NOVEL WEB Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Past
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"Diddykins, don't forget to take a look at your gift," Petunia smiled, then closed the door.
'Diddy,' Dudley thought. 'Who the heck names their child Dudley and then calls him Diddykins?'
After composing himself, he turned his attention to the gamer's system in front of him.
"Please transmit the memory," Dudley said, then clicked the YES button.
[Permission granted]
[Transferring memory]
Suddenly, Dudley felt new memories flooding his mind. It happened so quickly, yet it felt like he had lived for 15 more years.
Dudley's experience could be categorized into two phases.
In the first phase, he felt like the real Dudley who bullied Harry Potter and became a spoiled child. In the second phase, the AI took over, changing his personality and intellect entirely.
He despised the first phase, witnessing the brutality of the Dursley family. However, he appreciated how much the Dursleys loved their child and, unfortunately he had came to regard Petunia and Vernon as his parents. Receiving their love for 15 years made Dudley, who had been an orphan, feel very happy.
Before his 11th birthday, Dudley did unimaginable things to Harry Potter. Everything changed on his 11th birthday when Dudley received his Hogwarts letter.
He remembered Petunia Evans' reaction—she was overjoyed when Dudley got his letter. She even mumbled through tears, "My son is a wizard, my son is a wizard. Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much. I am sorry, Lily."
She felt a mix of grief and happiness. It seemed all the pain she had endured as Lily's sister finally paid off when her son became a wizard.
Petunia had actually loved her sister, but jealousy had made her hate Lily. Since childhood, she was happy to have a beautiful sister, but when she found out about Hogwarts and the wizarding world from Snape, she felt deeply saddened and wanted to go there too. She even sent a letter to Professor Dumbledore. The final straw came when Lily and Snape intercepted Professor Dumbledore's reply. From that moment on, she harbored deep hatred for Lily. Her parents' favoritism, Lily's handsome and wealthy husband, all contributed to Petunia's resentment.
But it seemed almost like a joke when the spawn of that hatred, Harry Potter, was left on her doorstep. Knowing that Dudley was a wizard finally soothed the fire of jealousy, and she began to accept Harry Potter as her nephew.
For Vernon, it was quite different. He didn't accept it at first, but when Professor McGonagall came to visit, she explained the consequences if Dudley didn't become a wizard. She talked about the risk of becoming an Obscurial and the importance of the Statute of Secrecy. After that, Dudley was allowed to become a wizard. Harry's treatment also changed—he no longer lived in the cupboard under the stairs or had to cook. Petunia finally accepted Harry as her nephew, and Harry James Potter finally received love.
However, the relationship between Harry and Dudley didn't change much. All the bullying and suffering Dudley had inflicted on Harry created a divide between the two cousins. During the Sorting Ceremony, Harry was sorted into Gryffindor, and Dudley was sorted into Hufflepuff.
Dudley excelled in his studies. He only needed to learn something once before mastering it—except for writing, where Hermione consistently outperformed him. Both Muggle-borns topped the rankings. Dudley acted almost like a robot at school, as the AI decided to behave that way. He only behaved like a human in front of Dudley's parents.
Fortunately, he was in Hufflepuff, where people didn't mock him for being boring. For some reason, Dudley always sat with Susan Bones, and they eventually became good friends.
During years 1 to 4, Dudley didn't help Harry Potter at all. The story unfolded like the canon timeline, but with some differences. For example, before the 2nd year, when Dobby came to visit and tried to cause chaos, he was reprimanded, and Harry didn't get scolded by his parents. Dudley wrote a letter to Susan so the underage magic could be retracted.
The Weasley brothers still arrived with their flying car, but instead of sneaking away, they were welcomed with a cup of tea. Harry was given permission to stay at the Burrow, and the Weasleys tried to invite Dudley too, but the AI didn't want to alter the storyline too much. Its job was not to change the storyline, but to learn magic and give the player (who was now Zack, controlling Dudley's body) a stage during the 5th year.
Sirius's escape, the Triwizard Tournament—everything was almost the same as in the books, and now the AI had become his guide instead.
[100% Complete]
Dudley then woke up from his stupor and looked at the clock on the wall.
"What, only 1 minute has passed? I thought 15 years had passed," said Dudley.
[Correct, because the memory is worth 15 years of experience, so you feel that way.]
"System, or should I call you AI?" Dudley asked.
[I am the most advanced AI. My job is to guide you, host.]
"Do you mean guide and give me missions?" Dudley asked again.
[No, host. Let's say you discover hidden magic, create a new potion, or learn new magic. My job is to act as your notification.]
Dudley tried to remember the games, then recalled, "Oh, in a game, when I found hidden items or completed assignments, I would receive notifications. Is it the same?"
[Yes, host. My job is not to teach or guide but to ensure you can use the gamer's system properly and receive notifications.]
"So, you can teach me about the gamer's system. What does this unlocked 'Gamer's Mind' mean?" Dudley asked.
[Gamer's Mind will switch you into combat mode, just like in Hogwarts Legacy. This means your mind won't be affected even if you use Avada Kedavra, you won't get tired even if you run for 10 hours, and you won't feel pain. But Gamer's Mind has limitations, so I recommend only activating it during battles or when escaping.]