"Wake up, wake up now!"
Bang bang bang bang bang...
The urgent and heavy knocking at the door startled Harry, who had been fast asleep.
This kind of knocking was far from friendly. If it had been the hot-tempered Dudley, he would have surely argued fiercely with Aunt Petunia.
But Harry was used to it and he didn't have the right to argue anyway. He could only turn on the light, get dressed in the cramped cupboard under the stairs, and put on his broken glasses from the shelf behind him.
Thud thud thud thud thud...
No sooner had he sat up than Harry heard a series of heavy footsteps pounding on the stairs above his head.
Clearly, the person making the noise was doing it on purpose, even jumping up and down on the stairs. The violent shaking sent clouds of dust raining down from the steps, some landing on Harry's head and some settling onto his perpetually dusty bedsheet.
"Wake up, cousin, we're going to the zoo!"
The rough, unmistakably bratty voice belonged to Dudley, Harry's cousin.
Dudley always found ways to bully him. Harry had tried to fight back, but Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia always took Dudley's side, and he was nowhere near as strong as Dudley. So, he had no choice but to endure the bullying.
At times like these, Harry often fantasized about having magic like in fairy tales, magic that could turn Dudley into a pig and teach him a lesson.
Unlike other children, for Harry, this wasn't just pure imagination. When he was younger, he had experienced many strange incidents. Like when he wished for Dudley to trip and Dudley really did trip.
This had happened more than once, and Harry didn't think it was just a coincidence.
It was also one of the few times he had ever gained the upper hand in his "battles" with Dudley.
After getting dressed, Harry stood up, ready to step out of the cupboard.
He had no doubt that the moment he pushed the door open, Dudley would shove him back inside like usual and slam the door shut.
But even so, he had to go out. If he didn't, Dudley would keep him trapped there all day!
And if Aunt Petunia found out, she wouldn't scold Dudley, she'd punish Harry harshly instead. So, no matter what, he'd be the one to suffer.
Knowing exactly what would happen next, Harry still pushed the door open, ready to play along with Dudley's daily prank.
But today, things seemed... different.
Harry stared blankly at his surroundings. The sky was dark, illuminated only by the dim glow of streetlights. It was clearly nighttime!
The desolate street, the stench of rotting garbage, and the scattered people loitering around, everything told Harry that this wasn't the Dursleys' home he knew!
Where was this? What had happened?
He had only pushed open the cupboard door, how had he ended up in such a strange place?
And the timing was wrong too. It was supposed to be morning, so why was it night?
In the past, Harry had always longed for change. But when change suddenly came, he felt afraid, especially since the place he now found himself in didn't seem safe at all.
He was on a secluded street, and the staggering, zombie-like adults wandering around didn't look like decent people.
Harry was terrified. He cautiously walked along the side of the road, hoping to reach a busier street soon, where it would surely be safer.
But his worst fear came true. As he turned a corner, the dim light from the streetlamp was blocked by a tall man, casting Harry into shadow.
The towering figure was a middle-aged man with greasy hair and a foul stench, as if he hadn't bathed in ages.
What terrified Harry the most was that the man was pointing a pitch-black gun at him, grinning maliciously.
"Hahaha, luck's on my side today. Look what I found, a little brat wandering alone on a deserted street at night! Perfect for trading in for some cash. I'll be set for weeks!"
Faced with the dark barrel of the gun, fear engulfed Harry like the deepest abyss.
He tried to resist, but terror paralyzed his limbs. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move an inch.
All he could do was let the man's rough hand grab his collar, just like when Uncle Vernon used to drag him and throw him back into the cupboard.
But unlike before, Uncle Vernon, as harsh as he was, wouldn't kill him whereas this man wouldn't hesitate to break his limbs!
Change had come, but it hadn't made Harry's life better. Instead, it had become even worse.
At this moment, Harry thought of his old life before this change, when he was bullied by his aunt and uncle, living unhappily.
But now that change had arrived, was he destined to sink even lower?
No!
It couldn't be like this!
A fierce defiance burned like fire in Harry's heart.
Summoning courage from somewhere deep inside, the eleven-year-old boy bit down hard on the man's hand. As the man yelped in pain, Harry broke free and ran.
"You damn little rat, I'll kill you!"
Behind him was the furious roar of a middle-aged man. It was clear that if he were caught again, the outcome would be terrible.
Faster, run even faster!
Originally, a child's physical abilities were far weaker than an adult's, and he would have been caught in just a few steps.
