Chapter 10: Activating the magician's Talent?

"I can't perform magic. So, I can't teach you magic either," Mrs. Figg said regretfully, placing the basket of vegetables aside and sitting in front of Dudley.

Dudley could sense a thick layer of disappointment in her words.

Being born in the magical world but unable to learn magic couldn't be described simply as regret.

"Even if I could do magic, I couldn't teach you. Learning magic has to be done at Hogwarts; that's the rule in the magical world."

As Mrs. Figg spoke, she started tidying up the messy room.

One cat was already quite a handful; with three cats plus a magical book, it felt like chaos had descended upon the room.

"Hogwarts?"

Dudley also began helping with the cleanup, simultaneously pondering whether he should tell Mrs. Figg about the current situation of the Monster Book.

Maybe he wouldn't have to compensate himself?

What currency did wizards use again? Some kind of gold coins, it seemed.

"Yes, it's the best magical school in the world." Mrs. Figg's spirits lifted immediately when Hogwarts was mentioned.

"Harry will definitely go there in the future."

Her tone was filled with longing.

Listening to this, Dudley was also filled with a sense of wonder. Learning magic, he really wanted to learn magic.

"Can I go to Hogwarts too?" Dudley asked curiously.

Mrs. Figg shook her head, "I don't know, child."

Dudley asking this was within her expectations; there was no child who, after learning about magic, wouldn't yearn for it.

In fact, Mrs. Figg also knew that Dudley most likely wouldn't be able to go to Hogwarts. Muggles and Muggle-born children were essentially still Muggles. The high number of Muggle-born wizards was based on the vast number of Muggles. Not to say one in a million, but it wasn't too far off.

In their somewhat aimless chat, the room was quickly cleaned up.

"Alright, child. I need to prepare dinner; Harry will be back from school soon."

As Mrs. Figg was about to close the door of the room, Dudley, from somewhere, pulled out a black-covered book.

"Mrs. Figg, can I read this book?"

"Magical Drafts and Potions," several large letters were written on the cover.

This was the textbook for first-year Potions at Hogwarts.

The author was Arsenius Jigger, a wizard very skilled in potion-making.

As for why a Squib's house would have magical books.

She couldn't learn, but could she not buy them and read them?

What if Mrs. Figg's magical talent awakened one day?

There were no regulations stating that Squibs couldn't buy magical books.

So, it made sense.

As for that Monster Book, that was an accident.

"Please."

"I really want to learn magic."

Before Mrs. Figg could refuse, Dudley hastily spoke.

This statement came from his heart; he truly longed to learn magic.

As someone living on the fringe of the magical and non-magical worlds, Mrs. Figg understood Dudley's feelings at this moment.

Perhaps it was Dudley's sincere gaze, or perhaps it was his phrase "I really want to learn magic" that moved Mrs. Figg.

She agreed to Dudley's request.

Refusing a child's request and then telling him that he was destined to never become a wizard would be too cruel.

Mrs. Figg was a good person, and good people tend to be soft-hearted.

In fact, according to the Secrecy Act, Muggles were not supposed to have contact with magic, not even magical knowledge.

However, Dudley's situation was special. His younger brother was the famous Harry Potter, and his aunt was Lily Potter. He was destined to know about magic and the magical world.

Whether Dudley truly had magical talent or not didn't matter. Having magical talent was harmless when it came to learning about potions in advance. If he didn't have magical ability, it wouldn't matter since he couldn't cast spells anyway. Many potion ingredients couldn't be bought in the Muggle world.

Dudley getting this potion book was something he had planned for a long time. When he was tidying up the room, he had already set his sights on this book.

Learning potion-making didn't require knowing magic.

Just as the Potion Master Professor Snape said in the first class, "In my class, you don't need to foolishly wave your wand, and you certainly don't need to chant spells."

In a sense, as long as you have the materials, even Muggles can create potions.

"By the way, Mrs. Figg, I gave it a beating, and its condition seems a bit off."

Dudley handed the soft and floppy Monster Book to Mrs. Figg, confessing proactively.

"Is it knocked out?"

Well, if he had to compensate, he would.

Mrs. Figg didn't seem to mind and waved her hand, "Don't worry, the Monster Book's resilience is much stronger than you imagine. Even if you beat it, it's fine. Look, just like this."

Mrs. Figg pinched the spine of the book and shook it.

Originally, Dudley thought he had knocked the Monster Book unconscious, but to his surprise, it slowly opened its eyes.

"Dudley, dealing with this book is quite simple. Let me demonstrate. Just touch its spine... Huh?"

The expected intense reaction did not occur. The revived Monster Book neither struggled nor bit wildly. It just stared blankly with its four eyes looking in different directions, tongue hanging out and drooling continuously.

It seemed like Dudley had punched it silly.

At least a severe concussion.

Dudley awkwardly wanted to cover his face.

Mrs. Figg remained silent for a while and then continued, "Even if there's a problem, it's okay. I don't like this book anyway."

"Anyway, I'm just helping someone take care of it."

Mrs. Figg silently added in her mind.

From then on, aside from daily school and regular physical exercise, Dudley spent his time at Mrs. Figg's house voraciously devouring the contents of "Magical Drafts and Potions."

Mrs. Figg initially thought Dudley's curiosity about magic wouldn't last long. After all, Potions was the most tedious and boring subject in magical studies, excluding the History of Magic.

However, Dudley unexpectedly couldn't put down this book.

Harry found it puzzling. While Dudley had always been diligent in his studies, he had never been this obsessed, to the point of forgetting to eat.

That was Dudley, who never forgot to eat.

During this period, Harry was curious to see what book Dudley was reading. However, as soon as he saw the pages filled with large text, he promptly gave up.

Studying proactively was impossible. Just maintaining grades that weren't too high or too low was enough.

Harry didn't even read the content carefully and wondered if he would regret it in a few years.

The page Harry happened to look at was explaining the differences between monkshood and wolfsbane.

Something he would be tested on.

Dudley's time at Mrs. Figg's house was joyful. There were cats, magical books, and the freedom to create delicious food.

Life was boundlessly delightful.

Swimming in the ocean of knowledge was just too comfortable.

A month later, Dudley finally finished devouring the entire content of "Magical Drafts and Potions."

Now, all that was lacking was practice.

Mrs. Figg would definitely not allow a child who wasn't even a wizard to engage in the dangerous activity of potion-making. After all, she was a Squib, and she wouldn't be able to stop anything untoward from happening.

So, Dudley's study of potion-making came to an end.

Dudley was contemplating whether he could get another magic-related book from Mrs. Figg when the long-unseen system notification sound rang again.

"Completed Learning Task: Finished the first magic book."

"Reward: Activate the Shinji Matou's Mage Talent."

This system had the bad habit of being a Monday morning quarterback sometimes.

It would only notify you of rewards after you had completed something, rather than issuing tasks actively.

(End of this chapter)