Chapter 22. Divergence
"What kind of creature was that?" Dudley asked as he, Harry, and Mrs. Figg approached the Dursleys' house together.
"A Dementor," Harry replied. "They're not supposed to be here at all."
"They guard the magical prison Azkaban, which is located far away from populated areas," Mrs. Figg explained. "Once, a very dark wizard lived there and did terrible things. Since then, they have tried many times to close that cursed place."
"So you're a witch?" Harry asked.
"Just a Squib. But who said I can't keep an eye on you?"
"Is that true?" Harry was stunned.
"Well, of course it's true. By Dumbledore's orders."
At the front door of the Dursleys' house, Harry saw a familiar silhouette. The blonde girl in a black jacket and dress looked at him with smug amber eyes.
"Jeanne?" Harry gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"From a camel," Jeanne rolled her eyes. "I was nearby when the Dementors attacked you."
"Who is she?" Dudley asked. "Do you know her?"
"She's my classmate," Harry answered.
Despite Jeanne's roughness, Harry felt warmth in his heart.
Uncle Vernon greeted them with a teaspoon in his hand and a silent question of "where did all of you come from, and at this time of night?"
They had to explain themselves.
"She's my distant relative," Mrs. Figg replied, pointing to Jeanne. "She helps me with housework..."
Uncle Vernon's gaze shifted from Mrs. Figg to Jeanne, then jumped to Harry and Dudley. Feeling uncomfortable, they began desperately trying to come up with a reason for their simultaneous appearance with grim expressions on the doorstep.
"We... we were... walking home and ran into each other," Dudley managed to figure it out.
"Logical," Uncle Vernon thought.
"But what's with the expressions?" he asked.
"Well, we were, uh... uh..." If Dudley was trying to come up with something, the words got lost on their way to his mouth, leaving only interjections.
But he didn't have to answer – an owl did it for him. It flew in the same second and sent a letter directly into Uncle Vernon's face. Startled, he almost swallowed the spoon he continued to lick, still standing in the doorway. He dropped it on the floor and, with great caution, bent down to pick up the parchment envelope with green inked inscriptions. Just glancing at it, he barely concealed the horror on his face, but couldn't hide the sudden pallor that washed over him.
"What interesting mail you have," Jeanne remarked, trying to portray herself as an ordinary, clueless girl who knew nothing about magical matters.
"Oh, um, yeah... we have some acquaintances who always send us some exotic birds. I can't figure out why they bother training owls to deliver letters. Well, Dudley, let's go, we have something to talk about."
He grabbed Dudley's hand and pulled him along.
"May I come in?" Jeanne asked.
"Oh, um, yes, please... Just, uh, we weren't prepared to receive guests... but make yourself at home," Uncle Vernon said, squeezing Dudley's hand as if his life depended on it. "You come with me too," he whispered to Harry.
He listened and the three of them went up to the second floor, where Uncle Vernon entered Dudley's room with them. Then, with a face like a bull that had just been taunted in the corridor, Uncle Vernon thrust a letter under both their noses.
"Read!"
And Harry read.
Mr. D. Dursley, Surrey, Little Whinging, Privet Drive, Number Four, the biggest bedroom on the second floor.
"This is all your doing!" Uncle Vernon whispered angrily, but Harry just shook his head.
"Not mine," he replied. "You can't make an ordinary person a wizard out of nowhere. There are no spells or potions for it."
"Then explain to me what's wrong with my son and how to fix it!" Uncle Vernon gritted through his teeth.
"You can't," Harry replied. "But it'll be worse if he's not taught."
"What do you mean, worse?"
"If he doesn't learn to control his powers, he'll become an Obscurial."
"What on earth is that?"
"It's like a disease and can kill its owner. And if an Obscurial loses control, they can harm a lot of people around them."
Uncle Vernon and Dudley stared at each other in horror.
"But how, daddy?" Dudley exclaimed, looking sad.
"Tomorrow, I'll go with you to prepare Dudley for your stupid school," Uncle Vernon said after he had finished reading the entire letter. "Show me where to buy what he needs, and I'll pay for his education."
A mixture of dissatisfaction and resignation was evident on his face. The last thing he wanted in life was something to happen to Dudley. Now he desperately wanted to avoid the possible transformation of Dudley into an Obscurial.
"But Dudley has never shown any abilities…" Aunt Petunia lamented. "And what if this is all a trick? Come on, Dudley, show us something!"
"It doesn't work like that," Harry interjected, looking at Dudley's bewildered face. "Abilities don't always manifest by desire, sometimes it happens beyond the wizard's control..."
"We know, we know!" Uncle Vernon interrupted. "A couple of years ago, all those Ministers told us when you blew up Aunt Marge! And what do you suggest?"
"I don't know," Harry faltered. "Maybe something has to happen that Dudley is afraid of, then his abilities will show. But be careful with him, becoming an Obscurial is not easy."
