Heart and Soull

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With a grunt, Dursley glared across at the two wizards. "What about him? He died back then—what does he have to do with anything now?"

Turning to Harry, Jean-Sebastian raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"They don't want to hear anything I have to say," Harry muttered defensively. "Even if I tried to tell them, they wouldn't have listened."

Turning back to the Dursleys, Jean-Sebastian sized them up. He suspected they might not give any weight to what he was about to tell them, but he decided it was on their heads if they did not. He could only warn them—they would need to do the rest.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, we are here today not only to tell you that Harry will be leaving your residence but also to warn you that you may be in danger if you stay here. This Voldemort who tried to kill Harry when he was a baby has recently returned, and if he learns of your relationship with Harry, he may try to get to Harry though you. Now, you and I both know that there are virtually no familial feelings between you and your nephew, but Voldemort certainly will not know that."

"But he died!" Mr. Dursley scoffed. "Would you have us fear a dead man?"

"He did not die," Jean-Sebastian responded evenly. "Through unknown means, he managed to cheat his fate and has recently returned to Britain, intent on picking up where he left off. When he left Harry here as a baby, Dumbledore erected a set of protections which not only kept young Harry safe but also kept you and your family safe. But a condition of these protections is that he must be present for part of the summer for them to be effective. Harry will not be returning next year to reset the wards, which means they will fade away some time next summer. Once that happens, this house will be visible once again to the magical world, and if Voldemort ever makes the connection between Harry and your family, you will all be in great danger."

"I'm sure we can reason with him if he does show up," Mr. Dursley claimed rather nonchalantly. "If he hates the boy as much as we do, I'd think he would award us a medal for getting him out of the house."

"Vernon, I think we should consider the warning," his wife spoke up, her eyes bright with fear.

"Frankly, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, it matters little to me if you heed the warning or not," Jean-Sebastian replied with a shrug. "I have done my duty. But I strongly suggest you listen to me and take steps to protect your family. Voldemort does not reason with or reward Muggles… he kills them. It is your choice, but I urge you not to underestimate him. Harry and I will collect his remaining belongings and leave you now."

Rising to his feet, Jean-Sebastian motioned for Harry to precede him from the room, but they were interrupted by Dudley's fearful voice.

"There isn't anything of Harry's left here. After he left last week, Dad got rid of it all."

Jean-Sebastian's eyes flashed and he turned on Vernon. "You discarded Harry's possessions?"

Vernon paled and seemed to sink back in his seat, his eyes darting from side to side. His fear would almost have been amusing if Jean-Sebastian had not been so thoroughly disgusted with the man who had provided Harry with such a dismal childhood environment.

"It's okay," Harry said, his manner somewhat resigned. "I make sure I take everything that means anything to me when I leave after summer hols. All I had left were a few old clothes and some odds and ends."

Turning to regard his ward, Jean-Sebastian searched his eyes, looking for some hint of anything other than the resignation which had been so evident in Harry's voice—if the boy had lost anything of value to Dursley's "housecleaning", he would have it out of their hides. Once again, Jean-Sebastian noticed the somewhat tattered and oversized state of Harry's clothes, which he had assumed was some Muggle fashion statement, but now he was not certain. Then, there was the single trunk of his possessions, which he clutched tightly in his hand. Whatever the Dursleys had or had not done to Harry, they had certainly not provided a suitably nurturing environment to the young man, and knowing that filled him with rage. But he checked his temper and glared down at the elder Dursleys with contempt.

"Very well—we will be taking our leave now. I have never witnessed such complete disdain and criminal negligence in a couple responsible for the upbringing and wellbeing of a young man in my life. You, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, should be in prison for what you have done! Do not ever attempt to contact Harry again—you will not appreciate the consequences!"

Motioning to Harry, Jean-Sebastian swept from the room with Harry close on his heels. They had walked no more than a few steps when they heard a voice calling to them.

Jean-Sebastian turned and looked at the heavyset bulk of Harry's cousin. Seeing with a glance that Harry was regarding his cousin curiously, he felt it would do little harm to let them speak before they left.

Dudley shifted from foot to foot nervously while covertly watching Harry out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to want to say something, but for whatever reason was uncertain—or unwilling—to come to the point.

"What is it, Dud?"

The sound of the young man's voice seemed to startle him from his thoughts. "Harry… I wanted… Oh, hang it all—I'm not very good at this."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before visibly screwing up his courage and addressing his cousin. "I just wanted to say… I know I haven't treated you well, but… Thanks for saving me from those ghost thingies…"

Harry smiled at his cousin, a smile which actually seemed to reach his eyes—somewhat surprising if half of what Jean-Sebastian suspected about his time with his cousin was true. "It's okay, Dudley. I couldn't just leave you behind. Don't think anything of it."

"I think a lot of it, Harry," Dudley contradicted. "The way I've treated you, I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd left me in the dust."

Harry did not appear to know what to say—after a moment's thought, he again smiled. "You're welcome."

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