Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Wizard

Chapter 12 Tasting the Cake, Midnight Meeting!

Hagrid's Imperfect Stretch spell only affected the living room space; the misaligned and distorted ceiling and walls did not actually deform, it just looked awkward.

Therefore, it did not affect Dudley's access to the various rooms.

Dali threw Haig's coat into the washing machine in his bathroom, turned it on, and made the washing machine run with great effort.

He wasn't trying to tamper with Hagrid's coat, but rather to give Hagrid a reason to return to the Dursleys' house.

This would increase his chances of success and the likelihood of winning in his subsequent actions.

Back in the living room, the Dursleys, Harry, and Hagrid were already seated at the dining table.

There wasn't a chair in the house that could support Hagrid's weight, so Penny found him a thick cushion and let him sit directly on the floor.

Even so, Hagrid was still taller than everyone in the Dursley family.

Everyone sat around the table, looking at the two cakes on the table, one tall and one short, one large and one small, waiting for Dali to return so they could enjoy them together.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward and somber, lacking the warmth and joy of before.

Hagrid, on the other hand, was delighted and shared the sausages he had just taken out of his pocket with everyone.

The Dursleys looked a little stiff. Although Dudley had persuaded them, they still felt awkward sitting with the wizard.

Harry's expression was also somewhat conflicted. After learning that Hagrid was the one who sent him here, he really wanted to ask Hagrid about the specific details of his parents' murder.

In the letter Dumbledore left for the Dursleys, he only said that Lily and James were killed by a powerful dark wizard, and that Lily used love and sacrifice to set up a powerful protective spell for Harry before she died, without specifying the identity of the murderer.

The book "The Great Events of Modern Wizarding" that Dudley obtained from Dugger was also vague.

As if to avoid some taboo, the author only refers to the brutal murderer as the "mysterious man," while emphasizing Harry Potter's reputation as the boy who survived the ordeal and the savior of the wizarding world.

As a time traveler, Dudley naturally knew the complete truth, but in the past, he couldn't be completely honest with Harry, spilling the beans from a bamboo tube.

Firstly, to prevent Harry's childhood from being overwhelmed by the pain of his parents' murder; secondly, because Dudley couldn't explain the source of the information.

Therefore, Harry still only had a vague understanding of his parents' deaths and was eager to know the truth.

But in this situation and atmosphere, he didn't know whether to speak or how to speak.

"Let's eat cake first!" Dudley sat down next to Harry. "We can talk about other things after we eat."

Harry and the Dursleys breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions becoming much more relaxed, and began to cut the cake.

Unbeknownst to many, Dali has become the backbone of this family in a sense, bringing courage and strength to his family.

With Dali's high emotional intelligence guidance, the cake tasting went smoothly and harmoniously.

Dudley practices boxing and has a good appetite; Vernon is round and has a large appetite; Hagrid, needless to say, is of giant blood, three and a half meters tall, and can eat a lot.

Neither of the two rather large cakes was wasted; they were all devoured by the crowd.

They also threw in two buckets of juice.

Hagrid ate until he was about 80% full and was extremely happy. In a moment of enthusiasm, he commented without a shred of emotional intelligence:

“I misunderstood the Dursleys before. You’re not as hateful and mean as I imagined! Harry is well taken care of by you. Although he’s not as strong as Dudley, he’s still healthy!”

Vernon and Penny's faces darkened, thinking that wizards were indeed a hateful species.

Dudley noticed this and quickly changed the subject, asking the question Harry most wanted to know:

"Hagrid, Harry is our family, it's only right that we treat him well. But tell us how my Aunt Lily and Uncle James were murdered! Harry and we both want to know."

Upon hearing this, Harry looked at Hagrid with a curious expression.

Although Penny tried her best to hide it, she couldn't help but prick up her ears, wanting to know why her sister had left her.

Upon hearing this, Hagrid's face darkened, and he looked at Harry with some heartache before slowly saying, "There are some things I'm not entirely clear about either. I can only say what I know."

All of this is because of a very, very evil, wicked to the core, dark wizard, whose name is…

"What should I call you?" Harry asked impatiently.

"His name is... everyone avoids mentioning him, calling him the mysterious man. Okay, his name is... Voldemort!"

After uttering the name, Hagrid shuddered, leaned closer to the fireplace, and continued, "Twenty years ago, a mysterious man gathered a large group of wizards and formed an organization called the Death Eaters, which then ruled the wizarding world."

Throughout Britain, apart from Dumbledore's Hogwarts...

The family listened quietly as Hagrid recounted the semi-public secrets of the wizarding world, their expressions varying.

After a short while, Hagrid had said most of what he needed to say; he didn't know much either.

Dudley, combining the information Harry already had, grasped the key point and asked:

"Voldemort broke into Aunt Lily's house and killed Aunt Lily and Uncle James, but the protective charm that Aunt Lily had placed on Harry caused the attack to be reflected back, resulting in Voldemort being seriously injured and disappearing without a trace. His fate was unknown, and peace was restored to the British wizarding world as a result."

So the question arises: why did Voldemort insist on killing Aunt Lily's family? What was his motive?

Hagrid thought for a moment: "I'm not quite sure. He's a madman, a complete villain. During that time, he killed many famous wizarding couples, and many of them, along with their children, died, like the McKinnons..."

"Stop! That's it!" Dudley interrupted Hagrid. "If there are no past grudges, what would be the reason for a ruler to systematically eliminate a group, excluding the possibility that he has gone mad?"

Dudley said, looking at Harry.

Harry immediately thought about it, and after a few seconds, he came up with the answer: "It's because one or more people in this group threaten his rule, or even his life!"

Dudley nodded approvingly: "That's right! And the person who poses a threat to Voldemort should be..."

"Me?!" Harry exclaimed in surprise, following Dudley's lead.

Dudley nodded again, and the room fell silent.

After a while, Harry broke the silence: "How could Voldemort be so sure that his nemesis would be among this group? Could he be a fortune teller?"

The concept of fortune-telling was mentioned by Dudley when he told Harry Eastern stories. Now that Harry has this rational association instead of wallowing in grief and self-destruction, it is enough to prove that Dudley's intervention and guidance in Harry's childhood was very effective.

"Fortune telling? Harry, you mean divination?"

Hagrid chimed in, "The Mystic knows a lot of powerful dark magic, but I've never heard of him having any outstanding talent in divination. Speaking of divination, Professor Trelawney of Hogwarts is very good at it."

"Could it be..."

Harry said excitedly, as if he had guessed some truth.

At that moment, perhaps because he was thinking too much and too many things, a dazzling green light suddenly flashed through Harry's mind, along with an evil, sinister, and brutal laugh.

This is his memory of the night his parents were murdered.

“Cousin! I…” Harry suddenly stood up, then felt a little dizzy and staggered a couple of steps.