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"Gulp."
The moment they heard that name, the three felt their throats tighten and swallowed hard almost at the same time.
That name was an absolute taboo at St. George Primary School.Something that simply could not be spoken.
A chill ran down their spines, and the three of them shuddered together.
"Did I just hear someone talking about me?"
A light voice suddenly rang out — but to the ears of the four, it sounded like a thunderclap.
A hand appeared at the corner of the wall. Moments later, a massive shadow slowly stretched out, as if exhaling white mist, completely blocking the sunlight above their heads.
The bullies who had been acting arrogantly toward Harry just seconds ago now felt their throats go dry.
How should one describe that person?
Just his arm alone was thicker than their thighs.
Judging by his build, he was clearly a strong and robust boy. Yet his face still carried traces of youth, creating a strange contradiction — like looking at a child trapped inside the body of a brute.
If it had to be summed up in one sentence:
He felt like someone who belonged to a completely different world from theirs.
Even standing still, without saying a word, his presence alone was suffocating.
Harvey swallowed hard. He didn't recognize the boy at first glance, but that unmistakable physique could only mean one thing.
Then, the newcomer smiled — an extremely… "gentle" smile.
Yet it was precisely that simple smile that sent a fear rising from the depths of their souls.
Dudley Dursley.
A boy whose name alone was enough to make children stop crying at night.
"What were you doing to my dear cousin?"
His gaze slowly swept over the three of them. It felt like being locked onto by a natural predator.
Or perhaps it wasn't just a feeling.
"N-nothing… we weren't doing anything, sir."
They answered in unison — and without realizing it, even used a respectful form of address.
"Good. I don't like violence or trouble."
Dudley nodded and smiled again, showing what he believed to be a polite expression.
The three nearly had heart attacks.
He walked up to Harry and carefully placed the black-framed glasses back onto his face. When he noticed the faint red imprint of fingers on his cousin's cheek, his expression darkened.
"Slap yourselves."
Dudley turned to the three, completely serious.
"Hard. I won't repeat myself."
The suffocating pressure returned in full force. The three felt as if an invisible hand was crushing their hearts.
This didn't feel like facing another person.
It felt like staring down a beast.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The sharp sound of slaps echoed through the air.
No one questioned Dudley's orders.No one negotiated with Dudley.
Any request he made had to be carried out. No exceptions.
After several slaps, their faces were already swollen.
It was obvious they were hitting themselves for real.They didn't dare hold back — much less stop.
Only when their faces resembled pig heads did Dudley turn to Harry.
"Satisfied, Harry?"
"Y-yes!" Harry replied, nodding frantically like a pecking chick.
Dudley gave a small nod in response.
"That's enough."
Only then did the three dare to stop.
Under normal circumstances, Dudley didn't like resorting to violence. He genuinely believed himself to be a reasonable person.
After all, they were the ones slapping themselves.That had nothing to do with Dudley Dursley.
Taking the baguette from Harry's hands, Dudley was about to eat when he noticed a bite mark at the tip. He frowned.
"Who touched my lunch?"
It was just a simple question — yet it made the three tremble like leaves in the wind. The short, chubby boy was on the verge of tears.
Now it was easy to understand why Dudley was called the Food Protector.
Jim gathered all the courage he had.
"P-please let me explain… there was a misunderstanding…"
"I don't care about misunderstandings."
Dudley smiled, revealing neat, white teeth.
"I want to know when you're going to return the four pounds you owe my cousin."
He seemed like he didn't know anything.
But in truth, he knew everything.
None of this was unusual at St. George. Bullies "borrowing" money from weaker students happened all the time — in almost every school.
Where there were students, there was trash like this.
And as he had said himself, Dudley didn't like trouble.
If they wanted to "borrow," then let them borrow.Whether to give the money or not was his decision.Whether it got paid back… that was their problem.
Besides, Harry really did need new glasses.
The statement left the three momentarily confused. Jim was the first to react.
"We… we'll pay it back in a week, sir."
Even if I have to steal it, he thought.Losing money was better than losing something else.
"Three days." Dudley replied, tearing off the bitten part of the baguette with visible disgust. "And there's compensation for my bread… and…"
He looked at Harry's face again.
"One slap costs one pound and five cents. So altogether, you owe us nine pounds and fifteen cents. Thank you."
Split between the three, that was a little over three pounds each.
For a poor student, that was a small fortune.
The chubby boy opened his mouth to protest — but froze when he saw Dudley stuff the hard piece of baguette into his mouth and chew loudly, producing a crack, crack sound, as if eating something crunchy.
At that moment, the boy thought of his own fingers.Thought of scenes far too bloody for children.
And swallowed his words along with his fear.
Fight him?
Not a chance.
That body looked like a small mountain of muscle.
Could three rabbits beat a brown bear?
Another group had tried once — even calling bullies from a neighboring school.
The result: all of them ended up in the hospital.
Dudley?
Completely unharmed. And he even received praise from the school.
"Self-defense."What kind of self-defense is that, everyone thought.
Looking at those broad, solid arms, the three swallowed hard again.
No arm could overpower legs like those.
It was said Dudley had already won a regional youth boxing championship back in third grade.
A competition that usually only allowed middle school students.
And not only did he participate — he won.
The three of them together wouldn't withstand a single punch.
Under Dudley's powerful bites, the baguette quickly disappeared. He then held out the torn piece toward the chubby boy.
"Don't waste food. Eat it."
The boy obeyed in tears. He bit down hard.
Crack.
A tooth fell out.
Tears, blood, and a face swollen like a pig. A complete disaster.
That's not bread — that's a rock, Jim and Harvey thought, utterly terrified.
At that moment, Dudley paused slightly. The frown on his face relaxed, and a somewhat foolish smile bloomed.
To the three of them, there was nothing innocent about it.
It was the smile of a demon.
What now?We don't have any money left!Mom… I'll never do this again…
They didn't even dare to question him.
But Dudley wasn't thinking about extorting them any further.
A sound echoed in his ears.
"Mission Complete: Save the Young Savior Harry Potter.Reward: One Physical Attribute Draw."
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