On a brilliantly sunny afternoon, Dudley gathered Harry and the others to venture into the Forbidden Forest together.
"Hey there, Dudley! Have you finished your examinations?" Hagrid called out from a distance, waving enthusiastically at the approaching group.
"Good afternoon, Hagrid. We've all completed our exams and passed every single one, though we won't know our specific scores until later," Dudley replied cheerfully.
"Dudley and Hermione are definitely claiming the top two spots. We just don't know who'll achieve first place," Ron observed with good-natured envy.
"I think it'll be Dudley. He's far more capable than I am. I just memorize textbooks," Hermione said with a self-deprecating laugh.
She had long since abandoned her obsession with academic supremacy. After all, Dudley was genuinely extraordinary. Attempting to surpass him seemed virtually impossible.
"You two really shouldn't be so modest. How are Ron and I supposed to maintain any dignity?" Harry joked with exaggerated despair.
After exchanging pleasantries, Hagrid took the initiative. "I know you've come to visit Norbert. Come along, I'll escort you there."
"Since that last incident, Professor Dumbledore found Norbert a new residence. It's located near the Black Lake within the Forbidden Forest. There's considerably more space there, much better suited for a growing dragon."
"Oh, and there's something else I need to discuss with you, but I'll wait until after you've seen Norbert," Hagrid added mysteriously.
Everyone followed Hagrid along the forest's edge toward the Black Lake. Soon they could see the vast, dark water surface, and in a clearing beside the shore, they spotted Norbert lounging contentedly in the afternoon sunlight.
As if sensing Dudley's presence, Norbert suddenly opened his eyes, those brilliant orange-red orbs fixing directly on Dudley's approaching figure.
"Hey there, Norbert! How have you been?" Dudley called out with genuine warmth.
Upon seeing Dudley, Norbert immediately sprang to his feet with obvious excitement, spread his magnificent wings, and launched himself straight toward his friend.
The dragon's body had grown noticeably larger since their last meeting, appearing even more impressive and imposing. When airborne, he resembled a living storm cloud, his shadow covering a substantial area of sky and nearly causing Ron and Hermione to cry out in alarm.
Fortunately, Norbert understood his own strength. He landed well short of the group, though the powerful downdraft from his wings still buffeted everyone around considerably.
Dudley rushed forward immediately and affectionately patted Norbert's massive head.
"Did you miss me?" Dudley asked with a fond smile.
Norbert responded by gently nuzzling against Dudley with obvious affection.
"What a heartwarming scene," a familiar voice commented from nearby.
They turned toward the Forbidden Forest's edge, where a figure in flowing white robes had appeared seemingly from nowhere.
"Professor Dumbledore," everyone quickly composed themselves and offered respectful greetings.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Dumbledore replied with characteristic cheerfulness.
"Good afternoon," Dudley acknowledged, though his gaze carried curiosity.
Wasn't Apparition supposed to be impossible within Hogwarts grounds? How had Dumbledore suddenly materialized here? Some special headmaster's privilege perhaps?
Dudley pondered this development privately. The spell was genuinely useful, and he'd envied that capability for quite some time. However, Apparition had demanding requirements for wizards and could produce catastrophic consequences if performed incorrectly, so he hadn't attempted it yet.
Perhaps next semester, after advancing to Sequence 6, he could safely experiment with this magic.
"I've carefully examined this Norwegian Ridgeback's physical characteristics. She's actually a female dragon, which makes the name Norbert somewhat inappropriate."
"Hagrid and I discussed alternatives and believe calling her Norberta would be far more suitable. What are your thoughts?" Dumbledore suggested diplomatically.
"A name is merely a label. As long as she's content with it," Dudley replied while continuing to stroke Norbert's head.
Actually, he had discovered the dragon's true gender long ago, but since it was just a name, he hadn't particularly cared about the distinction.
"Well, you're remarkably open-minded about such things. More like a wise old man than this actual old man," Dumbledore observed with apparent amusement.
Dudley glanced at Dumbledore suspiciously, sensing some deeper meaning behind those words.
"Hagrid, please look after Norberta with Harry and the others. I'd like to have a private conversation with Dudley," Dumbledore addressed the gamekeeper.
"Certainly, Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid responded immediately.
After speaking, Dumbledore looked expectantly at Dudley and began walking along the Black Lake's shoreline toward a more secluded area.
Dudley considered his options briefly, then chose to follow.
"Is there something specific you need to discuss, Professor Dumbledore?" Dudley inquired.
"Yes, there are several matters I'd like to address with you. Our previous conversation wasn't particularly pleasant, so I felt we both needed time to process our emotions."
"Now that your examinations are concluded and your anger should have cooled somewhat, it seems appropriate for us to have a proper discussion," Dumbledore said with serious intent.
Dudley remained silent, accompanying Dumbledore as they strolled aimlessly along the water's edge.
"The Night Emperor, the divine entity you mentioned during our last encounter. I've researched extensively through numerous sources but found no clear definition of gods, particularly within our magical world."
"Rather, in the Muggle world, there exist countless legends about deities, though I feel that we wizards already fulfill many of their descriptive criteria quite adequately."
"As for the Night Emperor himself, he strikes me more as an ancient, exceptionally powerful wizard," Dumbledore observed thoughtfully.
Dudley's expression remained carefully neutral. Gods didn't belong to this world originally, so Dumbledore's inability to comprehend His existence seemed perfectly natural. The comparison to an ancient wizard represented Dumbledore substituting a concept he could actually understand.
"I don't pretend to know the Night Emperor's ultimate purpose, but as long as He doesn't threaten our magical world, I won't pursue further investigation."
"In your estimation, you might consider my attitude somewhat presumptuous, but please believe in my absolute determination to protect the wizarding community. For that cause, I would willingly sacrifice my own life," Dumbledore said, glancing meaningfully at Dudley.
"Very noble indeed," Dudley acknowledged with a simple nod.
"During our last conversation, you mentioned that the Night Emperor is a god, yet also not a god. Could you elaborate on that apparent contradiction?" Dumbledore asked.
His tone remained peaceful, without any trace of the Headmaster's authority. Dudley could sense that if he refused to answer, Dumbledore wouldn't press the matter further.
After considering his response carefully, Dudley spoke. "The Night Emperor is merely a projection. The true god has not yet awakened."
Dumbledore nodded with understanding.
"Just as you warned me before, one cannot gaze directly upon God. So I suspected that the Night Emperor I witnessed probably wasn't the genuine deity. Otherwise, I would certainly have gone mad instantly and might even have died on the spot," Dumbledore reasoned.
Dudley confirmed this assessment with another nod.
"So the Night Emperor represents just a projection, or perhaps an angel serving under His command?" Dumbledore asked. "That's terminology I encountered in Muggle religious scriptures."
"More or less accurate. You can think of the Night Emperor as that god's earthly angel, while I serve as that god's chosen blessed one," Dudley explained with deliberate simplicity.
"Then who exactly is this god?" Dumbledore asked, his piercing blue eyes studying Dudley intently.