"Intercepted?" Dudley's expression shifted with concern.
His first thought turned to the dangers lurking in the shadows. Previously it had been Voldemort, and now there was also that group of mysterious wizards collecting sealed artifacts.
But soon, Dudley dismissed both possibilities. The letters between him, Harry, Ron, and Hermione contained almost no information worth intercepting. The correspondence consisted of simple greetings or interesting events that had happened after returning home. What value could such mundane letters have for theft?
Moreover, this was done far too obviously. Generally speaking, if someone wanted to intercept letters, the best approach would be to read them and then continue delivery undisturbed so as not to arouse suspicion.
But the current situation was that even Harry could tell the letters had been intercepted, and Hedwig was even slightly injured. This was directly announcing to Harry and Dudley that their correspondence had been taken. Given Voldemort's methods and those artifact-collecting wizards' style, they would never do something so crude.
"It might be a prank, or because of other matters. Don't worry for now. I'll think of a solution," Dudley said thoughtfully.
Then Dudley examined Hedwig's injuries and found they weren't serious. Just some feathers missing from her head, making her look somewhat bald. However, it was clear that Hedwig was extremely angry, so furious she didn't even want to eat. Whether this was because the letters were intercepted or because she looked ridiculous after losing feathers, he couldn't tell.
"Can we still contact others now?" Harry asked with obvious concern.
"It's fine, I'll figure out a way," Dudley assured him.
Previously at the hotel, he had borrowed the Ministry's owl to write to Dumbledore, and that letter hadn't been intercepted. This meant the other party might only be monitoring the situation around Dudley's house, and letters sent from other locations might not be detected.
With this realization, Dudley immediately formulated a solution.
Early the next morning, Dudley took his written letter and Hedwig, quietly slipping into a taxi and heading toward the suburbs.
Throughout the journey, Dudley carefully observed the surrounding situation and found nothing unusual.
After reaching the suburban forest, Dudley confirmed once more that there were no problems in the area before tying the letter to Hedwig's leg.
"This is a letter for Professor Dumbledore. Don't deliver it to the wrong place," Dudley said while gently stroking Hedwig's feathers.
Last night he had found some white feathers and managed to attach them to Hedwig's head, which greatly improved her mood. Otherwise, Dudley estimated this owl would definitely go on strike for quite some time.
Hedwig gently pecked Dudley's hand affectionately, then quickly took flight, soon disappearing into the forest canopy.
"Next, I need to find a suitable place," Dudley surveyed his surroundings.
Cole couldn't remain in the Mirror of Erised's space forever. He needed to locate an uninhabited house to temporarily settle Cole there.
Previously, Dudley had considered doing this through Malfoy, since he was currently his only believer. But after considering the implications, he abandoned the idea. Although the Malfoy family was powerful, Draco was still just a child. If he did certain things, it might attract unwanted attention, and Dudley didn't want others to notice Malfoy's connection to him yet.
So he could only handle this himself.
This wasn't easy for a twelve-year-old child, but for a dual-pathway Beyonder, the difficulty wasn't insurmountable.
After spending an entire morning searching, Dudley finally found a small abandoned wooden cottage at the edge of the suburban forest.
This location was far from where Muggles were active and wasn't on any main road. Few people would pass by here.
After thoroughly inspecting it, Dudley began casting protective spells around the area.
Muggle-Repelling Charms were essential, along with some simple protective enchantments to separate this place from the mundane world.
After completing all this preparation, Dudley brought Cole out and used additional spells to seal the entire house, preventing Cole from escaping.
"Indeed, mastering more spells is always beneficial, because you never know when they'll prove useful," Dudley said with quiet satisfaction.
Previously at Hogwarts, he had read extensively about magic, including spell-related theory, where Dudley had conducted many experiments. Some basic spells posed no difficulty for him to cast.
Moreover, without using a wand and using spiritual power to sever the Trace connection, the Ministry of Magic couldn't detect Dudley casting magic either.
Cole remained unconscious. Dudley secured him with binding spells, left some basic food, and departed.
That evening, after dinner, Dudley strolled outside. Calculating the timing, Hedwig should be returning soon.
He needed to get away from home before Hedwig returned to prevent the letter from being intercepted.
Events proved Dudley's caution was justified. This time he intercepted Hedwig five kilometers away from home.
Seeing Dumbledore's reply still tied securely to Hedwig's leg, Dudley confirmed that the person secretly intercepting their letters was indeed operating near his house.
Unfolding the parchment, Dudley read Dumbledore's characteristically warm reply.
"He's already had Aurors investigate the letter interception, so I don't need to worry about it for now," Dudley smiled with relief.
Where he could utilize others' resources, there was no need to be overly modest.
Letter interception could be significant or trivial. If it were some other child's correspondence being stolen, it probably wouldn't attract any attention whatsoever.
It was only because of Harry's special status, plus Dudley's recent involvement in various incidents, that Aurors could be mobilized to investigate this matter. Otherwise, given the Ministry's typical efficiency, this would be virtually impossible.
"Also, there's the Elixir of Life formula. Professor Dumbledore really is remarkably accommodating," Dudley observed.
On the final page of the letter was an extensive list detailing the required ingredients and precise instructions for using the Philosopher's Stone to create the Elixir of Life.
This certainly wasn't Dumbledore generously offering it to Dudley out of pure kindness, but rather compensation for Dudley's promise to fully protect Hogwarts for the coming academic year.
This was also a benefit from their previous conversation. With mutual understanding established, they could directly state their needs without diplomatic dancing.
Moreover, since the Philosopher's Stone had been given to Dudley, retaining the Elixir of Life formula served little purpose. Better to seize the opportunity to establish favorable terms and grant Dudley this boon.
"Second year approaches, and I don't believe Voldemort can infiltrate Hogwarts again, unless he has a death wish," Dudley mused.
"This reward is essentially free."
Dudley smiled and, organizing his thoughts, walked toward home.
He needed to begin preparing to brew the Elixir of Life. This substance would be excellent to have as a precaution. He could also provide it to his parents. This would represent Dudley's greatest repayment to his family for this miraculous second chance at life.