Chapter -66.
Everyone was taken aback, but Harry thought it was totally normal. After all, he had never seen Dudley struggle with a cat before!
Dudley had a special knack for cats. Whether it was how he petted them or just his overall vibe, cats seemed to adore him. Any cat would happily flop down at Dudley's feet, showing off its belly.
As for Dudley chatting with cats, Harry figured it was just as normal as his own ability to talk to snakes. Dudley wasn't a cat whisperer; he just had a magical connection with them.
Take Mrs. Norris, for example. She wasn't your average cat; she had been with Filch for twenty years and showed no signs of aging. There was definitely something magical about her!
After giving Mrs. Norris some love, Dudley reached into his little pouch and pulled out a small bottle. In a flash, Mrs. Norris perked up, her eyes glued to the bottle in Dudley's hand.
Inside were some tasty fish treats—homemade by Dudley himself! He had whipped them up while brewing potions during his downtime, using fish he caught at the Black Lake. Those fish were something special, probably thanks to the nearby Forbidden Forest.
With not many cats around the castle and most of them being cared for by the Ravenclaw girls, Dudley felt a bit out of place until he bumped into Mrs. Norris on his way back to the dorm after a late-night workout.
Most of the fish treats he made ended up as Mrs. Norris's midnight snack. When she was with Filch, she acted all aloof, but when he wasn't around, she was just like she was now—super friendly!
"Here you go, these fish treats are all yours!" Dudley said with a grin. "I'll whip up some fresh ones for you tomorrow!"
He gave Mrs. Norris a good scratch on the head while she gobbled up the treats in no time. Once she was done, she licked her paws and meowed a few times at Dudley.
"Alright, let's go! Mrs. Norris says she'll lead us back without getting caught."
With Mrs. Norris guiding the way, they felt pretty confident they could dodge Filch. The other little wizards exchanged glances—was this a bit of a rebellion?
Dudley raised an eyebrow, looking around as if challenging anyone to explain why they were sneaking around to the fourth floor.
Even if they were trying to lure Filch out, Dudley was ready to take him down before he even knew what hit him—at least in a friendly way!
Thanks to Mrs. Norris, their journey was smooth sailing, and they quickly reached the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Dudley imagined all sorts of things that could have happened, but it was like the universe was on their side tonight.
After watching Hermione and the others head inside, Dudley and Malfoy made their way back to the Slytherin common room. Once again, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and they got there even faster than before.
The next morning, Dudley was up bright and early. After powering through his workout—fifty push-ups, thirty barbell rows, twenty squats, and fifteen dumbbell presses—Harry and Malfoy showed up, with Hermione trailing behind. Even Ron made an appearance!
"It's still early, so let's kick things off with some warm-up exercises," Dudley suggested.
For Dudley, a warm-up was basically a mini workout! Malfoy finished first, followed by Harry, while Hermione kept up pretty well. Poor Ron, though? He barely made it through the first set before throwing in the towel.
"The rules are simple: it's one-on-one, and you can use any method to win until your opponent gives up or I declare a winner. Any questions?"
Harry and Malfoy nodded, pulling out their wands and glaring at each other like they were ready for a showdown.
"Are we really going to fight? Isn't that a bit much?" Hermione whispered, wanting to step in but unsure how.
"What's wrong with a little friendly competition? If they've got issues, a good brawl usually sorts things out," Dudley said with a shrug.
Boys often bond through a bit of roughhousing, after all!
"Don't worry, Hermione. We've got plenty of potions to keep things safe," Dudley reassured her.
Hermione just shook her head, thinking, 'Boys are so strange.'
What spells do first-year Hogwarts students learn? So far, Flitwick had only taught them three: the Wand-Lighting Charm, the Unlocking Charm (Alohomora), and "Aquasicut Fong!" [Tl : Made it on my own since there was no such spell]
Malfoy took the lead, waving his wand at Harry. A tiny spark flickered at the tip of his wand, and a few drops of murky liquid dribbled out, like a slow IV drip. It was as frustrating as trying to go to the bathroom but not being able to!
For the little wizards, casting spells was still a bit tricky. After all, not everyone is Hermione Granger!
Seeing Malfoy's lackluster spell, Harry jumped in, drawing his wand and aiming at Malfoy. "Aquasicut Fong!"
Harry's spell was a bit better, sending a thin stream of water arcing through the air and splashing right onto Malfoy's face.
Not to be outdone, Malfoy gathered his strength and waved his wand again, finally managing to spray water back at Harry.
They were pretty evenly matched in their spell-casting skills; Malfoy, having grown up in the wizarding world, didn't know many more spells than Harry. The Wand-Lighting Charm and the Unlocking Charm weren't exactly offensive spells, so "Aquasicut Fong" was their go-to.
They took turns casting spells, enjoying their playful water fight. But to Dudley, it looked more like a silly water gun battle!
Eventually, they realized that this wasn't going to hurt anyone, so they ditched their wands and charged at each other for some good old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat.
That's when Dudley's training really paid off! Harry, who had mostly just watched Dudley work out, struggled a bit, while Malfoy, who had at least done some training, held his own.
After a flurry of punches, Malfoy narrowly came out on top.
From that day on, Harry decided to join Dudley's training crew!
Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.
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