The moment hung heavy in the air. The once overbearing Petunia shrank back, her eyes wide with fear. She hurried over to Dudley, who was clutching his backside and wincing as if reliving some particularly unpleasant memory. She wrapped her arms around his head, murmuring soft reassurances.
Vernon tried to puff himself up, his jowls quivering as he pointed a trembling finger at Douglas and bellowed,
"What have you done? There'll be no… no… that stuff in this house!"
Douglas replied coolly,
"She's fine. Just a bit too noisy, so I sent her to her room for a nap. She'll wake up when it gets dark.
And anyway, do you really think she should be part of this conversation?"
Vernon glanced anxiously toward Aunt Marge, but in the end, said nothing.
Meanwhile, Petunia kept coaxing Dudley to go to his room, but Dudley stubbornly refused to budge.
For a brief moment, the house fell into an uneasy calm. Harry finally had time to process what had just happened. He glanced from Marge to Petunia, then to Douglas, and asked in a tentative voice,
"Professor, she just mentioned your family, right? You and Aunt Petunia are… related? Does that mean…"
He was visibly excited, but also hesitant—afraid that the answer might not match his hopes.
Douglas placed a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. "Hold on a second," he said.
Then, with a flick of his wand toward the blasted door, he murmured a spell. Instantly, the door restored itself, whole and unblemished.
Dudley stared, trembling harder than ever. He remembered all too well the time a strange man had pointed an umbrella at him and he'd sprouted a pig's tail.
Petunia clung to him even tighter, whispering frantic comforts.
Vernon tried to shield his wife and son with his bulk, voice shaking as he barked,
"No magic in this house! Not your kind of tricks!"
Catching Harry's anxious glance toward the window, Douglas smiled and explained,
"Relax. They're not capable of detecting my kind of magic—unlike Dobby. We're safe."
Harry let out a sigh of relief. He'd been terrified the Ministry of Magic would pin this on him again and get him expelled from Hogwarts.
But his nerves soon returned as he looked at Douglas, desperate for the answer he'd been longing to hear.
Douglas, however, simply tucked away his wand and pulled out the gift he'd brought, turning to the still-suspicious Dursleys with a pleasant smile.
"Sorry about the, er, dramatic entrance. That lady's words were just too much—I couldn't stand to listen any longer.
Anyway, I brought a little something for Dudley—a selection of rare candies and pastries.
Cousin Petunia, aren't you going to introduce me to everyone?
Actually, I'm curious—how did you recognize me right away? I never thought I looked much like my father."
He placed the gift on the coffee table. Vernon recoiled as if it were a live bomb.
Hearing how Douglas addressed his aunt, Harry couldn't hide his growing smile. He clenched his fists, struggling to stay calm—he wanted to hear the truth from Petunia herself.
Dudley, meanwhile, poked his head out from his mother's embrace, eyes fixed hungrily on the treats in Douglas's hand.
Petunia straightened, moving to stand beside her husband. She lifted her chin and forced her voice to sound steady:
"Please leave. We don't want your kind here!"
She avoided Douglas's gaze, terrified of ending up like Marge.
Douglas didn't press her. Instead, he smiled at Dudley behind them:
"Dudley, let me introduce myself—I'm your uncle. This gift is just for you, and it's absolutely delicious."
Harry watched, a pang of sadness in his chest. Why hadn't the professor said he was his uncle too?
He soon found out why.
The moment Dudley heard the treats were for him, he forgot all about being scared and lunged for the package, tearing it open.
Petunia and Vernon shouted in alarm, but it was too late—Dudley was already stuffing the sweets into his mouth. Vernon tried frantically to pry his son's jaws open, desperate to get the candies out.
"Dudley, spit it out! Please, spit it out—"
Douglas called out,
"Harry, have one too—show them it's safe!"
For the first time, Harry felt a surge of warmth at hearing Douglas call him by name. He dashed over, snagged a candy from Dudley's greedy hands, and popped it in his mouth.
It was delicious. Honestly, Harry thought it was a shame to waste such good treats on Dudley, who never cared about flavor—only about eating as much as possible.
Seeing Harry eat one and still eyeing the rest, Vernon and Petunia finally relaxed a little. But their hostility toward Douglas remained.
Douglas chuckled and made himself comfortable on the sofa, fixing Petunia and Vernon with a calm look.
"Now, can we talk properly? We're family, after all—I'd rather not make things any more awkward than they already are. You've seen for yourselves, I'm a wizard, and a professor at Hogwarts…"
Petunia's eyes narrowed.
"What do you want? If you've come to take him away, you can forget it."
Harry jumped in,
"Why… I mean, what exactly is the professor's relationship to me?"
Petunia gave a cold laugh but said nothing, looking instead to Douglas.
Douglas smiled.
"I'm mainly here to get acquainted with the place—and check on Harry's summer homework. You know, I'm his professor…
Oh, and Harry—even though I already sent your gift, let me say it in person: Happy Birthday!
By the way, that cake was made by Dobby himself. You should eat it before it goes bad!"
Harry's face fell the moment he heard "check on your homework." Twelve sets of practice papers… the cake… Dobby…
He tried to change the subject:
"Professor, how did you know Dobby sent a cake?"
Douglas shot him a look.
"Because I'm his boss."
Harry blinked, then remembered the scene in the hospital wing. It made sense now.
He hurriedly pressed on,
"Professor… are you my… um, I mean…"
But the words stuck in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to ask.
Douglas glanced at Petunia.
Petunia realized there was no dodging the issue today. She spoke up,
"Douglas Holmes—if I'm remembering your name correctly…"
Douglas rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed. Look at that—she remembered his name, while if Dobby hadn't reminded him, he still wouldn't be sure if she was Petunia or Petley.
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