New chapter! Thanks for all the support!
x
At that moment, Harry found his usually overweight uncle incredibly imposing.
He also felt a strange warmth in his chest.
At the same time, an inevitable thought surfaced in his mind:
'Was it that place called Hogwarts that killed my parents? Did they have an accident there?'
"You don't understand, Dursley! You simply don't understand!"
Vernon's words made Hagrid furious. He began pacing back and forth like an enraged black bear.
"Protect? Protect him with what? That little iron toy?"
"Listen to me, Dursley! That boy isn't like you! He belongs in our world!"
"In that world?!"
Vernon exploded. At that moment, he no longer cared about anything.
"You still have the nerve to say he belongs to that world? If he belongs there so badly, why didn't you leave him there? Why didn't you take care of him? You dumped that child on our doorstep and disappeared all this time! You left us nothing but a letter!"
His voice began to falter.
"We treated him as our family. He is family! And now you show up saying he belongs to that world, trying to rip him away from us!"
Vernon trembled with emotion as he pointed at Hagrid.
"You… don't you think that's cruel?"
Struggling to breathe, he continued:
"Petunia and I are Harry's legal guardians. Guardians under the law of England. And we will not allow him to go to that cursed place!"
It was the first time Vernon had called Harry by his name — not "boy," not anything else.
Petunia, meanwhile, wrapped her arms tightly around Harry, as if someone were about to snatch him away. His body stiffened in surprise.
She kept whispering over and over:
"I won't let them take you from me… I won't…"
Harry's heart warmed. His eyes stung.
He inhaled deeply, as if trying to memorize Petunia's scent.
Was this what it felt like to have a mother?
He had never experienced maternal love… but in that moment, he believed he was.
Dudley had been right.
They loved him.
That only strengthened his resolve.
"English law? What use is Muggle law?"
Hagrid laughed as he spoke, as though British legislation meant absolutely nothing.
"If I decide to take him now, can you stop me? I'll bring him to Hogwarts under Professor Dumbledore's orders."
"I will not let you take him!"
Vernon shouted, fear turning into pure stubbornness.
"And I won't allow some old madman to raise another little madman who ends up dying for no reason again!"
Those words made Hagrid completely lose control.
In one swift motion, he grabbed Vernon by the collar and lifted him like a doll.
"Never! Insult! Albus Dumbledore! In front of me!"
To Hagrid, Dumbledore was his benefactor — the man he respected most.
Vernon's face turned red, his feet dangling in the air. Air began to fail him as he struggled uselessly.
That was when something changed.
A strong hand seized Hagrid's wrist.
"What do you think you're doing, big guy?"
That was when Dudley moved.
He forced Hagrid's arm downward just enough for Vernon's feet to touch the ground again.
The suffocating pressure eased.
"You're more interesting than you look, big fellow."
Hagrid released Vernon and turned toward Dudley, curious.
"Well then? What are you going to do, big lad?"
Despite calling Dudley "big lad," in front of Hagrid, his nearly six-foot frame looked little more than adolescent.
Dudley spoke calmly:
"Breaking and entering.
Destruction of private property.
Threats and physical assault."
His eyes were cold.
"If my father had fired from the start, the one on the floor right now would be you."
Hagrid let out a booming laugh.
"Don't be stupid, boy. Muggle weapons can't hurt me."
Watching from the side, Harry thought:
'That's the fifth time he's called Dudley that.'
Everyone who had mocked Dudley in the past had ended up in the hospital.
As his cousin always said:
"Study so you can speak calmly to idiots.
Train so idiots speak calmly to you."
Those who didn't speak calmly… usually ended up on the ground.
Dudley shook his head.
Wizards were far too arrogant. Even Hagrid — a half-giant who had been expelled — carried a natural sense of superiority toward Muggles.
He admired magic.
But he despised that arrogance.
Shouldn't a true practitioner of magic respect what they do not understand?
Firearms were not weak.
At that moment, Dudley channeled all the remaining energy points he had accumulated over the years.
Total: 996 points.
Firearms LV2.
'Even if you have a spell that heals any wound, if I blow your brain apart with a precise shot… I'd like to see you regenerate from that.'
In many worlds — stories of mages and assassins — magic users died every year.
Because, as an old saying goes:
If someone is killed… they die.
"Honored guests are treated as guests.
Unwelcome visitors… are greeted with a club."
Hagrid frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Dudley didn't answer. A system notification appeared at that very moment:
"Mission Acquired: Defeat the half-giant and receive a random magical reward."
He didn't hesitate. He grabbed the bent shotgun lying in the corner.
A golden spark ran across his palm — the power of Hamon Energy.
The grotesque knot in the barrel unraveled, and the metal returned to its original form.
It was the first time he displayed something supernatural in front of his parents.
But that didn't matter anymore.
Dudley raised the gun and pointed it directly at Hagrid.
"Go to hell, big guy."
x
x
x
If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to add it to your library and drop some Power Stones.
Your support really helps the novel grow!