To be perfectly honest, Qin Yu had agonized over his grand entrance line for ages.
In the end, he went with the simple, "Harry Potter, are you ready to enter another world?"
Another world—of course, he meant the world of magic.
"It's like opening the door to a whole new universe for the kid," Qin Yu had once explained earnestly to Hagrid.
"Oh, that's nice," Hagrid had replied, nodding absentmindedly, clearly missing the point.
A few evenings prior, Qin Yu had received an owl from Hagrid: he was delivering an acceptance letter to a first-year and wondered if Qin Yu would like to come along. Qin Yu checked the date and happily agreed.
So, on that stormy night, he met up with Hagrid and together they traveled to the windswept rock in the sea. (Hermione: That's right, dear readers—he didn't bring me along, just left me home alone. Hmph!)
For such a momentous occasion, Qin Yu wasn't about to squander the chance to showcase the true style of a Hogwarts student. He donned his school robes, slung his sword across his back, wand in hand—the full ensemble. He'd even considered sunglasses, but dismissed them as too out-of-place for the magical world.
So, when he strode over the fallen door into the hut, he felt—if only for a moment—undeniably cool.
He had to admit, though: delivering that line while staring down the barrel of Mr. Dursley's rifle took nerves of steel.
"Hagrid…" Qin Yu called out, unable to help himself.
This time, Hagrid finally got the message. He lumbered over, seized the rifle's barrel, and bent it like it was made of taffy.
Vernon Dursley gaped in terror at the giant's strength, and reflexively pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted harmlessly into the ceiling, leaving the Dursleys utterly dumbstruck.
"Mr. Dursley, we're not here to cause trouble. There's no need to get so worked up. Why don't we all sit down and have a civilized chat?" Qin Yu said calmly, settling himself on the sofa with an air of utter composure.
His tranquility only made Mr. and Mrs. Dursley more nervous. In their experience—mostly gleaned from too many movies—the calmer someone acted, the more dangerous they were.
"P-please leave! This is breaking and entering!" Mr. Dursley blustered, his bravado paper-thin.
"Oh, come off it, Dursley. If you hadn't tried to block those letters, we wouldn't even be here," Hagrid rumbled, stooping to heft the door panel and wedge it back in place, shutting out the storm.
Then, with a conspiratorial glance at Qin Yu, Hagrid sidled over to the fireplace, tapped it discreetly with his pink umbrella, and—whoosh!—a roaring fire sprang to life, filling the room with warmth and light.
He winked at Qin Yu, silently begging him not to mention the use of magic.
Qin Yu caught the hint, smiled helplessly, and gave a barely noticeable nod.
…
"Harry, we brought you a birthday present!" Qin Yu announced, producing a cake box seemingly from thin air.
—None of the Dursleys could say where he'd pulled it from.
"Happy eleventh birthday!"
He lifted the lid. The cake read: "Happy Birthday, Harry Potter."
"Harry, don't go over there!" Uncle Vernon barked, panic in his voice.
Harry glanced at his frantic relatives, pressed his lips together, and then—heart pounding—strode over to the mysterious boy and took a seat beside him on the sofa.
"I've seen you before," Harry whispered.
"Oh? At the zoo?" Qin Yu raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised the boy remembered.
"Yeah!" Harry nodded vigorously, eyes shining.
It's true what they say: once a stranger, twice a friend. That's universal.
Now that they'd confirmed their previous meeting, Harry instantly felt a natural closeness to this slightly older boy.
"Nearly forgot—my name's Qin Yu. You can call me Qin." Qin Yu offered his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Qin!" Harry grasped it eagerly, his excitement barely contained.
It felt like a dream—meeting the boy from the zoo, the one he'd longed to see again, and in such an unexpected way. And it seemed he'd brought a mission with him.
"Oh, right—Hagrid, do you have Harry's acceptance letter?" Qin Yu remembered.
"Let me see…" Hagrid rummaged through his many pockets and soon produced a pale yellow envelope.
"No! We don't agree! If he goes to that school, I won't pay a single penny for it!" Vernon Dursley roared.
Qin Yu rolled his eyes. As if we need your money. There's a vault at Gringotts overflowing with gold just waiting for this kid.
"That's enough, Mr. Dursley. Do you really think we came all this way to listen to you complain?" Qin Yu said, his voice suddenly cold.
A little intimidation, at the right moment, could be quite effective.
Mrs. Dursley squeaked and hid behind her husband, who was now shaking like a leaf.
While Qin Yu spoke, Harry Potter finished reading his letter, a look of confusion on his face.
"That's right, we're wizards. You're a wizard too, Harry—so were your parents. Your Aunt Petunia didn't tell you, probably out of some misguided sense of protection. But I have to say, that's foolish. The world doesn't become any safer just because you act like an ostrich and bury your head in the sand," Qin Yu said, voice calm and steady.
"I wasn't protecting him! I hate him! I hated my freak of a sister! The moment I found out she was a witch, I knew she'd blow herself up one day!" Petunia Dursley spat, her face twisted with rage.
"Blow up? You told me my mum and dad died in a car crash?!" Harry gasped, stunned.
"A car crash? How could a car crash hurt Lily and James?!" Now it was Hagrid's turn to roar, his face darkening.
"Hagrid, maybe we should save the details of Harry's past for later," Qin Yu interjected, holding up a hand.
He turned to Harry Potter. "Harry, Hogwarts is a school for witches and wizards—a place with brilliant teachers and a wonderful philosophy. In seven years, you'll graduate as an outstanding wizard. Will you accept this invitation?"
"Of course I will!" Harry nodded solemnly.
This place called Hogwarts—it had to be a thousand times better than Stonewall High.
If Qin Yu knew the kid was comparing Hogwarts to a dump like Stonewall, he'd probably whack him with his wand.
"All right, Hagrid, you can write the reply," Qin Yu said, satisfied.
Hagrid promptly pulled a live owl, a quill, and parchment from the depths of his coat, and began scribbling a response to Professor Dumbledore.
While Hagrid wrote, Dudley crept over, snatched the cake, and began shoveling it into his mouth with his hands.
Noticing this, Hagrid waved his pink umbrella in annoyance—and with a flash, a thin pig's tail sprouted from Dudley's backside.
Qin Yu didn't intervene. After all, Dudley had been spoiled rotten his whole life—a little magical punishment might finally teach him a lesson.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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