"Go? Of course he'll go!"
The words weren't Dudley's, but Petunia's. When she heard Dumbledore's offer, she practically shrieked them out.
Everyone looked at Petunia, including Vernon, who stood with his mouth agape, utterly astonished at his wife's sudden change of heart.
"My dear, didn't you say we should stay as far away from that place as possible?"
Vernon's mind was reeling. He wanted to know what had changed, but now was clearly not the time.
He didn't know that Petunia was thinking, "I knew Dudley was a special boy; he's going to be a great wizard at Hogwarts."
Her attitude had changed with such dizzying speed that it was breathtaking.
This is the reality of a normal person: no one's a saint, and being a hypocrite is a part of life.
Petunia could ignore Harry's feelings, but Dudley could not. He was the calming draught between them. It had always been this way. "Before I answer the Headmaster's invitation, please allow me to ask a question."
"Go on..."
Dudley focused, using his breathing technique to calm his mind and keep his thoughts still, preventing Dumbledore from reading his intentions. He was a Slytherin, after all, and trusting a stranger, even a great wizard, was a fool's errand.
"The followers of the wizard who killed my aunt's family—what happened to them? Did they receive their due punishment? I heard from the wizard named Hagrid that our Muggle laws don't apply to wizards."
"I imagine that wizard's followers would be quite eager to do away with Harry."
"He's thinking of me at a time like this."
Hearing Dudley's words, Harry once again felt that familiar warmth spreading through him, and he quietly wiped a few tears from his eyes.
Dudley was just so good to him; he could have cried.
"The vast majority of them received their due punishment and are locked away in Azkaban… a wizarding prison, you see." Dumbledore explained, pausing when he said "Azkaban" to clarify for the Dursleys, who were Muggles.
"The vast majority?" Dudley's eyebrow rose, catching the key phrase.
Dumbledore thought for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. "Some were simply misguided and made mistakes. That does not mean they are evil, nor that they will harm Harry, at least not while he's at Hogwarts."
"I understand," Dudley said, nodding. He summarized Dumbledore's words with a concise sentence. "Their wealth and influence got them out of trouble, and they won't harm Harry unless there's enough profit in it to tempt them."
"Did I say that?"
Dumbledore looked at Dudley with a new respect. The Dursley boy was far more astute than he had imagined.
"And now… my final question." Dudley placed his hands on the edge of the table, lacing his fingers and resting them under his nose. He asked in a slow, emotionless tone, "Is Hogwarts… safe?"
Is Hogwarts safe?
For a Muggle boy who didn't know of the great school, it was a perfectly reasonable question.
Professor McGonagall, as soon as Dudley had finished speaking, replied with a touch of pride in her voice, "Of course. Hogwarts is the safest place in the whole world!"
Dudley then turned to Dumbledore, who looked a bit like a more flamboyant Gandalf. The old wizard spoke slowly. "Please, rest assured, Mr. Dursley. Hogwarts is quite safe."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"Then it would be my pleasure to attend your school."
Dudley's serious expression melted away, replaced by a radiant smile. He was smiling like a child, if you ignored the impressive muscles on his arms.
A smile also appeared on Professor McGonagall's face. "Then Harry…"
Before she could finish, Harry blurted out, "If Dudley goes, then I go!"
As for his parents' opinion, one glance at Petunia's earlier excitement was enough to tell him that she would agree. As for Vernon, he followed Petunia's lead.
Watching the two brothers' friendly display, Professor McGonagall quietly dabbed at her eyes. For all her sternness, she was a very sentimental witch.
Apart from a grumbling Vernon, this was a perfectly happy ending for all concerned.
"Minerva," Dumbledore said with a satisfied nod. As long as Harry was coming to Hogwarts, everything was well. "I might need to trouble you to take them to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies. They both grew up in the Muggle world, so they've never been there."
"I was going to ask Hagrid to take them, but I believe he might not be the best choice for this particular task."
Professor McGonagall did not object to Dumbledore's plan. In fact, she was more than happy to do it. "I was planning to take a little witch who also just received her letter tomorrow."
"We can all go together."
"Then I will be there tomorrow at 9 a.m. to pick you up. Of course, the parents of the new wizards are welcome to join us."
Professor McGonagall's last sentence was clearly directed at the Dursleys.
"Abso…"
Before Vernon could finish, Petunia squeezed the soft flesh at his waist. As Vernon grimaced in pain, she took over the conversation, smiling at Professor McGonagall. "Of course."
Not long after they left the Dursley house, Dumbledore asked Professor McGonagall, "Minerva, what do you think of young Mr. Dursley?"
"He's a good lad who looks after his brother."
Dumbledore paused at the words "looks after his brother" and nodded thoughtfully, lost in his own thoughts.
At the same time, Vernon, Petunia, Dudley, and Harry were all sitting in separate corners of the sofa, staring at one another.
"Petunia…"
Vernon couldn't ask while Dumbledore and McGonagall were there, but now that they were gone, he was desperate to know.
He had a million questions.
"Dudley, Harry…"
Before Vernon could continue, Petunia cut him off, turning to Dudley and Harry. "Why don't you two go to bed now? We have some things to discuss."
The two boys obediently went to their rooms, leaving Petunia and Vernon alone.
"Dudley, we get to go to school together again," Harry said excitedly before they separated.
It was a shame that he wouldn't be attending Smeltings, but as long as he was with Dudley, that didn't matter one bit.
Dudley ruffled Harry's hair and said meaningfully, "Harry, I might be relying on you for some help at Hogwarts."
The moment he got back to his room, Dudley almost whooped with joy.
He was finally going to get a spell of his own.
Today was a lucky day. Not only was he going to Hogwarts, but he was also going to learn a new spell.
And so, Dudley decided to capitalize on his good fortune and spin the wheel for a new magical ability.
But perhaps a person's good luck has a limit…
At the same time, Dudley had forgotten one important thing: the law of conservation of character points.
As the magical slot machine spun wildly and then slowly came to a halt, Dudley received the result of his prize.
"Congratulations: you have drawn the spell—the Illumination Charm!"
Dudley: "Blast it! I knew it!"
PS1: Remember this Illumination Charm. Maybe it's not as useless as it seems. PS2: While it would be fun to refuse Dumbledore, my original wish was to learn magic, and writing a Harry Potter fanfiction without Hogwarts is too much for my imagination. Do you really want to read an original story about the other two magic schools? And you haven't given me any ideas to copy from, hmph!