Hagrid the Simpleton, Bizarre Spellcasting!

Hagrid saw straight through none of Dudley's provocation. He immediately rummaged through his coat pocket and pulled out a small pink umbrella, intending to prove himself.

The little umbrella could not even cover Hagrid's head, so it was naturally not meant for keeping off the rain.

In fact, the important part was its handle.

[Oak Wand Nurtured by Magical Power (C-rank)]

[Item Description: 16 inches long, with an oak shaft and a unicorn tail hair core. Its owner was Rubeus Hagrid. Having been nourished by his magical power for many years and used to cast a small number of spells, its rating had increased somewhat. It had once been snapped, then repaired by an exceptionally powerful Repairing Charm.

As the host had not yet become a wizard, compatibility with wand-type magical items could not be assessed. Fusing with a wand of high compatibility could grant stable wandless spellcasting ability, as well as...]

Hearing the appraisal information from the system in his mind, Dudley became even more confident that he could quickly gain powerful spellcasting abilities.

He had also confirmed one thing.

Hagrid really was simple-minded.

Hagrid raised his Umbrella Wand, its tip aimed at the space inside the Dursley household.

This frightened Petunia and Vernon so much that they hurried over, wanting to shield Dudley and Harry behind them and pull them farther into the house. To their surprise, Dudley used his magically enhanced strength to drag the entire family outside into the rain instead.

"Dudley, what are you doing?"

Vernon was utterly confused, and so was Petunia. Only Harry seemed to understand what his cousin intended.

"Shh!" Dudley signaled for everyone to keep quiet and silently watch the simple-minded half-giant at work.

"Let me think... how did that spell go again? Unde... Undetectable Extension Charm, right, it was 'Undetectable Extension Charm'!"

From his distant and limited memories of learning magic, Hagrid found the spell for expanding space. He had only happened to learn it from some upper-year Ravenclaw students during his years as the gamekeeper.

Although he had only used it a few times, for the sake of Dumbledore's trust in him, he could surely cast it... right?

Thinking this, Hagrid forgot that while recalling it just now, he had already accidentally spoken the spell aloud.

In an instant, invisible magical power surged from Hagrid's body into the Umbrella Wand in his hand. It became a strange, crooked beam of light that shot from the tip and struck the space on the first floor of the Dursley household.

When the light faded, the outside of the house appeared unharmed, still standing firm amid the wind and rain. It seemed safe enough.

Only then did Dudley pull everyone back inside.

The moment they entered, everyone immediately sensed the bizarre changes within the house.

Petunia had turned on the lights earlier, and now they could clearly see that the ceiling had been stretched several meters higher, bending at sharp angles like a jagged line. Furniture had toppled and shifted out of place, while most notably, the walls on the first floor had become twisted and wavelike.

"No, I'm not allowed to use magic! And I don't think the Ministry of Magic allows private use of this spell either!"

Standing in the wind and rain, Hagrid suddenly remembered that he was still under punishment.

He looked at the house, whose exterior remained normal while its inner space had been crookedly expanded. Then he glanced around at the stormy, deserted Privet Drive, and a wave of fear washed over him. He hastily stuffed his Umbrella Wand back into his coat pocket.

"I misunderstood you, strong and adorable Mr. Hagrid. Your magic is amazing!" Dudley praised Hagrid against his conscience. "Come inside! Don't stand out there getting soaked!"

"Oh?! Really? I'm strong and adorable... sir?"

Hagrid lowered his huge head, turned sideways, and squeezed himself into the Dursley household's "large" doorway with all his might. "No one's ever praised me like that! Dudley, was it? You're a really good Muggle!"

The Dursleys were practically rolling their eyes into the backs of their heads. If Dudley had not complimented Hagrid, they would have started cursing already.

Their perfectly good room had been turned into this mess. It pained them terribly.

"So this is a wizard's spell? That's amazing!"

Harry, who had yet to see much of the world, exclaimed with genuine awe. That made Hagrid even happier, and his beard trembled as he grinned.

"When will our house return to normal? It won't stay this strange forever, will it?!" Vernon muttered.

Hagrid's smile froze. "Um... uh... well, maybe, probably...

Oh! You're celebrating Harry's birthday! A two-layer chocolate cake! Looks like the present I brought is a little unnecessary, but you can still try my baking!"

Hagrid had no idea how long his bizarre Undetectable Extension Charm would last, so naturally he could not answer Vernon's question. After stammering for a moment, he decisively changed the subject.

Then he pulled a round package wrapped in kraft paper from his filthy coat and unwrapped it in front of Harry.

"It got squashed on the way here, so it's a bit misshapen, but the taste should be the same!"

As he spoke, Hagrid placed the cracked pink cake, its greeting written in green icing, into Harry's hands atop the kraft paper.

"Happy birthday, Harry!"

Tears glimmered in the half-giant's beady eyes, full of tenderness.

Harry looked at the birthday present Hagrid had given him, then raised his head to look at Hagrid's rough, massive face. A flash of realization struck his mind.

"You were the one who took me to my aunt's house on a flying motorcycle, weren't you?!"

"Oh, Harry! You remember, you remember!"

Hagrid was beside himself with excitement. Tears rolled down his face, and his enormous body shook, spraying out a great deal of rainwater that had soaked into his coat.

Dudley's eyes flashed, and he immediately said, "Hagrid, your coat is wet. Take it off, and we'll wash it in our washing machine!"

"A washing machine?" Hagrid's attention was drawn to the unfamiliar term.

"That's right, a washing machine. You can think of it as Muggle magic. You let us witness a wizard's magic, so we ought to return the favor, shouldn't we?"

Dudley spoke with complete ease and perfect logic, without revealing the slightest malicious intent.

"All right! I can't cast any more magic anyway, so this works out well! Thanks, Dudley!"

Hagrid walked over to a low table in the living room. From his coat pockets, he took out his Umbrella Wand, a ball of yarn, numerous broken cups, a piggy bank, several copper Knut coins, a string of soft sausages, and several crumbly dog biscuits...

He placed them down one by one.

Finally, he even pulled out two dormice, an owl, as well as a quill, ink, and parchment.

"Oh, right! I should write back to Dumbledore and tell him I found Harry!"

Hagrid muttered to himself as he picked up the quill, dipped it in ink, and casually scribbled a few lines on the parchment. He folded it twice, tucked the letter into the owl's talons, and released it.

Only then did he remove his enormous, heavy, badly worn, filthy, soaking-wet fur coat.

It was obvious that Hagrid had not used magic to deal with his personal hygiene for a very long time. As Hogwarts's gamekeeper and a devoted follower trusted by the greatest wizard in history, he seemed rather destitute.

Perhaps he simply did not care about money.

Dudley naturally took Hagrid's coat, his arm sinking slightly under its weight. He headed toward the large bathroom, calling to his pale-faced parents as he walked.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry. Our living room will return to normal. It's Harry's birthday today, so let's have our guest sit with us! We can eat and talk at the same time!"