Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 26. The little brother has grown up.

"I, Harry Potter, will never go to Hogwarts!"

The room fell silent at his words, stunning not only the Dursleys but also Dumbledore and the tabby cat.

This statement is truly shocking. What if the savior who saved the magical world doesn't go to the magical world?

If it were just the Dursleys who disagreed, that would be easy to handle; we could simply ignore their opinions. However, Harry's own wishes cannot be disregarded.

Only Dudley, after his initial stunned silence, was secretly delighted.

This quiet, unassuming person, who had always stayed by his side, passively accepting everything and never expressing their own opinions, finally voiced their own wishes for the first time.

Looking at Harry with a face full of relief, she thought to herself that her little brother had finally grown up.

Hmm? Something seems off.

Dumbledore, who already had a headache after hearing Hagrid's report yesterday, felt an even greater throbbing pain in his temples. He didn't respond to Harry's words, but immediately apologized: "I apologize to your family for the rudeness of the Hogwarts key keeper earlier. Please believe me, we meant no harm."

His words seemed to possess a certain magic, gradually calming the initially agitated Harry down.

"Could you please let us come inside and talk?"

Dumbledore was saying this to Dudley.

He learned from Hagrid's account that, ostensibly the Dursleys were in charge of the household, but in reality, it was their children.

"Of course, Principal."

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. If Hagrid hadn't been so hostile to Vernon, he wouldn't have bothered him. Most importantly, he was no match for the white-bearded old man.

Then Dali paused, and asked doubtfully, "Us?"

The tabby cat standing next to Dumbledore visibly grew larger and larger, transforming into a serious-looking lady.

Dumbledore immediately introduced, "This is Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House and also Professor of Transfiguration."

"Hello, Professor McGonagall."

Dudley greeted him politely, adding a timely exclamation: "Amazing! Is this magic?"

"Hello, Mr. Dursley." Professor McGonagall was pleased with his respectful attitude and replied simply, "Yes, it's a form of Transfiguration."

This seemingly surprised yet calm attitude made Dumbledore take another look at him.

The sense of proportion is handled very well.

The group entered the Dursleys' living room.

Penny sat on the sofa looking somewhat restrained, after all, she had written to Dumbledore several times wanting to attend Hogwarts, though she had been rejected each time. Vernon, on the other hand, didn't look too pleased; he kept his head down, muttering something unintelligible. He didn't know Dumbledore, but in his mind, he was just a crazy, silly old man. It was Professor McGonagall's serious face that made him a little intimidated.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Dumbledore broke the awkward silence: "Tell me, Harry, why don't you want to go to Hogwarts?"

This is a crucial question.

If it were an ordinary junior wizard, they wouldn't go.

He, Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, would have had a huge impact if he hadn't gone to Hogwarts.

Seeing Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall both looking at him at the same time made Harry feel even more pressured.

He is only an eleven-year-old child after all, and it is already commendable that he is brave enough to express his opinion.

"Because then I can't go to school with Dudley!"

Upon hearing this answer, Dumbledore's gaze lingered on Dudley for a moment, then he exchanged a glance with Professor McGonagall, and the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness Hagrid didn't do anything too outrageous." — McGonagall

"I never imagined the Dursleys' children and Harry had developed such a deep bond." — Dumbledore

"We agreed to go to Smetine High School together," Harry insisted stubbornly.

Going to school with Dudley is Harry's biggest wish right now. If he could go alone, he wouldn't go even if it were heaven.

"Harry, if that's the case, you don't need to worry."

Professor McGonagall's serious expression vanished as she looked at Harry and said softly, "Because your brother, Dudley Dursley, is also one of our new students this year."

Dumbledore then looked at Dudley: "Mr. Dursley, you should have received that letter, right?"

"What? Dudley? My God!"

Before Dudley could speak, Penny suddenly stood up from the sofa and cried out in a somewhat discomposured manner.

Going to Hogwarts was her biggest dream of the first half of her life.

"Did I give birth to a wizard?"

Parents sometimes project their own unfulfilled dreams onto their children, which is a common psychological reaction. If Dudley can go to Hogwarts, it would be in a sense that he has fulfilled the dream that Petunia could not.

Realizing her lapse in composure, Penny awkwardly sat back down, her feelings a jumble of emotions.

If only Harry were to go to Hogwarts, she would definitely object, but if Dudley could also go, Petunia was somewhat hesitant.

People can be so hypocritical sometimes.

This is understandable, as Petunia's previous attitude towards Lily was a mixture of sisterly concern and jealousy towards Lily going to Hogwarts alone.

This led to Petunia showing obvious bias when Harry was staying at the Dursleys' Lodge. She would deliberately give the good things to Dudley and the bad things to Harry, creating a stark contrast to make herself feel better.

Fortunately, Dudley mediated, otherwise Harry would have felt like he was being abused.

But this doesn't mean she doesn't love Harry. The ancient protective charm that Lily cast is based on 'love,' and without 'love' besides blood ties, the charm will not continue to work.

In fact, we can summarize it with a quote from Zhou Xun: "I'm afraid my brothers are suffering, but I'm also afraid they're driving Land Rovers."

That's human nature.

"Are you referring to this letter?" Dudley pulled a letter, burned to a corner, from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Unfortunately, it was already like this when I saw it."

Dudley was very unsure whether he could go to Hogwarts; Shinji Matou's magician physique and his 0.8 magic power were really frustrating.

"Oh, my Merlin. It's burned like this."

Professor McGonagall took out her wand and gently tapped it on the nearly burned letter.

With a "whoosh," it returned to its original state.

With a flick of the wand, one can accomplish things that ordinary people cannot, and even mend broken relationships.

"That looks so tempting."

Dudley looked at the restored letter, and this time he could clearly see the handwriting on it.

"Dear Mr. Dursley: We are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

The belief is true.

Even though he appeared calm, Dali was still inwardly excited.

"Mr. Dursley," Dumbledore said again, looking at Dudley. His deep blue eyes were sharp and bright, profound and penetrating. "I've heard from Mrs. Figg that you yearn for the magical world and for magic itself. So, are you interested in attending Hogwarts?"

"On behalf of Hogwarts, I formally extend this invitation to you."

(End of this chapter)