Chapter -10 Activating the Wizarding Talent?

Chapter 10.

"I can't do magic, so I can't teach you magic," Mrs. Figg said with a hint of sadness as she set her vegetable basket aside and sat down in front of Dudley.

Dudley could sense the disappointment in her voice. 

Being born into a magical family but not being able to learn magic felt like more than just a missed opportunity; it was a heavy weight on her heart.

"Even if I could do magic, I wouldn't be able to teach you. You have to learn it at Hogwarts—that's just how the magical world works," she continued, tidying up the cluttered room.

"Hogwarts?" Dudley asked, intrigued. He started helping her clean up, all the while debating whether to mention the state of the monster book.

"I shouldn't have to pay for it myself, right?" he wondered aloud. What kind of money do wizards use? It seemed to be some sort of gold coin.

"Absolutely! It's the best magic school in the world," Mrs. Figg said, her eyes lighting up at the mention of Hogwarts. "Harry will definitely go there one day." 

Her voice was filled with a sense of longing, and Dudley felt a spark of excitement too; he really wanted to learn magic.

"Can I go to Hogwarts too?" he blurted out.

Mrs. Figg shook her head gently. "I don't know, dear." She had expected him to ask this; after all, what child wouldn't yearn for magic?

Deep down, she knew it was unlikely for Dudley to attend Hogwarts. Muggles and their children were still Muggles, after all. The number of Muggle-born wizards was quite small, and while it wasn't exactly one in a million, it was close. 

The chances of randomly picking a Muggle child who turned out to be a wizard were about as slim as winning the lottery.

As they chatted, the room quickly transformed into a tidy space.

"Alright, dear. I need to start dinner; Harry will be home from school soon," Mrs. Figg said, moving toward the door. Just then, Dudley pulled out a book with a black cover.

"Mrs. Figg, can I read this book?" he asked eagerly. The title "Potions and Elixirs" was boldly printed on the cover. This was the textbook for first-year potions at Hogwarts, written by Severus Snape, a master of potion-making.

You might wonder why a Muggle family would have a magic book—well, just because she couldn't learn it didn't mean she couldn't buy it to look at! Who knows, maybe one day Mrs. Figg's magical talent would awaken. There were no rules against Squibs owning magical books, so it made perfect sense.

As for that monster book, well, that was just a little accident.

"Please," Dudley pleaded. "I really want to learn magic."

Before Mrs. Figg could say no, he quickly added. His words were genuine; he truly longed for magic. 

Living on the edge of the magical world, Mrs. Figg understood Dudley's feelings all too well. Maybe it was the sincerity in his eyes or the way he expressed his desire to learn that softened her heart. 

She decided to let him read the book. After all, telling a child they could never be a wizard would be too harsh. Mrs. Figg was a kind person, and kind people often have a soft spot for children.

According to the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, Muggles shouldn't be exposed to magic or magical knowledge. But Dudley's situation was different; his brother was the famous Harry Potter, and his aunt was Lily Potter. 

He was bound to learn about magic and be part of that world. Whether Dudley had magical talent or not didn't really matter; learning about potions wouldn't hurt him, and if he didn't have magical talent, he wouldn't be able to cast spells anyway. Plus, many potion ingredients couldn't be found in the Muggle world.

Dudley had been eyeing that potion book for a while, and now that he had it in his hands, he was thrilled. 

Learning potions didn't require magic. As Professor Snape, the potions master, said in class, "In my class, you don't need to wave your wands around or chant spells." 

In fact, as long as you had the right materials, even a Muggle could brew potions!

"By the way, Mrs. Figg, I accidentally hit it, and it seems a bit off," Dudley admitted, handing her the limp monster book.

"Is it dead?" he asked, half-worried.

Mrs. Figg waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, monster books are tougher than you think. Even if an adult smashed it with a hammer, it would be fine. See?" 

She pinched the spine of the book and gave it a little shake. To Dudley's surprise, the monster book slowly opened its eyes.

"Dudley, handling this book is pretty simple. Just stroke its spine, like this," she said.

To his astonishment, the monster book didn't react the way he expected. Instead of thrashing around, it just stared blankly with its four eyes, drooling a little. 

Mrs. Figg paused for a moment before saying, "Even if there are issues, it's okay. I don't really like this book anyway." 

She thought to herself, 'After all, it's just for someone else.'

From that day on, Dudley spent his time at Mrs. Figg's house, except for school and his daily exercise, diving into "Magical Potions and Elixirs." 

At first, Mrs. Figg thought Dudley was just curious about magic and wouldn't stick with it for long. After all, potions were often seen as the most tedious subject in magic, right up there with the history of magic. 

To her surprise, Dudley became completely absorbed in the book. 

Harry found it puzzling too; while Dudley had always been a diligent student, he had never been this obsessed, even neglecting food and sleep. 

This was Dudley, who was so engrossed that he even forgot to eat!

During this time, Harry was curious about what Dudley was reading, but when he saw the pages filled with dense text, he quickly lost interest. 

Active learning was out of the question; he just needed to keep his grades up. He didn't even take a close look at the content and had no idea if he'd regret it later. 

The page Harry glanced at happened to be explaining the differences between Aconite and Wolf's Bane, which would definitely be on the exam.

Dudley was having a blast at Mrs. Figg's house; there were cats, magical books, and he could whip up delicious meals. 

Life was full of joy, and swimming in the sea of knowledge felt incredibly refreshing.

A month later, Dudley finally finished reading "Magical Potions and Elixirs." Now, all he needed was some practice.

But Mrs. Figg wouldn't let a child who wasn't even a wizard try something as risky as potion-making. After all, she was just a Squib, and if something went wrong, there wouldn't be much she could do.

So, Dudley's potion studies came to a halt. 

He was thinking about asking Mrs. Figg for another magical book when he suddenly heard the familiar sound of a system notification.

"Learning task completed: Finished reading the first magical book."

"Reward: Activate the magician talent of Shinji Matou."

This system had its quirks; sometimes it was a bit slow to notify you. It never gave you tasks in advance, only letting you know about rewards after you completed them.

Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.