Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 42: Peeves
"Please come again, Master," said the house-elf as they left the kitchen.
Dudley smiled and raised his hand. "When I return, make sure to follow the recipe I gave you."
"We will, Master. You are an expert cook!" replied the house-elf.
"You've changed a lot, Dudley," Justin commented as they walked out.
"What do you mean?" Dudley asked.
"I mean compared to last year. Your personality has completely changed," Justin clarified.
"I had to change, Justin. Last year, I didn't do anything when the whole school was boycotting my cousin," Dudley admitted.
"I'm sorry. I was part of that boycott too," Justin said, regretful.
"Don't apologize to me. If you really mean it, apologize to my cousin," Dudley replied firmly.
"I will. By the way, I like the new you," Justin complimented.
"I like your new personality too, Dudley," added Hannah Abbott with a smile.
Only Susan remained silent, so Hannah couldn't resist teasing her.
"Huh, Susan, why are you so quiet? Don't tell me you spent the whole summer living at his house?" she teased.
A second passed, then ten seconds.
"Wait, seriously? You actually stayed at his house?" Justin and Hannah both stared wide-eyed.
Susan blushed slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, I stayed with him and my aunt."
"Why?" Hannah asked, still in shock, while Justin's mouth hung open.
"Because of You-Know-Who. My aunt wanted to hear the truth from Harry Potter himself," Susan explained.
"And do you believe him?" Hannah asked.
"After hearing the real story from Harry, yes, I do," Susan replied, standing up for Harry.
"Well, if you believe him, then I believe Harry Potter too," Hannah declared.
"Oh, why is that?" Dudley asked, curious.
"Because Susan never lies, and her aunt is the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Hannah answered confidently.
Susan beamed, clearly happy to have someone who trusted her completely.
While Hannah's reaction made sense, Dudley found it odd that Justin was acting surprised, considering he had seen the memory in the Pensieve and knew about Susan staying at Dudley's house.
"Wait a minute, we still need to go to the Great Hall. Professor Sprout will be giving out the timetables there," Susan reminded them.
"Oh yeah, we shouldn't have eaten in the kitchen, we could've had breakfast with the others," added Hannah.
"We can still go and just drink some milk while we wait for Professor Sprout," Dudley suggested.
"Sounds good. Let's go," they all agreed.
---Meeting Poltergeist---
As they walked around Hogwarts, Dudley didn't manage to visit the Room of Requirement, located on the 7th floor. However, he did encounter the legendary poltergeist, Peeves.
[CONGRATULATIONS]
[FOR MEETING THE RAREST POLTERGEIST]
[REWARD: SENSE INCREASE BY 5]
'System, why did I get a reward for meeting a poltergeist but not a ghost?' Dudley asked mentally.
[Poltergeists are very rare and difficult to encounter, whereas ghosts are common], the System replied, though only Dudley could hear it. His friends continued walking, oblivious to the conversation in his head.
'What's the difference between a poltergeist and a ghost?' Dudley asked internally.
[A poltergeist is a creature that is still alive, whereas the ghosts you've seen are dead wizards. They are merely magical imprints, not actual souls]
'Wait, no souls? I thought ghosts are souls,' Dudley questioned mentally.
[No, host. When someone dies, they cannot come back to life, not even as a ghost]
'But why do they behave like normal humans?' Dudley asked, confused.
[That's a misconception, host. Even after 1,000 years, a ghost retains the same personality they had in life. That's why ghosts, like your history professor, can repeat the same tasks every day]
"Okay, you win," Dudley muttered under his breath.
"Who won, Dudley?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hahaha, did I say that out loud?" Dudley laughed awkwardly.
"Yeah, you did," confirmed Hannah with a chuckle.
Author Notes - Have some work to do, I am sorry I am late.
Author Notes - If you want to read advance chapter you can go to my patreon.
-patreon.com/zorojurown