I am Harry Potter's Cousin, Big D

"Dudley, are you sure it's okay?" Hermione's little face was flushed, and she nervously looked around, afraid that someone would suddenly appear and catch them. "I... I've never done this before." She kept lowering her head and fiddling with the corner of her clothes.

"Although it's my first time too, don't worry," Dudley thumped his chest loudly, a reassuring sound in the quiet night. "Trust me, I'm very strong in this area."

"But what if we get caught..." Hermione looked hesitant, appearing very conflicted. This was her first time doing anything so rebellious. "Maybe we shouldn't." It was as thrilling as skipping class, a heady mix of fear and excitement.

"Don't worry, it'll be quick," Dudley reassured her. "I'll go in for a bit and then come out." Seeing Hermione's hesitation, he decided to give her a final, persuasive push. "Hermione, you don't want to..."

Grrr.

No sooner had he spoken than Hermione's stomach rumbled, a perfectly timed interruption that made her little face grow even redder.

"I'll be right back, wait for me." Dudley finished speaking and, without another word, strode into the Hogwarts kitchen, which was conveniently located next to the Hufflepuff common room.

The moment Dudley stepped into the kitchen, the clanging sounds that had filled it instantly ceased. "Respected Young Wizard, how may I help you?" A respectful voice, tiny and tremulous, sounded from below Dudley's waist.

Dudley bent down and saw a small, thin, seemingly skin-and-bones creature standing respectfully at his feet. It had tennis-ball-sized, wide, cartoonish eyes and large, bat-like ears. Though it might be impolite to think so, its nose did bear a resemblance to Snape's. If he had to compare it to anything from his memory, it was probably a malnourished version of a Goblin with normal human skin color or perhaps a slightly larger-eared, sharper-nosed version of Gollum from his novel series, 'The Lord of the Rings'.

It was a house-elf, a magical species that, according to "Hogwarts: A History," was a subservient race to wizards, serving them for generations. It was worth mentioning that house-elves themselves possessed powerful magic; many adult wizards not proficient in combat were no match for them. According to the same historical text, the Hogwarts kitchens were entirely run by house-elves.

"I'm a bit hungry," Dudley said, looking around. His gaze finally settled on a large iron pot simmering on the stove. "May I use the kitchen here?"

"Do... do you think the food we make isn't good?" the house-elf said tremblingly, its large eyes welling up with tears. It immediately started banging its head against the wall, making loud "thudding" sounds. "Bad Pipper! Bad Piper! Your food is unpalatable to the Young Wizard!"

Dudley quickly stopped it. "Stop." Although he had long known that house-elves had peculiar thought processes, he hadn't expected such an extreme reaction.

Five minutes later, Dudley emerged from the kitchen carrying a bucket overflowing with fried chicken and pickled sausages.

"That much?" Hermione looked at the towering pile of food in surprise. "Did you raid the kitchen?"

"They were quite enthusiastic inside," Dudley replied, not wanting to dwell on the house-elf's dramatic display. He quickly changed the subject. "Hurry and eat some while it's hot; we should go to bed soon." It would soon be Hogwarts' bedtime, and if they were still wandering around the castle at this hour, they would surely be caught by the caretaker, Filch, and given detention. Though Dudley, surprisingly, had never been caught during his own solitary night excursions.

Soon, the two of them had devoured the large pile of food. Or, to be precise, most of it went into Dudley's stomach.

After walking Hermione to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, Dudley didn't return directly to the Slytherin common room. Instead, he found a random window, climbed onto the castle's outer wall, and then scaled the spires. After eating, he needed a good workout; Dudley hadn't done his evening exercise yet.

Unlike his morning workout, this time golden electrical sparks emanated from Dudley's body, legs, and wrists. This was the outward manifestation of his Ripple cultivation. Daytime was for pure physical training, while evening was dedicated to the internal work of Ripple Wave Energy. Day after day, year after year, his routine remained unbroken.

At this moment, Hermione had already returned to the Gryffindor common room.

"Where have you been?"

As soon as Hermione entered the common room, she attracted the attention of many Gryffindors. When she and Dudley had left, they hadn't attracted any notice, but Hermione was, after all, the "Little Witch" who loved to raise her hand to answer questions and earn points for Gryffindor. Unlike Dudley, who was collectively and selectively "forgotten" by Slytherin, Gryffindor was somewhat unaccustomed to not hearing the phrase "Gryffindor points" for an entire class. So, Hermione was naturally remembered.

"I can't believe it, Hermione," a senior Gryffindor, Cormac McLaggen, said with an exaggerated tone. "I heard you actually skipped class."

"I think we're not familiar enough to call each other by our first names, Mr. McLaggen." Hermione gave him no quarter, her voice cold and unyielding.

"Alright, Miss Know-It-All." The nickname "Miss Know-It-All" sounded good at first, implying she knew everything, but in reality, it was more of a taunt. Hermione had a not-so-good habit: often, when encountering a problem, she wouldn't get straight to the point but would meticulously explain everything she knew from beginning to end, then very bluntly point out your mistakes. "Miss Know-It-All" implicitly meant she was talkative and annoying.

"I'm just kindly reminding you," Cormac continued, a sneer on his face. "Don't go astray. If I were you, I'd be more careful." His voice dropped, filled with false concern. "If you keep this up, no one in Gryffindor will like you, no one!"

There was a reason he said this: Hermione and Dudley were very close, and their frequent joint visits to the Hogwarts library proved it. For young wizards, being friends was fine. The important thing was—Dudley was a Slytherin. Impulsive, foolish Gryffindors wouldn't care about your reasons; in their view, as a Gryffindor, one should maintain distance and clear boundaries with Slytherin. Not clearing boundaries meant being a traitor. As for Harry? That was different; Dudley was Harry's cousin, and Harry was special. He was the Savior, he was Saint Potter. Double standards are something every carbon-based life form loves to engage in.

Of course, not all Gryffindors targeted Hermione. There were just stupid, annoying, and self-righteous people everywhere, and quite a few of them. Hermione didn't care about this; she was a very opinionated young witch, always doing things her own way and not fitting in, especially in this regard. This was also why she wasn't popular with Gryffindor, even though she earned many points for the house. However… they didn't care.

At first, it was nothing, until recently, Hermione's belongings in the common room frequently went missing for no reason. For example, that morning, when she woke up, she searched for her shoes for a long time but couldn't find them. Fortunately, she had spares. But she had never told Dudley about these things. In fact, this kind of phenomenon was very normal at Hogwarts; after all, wherever there were people, there would be conflicts, or what one might call bullying. Whether in regular schools or magic schools, this phenomenon existed. At Hogwarts, most conflicts were usually directed at other houses, like Snape and James Potter. But such situations also occurred within one's own house, for example, Luna Lovegood, who would be sorted into Ravenclaw a year later.

Cormac McLaggen said, looking around, and the Gryffindors all laughed cooperatively, their laughter so harsh.

Only Neville, sitting in the corner with his arm bandaged, his lips trembling slightly, seemed to be trying desperately to say something, but in the end, he said nothing at all.

[Chapter Complete]

***

Want more? Check out my Patreon for:

✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories

✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics

✓ Early access content www.patreon.com/meowthtl

💪 Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter!

Thanks for reading and supporting the story!