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Dudley hadn't expected Hagrid to attack him like that.
By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. He tried to dodge, but not completely — the red beam struck him.
More precisely… it struck him squarely in his firm, upright backside.
Stereotypes kill.
One should never judge a person's behavior solely based on how they are portrayed in works of fiction, because reality can be very different.
As in the case of Rubeus Hagrid.
In Dudley's memory, Hagrid was a kind and somewhat naïve man. After disarming him head-on, Dudley had lowered his guard.
But he had forgotten something simple.
You know elephants, right?
In movies, they seem gentle and intelligent. Almost friendly.
But when they enter a state of frenzy — especially during musth — they become absolutely terrifying. They attack without warning, without apparent reason. Rhinoceroses, buffalo… anything can be crushed. Every year, people die from rampaging elephants. They wrap someone with their trunk, slam them into the ground, and then trample them to death.
It doesn't matter if you "didn't provoke them." Nor that you "just have to avoid the mating season." Ordinary people cannot identify those signs.
Perhaps the comparison wasn't perfect.
But Hagrid was a simple person.
So simple that he might act impulsively in moments like that.
That was the first major lesson reality taught Dudley.
Human beings are complex creatures.
And at the right time, in the right place, they can act in completely unexpected ways.
Never judge someone's level of threat based solely on your impression of them.
Suddenly, Dudley's trousers tore apart.
At the base of his spine, something grew before their very eyes.
A tail — thin and curled.
A pig's tail.
Swinging back and forth in a grotesquely ridiculous way.
It was Transfiguration, without a doubt.
Fortunately, an imperfect one.
Otherwise, he wouldn't just have grown a tail — he would have turned entirely into a pig.
"Oh my God!"
Petunia and Vernon screamed at the same time.
Harry felt his aunt's body sway, nearly fainting, and rushed to hold her.
'Cheap shot…'
The moment Dudley saw the small pink tail, his pupils contracted.
His face flushed red.
His heart pounded.
His muscles tightened.
Something burned in his chest — and it wasn't just anger. It was fear.
Anger at the sneak attack. Fear at having nearly become an animal.
Dudley had studied enough magic to know: Transfiguration was an extremely dangerous discipline. Many wizards had been crushed by creatures they conjured incorrectly. Others had failed and remained permanently trapped in animal forms.
Magic demanded reverence.
And he did not yet know how to brew a reversal potion.
Nor would he beg Hagrid to undo the spell.
He would carve that lesson into his own flesh.
This was not a children's fairy tale like the one he had once read.
This was not a whimsical magical world made for children.
This was reality.
And in reality… people die.
So Dudley did something no one there expected.
With a roar, he grabbed his own tail and pulled with all his strength.
Blood sprayed instantly as skin tore open.
The pain was brutal.
The tail — along with a small piece of flesh — was ripped off.
Blood ran down his leg, staining his trousers.
And before everyone, he placed the bloody piece into his mouth and swallowed it.
Silence fell.
Even the flames in the fireplace seemed to dim.
The trembling light illuminated his face — once round cheeks now appearing sharper, veins bulging like serpents beneath his skin.
His wide eyes gleamed in the darkness.
White vapor escaped between blood-stained teeth.
His breathing was heavy.
The entire room felt overtaken by something dark.
As if something had risen from the abyss.
Harry shuddered, painful memories resurfacing.
He had seen that look once before.
Only once.
The night Dudley rescued him from a child trafficker.
That Dudley had returned.
The nightmare of Surrey's criminals.
"Demon Dudley."
Harry knew.
Now he was truly furious.
"I'm sorry! I… I didn't mean to!"
Hagrid waved his hands frantically, ignoring his wounded shoulder.
He himself didn't understand why he had attacked — he had only wanted to teach the boy a lesson.
'I never meant to hurt anyone.'
But that no longer mattered.
Dudley moved.
Too fast for anyone to react.
So fast that Vernon and Petunia barely saw him.
One second later, he was already in front of Hagrid.
Delivering a straight punch to the chest.
Boxing LV3.
The impact sent Hagrid crashing into a seated position on the floor like a collapsing hill, and the entire shack trembled.
Dudley immediately retreated.
'Absurd defense.'
Even with his skill active, his fist throbbed as if it had struck solid steel.
Against an ordinary man, that blow would have been fatal.
But he wasn't finished.
As Hagrid began to rise, he heard Dudley's cold voice behind him:
"Throat. Spine. Liver. Lungs. Carotid artery. Subclavian artery. Kidneys. Heart."
"Eight vital points."
"Which one do you prefer?"
The murderous tone made Hagrid freeze, and a sharp pain shot through his wrist.
He dropped the umbrella.
This time, Dudley picked it up and threw it far away.
First, he had to neutralize the wand.
Without access to magic, they could settle things properly.
'Now…'
Dudley's eyes glowed with a spectral blue.
There wasn't just anger in them.
He was excited.
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