion.”
"I won't let some people do this." Erik said, "If there is, then throw it out as far as possible."
Charles smiled again: "Thank you, Erik."
After Eric made his arrogant declaration, he stopped talking and just held Charles's hand, just like he did before. In a situation where Charles was the leader, all he needed to do was to stand beside this person and become his support. .
"You don't have to be so nervous, Mr. Xavier," Dumbledore said, trying to make his kindness known to the people in front of him. "I just want to express one meaning - all the wizards in the British wizarding world are looking forward to Harry R's return."
"It's Harry Xavier." Charles insisted, "This is the name Harry himself admits now."
"Oh, you have to forgive an old man's habits," Dumbledore nodded in apology, "Well, it's Mr. Xavier--so, how about asking Harry for his opinion?"
"He was frightened by the professor who came in the morning." Charles felt that this old man was easier to talk to than the one in the morning, but also much more difficult to deal with, so he had to be cautious, "I have to say, if he doesn't want to , I will not put my eleven-year-old son in a place that I cannot understand - I am also a principal myself, and I can understand your care for Harry's parents and their children, but in fact, Harry has nothing Que, in addition to the magic power you call him, he also has some abilities that may not be inherited from his parents... He doesn't seem to need the protection of the school."
"He is not protected, but to learn and be taught, I promise," Dumbledore found a topic that could open up a gap here, "As a wizard, Harry needs to have his own wand, and he needs to learn to use it. To learn to fly with a broom, you need some friends and classmates who are as special as him..."
"He can do it now." Charles interrupted him, "He can fly, even without a broom; he can drive anything, even water, fire, and he will also have a group of friends who are as special as him. He...seriously Yes, do children of wizards really have to be wizards?”
"As long as he has a hogwarts notice at the age of eleven, then he is." Dumbledore said with a smile, "Before the start of each year, the names and home addresses of the children of appropriate age will be automatically revealed, which is why we are now He was able to send the admission letter to the United States - and in the previous years, we could not find a trace of him."
He put his wand away in his sleeve: "I am pleasantly surprised by Harry's talent, Mr. It is a very difficult thing to do, not to mention flying in the sky without relying on a broomstick. Since Harry already has such an amazing talent, why not let him come to Hogwarts to continue learning in depth?"
Erik didn't show a single expression in response to these words. He even reached out to pour tea and handed it to Charles.
Charles reached out and took the cup of tea that Erik handed him, and continued: "But in fact, my students can also do these things."
"Then I think there are some things that you and your students can't do, but Harry can do." Dumbledore said with a smile, "With all due respect, Mr. Xavier - have you ever thought about how to treat your legs?" ?"
Charles' breathing suddenly became heavy.
※※
When Harry finally fell asleep, he was shaken awake by a pair of soft little hands.
"Harry! Harry! Wake up!" When the girl's delicate flower-like face appeared in his field of vision, Harry thought he was dreaming, but in the dream the girl was still smiling, "Harry, don't sleep, I miss you so much you!"
"...nina!! Why are you here!! Oh my God, am I dreaming!"
Harry sat up from the bed in surprise. As expected, the girl wearing a cute khaki skirt and a brown woolen hat winked and grinned sweetly at him.
"When did you come!" Harry suddenly lifted the quilt and put his arms around the girl's shoulders, "I, I thought you and your father were in Italy!"
"Dad brought me here." Nina curled up her feet in snow-white socks and sat on Harry's bed with her legs bent. "I asked my dad if I could come see Uncle Charles and Harry. He promised me that I could, so I came. Yes. Do you like the gift I gave you, Harry! I stayed at the beach for three days for that pearl! That Mr. Clam said it was painful to take out the pearl and asked me to take my time, otherwise he would stop doing it."
"Of course I like it!" Harry couldn't help but grinned along with the girl. No one would see Nina without laughing, "I promise it will be on my new school uniform!"
Although Nina is younger than him, she has revealed her talent as a mutant early - she can talk to animals.
This is one of the reasons why Harry and her are so close - Harry can also talk to animals when he is with Nina, and their fathers are old friends, so they have a particularly good relationship. Harry loves her as much as she loves her. Like one's own little sister.
Talking to animals is a very interesting thing, and sometimes it is regarded as something crazy, but Harry and Nina enjoy it very much.
"Where is your father?" He stood up and found some clothes for Nina. It was always colder at night. "Can I take you to the kitchen to drink some milk?"
"Dad is in Uncle Charles's study." Nina tilted her head. The little girl had long, honey-colored shawl hair that fell to her elbows. "There is also an old man with a white beard."
"Grandpa with white beard?" Harry didn't understand who Nina was talking about at all, "Who followed you?"
Nina shook her head to express her disapproval and ignorance: "Dad looked a little angry. That grandpa gave me a piece of candy, and then dad asked me to come to your room." She dejectedly took out a piece of candy that Harry had never seen before, " He doesn’t allow me to eat this candy.”
Maybe Uncle Erik is really angry, Harry thought to himself.
Although he had never met this old friend of his father, who was also the person whose name was his middle name, Harry also knew from Nina's letter how much this father loved his daughter, and it became even more serious after Nina's mother died of illness. .
Um, how do you say that? Yes, I want stars but not the moon.
"Let's go take a look, let's go." Harry helped the little girl put on her coat and walked out holding Nina's soft and warm hand, "Is Italy fun, Nina?"
