"I can't perform magic, so I can't teach it to you."
Mrs. Figg set her shopping basket down and sat across from Dudley, her voice full of regret. Dudley could hear the deep-seated sorrow in her words. To be born into the magical world but unable to do magic was more than just a shame.
"And even if I could do magic, I wouldn't be able to teach you. To learn magic, you have to go to Hogwarts. It's a rule of the wizarding world." As she spoke, Mrs. Figg began to straighten up her room, which had been turned upside down. One cat was a handful, but three cats and a monstrous book? It was pure pandemonium.
"Hogwarts?" Dudley helped clean up, wondering whether he should tell Mrs. Figg about the state of her Monster Book of Monsters. He hoped he wouldn't have to pay for it. What currency did wizards use again? Something to do with gold coins.
"That's right, it's the best school of magic in the whole world," Mrs. Figg said, her spirits lifting a bit at the mention of Hogwarts. "I'm sure Harry will go there someday." Her voice was full of longing. Dudley, too, felt a sense of yearning. He truly wanted to learn magic.
"Can I go to Hogwarts, too?" Dudley asked on an impulse.
Mrs. Figg shook her head. "I don't know, dear." She had expected him to ask. No child who learns about magic can resist the pull of it. But she knew the chances were slim. Children of Muggles are almost always Muggles themselves. The number of Muggle-born wizards only seems large because of the sheer number of Muggles in the world. The odds of a random Muggle child being a wizard were about as likely as winning the lottery.
As they chatted and tidied, the room was soon in order. "All right, dear. I need to get dinner ready. Harry will be home from school soon."
As Mrs. Figg was about to close the door, Dudley suddenly pulled a black-covered book from out of nowhere. "Mrs. Figg, can I read this book?"
The title, Magical Drafts and Potions, was written in large letters on the cover. It was a first-year Potions textbook from Hogwarts, written by Arsenius Jigger, a very skilled wizard. Why would a Squib have a book on magic? Just because she couldn't learn it, didn't mean she couldn't read about it. What if her magical talent suddenly awakened one day? There was no rule against Squibs buying books on magic, so it was perfectly reasonable. The Monster Book, on the other hand, was an accident.
"Please," Dudley said quickly before she could refuse. "I really want to learn magic."
He meant it from the bottom of his heart. He was truly fascinated by the idea of magic. As someone living on the edge of the wizarding world, Mrs. Figg understood exactly what Dudley was feeling. Perhaps it was his sincere eyes, or maybe his heartfelt plea, but something in Mrs. Figg softened. She agreed.
Refusing a child's request and then telling him he was destined never to be a wizard would be too cruel. Mrs. Figg was a good person, and good people have soft hearts. Technically, the International Statute of Secrecy forbids Muggles from having contact with magic, even magical knowledge. But Dudley's case was special. His brother was the famous Harry Potter, and his aunt was Lily Potter. He was bound to learn about magic and the wizarding world eventually.
Whether Dudley actually had magical talent or not didn't matter. If he did, then learning Potions early was harmless. If he didn't, it was no big deal, since he couldn't perform magic anyway, and many potion ingredients couldn't be found in the Muggle world. Dudley had been eyeing the book for a long time; he'd spotted it while cleaning up the room.
You see, you don't need to be able to do magic to brew potions. As Professor Snape said in his very first class, "I don't expect you to be silly wand-wavers in my classroom." In a way, as long as you have the ingredients, even a Muggle could make a potion.
"Oh, and Mrs. Figg, I think it's a bit... off. I gave it a good smack." Dudley held out the limp Monster Book of Monsters, confessing his crime. "Is it... dead?" He was prepared to pay for it if he had to.
Mrs. Figg waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry. Monster Books are far more resilient than you think. A few smacks won't do anything to it. Even if an adult took a sledgehammer to it, it would be fine. Look, like this." Mrs. Figg grabbed the book's spine and gave it a shake. The book, which Dudley thought he'd killed, slowly opened its eyes.
"Dudley, you see, the trick is simple. Just run your hand along its spine—" The book didn't react as expected. After waking up, it didn't struggle or bite. It just stared blankly, its four eyes looking in different directions, its tongue hanging out and dripping with drool.
Oh dear, I must have knocked it silly. It had a serious concussion at the very least. Dudley was embarrassed and wanted to hide his face.
Mrs. Figg was silent for a moment, then continued, "Well, if it's broken, it's no matter. I never liked this book anyway."
It's not mine, after all, Mrs. Figg added to herself silently.
From then on, Dudley spent his days going to school, working out, and devouring Magical Drafts and Potions at Mrs. Figg's house. Mrs. Figg had assumed Dudley's curiosity would fade quickly. After all, Potions was one of the most tedious and boring subjects, second only to the history of magic. But she was amazed to see how attached he was to the book.
Harry was just as confused. Dudley had always been a diligent student, but never this obsessed. He was so engrossed he even forgot to eat. This was Dudley, who never forgot to eat. Harry was curious and tried to peek at what Dudley was reading, but one glance at the pages upon pages of text made him give up immediately. He wasn't going to study unless he had to; he'd just keep his grades average. He hadn't even paid attention to the content, a choice he might regret years from now. The page he'd seen happened to be explaining the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane—both testable facts.
Dudley's time at Mrs. Figg's was wonderful. He had cats, magic books, and the freedom to cook. Life was grand. Swimming in a sea of knowledge was simply exhilarating.
A month later, Dudley had finally finished the entire Magical Drafts and Potions book. Now all he needed was a chance to practice. Of course, Mrs. Figg wasn't going to let a child who wasn't even a wizard start brewing dangerous potions. She was a Squib, and she wouldn't be able to stop him if something went wrong. So, Dudley's Potions lessons came to a halt.
Dudley was trying to figure out how to get another magic book from Mrs. Figg when the system notification, which hadn't been heard in a while, chimed again.
"Mission complete: Finish first magic book."
"Reward: Activate Magus's Talent (Zouken's Heritage)."
The system was frustratingly unhelpful that way. It never gave you a mission beforehand, only told you about the reward after you were done.