An Unbreakable Offensive and Defensive Alliance!

"I-I-I... I hadn't consciously thought of it that way."

Dumbledore's mind rapidly revisited his thoughts from back then. As he delved deeper, he suddenly realized, "But subconsciously, I may truly have thought that way. I actually never noticed!

Dudley, your analysis is like a sharp blade, piercing straight into the depths of my heart."

As Dumbledore spoke, his embarrassment faded, and his self-analysis became clearer:

"Just as I said earlier, I have been self-righteous for far too long. I hid many dark thoughts beneath the righteous cause of fighting Voldemort and saving the Wizarding World. Like shadows beneath the sunlight, they seemed so natural, so easy to overlook!

These truly were my failings. Dudley, Harry, if you cannot forgive me, then I have nothing to say. From now on, I will make it up to you and the Dursleys through concrete actions."

After Dumbledore finished expressing his apology, Dudley fell silent. He said nothing and instead looked at Harry.

Harry understood what his cousin meant. His cousin respected his opinion and did not want to forgive or withhold forgiveness on his behalf.

Harry thought seriously for a while before speaking to Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore, regardless of what you thought, you did provide my parents with protection back then. Also, I am very grateful that you sent me here, allowing me to grow up with my cousin.

So I do not hold much resentment toward you. I will try to forgive you."

"Good, good! Harry, I am deeply relieved." Tears kept welling up in Dumbledore's eyes.

Dudley composed himself, then spoke under Dumbledore's expectant gaze.

"Mr. Dumbledore, I am a practical person. Words are far less powerful than actions, so whether I forgive you depends on what you do from now on.

Also, Harry and I cannot make decisions for my parents. Once we are done talking, please keep your promise to apologize to them."

"I will, Dudley!" Dumbledore immediately promised.

"Then we are done discussing the past. Now, we need to talk about the future!"

Dudley focused intently as he considered his words. Whether today's negotiation succeeded or failed depended entirely on this moment.

"Go ahead, Dudley! State your and Harry's demands, and I will do my best to meet them! Whether you wish to remain in the United Kingdom, come with me to Hogwarts, or study magic in another country, I will support you!"

Dumbledore had already let go.

"It seems Mr. Dumbledore has truly reflected on himself thoroughly!"

Dudley felt a faint surge of joy. Before the negotiations had even officially begun, he had already succeeded halfway.

"Now, I will formally begin asking questions about the future!

Mr. Dumbledore, can you guarantee that from this moment onward, you will no longer presumptuously manipulate Harry's growth from the shadows?"

"Yes, I guarantee it! From now on, I will discuss all matters related to Harry with you and Harry, and you will decide whether they are carried out."

"Mr. Dumbledore, can you guarantee that you will not interfere with, and will even assist, Harry and me in our revenge against Voldemort and his accomplices?"

"Yes, I guarantee it! Eliminating Voldemort and his followers has always been my goal!"

"Mr. Dumbledore, if Harry and I attend Hogwarts, can you guarantee that our family's safety—especially the safety of my parents, the Dursleys—will not be threatened?"

"Yes, I guarantee it! I will never allow Lily and James's tragedy to happen again!"

"Good! Very good! Excellent!"

Dudley suddenly rose to his feet and walked before the tearful, emotional Dumbledore. He solemnly extended his right hand.

"Mr. Dumbledore, then are you willing, in the life and battles ahead, to heed the advice of me, an eleven-year-old junior adviser, and forge an alliance with me?"

"Dudley, this is..." Dumbledore froze. He felt as though Dudley was laying out an enormous game of Wizard's Chess.

"Give me your power and reputation to wield, Dumbledore! Let me become your second brain—for a beautiful and stable life, for erasing regrets, for becoming stronger in the purest sense, for our shared goals, for an ideal future!"

I hope this decision of mine will not be wrong again!

After several seconds of solemn thought, Dumbledore extended his aged hand and clasped Dudley's right hand tightly. Two magnificent, fantastical twisting strands appeared out of thin air and wound around their wrists. Then they flashed with light and vanished without a trace.

They formed an Unbreakable Pact.

At that moment, Dumbledore still could not imagine what thunderous actions he would take after forming an offensive and defensive alliance with Dudley—actions he had never even considered before.

Nor could he imagine what earth-shaking changes this pact would bring to the Wizarding World in the future.

At this moment, Dumbledore's strongest thought was that Dudley and Harry had finally accepted him.

In the twilight of his life, at more than a hundred years old, he had gained two kindred comrades, friends who transcended generations.

"Cousin! Are we staying?"

Harry had witnessed the entire process of Dudley and Dumbledore forging their pact. After the unbreakable magical strands disappeared, he finally could not help asking.

"Yes, Harry! Now that we have the greatest wizard of the twentieth century as our teammate, why would we need to wander in foreign lands?"

Dudley revealed the smile of a successful negotiator.

However, before Dumbledore and Harry could celebrate, Dudley immediately entered a serious "work" mode.

"Dumbledore, there is less than a month until school starts. We need to take action!"

"Action? Dudley, what kind of action do you mean?" Dumbledore was somewhat puzzled.

"Many kinds!" Dudley's mind raced. "Most urgently, we need to deal with that disobedient Minister of Magic! Dumbledore, you must have read today's Daily Prophet, right?

If I am not mistaken, it did not mention Voldemort even once, did it?"

At his words, helplessness immediately appeared on Dumbledore's face. "That is right!"

As he spoke, Dumbledore pulled a folded newspaper with moving pictures from his pocket.

Dudley took it and unfolded it before himself and Harry.

The front-page headline read:

"Yesterday, Gringotts' underground vaults conducted a special security drill; the minor earthquake in Diagon Alley was purely accidental!"

"Gringotts Goblins solemnly promise: no property in any vault suffered any loss. Please rest assured!"