"Dudley, you're finally awake! How are you feeling?" Harry's voice came through with obvious relief.
Only then did Dudley notice that quite a few people were gathered around his hospital bed.
Besides Harry, there were also Ron and Hermione, as well as Professor McGonagall standing nearby with obvious concern.
Behind them stood Professor Dumbledore, his blue eyes watching carefully.
Everyone was looking at him with genuine worry.
"You... I... what happened to me..." Dudley was somewhat confused for a moment, his voice weak and uncertain.
The memories of two worlds seemed to be entangled together at this moment, making it impossible for him to distinguish what was real and what was mere illusion.
"Dudley, you... you don't remember us, do you?" Harry said with growing shock.
The others also showed increasingly worried expressions at this possibility.
"What happened to me..." Dudley gradually recalled what had occurred before his unconsciousness.
He and Professor Snape had gotten into a conflict over some matters, then the two had engaged in magical combat.
To call it a great battle would be an overstatement, but in reality it was more like Snape teaching Dudley how to fight through harsh practical demonstration.
At the end of their confrontation, Snape had suddenly told Dudley to look directly at him, and then...
"Where is Professor Snape?" Dudley immediately asked with concern.
Everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least this proved Dudley hadn't lost his memory entirely.
"Professor Snape is still unconscious. Madam Pomfrey said he suffered great mental trauma and doesn't know when he'll wake up," Ron immediately explained.
"Dudley, what exactly happened between you two?" Professor McGonagall asked with obvious concern.
Dudley shook his head slowly, trying to piece together the fragmented memories.
"Did Snape read my memories at the end?" This was Dudley's most likely speculation.
He wasn't entirely clear about what exactly Snape had attempted, but from the final sensation, Snape seemed to have tried to enter Dudley's mental world to explore his thoughts.
But he had obviously underestimated the extreme danger of Dudley's mental landscape.
Perhaps there was no place in this world more terrifying than Dudley's consciousness. After all, sealed there were messages about true gods, information that even the current Dudley couldn't safely investigate.
"Dudley, don't you remember what happened before you lost consciousness?" Professor Dumbledore approached Dudley's bedside and asked with careful attention.
"I don't remember very clearly," Dudley frowned, showing a genuinely thoughtful expression.
Saying nothing would seem suspicious, and if Snape woke up and told something that didn't match Dudley's account, that would also be troublesome.
After pondering for a moment, Dudley spoke carefully: "I was wandering around the castle. You know, I often do that during my patrols."
Harry and the others immediately nodded, confirming that Dudley's routine was accurate.
"Then, when I was preparing to return to Gryffindor Tower, I suddenly felt a sense of unease, as if something dangerous had appeared somewhere in the castle."
Everyone became tense upon hearing this revelation.
Dumbledore and McGonagall also showed expressions of careful listening, because Dudley could indeed discover anomalies they couldn't detect.
"But this feeling was very faint, so I pressed against the wall, wanting to sense more carefully, and then I encountered Professor Snape."
"Between us... well, we had some unpleasantness, then decided to each give the other a lesson, so... we fought..."
Dudley simply described the confrontation that had occurred.
Professor McGonagall couldn't help but cover her chest with obvious distress.
Dumbledore didn't show much external reaction, only keeping a pair of scrutinising eyes fixed on Dudley.
Harry and the others gasped with amazement. They had long wanted to resist Snape's unfair treatment, but due to their limited strength, they simply didn't dare.
But unexpectedly, Dudley had actually put this into action.
"Later, when the two of us were fighting, something seemed to happen. My mind went completely blank, and then I didn't know anything else," Dudley concluded.
He deliberately omitted the possibility that Snape had used Legilimency on him.
"Are there any other details you can remember?" Professor McGonagall pressed for more information.
"I don't remember much else. Actually, Professor Snape wasn't just fighting me later. He was teaching me how to properly fight other wizards," Dudley said with genuine respect.
Professor McGonagall didn't pursue further questions. She looked at Professor Dumbledore with worried eyes.
All of this was happening far too dramatically for her comfort.
And Dudley had actually taken down another professor within a single week.
Now not only was there no one to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, but there was also no one available to teach Potions.
If Dudley weren't still very weak at this moment, she would be tempted to ask whether Dudley had developed a personal grudge against Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers. Anyone who taught this subject couldn't escape Dudley's involvement.
"Rest well, Dudley. We'll investigate this matter thoroughly," Professor Dumbledore said without revealing much more, patting Dudley's shoulder gently before turning to leave.
Professor McGonagall gave Dudley a few caring instructions and turned to follow the headmaster.
"Dudley, do you really not remember what happened?" Harry asked in lowered tones once the professors had left.
"I really don't remember the details," Dudley shook his head honestly.
"Dudley, that's absolutely incredible! You actually taught Professor Snape a lesson, and he still hasn't woken up," Ron said with obvious excitement.
"Ron, this isn't funny at all!" Hermione frowned with disapproval.
"Alright, alright." Ron restrained his enthusiasm, also feeling this was somewhat inappropriate to celebrate.
"Everyone out, visiting hours are over. Out, all of you," Madam Pomfrey announced, seeing that Professor Dumbledore and the others had departed. She immediately came out and drove Harry and the others away.
"Don't worry, I'll be out soon," Dudley waved at everyone reassuringly.
After driving everyone away, Madam Pomfrey brought Dudley a bowl of strange green potion and watched him drink it while it was still hot.
If he didn't know that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't harm him, he would have thought this bowl contained obvious poison.
After drinking the bitter medicine, Dudley asked about Snape's current condition.
He learnt that Snape had been arranged in a special ward where he couldn't be disturbed, and no one could predict when he would regain consciousness.
After Madam Pomfrey left him alone, only Dudley remained in the entire hospital ward.
Lockhart was probably also in a special ward somewhere. Dudley hadn't seen him anywhere.
"That person in my memory... who was he? He felt familiar yet strange... what agreement do I supposedly have with him?" Dudley frowned in deep thought.
Now, when he tried to recall that vivid scene, everything seemed to become very blurry. Not to mention that mysterious person's appearance. Even Backlund had become very unclear, as if completely shrouded by impenetrable smog.
Shaking his head, Dudley stopped thinking about that troubling matter.
"I hope Snape is alright," Dudley thought to himself with genuine concern.
Although the professor was often annoying, he couldn't be considered a truly bad person. In their previous battle, he had obviously been teaching Dudley how to fight properly, though he also intended to give him a thorough beating.
If this incident caused irreversible damage to Snape, that wasn't what Dudley wanted to see happen.
Rolling over in his hospital bed, Dudley felt overwhelming tiredness wash over him and fell back into deep, dreamless sleep.