Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Wizard

Chapter 5 unlocked ahead of schedule, but a D-rank disappointment!

"me……"

Tears welled up in Penny's eyes, but she couldn't find the words to say.

Spurred on by Dudley, she faced her complex inner world with such clarity for the first time.

She was still jealous of her younger sister, jealous of her magical talent, and jealous of the favoritism she received from their parents.

But she couldn't deny that it wasn't her sister's fault.

Lily loved her very much and considered her an important member of the family.

And she also seemed to care about Lily and Lily's son.

"Vernon, I'm sorry."

Penny took the handkerchief Dudley handed her and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Then, without any preamble, she turned to her husband and said something.

Vernon embraced Penny, and despite being unusually clumsy in certain situations, he instantly understood what his wife meant.

"I understand. It's nothing, my sweetheart, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you."

Vernon put his arm around Penny, gently patting her shoulder with his fat hand, murmuring affectionately, his eyes moistening.

“Alright! You win, my son.” After a moment, Vernon said to Dudley and Harry with a hint of helplessness, “Go ahead! Let Harry go to that lousy magic school and learn how to swing that lousy stick!”

Dudley suddenly felt a pang of guilt, but he understood that this was just the growing pains on the road to a harmonious and loving family life.

Harry, standing to the side, seemed even more at a loss. Despite being granted permission to study magic at Hogwarts, he couldn't feel happy at all.

They had never seen the Dursleys in this state before.

【Ding--】

[Due to the host's intervention, the D-level regrettable event - an unspeakable, conflicted affection - has been unlocked ahead of schedule.]

[The Unspoken Conflict of Love (Level D): Petunia Dursley has long failed to acknowledge her familial affection for Harry. She took the risk of adopting Harry, but in the process of raising him, she was cold and indifferent, only providing him with the bare minimum of material support.]

In the original storyline, Petunia didn't truly want to accept Harry and wish him good luck until Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts, when he was transferred by members of the Order of the Phoenix to prevent persecution by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. However, she ultimately didn't say it.

After Petunia Dursley's death, Dudley, following his mother's dying wish, returned the blanket he had treasured for many years—the one that had once wrapped baby Harry when he arrived at 4 Privet Drive—to Harry. However, he still didn't have any further words for Harry.

During the brief silence, Dali received a system notification.

He was somewhat surprised; he had only intended to persuade his parents to accept Harry and magic, but he hadn't expected to trigger an unfortunate event ahead of time.

Although it was only a low-level D-class regrettable incident, it was still a pleasant surprise.

It's clear from the information provided about the regrettable incident that the key to resolving this regret is for Petunia to personally express her love and care for Harry.

Judging from the current situation, Penny has been deeply moved, and all she needs is a trigger to resolve this regret.

Dali already had an idea in mind, but seeing his parents' emotional turmoil and their tearful embrace, he decided to postpone the idea.

Now, he will proceed according to the original plan.

The Dursleys have already given their permission for Harry to go to Hogwarts, but there's still no groundwork laid for Dudley's desire to go!

It's better to end it quickly than to suffer for a long time. Take advantage of your parents' emotional fluctuations and finalize everything at once!

“Harry!” Dudley said, “Go find an envelope, paper, and a pen to write back to Hogwarts. Bring them here, I’ll tell you, you write!”

Harry snapped out of his daze and quickly followed his cousin's instructions, going upstairs to his bedroom to look for something.

In the brief moment after Harry left, Dudley said to the Dursleys with some guilt:

"Mom and Dad, I may have said something a bit harsh just now, and I apologize if it upset you. But please believe me, I was genuinely thinking about our family."

Our family was simply no match for the power of wizards and magic.

Dad said before that we could move away and escape, but he didn't know that we were under special surveillance all along, and that we couldn't escape.

This is also why Dumbledore didn't specify anything about wizard training, such as 'Obscurials', in the letter. They could have monitored our family's movements and Harry's development.

If any irreversible accident were to occur, they could intervene at any time.

“What?!” Penny and Vernon were shocked once again.

At that moment, Harry also came down the stairs with his writing materials, such as stationery.

Dudley made no attempt to hide anything and continued to explain: "Like our kind neighbor Mrs. Figg, who lives two streets away from our house, she still makes a point of being friendly with us."

Furthermore, she keeps so many intelligent cats; it's not just out of simple affection, but because they are all pairs of watchful eyes.

Dudley's words shocked the Dursleys and Harry, who couldn't help but look out the window.

"It's Kick and Mr. Paws!"

Harry keenly spotted two cats outside the intersection, grooming themselves and peeking into the Dursleys' house; they were Mrs. Figg's beloved pets.

“How dare they…” Penny, in her anger, reverted to her fiery side.

“Of course they dare!” Dali said with absolute certainty. “Without power, we will be manipulated, whether by good intentions or malice, we cannot refuse.”

Harry walked down the stairs, sat back down in his original spot, put down his pen and paper, and suddenly thought of something, "Cousin, could those weirdos who used to pay homage to me outside also be...?"

“That’s right!” Dudley gave Harry an approving look. “Those are wizards, most likely Dumbledore’s men, keeping watch nearby to protect you and, incidentally, monitor us.”

Mr. Dugger, who brought me the wizarding books, spoke highly of Dumbledore during our conversation!

Silence fell over the family.

A look of fear and repulsion crossed Vernon's face, but he forcibly suppressed it.

Penny's eyes were glazed over, and she looked lost and bewildered.

Harry had an indescribable feeling, and it wasn't a good feeling.

"Don't overthink it! The thoughts of the weak only bring them trouble!" Dudley roused the others, then said to Harry, "Harry, write a letter!"

Tell Dumbledore to send someone familiar with the wizarding world to guide you in purchasing the items you need for learning magic, as specified in the letter, on your birthday, July 31st.

To reiterate, I will be accompanying you throughout the entire process.

“Yes, cousin!” Harry began typing furiously.

“Dada, baby, this is too dangerous. You don’t need to go with us!” Penny instinctively worried about her child.

"No, I absolutely have to go! I'm not only going to the wizarding world with Harry to buy things, I'm also going to try and go to Hogwarts with him to learn magic!"

Dudley's tone was frighteningly firm and left no room for doubt.

Penny immediately thought of the letter she had written to Dumbledore, wanting to learn magic like Lily.

"Dudley, they won't accept you! Hogwarts only accepts weird...kids like Harry."

"Where there's a will, there's a way, Mom!"