"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not." Petunia forced a fake smile. "Witches and wizards... not everyone can become one, not even the children of wizards."
Harry kept a blank expression and nodded. "Then please tell me what you know about Hogwarts, and about wizards."
Petunia stammered as she explained.
Vernon finally regained a bit of his strength. He looked around, only to discover with bitter disappointment that his double-barreled shotgun was in the bedroom, not the kitchen.
More than half an hour later.
Harry finished listening to Petunia's lengthy account.
It was a very strange and novel world—wizards here actually required a small wooden stick as a casting medium, and losing the medium meant losing the ability to cast spells.
Although sorcerers in the Witcher world also needed different casting mediums for certain spells, they had other spells they could cast without any medium at all.
And...
the power wasn't very strong either.
From Petunia's description, it was limited to making house cleaning very convenient. Of course, it was possible this was just her perspective as a housewife viewing wizards.
Still, it was fascinating.
Being able to freely alter the external shape of objects, even turning a piece of wood into an animal.
Could magic really reach such a level?
"The letter says I have to use an owl to send my reply," Harry said, lowering his head to read the letter again. "What is an owl? Is that a wizard's pet name for a postman?"
"Or is it the kind of... hooting owl I'm thinking of?"
"The latter," Petunia replied with a complicated expression.
Harry nodded and smiled faintly. "Then, my dear Aunt Petunia, do you happen to have an owl? I'm afraid I'll need to borrow one."
Vernon shook his head in terror. "We're a normal family! How could we have something like that?!"
Normal people...
Harry raised an eyebrow.
In his world, were wizards viewed as "freaks" by humans, just like witchers?
"It looks like I'll have to figure something out myself then." He stood up, pushed the door open, and walked out.
Even though he didn't know how owls delivered mail, the traits of living creatures generally didn't vary too much.
Just like... how every horse belonging to the White Wolf was named Roach, and every girlfriend the White Wolf had ever known was a sorceress, as far as he was aware.
Stepping outside, he saw an owl perched on the garden fence. Hearing the commotion, it turned its head around and fixed its undivided attention on Harry.
"Looks like you're my postman." Harry smiled gently and held out his hand. "Would you care to come inside and sit for a bit? You must be tired from your journey and need a nicer place to rest, plus you can wait while I write a reply. How about it?"
The owl hooted twice and hopped onto Harry's arm.
Petunia didn't seem like someone who cared much for wizards, but he had to admit she was indeed a competent housewife.
The owl treats she made were a huge hit with this round-faced Scottish fat chicken.
The letter was sent off.
Hogwarts' response came even faster than Harry had anticipated. That very afternoon, a heavy pounding sounded on the door, and when Vernon went to open it, standing outside was a giant.
"Hello, I'm from Hogwarts, um... an employee sent to escort Harry, Rubeus Hagrid." The giant spoke, looking somewhat constrained. But his massive frame, his appearance, and the way he grinned nearly scared Vernon into having a heart attack.
"Oh, right, another freak," Vernon muttered. "Come in."
Hagrid squeezed into the house with great difficulty. Seeing Harry standing in the living room, his nose twitched, and his voice took on a slight sob. "Oh, Harry! The last time I saw you, you were just a baby."
"You look just like your father. Oh, and your eyes—he had those same golden-brown eyes, too."
"Thank you." Harry nodded and took half a step back.
Such a colossal physique always brought a sense of oppression.
Not to mention...
Harry's current body was exceptionally slender and small, even among humans.
Subconsciously, his hand reached toward his shoulder—it was completely empty. How terrible; he didn't even have a single sword, let alone a silver sword—having just a steel sword would be nice.
Human?
It didn't seem like it. It was difficult for a human to grow a frame that massive—the skeletal structure simply couldn't support it.
Were they a sub-human race? A race like halflings or elves? Or perhaps trolls or giants?
"Hello, sir." Harry took a deep breath, resting his hand near his waist, ready to unleash a Sign at a moment's notice—for ordinary witchers, even ones as powerful as the White Wolf or Letho, the Aard Sign couldn't inflict much impact on massive creatures.
He was an exception.
Even a giant couldn't resist the Aard Sign he cast.
"Are you a professor at Hogwarts?"
"Is Hogwarts a school or faction that also accepts non-human races?"
Hagrid bristled—literally bristled, his hair fluffing up as his face flushed somewhat red. "Oh, non-human race? My poor little Harry, how could you ever think such a thing?"
"I'm a human, a normal human, just with a bigger frame."
"Hogwarts is a good school, and there aren't any of those weird creatures like werewolves or giants there."
Is... that so?
Harry harbored doubts in his heart.
Hagrid took a deep breath, pushing phrases like "half-giant" to the back of his mind, and wedged his bulky body into the sofa to sit down. He called out toward the Vernon family, who were hiding in the kitchen, "Excuse me, could I trouble you for a pot of tea?"
"If it's black tea, an extra half-spoon of milk would be even better."
Petunia instantly pulled her head back inside.
Hagrid turned his attention back to Harry, who was still standing. "Sit down, let's have a proper chat."
Harry hesitated for a fraction of a second, nodded, and sat down on another sofa.
"I'm not a professor at Hogwarts; I'm the Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts," Hagrid said cheerfully. "It wasn't easy at all fighting Headmaster Dumbledore for this job—all the other professors wanted to come fetch you."
"But I'm one of Headmaster Dumbledore's most trusted people, and he entrusted this task to me."
He puffed out his neck with immense pride.
Harry nodded, pulled the Hogwarts supply list out of his pocket, and placed it on the table. "How am I supposed to get ready to buy these school things?"
"Sir, will you take me to purchase them?"
"Though I hate to say it, I don't have any money, and I'm afraid my aunt and uncle aren't willing to pay for it either."
Inside the kitchen.
Vernon yelled loudly, "I won't pay a dime! Send him to that loony bin to learn a bunch of crazy parlor tricks!"
This obese uncle feared the power of magic.
Yet his mouth remained entirely fearless.
Under the Aard Sign, even the table had shattered, but his mouth had emerged completely unscathed.
"How dare you talk about wizards like that!" Hagrid clenched his fists, a hint of anger mixed into his voice.
Harry waved a hand. "Calm down."
"In a situation like mine, will Hogwarts help me prepare these things?"
Harry's words worked effectively. Hagrid let out a heavy snort and turned his head back. "Oh, no, Harry, you won't need to use their money. Muggle money doesn't work in our wizarding world."
"Actually, your parents—you do know about your parents, don't you?"
"They left you a considerable inheritance."
An inheritance?
Ah, right!
Harry snapped to his senses with a start. How could he have forgotten something so important?
He jerked his head around to look at Aunt Petunia, who was just emerging from the kitchen carrying a teapot. "Aunt Petunia, what about the inheritance my parents left me? How much of it do you have?"
Before Aunt Petunia could speak.
Hagrid hurried to explain, "No, no, no, the inheritance isn't with these Muggles. Mr. Dumbledore wouldn't trust them with those things."
"It's all being kept safe for you by Mr. Dumbledore."