Since Vernon Dursley had switched jobs, his career had taken off. The proof was in the steady stream of new appliances filling their home and the increasingly frequent wardrobe updates for the entire family.
"Oh, my dear Dudders, what do you think of this one?" Petunia cooed, holding up a black-and-white chequered shirt. It was already the largest size the shop carried. She held it against Dudley's broad frame. "Go on, try it on. It must be a perfect fit."
A black-and-white checkered shirt, Dudley thought with an internal grimace. Mum's fashion sense is really something else.
At that moment, Harry pushed the door open. "Aunt Petunia," he said softly. His eyes, however, drifted to Dudley, or more specifically, to the new shirt, and lingered there for a few seconds longer than necessary.
What one person takes for granted can be another's deepest desire. For Harry, living under his aunt and uncle's roof, getting enough to eat was a victory. New clothes were an unimaginable luxury.
He hid his longing well, but Dudley saw it. Setting aside the strategic benefit of keeping the "Saviour" on his side to complete system missions, Dudley felt a genuine pang of sympathy for his cousin. Harry's parents were gone, and he was stuck in a home where he was tolerated rather than welcomed. Growing up in such an environment had taught him to be painfully observant and considerate of others' moods. It was a thoughtfulness that broke your heart.
All Dudley could do was try to be a little kinder to him.
"Mum, what about Harry?" he asked.
Dudley knew his mother's feelings for Harry were complicated. He had caught her, on rare occasions, staring at Harry's back with a dazed expression, her gaze lost in his green eyes. It was a look filled with nostalgia, sorrow, and a dozen other emotions—everything except hatred. But those moments were fleeting. Most of the time, she treated Harry with a cool distance. His father, Vernon, was much the same, quick to call Harry a "freak," though usually only when Petunia was around to hear it. When she wasn't, Vernon mostly just ignored the boy.
"Ha – Harry has one too," Petunia said, her voice tight. She reluctantly pulled a matching shirt, two sizes smaller, from her handbag and handed it to him. "This is yours."
A look of pure joy spread across Harry's face as he accepted the shirt. He didn't seem to care about Petunia's flat tone. He had new clothes, and more importantly, they were the same as Dudley's. With Dudley acting as a buffer, the family of four managed a surprisingly harmonious existence.
"You like it?" Dudley walked over and patted Harry's shoulder. Seeing his cousin's confused expression, he added, "You'll have to wait a bit to wear it, though. Did you forget? We agreed we'd fix up your room today." He leaned in conspiratorially. "Weren't you the one complaining that dust falls from the ceiling every time someone walks upstairs? It would be a shame to get your new shirt dirty."
With that, Dudley pulled a toolbox from a drawer, slung an arm around Harry's neck, and steered him towards his 'little room'—the cupboard under the stairs.
For the rest of the day, the house was filled with the sounds of clanging and banging. With the Decoration LV2 skill provided by his system, Dudley's handiwork was surprisingly good. By the time he was done, the space was transformed.
When Harry pushed the door open, his eyes went wide with disbelief. Was this really the same dark, cold, dusty cupboard he shared with spiders?
It wasn't a total gut renovation, but it was a world of difference. Dudley had installed a small night light that cast a soft, warm glow, chasing away the oppressive darkness. The walls were freshly painted and covered with new wallpaper, and a suspended ceiling panel meant no more dust showers from above. Even the lumpy cot had been replaced with a new, soft mattress. Dudley had even added a few small decorations, like a tiny potted cactus on a new shelf, using techniques from his past life to make the small space feel more open and three-dimensional.
It was a cozy little sanctuary.
Harry looked at Dudley, whose face was smudged with dust and grime. He was moved beyond words. The cousin who was often so fierce and stingy was, in this moment, the kindest person he knew. It had been just a casual complaint, but Dudley had remembered.
This must have cost a fortune, Harry thought, his heart swelling. I saw that little cactus in a shop window; it was a whole pound. He must have used all his savings.
All the small kindnesses Dudley had shown him over the years flashed through his mind.
"Thank you... Brother D," Harry whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
Dudley was slightly taken aback. He scratched his head with a dirty hand, smearing more dust on his cheek. "Thank me for what?" he said with a grin. "We're brothers." He squeezed Harry's shoulder. "We're family. No need to be so polite."
"Brothers... family," Harry repeated, chewing on the words as if tasting them for the first time. His voice grew firmer with each repetition.
When the whole world seems to be against you, the one person who shows you kindness will always hold a special place in your heart.
"So," Dudley said, his tone turning meaningful, "if you become a big shot one day, Harry, you won't forget about your cousin, will you?"
"Brother D, you'll definitely be more successful than me," Harry said earnestly. The Dudley he knew was a master of everything, excelling at academics, sports, and anything else he put his mind to. If not for his infamous reputation as "The Food Protector," he'd be the most popular boy in school. Compared to him, Harry felt like a total nobody.
"Everyone has their own talents," Dudley mused. Right now, I'm just a big, strong Muggle. Even with Shinji Matou's useless 'mage physique', I'm a long way from real power. He knew that if he ever did manage to become a mage, he would need his cousin's help. Harry was the protagonist, after all. Building a good relationship now was a sound investment.
A familiar chime echoed in his mind.
Quest Completed: Improve the living environment of the young Savior.
Reward Issued: 1x Item Draw.
A wide smile broke across Dudley's face. He'd earned Harry's goodwill and gotten a reward. A win-win.
It's a good thing Harry can't hear that, he thought.
"Come on, Harry," he said, rubbing his cousin's messy hair affectionately. "I'll treat you to ice cream."
"Okay, Brother D... but you shouldn't have spent all your money—"
"Don't worry about it," Dudley cut him off, ruffling his hair again. "Your big cousin has plenty of cash to treat you."
The ice cream was sweet, but Harry's heart felt even sweeter. Thinking about it, his cousin wasn't stingy at all. He might make him run errands, but he also treated him to good food and was always the first to stand up for him when he was in trouble.
It feels great to have a brother who looks out for you, he thought, a warmth spreading through his chest.
From the window, Petunia watched the two boys walking away, their arms slung around each other's shoulders. For a moment, her mind drifted back in time, back to when she and her sister had been just as close. They shared everything, whispering their dreams to each other late into the night. That was before the letter came, on Lily's eleventh birthday.
From that day on, they became people from two different worlds.
Petunia let out a long, slow sigh, giving her head an almost imperceptible shake before turning away from the window and disappearing into her room.
***
(End of Chapter)
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