Silence. Harry thought that Vernon's words had stunned his uncle.
He didn't seem to believe that Sirius was so rich, but he also didn't believe that they would go to such great lengths to seize the house. He was caught in a dilemma.
"Well, well, Mr. Mason's child …"
"You mean Elwyn?" Harry reminded.
He knew that in Vernon's eyes, Elwyn's family was the one with the real money and status. They had always been the role model that he envied and followed.
Of course, this role model was only limited to the Mason couple.
In the past few years, Vernon had lamented more than once that Mason and his wife's biggest mistake was having a wizard son. In comparison, having a wizard nephew did not seem to be an unbearable thing.
Out of a yearning for the upper class, or perhaps to maintain their lucrative long-term business, the Dursleys' tolerance for Elwyn had reached an unimaginable level. Several times, they had even asked Harry to invite Elwyn to their house, which was contrary to their philosophy of keeping as far away from wizards as possible.
Even Harry found it hard to believe that such a thing had happened.
"Yes, Elwyn Mason. Of course I remember the child's name," Vernon said, and began to pace again. "Are they leaving too? Like us? "
"Yes," Harry said, "Elwyn said that the Mason couple was going to China."
"China?! It's all because of the devil you claim to be … "
"It's the Lord Voldemort!" Harry said impatiently. "We've discussed this a hundred times. It's not a claim, it's a fact. Dumbledore told you last year, Sirius told you, Kingsley and Weasley …"
Vernon Dursley arched his shoulders angrily. Harry guessed that his uncle was trying to get rid of that memory.
A few days after Harry's summer vacation, two adult wizards suddenly came to visit. The appearance of Kingsley Shaker and Arthur Weasley at the door once again gave the Dursleys an unpleasant fright. After all, they had just recovered from the fright Sirius had given them at the train station.
Harry had to admit that Mr. Weasley had smashed half of the living room into ruins. His reappearance would certainly not make Uncle Vernon happy.
"They've already explained everything!" Harry remained unmoved and continued, "Once I reach the age of seventeen, the charm that protects my safety will be lifted, and you and I will be exposed. The Order of the Phoenix believes that Lord Voldemort will target you, torture you, interrogate you for my whereabouts, or think that I will rush to your rescue if you are taken hostage."
Uncle Vernon and Harry's eyes met. At this moment, Harry believed that both of them had the same question in their hearts.
Then, Uncle Vernon began to pace again.
Harry continued, "So, you must hide. The Order of the Phoenix is willing to help and provide you with the best and most rigorous protection."
Uncle Vernon did not say anything and continued to pace back and forth.
"We want to go with Mason and his family …" he said, as if he had finally found a solution to the problem.
"I don't think that's possible. The Order of the Phoenix has different arrangements. If you gather together, you will be too conspicuous and will be easily tracked by Lord Voldemort. Mason and his wife have already left. Elwyn made arrangements at the beginning of the summer vacation, so they may not be in England now. Besides, what can you do in China? "
"Anything!" Uncle Vernon muttered. He paced a few more steps and knew that Harry was telling the truth. He had visited Mason's house not long ago, but it was empty. A few days ago, he had inquired through his company and learned that Mason and his wife had indeed suddenly decided to invest in China and might not return for a long time.
It was unusual for them to leave in such a hurry. Even the people in Mr. Mason's company were surprised.
The only explanation was what Harry had said. They did not go to China for business, but to avoid being tracked by the devil.
If only he had made up his mind earlier. In his heart, Dersley really wanted to leave with Mason and his wife.
"Isn't there a Ministry of Magic?" Vernon Dersley suddenly asked.
"Yes." Harry was surprised.
"Then, why can't they protect us? In my opinion, as innocent victims, we have not done anything bad except for adopting a suspect, so we should be protected by the government! "
Harry laughed. He could not help but laugh.
Uncle Vernon was always like this. He always placed his hopes on people of higher status or in more powerful departments, even in a world that he was hostile and distrustful of.
First, he wanted to be with Mr. and Mrs. Mason, and now he mentioned the Ministry of Magic.
It was as if doing so would make him feel safe.
"You should have heard what Mr. Weasley and Kingsley said. They said it in more detail than Sirius." Harry replied, "We can't contact the Ministry of Magic because the Order of the Phoenix believes that bad guys, Lord Voldemort's men, have infiltrated the Ministry of Magic."
Uncle Vernon strode to the fireplace and back, panting heavily.
His thick, black mustache rose and fell, and his big face was still purplish-red.
"Okay, okay!" He said, stopping in front of Harry again. "Okay, let's put it this way. I believe your nonsense. We accept this protection, but I still don't understand why we can't let that big Kingsley protect us."
Harry tried hard not to roll his eyes.
This question had been raised six or seven times over the past summer.
"I told you," Harry said, gritting his teeth, "Kingsley is protecting Ma … I mean your Prime Minister."
"That's right, he's the best!" Uncle Vernon said, pointing to the blank television screen.
The Dursleys had seen Kingsley on the news, when he had quietly followed Prime Minister Muggle during his visit to the hospital.
That, and Kingsley's mastery of Muggle's dressing skills, and more importantly, there was something comforting in his deep, slow voice that made the Dursleys look favorably upon him among the wizards. However, they had never seen Kingsley wearing an earring.
"He already has a mission!" Harry said, "Mr. and Mrs. Mason didn't ask him to protect them, but accepted him as a member of the Order of the Phoenix. The wizards of the Order of the Phoenix are trustworthy. As we said last time, Hester Jones and Dedalor Dego are more suitable for your protection … "
"I don't believe it, even if we look at the resume …"
Before Uncle Vernon could finish, Harry lost his patience.
He jumped to his feet, walked over to his uncle, and pointed at the television.
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