Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 9 "Poor Boy" Harry

"Hey, Tyella, are you asleep?" Harry, hiding under the covers, gently touched Tyella lying next to him.

“No, what’s wrong, Harry?” Tyella replied softly.

"How could I possibly sleep with you tossing and turning like this?" Tiera thought to herself.

"No, it's nothing, I just can't sleep. Hmm... I didn't bother you, did I?"

“No, it’s okay, Harry. I can’t sleep either,” Tyella replied.

“It’s unbelievable, like a dream. I never imagined that magic really exists in the world, and that there are magic schools,” Harry exclaimed.

"Hehe, it's like a dream, and I'm still moved even after waking up for a long time," Tyella teased. Unfortunately, Harry didn't understand this advanced joke. "By the way, Harry, you don't have to speak so softly. Hagrid lives on the first floor, and we're in the attic. You can speak as loudly as you want without disturbing Hagrid."

"Oh, okay." Harry's voice rose considerably, but it was still very soft, like a kitten's meow.

The habits formed over many years of living under someone else's roof are not so easy to change. Although Harry has moved away from the closet at his uncle's house, he is still that little boy living in the closet until he sees the piles of Galleons in Gringotts vault.

Harry quickly opened up to Tyella, who had a similar background, and poured out everything he had just learned from Hagrid about the wizarding world and his parents.

And Harry's miserable life at his aunt and uncle's house over the past decade.

Although Tiera already knew these things from the Harry Potter books and movies, she still pretended to be cooperative and interested.

"There are quite a few things to buy in the admission letter..." Tiera exclaimed.

“Yes, Hagrid will take us to buy it tomorrow morning, and I can’t wait,” Harry said excitedly.

"Harry, do you...have money?"

“Money, money… I, I don’t have any.” Harry said with a droopy face. “Uncle Dursley certainly won’t give me money to go to magic school.”

"Don't worry about Harry." After saying that, Tierra jumped off the bed, opened the third drawer of her desk in the dark, took out an old leather bag, and placed it in front of Harry by the moonlight streaming in through the skylight.

"What is this?" Harry shook it and heard a metallic clanging sound coming from inside.

“Money.” Tierra said, opening the leather bag and pouring out a dozen banknotes neatly arranged in ascending order of denomination, and a few gleaming gold coins.

Harry's eyes seemed to be glued to the screen; he had never seen so much money in his life, whether it was the thick stack of banknotes or the somewhat old but gleaming gold coins.

"Tiera...this is..."

“Money, Harry, this is the money I saved up after I ran away from the orphanage when I was six,” Tierra said.

The bag contained about £1,100 in banknotes, a thick bundle of £10, £20 and £50 notes, which he had saved over the years from working in restaurants and performing "magic" on the street.

This money was originally saved for his plane ticket after he turned twelve and reached the age where he could fly alone.

If this world and the world he traveled to are parallel worlds, he still has many relatives in his homeland and owns a property. Even if he goes back to live with many families, it would still be better than being a lonely wanderer in a foreign land.

But an acceptance letter from Hogwarts offered him another option. "Hopefully, this money will cover our tuition," Tierra said.

“Wait, Tyella, what about our tuition?” Harry asked, somewhat shocked.

“Yes, Harry, we need to pay your tuition. If you don’t have the money, I can help you. I’ve saved up some money from working all these years, well… much better than you. If it’s not enough… if it’s not enough… I’ll have to sell these few gold coins.” Tierra’s face showed a sad expression, and then she said reluctantly, “These few gold coins are the only things my parents left me.”

“Oh no, Tyella, I can’t take this money. This money…” Harry quickly refused.

“No, Harry, we’re friends, aren’t we?” Tyella said. “Friends should help each other.”

“But Tiera, this…this is too much, I…I can’t repay it…”

No, you still have to pay, Tierra thought to herself.

“I don’t want you to pay me back,” Tierra said. “I’ve always wanted a good friend since I was a child, ever since the orphanage…”

Then Tierra recounted her tragic experiences, embellishing them as she went: losing her parents at a young age, being bullied in the orphanage, and even going hungry after finally escaping to the streets, sometimes even fighting with stray dogs for food, until she met a kind Chinese woman...

Of course, the middle part of the story is made up. Although Tierra was only six years old when she escaped from the orphanage, she was able to get along very well with the small group of homeless children thanks to her adult mindset. The stories of going hungry or fighting with stray dogs for food were completely fabricated.

In fact, at that time, Tierra had already gathered a dozen or so homeless children from the streets of London into an organized and disciplined group. They helped gangs and thugs in the old and lower parts of London to pass messages or move contraband. Occasionally, they would also organize premeditated fraud or theft.

Driven by the necessities of life, when he couldn't find work for the first two months, Tierra had all the edges of a scholar he had in his previous life worn down. This transformation, which involved abandoning his conscience, was the only truly difficult experience in Tierra's wandering life.

But this only stems from mental torment and self-reproach, not material hardship.

Those months of wandering left Tierra with many dark thoughts in her heart.

Only children dwell on past sad experiences and wallow in self-pity.

Adults should learn to exploit other people's sympathy to gain sufficient benefits.

Harry ultimately refused Tierra's pounds and gold coins, but Tierra's heartfelt help was enough to move him to tears. He lay in bed that night, his nose twitching, clearly crying silently under the covers.

This made Tiera feel a slight sense of guilt.

He didn't genuinely want to help Harry; even though Harry was the protagonist of his favorite movie and novel series from his past life, it didn't make him want to help him without reservation.

Tyrell wanted Harry's help.

It wasn't just Harry's money, but also his connections and his fame.

In his past life, he read those cultivation novels, and the four essential elements of wealth, companionship, magic, and location were indispensable.

The same applies to learning magic.

(End of this chapter)