"Be careful... Dudley?" Harry was confused. Why would the giant python warn him about Dudley? Did it sense that his cousin often bullied him?
Harry couldn't quite figure it out, but he felt the python's warning was valid; he did need to be cautious around his cousin.
Dudley watched the giant python swiftly flee the reptile house, eliciting screams from countless onlookers, then turned to Harry and extended his right hand.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah… No… I'm fine," Harry stammered, shocked by Dudley's gesture.
Was Dudley actually being kind enough to help him up? Was this the same cousin who bullied him daily? It felt unreal.
"Is he trying to prank me again?" The thought flashed through Harry's mind. He hesitated to take Dudley's hand, but fearing refusal would worsen his situation, he grasped it.
"Will he yank his hand away and let me fall?" Before the thought fully formed, Harry felt a firm pull, lifting him from the ground.
"Help, help! Ahhh…" Terrified screams echoed nearby.
Harry and Dudley turned toward the sound. Piers was frantically banging on the display window. The glass, which had mysteriously vanished earlier, had reappeared, trapping him inside.
"Ahhh… Son, what's going on? How did you get in there…?" Piers's mother rushed over, seeing her son sealed in the python enclosure, nearly fainting from fear.
"Is there a python? Where's the python? Oh my God…" she cried.
Petunia and Vernon, hearing the commotion, hurried over. Seeing Dudley unharmed, they sighed in relief but were puzzled about how Piers ended up inside the enclosure.
An hour later, everyone left the zoo. Piers was shaken, unable to explain how he'd gotten into the python house, his demeanor dazed. Dudley insisted that neither he nor Harry knew what happened.
Vernon and the others didn't press further, relieved Dudley was safe. They suspected Harry was involved in the disappearing glass but couldn't say so openly. They planned to reprimand him later at home.
Back home, Harry was unusually obedient. As it was Dudley's birthday, Vernon didn't want to waste time on Harry. Without a clear reason to punish him, Vernon postponed it, knowing there'd be plenty of chances later.
The day ended, and night fell. Vernon's family was asleep. In the stairwell, Harry tossed and turned, unable to sleep, still thinking about the day's events.
In Dudley's bedroom, he too was awake. "Today's fortune-telling by the Gypsy girl and the glass that vanished at the zoo… Is this really a normal world?" he wondered.
The day's events made him question this world's reality. He feared it might be a trick by some mysterious entity, and upon waking, he'd return to that eerie, terrifying world.
He retrieved Trensorst's Brass Book. The powerful sealed artifact resembled an ancient relic from classical times. Its exterior seemed unremarkable; Dudley had flipped through it without incident. But he knew this was merely the surface of Trensorst's Brass Book. If its rules were fully awakened, the resulting disaster would be catastrophic.
"I wonder why this sealed artifact came back with me," Dudley mused, his fingers tracing the intricate, uneven patterns on the bronze cover.
He had ideas about using the book's rule-control abilities, but the uncertainty was too great, and he dared not experiment yet. If he faced danger in this world, though, the book might save him. After all, this world didn't seem entirely normal.
"I hope I never have to use this book," Dudley said, carefully stowing Trensorst's Brass Book.
Unable to sleep, he quietly got up, opened his door, and tiptoed downstairs for water. Passing the stairwell, he sensed Harry's presence but wasn't sure if he was asleep.
Without turning on the lights, Dudley relied on his heightened intuition to pour a glass of water in the dark and sat on the sofa, sipping slowly.
Click. The stairwell door opened, and Harry emerged, looking irritated. Unable to sleep after so long, he'd decided to get water. Without a watch, he didn't know the time.
In the darkness, Harry headed toward the kettle, relying on memory. Suddenly, his expression changed. He sensed a dark shadow on the sofa, watching him.
Cold sweat broke out, his face paling. Was it a thief? A ghost?
"Good evening, Harry," Dudley's familiar voice said, making Harry's heart leap.
"You… you… why are you here?" Harry stammered.
"A glass of water," Dudley replied calmly.
"Oh… I… I'll have some water too," Harry said, thinking, What the hell are you doing in the kitchen, not sleeping in the middle of the night and not turning on the lights? He'd been genuinely frightened.
"Since you're awake, how about a chat?" Dudley suggested. Though calm, his voice carried an undeniable authority, making Harry feel unable to refuse.
"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" Harry asked, unsure of Dudley's intentions but following his lead.
"The disappearing glass at the zoo today—that was your doing, wasn't it?" Dudley said directly.
"Me? How could it be? I don't know what happened either," Harry replied quickly.
"Heh heh," Dudley chuckled. "How about a deal? Tell me the truth, and I'll stop bullying you from now on. How's that?"
"It's a good deal, isn't it?" Dudley's words were tempting, urging Harry to reveal his true thoughts.
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