Harry Potter: Dudley From LOTM

"Of course," Dudley said with a shrug, offering a slight smile. "It might also be that I just have this kind of talent."

"Alright," Hermione said, a note of disappointment in her voice. She had hoped to glean some secrets of wandless magic from him, but it seemed impossible now. She had already tried it that morning; without a wand, she couldn't cast any spells. Seeing Harry and Ron staring at her, she got up and moved to another table, sitting by herself.

"Wandless magic! I almost overlooked that!" Ron exclaimed, eyes wide, as soon as Hermione was out of earshot.

"I forgot too," Harry admitted, a thoughtful frown on his face. He remembered Dudley seeming to be able to cast spells without a wand back home, but he hadn't realized how truly rare such an ability was. He quickly recalled that only very powerful wizards, like Professor McGonagall, could do it consistently.

"It's just some insignificant talent," Dudley said, dismissing it casually. "You'll definitely be able to do it in the future too."

Ron glanced at Hermione, then back at Dudley, a wry grin on his face. "Sure enough," he muttered, "effort is worthless in the face of talent."

Hermione, somehow, seemed to hear Ron's comment from across the room and glared at him.

"Ron," Dudley warned softly.

"Alright, alright," Ron chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "Anyway, I know my limits. I won't try something I know I can't do." He didn't seem unhappy about it at all.

The weekend arrived swiftly, bringing with it the much-anticipated punishment for the first-year Gryffindors and Slytherins. Filch, the caretaker, notified everyone to gather in the Great Hall early that morning. From there, they would all proceed to the hunting grounds.

The punishment was much lighter than many had feared. Since it involved nearly all first-year students from both houses, it couldn't be overly severe. Their collective task was to clean up trash and move various miscellaneous items around the hunting grounds.

However, Harry and Dudley's specific punishment was considerably heavier. Simply put, it was scooping poop.

When Hagrid led Harry and Dudley to the designated area, Harry almost fainted from the overpowering stench. A truly enormous mound of faeces, as large as a bed and half a person's height, dominated the clearing.

"What animal's poop is this?" Harry choked out, utterly aghast.

"Don't you worry about whose poop it is," Hagrid rumbled. "Your job is to get it into the Forbidden Forest. And no wands! This is your punishment."

"This kind of punishment is far too light nowadays," Filch grumbled regretfully, clutching his beloved cat, Mrs. Norris. "In my day, we used to hang students up and beat them for less."

Harry's face was a pale shade of green.

"Now, hand over your wands," Hagrid instructed. If Filch hadn't been present, Hagrid might have gone easy on them, but with the caretaker lurking, he had no choice but to follow the rules.

Dudley and Harry reluctantly handed over their wands.

"First-year students don't know much magic anyway," Hagrid said, taking their wands.

Filch shot Hagrid a sharp look. "Professor McGonagall instructed this, so let's follow what they said."

"Alright," Hagrid sighed, helplessly glancing at the two boys. He carefully placed their wands into his pocket, patting it gently. "Don't worry, lads, I'll keep them safe for you."

"Thank you, Hagrid," Dudley said.

"Alright, you can start. The shovels and wheelbarrows are over there," Hagrid gestured to a pile of tools. Then, he and Filch walked off to supervise the other students, though they remained within sight.

"I never thought I'd one day be scooping poop at Hogwarts!" Harry's eyes were practically watering from the stench.

"So what are we now?" Dudley muttered, his mouth twitching. "Poop-scooping boys?"

"Thank you for that apt description," Harry replied, trying to suppress a gag. He grabbed a shovel and, with one heroic scoop, dug out a large pile of steaming feces, dumping it into the wheelbarrow.

"Ugh!"

The already foul smell, stirred by that single scoop, exploded into an unbearable cloud, making Harry want to vomit up his entire breakfast. Dudley, despite his hardened constitution, found himself struggling to cope. He had faced many horrors, but this level of fecal stench was truly a new experience.

"Hurry up and do it, or we'll be stuck here for a long time," Dudley said, holding his breath and beginning to work.

Just as they were enduring the terrible stench and filling the wheelbarrow, Ron appeared, led by Hagrid.

"This little fellow volunteered to come and help you," Hagrid announced, his massive hand patting Ron's shoulder, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Hagrid," Ron stammered, his face paler than when he saw spiders, "is it too late for me to regret this?" He looked at the mountain of excrement with utter horror.

"I'm afraid not, lad. Hand over your wand. And if you don't finish the task today, you're not allowed to go back to the castle." Hagrid gave him a stern look. "Now, hurry up, before dinner."

Ron swallowed hard. "I might not want to eat for days." Under Hagrid's watchful gaze, Ron reluctantly walked toward Harry and Dudley. "This is definitely one of the most regrettable decisions I've ever made," he moaned.

"Good brother!" Harry exclaimed, rushing over and forcibly pulling the slowly moving Ron closer. "Thank you for your help!"

"I… ugh…" Ron was so overwhelmed by the stench that he immediately threw up his breakfast. "You two carry on," he gasped, wiping his mouth. "I'll definitely help you next time!" With that, he turned and tried to run.

Dudley and Harry exchanged a quick glance, then immediately gave chase. They tackled Ron and dragged him back.

"Since you're already here," Dudley said, holding him firmly, "how can you go back without scooping some poop?"

"It's fine," Harry added, helping to restrain Ron. "Trust me, you'll get used to it after you throw up a few times."

Ron ultimately couldn't escape their clutches and joined them in the unenviable task of poop-scooping.

After the first wheelbarrow was full, Dudley took charge, pushing it towards the Forbidden Forest, while Ron and Harry started filling another.

"Hurry up," Dudley called back before disappearing into the trees. "Or I don't think we'll finish before dark."

"Okay," Harry mumbled indistinctly, his face still contorted with disgust.

Dudley pushed the heavily laden cart, and once he was safely inside the Forbidden Forest, a sigh of profound relief escaped him. He whispered an incantation in Hermes Language:

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Who said casting spells had to be done with a wand? Without a wand, Dudley could still conjure magic. In fact, chanting spells using a spiritual language like Hermes Language produced even better magical effects than with a wand.

Buzz!

After Dudley's spell, the wheelbarrow full of pungent poop floated effortlessly into the air, drifting forward as if on an invisible current.

Phew~ Dudley finally breathed in the relatively fresh air of the Forbidden Forest, his task made considerably easier by his unique abilities.

[Chapter Complete]

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