Harry Potter: Dudley From LOTM

Snape glared at Dudley, his lip curling into a sneer. "Talking back to a Professor, Gryffindor loses ten points," he announced, his voice dripping with malicious satisfaction. "And as for your supposed 'permission' to break school rules, we will confirm it with Professor Dumbledore. If it turns out you are lying, believe me, no one will be able to protect you this time." His voice dropped to a low, menacing whisper. "Now, go and wait for me outside the Headmaster's office!"

"Okay, Professor," Dudley replied, his tone polite and cooperative. He turned and walked past Snape, catching a glimpse of Professor Quirrell huddled at the corner of the corridor, his face a mask of nervous tension.

"Good evening, Professor Quirrell," Dudley said with a polite smile.

"Y-you… hello," Quirrell stammered in response.

Dudley nodded politely and continued on his way. Snape watched Dudley's retreating figure until he had completely disappeared from view, then turned his intense, predatory gaze back to Professor Quirrell.

"The castle hasn't been very peaceful lately," Snape hissed, leaning in so close that his long, hooked nose almost touched Quirrell's face. "So I hope you understand your responsibilities, rather than causing… trouble."

"H-how could that be…" Quirrell stammered, taking a fearful step back.

Snape let out a soft, contemptuous snort and then turned, his black robes swirling around him as he swept down the corridor.

Dudley, meanwhile, had reached the eighth floor. I come to Professor Dumbledore's office quite frequently, he mused, a flicker of dark amusement in his eyes. Probably more than many professors.

Suddenly, he stopped. He looked at a bare stretch of wall beside him. Something felt… incongruous. He couldn't pinpoint it, but there was a subtle wrongness to the space. He activated his spiritual vision, but saw nothing unusual, just old stone. Yet, his intuition insisted that something was amiss.

He turned and looked behind him. It was just another wall, adorned with a large tapestry depicting a group of trolls attempting to clobber a wizard named Barnaby the Barmy. Dudley had heard the story: Barnaby had tried to teach the trolls ballet.

"What are you doing now?" Snape's voice, sharp and cold, echoed from the end of the corridor.

"Just admiring this painting," Dudley replied, deactivating his vision and turning with a calm smile.

Snape glanced at the tapestry, his expression one of pure disdain. "I told you to wait for me outside the Headmaster's office, not to admire tapestries. Gryffindor loses five points."

Dudley didn't argue. He knew Snape was just looking for excuses. He felt a pang of sympathy for Hermione; she would be devastated in the morning.

Soon, they were standing before the eagle statue once more. "Oh, Severus," Dumbledore said, appearing at the top of the stairs, dressed in a long, star-spangled dressing gown. "And Dudley. What brings you to me so late?"

"I found Dudley Dursley in the fourth-floor corridor," Snape announced, his voice dripping with accusation. "He claimed that you allowed him to walk around the castle at night and to break school rules. Is that true?"

"Yes," Dumbledore replied, his gaze flickering to Dudley before returning to Snape.

"Why?" Snape demanded, his expression darkening.

"Severus, Dudley has a rare and powerful talent," Dumbledore explained calmly. "He can perceive evil things. I hope he can use this talent to help me find any hidden dangers in the castle."

Snape stared at Dumbledore, clearly stunned. "Him?" he sneered, looking at Dudley with utter contempt. "Perceive evil things? With all due respect, Headmaster, you might as well trust a troll's intelligence than his supposed 'talent'."

"Professor Snape," Dudley interjected, his voice firm, "how can you be so sure I don't have such a talent?" He felt emboldened in Dumbledore's presence; Snape wouldn't dare to deduct more points here.

Snape gave Dudley a cold, withering look. "Then, Mr. Dursley, have you found any 'evil things' while wandering around the castle recently?"

Dudley nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, I have."

The atmosphere in the office instantly shifted. Dumbledore and Snape's gazes focused intently on Dudley. Even a few of the portraits of past Headmasters stirred, their painted ears perking up. Gossip, it seemed, was a universal human trait, even for the long-dead.

"What did you find?" Dumbledore asked, his voice low and urgent.

"For example," Dudley began, his gaze unwavering, "Professor Snape has an evil aura about him."

"Dursley, do you know what you are saying?" Snape hissed, his composure finally cracking. "Insulting a professor is a very serious accusation. If you cannot give me a satisfactory answer, I will demand your immediate expulsion for being a disrespectful, violent student who only knows how to fight!" He thought Dudley would invent some fanciful tale to distract them, not turn the accusation back on him.

Dumbledore also frowned, a flicker of disapproval in his eyes. It was easy to assume Dudley was simply using this as an opportunity for revenge.

"You say you don't have an evil aura about you," Dudley continued, his voice calm and steady. "Then, Professor Snape, do you dare let me see your left arm?" His gaze was sharp, falling directly on Snape's left forearm.

Snape's expression immediately changed. He instinctively pulled his left arm back, a flicker of pure panic in his eyes. He quickly realized his mistake and lowered it again, but the brief, involuntary movement had revealed everything.

"What? Is Professor Snape afraid?" Dudley's lips curved into a slight, knowing smile. He turned to look at Dumbledore and saw not surprise or anger, but a flicker of understanding, as if a suspicion he had long held had just been confirmed.

"Professor Dumbledore," Dudley said, his voice now serious and resolute, "I originally didn't want to suspect a professor. But since you asked, I can only tell you what I have discovered. I sensed an evil aura on Professor Snape. Though this aura is not very strong, I confirm that it does exist. And the most concentrated area of this evil aura is his left arm." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle in the silent room. "To check if my judgment is correct, it's actually very simple: just have Professor Snape reveal his left arm, and you will know. This unfiltered evil aura shouldn't be hidden very deeply. It should be easy to find."

Snape looked at Dumbledore, his face a mask of grim fury. Dumbledore, in turn, looked at Snape. The entire office fell into a dead, suffocating silence.

[Chapter Complete]

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