Gulp.
The sound of three boys swallowing in unison was loud in the sudden silence. The name Dudley Dursley was an absolute taboo at St. George's Primary School, a name that carried the weight of a physical threat. A shared shiver of pure, undiluted fear ran down their spines.
"Did I hear someone talking about me?"
The voice was light, almost conversational, but to Piers, Malcolm, and Dennis, it cracked through the air like a thunderclap.
A thick hand gripped the corner of the wall, and a shadow fell over them, blotting out the weak London sun. The figure that emerged was immense, a mountain of a boy who seemed to exhale a visible plume of cold air. The arrogant sneers on the bullies' faces evaporated, replaced by a slack-jawed terror.
How could you even describe him? His arm alone was thicker than any of their thighs. His face was still round with childhood, yet his powerful frame gave the unnerving impression of a fully grown brawler. He didn't belong on a primary school playground; he looked like he was from a different world entirely. Just his presence was suffocating.
Malcolm swallowed, his throat painfully dry. He didn't know Dudley well, but he knew the reputation.
Dudley offered them a wide, "kind" smile.
It didn't reach his eyes. A wave of primal fear, coiled deep in their stomachs, tightened its grip. This was Dudley Dursley, the boy whose name was supposedly enough to make babies stop crying at night.
"What," Dudley began, his voice dangerously soft, "are you doing to my dear cousin?"
His gaze swept over them, and for a terrifying moment, they felt like prey.
"Nothing! Nothing at all," the three blurted out in perfect, terrified unison.
"Good," Dudley nodded, that unnerving smile still in place. "I don't like violence. I don't like trouble."
His words made their hearts hammer against their ribs. He walked past them to Harry, gently placing the black-rimmed glasses back on his cousin's face. His expression darkened as he saw the faint, red handprint blooming on Harry's cheek.
He turned his head slowly. "Slap yourselves," he said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.
The three boys stared.
"Hard," Dudley added, his eyes like chips of ice. "I won't say it a second time."
The oppressive aura returned, pressing down on them, making it hard to breathe. They weren't facing a boy anymore; they were facing a beast. At least, that's what it felt like.
SLAP. SLAP. SLAP.
The sharp, wet sounds echoed in the quiet corner of the schoolyard. No one questioned Dudley Dursley. No one tried to bargain. When he gave an order, you did it. They struck themselves again and again, their cheeks turning a raw, angry red, then swelling grotesquely. They didn't dare hold back; they didn't dare stop.
Only when their faces were puffy and unrecognizable did Dudley turn to Harry. "Satisfied, Harry?"
"Satisfied!" Harry nodded furiously, like a pecking chicken.
Dudley gave a curt nod of his own. "Okay."
Hearing that single word, the three boys let their hands drop, their arms trembling. Dudley, when he could help it, preferred not to get his own hands dirty. They slapped themselves, he could always say. It had nothing to do with me.
He took the baguette from Harry, but as he was about to take a bite, he saw the tooth marks on the crust. His brow furrowed. "Who touched my lunch?"
The simple question sent a fresh wave of terror through the bullies. Dennis, the short, chubby one who had taken the bite, looked like he was about to burst into tears. There was a reason they called him "The Food Protector."
It was Piers who found his voice, a reedy, trembling thing. "Please, let me explain. It was a misunderstanding—"
"I don't care about misunderstandings," Dudley cut him off, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth. "I just want to know when you'll be paying back the four pounds you owe my cousin."
He acted as if he knew nothing, but his eyes told them he knew everything. He knew they were planning to shake down Harry for pocket money. It was a common enough occurrence at St. George's. As he said, he didn't like trouble. But if trouble found his cousin, he would finish it.
The bullies stared, confused. It was Piers who understood first. "We'll have it in a week!" he promised. We'll steal it if we have to, he thought frantically. Just pay the money and get away.
"Three days," Dudley corrected, tearing off the contaminated end of the baguette with a look of disgust. "Plus compensation for my bread... and..." He studied Harry's swollen cheek again. "One pound and five pence per slap. So, in total, you owe us nine pounds and fifteen pence. Thank you."
Nine pounds and fifteen pence. Between the three of them, it was a fortune.
Dennis's lip twitched, a protest forming on his tongue. But then he saw Dudley raise the rock-hard baguette to his mouth. With a loud CRUNCH, he bit off a huge piece and began chewing as if it were a crisp apple. The sound was sickening. Dennis imagined his own fingers snapping in that jaw and swallowed his words.
Team up on him? Don't be ridiculous. You don't fight a grizzly bear. People had tried before. Some older kids from the middle school had been hired to teach Dudley a lesson once. They all ended up in the hospital. Dudley got a commendation from the school for his "act of bravery."
To hell with acts of bravery. They all knew the stories. Dudley had won the Southeast Junior Heavyweight Inter-School Boxing Championship. In the third year. It was a competition meant for kids years older than him. The three of them together wouldn't last a single punch.
After devouring the baguette, Dudley held out the saliva-soaked end he had torn off to Dennis. "Don't waste food," he commanded. "Eat it."
Tears streaming down his bloody, swollen face, Dennis took the crust. He bit down hard. There was a sickening crack, and a tooth clattered against the pavement. He looked utterly miserable.
It's like eating rocks. Piers and Malcolm thought, a new level of terror dawning on them.
Suddenly, Dudley paused. The fierce scowl on his face melted away, replaced by a blank, slightly confused expression that quickly morphed into a simple, almost idiotic smile.
To the three bullies, it wasn't a smile. It was the leer of a demon. What now? they thought in panic. He's not going to ask for more, is he?
But Dudley wasn't thinking about them anymore. He hadn't heard their whimpering prayers or noticed their terror. He was listening to a sound that only he could hear, a notification that had just chimed in his mind.
Quest Completed: Defend an Ally.
Objective: Rescue Harry Potter.
Reward Issued: 1x Physical Attribute Lottery.
***
(End of Chapter)
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