Chapter 9.
Square and fluffy with a furry exterior, it had four round, bright yellow eyes, along with a row of sharp teeth revealing its gums.
Instead of resembling a book, it appeared more like a type of monster.
Nonetheless, Dudley instantly recognized it as a book.
This was due to the large, attention-grabbing golden letters embossed on it that read: "The Monster Book of Monsters."
Although he had long been aware of Harry Potter's magical abilities and had desired to enter that magical realm, this was the first time he had witnessed such a sight, or rather, the first time Dudley had encountered anything related to magic since arriving in this world.
If Kanou Shinji's magician physique counted, then it would be the second instance.
Just as Dudley was taken aback, the peculiar book seemed to notice him, abandoning its chase of the cats and swiftly lunging toward Dudley, baring its sharp teeth.
In response, Snowball's fur stood on end, making her appear fluffier, and while huffing at the strange book, she emitted a high-pitched scream.
She was warning the strange book.
Unfortunately, Snowball's warning had no effect, and the strange book continued to charge rapidly toward Dudley.
Snowball was frightened by the strange book, but she remained by Dudley's side, her claws extending from beneath her paw pads, prepared to fight fiercely.
'Hey, how do you handle this? Cast a spell or something? But I don't know how.'
Dudley attempted to find a solution, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed a cat lying motionless on the ground.
It was the fourth cat, Tiddles.
Was Tiddles hurt or dead?
In any case, it was undoubtedly the work of this strange book.
Dudley had always liked cats, and after spending time with the four cats, he had grown very fond of them.
Anger welled up in his heart.
"Forget it, I'll just handle it my way." With that, Dudley rolled up his sleeves.
As he watched the strange book approach, he stepped forward and swung his fist.
With incredible speed, he accurately struck the strange book.
The dull sound of a heavy object hitting the ground resonated, as if a strong man had slammed a hammer down, causing the entire room to tremble slightly.
Then silence enveloped the world.
It was with such a punch that Dudley had once defeated someone who claimed to be the strongest boxer in all of England.
Dudley slowly withdrew his fist from the cover of the strange book, which lay quietly on the ground, completely still.
"Let's see you act fierce again?" Dudley pinched the spine of the strange book with one hand and shook it.
At that moment, the strange book had become very docile, limp, and it even extended two ribbon-like tongues.
If those were indeed tongues.
'Could it be that I knocked it out with one punch?'
Seeing the strange book motionless, Dudley couldn't help but ponder.
'I remember I only used a third of my strength.'
'What if it really died? How would I make amends?'
Just as Dudley was lost in thought, a gasp came from outside the door.
"Oh, my Merlin, what on earth happened?"
Mrs. Figg, still clutching a basket of groceries, rushed in in a panic. Observing the disheveled room as if a thief had broken in, her expression shifted slightly as she asked Dudley,
"Little Dudley, what happened?"
Her tone was filled with more skepticism than curiosity.
To be honest, Mrs. Figg's demeanor was already quite good.
Imagine if you agreed to help your neighbor watch their children, even trusting them with a key to your home, but one day...At the very least, Vernon definitely wouldn't be so composed.
"Mrs. Figg, I thought a thief had broken into the house." Dudley shook the strange book in his hand: "This guy killed Tiddles."
Mrs. Figg pointed at a cat that had 'just happened to pass by' with confusion: "Isn't Tiddles over there just fine?"
In fact, when she saw the 'Monsters' Monster Book' in Dudley's hand, her pupils constricted, and her heart raced a few beats.
'Damn, Tiddles was just playing dead.'
Just as Dudley was at a loss for words, unsure of how to explain, Snowy lightly ran to Mrs. Figg's feet.
"Meow meow meow (first tone) meow meow meow (first tone) meow meow meow (second tone)."
This was a tone Dudley had never heard before; he didn't even know cats could produce such varied sounds.
A magical scene unfolded once more.
"So that's how it is, Snowy." Accompanied by Snowy's meows, Mrs. Figg even nodded at Snowy from time to time, as if she understood.
Turning to Dudley with an apologetic expression, she said, "Sorry, dear. I misjudged you. Thank you for helping them."
Dudley didn't care whether she apologized or not; the important thing was
'Mrs. Figg can understand what Snowy is saying?'
'She understands cat language?'
'Could Mrs. Figg be a witch?'
Dudley's eyes brightened, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm his excited heart.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind in an instant, and he displayed a somewhat hesitant yet curious expression: "Mrs. Figg, may I ask if you are like Harry?"
"My parents always refer to Harry as the 'boy who lived'; sometimes he can do things that ordinary people can't."
"I once overheard them privately refer to those things as... magic."
Dudley's words caught Mrs. Figg off guard, but upon reflection, it made sense. Growing up with a natural-born wizard, he must have witnessed more than one unexplainable magical phenomenon. Magical surges were something every little wizard would experience, especially since Dudley was a clever child.
After contemplating for a moment, Mrs. Figg said, "You're very smart, dear."
"Is there really magic?"
"Then can you teach me? I... also want to learn magic."
Dudley's reaction was akin to that of a child who had just discovered that magic existed in the world, filled with a thirst for the unknown and a desire for knowledge.
"I'm sorry, dear. I can't."
Mrs. Figg shook her head regretfully: "Actually, telling you doesn't matter; you'll find out sooner or later, after all, you're that child's brother."
Mrs. Figg took a deep breath and said seriously, "I am like Harry, yet also different."
For the first time, someone was sharing the wonders of this world with Dudley. Along with Mrs. Figg's narration, information about the magical world that had previously been inaccessible gradually unfolded before Dudley's eyes.
A world filled with enchanting magic.
In the 'Harry Potter' universe, people can generally be categorized into three groups: wizards, Muggles, and Squibs.
Wizards are, of course, spellcasters and sorcerers, and the famous Harry Potter belongs to this category.
Muggles are those with no connection to magic; the original Dudley Dursley was one of them.
As for Squibs, they are born into wizarding families but cannot learn magic. Mrs. Figg is a Squib, a category that is neither a wizard nor a Muggle.
However, unlike true Muggles, they cannot cast spells, but they do possess some special abilities compared to ordinary Muggles.
One of these abilities is Mrs. Figg's capacity to communicate with cats, which some wizards do not have.
Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.