The Potter monster

Young Harry, who had just yesterday learned of the existence of the magical world, stood in front of an old, shabby gate, with a dense fog drifting in behind it. After he and his new good friend Hagrid had bought everything they needed to study and eaten for the road, they had unexpectedly gone not to the train station, but to the forest along a dirt road. When asked where they were going at the moment, the bearded motorcyclist replied, “To a mansion.” And so, half an hour down the road they were there. In the distance behind the white haze barely visible outlines of a three-story house, over which hung thick gray clouds. If you looked closely at the stone arch of the gate, you could still read the sign with the inscription: “Domus Custos Animarum Desperatarum” under a layer of dirt and cobwebs. Two owls perched nearby on a dry tree were just hooting and looking at the guests. The whole thing was frightening, and the boy looked at Hagrid. Harry frankly still didn't understand why they had come to this distant and nightmarish place. But the bearded man seemed to be afraid, judging by the wary look on his face, so he was not happy to torture the child and himself by being here. The white owl named Hedwig was not sitting still in her cage either. - Hagrid, what are we doing here? - The boy couldn't stand it. - Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to show you. - he said, glancing at his pocket watch. - This, Harry, is your house. It's your ancestors' house, they used to live here long before your parents. When you're an adult, it'll be yours if you want it. - And... my mom and dad... lived here too? - A saddened Harry asked, hoping for a positive answer so he could get a closer look. The boy was starting to get curious, despite the atmosphere. - No, no one had lived here for a long time. It's true they say it's been a rough place for the last couple centuries. - Why? Hagrid hesitated to answer, not knowing whether to tell him. He didn't want to lie. So he decided to tell what he knew, but gently: - I don't know the whole story, because so many years have passed, but once upon a time, a very long time ago, an ancient magical being in the service of the Potter family accused them of treachery and put a powerful curse on the land. It was so powerful that no one had ever been able to lift it. The Potters suffered one setback after another and all soon had to leave this place for good. - The Potters used to be evil wizards since they cheated? - No! - The giant hastened to rectify the situation. - Your family has always helped others and been in good standing. Even Muggles have been helped in times of need. It was just angry when it didn't get what it wanted. - And what did that magical creature want? - The boy kept asking questions. Hagrid leaned in slightly and said in a half-whisper: - It wanted immortality, Harry. Young Potter only raised his eyebrows in surprise. - Realize one important thing, that nothing is eternal. - Hagrid began to answer the mute question and glanced slightly at his pocket, where a packaged assignment from Albus Dumbledore lay in a bundle. - Everyone lives exactly as long as Fate gives them. You can prolong your life in every possible way, but no one can be immortal. And the many who didn't realize that went mad. The same thing must have happened to him. - I see. - Harry concluded that his family was haunted by misfortune, including his own. - I wonder if there's a way to get a closer look at the house. - Don't even think about it. It's too dangerous and you could get hurt. I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you. Well, we should be getting to the train station by now. If we hurry, we'll have time for tea. - Hagrid added cheerfully at the end and smiled. Harry took one last look into the fog and walked away from the gate. Just as he was about to get into the sidecar of his motorcycle, the amulet around his neck began to heat up. The amulet was in the shape of a doe's head with a lily flower behind the ear, and instead of eyes there were two small green emeralds. It had been given to Harry at Gringotts Bank when he had inspected his safety deposit box. This amazing amulet, on a simple but sturdy black cord, was lying alone amongst a mountain of golden galleons. As it was later explained to him, this thing belonged to his mother and is supposed to protect its bearer from the evil eye, charms with curses. She had personally put it there just a couple months before that ill-fated day. What made her put it in the box, no one knows. Now his mother's protective amulet hung around Harry's neck and was actively starting to heat up. Hurriedly pulling it out from underneath the shabbily worn several sizes larger than his old clothes, he placed the head of the metal doe in the palm of his hand and was surprised to find that the semi-precious eyes were glowing brightly. - Hagrid, look. - Harry showed the giant what was happening to his mother's thing. - It had gotten warm. - Hmm. - Hagrid thoughtfully stretched out, looking at it. Suddenly, the old gate opened slowly with a creak, interrupting the forester's speech. As they turned their heads