Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 98: Return
"Father?" said Dudley in shock.
"Yes, it happened and congratulations, Dudley," Vernon said with a wide smile.
The night before, after returning from the hospital, Vernon and Petunia had been overjoyed when they learned that Petunia was pregnant. At first, they wanted to tell Dudley right away, but eventually decided to wait until this morning. Dudley face showed disbelief at first, but his surprise soon turned into a warm smile. Harry, too, looked genuinely happy for them.
Living and training with Dudley had softened Harry hatred toward the Dursleys. He no longer saw them in the same bitter light as before. In fact, he was rather excited at the thought of having a new cousin. Amelia, Sirius, and Susan all joined in to congratulate the couple.
The reactions of the house-elves varied greatly. Dobby looked absolutely thrilled, bouncing with joy. Mipsy only smiled quietly, while Kreacher wore his usual poker face. But no one could truly blame him, after all, in his mind, the blood of the House of Black was far more noble than that of Muggles. Even so, because this was Dudley's family, who had treated him with respect and even helped him, Kreacher did not object.
"Woah, Dudley, you're going to be a big brother," Susan said cheerfully.
"Yeah," Dudley replied with a grin. "I just hope my mother not only gives birth safely but also becomes a grandmother one day. And maybe our child will even have red hair like yours."
Susan's face turned bright red at his words. She wanted to smack him for teasing, but since they were sitting at the table surrounded by others, she tried to calm herself instead.
Dudley only smirked silently, proud of his little victory. His expression did not escape Amelia and Sirius, who exchanged knowing glances. They simply smiled, amused by the youngster. It was now clear to them that Dudley truly liked Susan. Still, as adults, they had no intention of interfering. They would let Susan sort out her feelings on her own.
"Mother," Dudley asked after a pause, "do you want it to be a girl or a boy?"
"Hm, I don't really mind," Petunia answered thoughtfully. "Boys and girls are both fine, but since we've never had a daughter before, I hope this time it will be a girl."
Vernon nodded in agreement. "Your mother is right. We don't care which gender is better. As long as the child is part of the Dursley family, we will welcome it."
---The Day Of Return---
It was a pity. Although they had managed to create the Mark 1 Iron Mage Armor, it could only be used by wizards. Most of the armor functions required magical control, making it useless to ordinary Muggles.
Still, this was Dudley's first real step, and the armor had been designed specifically to fight against werewolves and giants. He had tested it once again, confirming that the arc reactor powered the exoskeleton, the lightsaber and the repulsor. For flying, however, Dudley preferred to use the flight enhancement runes. These were the very same enchantments used on the Firebolt broomstick, which Dudley had cleverly copied and applied to the Iron Mage Armor.
The result was astonishing, the armor flew nearly three times faster. Dudley wanted to tweak it further, but even with magic, there was still the issue of G-force. No wizard could ignore it, and handling G-force inside the armor was even more difficult than inside a jet. Unless Dudley could one day replicate the advanced technology Tony Stark had in his world, G-force would always remain a limitation.
He placed his briefcase down just as his mother's voice called from behind.
"Dudley, today is the day you return to school," Petunia said, her voice slightly hoarse with emotion.
"Mom," said Dudley softly. Because he had once been an orphan, Petunia words make him sad.
"Let's hurry, otherwise the train will leave," Petunia urged.
Dudley nodded.
Downstairs, the others were already waiting. Dudley carried nothing except his briefcase, everything else had already been packed inside.
"Ready?" asked Vernon.
"Yes, Father," Dudley replied.
Together, they all went to the car and drove toward the train station.
"Should we enter?" Vernon asked Petunia quietly, but Amelia overheard him.
"Vernon, just follow us like before," Petunia reminded.
Previously, both Vernon and Petunia had managed to enter Platform Nine and Three-Quarters by holding hands.
"Yes, Father, just hold my hand, and Mom will hold yours. That way we can all pass through the barrier," Dudley explained.
Vernon nodded in agreement.
They successfully stepped onto the platform, found the train, and chose a compartment together.
Susan didn't want to sit with Dudley, so she drag her friend Hannah and Hermione too.
While Harry met Ron on the train.
"It looks crowded, how about man will sit with man?" suggested Dudley.
"Good idea," replied Susan.
They then choose another compartment.
The bell rang, signaling that the train was about to depart.
Dudley, Susan, and Harry leaned out of the window, waving their hands.
Vernon, Petunia, Amelia, and Sirius waved back warmly.
A few seconds later, the train pulled away, leaving their families behind on the platform.
Eventhough Petunia and Vernon are bit sad that Dudley are leaving, but they are a bit happy when they think of a baby.
---Dumbledore POV---
Today was the day the students would return to Hogwarts.
"Another day, another great adventure," Dumbledore muttered to himself.
Just then, another owl swooped in, carrying a letter. Ever since the most recent news had been released, more and more parents had begun sending him letters.
As usual, he scanned the envelope carefully to ensure it carried no curse. Once he confirmed it was safe, he tore it open and began to read.
In the past, many of the letters he received were filled with criticism or mistrust. But now, more and more parents were beginning to believe in him again.
Normally, he did not bother to read them in detail. Yet when a pure-blood wizard, one not aligned with the Death Eaters, sent him a letter, the contents shocked him so much that he decided to read the others as well.
It was a pity, he thought, that his position as Headmaster bound him to Hogwarts. Because of it, he could not personally hunt down the Horcruxes or dig deeper into the hidden history of Tom Riddle aka Voldemort.
Author Notes: To read advanced chapter you can go to my patreon.
Chapter 126: Ancient One Template
Chapter 127: Ancient One VS Death Eater
Chapter 128: Interrogation
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