NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Fear?
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Dudley had grown taller, standing at 6'2". Unfortunately, he was even heavier than the book version because the previous AI didn't bother to reduce his weight. Instead, it focused on studying and learning all the knowledge up to the fourth year. Luckily, Dudley had learned important subjects like Runes and Arithmancy and even improved runes to a higher level.
Fear? The word didn't exist in Dudley's dictionary. Maybe it was because he used to be a gamer, or perhaps he had long awaited the moment to fight evil.
If you ask an otaku what would happen if they were suddenly given the choice to transmigrate to another world, they'd likely get excited and want to fight evil. The same thing happened to Dudley—he was eager to face Voldemort.
Fortunately, he chose option B, starting his magical journey in the fifth year. If he had chosen option A, starting from birth, it would become a boring adventure.
He then glanced at Harry. As an orphan, Dudley understood what Harry felt when he saw other children. They, too, wanted their parents and a big party on their birthdays.
Of course, the Dursleys no longer restricted Harry and were even willing to spend money on him. However, Dudley was more popular in their Muggle neighborhood, so the guests who visited were Arabella Figg and the Granger family. This highlighted the contrast between the cousins.
Later that evening:
"Hello, Mr. Granger," said Petunia to a guest who had arrived.
'The Grangers?' thought Dudley, looking forward to meeting the legendary Hermione Granger. But before he could, Harry, finally smiling, rushed forward to greet his best friend. 'Looks like little Harry is finally happy.'
"Hermione!" Harry greeted. "Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Granger."
"Hi, Harry. Hermione talks about you all the time," Mrs. Granger replied. Every year, they visited Harry and Dudley twice.
Even though Dudley didn't usually speak to Hermione, they still came because of the invitation. Plus, Hermione wanted to see her friend.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Dudley finally chimed in. "And you too, Hermione."
Hermione suddenly felt awkward. This antisocial Dudley had always called her "Miss Granger," but this was the first time he had called her by her first name.
"Oh, thank you, Dudley," Hermione replied, not wanting to appear rude by calling him "Dursley."
They stepped inside the house and mingled with the other guests.
Harry used this opportunity to talk to Hermione about Voldemort and the recent events in the Wizarding World.
"They didn't even contact me? Shouldn't we be training to fight Voldemort?" Harry asked, his voice tense. Hermione flinched a bit when he said Voldemort's name.
"Harry," Hermione said, uncertain. They had discussed Voldemort's return for some times. She had even received a letter from Professor Dumbledore, warning her not to write to Harry to prevent Death Eaters from intercepting the letters.
But what Dumbledore hadn't considered was that the Granger family were regular visitors to the Dursleys' house, so they celebrated both Harry and Dudley's birthdays every year.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Nothing," Hermione decided to keep Dumbledore's letter a secret. "Today is your cousin's birthday party. Talking about You-Know-Who isn't really appropriate right now."
"Oh," Harry suddenly remembered that it was Dudley's birthday, and it probably wasn't the best time to discuss Voldemort.
That night, the birthday party was a success. Dudley received 64 gifts, and it was one of the best birthday parties he'd ever had. He smiled widely throughout the evening.
During dinner, Dudley unexpectedly brought up Voldemort.
"Mother, he's back," said Dudley.
"Who?" his mother asked, confused.
Dudley glanced at Harry, and Vernon followed suit, looking at him as well.
"My aunt's murderer. The Dark Lord," Dudley said calmly.
Harry stared at him, surprised. He had thought Dudley would try to keep the news quiet. There was a slight squeak as the sandwich Vernon was holding slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.
"That Voll... Voldemort?" Petunia asked, her voice trembling.
Harry was amazed at his aunt's memory. Despite all the years that had passed, she still remembered the wizarding world.
"Yeah, he tried to kill Harry last year, but he didn't succeed," Dudley confirmed.
"Is that true, Harry?" Petunia suddenly turned her attention to Harry.
Harry nodded. He had been feeling isolated, and Dudley hadn't spoken at all after the Triwizard Tournament. It had been weeks, and no one had mentioned his ordeal.
"Oh, my dear," Petunia said, walking over to hug Harry. "I lost my sister. I don't want to lose you too."
Harry was stunned.