Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 68: Dudley Army
The matter of Dudley creating a potion for Squibs was quietly swept under the rug. Dudley himself was not yet prepared to reveal his creation to the wider public and fortunately, Professor Dumbledore agreed with his decision. At the moment, with Voldemort secretly gathering his follower without the ministry knows, it is the best to hide about Maxima potion.
The Ministry of Magic was still targeting both Harry Potter and Dumbledore, their accusations growing more and more outrageous by the day. Given that Dudley was Harry Potter's cousin, keeping a low profile was the only rational choice. Any misstep might bring him unwanted attention and become the bigger target.
His interest in Squib research had cooled off. There were more immediate concerns to deal with, and he knew when to prioritize.
True to his word, Dudley no longer doing a research related to Squibs after that meeting. A week passed by in peaceful silence. He shifted his focus elsewhere, devoting his time to his studies and trying not to attract too much attention. Yet despite his quiet days, Argus become addicted with the feeling of becoming a wizards.
So he is nagging to Dudley everyday, Dudley who didn't want Argus to disturb him promised that every week he will provide maxima and focus potion.
While reading one of the many thick books he had borrowed from the library, Dudley suddenly remembered something peculiar. His System. The so-called "Gamer's System" that had changed the course of his life. From the very beginning, the System claimed its main function was to observe and notify him when he accomplished something extraordinary. However, when he first received a reward from the system he forgot about it.
"System, didn't you say your only purpose was to notify me when I did something noteworthy? So why did you start giving me rewards?" Dudley asked with narrowed eyes.
The familiar mechanical voice replied promptly.
[Apologies, Host. At that time, I was unaware of all my functions. I had not yet fully initialized, so I didn't realize there was a feature available to grant rewards.]
Dudley blinked, completely dumbfounded. This was the first time he had heard of a System that didn't fully understand its own capabilities. The whole thing sounded ridiculous to him.
"Are you sure you're a real System and not just some intern playing with my life?" he asked, unable to hide his exasperation.
[Affirmative. I am a legitimate System. My purpose is to guide and support you according to the parameters coded by the programmer. However, there were some locked features that only activated after the system adapted to your environment.]
Dudley could only sigh and slap his forehead. This was absurd. Still, receiving rewards—especially ones that could help him face Voldemort in the future—was better than receiving none at all. While the earlier rewards had been minor boosts to his physical and magical abilities, the new rewards had greater potential. In a world filled with danger, every advantage counted.
Time Skip: One Month Later
A month passed quickly. Life at Hogwarts is so much fun and exciting compared to live in his house, Privet Drive. Without Dolores Umbridge breathing down everyone's neck and creating nonsensical Educational Decrees in the Original series, students this year is lucky because they can focus on learning and having fun.
Dudley has questioned himself, will Fred and George ran away from Hogwarts?
It is better for them to finish NEWT first and graduate from Hogwarts, at least they had certification.
During this time, Dudley made sure not to waste every single day. He trained diligently, working on his spellcasting, dueling skills, and theory. He had made notable progress, especially in Transfiguration, a subject he found both fascinating and practical. His days were filled with learning, refining techniques, and building up his knowledge in various branches of magic. He practiced alone without his cousin or close friends.
Then, one quiet afternoon in the library, as he flipped through a thick tome on elemental magic, he was approached by someone he hadn't expected—his cousin.
"Dudley," said Harry quietly.
Dudley looked up and met his cousin's eyes. Harry was staring at him with an expression somewhere between hope and desperation.
"Oh, Harry. Do you need something from me?" Dudley asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
Harry nodded and pulled out a chair, sitting down across from him. "Yeah. I think we need to do something. Something important."
"What do you mean by 'something'?" Dudley replied, already sensing that this was going to turn into a complicated situation.
"It's about Lucius Malfoy," Harry said, lowering his voice. "He's not teaching us anything in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I think he's doing it on purpose—to weaken us."
Before Dudley could respond, Ron Weasley appeared beside them.
"Dudley, we heard from Harry that you taught him a lot during the holidays," Ron added with a hopeful grin.
Dudley turned toward Harry, raising his eyebrows with an expression that clearly said, Really, Harry? You told them?
Harry scratched his cheek awkwardly and looked away.
Then Hermione Granger appeared behind them and joined in.
"Dudley, we're thinking of creating a student club. We want to learn proper defense skills, and we want you to be our instructor," she said firmly.
Suddenly, a message appeared in Dudley's vision.
[Quest Alert: Become the Teacher of the Defense Club]
[Reward: 2 Upgrade Points]
Dudley blinked. Two upgrade points. That was generous rewards. He hadn't received anything this valuable since he had found the Horcrux at Hogwarts. Most of his previous rewards were small stat boosts, increased agility, minor spell control improvements, enhanced reflexes—but this? This was a reward that could further increase the power of his magic.
Although his first reaction was to refuse because he really wasn't in the mood to manage a group of rowdy students—he couldn't ignore the reward. It had been a whole month since he had received something valuable. Two upgrade points were not something to scoff at.
"Alright," he said after a moment. "I'll do it."
Dudley could see Hermione, Harry and Ron face become happy, their face lit up with a joy.
"But you'll need to give me the time and place. I'll show up and teach you," Dudley added, making his conditions clear.
"Deal," said Hermione immediately, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I'll talk to the others and find a good spot," said Harry.
"We'll make sure everything is ready," Ron added with enthusiasm.
As the trio left, discussing possible meeting locations, Dudley leaned back in his chair with a slight grin. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Teaching would give him a chance to test his knowledge, help others, and more importantly, grow stronger. In the original timeline, Harry did the same he formed a group called Dumbledore Army and it was proven a correct choice.
Dumbledore army helps a lot during a 7th year during Voldemort Reign, but should he named it Dudley army instead of Voldemort Army?
"Let's see what you've got, Defense Club," he muttered to himself before diving back into his book.
Author Notes: There is 30 advanced chapter on my patreon.
-patreon.com/zorojurown