Dudley had been a bit troubled lately, and for good reason. In just one week, he'd shot up another five centimeters in height. If this kept up, he'd be pushing two meters before long.
Sometimes, being too tall isn't all it's cracked up to be—especially when standing next to Harry and the others. It looked like a scene out of a fairy tale: a towering Snow White surrounded by a handful of dwarves.
Sighing, Dudley shoved aside a boulder half his size and reached into the cave beneath, grabbing a slumbering Acromantula by the leg.
Acromantulas were easiest to catch in winter. They'd burrow into the warmest caves they could find and slip into a deep, harmless hibernation. That was the best time to harvest them—alive, but docile.
Dudley took out a test tube, cracked open the spider's fangs, and pressed them to the glass. Venom flowed out like a sluice gate, quickly filling the tube. He carefully stowed it away, then squeezed out every last drop before moving on to the next one. It didn't take long for Dudley to amass a small pile of Acromantula venom.
After a quick word with Hagrid, Dudley headed back toward the castle, his pockets clinking with glass vials. Today was his weekly ingredient-collecting day.
"Dudley, that lad—why's he always so stubborn?" Hagrid muttered, scratching his wild beard as he watched Dudley disappear into the trees. "Didn't I tell him the Forbidden Forest is dangerous?"
Of course, only a half-giant like Hagrid could call the nearly two-meter-tall Dudley a "lad."
He kept muttering, "Heard from the centaurs that there's some big, mysterious creature prowling about lately—collecting hair and saliva from all sorts of magical beasts. Even drove the unicorns deep into the forest, poor things. Last I saw, its back was nearly bald."
On Christmas Eve, Dudley received letters from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. They announced, in their usual clipped style, that they wouldn't be picking up Dudley or Harry for the holidays—they were going abroad for a trip.
A trip? Leaving him and Harry behind? It was suspicious, to say the least.
"Am I really their biological child?" Dudley wondered aloud.
Hermione, standing beside him, voiced the thought he hadn't spoken. She'd received a letter from her own parents; the Grangers' message was identical.
"Maybe both families planned a trip together," Hermione suggested.
"Not maybe—definitely," Dudley replied, shaking his head. "Otherwise, what are the odds?"
He grinned, waving his letter at Harry. "Maybe after the holidays, we'll have a little brother or sister."
Harry's eyes lit up, his interest instantly piqued. "Really? Then I want a younger sister. Ron says his sister Ginny is especially cute."
Is that something you can just wish for? Dudley thought, amused. You'll have to ask Uncle Vernon about that—the chromosomes are in his court.
Not many students remained at Hogwarts for Christmas. In all of Slytherin, only Dudley stayed behind, and there were just a handful from the other houses—not even enough to make up a football team.
"Even if Neville and Malfoy aren't here, your training doesn't stop," Dudley announced, gathering his friends in the Slytherin common room. He handed out the study plans he'd prepared, one for each of them—a full twenty inches of parchment. Their holidays would be anything but idle. Dudley's own plan was measured in feet, not inches.
Harry and Hermione took their assignments with determined faces, while Ron looked on the verge of tears. He'd hoped for a holiday of rest and relaxation, but with everyone around him working so hard, he couldn't bring himself to slack off. Sighing, he drowned his sorrows in three bowls of potatoes and ten chicken legs.
The next morning, after finishing his daily exercise, Dudley returned to his room and glanced at the growing pile of gifts in the corner—deliveries from owls, stacked like a miniature mountain.
"Feels like I'm getting more presents than I ever did at St. George's," he mused, flipping through the packages. At the bottom, neatly stacked and square, were gifts from his fellow Slytherins. Every single one had sent something—no one was left out.
When had he become so popular in Slytherin?
He eyed the overwhelming sea of green wrapping paper. "Next time, try silver and green, not just green," he muttered.
He set those aside and turned to the other gifts. Hermione had given him a small, hand-sewn bag, enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. The space inside wasn't large—Hermione was still learning—but Dudley loved it and kept it close.
Harry's gift was a set of wizarding fitness equipment—rare, but surprisingly effective. Neville had given him a complete set of Herbology books, knowing any good potioneer needed a solid grounding in plants. Snape's gift was a set of advanced Potions texts, radiating a faint, ominous black aura—clearly not available in any ordinary shop.
Ron had gifted a set of Wizard Chess, remembering Dudley's curiosity about magical games. Malfoy's present was a gentleman's cane, thick at the top and thin at the bottom, topped with a heavy, round knob. Dudley eyed it, half-expecting spikes. If it had them, it'd be a morning star. Still, it felt solid and well-balanced, and he tucked it away.
As Dudley stepped out of the common room, he spotted Harry, face alight with excitement.
With Slytherin nearly empty for the holidays, Dudley had invited Harry and the others to use the common room for their studies. Slytherin had more than enough space to spare.
"Big D, look!" Harry said, practically bursting with pride. He thrust a shimmering, silvery cloak into Dudley's hands. "It's an Invisibility Cloak!"
Dudley ran his fingers over the fabric. An Invisibility Cloak—one of the most legendary magical artifacts in wizard history. According to The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the first Invisibility Cloak was one of the Deathly Hallows, gifted by Death himself to the youngest Peverell brother. Legend claimed it could even hide its wearer from Death's gaze.
Most cloaks sold in wizarding shops were made from Demiguise hair, but Dudley could tell at a glance—Harry's was something far more special.
"Harry, do you know who gave this to you?" Dudley asked, his voice low and serious.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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