Dudley hadn't expected the dragon knight incident to have such an enormous impact that he didn't dare leave his dormitory for several days afterward.
The only time he ventured into the Gryffindor common room, he was immediately surrounded by enthusiastic classmates. Their excited shouting nearly lifted the ceiling, with everyone bombarding him with questions about the fire dragon and dark wizard, demanding to know how he had tamed such a magnificent creature. In the end, he had to use his beyonder abilities to escape the mob.
This experience made him completely reluctant to visit the Great Hall for meals, forcing him to rely on Fred and the other Weasley twins to bring food back each time.
Why didn't he ask Harry, Ron, and Hermione for help? Because they found themselves in exactly the same predicament for the same reasons, not daring to appear anywhere crowds might gather.
Whether intentionally or not, Snape had let slip that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had also been present in the Forbidden Forest during the incident, making them the people closest to the truth besides Dudley himself. Consequently, they were pursued just as relentlessly by curious students.
For the entire following week, they spent virtually all their time holed up in the dormitory, not even attending regular classes.
Of course, this arrangement had Professor McGonagall's complete approval. In fact, she had proactively suggested they take a break to recover from their ordeal. The truth was, she didn't want all the attention in her Transfiguration classes focused on a dragon knight rather than on her carefully prepared lessons.
This enforced absence made Hermione absolutely frantic. Missing a full week of classes felt like she'd lost an entire semester's worth of education. Combined with rapidly approaching final examinations, the situation nearly drove her to complete distraction, and she constantly fretted about falling behind in coursework.
Harry and Ron, on the other hand, were thoroughly enjoying themselves. During class periods when everyone else was trapped in lessons, they could claim the best spots in the empty common room for extended wizard's chess matches or sneak outside to explore the grounds without interference.
As for Dudley, he embraced a more leisurely approach. What could be more pleasant than settling into the soft armchair by the window in the Gryffindor common room, stroking his cat while reading a good book?
Of course, he had to slip away before others returned from their classes or risk getting caught and mobbed again.
A week later, when the incident had gradually begun to fade from immediate attention, Dudley and his friends finally resumed attending regular classes.
They still couldn't completely avoid being questioned by curious classmates, though compared to the previous frenzy, everyone was much more polite now and wouldn't persistently surround them.
As for Norbert, Dudley never learned exactly how Dumbledore had managed it, but somehow the dragon was now officially recognized as Hogwarts property. The school would provide all costs for his care and maintenance, meaning Hagrid no longer had to worry about Norbert's increasingly expensive appetite.
There were even rumors that dragon-related courses would be offered in the future, allowing students to have supervised contact with the Norwegian Ridgeback. This possibility filled many people with eager anticipation, with some already fantasizing about riding a fire dragon through the clouds.
Time passed swiftly, and before anyone realized it, only one week remained until final examinations.
At this crucial stage, even Harry and Ron had to throw themselves into intensive studying, since nobody wanted to face the humiliation of failing their first year.
Ron felt particularly pressured because if he dared fail his exams, his summer vacation would be completely ruined by his mother's wrath.
As for Harry, he mainly worried that as someone constantly in the spotlight, any academic failure would give the Slytherins endless ammunition for mockery. So he didn't dare slack off either, determined not to hand Malfoy such perfect material for insults.
Since the Forbidden Forest incident, Malfoy no longer dared openly mock Harry and his friends. As recognized heroes who had helped protect Hogwarts, they carried a certain aura wherever they went. If he spoke disrespectfully, older students from other houses would quickly teach him proper manners.
In places where there weren't witnesses, Malfoy was even more cautious, completely avoiding wandering anywhere near Dudley for fear of receiving another beating.
What Dudley found rather disappointing was that the rumored older Slytherin students who supposedly wanted to teach him a lesson never materialized and probably never would.
Dumbledore hadn't sought out Dudley again after the incident concluded. Regarding the dark wizard who had attacked Hogwarts, it was only publicly announced that he had been a remnant of Voldemort's followers attempting to target Harry. There was no mention of Professor Quirrell's true identity or Voldemort's soul fragment.
As for Professor Quirrell himself, Dumbledore simply explained that he had fallen seriously ill and resigned from his position.
Nobody questioned this explanation, since Quirrell had always worn that purple turban with its mysteriously foul odor, leading many people to suspect he suffered from some chronic ailment. Dumbledore's statement seemed to confirm their suspicions.
One stuffy afternoon in the library, Dudley and his friends had claimed a table near the windows, desperately reviewing their coursework as final exams loomed.
"Hermione, are there any crucial points for Potions class? Can you predict what content Snape will focus on?" Ron asked with a frown, staring at the intimidating Potions textbook in his hands.
"If I knew exactly what he planned to test, I wouldn't have memorized the entire book," Hermione replied with an exasperated eye roll.
"Harry, is there any way to quickly transfer the book's contents directly into my brain?" Ron turned hopefully to his best friend.
"Honestly, I'd love to know that secret too," Harry admitted with sympathy.
Hermione shook her head disapprovingly. "Ron, if you have time for these ridiculous fantasies, you'd be better served actually reading the textbook. That would be infinitely more useful than dreaming about impossible shortcuts."
"Besides, I heard that the quills we'll use during examinations are specially enchanted to prevent any form of cheating! You should save yourself the trouble of even considering it!"
"I might as well just die now," Ron groaned dramatically, slumping forward onto the table.
Other subjects seemed manageable enough, but Potions class represented his personal nightmare. Not only was he constantly targeted by Snape's malicious attention, but he genuinely struggled with the subject matter. If Snape decided to find fault with him during the examination, he might actually fail spectacularly.
"I deeply regret fooling around so much earlier," Ron lamented. If he had known things would become this desperate, he should have started serious reviewing weeks ago.
Dudley glanced up from his own studies and smiled sympathetically at Ron's distress.
"Dudley, I genuinely envy you and Hermione for having such brilliant minds," Ron said, forcing himself upright to continue his Potions review.
"Although I can't magically transfer all Potions knowledge into your brain, if you're really struggling to keep up with your reviewing, you might want to focus specifically on the Forgetfulness Potion," Dudley suggested casually.
Hearing this hint, Ron immediately perked up with renewed energy.
Harry also looked over with surprised delight and growing hope.
Even Hermione's attention sharpened with interest.
Dudley shrugged with apparent nonchalance. "I noticed Malfoy and his cronies earlier, focusing intensively on reviewing the brewing process for Forgetfulness Potion. Given their typical attitude toward studying, I suspect this might be a key focus for the Potions examination. After all, Professor Snape is the head of Slytherin House!"
"Oh! Dudley, I love you!" Ron exclaimed, rushing over to give Dudley an enthusiastic bear hug before being promptly kicked away with good-natured annoyance.