Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Wizard

Chapter 272 A Thinking Shorthand Quill! Punishing the Little Beetle!

Dudley had high hopes for Draco and, in front of Lucius, assigned Draco an important task.

This was entirely intended as a form of training for Draco, and had no intention of punishing him for talking back to him.

Draco was very 'approving' of Dudley's decision and smiled 'happily'.

I just feel so heartbroken.

After making arrangements for Draco, Dudley took his leave.

He believed that with his meddling, even if Lucius didn't have a complete epiphany, he wouldn't forcibly interfere with Draco's growth or Draco's friendship with Harry.

that's enough.

……

After having lunch in the auditorium.

Dudley arrived at the interrogation room constructed by the House of Requirement.

This time, the cross of painful punishment no longer binds Little Star.

Instead, she was a vulgar female reporter, former reporter Rita Skeeter, who wore jeweled glasses, had bizarrely wavy blonde hair styled with an unknown amount of hairspray, and a large chin.

She had been released from the glass jar by Dali and transformed back into human form from her beetle form.

Dudley also confiscated the portable magic camera and the intelligent dark green quill pen he was carrying.

That shorthand quill is a Class B magical item, and like the Sorting Hat, it possesses its own consciousness.

But unlike the Sorting Hat, this shorthand quill's ideas are practically a carbon copy of Rita Skeeter's—it loves nothing but spreading rumors and making up lies.

Aside from automatically writing down fabricated and false information, this shorthand quill has no other function, making it arguably the least cost-effective magical item Dudley has ever seen.

They're all so low that they have almost no value for fusion.

The reason it was rated as a B-grade magical item by the system is simply because this shorthand quill possesses its own thoughts.

However, this idea was not instilled according to the proper and profound process of creating magical items; it was purely a lucky accident, a miracle born out of sheer chance.

According to the system's magical item identification information, Rita Skeeter once used magic to power her automatic quill pen, but somehow an accident occurred, and a copy of a part of her own thoughts was infused into it.

This is how the shorthand quill pen, which loves to write fake news, came to be.

Dudley carefully stored the shorthand quill in his personal space. Although he wouldn't be able to fuse with it, he would study it and hopefully find a simple way to imbue magical items with consciousness.

If this method were to be developed, it would be an achievement worthy of the Order of Merlin, First Class.

Dali doesn't value superficial honors, but rather the benefits that the technology can bring.

A magical item imbued with its own thoughts is like a trustworthy and reliable helper.

Inside Hogwarts Castle, most corridors and corners are decorated with statues and armor, and there is even an entire armored corridor.

These statues and armors are merely silent decorations in peacetime, but they will instantly transform into fighting puppets to defend Hogwarts should any foreign enemies invade.

However, they only have simple attack and defense instincts and are not very intelligent in combat.

If they were instilled with Dudley's fighting philosophy, their combat power would increase several times or even ten times.

"You treacherous Dudley Dursley, this is illegal detention! Let me go! I'm going to write a report and expose your ugly face!"

Let the students of Hogwarts, and all the wizards of the magical world, see your true colors!

While Dudley was still pondering the important professional matter of imbuing magical items with consciousness, Rita Skeeter, bound to the cross of agonizing punishment, couldn't help but speak up loudly.

This shameful, talkative beetle was in a panic.

But instead of turning her panic into a humble plea for mercy, she turned it into a scathing critique from a moral high ground.

Unfortunately, she was facing Dudley.

When Dudley doesn't want to talk about morality, he is extremely immoral.

"Pain level: highest!"

Dudley waved his hand and unleashed a magical energy at the Torture Cross, and this medieval interrogation instrument immediately began to demonstrate its power.

"what--"

Rita Skeeter was immediately enveloped in intense pain, and her screams were deafening.

"Seal the tongue and lock the throat!"

Dudley cast another spell, sewing Rita Skeeter's mouth and throat shut.

Now, the interrogation room was quiet again.

But Rita Skeeter's body was trembling and shaking with pain.

Dudley conjured up a table and chairs with a wave of his hand, then took out an unfinished version of the training manual for the Magical Creature Contracts of the Heart Side from his personal space, pondered, and occasionally picked up a pen to improve it.

More than an hour passed like this.

Dali waved his hand, breaking the 'tongue-locking and throat-locking' spell on Rita Skeeter and ending the torment of the cross of punitive punishment on her.

Then, Dali chanted the incantation again: "Capture the spirit and seize the thought!"

He went through all the memories related to himself in Rita Skeeter's mind.

After learning the whole story, including Rita Skeeter's bizarre logic and malicious plans against him and Harry, Dudley was utterly speechless.

It's like being busy at school and then suddenly getting blamed!

After being attacked, Rita Skeeter, as a journalist, did not investigate or gather evidence, nor did she report the incident to the Ministry of Magic or the Aurors. Instead, she conjectured the crime against an unrelated person based solely on her own assumptions.

They even went to Hogwarts and carried out a malicious plan, scratching my cousin.

You deserve to die!

Dudley once again activated the cross of painful punishment.

Rita Skeeter was covered in sweat. She had just recovered from the pain when she was suddenly overwhelmed by the excruciating pain again. Unable to adapt, she fainted from the pain.

Then the pain woke me up again.

This cycle repeats endlessly, causing immense suffering.

"Don't...don't torture me anymore, I was wrong...I know I was wrong."

Rita Skeeter finally gave in with a weak, intermittent voice.

Dudley ignored her and let Rita Skeeter scream for another half hour before finally removing her from the cross of agonizing punishment and throwing her into the magical cage in his personal space to keep Little Pettigrew company.

Keeping Rita Skeeter as a guinea pig was a decision Dudley had made long ago.

As for a solution to Rita Skeeter's Class A regrettable incident, Dudley also had an idea, but he wasn't in a hurry to implement it. It wouldn't be too late to take action after he had extracted all the experimental value from her.

In the near future, Dudley needs to first complete two important tasks that are already showing signs of success: the special anti-enemy wand and the magic of the heart-side magical creature contract.

Dudley especially wanted a special wand for fighting enemies, hoping to get rid of the threat of Harry's forehead scar as soon as possible.

Voldemort's main soul and his alter ego might cause trouble again at any time, so Harry's forehead can't be allowed to ache again and again.