"I…" Harry hesitated, unsure of where to even begin.
"Sit down," Dudley said with a gentle smile. "We can talk."
Harry slowly sat on a nearby chair. After a moment of tense silence, he spoke. "I don't know why the glass disappeared. It's just… when I'm in danger, or when I get really, really angry, strange things sometimes happen."
"Oh?" Dudley prompted, his expression thoughtful. "Are there other strange things?"
Harry took a deep breath and risked a glance at his cousin. "Like my hair," he said slowly. "You remember, don't you? Uncle Vernon hated how messy it was and sheared it all off. The next day, it had all grown back."
Dudley nodded. He remembered that incident well. No matter how short they cut it, Harry's hair would be exactly the same the next morning.
"So, I'm just as curious as you are about what's going on," Harry finished with a helpless shrug. He was telling the truth. While he often fantasized about having magical powers, he knew it was just his imagination.
Dudley said nothing. He could tell Harry wasn't lying. The boy truly had no idea what these events meant.
"Alright," he said, not pressing the issue. He slowly stood up. He had what he needed for now. His most important task was to re-acclimate to his body and begin digesting the Beyonder Characteristics within him.
And, of course, he needed to lose all this fat.
As he passed Harry, Dudley reached out and patted his shoulder. Harry flinched instinctively, but Dudley's hand still landed, not with a hard shove, but with a light, reassuring touch.
As he passed, Dudley's hand landed on Harry's shoulder. Harry flinched, but the touch was surprisingly gentle, not a shove. "What I did to you before… it was wrong," Dudley said, his voice low and sincere. "An apology is just words, and you have no reason to believe mine. So let my actions be my promise. From this day forward, I will not bully you again."
He then turned and walked into the darkness, disappearing up the stairs.
Has he gone mad?
It took Harry a long moment to process what had just happened. Was this really the same Dudley he knew? He was acting like a completely different person.
Well, if he has lost his mind, Harry thought with a wry smile, I hope he stays that way. He shook his head, drank a glass of water, and returned to his cupboard, feeling a strange sense of peace.
The weekend passed, and with it, Dudley's birthday. What followed was the last, short term of school before they moved on to secondary.
To Harry's utter astonishment, Dudley was true to his word. For the entire month, he didn't bully him once. Not only that, Dudley seemed to have a sudden revelation about his own obesity and began a rigorous diet and exercise routine.
This stunned Vernon and Petunia, but somehow, Dudley had used his newfound persuasive abilities to make them accept all these changes. Under his subtle influence, Harry's life improved dramatically. They weren't exactly kind to him, but the harsh words and constant abuse stopped.
The change was so profound that Harry felt like he was living in a dream.
Summer vacation arrived quickly.
"It's been over a month since I returned," Dudley mused, stretching as he got out of bed. He pulled open the curtains, a bright smile gracing his lips as sunlight flooded the room. He had finally adapted. This was the life that should have been his all along. No Outer Gods, no cosmic horrors, just the petty squabbles of childhood.
He looked at himself in the mirror. A month of discipline had worked wonders. The excess fat had melted away, revealing a much more energetic and defined person. With his golden hair, blue eyes, and sharp features, he was even a little handsome.
"Hmm, now I need to plan how to digest the Characteristics," he thought.
The digestion of a Beyonder's power relied on the "Acting Method"—adhering to the principles of the Sequence name to embody its role. He currently held two Sequence 9 Characteristics: Lawyer and Arbitrator.
Acting out these roles was difficult for an eleven-year-old. A Lawyer, as the name implied, was best acted by becoming a real lawyer, arguing cases, and exploiting legal loopholes. An Arbitrator needed to mediate disputes and enforce judgments. Dudley obviously couldn't do either of those things professionally.
He could try to act out the roles at school, settling arguments among his classmates, but that felt superficial. After more than a month, he had made little progress in digesting the two Characteristics. For someone who had already reached a high Sequence in that other world, this pace was frustratingly slow. He decided he would look for some kind of part-time work over the summer to truly embody the roles.
Checking the time, he headed downstairs.
In the kitchen, Petunia was directing Harry. "Go on, fry the eggs."
"Okay, Aunt Petunia," Harry said obediently. He was trying his best to maintain this new, peaceful status quo.
"Oh, what a beautiful day! My little Diddy-dums is up so early," Petunia cooed as Dudley entered the room. "Breakfast first, dear, or your run?"
"Breakfast," Dudley said, nodding a greeting to Harry.
"Alright, darling." Petunia kissed his forehead.
"Dad, Mum," Dudley began casually, "I was thinking. Harry's getting bigger. The cupboard under the stairs isn't really suitable for him anymore. Why don't we let him have the small bedroom upstairs?"
Vernon, who was reading the paper, frowned instantly. Petunia's face visibly soured.
Harry looked up in shock, the egg in the pan beginning to smoke.
"He's getting so big he might break the cupboard by accident," Dudley added with a light shrug, his tone making it sound like the most reasonable suggestion in the world.
"This… Hmm, we'll see how he behaves," Vernon hesitated, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. He had to admit, the boy did have a point.
"Hmph. If he doesn't cause any trouble before the end of summer, I suppose he can live upstairs," Petunia sniffed.
"Very good," Dudley nodded, satisfied.
A soft clatter came from the front door—the sound of the post arriving.
"Harry, go get the mail!" Dudley called out, giving his cousin a subtle wink.
"Got it!" Harry immediately abandoned the now-burnt eggs and ran for the door.
***********
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