Chapter Sixty: Granger and Letters from Hogwarts

Although London was vast, for local private security firms, locating someone was a simple matter. They often worked closely with the police, and looking up a resident’s information was no more troublesome than sharing a drink.

A day later, Carn received their response: there were three people in London with the surname Dursley—one a bartender, another the owner of a small building supply business, and the last a train conductor. The information was exceedingly detailed. After a single perusal, Carn immediately identified the right Dursley family, as he spotted both Dudley Dursley and Harry Potter listed in the household information of the second Dursley.

The dentist named Granger had also been found. London boasted many dental clinics, but there was only one dentist named Granger.

It had taken less than half a day to find these two families, and they earned a neat ten thousand pounds for the effort. If they had such generous clients every day, their private security agency would be swimming in profits.

Unfortunately, Hasben knew well that someone as free with money as Carn was a rarity—if they met three such clients a year, they’d be lucky. Most days, their bread-and-butter was following wayward aristocrats or taking on dangerous warrants from the Metropolitan Police.

“We’ll certainly have the chance to work together again, Mr. Hasben.”

With that, Carn paid the remaining sum, took the information, and left Hasben’s private security firm.

If not for the many uncertainties in binding a world transaction coordinate to an ordinary person, Carn would have chosen Hasben as his anchor. Ordinary people were susceptible to all manner of accidents: illness, car crashes, murder—even choking on water. The odds were slim, but should the worst occur, Carn would lose a world ripe for exploration, an immeasurable loss.

Aside from wizards, the Dursleys and the Grangers were the only ordinary people Carn knew to be alive and well for the next several years. Although the Dursleys were watched over by Dumbledore and were snobbish, with wizards observing them early on, Carn’s sudden appearance at their doorstep might draw Dumbledore’s attention.

“It’s best to establish a foothold here first. The Grangers are both dentists… It seems they run a private clinic and are currently seeking a new dental equipment supplier? Hasben even managed to dig up this detail.”

As Carn pondered, inspiration struck. Fortunately, he hadn’t gone far. He retraced his steps to Hasben’s firm and, under Hasben’s surprised gaze, commissioned another task.

He would bind the world transaction coordinate to the Granger couple. If memory served, they would live at least another decade.

Within a day, he was to find a dental equipment supplier, secure a contract, and lease a warehouse to receive the shipment.

Beyond the direct costs, Hasben’s agency would pocket an additional twenty thousand pounds for their trouble.

This was a windfall for Hasben; never had he expected to land two such lucrative assignments in as many days. Though Carn’s request was outside their usual services, money was king—given enough, they’d even investigate Elizabeth herself.

As Carn’s deadline was tight, Hasben asked him to wait in the café downstairs for the morning while he handled the matter personally.

Money moved men more surely than women ever could. Near noon, Hasben arrived at the café, face beaded with sweat, and handed over the purchase contract, warehouse lease, and keys. Including Hasben’s fee, Carn had spent over three hundred thousand pounds.

After settling the payment, Carn collected the documents and keys and left the café, Hasben bowing him out.

Glancing at the address, Carn saw that Hasben had thoughtfully rented a commercial warehouse in the district adjacent to the Granger Dental Clinic. He couldn’t guess Carn’s intentions, but clearly the Granger clinic was involved.

Carn hailed a taxi on the street and headed for the Granger Dental Clinic.

* * *

Granger Dental Clinic

Although the Grangers were merely British middle class, they owned a garden cottage, their own clinic, earned about seventy thousand pounds a year, enjoyed standard office hours, and sometimes worked as few as three days a week when the mood struck.

Such a life surpassed that of ninety-two percent of Britons.

Were the Grangers a bit more ambitious, a luxury villa would not have been out of reach.

But at present, they faced a minor dilemma: their clinic’s equipment needed updating, but a dispute had arisen with their usual supplier. Until they found a new one, the clinic might have to close for some time.

It was a small inconvenience, but with their daughter about to advance to a new school—Hermione was to attend Eton—the Grangers preferred not to interrupt business.

As afternoon approached and after serving up potato pancakes and fried fish, Mrs. Granger rapped her plate, reminding her husband, who was absorbed in the newspaper.

“Mr. Granger, if I’m not mistaken, you were supposed to sort out the equipment issue today. Mrs. Haley’s appointment is in just seven days.”

“I know, I’ll take care of it right after lunch…”

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang at the front. Their dental clinic was next door, making commuting a breeze.

“I’ll get it.”

Mr. Granger assumed it was a familiar patient—he’d have to apologize about the equipment.

But when he opened the door, he found a stranger: very young, his looks instinctively provoking a hint of male rivalry, yet his smile inspired immediate goodwill.

“Sorry, you are…?”

“Carn Pent, sir. I heard your clinic is looking to replace its equipment, so I’ve come to offer my services. Would you like me to explain?”

Carn presented some brochures and a price list.

“Oh, it must be divine providence—please, come in, Mr. Pent.”

Mr. Granger hadn’t expected a door-to-door supplier, which freed up his afternoon for gardening. A quick glance at the prices showed they were some fifteen percent lower than his previous supplier’s.

With Carn’s careful charm, the Grangers quickly warmed to the idea of working together. After inspecting the brand-new equipment in the warehouse, they struck a deal, and Carn placed the world transaction coordinate on Mr. Granger.

For the next few years, this made Mr. Granger a very safe bet—unlikely to suffer any mishap that might cost Carn access to a magical world.

After the transaction, the Grangers warmly invited Carn to stay for dinner. He considered briefly, then accepted.

That evening, Carn met Hermione Granger, a clever young girl.

After greeting Carn, Hermione held up a letter and asked her parents, “Dad, do you know where Hogwarts School is? Is it a school for magic? Do they teach magic tricks?”

‘What a coincidence,’ Carn thought as he saw the letter in Hermione’s hand. If nothing went awry, someone from Hogwarts would arrive by tonight or tomorrow to explain everything to the Grangers.

After all, the three of them had no prior contact with the magical world; someone would have to guide them in.