Harry Potter: Dudley From LOTM - 3447

Chapter 347: Guilt

"Dudley, you... you are not seriously thinking about going to look for Sirius Black, are you?" Hermione asked, watching his expression.

"It is just an idea. I have already faced Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort in person. There is no reason for Black to be more frightening than either of them," Dudley said lightly.

He knew Black was an extremely dangerous Dark wizard. So what? He had already met and even crossed wands with two generations of Dark Lords. As Voldemort’s former follower, Sirius Black did not particularly scare him.

"That..." Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.

It was as if they suddenly remembered that the boy in front of them was not an ordinary third‑year Hogwarts student.

"Well, if you really are going to do it, make sure you bring me along," Harry said.

"You?" Dudley raised an eyebrow.

"He is supposed to be after me, isn't he? I'd quite like to meet this Dark wizard for myself. Besides, if you're there, I don't have to worry about my safety," Harry said with a crooked grin.

"We will see when the time comes," Dudley said, not agreeing outright.

The rain continued to pour down. Whether it was the Dementors or something else, the first day of term felt far colder and darker than the last two years.

But when they saw Hogwarts Castle glowing with warm, golden light, much of that chill lifted from their hearts.

"Oh, there you are at last."

The moment they stepped into the castle, a familiar voice reached them.

"Professor McGonagall."

All four of them greeted the witch in the dark green cloak at once.

"You four manage to cause me trouble every single year. Do you really think I have nothing better to do?" Professor McGonagall said, her mouth flattening into a thin line as she regarded her House’s four "star" students.

"We do not want to cause trouble. Trouble keeps finding us," Ron muttered.

"Mr Weasley, last year you took your father’s flying car and crashed it into the Whomping Willow, did you not?" she said.

"Do you need me to help refresh your memory? Perhaps by sending another letter to your mother?"

Ron blanched. "N‑No, that is not necessary. I remember."

He would never forget that Howler as long as he lived.

Seeing him back down, McGonagall turned her gaze on the other three, finally letting it rest on Dudley.

"Dudley, I know you are very strong, and I know you can deal with Dementors. But acting as you did makes everything far more complicated and much harder to resolve," she said with a sigh, worry in her eyes.

"Professor McGonagall, about what happened on the train..." Harry began, but she lifted a hand to stop him.

"There is no need to explain. I already know what happened. You truly did nothing wrong. But there are better ways to handle such things than by taking matters into your own hands, are there not?"

"Especially when there was a new Hogwarts professor right beside you. Even if danger had arisen, he would have stepped in to help."

"Now, however..." Her expression grew more troubled.

"Professor, is the Ministry going to punish us?" Hermione asked quickly.

"No," McGonagall said, shaking her head. "Professor Dumbledore has already sorted it out."

Hermione let out a quiet breath of relief.

"But you cannot expect Professor Dumbledore to step in every time. And besides..." She trailed off for a moment, as if hesitating over whether to go on.

"Professor, please, just tell us. What has happened?" Dudley said calmly.

"Although Professor Dumbledore has settled this particular incident, it has worsened his relationship with Minister Fudge," McGonagall said. "He may not be able to involve himself in many matters from now on."

"So you must be more careful about what you do in the future. Otherwise, the Ministry really may move directly against you."

Dudley was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I understand," he said.

"Good. Now, off you go to the feast," she said, patting his arm with a small, approving nod.

After saying goodbye to Professor McGonagall, they headed towards the Great Hall.

The mood was heavy.

They did not particularly mind her scolding them. What sat badly was knowing that Dumbledore had paid such a price for their actions. It felt as if they had made a mistake and someone else was bearing the punishment, and guilt weighed on them.

"Maybe we really should stop getting into so much trouble," Hermione said quietly.

"Hermione, it is not always us starting it. Half the time it is trouble that keeps coming after us," Ron said, spreading his hands.

"At least inside the castle, things should be quieter," Dudley said. "No need to be so discouraged."

The wizarding world might be in chaos, but most of that chaos was outside. Within Hogwarts, things were still relatively stable.

If Dudley caused any waves in the future, it would be outside the school walls, and he would make very sure not to link those actions to his real identity.

By the time they entered the Great Hall, the Sorting Ceremony was already over.

They found seats and began to eat.

Dudley’s gaze drifted past the dishes to the staff table.

Professor Dumbledore was eating as normal. His arm seemed to have healed, but there was still a tiredness about his face.

Sensing Dudley’s eyes on him, Dumbledore looked up, smiled, and lifted his goblet in a small toast.

Dudley picked up his own glass of juice and nodded back.

After the feast, Dumbledore spoke at length, more than in the past two years put together.

First, he reminded everyone to take extra care this year. Then he explained that Dementors would be stationed at every entrance and exit of the school, and warned them not to try to leave. Even Invisibility Cloaks, he added, would not hide them.​

It was obvious who that last remark was aimed at.

He also announced that Hagrid would be taking over as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, and that Remus Lupin was replacing Lockhart as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

What struck Dudley as odd was the way Snape watched Lupin, eyes cold and hard throughout the announcements. He could not tell whether Snape had already realised Lupin was a werewolf or if there was some other grudge between them.

Night fell, and everyone returned to the Gryffindor common room, where most of the talk revolved around Dementors and Sirius Black.

Dudley took a soft armchair in a corner and did not join in. He sat quietly, turning a Tarot card over and over between his fingers.