Dudley reacted instantly, rushing forward to grab Harry before he could reach the door.
"This knocking has hypnotic properties!" Dudley immediately realized that the persistent knocking from outside possessed some form of supernatural compulsion, forcing people inside to open the door against their will.
The reason Dudley remained unaffected by the enchantment was most likely connected to his ability to maintain consciousness within dreams.
Harry at this moment obviously had no control over his actions. He struggled desperately in Dudley's grip, trying to break free and continue toward the door.
Knock, knock, knock...
The knocking grew louder and more insistent, and Harry's struggling became increasingly violent.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Dudley cast the spell directly in ancient Hermes.
Snap!
Harry's legs snapped together rigidly, and he toppled straight toward the floor. Dudley caught him immediately and gently placed him on the carpet.
"Good, magic still functions here," Dudley whispered with relief.
Just then, the knocking outside suddenly ceased completely.
Dudley's attention focused on their door. He could sense that the creature hadn't departed and was still lurking just outside their room.
Suddenly, Dudley's eyes sharpened as he noticed the gap beneath the door. He remembered very little light had filtered through before, but now there was complete darkness.
He slowly crouched down, lay flat on the floor, and peered outside through the narrow space under the door.
Countless eyes were pressed against the barrier, staring directly at Dudley with unblinking intensity.
They were unmistakably human eyes: vacant, terrified, confused, desperate...
Dudley's breathing caught slightly. Even though he was battle-hardened from otherworldly experiences, this grotesque scene managed to unnerve him.
"Open... open the door..." A faint voice drifted through, eerily familiar, like that of a beloved relative or close friend, yet impossible to identify specifically.
"Quickly... open the door..." "I have... wonderful things for you..." The voice continued with false sweetness.
"I don't care who you are. Don't target me," Dudley replied coldly, meeting the creature's gaze without flinching.
Dudley wasn't clear about what was happening here, and he didn't want to intervene rashly, as this could bring tremendous trouble upon his family. Especially since this was the magical world he wasn't completely familiar with, and his parents and brother were all present. Once he acted aggressively, he might very well attract whatever malevolent force was orchestrating all this. At that point, without the ability to protect everyone simultaneously, Dudley would find himself in a completely passive position.
This was something Dudley absolutely refused to accept.
Therefore, he didn't rashly venture out to confront that monster. As long as this thing didn't directly threaten him, naturally others would come to handle the situation. No matter how incompetent the Ministry of Magic might be, with such a major supernatural incident occurring, they couldn't possibly remain completely oblivious.
No further sounds came from outside their door.
After several tense minutes, Dudley saw light filtering through the gap beneath the door once again. The monster appeared to have moved away.
"Do such bizarre incidents also occur regularly in this world?" Dudley frowned with concern.
He felt everything happening was far too strange. Many aspects seemed completely different from the magical world as he understood it. He hadn't encountered similar incidents described in any books, especially not in a major metropolitan area like London.
After all, the Ministry of Magic's headquarters was located right here in the capital.
This was equivalent to having such a supernatural incident suddenly erupt in the city where the Goddess of Night's primary temple was situated. Completely unthinkable.
Moreover, from when the incident began until now, considerable time had elapsed, yet the Ministry of Magic seemed entirely unaware of the crisis.
"Compared to the churches, this Ministry of Magic is absolutely useless," Dudley couldn't help but criticize internally.
Knock, knock...
Just then, the familiar knocking resumed.
This time, it wasn't at Dudley's room but emanating from next door.
"Damn it!" Dudley cursed under his breath.
Next door housed his parents' room. This monster hadn't departed at all. It had simply relocated to target them instead.
"Are you really forcing me to take action?" Dudley's expression darkened with fury.
No matter who had orchestrated this crisis, he had already shown them considerable restraint, but that person seemed to think he was easily intimidated. Knowing Dudley wouldn't open his own door, they immediately moved to threaten his parents. This was completely unacceptable provocation.
Of course, there remained another possibility: that person's original target had always been Dudley or Harry specifically.
Knock, knock...
The knocking persisted ominously.
Dudley didn't hesitate. He yanked open his room door while simultaneously releasing an aura of overwhelming authority from his body.
In a flash, Dudley materialized in the corridor outside.
He finally got a complete view of the abomination confronting them.
This was a grotesque creature over three meters tall, composed of countless slimy tentacles intertwined together in nauseating patterns. It possessed no head, no recognizable facial features, only writhing appendages and countless gray-green eyes dotting those tentacles like diseased pustules.
Seeing Dudley emerge, the monster immediately produced a strange buzzing sound. All its tentacles moved simultaneously, rapidly coiling toward Dudley with predatory intent.
The slimy, fishy stench filled the entire corridor, making breathing nearly unbearable.
"Back off!" Dudley commanded coldly, his voice carrying terrible authority that caused the monster's movements to freeze momentarily.
The tentacles that had been curling toward Dudley writhed backward defensively. They seemed to sense the majestic aura radiating from his presence.
That supernatural authority made them afraid to approach, wanting to submit, and desperate to retreat and flee from his overwhelming presence.
However, soon a strange, inhuman voice erupted from within the monster's core, overriding their instinctive fear and causing those retreating tentacles to surge toward Dudley once again.
Swoosh!
Just then, Dudley raised his hand and threw a piece of candy directly at the creature.
"Bribe! Charm!" Dudley activated the Briber's supernatural ability, not to weaken the opponent's attack, but to create internal conflict.
The next moment, those horrific tentacles immediately fell into complete chaos. Some appendages chose to retreat, while others not only withdrew but also began entangling with their neighbors, blocking coordinated attacks on Dudley.
For several crucial seconds, these tentacles descended into widespread disarray, causing all their original offensive maneuvers to lose effectiveness entirely.
"Mental Piercing," Dudley prepared his counterattack and immediately unleashed the Interrogator's ability. He condensed his mental power into an invisible spear and drove it directly at the bizarre monster's core.
Boom!
The transparent spear pierced into the creature's essence, causing every tentacle to stiffen simultaneously. Then all the appendages began trembling violently with obvious agony.
The eyes dotting those tentacles also displayed expressions of intense pain, and some tentacles were directly reduced to ash under Dudley's mental assault.
Entities within dreams were primarily spiritual and soul-based constructs, and the Interrogator's abilities happened to counter them perfectly.
Swoosh!
In an instant, those tentacles that had been intertwined scattered apart like disassembled machinery, the creature beginning to collapse from within as its supernatural cohesion shattered completely.