Chapter 307: Nightmare
Borgin was stunned by Dudley's question and stood rooted to the spot, not knowing how to respond.
"Only a joke. Good night, Mr. Borgin."
Dudley wished him good night and soon vanished into the night of Knockturn Alley.
Borgin stood in the doorway of his shop, watching Dudley's departing figure, and fell into deep thought.
After returning to Hogwarts, Dudley went straight to Professor Dumbledore and handed over all the information related to Voldemort. As for Borgin not providing memories, Dumbledore expressed understanding. Those detailed records were already enough for him to follow the thread and uncover many leads.
Days passed, and without end-of-term exams, school life became much more relaxed. Dudley successfully held the first meeting of the Kingdom of Order in the Room of Requirement, and everyone's enthusiasm was high. At the first gathering, Dudley did not teach them anything specific. He simply shared his ideals and confirmed several organizational principles, asking everyone to follow them as much as possible.
These first-years already admired Dudley, so they had no doubts at all. Whatever Dudley asked them to do, they would do it.
Soon, the term was nearing its end. In the week before the summer holidays, Professor Sprout's Mandrakes finally matured, and Filch and the others were cured of their petrification. With that, the Chamber of Secrets and the basilisk's impact on the school were essentially concluded.
In the last few days, Dudley either read or researched magic. He already had some ideas for creating original spells. In fact, Dudley discovered that many Beyonder abilities could, to some extent, be matched to corresponding magical spells. These abilities seemed to share certain inner connections. Often, he did not need to invent a spell from scratch; small modifications would suffice to achieve his goal.
For example, starting from a Sleep Charm, as long as it was cast successfully, it could put a wizard to sleep. What Dudley needed to do was build on that spell and incorporate a charm that allowed entry into dreams. This happened to dovetail with Legilimency. After combining the two and making the necessary adjustments, Dudley could enter another's dream. Such a spell would be very similar to the Darkness Pathway Sequence Seven Nightmare ability.
Clearly, however, the spell was extremely complex. It required Dudley to master both the Sleep Charm and Legilimency, understand the magical principles behind each, and then fuse them into a single working form. That was no small challenge for him.
In this process, Slytherin's notebook proved very helpful. Even when Dudley's spell was not fully formed, it offered constructive suggestions that helped him eliminate wrong options and find the key to the problem more quickly.
By the Black Lake, Dudley was studying his spellwork while Harry and Ron discussed Quidditch. Because of the Chamber, the Quidditch season had been suspended. Though the crisis was resolved later, there was no time to restart it. There would be no Quidditch Cup that year. Everyone had already begun preparing for the following year.
"Next year I will try to make the reserve squad," Ron said seriously.
"You will make it. Then buy the latest broom, and we will thrash Malfoy and his lot," Harry said happily.
"That is a fine idea," Ron said at once, nodding. He still had a large amount of Galleons, and there would be another hefty sum once the basilisk's corpse was sold. For Ron, at present, buying the latest broom would not be difficult.
"Ahem..."
Dudley cleared his throat lightly.
"What is it?" Harry and Ron paused their conversation and looked over.
"I have invented a spell. From the looks of it, there should not be a problem," Dudley said.
"You invented a spell? Merlin, no wonder you were muttering to yourself lately. Hermione said you were previewing next year's coursework. She is still buried in the library right now, saying she cannot let you get ahead. And it turns out you were inventing a spell. That is far more outrageous than reviewing next year's lessons," Ron exclaimed.
Harry looked surprised as well. He had no doubts about Dudley's magical talent, but to invent his own spell while only in his second year was astonishing. If it were merely a simple spell, that was one thing. If it were a difficult one, that would be a crushing blow to every student.
"Ahem. So I would like to try it on you two," Dudley said with a small smile.
"You mean you want to use me and Ron as guinea pigs?" Harry asked, pointing between them.
"That is about right," Dudley nodded.
Harry and Ron exchanged a look, unsure whether to feel honored or alarmed.
"Er... will this spell have any irreversible effects on us?" Ron could not help asking.
"Of course not. You are my cousin and my friend. How could I put you in danger? It will only make you sleep," Dudley said quickly.
"That sounds like a Stunning Spell," Harry said.
"Close. It is modified from the Stunning Spell," Dudley nodded. He did not mention that the spell also included a component of Legilimency.
"If it is like a Stunning Spell, that is fine," they said, visibly relieved.
"All right, let us give it a try."
"I could use a nap anyway. I am a bit sleepy."
Harry and Ron lay down.
"Do not worry. This spell will not cause any problems."
Dudley raised his wand and stirred the spiritual force within.
"Sleep in peace."
He spoke the incantation. A deep-blue light erupted from the tip of his wand and wrapped around both Harry and Ron. They offered no resistance and fell asleep at once.
At the same time, Dudley closed his eyes, followed the spell's power, and entered the realm of their dreams. It was a dream shared by the two of them.
Hum.
A roaring wind howled past. In the dream, Ron and Harry were in the middle of a Quidditch match. Ron was already Gryffindor's Keeper, and Harry was still the Seeker. Their opponents were Slytherin.
"Now that is a spectacular Quidditch match," Dudley said, appearing in a stand and smiling as he watched the game unfolding inside their dream.
Harry shot forward at incredible speed, apparently having spotted the Golden Snitch. At the same time, Malfoy streaked toward the same point. The two of them were on the verge of colliding.
"Avada Kedavra."
Harry drew his wand and cast a Killing Curse straight at Malfoy.