simultaneously toward the archway, they saw the fog slowly dissipate. They could see a gloomy three-story mansion with vertical windows in the Gothic style. It looked very old and shabby in some places, but it was still beautiful, a testament to the skillful work that had gone into building it. And the statues of deer and fallow deer in the courtyard among the dried bushes along the paths were a specialty. Harry's eyes lit up through his broken glasses and turned to Hagrid: - Let's go in and have a look, shall we? I'm sure my mother's amulet will protect me, and you won't get hurt, you're not Potter. Hagrid was still against it, but the boy was smart and it was hard to disagree with him. The curse may have seemed like a fantasy, for he felt nothing of the sort, but some unknown force was still felt. The silence lasted a moment under the begging gaze, but he finally agreed. - All right, but only quickly. - The giant agreed, pulling out his umbrella, threatening to misuse it in case of danger. So, unknowingly, the uninvited guests had become welcome, and they were walking along a half-dry stone path that led to a circular fork in the grass. Dry, neatly trimmed bushes that reached as high as Harry's head were growing in an even wall. It had been beautiful before, but now that it was dry and overgrown with weeds due to lack of care, it looked at least creepy. The clouds shifted more densely over the house and turned black as if it was going to rain soon. The guests, coming to the fork, noticed a large monument to a strange fox on a hillock. Why strange? Yes, because he had antlers to match his size and was grinning contentedly as he sat on his tail. Its carved eyes on its muzzle looked directly at Harry. An attempt to read what kind of creature was standing in the middle of the courtyard was unsuccessful. The name on the marble slab was disfigured as if someone had tried desperately to break the plaque he hated with a sledgehammer. It was as if someone had tried to erase the hated name from his life. Harry went to the door and tugged on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. The entrance to the house was securely locked. - Hagrid, do you have a key? - No, Harry, I don't. I don't even have a key to the gate. A detailed inspection revealed the uniqueness of this door. There was no keyhole. There was only a notch in the form of a round silver plate with a calligraphic letter “P” on it, like an intercom, where a magnet should be placed. Harry realized, purely on an intuitive level, that the amulet had to be attached. When he put the key to the “lock” the door itself opened, letting the slightly confused people in. Cautiously stepping inside, they saw a richly furnished interior of dark walnut wood, covered with centimeters of dust and cobwebs. A ringing silence hit their ears and a pleasant semi-darkness descended. It became so quiet that Hagrid raised the umbrella in front of him and put a hand on the skinny boy's shoulder. Harry, under the scrutiny and oppressive creaking of the floor, began to wander the corridors and examine the walls, furniture, paintings and rooms. The more he looked, the more he marveled at how rich his ancestors used to live. Harry had only seen half of the items here on the rare television viewing or at the museum when his nephew was reluctantly taken by his harmful uncle and aunt. Hagrid, too, admired the Potter family decorations and partly didn't understand how it was that poor Boy-Who-Lived was left alone? The red carpet they walked on brought them to a room with a table where family meetings were probably held and pressing problems discussed. The pulpit standing a little farther away near the wall confirmed this. And the crystal chandelier above the table, sheathed in cobwebs, with candles just amazed both of them. And where did the Potters get so much money from? Harry was beginning to doubt the “kindness” of the wizards in this house. - Come on, Harry, let's go back. - Hagrid hurried up, glancing at his watch again. - We should get going, or you'll miss your train. - Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there. - Harry said, walking over to the pulpit. He had the feeling that someone was leading him there, and meanwhile the eyes of the amulet were glowing brighter and brighter. On the book table was an inkwell with a quill and an open red book with absolutely blank pages. The unsuspecting young Potter stood on his toes and flipped through half the pages, but found not a single word. He shrugged and... closed the book, raising a cloud of dust. Harry coughed into his fist and suddenly a cold wind blew in out of nowhere. The front door slammed shut with a slam and a worried Hagrid commanded: - Harry, get back! Suddenly the dirty windows shook, the chandelier jingled, the ceiling rattled, and the walls creaked as if the house had come to life and a small earthquake had struck. The frightened boy clung to the giant a hundred times regretting his desire to inspect the house. This lasted for about ten seconds, after which there was silence again. Then, like a thunderclap, a loud voice echoed throughout the house: - Yea-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a... What