"I! Harry Potter! Refuse to go to Hogwarts!"
The moment those words tumbled out, the room fell into a stunned silence. It wasn't just the Dursleys who were flabbergasted; Dumbledore and even that tabby cat froze in place. This was a truly shocking declaration. The saviour of the wizarding world refusing to go to the wizarding world? Whatever were they to do?
If it were just the Dursley family who disagreed, it would be simple to ignore them. But Harry's own will? That couldn't be overlooked.
Dudley, on the other hand, was only startled for a moment. Then, a quiet joy bloomed in his heart. This little boy, who had always been a compliant shadow, meekly following along and never voicing his own opinions, was for the first time speaking his mind. Looking at Harry, his face filled with relief, it was as if his little brother had finally grown up.
Wait, something's not right here, is it?
Dumbledore, who had been nursing a headache since Hagrid's report yesterday, now felt a throbbing pain in his temples. Without addressing Harry's statement directly, he immediately offered an apology. "I apologize for the rudeness of the Hogwarts's Gamekeeper. Please believe that we hold no ill will towards your family..."
His words seemed to carry a certain magic, causing the agitated Harry to slowly calm down.
"Might we come inside to discuss this?" Dumbledore's question was directed at Dudley.
Through Hagrid's account, he knew one thing: while the Dursleys appeared to be in charge, it was their son who truly held sway.
"Of course, Headmaster," Dudley replied.
As the saying goes, don't slap a smiling face. If Hagrid hadn't been so aggressive with Vernon, Dudley wouldn't have bothered him. The most important point was that Dudley knew he couldn't beat this white-bearded old man.
Then, Dudley paused, a puzzled look on his face. "We?"
He watched as the tabby cat standing beside Dumbledore rapidly grew in size, transforming into a stern-faced witch.
"This is Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore introduced. "She's the Head of Gryffindor House and also our Transfiguration professor."
"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Dudley said politely, adding a well-timed compliment. "That's truly incredible. Is that what magic is?"
"Hello, Mr. Dursley," McGonagall replied, clearly pleased by his respectful demeanour. "Yes, it is a form of Transfiguration."
Dudley's calm, yet seemingly surprised, attitude made Dumbledore give him a second look. He certainly had a very good grasp of propriety.
The group moved into the Dursleys' living room. Petunia sat on the sofa, looking a bit uncomfortable, perhaps because she had so many times written to Dumbledore asking to attend Hogwarts, and had always been rejected. Vernon was sulking, head bowed, muttering to himself. He didn't know Dumbledore, but in his mind, he was just some crazy, daft old man. The stern-looking Professor McGonagall, however, made him a little nervous.
The atmosphere was rather heavy.
It was Dumbledore who finally broke the awkward silence. "Please tell me, Harry, why don't you want to go to Hogwarts?"
This was a critical question. For an ordinary young witch or wizard, not going was no big deal. But for Harry Potter, the saviour of the wizarding world, the consequences of him not attending Hogwarts would be huge.
Seeing both Dumbledore and McGonagall looking at him, Harry felt immense pressure. He was only an eleven-year-old boy, and it was a great feat that he had already been brave enough to voice his own opinion.
"Because then I can't go to school with Dudley!"
At this answer, Dumbledore's gaze lingered on Dudley for a moment before he exchanged a look with McGonagall. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness it wasn't something awful Hagrid did, McGonagall thought.
I never would have imagined the Dursleys' son and Harry were so close, Dumbledore mused.
"We promised we'd go to Smeltings Academy together," Harry insisted stubbornly.
Going to school with Dudley was Harry's greatest wish at the moment. If he was the only one who could go, he wouldn't go, not even if it were paradise.
"Harry, if that's the only issue, you needn't worry," said Professor McGonagall, her stern expression softening. "Because your brother, Dudley Dursley, is also one of our new students this year."
Dumbledore then looked at Dudley. "Mr. Dursley, you must have received the letter, haven't you?"
"What? Dudley? Oh my goodness!"
Before Dudley could speak, Petunia suddenly shot up from the sofa, exclaiming in a rather undignified way. Going to Hogwarts to study had been her biggest dream for the first half of her life.
I gave birth to a wizard?
It's a very common psychological reaction for parents to project their unfulfilled desires onto their children. If Dudley could go to Hogwarts, it would in some way complete Petunia's own unfinished dream.
Realizing her outburst, Petunia awkwardly sat back down, her mind in a whirl. If only Harry had been invited to Hogwarts, she would have absolutely been against it. But if Dudley could go too... Petunia was wavering.
Sometimes people can be so hypocritical. This is understandable, of course. Petunia's feelings for Lily were a mix of sisterly concern and jealousy over her going to Hogwarts. This is why when Harry came to live with the Dursleys, Petunia would purposely be so cruel. Giving Dudley the good things and Harry the bad created a stark contrast that made her feel better about herself. Thankfully, Dudley's intervention smoothed things over, otherwise, Harry would have been truly miserable.
But this doesn't mean she didn't love Harry. The foundation of the ancient protection charm that Lily cast was 'love'. Without that love, even with the blood of a relative, the charm wouldn't have continued to work.
You could sum it up with a rather Muggle saying: "You fear your brother's struggles, but you also fear his success." Such is human nature.
"Are you talking about this letter?" Dudley pulled a single, burned-at-the-edge letter from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I'm afraid it was already like this when I found it."
Dudley wasn't sure if he could even go to Hogwarts. The magical constitution of Kariya Matou, a character from a different universe, and his mere 0.8 magical power level, looked pretty dismal.
"Oh, my Merlin! It's been burned like that!"
Professor McGonagall pulled out her wand and gently tapped the almost-destroyed letter. With a whoosh, it returned to its original state.
A simple flick of a wand could do things that were impossible for ordinary folk, even fixing what was broken.
How enviable, Dudley thought, as he looked at the restored letter. This time, he could clearly read the words on it.
"Dear Mr. Dursley, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..."
The letter was real.
Even though he appeared calm, Dudley couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement.
"Mr. Dursley," Dumbledore said, looking at Dudley once again. His blue eyes were sharp and bright, deep and full of insight. "I heard from Mrs. Figg that you have a great fondness for the wizarding world and for magic. Do you intend to attend Hogwarts?"
"I formally extend an invitation to you on behalf of Hogwarts."