Unexpected Joy! A D-Rank Regret Perfectly Resolved!

Time passed day by day, steadily following its course.

By now, nearly twenty days had passed since the day the Dursley Household had opened their hearts.

As early as July 8, Dumbledore had replied to Harry's letter, explaining that on Harry's birthday, he would send Hogwarts' Keeper of Keys and Grounds, Mr. Rubeus Hagrid, to Number Four, Privet Drive, to take Harry and Dudley shopping for the supplies they needed for school.

Meanwhile, the Dursleys' attitude toward Harry had changed noticeably during this period.

Previously, because of Dudley's insistent demands, Harry had been able to receive material care not too different from Dudley's. Vernon and Petunia had also restrained their tempers and done their best to ignore Harry, sparing him excessive emotional abuse.

But none of that had come from the Dursleys' true intentions. They had only done it because they did not want to disappoint Dudley.

Now, however, Dudley had forcibly untangled much of Petunia's emotional knot, allowing her to recognize her feelings toward Lily and Harry.

Though she still could not put those feelings into words, her everyday actions now clearly showed a great deal of care for Harry.

For example, she would deliberately invite Harry along when they went out for fun, and when taking pictures at attractions, she would actively have Harry stand in the center with Dudley.

By Dudley's estimate, Petunia now doted on Harry at roughly forty or fifty percent of the level she doted on Dudley—and it came from the heart.

Vernon, who loved and protected his wife unconditionally, had also grown fond of Harry because of her, becoming far warmer toward him.

Harry was so flattered that nearly every day, he secretly pinched himself a few times to make sure he was not dreaming.

Dudley was also immensely satisfied with this family atmosphere. He had long yearned for this kind of warmth.

Of course, he had not become immersed in it. He always used his spare time to repeatedly simulate and rehearse the plan for Harry's birthday in his mind, considering possible changes and how to handle them.

According to the system's standards, an eleventh birthday marked the end of childhood and the beginning of adolescence.

Therefore, on July 31, 1991—Harry's eleventh birthday—the S-Rank Regret Event, The Savior's Bleak Childhood, would undergo its reward settlement.

That reward was extremely important to Dudley's plan.

That was also why Dudley had specifically instructed Harry to arrange in his reply to Dumbledore for someone to arrive at dawn that day.

Moreover, this was also when Hagrid had taken Harry into Diagon Alley in the original storyline. Following the original plot a little might make Dudley's plan easier and smoother.

On the night of July 28, with more than two days left until Harry's birthday, something happened that delighted and gratified Dudley beyond measure.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully resolved the D-Rank Regret Event—Unspoken, Conflicted Care!]

[Through nearly ten years of subtle influence, the Host changed Petunia Dursley's personality and emotional understanding. Then, through a heartfelt family talk, Petunia was able to see her true feelings clearly.

At the same time, under the Host's guidance, Harry Potter came to understand Aunt Petunia's feelings toward him.

Influenced by Petunia's recent change in attitude, Harry took the initiative to speak with Petunia before his birthday arrived. He expressed his desire for mutual understanding with his aunt and uncle, as well as his wish to truly become part of the Dursley Household.

Moved by Harry, Petunia completely let go, releasing the conflict in her heart. She subtly expressed her apology to Harry, as well as her hopes for a wonderful future family life.]

[This regret has been perfectly resolved.]

[Fixed reward granted: D-Rank Magic Item Fusion Opportunity ×1.]

[Additional reward: D-Rank Magic Item Fusion Opportunity ×1.]

[Currently owned: D-Rank Magic Item Fusion Opportunity ×2.]

Dudley lay on the large bed in his bedroom, reading the system notifications in his mind with a broad smile.

He had originally intended to give Harry a few pointers on the night before his birthday, letting his cousin use the excuse of "my birthday is coming up, and I want to give my childhood a perfect ending" to give his mother a way out and make stubborn Petunia personally voice her apology and wishes for Harry.

Unexpectedly, Harry had finally caught on and taken the initiative to accomplish it himself.

It truly was a wonderful surprise for Dudley!

Excited, Dudley turned on the lights, got out of bed, and walked to the small refrigerator in his bedroom. He opened its door.

Inside the chilled compartment, three bags of dark red blood were neatly arranged.

As Dudley focused his attention on one of the bags, the system's appraisal information immediately appeared on the translucent panel before his eyes.

[Harry Potter's Magical Blood (E-Rank)]

[Item Description: Venous blood drawn from the veins of wizard Harry Potter. It contains faint magical power and the mysterious qualities of protective magic.

After fusion, it can grant the Host an extremely weak Wizard Bloodline with no potential for growth.

Additionally, because the Host shares a blood relationship with Lily Potter and Harry Potter, fusion can also grant a weakened version of the Ancient Magic—Love Protection.

It can partially resist and reflect instant-death attacks. Touching someone filled with murderous intent toward the Host can cause them to suffer partial backlash damage.]

Looking at the familiar magic item description, Dudley thought for a moment before ultimately closing the refrigerator door without fusing it for now.

The three bags of Harry's blood were equal in volume. One bag was an E-Rank magic item, while all three together amounted to a D-Rank magic item.

After fusion, Dudley could gain a weak Wizard Bloodline with no potential, along with the confidence to withstand one Killing Curse.

That would be excellent protection for the operation on Harry's birthday.

However, Dudley suspected that after fusing the three bags of Harry's blood and becoming a young wizard, his name would appear in Hogwarts' Book of Admittance.

The Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance were powerful magic items left behind by the Four Founders of Hogwarts.

The Quill of Acceptance automatically sensed whether every newborn in the United Kingdom and Ireland possessed magical talent. If one did, it would write that baby's name into the Book of Admittance.

This allowed Hogwarts' administrators to send an acceptance letter by owl once the child turned eleven.

At the same time, the Book of Admittance also served a supervisory role. It would examine whether a child whose name the Quill of Acceptance intended to write possessed sufficient magical talent, preventing Hogwarts from admitting Squib students.

There was a saying in the Wizarding World: whether someone could attend Hogwarts was decided on the day they were born.

That was the work of the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance.

Dudley was currently a genuine Muggle, so his name could not possibly be in the Book of Admittance. But if he fused the three bags of Harry's blood, that might no longer be certain.

If that old bumblebee Dumbledore saw Dudley's name appear in the Book of Admittance and decided to visit Number Four, Privet Drive himself, it would inevitably affect Dudley's plan.

He was confident he could fool a dimwitted half-blood Giant, but he had no confidence in causing trouble beneath the eyes of the greatest wizard of the twentieth century.

Therefore, the best time to fuse them would be on Harry's birthday, after he had seen Hagrid with his own eyes.