Chapter 298: Punishment
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances. They did not know what Dudley planned to do, but it was obvious this meant Lucius was going to have a bad time.
Their only regret was that they could not be there in person to see Lucius's embarrassment.
"Right, Hermione, is the Polyjuice Potion ready?" Dudley asked.
After obtaining the ingredients, Dudley had entrusted the brewing to Hermione. The potion took a long time to complete, and Dudley did not have the spare hours. Letting Hermione handle it also put him at ease.
"It is done. I thought we would not need it, so I sealed all of it away. Do you need some?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. Please bring me a portion. I have a use for it," Dudley said.
"All right. Wait here," Hermione said, then ran toward the dormitory.
"What do you need Polyjuice Potion for?" Harry asked, curious.
"To resolve the matter with Dobby," Dudley said.
"How does Polyjuice Potion solve anything about Dobby?" Ron said, baffled.
Polyjuice Potion only changed someone's appearance. It had no other function. Was Dudley planning to impersonate Lucius and then give clothing to Dobby? That would not circumvent the inherent magical bond. Even if Dudley looked like Lucius, it would do no good.
Harry and Ron were certain Dudley could not be unaware of that.
"I have my own method."
Just as Dudley finished speaking, Hermione came running back from the dormitory with a bottle in her hand.
"It does not smell good. Be careful when you drink it," Hermione warned.
"You drank it?" Ron asked in surprise.
"No, I only took a sniff. The smell is awful," Hermione shook her head.
"Hermione, you are not going to ask what I am using the Polyjuice Potion for?" Dudley asked, a little surprised.
In the past, Hermione would certainly have asked first before deciding whether to hand over the potion.
"No need. I have realised I was meddling too much before. Also, I have noticed that everything you do turns out to be right. I should not interfere so much," Hermione said earnestly.
"Wow, not easy, Hermione. You finally figured it out," Ron said, astonished.
"Get lost, Ron!" Hermione swung a fist and chased him a few steps.
The next day.
After breakfast in the Great Hall, Dudley headed to Dumbledore's office. The Board of Governors meeting was to be held in a castle conference room. The members would attend in person, and Dudley wanted to check whether Dumbledore was prepared.
"Good morning, Dudley," Dumbledore greeted him with a smile when he saw him.
"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore. Is the Board meeting about to begin?" Dudley asked.
"Oh, I am afraid this meeting will not be happening," Dumbledore said with a smile. He looked to be in quite a good mood.
"Hm? Why?" Dudley asked, confused.
For Lucius, this chance had been hard-won. It was one of the few opportunities he had to topple Dumbledore. If he missed it, removing Dumbledore later would be much harder.
"Lucius is reportedly ill and unable to attend today's hearing. In addition, I spoke with several members of the Board. They stated that during prior inquiries, they were threatened by Lucius. After I guaranteed their safety, they decided not to pursue the matter against me. I remain the headmaster of Hogwarts," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"I see," Dudley nodded.
As expected of Dumbledore, bringing down a wizard like him was simply too difficult. Even with all of Lucius's preparations, he could not withstand Dumbledore for a moment. Of course, Dudley's threat last night likely played no small role. Otherwise, Lucius certainly would not be conveniently 'ill' today.
It was a pity that the chance to have Lucius removed from the Board had slipped by. He would probably continue to harass them in other ways later.
"In that case, I will head to class," Dudley said.
"Very well," Dumbledore nodded.
Dudley left the office and made his way to the classroom corridors.
Ever since Dumbledore had announced there would be no end-of-term examinations this semester, everyone had become a bit more lax in lessons. With no exams, there was no need to spend extra time listening intently and taking notes. A casual ear seemed sufficient.
Even so, there were a few classes where no one dared to relax.
For example, Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration and Professor Snape's Potions.
When Dudley arrived at Potions, Snape had already begun teaching.
"Well, look who decided to return. You win the Special Contribution Award and think you are too important to attend lessons, is that it, Dudley Dursley?" Snape said, his voice cold and cutting.
The Slytherins erupted in snickering.
"No, Professor. I was helping Professor Dumbledore with something, which is why I am late. I should have asked Harry to excuse me, should I not?" Dudley said.
He glanced at Harry and saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing punished in the corner. Harry's face was pale. He gave Dudley a slight shake of the head, as if trying to convey something, but Dudley did not understand.
"Heh. Picking a random person to excuse you. You really have no manners," Snape glared at Dudley.
By now, Snape was nearly certain the students who had attacked him that night were Dudley and his friends. The Invisibility Cloak was one reason. Another was that Dudley and the others had passed through that corridor on their way back from killing the basilisk in the Chamber. That made him even more convinced that the ones who ambushed him were Harry and company. He just lacked proof.
Moments ago, he had even found a pretext to cast Prior Incantato on the trio's wands, but unfortunately, he found no sign of a Stunning Spell among their recent magic.
"Gryffindor, minus twenty," Snape said through gritted teeth, staring at Dudley.
He could not find grounds to examine Dudley's wand. And since Dudley had just killed a basilisk, if Prior Incantato revealed Avada Kedavra, it would terrify the other students. He could only deduct points.
Of course, compared to the points Dudley and his friends had earned with the Special Contribution Award, this was nothing. Even Hermione would not be upset by such a trivial deduction.
"Go stand against the wall," Snape snarled.
"Yes, Professor."
Dudley walked to the corner and stood beside Harry. At the same time, he quietly let the Baron of Corruption's Distortion seep outward.