Chapter -26.
"I! Harry Potter! Will never go to Hogwarts!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, the room went completely quiet. The Dursleys looked shocked, and even Dumbledore and the tabby cat seemed frozen in surprise.
It was such a surprising statement—what would happen if the hero of the magical world decided not to join it?
If it were just the Dursleys disagreeing, it would be easy to brush off their opinions, but Harry's own feelings were a different story.
Only Dudley, after getting over his initial shock, felt a little thrill of happiness.
This little brother, who had always been quiet and never shared his thoughts, had finally spoken up for himself!
Dudley looked at Harry with a proud grin; his little brother was finally growing up.
Wait, something felt a bit off?
Dumbledore, who had been nursing a headache after hearing Hagrid's report the day before, now felt a throb at his temples. Instead of responding to Harry, he quickly apologized: "I'm really sorry for the way Hagrid spoke to your family. Please know that we mean no harm."
His words seemed to have a calming effect, slowly easing Harry's agitation.
"Could we go inside to chat?"
Dumbledore directed this to Dudley.
From Hagrid's story, he understood that while the Dursleys appeared to be in charge, it was really their child who held the power.
"Of course, Headmaster."
As the saying goes, you shouldn't pick a fight with someone who's being nice to you. If Hagrid hadn't been so rude to Vernon, Dumbledore wouldn't have had to deal with him. Plus, he really didn't want to tangle with this old man with a long white beard.
Then Dudley paused, looking a bit confused. "We?"
Suddenly, the tabby cat next to Dumbledore grew larger, transforming into a serious-looking lady.
Dumbledore quickly introduced her: "This is Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor House and also the Transfiguration professor."
"Hello, Professor McGonagall."
Dudley greeted her politely, his eyes wide with wonder. "That's amazing! Is this what you call magic?"
"Hello, Mr. Dursley." McGonagall appreciated his respectful tone and replied, "Yes, this is a form of magic."
Dumbledore couldn't help but notice how well Dudley was handling the situation.
They all moved into the Dursleys' living room.
Petunia sat on the sofa, looking a bit uncomfortable. After all, she had written to Dumbledore several times hoping to attend Hogwarts, only to be turned down each time.
Vernon, on the other hand, wore a grumpy expression, mumbling to himself. He didn't recognize Dumbledore, but thought of him as just a crazy old man. The serious-looking Professor McGonagall made him feel a bit uneasy.
The atmosphere was a bit tense.
Dumbledore broke the silence: "Harry, can you tell me why you don't want to go to Hogwarts?"
This was an important question.
For an ordinary young wizard, not wanting to go would be just fine.
But for Harry Potter, the savior of the magical world, not attending Hogwarts would be a big deal.
Feeling the weight of Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall's gazes on him made Harry feel even more pressure.
After all, he was just an eleven-year-old kid, and it was already a big step for him to express his feelings.
"Because then I can't go to school with Dudley!"
When Dumbledore heard this, he glanced at Dudley for a moment, then exchanged a relieved look with Professor McGonagall.
'Thank goodness Hagrid didn't go overboard.' — McGonagall.
'I didn't expect Dudley to have such a close bond with Harry.' — Dumbledore.
"We promised to go to Smeltings together," Harry insisted.
Going to school with Dudley was Harry's biggest wish. If he had to go alone, even if Hogwarts was amazing, he wouldn't want to go.
"Harry, if that's the case, you don't need to worry."
Professor McGonagall softened her expression and said gently, "Because your brother, Dudley Dursley, is also one of our new students this year."
Dumbledore then turned to Dudley: "Mr. Dursley, you should have received that letter, right?"
"What? Dudley? Oh my goodness!" Petunia suddenly jumped up from the sofa, exclaiming in a rather unrefined way.
Going to Hogwarts was her biggest dream.
"I gave birth to a wizard?"
Parents often project their unfulfilled dreams onto their children; it's a common reaction. If Dudley could go to Hogwarts, it would, in a way, fulfill Petunia's dream that she never got to achieve.
Realizing she had lost her composure, Petunia awkwardly sat back down, her feelings all mixed up.
If only Harry were going to Hogwarts, she would definitely oppose it, but if Dudley could go too, Petunia found herself hesitating for a moment.
People can be so contradictory sometimes.
This is understandable; Petunia's feelings towards Lily were a mix of sisterly concern and jealousy over Lily going to Hogwarts alone.
This led her to treat Harry poorly while he stayed with the Dursleys, giving Dudley all the good things and making Harry feel left out.
Luckily, Dudley acted as a buffer; otherwise, Harry would have felt even more mistreated.
But that doesn't mean she didn't care about Harry. The ancient protection spell that Lily cast was based on "love." Without that bond of blood or "love," the spell wouldn't have worked.
In fact, it can be summed up with a saying: "Worried that the brother suffers, yet more worried that the brother drives a Land Rover."
That's just human nature.
"Is this the letter you're talking about?" Dudley pulled out a letter that was burned so badly it only had a corner left, placing it on the table. "Unfortunately, it looked like this when I found it."
Dudley wasn't sure if he could go to Hogwarts; the magician's physique of Shinji Matou and his 0.8 magic power value looked really painful.
"Oh, my Merlin. It was burned like this."
Professor McGonagall took out her wand and gently tapped the nearly destroyed letter.
With a whoosh, it magically returned to its original state.
With a flick of her wand, she could do what ordinary people couldn't, even fixing broken things.
"How cool!"
Dudley looked at the restored letter, and this time he could clearly read what it said.
"Dear Mr. Dursley: We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
The letter was real.
Even though he tried to stay calm, Dudley couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement inside.
"Mr. Dursley," Dumbledore said, looking at Dudley again. His deep blue eyes were sharp and bright, full of wisdom: "I've heard from Mrs. Figg that you're really interested in the wizarding world and magic. Do you want to attend Hogwarts?"
"I'm officially inviting you on behalf of Hogwarts."
Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.
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