"Petunia—Petunia, are you alright?"
Seeing Petunia collapse onto the sofa, Vernon rushed over, helping her up with anxious concern.
"Mom, how are you feeling?" Dudley also hurried to her side. But he could tell she was fine—just startled.
"I'm fine," she murmured, her eyes lingering on the letter in Dudley's hand, her expression a tangled mess of conflicting emotions. "That letter..."
"Don't talk about the contents of that letter anymore. It's a lie!" Vernon barked sharply. "Look at what you've done—scared your mother half to death."
Yet the more they tried to hide the truth, the more Dudley's curiosity grew. He summoned the powers granted by his Lawyer and Arbitrator sequences—keen insight into weaknesses, eloquence, persuasiveness, and an undeniable authority.
"Dad, Mom, I think you know more than you're letting on," he began, his voice calm and measured. "Since Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has sent admission letters to both Harry and me, we deserve to know the truth. If the letter is real, then we're dealing with Wizards—people with extraordinary powers. What if they don't get a reply and send someone to take us by force? And lately... I've been feeling strange things. What if I lose control and accidentally blow up the house?"
Dudley's spiritual energy radiated subtly but unmistakably.
Vernon and Petunia's faces grew serious. Dudley was right. They feared that ignoring the letter might bring unwanted attention from the Wizards. And Dudley's last words—about blowing up the house—reminded them painfully of what had happened to Harry's parents. Their faces paled, and Petunia gasped involuntarily.
"So, tell me everything you know," Dudley demanded, his voice carrying an invisible weight that compelled them to speak.
"Oh, heavens, I knew this day would come," Petunia began, her voice trembling. "I thought if we just kept it a secret, if we pretended he was normal, he wouldn't become a Wizard. But..."
"What am I?" Harry asked, stunned.
"A Wizard! You're a Wizard!" Vernon snapped, quickly lowering his voice lest the neighbors hear. "I always knew you were a freak. You and your parents—both freaks!" He spat the words out like poison. "You're just like my damned sister! I knew from the start you had to be one—after all, your parents were!"
Petunia finally caught her breath and, with a mix of agitation and sorrow, began to recount the past.
"She got that letter, then disappeared to that cursed school. Every holiday, she'd come back with her pockets full of toad eggs and turn teapots into mice. I saw her for what she was—a complete freak! But my parents, they were blinded by it all—always 'Lily this, Lily that.' A Witch in the family? They were thrilled."
Petunia's eyes flashed with more than disgust—there was jealousy, too. Dudley wondered if she had once longed to be a Wizard herself but had failed.
As Petunia spoke, she revealed the tragic fate of Harry's parents—their deaths in a terrible explosion. Dudley finally understood. His parents had told him they died in a car accident, rarely mentioning them. Now he knew why.
"My parents were Wizards," Harry whispered, his face drained of color. "They didn't die in a car accident, but..." The day's revelations were overwhelming. The truth was too much for an ordinary boy to bear.
"Now you know what that school is," Vernon said harshly. "It's a place that trains freaks, and it's dangerous. One wrong move, and you could blow yourself up. So don't mention that place again!"
Dudley paused, then said seriously, "I think that place sounds pretty good. I want to go."
How would this Magical World compare to that strange, horrifying world he had come from? He was filled with anticipation.
"What? You—you—" Vernon was so furious he squeezed his eyes shut, then forced them open again. Petunia stared at Dudley, speechless.
"Dad, I think being a Wizard is probably fate," Dudley explained calmly. "The fact that I can become a Wizard means I have that power inside me. If I don't learn to control it, the consequences could be terrible. So I have to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
As Dudley spoke, he once again invoked the authority of his Arbitrator and Lawyer sequences. He would not be swayed. He had to go to that school and see it for himself.
"You..." Vernon was at a loss, turning to Petunia for support.
"Dudley, my little darling," Petunia asked, her voice trembling, "do you… do you really want to go to that school?"
"Yes, Mom," Dudley said, stepping close to her and hugging her tightly. He whispered in her ear, "Mom, I will fulfill the wish you couldn't."
Petunia stiffened. Her expression shifted, a whirlwind of emotions passing over her face before she finally sighed, a long, shaky breath of resignation. She slowly nodded.
"I don't think you'll stop me, will you?" Dudley smiled gently.
"No," she whispered. "I won't."
The room was heavy with unspoken understanding.
***
(End of Chapter)
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