Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Archmage

Dudley stared intently at the happy gray rat that was gobbling up the rat poison. His face was wreathed in a gentle smile, but magic power was simmering in his palms, ready to burst forth.

Meanwhile, Ron was chatting with Harry about magic spells again.

Harry forced himself to look excited and perfunctorily responded to Ron, but his enthusiasm had waned considerably.

All of Harry's attention was now fixated on how to handle the one-toed rat and his cousin.

Of course, after spending so many years around his cousin, he had been subtly influenced.

Even though Harry couldn't match Dudley's nearly perfect acting skills, he knew he shouldn't cast too many glances at the one-toed rat, lest he arouse the suspicion of his archenemy.

"Harry, I learned a magic spell recently that can turn objects yellow. I couldn't get it to work yesterday, but I think I'll give it another try today. Maybe I'll succeed this time!"

Ron didn't notice that Harry had something weighing on his mind. He was eager to show off his magic skills. He looked around and his eyes landed on Scabbers, the pet rat that was still munching on dried meat.

"I need a target for my spell. Well... I'll use this greedy fat rat that only knows how to eat!"

With that, Ron reached out and grabbed Scabbers by the tail, yanking him out of the packet of dried meat.

Dudley didn't stop him because Peter Pettigrew had already ingested enough rat poison. Before Ron grabbed the rat's tail, Peter's chewing had slowed down to a crawl.

The rat poison was taking effect!

Peter was now weak and extremely sleepy. He didn't even feel Ron tugging on his tail.

But he still didn't realize anything was wrong. Years of being a pet had dulled his senses. All he knew was to eat and sleep.

Now that he was tired and sleepy, all he wanted to do was take another nap.

He hoped his dim-witted master would save the remaining delicious dried meat for him so he could continue munching on it when he woke up.

"Look! This stupid rat has fallen asleep again!"

After yanking Scabbers over, Ron found that the rat was motionless and sleeping more soundly than usual. He couldn't help but complain.

"Well, it's perfect. Let me turn his gray fur yellow!"

Ron tossed Scabbers back onto the table, fished out an old wand with a broken tip exposing unicorn hair, and got ready to cast a color-changing spell without knowing whether it'd work.

"Wait, Ron! Scabbers doesn't seem to be in a good state!"

Dudley suddenly cried out anxiously, as if he'd found something 'awful'.

"What?" Ron asked, puzzled.

Dudley stretched out his hand and stroked the one-toed rat's body, surreptitiously casting a Hardening Spell on it.

After casting the spell imperceptibly, he picked up the rat and pretended to feel for its breath by quickly placing his finger in front of the rat's nose.

"Oh no! He's dead! Scabbers choked to death!" Dudley gasped.

"Dead?!"

Ron was stunned for a moment. He poked the rat in Dudley's hand with his own finger.

He couldn't move it. The body was already stiff. It was true!

He faintly sensed that something was amiss, but he promptly dismissed the thought.

Good riddance! Ron had been wanting a new pet for a long time!

Although they had kept Scabbers for so many years and developed some feelings for it, Scabbers was just too gluttonous and choked to death on too much food. It was God and Merlin who wanted to take it away!

It can't be blamed on them!

Besides, a rat that had lived for almost ten years had already had a long life!

"It's okay!" Ron said magnanimously. "Now, my mom has no reason not to buy me a new pet! I've been wanting a tawny owl for ages!"

This reaction even stunned Dudley for a moment.

He thought Ron would be at least a little sad!

"Harry, take out twenty Galleons and compensate Ron!"

Since the person involved was so generous, Dudley isn't a difficult person to deal with. He immediately told his cousin to pay up.

"What?!"

Ron was shocked. He never thought he'd get compensation for this.

When he saw Harry take out a handful of shiny gold coins from his pocket, his eyes popped out. But he still declined, saying, "No, no. Scabbers was just too greedy. You don't have to compensate me!"

"Take it! A rat that lived for ten years is quite a rarity.

It choked to death on the dried meat I gave it. Compensation is only right. Otherwise, I'll feel bad.

Just take the money! Go back and buy a new wand and a new pet!"

Dudley quickly said and gave his cousin a wink. Harry immediately got up and stuffed the Galleons into Ron's hand. They started shoving each other.

Taking this opportunity, Dudley quickly used Harry's body as a cover to draw a circle in the air, open a spatial passage, and throw Peter Pettigrew into his portable storage space.

The spatial passage he opened this time led straight to the inside of the magic cage stored in the space. Peter Pettigrew instantly became a half - dead caged rat.

This magic cage was personally modified by Dumbledore. Even if Peter Pettigrew transformed back into his human form, he couldn't get out, let alone escape from Dudley's Personal Space.

Moreover, Peter Pettigrew was now in a deep coma and completely drained of strength. He couldn't even transform back into his human form.

A wizard who turned into an Animagus had to visualize their human form in their mind to switch back. Obviously, Peter Pettigrew in a coma couldn't do that.

Unable to resist Harry's enthusiasm and really longing for a new wand and a new pet, Ron finally blushed and shyly accepted the twenty Galleons.

Harry sat back in his seat. This made Ron, who didn't know whether he should be happy or not, notice the missing body of Scabbers.

"Where's Scabbers? Did it not die completely and run away?!"

Ron's heart skipped a beat. He quickly bent down and searched everywhere, hoping to find Scabbers' body under the table and chairs.

Yes, it was the body.

What Ron was thinking now was that if Scabbers wasn't dead, then the chances of getting a new pet and a new wand would be gone, and he'd have to return the Galleons.

"Stop looking! Ron!"

Dudley was a bit amused. He saw through Ron's thoughts from his nervous expression.

But he didn't expose it. They were still good friends.

He then continued very considerately:

"I used the Vanishing Spell to get rid of Scabbers' body. I didn't want you to keep looking at it and feel bad, ruining your good mood for the start of school."

"Wow!"

Ron finally felt relieved. It's good that Scabbers is dead.

He got up and looked at Dudley in amazement. "The Vanishing Spell?! That's a very advanced technique. My brother Charlie could only perform it in his fifth year at school!

Dudley, you're really amazing! It's a pity I didn't see it just now!"

"No problem! I can do it again!"

Having captured his enemy, Peter Pettigrew, greatly improved Dudley's mood.

He gave Harry a confirming look to indicate that everything was settled. Then, right in front of Ron, he pointed his finger at a leftover snack wrapper, ready to show off the Vanishing Spell to Ron.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, a very proud girl's voice came from the corridor outside:

"Look, Neville! There are magic markings outside that compartment with the names of Harry Potter and his cousin on them. We should go and have a look. Maybe your toad has run over there!"