Chapter 32 – There's Something I Must Confess
Rushing out of Ollivander's, they crossed straight into the shop opposite—a pet store.
Suddenly Dudley smacked his forehead. "Right, Harry, I nearly forgot. I still haven't given you your birthday present."
"Harry's birthday?" Hermione asked. "When was it?"
"The day before yesterday," Dudley replied.
Hermione nodded, then suggested, "Why don't Dudley and I get you a pet together?"
She had only just met Harry and wouldn't have thought of it otherwise—but since he was Dudley's cousin, it felt natural.
A pet? The word alone lit Harry up. Aside from spiders, he had never kept anything before.
"It's already passed. There's no need," he said. Dudley was one thing, but Hermione he barely knew—it didn't feel right to accept something so big.
"You've never missed a year, and you won't this time. Besides, Hermione's birthday is next month. Prepare her a nice gift then. You're the wealthy one among us, after all."
Dudley clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's see what's inside." He slung an arm around Harry's neck and dragged him toward the shop.
When Hermione heard her birthday mentioned, a faint blush rose on her cheeks. She smoothed her hair quickly and followed them inside.
At the door, a group of SAO rats dancing samba caught the attention of children, though no parents were foolish enough to buy them.
"The letter said we can have either an owl or a cat," Dudley remarked. He automatically ignored toads. Hardly anyone liked them—not Harry, not him, and certainly not a girl like Hermione.
Inside, the shop was crowded with choices, though the variety wasn't great. Mostly owls, cats, toads, and rats.
Dudley also spotted a few lizards and parrots—one even spat a puff of flame. Still, these were ordinary creatures. Some carried traces of magical blood, but they weren't true magical beasts.
At least, Dudley couldn't communicate with them. He would have loved a real magical beast, but none were for sale here.
The street was lined with pet shops, and after browsing through several, Harry finally found what he wanted—a snowy owl speckled with black.
"Why not a cat?" Hermione asked. She much preferred cats. "Don't you like them?"
"Dudley likes cats more. Aunt Petunia's allergic to cat hair, so he never kept one."
Harry himself had never cared for cats. At Mrs. Figg's, Dudley was the one who enjoyed playing with them. Harry always disliked their smell.
"That's a shame," Hermione said regretfully. She herself wanted one, but none of the cats they saw felt right. Choosing a cat was like choosing a partner—it all came down to a feeling.
Hearing their talk, Dudley's interest stirred. He turned to Hermione. "If I do get a cat someday, could I leave it at your house during the holidays?"
Petunia disliked anything furry. He would have to keep it in one of his other houses otherwise.
"Y-yes," Hermione answered softly.
The Galleons went further than expected. After buying plenty of supplies and even Harry's owl, they still had money left.
The main reason was that Dudley hadn't touched potion ingredients. Otherwise, it would have been gone in an instant.
Just looking at the dragon liver on display tempted him. But his purse was limited. A hundred Galleons per year was more than enough for school needs, yet far from enough to be extravagant. Potions, especially rare ones, burned money faster than anything—ingredients alone were a fortune.
Seventeen Sickles for an ounce of dragon liver—about twenty-eight grams.
And seventeen Sickles equal a Galleon. That alone explained why potion masters were so rare. Poverty was the most straightforward reason.
Dudley not only wanted to brew potions with such ingredients, he also wanted to taste them—dragon liver, phoenix marrow, and the like. He figured he'd have to earn more Galleons first before embarking on such a culinary plan.
In any world where trade existed, money was indispensable.
When the three met up at the agreed spot, only McGonagall, Petunia, and Mrs. Granger were waiting in the small shop. Vernon and Mr. Granger had gone off to the Leaky Cauldron for drinks.
The Dursleys had bought only the textbooks required by Hogwarts, leaving the rest of the Galleons untouched for Dudley, knowing how independent their son was. The Grangers, on the other hand, had purchased piles of extra books, fully aware of their daughter's love for reading.
"There's still a month until term starts. Hermione, can I come to your house often to read during this time?" Dudley asked.
Though he had seen some magical books at Mrs. Figg's, she was a Squib, and her collection was limited. No one ever complained about knowing too much—especially when about to enter an unfamiliar magical world.
Dudley's eyes shone at the sight of the book stack towering nearly as tall as a person. How many Galleons must that have cost? He admitted he was envious.
"Yes," Hermione answered softly, naturally unable to refuse such a simple request. Then her cheeks flushed slightly, as she realized no other boy had ever visited her home.
Dudley swore to himself that all he wanted was to study. Buying so many books himself was inevitable, but if he could borrow for free, why spend money? Even with some assets in the Muggle world, he was still poor in the wizarding world. Making the best use of available resources was essential.
He still had over a hundred Galleons left, including Harry's converted funds now safely in his own pocket—perfectly proper, perfectly legal. No reason to waste it.
The drive home was handled by Petunia, since both Vernon and Mr. Granger had drunk heavily. According to them, wizarding alcohol carried a unique flavor.
The next morning, after finishing his workout, the family sat down together for a fine breakfast.
"On September first, Harry and I will leave for Hogwarts," Dudley said after swallowing a sausage. He cleared his throat and grew serious. "Before then, there's something I must confess. I had planned to wait until I was of age."
Seeing Dudley so solemn, Vernon and Petunia straightened in their seats. Harry already had a guess what was coming.
"Actually…I started a company outside."
(End of Chapter)
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