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"Yes! Of course he will!"
The one who answered wasn't Dudley.
It was Petunia.
The moment she heard Dumbledore's words, she practically shouted.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Even Vernon stood there with his mouth open, staring at his wife in disbelief.
'Dear… didn't you say you wanted to stay as far away from that place as possible?'
His mind was in complete chaos. He could hardly wait to demand an explanation.
But this was not the right moment.
What he didn't know was that inside Petunia's head, her thoughts were already elsewhere.
'I knew it. My Dudley is far too brilliant. He was born to study at Hogwarts and become a great wizard.'
The shift in her stance was almost instantaneous.
But that is human nature.
No one is a saint.
Double standards are the norm in this world.
Petunia could ignore Harry's feelings.
But not Dudley's.
He had always been the balance between both sides.
"Before accepting the Headmaster's invitation, I would like to ask a question."
"Of course."
Dudley adjusted his breathing using the Hamon Energy method.
It calmed his heart and concealed his thoughts.
Whether he was being overly cautious or not didn't matter.
"Were all the subordinates of the man who killed my aunt and her husband… properly punished?"
"I heard from Hagrid that the laws of your world differ from those of ours."
He paused.
"I imagine many of them would still want Harry eliminated."
'Even now, he's still thinking about me…'
Harry felt his chest warm again and discreetly wiped at his eyes.
Dudley is incredible… I'm going to cry…
"The majority were properly punished."
Dumbledore answered calmly.
"They were sent to Azkaban… a prison for wizards."
He made sure to clarify the term.
"The majority?"
Dudley raised an eyebrow, catching the nuance.
Dumbledore reflected for a moment.
"Some acted out of impulse. That does not necessarily mean they are inherently evil… nor that they pose a threat to Harry. At least not while he remains at Hogwarts."
"I see."
Dudley summarized coldly:
"Money. Power. Influence."
"That's what freed them. And unless they have sufficient incentive, they won't act against Harry."
Dumbledore looked at him deeply.
The boy was far more mature than he had initially realized.
"One last question."
Dudley laced his fingers together in front of his face.
His tone slowed.
"Is Hogwarts… safe?"
For a Muggle child, it was a natural question.
Professor McGonagall answered immediately, pride in her voice.
"Of course it is! Hogwarts is the safest place in the world!"
Dudley shifted his gaze back to Dumbledore.
The old wizard, who bore a striking resemblance to Gandalf, replied:
"You may rest assured, young Dursley. Hogwarts is very safe."
"You guarantee that?"
"I do."
"Then it will be my pleasure to study there."
Dudley suddenly smiled.
An open smile — one that might even be called boyish, if one ignored the muscles.
McGonagall smiled as well.
"And you, Harry?"
Before she could finish, Harry answered:
"If D goes, I'm going too!"
As for the parents' opinion…
One only needed to recall Petunia's enthusiasm.
And Vernon… in the end, he always listened to Petunia.
Seeing the brotherly scene, McGonagall discreetly wiped at her eyes.
She might appear stern, but she still had a soft side.
Aside from Vernon, who continued muttering under his breath, everything ended in agreement.
"Minerva."
Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction.
"We'll need to take them to Diagon Alley to purchase their supplies, since they were raised in the Muggle world."
"I had intended to send Hagrid… but perhaps that would not be the wisest choice."
McGonagall did not object.
"I need to escort a young witch tomorrow. We can all go together."
"Very well. Tomorrow at nine. I will come to collect you."
She looked at the Dursleys.
"The parents are welcome to accompany us, if they wish."
"Absolu—"
Vernon was cut off when Petunia firmly pinched his side.
He grimaced, still baffled by his wife's behavior.
While she smiled at McGonagall.
"Of course."
...
After walking away from the house, Dumbledore spoke quietly.
"Minerva, what did you think of young Dursley?"
"He seems like a good boy. Protective of his cousin, from what we observed."
Dumbledore paused briefly at the phrase "protective of his cousin."
He nodded, still thoughtful about everything he had witnessed.
...
Meanwhile, back in the Dursleys' living room…
The four of them sat on opposite ends of the sofa, staring at one another.
"Petunia…"
Now that they were alone, Vernon could no longer restrain himself.
He had a thousand questions.
"Dudley, Harry…"
Petunia cut him off.
"You should both go rest. We have adult matters to discuss."
The two boys obeyed.
"D… so we're going to school together again."
Harry sounded excited.
Not going to Smeltings was a small disappointment.
But staying by Dudley's side made up for it.
Dudley ruffled his hair.
"Harry… I think at Hogwarts, I'll need you to teach me quite a few things."
When he entered his room, Dudley nearly burst into laughter.
He would finally have magic.
What a lucky day.
Hogwarts was confirmed.
And he still had a spell to receive.
Taking advantage of his good fortune, he decided to roll for it.
Perhaps luck has its limits.
And perhaps he had forgotten something important.
The Law of Conservation of Fate.
The roulette wheel spun.
Then stopped.
"Congratulations: you have obtained the spell — Lumos!"
Dudley:
"Damn it… I knew it."
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