Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Wizard

Chapter 130 Retrieving the Magic Mirror! Potions Class! Trouble is brewing!

"An alchemical creation from the last century, an A-grade magical artifact, a magic mirror that reflects the desires of the human heart..."

Dudley softly recited the information about the magical item identified by the system, and slowly approached the surface of the Mirror of Eris. He wanted to see what this mirror could reflect about him.

As Dudley drew closer and gazed upon him, the Mirror of Erised gradually revealed a heartwarming scene of himself with the Dursleys, Harry, and Harry's parents.

Then, the scene changed, revealing the image of Dudley, a god who could control and transform all things with magic. The scene was extremely dazzling, yet extremely thin, with not much content.

It was far inferior to the scene Dudley had imagined; it wasn't entirely unattractive, but it had a very slight appeal.

He easily broke free from the control that had captivated his mind by the magic mirror.

"After watching it, you can extract the memories to make a magical photo as a souvenir, or inspire people's motivation to strive. It has some effect, but there's no need to merge it for now, as the cost-effectiveness is too low."

Understanding what people truly desire is a powerful tool for those in positions of authority to manipulate their subordinates and develop targeted strategies to win them over, but whether or not these strategies can be successfully implemented remains to be seen.

Human nature is unpredictable, and desires are insatiable. Eleven-year-old Ron already wants to be student council president and Quidditch captain; a grown wizard would likely have far more outrageous dreams.

Dudley pondered the function of the Mirror of Eris and realized that it was useful, but not very useful.

But it wasn't very useful, and Dali didn't intend to let it go. If Old Deng didn't want it, then it was his.

Dudley waved the Eris Wand in his hand, drawing a long, flat oval circle in the air, opening a spatial passage in his personal space and storing the Eris Mirror inside.

This mirror, though large, is only a little over three meters tall and two meters wide. It has more than enough space for a person with a personal volume of one thousand cubic meters, and doesn't take up much room at all.

After Dudley took the Mirror of Eris, he turned around and went back to his dormitory to take a nap.

……

More than two hours later, in the Gryffindor first-year boys' dormitory.

Dudley and Harry were woken up by the alarm clock that Dudley turned into with his cane, and at the same time, the alarm clock also woke up Neville and Seamus.

Only Ron, with his panda eyes, was still fast asleep.

It took Ximo a lot of effort to shake me awake.

"Huh? What happened? I have to fulfill the contract, I have to transform..."

"What are you changing? Time to go to class!"

Ron's rambling was abruptly interrupted by Dudley.

After Ron rubbed his face and fully woke up, he suddenly noticed the 'brand new' wand on his bedside table, which was exquisitely designed and full of charm.

He fell in love at first sight.

He picked it up and swung it, and red fireworks bloomed at the tip of the cane. It was very beautiful and suited him perfectly!

"This...this is my magic wand?"

"That's right! I've modified it for you, and it even has your name on it!"

Dudley replied nonchalantly, engraving Ron Weasley's name in runes on the handle of the wand, which both enhanced the wand's stability and improved the fit between the wand and Ron.

"Is this my name? I don't understand it."

With Dudley's prompting, Ron also saw the silver lettering on the staff, but he couldn't understand it and could only ask questions in confusion.

Dudley replied, "That's runes. If you don't understand it, you have to learn it! Like now, we're going to learn how to brew potions! If Snape just sits in class and pays attention."

Having finally understood and agreed to the 'contract,' Ron nodded in agreement with Dudley's words.

But no one in the dormitory except Harry could understand the deeper meaning behind Dudley's words, and even Harry only vaguely understood them.

No one paid much attention. They busily washed up, dressed, and took their potion-making textbooks and the potion-making materials and tools they had bought before entering the school, such as cauldrons and balances. They then left the room together and went to the castle's underground floor.

Many rooms, including the Potions classroom, Snape's office, and the common rooms for Slytherin and Hufflepuff, are located on the castle's lower levels.

It's dark, cold, and damp here. Outside the windows of the Slytherin common room, you can even see the underwater part of the Black Lake, where giant squid and ugly, ferocious mermaids can often be seen.

Slightly higher up, on the basement level, the Hufflepuff lounge next to the kitchen is warmer and brighter.

The Gryffindor common room, located on the eighth floor of the castle, is far from the underground levels.

Even without the castle's staircases and hidden doors, it still took Dudley and his friends quite a while to reach their destination.

The Slytherin freshmen who attended the same classes with them had already arrived, taking advantage of their proximity.

Malfoy, sitting in the middle of the Slytherin freshmen, gave Dudley and Harry a smug look that was tinged with a hint of provocation.

The other Slytherin freshmen were also a little restless when they saw the Gryffindor freshmen arrive.

If it weren't for Dudley, it's hard to guarantee that none of them would have said a few unpleasant things.

Clearly, Snape, the headmaster of Slytherin House, gave these new Slytherin students immense confidence.

They seemed eager to take this opportunity to teach the Gryffindor freshmen a lesson, and even to regain some lost face from Dudley.

Dudley ignored them and sat with the new Gryffindor students, setting out the cauldron, scales, potion ingredients, and other items, silently waiting for Snape's arrival.

I don't know if Snape was deliberately putting on airs, or if he just had a habit of attending classes on time.

In short, it wasn't until the scheduled class time that this greasy-haired, hook-nosed old man strode into the Potions classroom, his specially made, bat-wing-like robe swaying from side to side.

As soon as he entered the classroom, he waved his wand, closed the doors and windows, and drew the curtains, making the already dark classroom even darker, as if he were a vampire who couldn't stand the light.

That wasn't all. After he went up to the podium, he opened the roster and began calling out names.

When Harry's name was mentioned, he added sarcastically, "The renowned Mr. Potter! I hope you can be as brilliant at brewing potions as you are at giving your speech in the Great Hall!"

Upon hearing this, several suppressed snickers rang out among the new Slytherin students.

Dudley turned his head and glanced back, and the noise immediately stopped.

He told himself, "I'll endure it this first time!"

After taking attendance, Snape discovered that Dudley's name was not on the roster.

He knew perfectly well that Dudley's special status allowed him to attend any professor's class without being listed on the class roster beforehand, yet he still seized upon this to cause trouble.

"Oh! Isn't this the teaching assistant Dursley, who's quite knowledgeable in the art of language? Why did you come to my class without prior notice? With your knowledge, do you really need to ask me for help? This is quite a strange thing!"

Snape spoke in a sarcastic and venomous tone, like a viper spewing venom, while staring intently at Dudley with his empty eyes, trying to put psychological pressure on him.

Dudley scoffed at Snape's petty tricks and began to retaliate.