Harry and Hermione groped along the stone wall, moving slowly toward the source of the wind.

Along the way, Hermione, whether to distract herself from fear or out of genuine curiosity, kept bombarding Harry with questions about the Wizarding World.

But Harry, unaware that Hermione would definitely attend Hogwarts and become a witch in the future, soon began to regret revealing so much about wizards and magic to her. He wasn't sure if he had violated the International Statute of Warlock Secrecy, like what happened with Sanguini.

So, as Hermione pressed for more answers, he dodged her questions, speaking in vague half-truths.

Just as Harry felt he couldn't hold out any longer, and Hermione's questions grew sharper-

A faint orange glow suddenly shone through the top of a stone wall ahead of them!

"Hey! Wait… Hermione, look at that!"

Harry shouted excitedly, interrupting Hermione's original question about whether 'wizards' are born or a profession that can be learned later, a question that even he himself only had a vague answer to.

Hermione noticed the glimmer of light too and exclaimed cheerfully, "We didn't go the wrong way! This is the exit!"

With the faint illumination, she glanced around, finally seeing their surroundings clearly.

They seemed to be in a rocky mountain cave, its uneven walls showing no signs of human carving. However, on the ground near the illuminated section of the wall, there were discarded items, like a baseball bat and a jacket, showing clear signs of human activity!

Harry was carefully examining the boulder that appeared to be blocking the exit.

Soon, he realized that the massive rock hadn't originally been part of the cave. Instead, it looked like someone had deliberately placed it there, obstructing about two-thirds of the exit, leaving only the top third open!

But the boulder was at least six or seven meters tall, making it hard to imagine how anyone could have moved it there without machinery.

Staring at the boulder and confirming that, aside from the gap at the top, there was no other way out, Harry took a deep breath and made up his mind!

"We must find a way to climb over this thing!" As he spoke, he moved closer to the boulder and prepared to climb.

Hermione turned pale after she realized what was happening.

"No! Dudley! It's too high! If you fall..."

But before she could finish, Harry had already begun searching for handholds and footholds, attempting to climb.

"Don't be afraid." Even at this time, he did not forget to comfort Hermione, "We can't just rely on Professor... We've got our own hands and feet..."

He struggled to climb up from the very bottom of the boulder.

The protruding parts of the rock weren't sturdy, and several times, Harry nearly lost his grip, making Hermione gasp and cover her mouth in fear.

Soon, Harry was drenched in sweat!

He was just a growing boy with no professional training. By the time he was less than half a meter from the top, his arms were trembling violently. Even though his right hand had found a grip, he couldn't summon any strength.

Swallowing hard, Harry couldn't help but glance down.

Only then did he realize just how high up he was!

His head spun, and his throat burned as if scorched by fire!

But he knew there was no turning back now, and his only choice was to keep climbing.

Gritting his teeth, Harry forced his arms to push harder. He raised his left foot, which felt as if it was filled with lead. However, before he could place it on the next foothold he'd spotted-

The rock his right hand was gripping suddenly loosened!

"Dudley!!"

He felt his body tilting uncontrollably backward, and below, Hermione's terrified scream echoed in his ears.

At that very moment, Harry suddenly felt as if some strange, dormant power had awakened within him!

This power had surfaced before… when Aunt, furious that his hair kept growing back overnight no matter how short she cut it, had ranted and raved. It had appeared when his cousin Dudley and his gang chased him as usual, only for Harry to inexplicably find himself on the school rooftop in the blink of an eye. It had even manifested once when Petunia forced him into an old, oversized sweater, only for it to shrink smaller and smaller until it could barely fit a hand puppet!

He blinked subconsciously, and when he opened his eyes again, Harry was suddenly surprised to find that he was now standing atop the massive boulder!

The golden-orange glow of the setting sun bathed his face as he took in the view outside the cave.

An endless ocean stretched before him.

The enormous, tangerine-like sun clung to the horizon by the slimmest edge, its dazzling afterglow reminding Harry inexplicably of the orange juice he'd shared with Severus, Sanguini and Worple at lunch, when they'd all raised their glasses...

The salty sea breeze rushed toward him, and Harry couldn't help but grin, inhaling deeply.

When Severus had taken him from the Dursleys, he'd secretly doubted whether he was truly a wizard.

Compared to the incredible magic Severus had shown him, his ever-growing hair, his panicked escapes from Dudley's bullying, and that shrinking sweater had never felt like real magic.

But now, Harry is truly sure that he is a wizard!

Severus had told him that only true wizards could perform such miracles!

"Dudley! Dudley!! Where are you? Where did you fall?!"

Just as Harry was feeling a surprise, Hermione's tearful voice snapped him out of his daze.

Instinctively, he called back, "I'm fine! I'm up here, Hermione! Up here!"

But just as he turned to wave down at her, his gaze suddenly locked onto two pairs of eyes staring at him from the stone steps outside the cave!

Harry felt like he had fallen into an icy cave!

"Two more?" The first speaker, a young man with messy brown curls and a face full of freckles, sounded delighted, "Must be Pierre's doing. I heard they sent out one last Portkey a couple days ago… but getting two at once? That's a surprise."

The second man, who is older with dark hair, studied Harry with keen interest, "Moreover, this boy is actually a wizard who hadn't been admitted to Hogwarts!"

"Hah! Greyback's going to reward us for bringing them in!"

After hearing the conversation between the two, Harry no longer felt any joy at all.

His heart, which had been soaring just moments ago, sank like the sun vanishing beneath the sea!