Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 175, Section 173: What is a surprise?!

The Hogwarts Express arrived smoothly, and the young wizards disembarked one after another.

Ron, Malfoy, Neville, and the others also said goodbye to Dudley and the other two.

Dali and his companions carried their luggage out of the station.

This time, the Grangers and Vernon were not late. The three of them were waiting for Dudley and his friends at the entrance of Kingdom Cross Station.

Hermione got into Mr. Granger's car, while Dudley and the others got into Vernon's car.

Dudley and Hermione agreed to meet again in two weeks.

The two cars were almost identical except for the color, clearly the same model purchased together. Incidentally, the trunk was filled with fishing gear, which showed that Vernon had been going fishing with Mr. Granger quite often.

By the way, Vernon's belly has shrunk considerably.

"Why didn't Mom come?" Dali asked as soon as he got in the car.

Logically, Penny wouldn't have let Vernon come alone; she would have been with him. There must be something wrong with her not being here.

"You'll find out soon enough," Vernon said mysteriously. "It's a surprise."

Then no matter how Dudley and Harry asked, he refused to reveal a single word.

However, the uncontrollable smile on his face betrayed him; it seemed to be a good thing.

Soon, Dali and his friends returned to that familiar old place.

No. 4, Ligustrum Road.

They carried their luggage into the house one by one. Because of the Unseen Stretch Charm, their luggage did not appear to be much.

When Dali returned this time, he sensed something was wrong; there seemed to be many different things in the house.

Penny isn't in the kitchen.

Penny wasn't in the living room.

Penny was still not on the second floor.

Just as Dudley was about to ask Vernon, Penny slowly walked out of her bedroom on the first floor.

Dali was instantly stunned.

Penny's once perfectly flat stomach was now bulging out, looking as round as if it contained several balls.

"This is."

Dudley stared blankly at Petunia, and Harry was also stunned by what he saw.

This situation was completely unexpected.

"Are you pregnant?"

If you still can't understand this, then you're really stupid. It can't be that Penny has a tumor in her stomach, can it?

"Congratulations, Dudley and Harry, you're going to be big brothers."

Penny gently stroked her belly and whispered.

Needless to say, it was Vernon who did this.

"How far in advance is your due date?"

Dudley and Harry quickly helped Penny to her seat, afraid that she might get hurt.

"About two weeks."

With two weeks left in her ten-month pregnancy, it meant that he and Harry wouldn't be at Hogwarts for long.

It was all Vernon's doing!

"Hehe, didn't I tell you it was a surprise? Kids, how's the surprise?"

Vernon parked his car and walked in from outside.

It was indeed a huge surprise.

"I'm going to be a big brother again."

Dudley was actually quite happy, and then began to think about whether to move Vernon and the others to a different house.

Although the environment around Privet Road is nice, it's still a bit far from the city center, making it inconvenient to go to the hospital.

"Hey kids, are you all hungry? I'll cook today."

Vernon tied an apron around his waist and picked up the spatula that Penny usually handled.

"Try my cooking; I've learned a lot lately."

This was the first time I'd ever seen Vernon cook; he usually couldn't even be bothered to heat up a smoked meat.

Is it okay to eat now that they're cooking for me?

Seemingly sensing their suspicious gazes, Vernon grumbled discontentedly, "Don't underestimate me. Who do you think was in charge of cooking before Penny and I got married?"

"Today I'm going to show you what I've got."

"We're having a big meal tonight."

So here's the question: why did it disappear after marriage?

Dudley and Harry soon found out the answer.

Vernon chased everyone out of the kitchen and then spent a while tinkering alone in there before serving dinner.

Slightly burnt fried eggs, a large pot of stewed sauerkraut and sausage, a dark, unidentified substance, and a can of smoked fish—that's all for today's meal.

"."

Dudley and Harry stared speechlessly at the appalling food on the table, unsure of how to even begin eating.

Harry looked at Dudley, Dudley looked at Penny, and Penny shook her head, indicating that she wasn't hungry.

Helpless, Dali used his fork to pickle a little bit of sauerkraut and put it in his mouth.

Then Dudley fell silent.

At that moment, he seemed to taste all the flavors—sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy—a myriad of tastes blooming on his taste buds, but one crucial ingredient was missing:

No salt was added.

Seeing that Dudley had eaten something, Harry picked up his fork as well. He didn't touch the dark lump of food, nor the sauerkraut and sausage that Dudley had just eaten, nor the smoked fish can. Instead, he aimed at the fried egg.

Even if a fried egg is poorly made, it shouldn't be inedible.

The moment he put the fried egg in his mouth, he knew he was wrong, and very wrong.

The fried egg had sugar in it, a lot of it, it was cloyingly sweet.

"My cooking is pretty good, isn't it?" Vernon said shamelessly, assuming the two brothers were amazed by his skills after eating and remaining silent for a long time.

I was truly shocked; I never expected it to taste so bad.

While Vernon's willingness to take on household chores was commendable, unfortunately, he lacked the talent for it.

Dudley silently stood up and went into the kitchen.

No wonder Penny won't let you cook anymore; eating this every day will eventually give you a stomachache.

Before long, Dali came out carrying several plates of fragrant dishes.

Penny and Harry both very conscientiously picked up their utensils and began to enjoy their meal.

Only Vernon was grumbling and complaining incessantly.

Until he took a bite of what he made himself, and then a bite of what Dali made.

Then he stopped talking and started eating in silence.

As Xun Ge'er once said, "Without comparison, there is no harm."

Dudley secretly decided that he would be in charge of Penny's meals during the period before she gave birth.

Otherwise, it will be bad for the child's development.

If you follow Vernon, you'll go hungry nine times in three days.

After a meal and a short rest, Dudley, Harry, and Vernon went out into the yard.

Time to start my evening workout routine again.

"Don't think your father only knows how to eat. I exercise every day." To make his point, Vernon took off his shirt and vigorously swung his thick arms.

Regardless of the intensity of Vernon's training, he did achieve this: his muscle density increased significantly, and his body fat percentage decreased considerably.

Although he still looks fat, he is actually quite strong.

Vernon was still basking in his self-satisfaction when he saw Harry, who had taken off his shirt and was working out.

Harry looks skinny and small, but he's actually all muscle under his clothes. He's been training with Dudley for two years, so if he didn't even have this much muscle, he'd be finished.

Then Dudley took off his shirt.

Vernon remained silent for a moment, then quietly put on his shirt.

(End of this chapter)