"I... I..."
Tears welled up in Petunia's eyes, but the words caught in her throat.
Under Dudley's prompting, she was confronting her complicated feelings for the first time with such clarity.
She still envied her sister, envied her magical talent, envied the favoritism she received from their parents.
But she couldn't deny that it wasn't her sister's fault.
Lily had loved her, considered her an important part of the family.
And she, too, seemed to care about Lily and Lily's son.
"Vernon, I'm sorry."
Petunia took the handkerchief Dudley handed her and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Then, without preamble, she turned to her husband and spoke.
Vernon pulled Petunia into his arms. Though he was often slow to understand certain things, this time he instantly grasped his wife's meaning.
"I understand. It's nothing, my sweet. Whatever you say, I'll go along with it."
Vernon held Petunia, his large hand gently patting her shoulder as he murmured affectionately, his own eyes moist.
"Alright, you win, my boy," Vernon said with a hint of resignation, addressing Dudley and Harry. "Go ahead, let Harry go to that blasted magic school and learn how to wave a stupid stick around!"
Dudley suddenly felt a pang of guilt, but he knew this was just the growing pain on the path to a harmonious and loving family life.
Harry, on the other hand, looked even more awkward. Despite being granted permission to attend Hogwarts, he couldn't bring himself to feel happy.
They had never seen the Dursleys in this state before.
[Ding—]
[Due to the host's intervention, D-level regret event—'The Unspoken, Tangled Love'—has been unlocked ahead of time.]
[The Unspoken, Tangled Love (D-level): For a long time, Petunia Dursley had failed to confront her feelings of familial love for Harry. She had taken him in at great risk but raised him with cold words and only the bare minimum of care.
[In the original storyline, it wasn't until Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts, when the Order of the Phoenix moved the Dursleys to protect them from Voldemort and the Death Eaters, that Petunia truly wanted to accept Harry and wish him luck. However, she never managed to say it out loud.]
[After Petunia Dursley's death, Dudley, following his mother's last wishes, returned the blanket that had once wrapped baby Harry when he arrived at Privet Drive to Harry. But there were no additional words passed along.]
In the momentary silence, Dudley received the system notification.
He was a bit surprised. His original goal had only been to convince his parents to accept Harry and magic, but he hadn't expected to trigger a regret event ahead of time.
Though it was only the lowest D-level regret event, it was still an unexpected bonus.
From the event description, it was clear that the key to resolving this regret was getting Petunia to express her love and care for Harry out loud.
Given the current situation, Petunia was deeply moved. All that was needed now was the right opportunity.
Dudley already had an idea in mind, but seeing his emotionally shaken parents clinging to each other, he decided to hold off for now.
For the moment, he would stick to the original plan.
While the Dursleys had agreed to let Harry go to Hogwarts, Dudley's own desire to attend still needed to be addressed.
Better to get it all out in one go while his parents were emotionally vulnerable.
"Harry!" Dudley called out. "Go get an envelope, some paper, and a pen. Write a reply to Hogwarts. Bring it here, and I'll dictate what to write."
Harry snapped out of his daze and quickly followed Dudley's instructions, heading upstairs to his room to fetch the items.
While Harry was gone, Dudley turned to his parents with a hint of guilt.
"Mom, Dad, I might have been a bit harsh earlier, and I'm sorry if I upset you. But please believe me, I truly have our family's best interests at heart.
We can't resist the power of wizards and magic.
Dad, you mentioned we could move away, but you don't realize we've been under special observation all along. There's no escaping it.
That's why Dumbledore didn't mention things like 'Obscurials' or other details about wizard upbringing in his letter. They can monitor our family's movements and Harry's growth.
If something irreversible were about to happen, they could step in at any time."
"What?!" Petunia and Vernon were shocked once again.
At that moment, Harry returned with the writing materials.
Dudley didn't hold back, continuing his explanation: "Take our kind neighbor, Mrs. Figg, for example. She lives two streets away but still goes out of her way to befriend us.
And all those clever cats she keeps? They're not just pets. They're eyes, watching us."
Dudley's words made the Dursleys and Harry instinctively glance out the window.
"It's Tibbles and Mr. Paws!"
Harry quickly spotted the two cats lounging at the corner, licking their paws while sneaking glances at the Dursley house. Both were Mrs. Figg's beloved pets.
"How dare they..." Petunia's anger flared, her sharp tongue returning.
"Of course they dare!" Dudley said with absolute certainty. "Without power, we're at their mercy. Whether their intentions are good or bad, we can't refuse."
Harry, sitting back down with the paper and pen, suddenly connected the dots.
"Cousin, those strange people who used to bow to me outside... could they also be..."
"Exactly!" Dudley gave Harry an approving look. "They were wizards, likely Dumbledore's people, stationed nearby to protect you and keep an eye on us.
Mr. Diggle, the one who brought me the wizard books, spoke highly of Dumbledore during our conversations."
Silence fell over the family once more.
Vernon's face showed a mix of fear and disgust, which he quickly suppressed.
Petunia looked lost, her eyes distant.
Harry felt a strange sensation, one that didn't sit well with him.
"Don't overthink it! Overthinking only brings unnecessary trouble!" Dudley snapped everyone out of their thoughts, then turned to Harry. "Harry, write the letter!
Tell Dumbledork to send someone knowledgeable about the wizarding world on July 31st, your birthday, to guide you in purchasing the items listed in the letter for learning magic.
Emphasize that I will be accompanying you the entire time."
"Yes, cousin!" Harry began scribbling the letter.
"Duddykins, it's too dangerous! You don't need to go along!" Petunia instinctively worried for her son.
"No, I must go! Not only will I accompany Harry to the wizarding world to buy his supplies, but I'll also strive to attend Hogwarts with him!"
Dudley's tone was unshakable, leaving no room for argument.
Petunia was instantly reminded of the time she had written to Dumbledore, asking to attend Hogwarts like Lily.
"Dudley, they won't take you! Hogwarts only accepts... special children like Harry."
"Where there's a will, there's a way, Mom!"