I am Harry Potter's Cousin, Big D

A toad, also known as a 'warty creature,' is an amphibian with bumpy skin containing poison glands. However, the toad Neville had lost was no ordinary amphibian; it was an invisible Golden-backed Toad. These large, attractive toads, native to South America, are renowned for their intelligence, earning them the reputation of being the "Einsteins of the toad world."

The invisibility, however, was not a natural characteristic. It was a clear sign that Neville's toad, Trevor, possessed some kind of magical creature bloodline, making him an exceptionally rare and valuable pet. It was clear that the round-faced, timid Neville came from a good family; such a creature would be incredibly expensive.

When Ron Weasley, from the compartment next door, had heard the words 'pet toad,' his tone had turned sour with envy. "If I bought a toad, I'd try to lose it as soon as possible," he'd grumbled.

"I didn't lose him on purpose!" Neville had retorted loudly, his voice cracking. "He always tries to run away from me!" You could tell he genuinely loved his pet. The toad's magical bloodline probably made it much smarter than an ordinary Golden-backed Toad, and thus, much better at escaping.

"Can you help him, Dudley?" Hermione whispered, her heart softening at Neville's pitiful, tear-streaked expression. She gently tugged at Dudley's sleeve.

Even if she hadn't asked, Dudley was already planning to help. It wasn't a big deal. "I'll help you look for it," he said, putting his book away with a sigh. He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to read much more before they reached Hogwarts anyway. His first impression of the portly Neville hadn't been great; the boy's tearful demeanor lacked a certain spirit. However, he had a good, solid frame. With some proper exercise, he could have an excellent physique.

Dudley's words made Neville's face light up with hope, but his next sentence made the boy's heart sink. "If I find him," Dudley continued, a mischievous glint in his eye, "can I borrow him for a few days?"

While Dudley didn't particularly like toads, he knew that the creature's mucus was a valuable potion ingredient. He was also intensely curious to see the difference between the mucus of a toad with a magical bloodline and that of an ordinary one. It was a rare opportunity for research.

"Y-y-yes, sir," Neville stammered, his face a mask of misery.

With Neville's reluctant agreement, Dudley took a small bottle of a slightly impure pink liquid from the pouch at his waist. Magical Creature Attractant (Poor Quality). It was an unexpected byproduct of one of his failed potion attempts. Fortunately, the system had identified its properties; otherwise, he would have discarded the valuable substance as useless waste. He asked Neville for some of Trevor's usual food and carefully dripped a single, precious drop onto it. He couldn't afford to be wasteful; he only had this one small bottle and hadn't yet figured out how to reliably reproduce it.

A faint, strange scent, undetectable to humans but irresistible to magical creatures, began to fill the compartment. Soon, a magical scene unfolded.

Croak...

Accompanied by a few subtle hopping sounds, a palm-sized toad with a gradually reappearing golden back materialized on the table and began to gobble up the baited food.

"Oh, Trevor! You're back!" Neville joyfully scooped up the toad and hugged it tightly, rubbing his face against its bumpy skin with pure, unadulterated relief.

Dudley finally understood why Trevor was always trying to escape. For a cold-blooded amphibian that preferred dark, damp places, being held so tightly by a warm-blooded human was torture. It was no wonder the poor thing was always running away.

"That's a potion..." Ron stared at the small bottle in Dudley's hand, his eyes wide with surprise. "I heard George and Fred say that potions are magical liquids that can sometimes do things even spells can't." He lowered his voice and whispered to Harry, "Did your cousin brew that himself?"

After getting Harry's affirmative nod, he muttered, a hint of awe in his voice, "Your cousin is amazing... unlike my brothers, who only bully me." It wasn't unheard of for young wizards to teach themselves a few simple spells, but self-taught potion-making was a different matter entirely. It was a dangerous and difficult art.

Hearing Ron praise his cousin, Harry puffed out his chest, feeling happier than if he had been praised himself. His good impression of Ron increased greatly. "That's Dudley," he said with unrestrained, fierce pride. "I've never seen anything he can't do." When it came to praising Dudley, Harry always went all out.

"Neville," Dudley said kindly, "if you really like Trevor, you should learn how to take care of him properly." He handed Neville a book from his own bag, which was so full it looked like it might burst. "Take this. It's always good to learn more." It was a Muggle-published guide to keeping cold-blooded animals, but it contained a very useful section on raising amphibians. Dudley's luggage, which included several sets of dumbbells, was a testament to his strength.

"Thank you, sir," Neville said, carefully taking the book as if it were a priceless treasure. His fear of Dudley lessened, replaced by a growing sense of closeness and admiration. Because of his timid personality, Neville had never had many friends. To have someone like Dudley be so kind to him from the moment they met... his nose began to feel a little sore.

"You can just call me Dudley," Dudley said.

"Okay, Mr. Dudley."

Just then, the compartment door was slammed open, not gently like Ron, nor timidly like Neville, but with a rough, arrogant shove. Three boys walked in, led by the same platinum-haired boy Dudley had scared into crying at Madam Malkin's. He didn't seem to notice Dudley at first; his eyes were fixed on Harry with an arrogant, proprietary interest. He tilted his head slightly, addressing Harry as if speaking down to him from a great height.

"Everyone on the train is talking," he drawled, his voice dripping with condescension. "Saying Harry Potter is in this compartment. That's you, right?"

(End of Chapter)

***

(End of Chapter)

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