Chapter -83.
As Dursley passed along the news, he casually remarked, "Not bad! He's got a knack for potions, just like Lily."
Snape, sounding a bit impatient, seemed hesitant to chat about Dudley with Dumbledore. "Maybe he'll inherit all my potion knowledge and even go on to do great things, like becoming the Minister of Magic. Who knows?"
"But Albus, let's not spoil him too much. A potion like Veritaserum shouldn't be misused, even by an Auror, let alone a first-year student at Hogwarts."
Dumbledore, in contrast to Snape's seriousness, was much more cheerful. He popped a couple of candies into his mouth and winked at Snape.
"Severus, you said it yourself—he's just a child. No one would believe a first-year wizard could brew Veritaserum. And honestly, I think Hogwarts could use a little shake-up."
"And speaking of spoiling, you're the one doing it!"
Snape didn't respond, just snorted and waved his black robe dismissively. "If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
Once Snape left, Dumbledore stayed behind, mulling over Dudley's comments.
"What a unique idea!"
The thought of merging the four houses had its merits, but he knew it wouldn't be easy. Then he remembered Dudley's point about teaching without bias.
"If Slytherin had a different vibe, maybe Tom wouldn't have..."
Who knows how things could have turned out?
"Headmasters, what do you think?" Dumbledore asked the portraits of past headmasters hanging above him.
"A remarkable young wizard; he really gets it," said an old witch with long silver curls, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Doris Devont, who had been both headmaster and a renowned healer.
"Merging the four houses is indeed a bold idea," chimed Armando Dippet, the headmaster before Dumbledore, with a thin face and white hair.
"Albus, his ideas are even more imaginative than yours, and he's quite daring. How did the Sorting Hat put him in Gryffindor?" His tone was filled with appreciation for Dudley.
"Hey, you just praised his ideas; what would be left of Gryffindor if the houses merged?" a portrait retorted.
"He has ambition; I see it. Truly a Slytherin," said Phineas Nigellus Black, the only Slytherin headmaster in Hogwarts history, known for being quite unpopular.
"Shut it, Phineas!" The other headmasters quickly pulled him away, still arguing about Slytherin's glory.
"He's not wrong; I think we should consider a disciplinary committee," said a pale-faced wizard with short black bangs.
Everard, a well-respected figure in Hogwarts history.
"Albus, he's right; you should really think about it."
"I know, I know," Dumbledore nodded, lost in thought.
"Oh dear, it's getting late! I wonder if the skeleton band has arrived; it's time to get ready for the feast."
The Great Hall was decked out in colorful Halloween decorations, with bats fluttering on the walls and ceiling, and more swirling like dark clouds above the dining tables, making the candle flames in the pumpkins flicker and dance.
The festive atmosphere was palpable, except for the fact that one first-year student was missing from the Gryffindor table.
"Dudley, are you okay?" Hermione and the others rushed over to him, surprised to see him back.
They looked around, checking if he seemed off in any way.
"Did Professor Dumbledore give you a hard time?"
Dudley playfully ruffled Hermione's hair. "Of course not! I told you, we're justified."
Justified all around.
Well, not just reason, but also physics.
He patted Harry and Ron on the shoulders. "Ron, thanks for stepping up when it mattered."
"No, I... I didn't do anything," Ron replied, feeling a bit shy about the praise. Then he suddenly brightened up. "Mr. Dursley, you got my name right!"
Usually, everyone mispronounced his name, except for Harry in the past.
But now, there was one more.
"Don't call me Mr. Dursley. If you want, you can call me D-bro like Harry does."
As soon as he said that, Harry felt a bit annoyed, but it quickly faded.
"Okay, D-bro," Ron said, grinning.
"D-bro, I think I need to step up my training; I don't want to feel useless like I did today."
"Definitely! It should be more than just physical training."
"Starting tomorrow, I'll take some time to teach you spells."
Dudley had plenty of theoretical knowledge to share with Harry and the others.
After all, the discipline group couldn't just be him, right?
"Really?" Harry and Ron exclaimed, their faces lighting up.
Dudley's impressive display earlier had truly amazed them.
Suddenly, Dudley turned to Neville, who was sitting alone on a bench. "Mr. Longbottom, if you're interested, let's meet at the Hogwarts gate at seven tomorrow morning."
He sincerely invited Neville, adding, "You've got the perfect build for some exercise."
"Really? Are you serious?" Neville stammered, clearly surprised.
Dudley nodded. "Of course, if you're up for it."
"I'm in!" Neville quickly replied, eager to join Dudley's circle.
After spending a little more time at the Gryffindor table, Dudley made his way back to the Slytherin table as the feast was about to begin.
At the Slytherin table, Dudley was mostly flanked by Malfoy and his two sidekicks.
To be fair, Malfoy wanted to be near Dudley, while Crabbe and Goyle were just along for the ride, looking nervous and pale, as if they were bracing for something scary.
"Why are you so scared of me? I'm not going to eat you," Dudley said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
As soon as he said that, the two boys trembled even more.
Malfoy seemed to catch on and quietly explained to Dudley.
Whether or not he actually ate people was up for debate; it was unclear where the rumor came from that Dudley had made Gryffindor students turn on each other with just one spell.
The empty benches at the Gryffindor table were proof of that.
This only made the little Slytherin wizards admire Dudley even more.
Those who were already scared of him became even more so.
Shortly after Dudley settled in at the Slytherin table, the professors began to take their seats, and with Dumbledore's announcement, the feast officially kicked off.
Dudley casually grabbed a lamb chop, took a bite, and ended up with just the bone. He chewed while saying, "Honestly, if you hang out with me, you'll find I'm pretty approachable and quite refined."
"Right, Draco?"
Called out by Dudley, Malfoy offered a half-hearted response that even he didn't believe.
"Uh, yes, D-bro."
***
Tl/N: If you want to read more [upto 15 chapters] while supporting me, you can join me on patreon.com/EmptyThoughts ;Thanks.
*****
Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.