a... long time I've been waiting. For someone to close the damn book. This was said with such trepidation and relief that there was an awkward pause. Hagrid held Harry close to him, trying to find the source of the voice with his eyes, even though he knew it was unlikely to work. He was afraid to use the spell. - Hagrid... - Harry wanted to ask his friend something, but was interrupted by a rude question. - WHO gave me freedom from uninvited guests?!” asked the unknown man with a note of delight. - It's me. Harry... Harry Potter. - replied timidly, a skinny, bespectacled boy under the safe protection of Hagrid. - Potter? Really... - he asked again, as if he couldn't believe his ears, and then suddenly changed his tone to a soft and friendly one. - Oh, I apologize for scaring you so much. Not too much, I hope? - H-Hello. - Harry said hello unbeknownst to anyone while Hagrid remained silent and twisted his head around carefully, ready to cover his child at any moment. - Thank you, we're fine. I apologize for entering uninvited, sir, but who are you? And where are you? - Oh, you don't have to apologize, you are, after all, in your own home now. As for the second question, turn around. Harry and Hagrid looked back, but saw only a lone pulpit. The stranger was nowhere to be found. - Nah, look at the wall. A little higher. - said in a satisfied voice the one who seemed to enjoy making fun of people a little. They looked up and saw a large painting with a gilded frame built into the wall. There was a picture in profile of the same fox with deer antlers that stands as a monument in front of the house. Only on the canvas he was in colors and looked more majestic. His red chest and upturned black nose emphasized it. - Well done, and now let me introduce myself... - the painting said, not moving at all, though they could both feel the powerful magic emanating from it. - My name is Kusperan, and I am the Guardian of the Potter family mansion. I'm also the librarian and ancestral source at the same time. Welcome home, young Harry Potter!

***

Friday night promises to be very eventful for me, Andrei Golubtsov. My parents for once left a seventeen-year-old boy alone in a two-room apartment, but before that they gave me a list of things to do for two hours of their absence. It was punishment for an “innocent” joke on the neighborhood women on the bench, who were already starting to turn into grandmothers. So I decided to give a health complex to the new generation of yard order guards, because they had gotten quite fat. Tasteful and humorous with a lot of special effects as I know how. What's up with that? I love special effects. Especially when there's a lot of them. Nothing immerses you in an atmosphere of wonder and magic like the right special effects. With the right skill and the right illusion, an ordinary person can become all-powerful or mysterious. My favorite series of Harry Potter films once again confirms this. In short, what I did: I put on a thick black leather jacket, poured some pure alcohol on my left shoulder blade, slipped a board under my shirt and stuck a penknife in it, poured cherry juice in it and set the sleeve on fire. That's how I calmly headed home, but at a brisk pace, after “another dubious meeting”. The result was five gray-haired women clutching at their hearts. I would have grayed too, when I saw a neighbor guy with a burning jacket and a knife in his side walking home as if nothing had happened, while saying a polite hello. When I got to the first floor apartment, I quickly took everything off and put it out. It was only then that I burst out laughing, remembering their shocked faces. They were so surprised that all their wrinkles smoothed out! Look, I'm not crazy. I'm just really and specifically sick of being leaked by these snitches when I go out for an hour with my friends. So what if one has cheeks as red as cancer and the other has pale skin? That doesn't make them a drunk or a thug. I have normal friends, and I'm an honor student. These snakes are just jealous of my mom for having such a handsome me with black hair and swamp eyes. And a voice like that to go into voice acting. I personally heard it when I tied my shoelaces when leaving the entrance, and I am not exaggerating (although I am pleased to hear such things in my address). So they make up all sorts of nasty things about me. The saddest thing is that my mom believes them, and my dad agrees with her, reluctant to argue with her. Let's omit further unpleasantness and move on to the present moment. Before I started my corrective work around the house I decided to have some tea. I put my favorite mug on the kitchen table and took a teapot in my hands. Just as I was about to pour the brew, the lid flew off and shattered, and hot tea poured out onto the floor. Shit! Oh, now I've got to clean that up too. As soon as I put the kettle down and turned on my heels to go to the bathroom to get a rag, I slipped on the floor. I hung in the air for about half a second, then hit the back of my head on the sharp edge of the kitchen countertop with a satisfying crunch. Shit, how stupid that was...