Chapter 26 – Little Brother Has Grown Up
"I! Harry Potter! Will never go to Hogwarts!"
The room fell silent at once. Not only were the Dursleys stunned, even Dumbledore and the tabby cat froze in place.
The words were simply too shocking. The savior of the wizarding world refusing to enter it—what would happen then? If it were only the Dursleys objecting, that could be ignored. But Harry's own will could not be dismissed.
Only Dudley, after his initial daze, felt joy in his heart.
This boy who had always followed at his side, submissive and silent, had at last expressed his own will. Looking at Harry with a gratified face, Dudley thought, his little brother had finally grown up.
Wait—something felt off about that thought.
Dumbledore, who had already felt a headache after hearing Hagrid's report yesterday, now felt his temples throbbing even more. He did not address Harry's words but first apologized. "I must express regret for the rudeness of our Hogwarts Keeper of Keys. Please believe, we harbor no ill intent."
His voice carried a subtle magic that gradually calmed Harry down.
"May we come inside to speak?"
Dumbledore directed this request at Dudley. From Hagrid's account, he already knew that although the Dursleys seemed to lead the household, in truth, it was their child.
"Of course, Headmaster," Dudley replied. Courtesy was returned to courtesy; one did not strike a smiling man. If not for Hagrid's poor attitude toward Vernon, Dudley would not have picked a fight. Most importantly, he knew he could not defeat this white-bearded elder.
Then Dudley paused, puzzled. "We?"
The tabby cat at Dumbledore's side suddenly grew larger before their eyes, transforming into a stern-faced woman.
Dumbledore quickly introduced her. "This is Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House and Professor of Transfiguration."
"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Dudley greeted politely, adding at just the right moment, "How marvelous. Is this what magic is?"
"Hello, young Mr. Dursley." McGonagall, clearly pleased by his respectful manner, answered simply, "Yes, this is a form of Transfiguration."
His calm composure beneath feigned surprise made Dumbledore glance at him twice. His sense of measure was finely tuned.
They entered the Dursleys' living room.
Petunia sat stiffly on the sofa, uneasy, remembering the many letters she had once written to Dumbledore begging to attend Hogwarts, all rejected.
Vernon showed no friendliness at all, muttering under his breath with his head bowed. He did not know Dumbledore, but in his impression, this was nothing more than a foolish, eccentric old man. The stern face of Professor McGonagall, however, did make him nervous.
The air grew heavy.
At last Dumbledore broke the awkward silence. "Tell me, Harry, why are you unwilling to go to Hogwarts?"
The question was crucial.
If it were an ordinary wizard child, refusal would matter little. But he was Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world. His refusal would have grave consequences.
Feeling both Dumbledore's and McGonagall's eyes on him, Harry felt enormous pressure.
After all, he was only eleven years old. Summoning the courage to speak his mind at all was already remarkable.
"Because then I won't be able to go to school with Dudley!"
Hearing this answer, Dumbledore's eyes lingered briefly on Dudley before he exchanged a glance with McGonagall. Both breathed a sigh of relief.
'Thank goodness it wasn't something outrageous Hagrid did.' —McGonagall
'To think the Dursleys' child and Harry already share such a deep bond.' —Dumbledore
"We agreed we would both go to Smeltings together," Harry insisted stubbornly.
To attend school together with Dudley was Harry's greatest wish. If only he could go alone, then no matter if that place was paradise, he would not go.
"Harry, if that is the case, then you need not worry," Professor McGonagall softened her stern expression and said gently, "because your brother, Dudley Dursley, is also among the new students entering this year."
Dumbledore now turned his gaze toward Dudley. "Young Mr. Dursley, you should have received that letter, correct?"
"What? Dudley? My heavens!"
Before Dudley could answer, Petunia suddenly leapt up from the sofa, crying out in shock.
To study at Hogwarts—that had been her greatest dream for the first half of her life.
"I gave birth to a wizard?"
Parents sometimes place unfulfilled dreams onto their children. If Dudley could go to Hogwarts, in some sense, it would fulfill Petunia's own long-lost wish.
Realizing her loss of composure, she awkwardly sat back down, her feelings a tangle.
If only Harry were to attend Hogwarts, she would surely oppose it. But if Dudley could also go, then she found herself wavering.
People were often contradictory like this.
It was understandable. Petunia's attitude toward Lily had always been a mix of sisterly care and jealousy at her being able to attend Hogwarts alone.
This had led to the obvious favoritism when Harry lived with the Dursleys—giving Dudley the best and Harry the worst—only to ease her own heart.
Fortunately, Dudley had often mediated between them. Otherwise, Harry would only have felt abused.
But this did not mean she did not love Harry. The ancient protection spell Lily cast was founded on "love." Without love, beyond the tie of blood, that spell could not have lasted.
As Xun Ge'er once said: "Afraid my brother will suffer, yet also afraid my brother will drive a luxury car."
Such was human nature.
"Do you mean this letter?" Dudley drew from his pocket a piece of paper burned to a mere corner and laid it on the table. "Regrettably, this was already its state when I found it."
Dudley was unsure if he could truly enter Hogwarts. Shinji Matou's magician's constitution and a measly 0.8 magic value looked truly pathetic.
"Oh, my Merlin. Burned to this extent."
Professor McGonagall pulled out her wand and tapped the nearly destroyed letter.
With a soft whoosh, it was instantly restored to its original form.
A mere wave of the wand could achieve what no ordinary person could, even reuniting what was shattered.
"Truly enviable."
Dudley looked at the restored letter and, for the first time, clearly saw the writing upon 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.
Though he appeared calm, Dudley could not help the excitement stirring in his heart.
"Young Mr. Dursley," Dumbledore addressed him again. His blue eyes were sharp and bright, deep and penetrating. "I have heard from Mrs. Figg that you long for the magical world, and for magic itself. So, are you willing to attend Hogwarts?"
"On behalf of Hogwarts, I now formally extend this invitation to you."
(End of Chapter)
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