Chapter 15: Honorable Gargamel
Time was like a wild donkey, once it started running, it never stopped.
Before long, the summer holiday arrived (late June).
Once this summer passed, September would come—the time for new students to start school.
As expected, the secondary school Dudley would attend was Vernon's alma mater, Smeltings. Though Petunia believed Dudley's grades were good enough for a better school, Vernon insisted on sending him to his own.
As for Harry, the Dursleys had originally planned to send him to a comprehensive school—Stonewall High.
It was cheaper, and since Harry's grades were unremarkable, sending him to a better school would be a waste.
Yet, after much consideration, they decided to send him to Smeltings along with Dudley.
When Harry heard he could attend school with his cousin, he was delighted.
Truthfully, Smeltings' school uniform could only be described as ugly.
A maroon tailcoat, orange knickerbockers, a flat straw hat, and a knobbly stick.
No matter how one looked at it, it was ridiculous. Dudley disliked it entirely.
In his opinion, men should wear black suspenders.
Harry, however, looked forward to it, having never worn a tailcoat before.
Today was June 23rd—Dudley's birthday. But he had no time to worry about the mountain of gifts piled high like a small hill.
"Harry, help me unwrap the presents later. I have to go out for a bit."
Dudley hastily packed his clothes, grabbed one random gift from the pile, and said, "If Mom and Dad ask, just say I went to play ball with a friend. I'll be back at noon."
Originally, the Dursleys had planned a full day of fun for Dudley's birthday.
But Dudley could only spare half a day.
That was because in the afternoon, the family was going to the zoo.
"D-bro, you're going there again?"
"Of course. I'll bring you back a Gandalf figure."
Among the Lord of the Rings merchandise, aside from the Hobbit trio and the Elf Prince, the most popular was the white-robed wizard Gandalf. Of course, some fans also favored Saruman.
"Great!"
Harry knew exactly where Dudley was going. He knew many of Dudley's secrets, since Dudley had never hidden them from him.
Harry admired his cousin to no end.
Sports, academics, even running his own company—Dudley excelled at everything.
Dudley had promised that if Harry completed his schooling successfully, he could work at the company as a manager. Harry eagerly looked forward to that day.
At the table, Harry was wrestling with a piece of smoked bacon.
For the English, smoked bacon was a rare delicacy.
Harry, for one, ate it with relish.
Whenever Dudley wasn't cooking, it was one of Harry's favorite foods.
But for Dudley, it could not compare to a simple pan-fried chicken breast with chili flakes.
"Eat less smoked food. The flavor is too heavy, not good for your growth."
"You should drink more milk."
Dudley patted Harry's head, smoothing down his messy hair.
"Time for another haircut."
Harry's hair grew abnormally fast, needing trims more often than all his classmates combined.
And strange things like this weren't the only oddities about him. As he grew older, such incidents became more frequent.
For example, electronic devices Harry touched or used would often break without reason.
The Dursleys, unable to endure replacing a TV every couple of weeks, forbade Harry from touching any electronics.
Dudley knew it was Harry's magic acting up. Harry never did it on purpose.
"I'm heading out. See you at noon."
"See you, D-bro."
Harry watched him leave with envy written across his face.
He envied Dudley's remarkable talents, while Dudley, in truth, envied his wizard's gift.
When Dudley pushed open the front door, he had already switched to another appearance. His disguise technique had grown steadily more refined.
Arriving at the agreed location, he found a sedan waiting. Dudley opened the door and got in.
If not for his young age, Dudley would have driven himself.
"Let's see what this is."
He picked up the package he had grabbed at random earlier. A large letter H was scrawled across it, along with the sender's name.
Tearing off the wrapping, he found a scarf inside. Without a word, he wrapped it around his neck.
After weaving through London's streets, the car stopped in front of an apartment block.
Dudley wasn't actually heading to his company. That was already running smoothly, managed by professionals. Whether he was there or not made no difference—his only job was to collect money.
Nor did he worry about trade secrets being stolen. There was no technological content involved at all. What he sold was the brand, the IP, and that could not be stolen.
"Same time, same place, sir?"
Dudley nodded at the driver, picked up a small suitcase from the seat, and stepped out.
He placed a brown top hat on his head, glanced around, then slipped into a narrow alley.
He was here for a deal.
Dudley had long been delving into potions. As his research deepened, he found himself unsatisfied with the few simple ones he could brew. Yet many potion ingredients were impossible for Muggles to acquire. For those, special channels were required.
This meant trading with certain… unconventional people.
From his exchange with the driver, it was clear this was not the first time.
With enough money, many doors opened—even to certain circles.
At the alley's end, Dudley knocked on a door. A small slit opened in the center, revealing only a pair of eyes.
"Who?"
A dull voice came through.
"Shadow," Dudley replied coldly.
Once the code was confirmed, the door creaked open. A stench of mixed odors wafted out. Dudley frowned, lowered his hat, and pressed the scarf over his nose as he stepped inside.
The room was about the size of a billiards hall. It was packed with people, men and women alike, all dressed in bizarre costumes. The mixed crowd gave the air a foul heaviness. With no windows, only a few candles lit the place, casting a dim and murky glow.
To the unknowing, it might have seemed a den of addicts.
Trash littered the floor, no one bothering to clean.
Filth and chaos—that was Dudley's impression of the place.
Sensing a newcomer, the crowd turned to look. Their eyes flickered with greed and resentment, but when they saw it was Dudley, they quickly averted their gaze.
"Honorable Gargamel, this way please."
A man dressed in medieval garb hurried over, rubbing his hands together, receiving Dudley with sycophantic warmth.
(End of Chapter)
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