Time passed day by day, following its usual rhythm.
Nearly twenty days had gone by since the Dursleys had opened their hearts.
As early as July 8th, Dumbledore had replied to Harry's letter, stating that on Harry's birthday, Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, would come to 4 Privet Drive to take Harry and Dudley to purchase the necessary items for school.
Additionally, during this time, the Dursleys' attitude toward Harry had noticeably changed.
In the past, at Dudley's insistence, Harry had received material care almost on par with Dudley's. Vernon and Petunia had suppressed their tempers and tried their best to ignore Harry, avoiding excessive emotional abuse.
But this had not been out of genuine care; they had done it solely to avoid disappointing Dudley.
Now, however, Petunia's emotional barriers had been forcibly broken down by Dudley. She could finally recognize her feelings for Lily and Harry.
Though she still couldn't voice these feelings, her actions in daily life clearly showed a newfound affection for Harry.
For example, she now made a point to include Harry in family outings and even positioned him and Dudley front and center in family photos.
By Dudley's estimation, Petunia now treated Harry with about half the doting she reserved for him—and it came from the heart.
Vernon, who unconditionally adored his wife, followed suit, showing more warmth toward Harry.
This left Harry both shocked and delighted. He often pinched himself during the day to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
Dudley, too, was immensely satisfied with this new family dynamic. He had longed for such an atmosphere for years.
Of course, he didn't let himself get too caught up in it. He spent his free time mentally rehearsing the plan for Harry's birthday, considering possible complications and strategies to address them.
According to the system's standards, an eleventh birthday marked the end of childhood and the beginning of adolescence.
Therefore, on July 31, 1991—Harry's eleventh birthday—the S-rank regret event, The Dark Childhood of the Boy Who Lived, would be evaluated for rewards.
This reward was crucial to Dudley's plans.
This was also why Dudley had insisted that Harry specify in his reply to Dumbledore that someone should come early in the morning on that day.
Additionally, this timing aligned with the original story, when Hagrid took Harry to Diagon Alley. Sticking somewhat to the original plot might make Dudley's actions easier and smoother.
...
On the evening of July 28th, just over two days before Harry's birthday, something happened that filled Dudley with both surprise and satisfaction.
[Congratulations, host! You have successfully resolved the D-rank regret event: The Unspoken, Tangled Love!]
[Through nearly a decade of subtle influence, you have shaped Petunia Dursley's personality and emotional awareness. A heartfelt family conversation helped Petunia see her true feelings.
[At the same time, under your guidance, Harry Potter came to understand Aunt Petunia's feelings toward him.]
[Influenced by Petunia's recent change in attitude, Harry took the initiative to talk to her before his birthday, expressing his desire to understand his aunt and uncle and to truly become part of the Dursley family.]
[Petunia was moved by Harry's words, finally letting go of her inner turmoil. She subtly expressed her apologies to Harry and shared her hopes for a brighter family future.]
[This regret has been perfectly resolved.]
[Rewards issued: Fixed reward—D-rank magical item fusion opportunity x1.]
[Additional reward—D-rank magical item fusion opportunity x1.]
[Current inventory: D-rank magical item fusion opportunities x2.]
Lying on his bed in his bedroom, Dudley read the system notifications in his mind, a smile spreading across his face.
He had originally planned to nudge Harry the night before his birthday, suggesting that his cousin use the occasion of his upcoming birthday to give Petunia an opportunity to express her apologies and wishes, thereby bringing his childhood to a perfect close.
To his surprise, Harry had taken the initiative on his own, completing the task without any prompting.
It was a genuine delight!
Excited, Dudley turned on the light, got out of bed, and walked over to the small refrigerator in his room. He opened the door.
Inside the fridge, neatly arranged, were three packets of dark red blood.
As Dudley focused his attention on one of the packets, the system's identification information immediately appeared on the semi-transparent panel in front of him.
[Harry Potter's Magical Blood (E-rank)]
[Item Description: Venous blood drawn from the veins of the wizard Harry Potter, containing faint traces of magic and the essence of a mysterious protective enchantment.]
[Upon fusion, the host will gain an extremely weak and non-evolving wizard bloodline.]
[Additionally, due to the host's blood relation to Lily Potter and Harry Potter, fusion will also grant a weakened version of the ancient magic—Sacrificial Love.]
[This provides partial resistance and reflection against fatal attacks. Physical contact with someone harboring murderous intent toward the host will cause them to suffer partial backlash damage.]
Looking at the familiar description of the magical item, Dudley thought for a moment before closing the fridge door. He decided not to fuse the blood just yet.
Each of the three packets contained the same amount of blood. One packet was an E-rank magical item, so three packets combined would be equivalent to a D-rank magical item.
Fusing them would grant Dudley a weak, non-evolving wizard bloodline and the confidence to withstand a Killing Curse.
This would be a significant safeguard for the plan on Harry's birthday.
However, Dudley suspected that fusing the three packets of Harry's blood to become a minor wizard might cause his name to appear in the Book of Admittance at Hogwarts.
The Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance were powerful magical artifacts left by the four founders of Hogwarts.
The Quill of Acceptance automatically sensed whether babies born in Britain and Ireland possessed magical talent. If they did, it would write their names in the Book of Admittance.
This allowed Hogwarts to send out acceptance letters via owl when the child turned eleven.
At the same time, the Book of Admittance also served a supervisory role, ensuring that the children whose names were written by the Quill of Acceptance had sufficient magical potential, preventing Squibs from being admitted.
There was a saying in the wizarding world: "Whether a person can attend Hogwarts is decided the day they are born."
This was the work of the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance.
Dudley was currently a genuine Muggle, so his name wouldn't appear in the Book of Admittance. But if he fused the three packets of Harry's blood, that might change.
If Dumbledore, that old buzzard, noticed Dudley's name in the Book of Admittance and decided to visit 4 Privet Drive personally, it could seriously disrupt Dudley's plans.
Dudley was confident he could handle the half-giant Hagrid, but he had no illusions about pulling off any tricks under the nose of the greatest wizard of the twentieth century.
Therefore, the best time to fuse the blood would be on Harry's birthday, after he had seen Hagrid in person.