Chapter 2
"Gulp."
Upon hearing that name, several individuals felt a chill in their throats and swallowed hard.
That name was a forbidden topic that absolutely could not be spoken of at St. George's Primary School.
The three experienced a shiver run through them, and they all trembled.
"Did I hear someone mentioning me?"
A very soft voice echoed, but to the ears of the four, it sounded like thunder.
A hand emerged from around the corner of the wall, and a massive shadow seemed to exhale white smoke, gradually obscuring the sunlight above the three.
The three, who had just been so arrogant in front of Harry, now felt their throats dry up.
How to describe the other individual?
Even just the arm was thicker than their thighs.
Based solely on physique, this was undoubtedly a strong man, but the youthful face indicated that he was still a child, making his robust build give the impression of confronting a hulking giant.
If one were to characterize it, the style was entirely different from theirs.
Just standing there radiated a suffocating sense of oppression.
Harvey swallowed hard; he didn't recognize the other individual, but that distinctive physique made him realize the person's identity.
The other individual displayed a very 'gentle' smile.
However, such a simple smile instilled a sense of fear from the depths of their hearts in the three.
Dudley Dursley, a boy whose name alone could silence children's night cries.
"What are you going to do to my dear cousin?"
His gaze swept over the three, making them feel as if they were being targeted by a natural enemy, or perhaps it was not an illusion.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing, sir."
The three responded in unison, even using honorifics.
"That's good. I don't like violence or trouble."
Dudley smiled and nodded, showing the three a smile he deemed refined.
The three felt another wave of fear.
He approached Harry and placed the black-framed glasses back on his face, and when he noticed the faint red fingerprints on Harry's face, his expression darkened.
"Slap yourself."
Dudley turned his head and said to the three without emotion.
"Harder, I don't want to repeat myself."
That suffocating sense of oppression hit them directly, as if their hearts were being tightly squeezed by the other individual.
Rather than confronting a person, it felt more like facing a beast.
At least that's how Harvey and the others perceived it.
Slap, slap, slap..
The sharp sound of self-slapping resonated.
No one could question Dudley's command, and no one could negotiate in front of him.
Regardless of the request, it was best to comply with his words.
After a few slaps, their faces immediately swelled up.
It was evident that they were genuinely hitting themselves hard.
They didn't dare to be half-hearted, nor did they dare to stop.
Until their faces swelled up like pigs', Dudley finally asked Harry, "Are you satisfied? Harry?"
"Very satisfied!" Harry nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice.
Dudley then nodded in satisfaction and gestured, "That's enough."
Upon hearing Dudley's words, the three finally dared to cease.
In unnecessary situations, Dudley preferred not to resort to violence; he insisted that he was an easygoing person.
You see, they are the ones slapping themselves; it has nothing to do with me, Dudley Dursley.
He took the baguette from Harry, ready to enjoy it, but noticed the bite marks at the end and frowned again: "Who touched my lunch?"
Just a simple question made the three tremble like leaves in the wind, especially the short and chubby one, who was nearly in tears.
Guess why Dudley is called the Food Protector?
Still, Jim gathered the courage to say, "Please let me explain, there was a misunderstanding."
"I don't want to hear about any misunderstanding."
Dudley displayed a set of white teeth: "I just want to know when you're going to repay my brother the 4 pounds you owe him?"
Seemingly oblivious, he actually understood everything.
These few just wanted to 'borrow' some money from Harry, which was not unusual at St. George's Primary School, or rather, quite common in most primary schools.
Little bullies and thugs exist in every school.
Just as he stated, he 'didn't like trouble.'
Since you want to 'borrow,' then I'll 'lend' it to you; whether you return it is my concern, and whether you repay is the other party's concern.
Harry's glasses just happened to need replacing.
The nonsensical words left the three stunned, but Jim reacted the quickest.
"We'll pay you back in a week, sir."
"Give it! Even if we have to steal it, we must get it."
"Three days later." Dudley disdainfully tore off the part of the baguette that was covered in someone else's saliva: "And I want compensation for my bread. Also—"
As he spoke, Dudley scrutinized Harry's face again: "One slap is £1.5, so you all owe us brothers a total of £9.15, thank you."
Divided among the three, that's about £3.05 each.
For a poor student, that represented a significant amount.
The short, chubby boy twitched his lips, wanting to say something, but then saw Dudley gloomily biting into the baguette that had nearly knocked out his teeth, making crunching sounds as if he were eating something crispy. In that moment, the short boy thought of his own fingers and some restricted bloody scenes, swallowing the words back down.
As for the three of them teaming up to beat him up?
Don't be absurd.
Just look at those muscular arms that resembled small mountains.
Could three rabbits take on a brown bear?
It's not that no one wanted to teach Dudley a lesson; they even contacted the local school's delinquents, but the outcome was that they all ended up in the hospital.
"Dudley not only faced no consequences but even received praise from the school."
"Bravery in the face of danger."
"Go to hell with that bravery."
Just look at Dudley's broad, solid arms; the three of them unconsciously swallowed again. An arm cannot compete with a thigh.
They heard that Dudley won the Southeastern Junior Heavyweight Inter-School Boxing Championship in the third grade.
What does that imply?
This competition is generally only open to high school students, and Dudley not only participated but also won the championship.
Even if they tied all three of them together, they wouldn't be able to withstand a single punch.
Under Dudley's large bites, a baguette was quickly consumed, and he handed the part he had just torn off to the short, chubby boy: "Don't waste food, eat this."
The short, chubby boy didn't dare to resist, taking it with tears and putting it in his mouth. He bit down hard, and with a 'crack,' a tooth fell out.
Tears streaming down his face, blood filling his mouth, combined with his pig-headed appearance, it was a pitiful sight.
'Is he eating stones? It must be.' Jim and Harvey thought simultaneously, gaining a new understanding of Dudley's terror.
At that moment, Dudley paused slightly, his previously furrowed brows relaxing, and a somewhat simple-minded smile spread across his face.
However, in the eyes of the trio, that smile had nothing to do with simplicity; it was definitely a devilish grin.
'He wouldn't have another idea, would he?'
'I really can't pull out a pound! Not a penny left.'
'Mom, I'll never dare again.'
They didn't even dare to voice their doubts, only silently praying in their hearts.
Dudley naturally wouldn't be so bored as to continue extorting a few poor students; he had heard a notification sound in his ear.
"Rescue the young savior Harry Potter, reward a physical lottery draw."