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Hurrying out of Ollivanders, they crossed the street to the shop opposite — a pet store.
Suddenly, Dudley smacked his own forehead.
"Harry! I almost forgot! I haven't given you a birthday present this year!"
"Harry's birthday?" Hermione asked. "When was that?"
"The day before yesterday."
Hermione nodded thoughtfully.
"How about we both give him a pet?"
She barely knew Harry, but he was Dudley's cousin — that was reason enough.
"A pet?!"
Harry's eyes lit up instantly. Aside from spiders, he'd never had any other animal.
"It's already passed… you don't have to," Harry said awkwardly.
Getting something from Dudley was one thing. But from Hermione…
"We've never skipped a year. And Hermione's birthday is in two months — you can prepare something special for her then. After all, you're the wealthy one among the three of us."
Dudley clapped him on the shoulder.
"Let's go see what they've got."
He hooked an arm around Harry's neck and pulled him inside.
When she realized her birthday had just been mentioned as well, Hermione blushed slightly and adjusted her hair before following them in.
…
Near the entrance, a few dancing rats were drawing the attention of younger witches and wizards — though their parents clearly had no intention of buying them.
"The letter says we can choose an owl or a cat," Dudley remarked.
He automatically ignored the toads. No one there was bringing a toad to school.
The shop offered a decent selection, though not much variety: rats, toads, owls, and cats.
There were a few small lizards and even a parrot that occasionally spat out a tiny flame.
But they were still ordinary animals — perhaps slightly more intelligent, perhaps with faint magical traits — yet ordinary all the same.
Dudley couldn't use the language of magical beasts with any of them.
He would have preferred to raise a truly magical creature… but there were none there.
After visiting several shops along the street, Harry finally found the one he wanted: a white owl speckled with black markings.
"Why not get a cat?" Hermione asked. "Don't you like them?"
"Dudley likes cats more," Harry replied. "Aunt Petunia's allergic to fur, so even he can't keep one."
In truth, Harry had never been particularly fond of cats. At Mrs. Figg's house, it had always been Dudley who handled them.
"What a shame…" Hermione murmured.
She would have liked a cat, but none of them had "spoken" to her.
Choosing an animal was like choosing something special. You had to feel it the moment you saw it.
Dudley turned to her.
"If I ever get a cat in the future… can I leave it at your house during the holidays?"
Petunia disliked anything furry. The animal would have to stay somewhere else.
"Y-you can, of course…" Hermione replied softly.
…
The shopping trip made it clear that Galleons had impressive purchasing power.
After buying so many items — even an owl — they still had plenty left.
Especially because Dudley had deliberately avoided purchasing potion ingredients. Otherwise, there would have been nothing left at all.
He had been particularly tempted when he saw dragon liver on display.
Seventeen Sickles per ounce.
Seventeen Sickles equaled one Galleon.
It was far from cheap.
That was one of the reasons true Potions Masters were so rare.
Being poor was a very direct obstacle.
Besides, Dudley wanted to taste it.
Dragon liver. Phoenix marrow…
But first, he needed to earn more Galleons.
Money was essential in any world.
…
When they reached the meeting point, only McGonagall, Petunia, and Mrs. Granger were seated in a small shop.
Vernon and Mr. Granger had gone to have a drink at the Leaky Cauldron.
The Dursleys had purchased only the essentials. They knew Dudley was independent and had entrusted the money to him.
The Grangers had bought extra stacks of books — they knew their daughter well.
Dudley stared at the mountain of books with shining eyes.
"Hermione… may I come to your house this month before term starts to study?"
He had read a few books with Mrs. Figg, but he wanted more.
"Of course," she answered, blushing slightly.
He would be the first boy to visit her house.
Dudley swore he only wanted to study. Why spend money when you could make use of existing resources?
He still had over a hundred Galleons left — including the hundred exchanged in Harry's name.
It was perfectly legal.
…
On the way back, Petunia drove. Vernon and Mr. Granger were far too enthusiastic after their magical drinks.
The following morning, after training, everyone sat at the table eating breakfast.
Dudley swallowed a small sausage and cleared his throat.
"On September first, Harry and I will be going to Hogwarts."
He paused.
"Before that… there's something I need to confess. I was planning to tell you only when I became an adult."
The atmosphere turned serious.
Vernon and Petunia sat upright.
Harry already had a suspicion of what was coming.
Dudley took a deep breath.
"Actually… I started a company."
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