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Dudley planned to resell a batch of experimental equipment to earn a few extra Galleons to spend.
The Galleons Carrow had paid for partially buying back the wand at the beginning of the school year were already almost gone. You could never have too much money. After all, as the saying goes, with money, you can go anywhere. Without it, you can't go anywhere.
That was especially true for Dudley, who was a real money pit.
Because he spent so much time brewing potions, his ingredient consumption was extremely high. On weekends, that was not a problem, since Snape covered the cost of materials. But during the week, from Monday to Friday, Dudley had to pay for everything out of his own pocket.
Although the Forbidden Forest had a huge number of magical ingredients, Dudley did not have the time to search for every specific item according to each recipe. Most of the time, he simply gathered whatever he came across along the way, without looking for anything in particular.
For example, you might need ingredient A. But after entering the forest, you only find B, C, D, and E. And in the end, you still do not have ingredient A.
That kind of situation could last for days, sometimes even an entire week.
Because of that, Dudley often preferred to simply buy the ingredients. It was more efficient and saved time. But naturally, that also meant he spent money like water.
In the Muggle world, Dudley was rich. But that money could not be directly converted into Galleons by ordinary means. If he tried to exchange gold for Galleons at Gringotts, he would probably be fleeced by the goblins until there was nothing left.
As for selling potions...
No way.
Every potion was a vital emergency resource. Selling them was not an option.
In the end, earning Galleons was not difficult for Dudley. He just had to take advantage of the fact that he had money in the Muggle world and convert it indirectly into the wizarding world. And the first idea he had was reselling experimental equipment.
To sell anything, the first step was publicity. In other words, advertising.
Giving the equipment to Ron and Malfoy had exactly that purpose.
To build a reputation. And to turn a quick profit.
And as expected, it worked.
That very same day, Dudley received at least eighty orders from Slytherin through Malfoy.
After spending nearly two months around him, the Slytherin students already had a good sense of what Dudley was like. As long as they did not provoke him, he was easy to get along with.
On top of that, he had already secured a huge number of points for Slytherin, practically guaranteeing their lead in the House Cup. Even older students had started looking at him differently, with some of them even trying to get closer to him discreetly. The students in the same year had also begun treating him differently.
In Slytherin, ability was everything.
If you were capable, you would receive attention. If you were exceptional, you would receive recognition.
As for Dudley being considered a wizard of Muggle origin...
Since he was Harry's cousin and his aunt Lily was a legitimate witch, some people thought he could not even be considered Muggle-born.
As for the others...
Well, you are not money. You cannot please everyone.
On the second day, the number of orders more than tripled. Older Slytherin students, and even students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, began placing orders. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of Snape's criticism.
On the third day, the number doubled again. Orders kept pouring in. And Dudley was amassing an enormous number of Galleons.
...
"All of this... is really for me?"
Ron stared in disbelief at the bag in Harry's hands. More precisely, at what was inside it.
"D sent it. He said you earned it. He called it a commission."
Harry smiled as he handed over the bag.
Dudley was generous. Especially when someone did well with what he asked of them.
That was exactly why he could even attract people to work for him. If he was going to pay, he paid. No nonsense. And always quickly.
It was not just Ron. Hermione, Harry, and Malfoy had also received their shares.
Ron took the bag with trembling hands. The weight in his palms brought him back to reality. There had to be at least a hundred Galleons in there. He had never seen that much money before, let alone owned that much. Even a single Sickle could last him quite a while.
"Dudley is incredible..."
Ron said sincerely.
"Of course. I've never seen anything D doesn't know how to do."
Harry replied proudly.
It was as if he were being praised too. He was only a step away from saying it right to everyone's face:
"My cousin is unbeatable."
'Having someone like that in the family... must be amazing.'
Ron thought.
'Completely different from my brothers... all they know how to do is mess with me.'
He thought of his own brothers. The older ones had already left Hogwarts. The youngest hadn't even started at Hogwarts yet.
But the ones closest to his age...
Fred and George...
Those were the worst.
Ever since he was little, all they knew how to do was pick on him.
Ron still remembered it clearly...
When he was very small, he used to clutch the only toy he had. A rag doll. Handmade by his mother. It was the only toy he owned. And he loved it dearly. He never let it go. And he never let anyone else touch it.
Fred and George wanted to play with it. But he would not let them.
So... they secretly took their father's wand.
And turned the doll into a giant spider.
Can you imagine that scene?
The doll in his arms... suddenly turned into a huge creature, bigger than he was, with eight legs... and eight terrifying, gleaming eyes, all fixed on him.
Ron could still remember the dark hairs around its fangs.
At that instant, his whole body went rigid. Every hair on his body stood on end. His mind went completely blank. At that moment, Ron had nearly gone mad.
After that, he never touched that doll again.
And in the end, he gave it to his little sister, Ginny.
Later, Fred and George said it had only been a prank. A joke. They loved that kind of "humor."
Ron forgave them.
Because they were his family.
But that spider became the greatest fear of his life.
A shadow that never disappeared.
...
On the other side, in Slytherin...
"You know I don't need this."
Malfoy pushed the bag full of Galleons back toward him.
The Malfoy family was rich. But that did not mean Malfoy personally had money he could spend freely. In fact, Lucius gave him a rather limited allowance.
Even so...
that was still a significant amount to him.
"But this is what you deserve."
Dudley picked up the bag and placed it back into his hands.
Malfoy stared at the bag of coins. He bit his upper lip. It looked like he wanted to say something... but could not.
When Dudley was already about to leave...
he finally spoke:
"I'm sorry... I... I mean..."
"Can I call you D, like Potter does?"
"I know that's a name reserved for your friends..."
Dudley stopped and smiled.
"Of course you can."
"Aren't we friends?"
Malfoy suddenly lifted his head.
Dudley winked at him.
At that moment...
that face that had once frightened him so much...
didn't seem nearly as frightening anymore.
Malfoy replied sincerely:
"Alright... D."
Ron had his strengths.
And deep down, Malfoy was not all that different either.
The two of them had both grown up without any real friends.
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