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Square.
Furry.
With a soft cover, four large, round, bright yellow eyes, and a row of sharp teeth exposed all the way to the gums.
Rather than a book, it looked far more like a living creature.
And yet, Dudley recognized immediately that it was a book.
After all, engraved across its "body" in large, eye-catching golden letters were the words:
The Monster Book of Monsters.
Although Dudley had known for a long time that Harry Potter possessed magic—and although he himself had always dreamed of that mysterious world—this was the first time he had ever witnessed something like this.
Or rather…
It was the first time Dudley had truly come into contact with something related to magic since arriving in this world.
If Shinji Matou's "wizard physique" counted, then this would be the second time.
While Dudley was still stunned, the monstrous book seemed to notice him. It abandoned its chase of the cats and, baring its teeth, lunged straight toward him.
At that moment, Snowy's fur stood completely on end. Her body seemed to double in size as she hissed sharply, accompanied by a piercing meow.
She was warning the book.
Unfortunately, the threat had no effect. The book continued charging straight at Dudley.
Snowy was clearly terrified—but even so, she stayed beside Dudley's foot. The claws hidden beneath her soft paw pads slowly emerged, ready to fight to the end.
"Hey… how do you deal with something like this?" Dudley muttered.
"Use a spell? But I don't know how."
As he desperately tried to think of a solution, something caught the corner of his eye.
One of the cats was lying motionless on the floor.
It was the fourth cat.
Tippy.
Was Tippy injured… or dead?
Either way, it could only have been the work of that monstrous book.
Dudley had always loved cats. After spending so much time with these four, he had grown even more attached to them.
Anger surged through him.
"Forget it… I'll handle this my way."
Dudley rolled up his sleeves.
Facing the approaching book, he stepped forward and threw a powerful punch.
Fast as lightning.
Perfectly precise.
His fist struck the book dead center.
A heavy, dull sound echoed through the room—like a burly man slamming the ground with an iron hammer. The vibration was so intense that the entire room trembled slightly.
Then…
Silence.
It was with a punch just like that that Dudley had once defeated, in an instant, the man who called himself the strongest high-school boxer in all of England.
Dudley slowly pulled back his fist, which was still pressing against the book's cover.
The Monster Book lay motionless on the floor, showing no reaction at all.
"Go on… growl again. Let me see it."
He grabbed the book by its spine and gave it a light shake.
Now the book was completely docile—limp, soft, with two long, ribbon-like tongues hanging out of its mouth.
If those things could even be called tongues.
"Don't tell me I killed it with one punch…"
Dudley frowned.
"I'm pretty sure I only used about seventy percent of my strength."
"If it really died… how am I supposed to pay for this?"
While Dudley was lost in these chaotic thoughts, an exclamation rang out from outside the room.
"Oh, Merlin! What on earth happened here?!"
Mrs. Figg rushed in, still holding a grocery basket. The moment she saw the room in complete disarray—like it had been ransacked by thieves—her expression immediately changed.
She looked straight at Dudley.
"Little Dudley… what happened here?"
There was confusion in her voice—but also suspicion.
To be fair, Mrs. Figg's reaction was already very restrained.
Imagine trusting someone with your children, even giving them a spare key to your house… only to return home and find them inside a room you had deliberately locked, completely trashed.
At the very least, Vernon would never have reacted this calmly.
"Mrs. Figg, I thought a burglar had broken in," Dudley explained, shaking the Monster Book in his hand.
"This thing killed Tippy."
Mrs. Figg pointed in confusion at a cat calmly strolling through the hallway.
"But isn't Tippy right there… perfectly fine?"
At that moment, as she clearly recognized The Monster Book of Monsters in Dudley's hands, her pupils contracted and her heartbeat sped up.
Damn it… Tippy was playing dead.
Dudley didn't know how to explain himself.
Just then, Snowy gracefully walked over to Mrs. Figg's feet.
"Mii— meow— meow— meeeow."
The tone was something Dudley had never heard before. He hadn't even known cats were capable of producing such varied sounds.
And then…
Something even stranger happened.
"I see… so that's what happened, Snowy," Mrs. Figg said, nodding occasionally, as if she fully understood what the cat was saying.
She then turned to Dudley, her expression filled with guilt.
"I'm sorry, child. I misunderstood you."
"Thank you for protecting them."
Dudley didn't really care about the apology.
The real problem was something else.
She… understood what Snowy said?
She understands cat language?
I thought she was just a Squib?!
Dudley's eyes lit up.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Countless thoughts raced through his mind in an instant.
With a cautious yet curious expression, he asked:
"Mrs. Figg… are you and Harry… the same kind of people?"
"My parents always call Harry a strange boy… sometimes he does things normal people can't."
"I've heard them call it… magic."
The question caught Mrs. Figg off guard.
But upon reflection, it made sense.
Growing up beside a wizard meant witnessing unexplained phenomena more than once. Accidental magic outbursts were common among young wizards.
And Dudley was a clever child.
After thinking for a moment, she replied:
"You're very intelligent, child."
"So… magic really exists?"
"And can you teach me?"
"I… I also want to learn magic."
Dudley looked exactly like a child who had just discovered the existence of magic—full of curiosity, longing, and fascination for the unknown.
Mrs. Figg shook her head sadly.
"I'm sorry, child. That's something I can't do."
She sighed.
"Actually, there's no harm in telling you… you would have found out sooner or later."
"After all… you're his cousin."
She took a deep breath and spoke seriously:
"I am like Harry… and yet, different."
For the first time, someone explained the magical world to Dudley clearly.
As Mrs. Figg spoke, a universe that had once been completely inaccessible slowly unfolded before his eyes.
A fascinating world.
In the world of Harry Potter, people were broadly divided into three categories:
Wizards, Muggles, and Squibs.
Wizards needed no explanation—they were those capable of casting spells. Harry Potter was one of them.
Muggles were people completely disconnected from magic. The former Dudley Dursley belonged to this category.
And then there were Squibs—people born into wizarding families but incapable of using magic.
Mrs. Figg was a Squib.
She was not a witch… but she wasn't an ordinary Muggle either.
Squibs couldn't cast spells, but they possessed certain special abilities that Muggles did not.
Mrs. Figg's ability to communicate with cats was one such talent—something not even some wizards possessed.
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