Chapter 21:
At that moment, Harry couldn't help but think his rather hefty uncle was pretty cool, and a warm feeling bubbled up inside him.
But then, a troubling thought crept in: 'Is Hogwarts somehow linked to my parents' deaths? Did they have an accident there?'
"You just don't get it, do you, Dursleys? You really don't!" Hagrid was fuming, pacing the room like an angry bear. "Protection? What are you going to use to protect him? That little iron stick?"
"Dursley! Listen up! This kid is different from you! He's meant to be part of that world!"
"Meant to be part of that world?" Vernon was getting more and more worked up, practically shouting, "You really think he belongs there?!"
"If you keep saying he belongs there, then why don't you and your friends just let him stay there? Why didn't you take care of him? You just left him on our doorstep for eleven years with nothing but a letter?!"
"We treat him like family now, and you still insist he belongs to that world?! Trying to take him away from us!"
All of Hagrid's frustration spilled out as he pointed at Vernon, his voice shaking: "Don't you think that's just plain cruel?"
"Say what you want, Petunia and I are Harry's legal guardians, and we absolutely won't let him go to that awful place."
For the first time, Vernon didn't call Harry a freak; he actually used his name.
At that moment, Petunia wrapped her arms tightly around Harry, as if afraid someone would snatch him away. It was the first time she had hugged him like this, and he heard her softly whisper, "I won't let them take you away from me."
Harry's heart swelled with warmth, and he felt a little teary.
Held in her embrace, he took in Petunia's scent, wanting to remember it forever.
This was what a mother felt like. It was a mother's scent.
Harry had never known a mother's love, but in that moment, he felt it.
Just like Dudley said, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon did love him, and that thought made him feel even more secure.
"Legal protection? What good is Muggle law?!" Hagrid scoffed, completely dismissing the laws of the empire: "If I want to take him away right now, can you stop me? I'm taking him to Hogwarts; that's what Professor Dumbledore asked me to do."
"I won't let you take him! And I won't let that crazy old fool teach him to be another little madman! Not after what happened!"
Hagrid's anger flared, and he grabbed Vernon by the collar, lifting him off the ground like he was a feather, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to gobble him up: "You will NOT insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me!"
To Hagrid, Dumbledore was his hero, the person he admired most.
Vernon's feet dangled in the air, his face turning red as he struggled to breathe. He fought hard, but he was no match for Hagrid's strength.
Just as Hagrid was about to teach Vernon a lesson he wouldn't forget, a strong hand gripped his wrist.
"What do you think you're doing, big guy?"
It was Dudley.
With a firm push, he forced Hagrid's hand down a bit, letting Vernon's feet touch the ground again.
The pressure eased up a little.
"You're a lot more interesting than you look, you big oaf." Hagrid chuckled, impressed by Dudley's strength, and let go of Vernon, turning his attention to Dudley. "So, what do you want to do, big guy?"
Even though he kept calling Dudley a big oaf, to Hagrid, Dudley, who was 180 cm tall, looked like a kid.
"Breaking and entering, damaging property, making threats, and even attacking someone." Dudley said, "You know, if my dad had pulled a gun from the start, you'd be the one lying on the ground."
Hagrid laughed like he'd heard the funniest joke: "Come on, you big oaf. A Muggle's iron stick can't hurt me at all."
'Is this the fifth time he's called Dudley that?' Harry thought, giving Hagrid a mental high-five for standing up to Dudley. So far, everyone who had crossed Dudley verbally had ended up in the hospital. Just like Dudley often said,
"Reading is calmly talking to fools, while exercising is letting the fool talk to you."
The fools who couldn't keep their cool had all ended up on the ground.
Dudley shook his head.
Wizards really could be arrogant; even a half-blood like Hagrid, who had been expelled, felt superior to Muggles.
While he longed for magic, he didn't like that sense of superiority.
Shouldn't wizards have a sense of respect for things they didn't understand?
Plus, firearms were no joke.
At that moment, Dudley channeled all his energy into upgrading his skills.
Firearms LV2.
"Even if you have a spell that can heal all injuries, if I shoot you in the head, I don't believe you can come back from that."
Just look at the world of Fate; magician killers are a real thing, and the number of wizards who get taken out each year is hard to count.
After all, our great Xun Ge'er once said: "When someone is killed, they should stay dead."
"If a special guest arrives, we treat them like VIPs. If an unwelcome guest shows up, we've got a big stick ready!"
Hagrid didn't get it: "What are you talking about?"
Dudley's words had a hint of his own world's context, so it was no surprise Hagrid, who wasn't
well-educated, didn't understand.
"Task: Defeat the half-blood giant, reward: random magic skill."
The system prompt chimed in his ear at just the right moment.
Not wanting to explain to Hagrid, Dudley picked up the rifle Hagrid had tossed aside and weighed it in his hand: "Want to give it a try?"
As he spoke, a golden spark of electricity flickered in his palm; that was the power of Ripple
Energy, and the rifle, which had been bent, straightened out as if by magic.
This was the first time he showed off his extraordinary powers in front of his parents, but he didn't care.
The dark muzzle of the rifle was aimed at Hagrid.
"Eat this!"
Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.
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