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0658 The Orphanage (BONUS-CHAPTER)
🕑 Added 2025-03-19 10:05:34 +0000 UTCHarry saw Sirius's face darkening, causing the corner of Sirius' mouth to twitch continuously. Beside him, Remus' eyebrows knitted together, revealing a sense of helplessness. As Harry observed these reactions, he couldn't help but feel the overwhelming urge to burst into laughter at the absurdity and bizarreness of the situation unfolding before them.
There they stood, a group of wizards, staring in disbelief as a plain and ordinary Muggle lady casually walked into a magically hidden house right under their very noses but they were utterly powerless.
"Well, aren't you all going to come in?" Mrs. Reagan questioned, her voice tinged with confusion as she made her way back out from behind the partition wall where she had momentarily disappeared just a dozen seconds ago. She looked at these elegant gentlemen, and her face was full of confusion.
"Ah!" Sirius exclaimed, a huge sigh of relief escaping his lips as the Muggle lady reemerged. Having learned his lesson from the previous encounter, he swiftly positioned himself between Mrs. Reagan and the partition wall, blocking her path. An awkward smile appeared on his face as Sirius tried to explain.
"Our arrival today was, um... not informed in advance, so... if it wouldn't be too much trouble, madam, could you kindly inform... Mr. Watson of our arrival?" His words tumbled out stutteringly, showing his discomfort with the situation.
Mrs. Reagan's cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson as she stared at Sirius. In her mind, there was no doubt that these people were colleagues of Bryan, their mannerisms and gentlemanly etiquette further solidified this belief and she became even more enthusiastic.
"Oh, there's no need for such formalities, Mr. B-Black!" she said, waving off his concerns with a flick of her hand. "Amos is quite easygoing; he won't mind this!"
Ron, and Hermione exchanged puzzled glances at the mention of the name "Amos." They had always known Professor Watson as simply Bryan or by his last name, much like Dumbledore's. The fact that he had another nickname or maybe middle name - Amos - came as a surprise to them who had rarely heard him being referred to as by anything else.
Despite Mrs. Reagan's insistence that they enter the orphanage directly, the Filius Charm in place prevented the group from even setting foot through the doorway without Bryan personally leading the way or directly indicating his permission in some form.
The Muggle lady's persistence was met with polite refusals and explanations, resulting in a lengthy back-and-forth exchange that left both parties somewhat exasperated.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mrs. Reagan seemed to have understood the futility of her efforts to persuade these unyieldingly polite visitors.
With a heavy sigh, she threw up her hands in resignation and panted,
"Please wait a moment, everyone." After saying this, she turned back and rushed back through the partition wall.
Sirius, having endured the mentally taxing ordeal of negotiating with the 'energetic' Muggle lady, slumped against the wall with obvious exhaustion in his posture. Wiping non-existent sweat from his brow, he muttered wearily, "I just hope Bryan won't throw a Fiendfyre no Spirit-fire Curse at us when he sees us later—"
Remus smiled helplessly at Sirius' words, but didn't say some things that were on his mind.
Judging by the commotion they had caused at the door, it was impossible for a great wizard like Bryan not to have noticed, yet he had been ignoring them. Clearly, he was not too pleased with their abrupt visit. Based on his understanding of Bryan's bad side, he would most likely let them in, but he would also be amused to see them get tossed around a bit.
About five minutes later, a confused-looking Mrs. Reagan reappeared, clutching a small note in her hand. "Amos asked me to give this to you," she said, extending the piece of paper towards Sirius.
Sirius eagerly accepted the note, his eyes quickly scanning its contents. As he read, his shoulders visibly relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief before passing the message to Remus. At Remus' subtle indication, the curious trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron crowded around, their gazes focusing on deciphering this mysterious note.
"Hurst Orphanage is located at 178 Frank Street," the note read, the familiar handwriting was instantly recognizable to Hermione as Professor Watson's. However, she didn't quite understand why Professor Watson would write a note just to tell them information they already knew.
Noticing the confusion on the young wizards' faces, Remus softly said, "Concentrate and focus your thoughts on the contents of the note."
Then, like Sirius, he too stared at the partition wall.
After exchanging a confused glance, Harry, Hermione, and Ron obediently collected their thoughts, and focused on the words written on the small piece of paper. As they concentrated, their expressions slowly transformed from confusion to utter astonishment.
Before their eyes, the partition wall began to bulge and distort, giving way to the sudden appearance of a brand-new iron gate. The unexpected manifestation startled the three unprepared young wizards, causing them to instinctively take a half-step back in surprise. Beyond the gate, a well-maintained courtyard paved with smooth stone slabs and a meticulously tended garden rapidly materialized, expanding to fill their field of vision.
Harry's gaze darted around, taking in the unreal scene with a mixture of awe and disbelief. The neighboring department store at 177 Frank Street and the bakery at 179 had been flawlessly compressed into crescent shapes but their facades and glass windows were miraculously unscathed by the magical transformation that had taken place.
Without warning, the once-quiet street erupted with the laughter of children, the sound was coming from the six-story, cube-shaped building that had emerged from the courtyard, its sky-blue walls were a vibrant contrast against the gloomy sky.
