Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Archmage

September 1st, 1991.

It was the start of the new term at Hogwarts.

Dudley and Harry put on their wizard robes early, washed up, had breakfast prepared by the house-elves, and hugged the Dursleys goodbye.

Then, in the first-floor living room of the Dursleys' house.

Under the affectionate gazes of the Dursleys.

Dudley held the Smelting stick, which was similar to a cane, in one hand and raised his other upper arm.

Harry consciously placed his hand on it.

"Take care, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon!"

As they spoke their farewells simultaneously, Dudley and Harry's figures suddenly turned into distorted spirals, converged towards the center point, and disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, they Apparated to King's Cross Station.

The wizard's Apparate spell could only teleport to places they had clear memories of, and the teleportation distance couldn't be too far. For long-distance travel, one had to rely on the Floo Network and Portkeys.

Moreover, passing through Platform 9 3/4, taking the Hogwarts Express steam train, taking a boat across the Black Lake, and arriving at Hogwarts Castle to participate in the Sorting Ceremony was a set of procedures that could be regarded as a magic ritual for joining Hogwarts.

So, Dudley and Harry didn't plan to take a shortcut directly to Hogwarts. Instead, like other students, they came to London, had their tickets checked, and boarded the train.

In a relatively secluded corner of King's Cross Station.

Dudley and Harry each cast the Muggle-Repelling Charm on themselves. Then, Dudley reached out and drew an irregular oval circle in the air, opening a spatial passage. He retrieved two magic trolleys from his portable storage space.

The trolleys were loaded with some of the school supplies that Dudley and Harry had bought. On Harry's trolley, there was also a cage containing Hedwig.

It would be too noticeable for the two first - years to stroll around empty-handed.

It was better to follow the crowd.

Besides, Harry didn't want Hedwig to stay in the dark and stuffy portable storage space for a long time, even though Dudley had filled the storage space with enough air, water, and food, and even though Hedwig, as an owl, actually preferred dark environments.

"Let's go, Harry!"

Dudley whispered as he inserted his stick into the gap of his trolley.

"Okay, cousin!"

Harry replied and pushed the loaded trolley into the station with Dudley.

"Cousin, it seems that Dumbledore forgot to tell us where Platform 9 3/4 is," Harry asked curiously on the way.

Dudley sighed and explained, "Harry, you need to learn logical reasoning. This is just a simple math problem. Nine and three - quarters is a mixed fraction. It's greater than nine and less than ten.

So, obviously, this special platform is between Platform Nine and Platform Ten in the station. We just need to follow the signs to find it."

"Right! You're really quick - witted, cousin!" Harry said with a smile, praising Dudley.

Dudley could only smile back helplessly and fondly.

After walking for a while, Dudley spoke up again. He reminded Harry,

"By the way, Harry, we might run into that one-toed rat today. You need to watch your expression and don't let your emotions show. Just follow my lead."

"Cousin, you're talking about Peter Pettigrew..." Harry was surprised, and hatred showed in his eyes.

"Shh! Keep it to yourself and don't blurt it out. Manage your expression well." Dudley interrupted his cousin.

"Yes! Cousin! I got it." Harry quickly controlled his expression and regained his composure.

Different from the original story, Dudley and Harry set off early. They Apparated to the station and had a clear destination. So when they reached the brick wall between Platform Nine and Platform Ten, they didn't meet the Weasley family.

Instead, they caught up with the peak time for Hogwarts students to enter the station.

Watching the students pushing their trolleys and crashing through the wall one by one, Harry's face showed a look of eagerness. He pulled Dudley to get in line.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the wizards and the adult wizard parents sending their children to the station recognized Harry as the Savior by his lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, they all avoided Harry and Dudley like the plague.

They frowned and kept a long distance from Harry and Dudley.

Harry was shocked. When he went to Diagon Alley and was at The Leaky Cauldron before, people clearly welcomed and admired him and were extremely enthusiastic.

Why were they acting like they were afraid of getting close to them now, as if they were avoiding monsters?

What had happened?!

Dudley was also puzzled for a few seconds, but when he caught a few faint whispers in the crowd, he immediately understood everything.

He scanned the wizards present contemptuously, stood beside Harry, and said in a normal volume, neither too loud nor too soft,

"Harry, don't be confused. The crowd is blind. These wizards, based solely on hearsay, could firmly believe that a baby in diapers defeated Voldemort and foisted the title of the Savior on you."

"Whoa—"

Hearing Dudley blatantly say Voldemort's name, the wizards present instinctively gasped and showed panicked expressions.

But fortunately, last month, Dumbledore took a series of strong measures to establish the authority of the White Demon King, so the wizards' panic didn't quickly turn into terror.

Seeing the wizards' cowardly looks, Dudley felt even more disdainful. He raised his voice and continued,

"Now, because of the news of Voldemort's comeback, these wizards can imagine you as a devious and fraudulent freak and blame you for Voldemort not being completely dead.

Harry, you don't have to be down in the dumps about this. It's not worth it for a bunch of people who just follow the crowd."

Dudley's blatant and undisguised contempt and scolding made the wizards present erupt. Some hot-tempered ones were already ready to draw their wands and cast curses.

As for Harry, after being enlightened by his cousin, he also understood. He immediately took out his wand and prepared to fight side by side with his cousin.

"Harry, don't worry. They're just a bunch of trash. I'll clean them up in no time!"

As Dudley said that, he quickly waved his hand.

Whirlwind Cleanup!

Six violent tornadoes appeared out of thin air. They directly picked up the hesitant wizards who hadn't had time to act, along with their trolleys, and blew them to a distant place in a mess.

Thanks to the Muggle - Repelling Charm, Muggles in the station were far away and were not affected.

"Harry, let's go!"

Since there were no obstacles ahead, the two of them could directly pass through the brick wall and enter Platform 9 3/4.

"Yes! Cousin!"

Harry replied loudly, his voice full of excitement.