Turning Iron Cans into Gold Cans, Looking to the Future!

4 Privet Drive, the Dursley household.

The battered wooden door and frame remained exactly as they were.

When a gust of wind passed through, half the door panel could still be seen swaying back and forth, looking utterly miserable.

"Harry, watch my pronunciation and hand movements!"

Taking advantage of the empty surroundings, Dudley raised Diggle's Wand at his front door. "Reparo!"

A pearly white glow flashed, and the door and frame seemed to reverse through time. Wood shavings and splinters flew up and reattached themselves to the door, while the cracked frame straightened and returned to its proper place.

Before long, the Dursley household's front door was as good as new.

There had been no mistakes in Dudley's spell demonstration. He had succeeded on the first try.

Harry watched everything with rapt attention, silently committing it to memory.

"I remember Hagrid dented the living room ceiling when he got up this morning. You'll fix it later!"

Teacher Dudley assigned homework.

"Yes, Cousin!" Harry answered crisply.

Just then, two familiar voices came through the repaired wooden door from inside.

"Listen! Our good boy is back!"

"Dada sweetheart, and Harry too—you're finally home!"

Vernon and Petunia ran to the door, calling out as they welcomed Dudley and Harry.

They had not gone out all day. They had not even been in the mood to call a repairman to fix the door and ceiling.

Vernon had specifically taken the day off to stay with his wife, anxiously waiting for his son and nephew to return from the dangerous Wizarding World.

Only when he saw his son standing before him safe and sound did the weight finally lift from his heart.

After seeing their family, Dudley and Harry tacitly chose not to mention the dangers they had encountered that day. They did not want the Dursleys to worry too much.

Besides, Dudley had finally sparked his parents' desire to learn magic and become wizards. He was not about to pour cold water over them and scare them back into being timid and fearful.

The family happily entered the house.

In the first-floor living room, under Dudley's guidance, Harry also used Diggle's Wand to proudly cast Reparo and fix the damage to the living room ceiling.

As for why they had to use Diggle's Wand, it was because the Ministry of Magic did not permit underage wizards to cast magic in areas where Muggles lived.

The new wands bought from Ollivanders Wand Shop contained a peculiar tracking method called the Trace. The Ministry of Magic could use it to monitor where underage wizards cast magic and control them accordingly.

The Trace automatically dissipated when its owner turned seventeen and came of age, so adult wizards' wands were not monitored.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Dudley had no choice but to let Mr. Diggle's wand serve out its remaining usefulness as a tool for himself and Harry to practice spells at home.

In any case, Mr. Diggle's wand was not very picky about its owner.

Seeing Harry cast magic while holding a stick, Vernon and Petunia's expressions shifted slightly. But they were not overly shocked, because they knew Harry was a born wizard. Nor were they particularly resistant, because they had already changed their views on wizards and magic.

But the next second, when they saw golden light dancing at their own son's fingertips, the Dursleys could no longer remain calm.

Dudley found several discarded iron cans of little use in the storage room. Without using a wand, he simply pressed his hands against them. A flash of golden light later, the dull gray cans, mottled with rust, had turned into gleaming cans of pure gold.

"The iron cans turned... gold... g-gold?!"

Vernon cried out, his face filled with disbelief.

Petunia was equally astonished. She had never imagined that Dudley would gain such extraordinary abilities after merely making one trip to the wizarding world.

"This is magic? Magic can actually do this... If I'd known, I might not have been so opposed to wizards before."

Vernon picked up one of the gold cans and examined it closely, muttering nonstop. But then he suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly put the can down and asked Dudley with a worried expression:

"Dudley, sweetheart, tell me honestly. Turning things into gold like this won't affect your body or your lifespan, will it?"

At that, Petunia's heart also leaped into her throat. She quickly looked at her son, eagerly awaiting his answer.

"Of course not! There are no side effects. I just can't transform too much at once. At most, I can convert one hundred ounces every seven days."

Dudley smiled as he spoke. He took the lump of gold dust he had transformed during the magical surge in the underground vault from his coat pocket and placed it into one of the gold cans.

"One hundred ounces is plenty! And we'll have it every week! Our family will become top-tier millionaires before long!"

Hearing that there would be no negative effects on his precious son, Vernon immediately returned to his obsession with gold.

"Don't tell anyone, Mum and Dad. Not just any wizard can do this. We need to keep it secret and get rich quietly!"

Dudley reminded them, "Dad, you can quit your job at the drill company. From now on, no matter what country we go to, we'll be able to live comfortably."

"Dudley, do you mean... you and Harry aren't going to Hogwarts?"

Years of following gossip had honed Petunia's sensitivity to information in people's words.

"We'll decide tomorrow!" Dudley did not hide what he was thinking. "Tomorrow, our family will receive a special guest. Mum, you exchanged letters by owl with this guest when you were young. You were pen pals."

"What?!" Petunia was even more shocked. "Sweetheart, are you saying Dumbledore is coming?"

She still remembered the regret of her childhood and had never forgotten that name.

"That's right!"

With a serious expression, Dudley said to his parents, "Tomorrow, Harry and I will negotiate with Dumbledore. If he can reach an agreement with me on certain matters, we won't need to move, and Harry and I will attend Hogwarts as planned.

If we can't come to terms, then we'll have to consider making arrangements to go abroad.

And Mum, get ready. I've already become a wizard, and you'll soon be able to fulfill your childhood dream as well!"

"You mean I'm going to become a witch too?"

Petunia felt a tangled mix of emotions, both excited and bewildered. Although Dudley had mentioned this before, she had never truly held much hope.

But now, Dudley himself was living proof before her eyes. She had no choice but to believe it.

"Dudley, sweetheart, what about me? Me too!" Vernon's attitude had completely reversed. He was now actually competing to become the very thing he had once despised beyond measure: a wizard.

"I'm sorry, Dad! I can't yet say when I'll be able to make you a wizard. That depends on the outcome of my negotiations with Dumbledore tomorrow. If things go smoothly, you can become a wizard together with Mum. If not, you may have to wait a few years."

Dudley said apologetically.

"Oh, it's all right! My son, Dad isn't in a hurry. Dad can wait." Vernon made a very magnanimous declaration.

After returning from the magical world, the Dursley family's conversation remained remarkably harmonious and smooth, filled with love and understanding.

Everyone supported Dudley's decision, as always.

As evening drew near, Harry's eleventh birthday was also coming to an end after a lavish dinner.

In his bedroom, Dudley took stock of the resources he currently had and carefully made plans before drifting off to sleep.

Tomorrow—an unknown tomorrow—still had a fierce battle waiting for him!