The building was blazing with light, its lit windows were giving glimpses of the many smiling faces within. The sudden appearance of the visitors had already captured the attention of numerous curious children, with some thirty or forty children pressing their faces against the second-floor windows, pointing excitedly at the strangers below.
"This is—" Harry struggled to find the words, as he stared in disbelief at the incredible scene before him. "The Fidelius Ch—"
"Ahem!" Remus interrupted Harry's words with a sharp, deliberate cough, his eyes were flashing a warning glance at the three stunned underage wizards.
The trio immediately snapped back to their senses, aware of Mrs. Reagan's presence and the confused expression on her face as she observed their reactions. She seemed a little at a loss by their reaction, and her eyes seemed to be questioning whether these strange visitors had some mental issues.
This was not surprising. After all, in Mrs. Reagan's eyes, the orphanage had always existed there.
Remus, turned to Mrs. Reagan with a gentle smile and a nod. "Apologies for the inconvenience, madam,"
Glancing at Harry, who couldn't help but mutter a low "It's so amazing" under his breath, Remus' smile widened slightly.
"Let's go—"
As they stepped into the lobby, the group found themselves surrounded by walls and floors decorated with glossy, chestnut-colored stone slabs, the space was lit by a simple yet bright Muggle electric lamp fixed to the ceiling. Despite the dreary, muddy, and snowy weather outside, the first floor of the orphanage was very clean. One could imagine that the people living here must cherish it very much.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione's curious gazes roamed the unfamiliar surroundings, each silently admiring at the unexpected level of comfort and cleanliness.
None of the three had ever experienced life in an orphanage personally, and Harry, especially, had some concerns that the living conditions might have been even more miserable than those he had endured at the Dursleys. However, as he took in the well-maintained and tidy building, for some reason an inexplicable sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.
"This place is quite impressive, Mrs. Reagan," Remus said.
The environment in the orphanage clearly exceeded Sirius and Remus' expectations as well.
As they walked towards the stairs, Remus' gaze swept over the chaotic faces on the photo wall, and he immediately found Bryan standing in front of a pyramid.
"Oh, yes," Mrs. Reagan agreed, her voice brimming with happiness and enthusiasm. "It's all thanks to Amos and his support that we've been able to transform this place into such a welcoming and decent home for the children. You should have seen the state of the old house- it was in a much sorrier state!"
Sirius, like Harry and the others, couldn't conceal his surprise at this. "Is that so?"
The noise from the second floor was just like the usual meal times in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Through the gaps in the stairs, young faces peeked out, and curious gazes from pairs of lively eyes fell on the group. The rustling voices of discussion were like the chirping of crickets in late summer and early autumn.
The entire second floor was the dining hall for the children. Now was mealtime, and about a hundred children had appeared here waiting to eat. When Harry and the others stepped onto the second floor, the children who had been peeking at them on the platform immediately scattered and hid far away.
Among the orphanage children, the youngest were still in the arms of staff members, sucking on pacifiers, while the oldest were even a few years older than Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The clothes they wore were mostly a bit old, with patches being a common sight, but they all looked very clean.
As the wizarding world visitors gazed upon these children, they couldn't help but be moved by the scene before them.
Remus recalled that before the end of summer vacation last year, in order to catch Sirius, he had decided to go to Hogwarts to serve as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. When Bryan learned about this, he had even excitedly signed a cooperation contract with him to share Sirius' bounty. At that time, Remus had felt helpless about such a powerful wizard like Bryan having such a strong desire for Galleons.
However, as Remus continued to interact with Bryan and gain a deeper understanding of his character, he gradually came to the assumption that this peculiar behavior might simply be another quirk of Bryan's mischievous nature. But it was only now that he finally understood the real reason behind Bryan's actions.
Sirius also recalled the night he was caught by Bryan. In order to regain his freedom, he even had to mortgage his Ancestral Manor. At that time, he had been very disdainful of Dumbledore appointing such a wizard to the Hogwarts staff, but now...
In the three young wizards' impression, the poorest professor they had ever seen was undoubtedly Remus. As for Professor Watson, as a great wizard renowned in the wizarding world, his financial situation must be much better than Remus'. But usually at Hogwarts, one would always see Professor Watson wearing slightly old robes.
Seamus had even joked before, wondering if it was because Professor Watson always did unorthodox things, so his salary was all deducted by the board of directors. Who would have thought that the real reason was here!
Hermione sniffled and her eyes were already a bit moist.
Ron opened his mouth. Looking at these children, he suddenly realized that perhaps he shouldn't always complain about his own poverty.
If it weren't for the Dursleys, would he also have ended up here?
This thought suddenly popped into Harry's mind as well.
Sirius, keenly aware of the numerous pairs of innocent children's eyes observing them, found himself becoming unusually passive and restrained. Clearing his throat, his voice was slightly hoarse with emotion, and he turned to Mrs. Reagan and asked, "Pardon me, Mrs. Reagan, but might I ask if Amos - uh, Mr. Watson - is here?"
"Oh, of course, this way!" Mrs. Reagan exclaimed, her hand gently tugging on Sirius' sleeve as she beckoned for Remus, Harry, and the others to follow.
She led them through a door embedded within a dividing wall on the second floor. In the kitchen where many volunteers were working, they finally saw Bryan Watson, wearing a white apron and vigorously kneading dough.
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