"Italian pizza is delicious." Nina raised her head and smiled happily while being led along. "The swans there are particularly beautiful. It was the first time I saw the sea, Harry. Its color was like Uncle Charles's blue eyes. I and Like it as much as Uncle Charles."
"Dad will be happy." Harry chuckled at the metaphor.
On the way to the restaurant, they passed by the study door quietly. Harry decided that no one inside could see them, so he said to Nina: "Don't make a sound, Nina, let's take a look quietly, don't let you Dad and my dad found us.”
The girl nodded vigorously - she was very interested in the old man with a white beard who gave her candy.
Harry touched her head: "Good girl."
He walked towards the crack in the door, which was the only light in the dark corridor, stopped a few steps away, raised his hand and pressed it on his temple.
This place is very close to Charles, so there should be no problem, and he brought a scarf - a scarf that Jean knitted for him. The girl who is not yet 18 years old has very good hands, and the scarf is very beautiful, but now for Harry This is a guarantee.
Don't see us, don't hear us, please. Harry gave orders in his mind: we can't be seen, we can't be heard, and people inside will only see an empty corridor if they look out.
After doing all this, he took a few steps closer and put his ear against it.
"Are you threatening us? Do you dare to threaten and seduce us with Charles's leg?" Erik's voice was indeed angry, and Harry could just imagine the atmosphere in this uncle's mood.
Then he heard Charles, his dad say: "I will never force Harry to do what he doesn't want to do or learn what he doesn't want to learn for this kind of thing, Mr. Dumbledore!"
Dad is angry too, Harry thought, so what is going on?
Finally, he heard a sentence that was enough to shake all his decisions and persistence in life.
"...Scientific treatment has flaws, but magic does not. Mr. Xavier, do you really not consider relying on magic - you may not trust other wizards, but what if it is Harry - to treat your legs? "
Harry barely took a second to rush in.
"Is that true? Can magic really heal dad's legs!"
※※
Erik spoke to Charles in a low voice while the white-bearded old man was talking, in a voice as thin as a mosquito's moan that no one could hear clearly except the other person.
"Your son is outside the door, Charles," he said.
"Oh, I know." Charles's expression was still so serious and focused, as if he didn't listen to Erik at all, and didn't use his mind to reply to him, "He is using my ability to create a barrier - but he is still a little short of the firepower." .How did you know?"
"There's a little extra metal outside the door, and there's my daughter. Do you think I won't know?" Erik's mind answered the question almost happily, but he immediately turned his attention back.
Legs, Charles' legs.
This was a mistake, a mistake that belonged to both of them. This mistake was once blamed by Erik on the young and beautiful female agent, the woman who did not know how to live or die and was not discerning enough. But in the end, he took this mistake into his arms; Charles also He once blamed Erik for this mistake, but he was quicker than Erik to blame it on the accident.
But now, when neither of them cares much, someone actually dares to use Charles' legs to tell them what they should do.
Erik wants to throw the old man in front of him out. Now, immediately, immediately, anytime, as long as he doesn't delay for one second, any tool will do. As long as there is metal, Erik can make a huge metal hand and hold the old man. The tip of the hat on his head threw him out.
But Charles felt that his son was trembling. Yes, his poor son almost stopped thinking because of Dumbledore's words, he could feel it.
Harry thought he had made the decision to break in in less than a second, but Charles knew that in order to digest the news, the boy's mind had spent millions of seconds. In the end, these questions and shock turned into surprise and determination. The boy rushed in with these emotions in mind.
"Is that true? Magic can heal dad's leg?"
"Oh, Harry, nice to see you." Dumbledore was not surprised at all by his sudden appearance. Charles felt that the old man probably did it on purpose, "But I think you should be in bed at this time."
"Nina!" Erik rarely spoke to his girl in a serious tone, "I told you that you and Harry need to sleep peacefully tonight, have you forgotten?"
Although Nina is still very young, she has learned to tell when her father is really angry. So she wasn't afraid at all, but poked her head curiously out from behind Harry.
"Is there really magic in this world, daddy?" The girl who was not yet ten years old looked at her dad expectantly and asked.
"Maybe, Nina." Erik had to answer his daughter's question first, "But what does it matter?"
Harry didn't notice the conversation between father and daughter at all, he just held his breath and waited for an accurate answer.
"Can magic really heal my dad's legs?" He asked again, slowly and carefully, not daring to speak loudly, for fear that this was his dream and he would wake up if he spoke louder. "There are no side effects. of?"
"Not at all, Harry," Dumbledore said easily as if he didn't see Charles' warning and unfriendly gaze, "In fact, it's more than that - if you are successful in your studies and proficient in potions and spells, you can become a A qualified therapist, most of the time, you can easily heal most serious injuries, whether it is a broken arm or leg, a serious illness, or the blood is running out, as long as you are good enough, it doesn't matter. .”
"I have to warn you, sir," Charles had to stop the sales pitch. At the same time, he felt that this old man was really cunning and smart. "You are not allowed to seduce my son with something that would be of interest to him." he."
After his father reminded him, Harry understood why the old man looked so happy.
Oh my God, someone else dropped a piece of fish, and my own fish happily bit it!
Harry stared at Dumbledore with his green eyes as if it could kill someone.
"This is not a temptation, Mr. Xavier, and Harry," Dumbledore said happily, "I can personally guarantee that this is just a very, very true truth. Merlin witnesses my honesty."
