Harry Potter: Dudley From LOTM

"What is that…?"

Dudley's expression subtly changed. The distance was too great for him to sense any specific details, but a vague, prickling sense of unease washed over him, a gut feeling honed by years of surviving in a world where unseen things were often the most dangerous.

"Fang, back away now, move aside!" Hagrid's voice boomed from the doorway of his hut. "Come in, quickly!"

As Harry and Ron entered, Hagrid greeted them warmly. "Welcome, Harry. And… another Weasley child, come in, come in!" He then noticed Dudley, standing stock-still more than ten meters away, his gaze fixed on the dark, foreboding line of the Forbidden Forest. "Dudley! Come in, lad!" Hagrid waved, but Dudley didn't move.

It's gone. Dudley's brow furrowed. The eyes he had seen, or thought he had seen, had vanished as if they had never been there. For a fleeting moment, a reckless curiosity urged him to chase after them, to plunge into the forest and uncover its secrets. But he quickly suppressed the impulse. He was, for now, just a first-year student, a Sequence 9 Beyonder. Rushing headlong into unknown danger was a fool's errand.

"Dudley, what are you looking at?" Hagrid asked, walking over with a puzzled expression, his own gaze sweeping over the forest.

Dudley turned to face the half-giant, a decision forming instantly in his mind. "Hagrid," he said, his voice calm and direct, "I just saw someone in the Forbidden Forest."

Reporting. It was the most useful, most pragmatic skill he had ever learned in the Tarot Society. When faced with a danger you cannot handle yourself, you hand it over to the professionals. Here, at Hogwarts, the professors were the authorities. It was the logical, reasonable thing for a first-year student to do.

"Someone?" Hagrid's cheerful expression vanished, replaced by a deep, concerned frown. He squinted into the dark woods. "I don't see anyone, lad."

"I did see someone," Dudley insisted. "But he seemed to notice me and ran deeper into the forest."

"Could it have been a centaur?" Hagrid mused. "No, they don't usually come this close to the edge."

"It wasn't a centaur," Dudley replied confidently. "I've read about them. They're much taller."

Harry and Ron, drawn by the conversation, had come back outside. "Could it have been a student?" Ron suggested. "Someone who sneaked in and got scared when they saw us?"

"Yes, Hagrid," Dudley said, immediately seizing on Ron's plausible explanation. "Maybe it was a student. He was about to leave, but he saw us and was afraid of getting in trouble, so he ran deeper into the forest."

The suggestion of a student in danger was enough to galvanize Hagrid. His expression became deadly serious. "You three wait here," he said, his voice a low rumble. "I'll go in and check." The thought of a student lost in the Forbidden Forest was a grave matter. It had happened before. He knew the Weasley twins had a penchant for exploring where they shouldn't.

"Hagrid, should we tell Professor Dumbledore?" Dudley asked, a note of calculated concern in his voice.

"No need, lad," Hagrid replied, grabbing a heavy crossbow and a lantern from his hut. "Can't trouble the Headmaster with everything. Besides, I'm the groundskeeper. This is my responsibility." He gave them a reassuring look. "Don't you worry. I know the forest like the back of my hand." With that, he and his boarhound, Fang, plunged into the dark woods, their figures quickly swallowed by the oppressive gloom.

"What did you really see?" Harry asked once Hagrid was gone. He had learned to trust Dudley's instincts.

"I'm not sure," Dudley admitted truthfully. "But it was a person. Or something like a person."

After waiting for a while in the chilly evening air, they retreated into the warmth of Hagrid's hut. The table was laden with rock cakes and treacle fudge. They sat down and began to eat, the cozy, cluttered hut a welcome refuge from the mysteries of the forest. Dudley's eyes scanned the various curiosities scattered around the room—dried herbs, strange animal pelts, and oddly shaped stones, many of which pulsed with a faint spiritual energy. Some of these could be used for ritual magic, he noted, filing the information away.

He thought again of the mysterious spiritual space he had entered, the one he had named the "Night Emperor's" domain. He yearned to explore it, but his current spiritual reserves were too low. He would have to wait until he advanced. He could feel it, though. The last of his Sequence 9 characteristics were almost fully digested. He was on the cusp of Sequence 8.

He began to plan. Sequence 8 of the Black Emperor pathway was the Barbarian. Its acting principle was simple: when law and reason fail, solve the problem with overwhelming force. This meant he would likely need to find, or create, some trouble. Sequence 8 of the Justiciar pathway was the Sheriff. That was easier. A position of authority, like a prefect, would be ideal for acting as a Sheriff. But he was too young for that. Perhaps I can find a way to gain some prefect-like authority in advance, he mused.

As dusk began to settle, the sound of Fang's barking and heavy, crunching footsteps echoed from the forest. "Hagrid's back," Ron said, rushing to the window.

Hagrid's massive silhouette appeared at the edge of the trees. He was walking slowly, his steps heavy, and he was carrying something in his arms. It was an animal, and it emitted a faint, silvery-white glow.

"Whoa, what is that?" Ron exclaimed.

Dudley's gaze sharpened. He recognized it instantly. "A unicorn," he said, his voice low. "Ron, your wand core is made of unicorn hair."

It was indeed a unicorn, a young one by its size, its coat the color of fresh snow. But it was not a majestic sight. It looked weak, its head lolling against Hagrid's chest, its silver blood staining the ground where it had been wounded. It had been grievously injured.

(End of Chapter)

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