But for some reason, Harry felt a surge of power continuously welling up inside him. This energy kept growing, strengthening his body, allowing him to temporarily evade the middle-aged man's grasp.
And because the middle-aged man wanted to sell Harry for a higher price, he didn't shoot. Instead, he chased with all his might.
And so, Harry and the girl gradually approached the bustling area.
Suddenly, Harry spotted a couple up ahead. Unlike the adults around them, who moved like lifeless zombies, this pair stood out, the man was handsome, and the woman was beautiful, their faces radiant with smiles that lit up the surrounding darkness.
Harry had a gut feeling, they were kind people who could help him!
So he quickly ran behind the stronger-looking gentleman, clutching the hem of his coat tightly, and pleaded in a trembling, tearful voice:
"Sir, please help me… please help me!"
At first, the couple seemed confused, but when they saw the middle-aged man charging toward them, they immediately understood the situation.
Initially, Harry worried whether they would actually help him. After all, the vicious-looking man was clearly a ruthless thug, and worse, he was armed!
But to his surprise, the moment the couple realized what was happening, they didn't hesitate at all. They immediately shielded him.
The gentle lady pulled him into a protective embrace, holding him behind her.
She was clearly terrified too, but she still comforted him in a shaky voice:
"Don't be afraid, child. Ben will stop the bad man!"
Her words sounded like reassurance for him or maybe for herself.
The man named Ben stood in front of them, bravely facing the dangerous criminal:
"Sir, I'm not sure how my child offended you, but I apologize. Please forgive him."
The criminal, gripping his gun, snarled viciously:
"Shut up and move! You don't even know him! Mind your own business, or I won't mind killing two more people!"
The lady's soothing words still echoed in Harry's ears as he stared at Ben's back, suddenly overwhelmed by warmth.
In the past, no one had ever cared about him. At the Dursleys', he never had birthday parties like Dudley, never received affection from Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia.
There was only endless chores, hand-me-down clothes from Dudley, and that cramped cupboard under the stairs.
His life had always been like this lonely, isolated. Never had he experienced such selfless concern. Even when he got into fights with other kids, no matter who was at fault, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would only force him to apologize.
Because to them, he was a burden never their beloved son.
But now, from this unfamiliar couple, he felt that warmth. They were even willing to risk their lives to protect him, patiently calming his fears.
This feeling… Harry had never known it before.
In a daze, a beam of light pierced the darkness, illuminating his life. Suddenly, he realized today's upheaval might not be as bad as he'd thought!
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG—
A rapid series of deafening gunshots tore through the air.
Harry felt a sudden warmth on his cheek. Instinctively, he touched his face and saw bright red smeared on his fingers.
The next moment, the kind, beautiful lady let out a heart-wrenching scream:
"BEN!"
Looking ahead, he saw Ben collapse into a pool of blood. The gentle woman clung to his body, sobbing in despair.
Meanwhile, the criminal's face twisted even more grotesquely, his snarling expression like a demon from the abyss:
"I warned you! This is what happens when you meddle!
Hahaha, this little lady's pretty too. Selling her off should fetch me a nice price enough to keep me comfortable for months!"
CRACK!
The lady's agonized cries echoed in his ears. Harry felt something in his mind shatter like fragile glass finally giving way after being pushed to its limit.
Time seemed to slow.
The faint energy he'd sensed since arriving here erupted like a volcano, swelling uncontrollably.
Perhaps because this world's energy was far denser, the power inside him expanded wildly, bringing with it unimaginable strength.
As the criminal reached out to viciously grab the lady's hair, Harry's power reached its peak and he snapped.
"HOW DARE YOU?!"
A torrent of black mist exploded from Harry's body, instantly enveloping him.
Within seconds, the inky, viscous fog spread like a living thing, swallowing the entire area.
Perhaps because this world's energy level was higher, the dark force known in the wizarding world as Obscurial, a power that terrified witches and wizards unleashed strength far beyond what it could in Harry's original world. And now, he could control it effortlessly.
The black mist carefully avoided Ben and the lady, instantly wrapping around the panicking criminal, binding him completely.
Shrouded in the swirling darkness, Harry stepped forward, his path illuminated by flickering crimson energy.
He stopped in front of the immobilized man. With a mere thought, the black mist hoisted him into the air.
Harry's face was twisted with rage. He could still think clearly but he didn't want to.
So he repeated, his voice trembling with fury:
"HOW. DARE. YOU?!"
New author, new book—please support by adding this in library and Power Stones!
(End of chapter)