Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 37: Train Ride
Finally, the day Dudley had been eagerly waiting for arrived—it was September 1st, time to go to Hogwarts.
This time, he went to the train station with Susan and his Aunt Amelia. Beside him were also Harry Potter, his only cousin, and the newly released Sirius Black.
They had been living together all summer, and their relationships had grown much closer. Amelia had noticed Dudley using magic several times. At first, she was furious and scolded him, but Dudley quickly tried to reason with her.
"Madam Bones, do you know why I've been using magic outside of school?" Dudley asked.
"Why?" Amelia, clearly frustrated, replied.
"It's to fight against You-Know-Who. The more I practice magic, the easier it'll be for me to use it in a duel," Dudley explained. "And besides, I'm a Muggleborn and Harry Potter's cousin, which makes me one of their primary targets."
Hearing this, the stern lady finally gave in, turning a blind eye and allowing Dudley to use magic outside of school. She also knew that other pureblood families let their children practice magic outside of school, giving them an advantage over Muggleborns.
Now, back to the present day—the day to leave for Hogwarts.
"Are you ready to go to Hogwarts?" Dudley asked Harry and Susan.
His question lingered in the air, unanswered, as Harry and Susan were both lost in thought, thinking about the dangers of Voldemort and the tragic events of last year, when Cedric had died.
"Who do you think will be our new professor this year?" Dudley asked.
That question managed to spark their interest.
I don't know, but I hope it's not a Death Eater," answered Harry, and Susan nodded in agreement.
"I just hope they're as competent as Professor Lupin," Susan added.
"Yeah, Professor Lupin was the best teacher we ever had," Harry smiled.
Talking about Lupin, Dudley suddenly remembered something.
"Do you think it's too late to change the professor for this year?" Dudley asked.
"Why? Do you have someone in mind?" Susan inquired.
"Of course! Sirius Black. He's got tons of experience dealing with Death Eaters," Dudley replied. "And he faced Dementors for 12 years."
"Yeah, Sirius would be a great candidate," Harry agreed, smiling.
"He might teach us the Patronus Charm," Dudley grinned.
"But wouldn't it be dangerous for Death Eaters to learn how to cast a Patronus?" Harry asked.
"You mean the ones in Slytherin?" Dudley replied. "Don't worry. The Patronus Charm is really difficult. Even the Dark Lord couldn't master it, and he's known as the strongest Dark wizard ever."
"Why couldn't he master it?" Harry asked again.
"Because those who use too much Dark magic can't cast a Patronus," Dudley explained. "If they try, the spell would backfire on them. Besides, if Death Eaters could send messages with a Patronus, the war would be a lot harder for us."
--- Train Station---
Upon arriving at the train station, they met the Granger family.
"Hi, Dr. Granger, great to see you again," greeted Dudley.
"Wow, are you Dudley?" Dr. Granger asked, surprised. Everyone who had known Dudley was shocked by how different he looked this year compared to last year. Dudley's height had increased to 190 cm, and his weight was down to 90 kg.
"Dudley, is that really you?" Hermione cut in, noticing how much he'd changed. In just a few days, he had grown 3 cm taller, become much slimmer, and looked far more handsome.
"Yeah, it's me," replied Dudley, while Harry and Susan exchanged puzzled glances. Since they saw him every day, they hadn't noticed the drastic difference, except that he looked healthier.
"You look so different," commented Hermione.
"Oh, thank you," Dudley smiled.
"You do look different—not just in terms of weight and height, but even your face," added Dr. Granger.
"Thank you so much. It's because of all the training—I lost a lot of weight," Dudley explained.
"It's good to stay healthy," Monica Granger commented.
Suddenly, the Vernon and Petunia entered the station after paying for the parking ticket.
"Dr. Granger, you're here?" greeted Vernon, who had become acquainted with Dr. Granger since their children were both wizards.
"Im good Mr. Vernon, how is the project in Buckingham going?" asked Dr. Granger. "I suppose it's a success?"
"Of course, thank you for your advice," smiled Vernon.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the mothers were chatting with each other.
"Petunia, your recipe is absolutely delicious," complimented Monica Granger. "Do you happen to have another one?"
Petunia and Monica had exchanged recipes, and Monica was clearly impressed with how good the food turned out with Petunia's recipe. Petunia, in turn, was very respectful toward Monica and held no prejudice against career women, especially dentists like Monica.
Monica was a dentist, and Petunia knew it wasn't easy to become one, which is why she was keen to befriend her.
For about half an hour, they discussed various topics until it was almost time for the train to leave for Hogwarts.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," said Amelia Bones, who suddenly arrived with Sirius Black, "but it's time for the kids to get on the train."
Dudley looked at his watch and realized they had 10 more minutes to find a cabin before the train departed. He looked around but didn't see the Weasley family.
'It looks like they might be late this time,' thought Dudley.
---In Train---
This year, Dudley decided to sit with his cousin, so Dudley, Susan, Harry, and Hermione sat together in one cabin.
When Ron entered the cabin, he saw that Hermione and Harry had already chosen their seats, but he also noticed two unexpected faces, Dudley and Susan Bones.
"Ron, my cousin's best friend," Dudley said, trying to break the ice.
"Yeah… yeah… Harry Potter's friend," replied Ron Weasley. He felt a bit awkward talking to Dudley, as they had never spoken before. This was the first time they were talking face to face, usually, only Hermione had chatted with Dudley because they were both bookworms who frequented the library.
But suddenly, their peace was interrupted by an unwelcome guest it is none other than Draco Malfoy.
-patreon.com/zorojurown (21 Advance Chapter)