Aunt Petunia thought for a few minutes, and then exclaimed at the top of her voice:
"I know! Where's your wand?"
"I have it."
"Give it to Dudley."
Harry took out his wand from his pocket and handed it to Dudley. He looked at it in bewilderment for a moment, then turned his gaze to Harry.
"Now what do I do with it?" he wondered.
"Wave it," Harry recalled Ollivander's words.
Dudley waved the wand and suddenly all the books spilled out of the bookshelf. Aunt Petunia immediately rushed to collect them.
"Give it here!" Uncle Vernon ordered.
Taking the stick from his son's hands, he also tried swinging it, but nothing happened. He swung it several times, but it was all in vain. Finally realizing that the stick didn't work in his hands, he handed it back to Dudley.
"Do it again," Dudley swung the stick again, and this time, he knocked over and broke the chandelier.
"What does this mean?" Uncle Vernon asked Harry. "Why does it work in his hands and not mine?"
"It means, Uncle Vernon, that the wand is just a conduit for inner power. Wizards have that power, while regular people do not."
"Do you always break and smash things with them?"
"Not really. You can also use them to fix things, change the shape of objects, and much more."
"Show me!"
Harry took the wand in his hands and directed it at the chandelier.
"Reparo!"
The shattered fragments immediately gathered together and the chandelier returned to its previous place.
"You will teach Dudley while you two are here. The letter said fifth year, so you'll help him catch up with his peers."
Harry looked at his cousin's sad face and instantly felt sympathy. Both of them knew that it was just the beginning.
The next morning, still unhappy, Uncle Vernon took them to London. Finding Diagon Alley proved relatively easy.
"Oh, Harry Potter!" the bartender greeted the boy. "What brings you here this time?"
"I need help getting my cousin ready for school," he replied.
The bartender looked at Uncle Vernon and Dudley, who were following behind Harry. Uncle Vernon frowned disapprovingly at his gaze, but the bartender remained unfazed.
"Allow me to guide you," he offered.
Leading the guests to a coveted door, behind which they saw a solid brick wall, the bartender turned to Dudley.
"First time at Hogwarts, eh?"
Dudley nodded awkwardly. He still didn't know whether to be happy or cry over this news. The only minor positive was the support of his parents and Harry, without which he would have been completely lost.
The bartender tapped the bricks with his magic wand, and a passage opened in the wall.
"Well, here you go," he said. "That leads to Diagon Alley. You'll figure out the rest from here. I'll go back to work. Good luck!"
Diagon Alley was bustling with people today. Even Harry couldn't remember seeing so many people here before. He was filled with anticipation for the news of what had happened in the magical community in the past month. What had he missed?
"So where do we go now?" Uncle Vernon asked anxiously.
The wizards and fantastic creatures around them were watching from all sides. A couple of owls hooted nearby, and the air was filled with the aromas of sweets and the chatter of people.
"I think we should first go to Gringotts bank. The currency here is not pounds, it's a slightly different currency."
"Oh? And what's that?" Uncle Vernon's dissatisfaction still lingered.
"Golden Galleons, slightly smaller Silver Sickles, and even smaller Bronze Knuts."
Uncle Vernon scratched his head in confusion. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the brightly dressed wizards whom he had recently considered riffraff.
- Okay, let's go to your bank. Which one, you say, has the exchange rate?
Half an hour later, Uncle Vernon was pushing a cart with school supplies for Dudley. Almost everything they needed was there: a cauldron for potions, not just one, a cage with a brown owl, a whole suitcase of books and various ingredients for potions. They only lacked a broomstick and a magic wand. Madam Malkin was exhausted measuring a suitable robe for Dudley, but there were no problems even with that.
Finally, the coveted Ollivander's shop.
- This is the most important part. - Harry said before they entered the shop.
- What do you mean? - Uncle Vernon asked.
- The magic wand chooses its owner. - Harry replied. - Anyway, Mr. Ollivander will explain everything.
Ollivander was the only person in the shop who was smiling. He straightforwardly explained the intricacies of choosing a magic wand and let Dudley try one out. It didn't work. After trying a dozen magic wands, none of which wanted to obey Dudley, Ollivander literally flew up to the top of his staircase and took out a box with another wand.
- Perhaps this one... - he mused, and immediately descended to hand the wand to Dudley. - Try it.
The whole world seemed to fill with bright colors, and the new wand emitted a burst of beautiful sparks.
- Amazing... - Ollivander muttered. - Incredible!
- What exactly is amazing? - Uncle Vernon asked rudely.
- This is a very rare wand, made from a combination of materials such as oak and hair from a Thestral's tail. Thestrals are known to be visible only to people who have seen death. The fact that this wand chose Dudley means that he is willingly and without hesitation bidding farewell to his previous life. I am confident that he will achieve many great deeds, and this wonderful wand will become his loyal companion in achieving them.