Time flew by rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day they had arranged to meet with Ron.
Before this, Dudley had released Cole from captivity.
On one hand, this man had already been completely drained of useful information by Dudley. No additional intelligence could be extracted from him anymore, so keeping him served little purpose.
On the other hand, under Dudley's repeated mental conditioning and interrogation, Cole had completely surrendered to Dudley, agreeing to serve him with absolute loyalty. And Dudley had left a magical mark on his body, so no matter where he went in the future, he couldn't escape Dudley's tracking.
Finally, Cole could no longer return to work at the Ministry of Magic. His previous betrayal of the Ministry had been thoroughly investigated, and his family had all perished due to that organization's brutal retaliation.
At this point, Cole had become completely alone in the world, and all he could do was use Dudley's resources to seek revenge against that organization.
The appointed day finally arrived.
Vernon drove Dudley and Harry, along with their packed luggage, to London.
Under Vernon and Petunia's reluctant and loving gazes, Mr. Weasley collected the two boys and used Floo powder to travel directly to the Burrow.
Everything at Ron's house made both Dudley and Harry feel wonderfully novel. Having grown up in a Muggle family, this was their first genuine contact with what a wizarding family was truly like.
They spent an incredibly pleasant time at Ron's house during the latter half of their vacation.
The start of school was rapidly approaching.
Hogwarts sent the new term's book list to everyone, including Harry and Dudley, of course. The school always seemed able to find their students' exact locations, which was probably related to the Trace magic.
"Why are all the books on this list written by someone called Gilderoy Lockhart?" Harry looked at the book list and said with a puzzled frown.
"Ours too," George and Ron answered simultaneously with obvious confusion.
"Must be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but..." Dudley looked at the book list, always feeling this instructor was somewhat pretentious.
There were eight books total on the list. Apart from Miranda Goshawk's "Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2," all seven others were authored by Gilderoy Lockhart. And judging by their titles, these books seemed more like adventure novels or travel journals rather than proper textbooks.
More importantly, these were all books he had written himself. Forcing his students to purchase so many of his own publications really didn't create a favorable impression of him.
"These books aren't inexpensive," George observed with concern.
"These books are genuinely expensive," Fred also spoke up with worry.
"We'll find a way," Mrs. Weasley said, but her expression showed obvious anxiety.
Harry and Dudley exchanged meaningful glances and tactfully said nothing.
They both understood the Weasley family's financial situation was rather modest, and both Harry and Dudley weren't lacking funds now. They were certainly willing to help.
But they both understood that the Weasley family wouldn't be willing to accept such assistance.
After spending so much time together, they understood the Weasley family's principles very well.
No matter how difficult circumstances became, they wouldn't accept charity from others. To them, this wouldn't be help but an insult to their dignity.
The next day, Hermione contacted Dudley and the others, arranging to meet in Diagon Alley together on Wednesday to purchase the needed supplies.
When that day arrived, Mrs. Weasley woke everyone up early in the morning.
Everyone hurriedly ate some bacon sandwiches and put on their coats, preparing to depart for their shopping expedition.
This time, they planned to use Floo powder to travel directly to Diagon Alley.
Having previous experience with Floo powder, Dudley and Harry weren't unfamiliar with this mode of magical transportation. Dudley even specifically asked Mr. Weasley about some technical details regarding Floo powder usage.
"Just like last time, grab a handful of Floo powder and clearly pronounce 'Diagon Alley.' Harry, Dudley, you two go first," Mr. Weasley instructed.
Harry looked questioningly at Dudley.
"Little brother goes first," Dudley said, directly pushing Harry toward the fireplace.
Harry didn't argue further, grabbed a handful of the silvery powder, and clearly pronounced the three words "Diagon Alley."
Bang!
As the powder fell, Harry's figure quickly vanished in the brilliant green flames.
Next was Dudley, then Ron and the others would follow.
Accompanied by the swirling green flames, Dudley's figure also disappeared from the Burrow. When he materialized again, he was already standing in Diagon Alley.
Walking out of the fireplace, Dudley glanced around the busy terminal area.
There was a series of connected fireplaces here, specifically designed for various wizards to use Floo powder to enter Diagon Alley conveniently.
Green flames lit up intermittently in the surrounding fireplaces, as wizard after wizard appeared here before walking toward the bustling streets of Diagon Alley.
Before long, Ron and the others appeared one after another from the magical flames.
"We need to visit Gringotts first to withdraw some money," Mrs. Weasley announced as their first priority.
"Right, I'll go exchange some currency then," Dudley agreed.
Soon, their group arrived at the impressive marble building of Gringotts.
Mrs. Weasley took Harry with her, riding those small mine carts straight down to the underground vaults.
Dudley remained in Gringotts' grand main hall. He needed to find a goblin clerk here to exchange his gold bars for wizard currency.
This wasn't particularly difficult. There were quite a few people with such needs, especially during the school season when children from Muggle families all needed to exchange pounds for Galleons here.
When Dudley produced several gold bars from his pocket, he could clearly see the goblin across from him looking somewhat stunned.
"Oh, very high purity gold!" Just from one glance, the goblin exclaimed with obvious admiration.
Then he took the gold bars Dudley handed over, began carefully weighing them, determining the precise gold content, and converting it into wizard currency.
Before long, Dudley's money pouch was filled with a substantial pile of Galleons. Quite a considerable fortune, enough for Dudley to purchase many needed items here.
Of course, Dudley had additional plans. He intended to visit Knockturn Alley later.
After waiting briefly in Gringotts' main hall, Harry and the others returned from the underground vaults.
Mrs. Weasley's face showed some worry about their financial situation.
Harry lowered his voice and whispered in Dudley's ear, "The Weasleys might not have sufficient money. Should we help them?"
Dudley observed Ron and the others, who were discussing where to buy second-hand robes for Ginny.
"No need. They don't require our assistance," Dudley shook his head firmly.
Hearing this, Harry didn't pursue the matter further.
After securing their funds, Dudley's group went to find Hermione and soon met her at the appointed location.
They discussed together what to purchase for the new term and were also filled with curiosity about the various magical items displayed in Diagon Alley's shop windows.
An hour later, Harry and the others prepared to visit Flourish and Blotts to buy their required textbooks. Dudley didn't accompany them. He asked Harry to purchase his share as well, explaining that he had some other matters to handle.
After bidding farewell to everyone, Dudley pulled up his hood, concealing his face in shadow, and headed purposefully toward Knockturn Alley.