Feeling Dudley's gaze fall upon him, Harry's face immediately showed unease.
"This fat pig isn't cooking up another bad idea, is he? Damn it," he thought.
Harry grew wary, determined to keep his distance from Dudley today.
"Oh, my little darling, come and see your birthday presents this year!"
Aunt Petunia, oblivious to Dudley's expression, covered his eyes with both hands and led him toward the table where the presents were laid out.
"Happy birthday!"
Petunia removed her hands, and she and Vernon shouted their congratulations in unison.
"Wow," Dudley said, gazing at the dazzling array of gifts.
It had been a long time since he'd celebrated a birthday. In that strange world, he hadn't even had his own.
"If this were the old me, I'd probably be counting the number of gifts," Dudley thought, glancing at the pile.
"Thirty-two gifts," he said aloud.
Hearing this, Vernon and Petunia exchanged glances, sensing their son's mood seemed off.
"Darling, you haven't counted Aunt Marge's gift yet. Look, it's under the big gift package your mom and dad gave you," Vernon said quickly.
"And although there's one less gift this year than last year, they're bigger than last year's," Petunia added cautiously, wary of upsetting Dudley.
"I see," Dudley nodded.
He'd noticed the other gifts beneath the large one but assumed his younger, less observant self wouldn't have. It didn't matter; for the current Dudley, gifts were unimportant.
Seeing Dudley remain calm, Petunia and Vernon grew more flustered. This was not a good sign. His lack of anger might mean a bigger outburst later.
"How about this? We'll go out later and buy you two more gifts. What do you think?" Vernon offered hastily.
"Oh, alright," Dudley replied casually. Skipping breakfast, he waved to Harry and said, "Harry, come over and help me unwrap the gifts."
The dining room fell silent. Petunia and Vernon's eyes widened, unable to believe what their son had said.
Harry looked incredulous yet wary. "He definitely wants to mess with me," he thought. "He's thought of some new prank and wants to try it on me. I absolutely can't go over there."
He resolved not to move.
"Come on, there are so many gifts. I can't unwrap them all by myself," Dudley said, smiling gently at Harry.
Harry's expression wavered. Dudley's words made sense—unwrapping so many gifts alone would be troublesome, and helping seemed reasonable. Moreover, Dudley's tone, though gentle, carried an inexplicable authority that made Harry want to comply.
Slowly, Harry walked over and began unwrapping gifts with Dudley.
Petunia and Vernon were stunned but, since it was Dudley's birthday, they decided to indulge his wishes.
As Harry unwrapped the gifts, he felt a strange daze. Part of him questioned why he trusted Dudley, but the thought quickly faded. He found himself happily helping unwrap the presents. He'd never unwrapped a birthday gift in his life, and even though these weren't his, it felt oddly joyful.
"Take whatever you like," Dudley said generously. "This toy gun is nice. Do you like it?"
Dudley felt a pang of guilt toward Harry. After enduring that terrifying world, he now understood Harry's struggles better than anyone.
Harry was flattered, unsure what had gotten into Dudley today. He seemed like a different person. Yet, no matter how Harry looked at him, this was still the cousin who'd bullied him since childhood—unchanged in appearance.
Though he remained vigilant, Harry hoped Dudley would stay like this, even if it was an act. He wished the pretense would last.
As they unwrapped more gifts, they found mostly ordinary items. Dudley felt a quiet happiness; though these things no longer mattered to him, seeing so many birthday gifts from this normal world stirred his emotions.
Harry reached the bottom layer of gifts and found a book. It was a bronze book with thin pages, ancient and weathered, as if unearthed from a centuries-old tomb, exuding an eerie, mysterious aura.
"Someone sent Dudley a book? They must be out of their mind. I'll eat my hat if he even glances at it!" Harry thought.
He picked up the bronze book, intending to flip through it. Dudley would likely never open it, so Harry considered choosing it as his gift. It wouldn't anger Dudley, and he'd have something to read—a win-win. He'd never seen a book with a bronze cover before.
Just as Harry reached for it, Dudley's gaze locked onto the book. His breath caught, his entire body freezing.
"Trensorst's Brass Book!" he thought, horrified.
How could this Grade 0 sealed artifact be here? Dudley's mind went blank. He stared, confirming the bronze book matched his memory of Trensorst's Brass Book perfectly.
As Harry's hand neared the book, Dudley leaped up, knocking over several gifts, and snatched it before Harry could touch it.
"I…" Harry stammered, stunned.
"Boy, who told you to touch that book? Apologize to Dudley, now!" Vernon glared at Harry.
Petunia's face darkened, her cold stare fixed on Harry.
"I'm sorry," Harry said quickly.
The apology was humiliating, but he knew refusing would bring worse consequences. Dudley had been toying with him after all.
Dudley, however, ignored them. The moment he held the bronze book, he confirmed it was the 0-02 Sealed Artifact, Trensorst's Brass Book, from that strange world.
The smaller the number, the higher the ranking, indicating greater danger. Though numbered by discovery order, not absolute threat, the fact that this book was 0-02 underscored its peril.
Dudley's breathing quickened. His mind raced, unsure how to handle this sealed artifact. This wasn't some minor trinket with mild side effects. Once activated, it could rewrite the rules of an entire area, impose strict legal provisions, and even alter the world's fundamental laws.