Hogwarts: I am Harry's eldest cousin

Chapter 17: The Reptiles Glass House's ' Mysterious Disappearance Incident'

Close to 12 o'clock, Dudley returned to 4 Privet Drive.

"Oh my, my dear, why did you come back so late? We need to hurry," Petunia exclaimed as soon as she saw Dudley, immediately asking him to change his clothes.

Hastily heading out, they rode in Vernon's newly bought car, rushing towards the direction of the zoo as a family of four.

The Dursleys lived quite a distance from the zoo, and even with a car, it took at least an hour and a half to get there.

Harry was quite excited along the way; he was actually looking forward to the zoo. The last time he went out for fun was around this time last year.

Due to the sunny weather and the weekend, the zoo was unexpectedly crowded, filled with families of tourists everywhere.

Especially at the entrance, it was like being in a sea of people. Before seeing any animals, they saw a bunch of Two legs first.

Upon entering the zoo, Vernon bought ice cream for both Dudley and Harry. Dudley got the most expensive chocolate flavor, while Harry got the cheapest lemon flavor.

Dudley switched the ice creams with Harry, using the excuse of not wanting to eat chocolate.

In reality, chocolate was Dudley's favorite flavor.

Petunia merely opened her mouth but didn't object. She even stopped her husband, watching the two of them walk together, shoulder to shoulder, shaking her head helplessly.

It looked so much like her and Lily when they were kids.

However, the most intimate sisters eventually became familiar strangers.

Their paths were always different.

In the bird area of the zoo, it was said that there might be peacocks appearing today. However, after waiting for a long time, they didn't see a single peacock feather. Instead, they spotted a white owl napping lazily among the leaves.

"Look at it, it's really silly, seems so dumb," Harry pointed at the owl and said.

Owls, as nocturnal carnivorous creatures, were considered small birds of prey. Normally, owls would be sleeping during the day. Dudley wondered if wizard owls were any different since they seemed to sleep during the day.

Suddenly, an idea crossed Dudley's mind, "Harry, do you want to have a pet owl in the future?"

"Are you kidding?" Harry shook his head like a rattle. "I'd rather have a pet pigeon."

In the mammal area, lions and tigers weren't very interesting; they were all lying in place, yawning, too lazy to move. Dudley thought that if he used a sliding tackle, he could probably kick them like soccer balls.

No pandas, no pandas, no pandas—emphasizing the important things three times. There wasn't a single giant panda in the zoo, which disappointed Dudley.

This disappointment lingered until Dudley observed a gorilla scratching its head through the glass. The gorilla mistook Dudley for a companion and continuously gestured through the glass, seemingly asking, 'How did you get out? Come help me.'

Physically, Dudley looked more robust than the average gorilla, coupled with his solid muscles, he did bear some resemblance to the gorilla.

Watching Dudley imitate the gorilla on the other side of the glass in a humorous manner, Harry burst into laughter.

Dudley's birthday was always the happiest day for Harry, even happier than his own birthday. After all, only Dudley remembered Harry's birthday, and only Dudley gave him gifts.

Due to the lunch delay, Vernon couldn't endure the hunger anymore. So, the family had some food inside the zoo. Vernon had hot dogs and soda, Petunia had some fries, while Dudley and Harry both had hamburgers.

Next was the reptile house. The inside was dark and gloomy, showcasing various reptiles. There were large spiders, centipedes, lizards, snakes, and other cold-blooded animals.

Dudley wasn't particularly fond of this place. He preferred fluffy creatures to the cold, slippery reptiles. The gorilla outside was even better than these crawling things.

Harry, on the other hand, was quite interested in the reptile house. He alternated between observing a large tarantula with venomous fangs and leaning against the glass, staring at a chameleon inside that looked more sluggish than an owl.

However, snakes were the most abundant in the reptile house, both venomous and non-venomous, presenting themselves in categories before Harry's eyes.

Dudley could tell that Harry was more interested in snakes than lizards. He saw Harry crouching in front of the largest python's glass, softly saying, "Hey, buddy."

To outsiders, it looked like a child talking to himself, but Dudley knew they were really communicating.

Young Harry wasn't quite aware of his extraordinary ability; he thought many people had this skill.

However, this was a unique ability possessed by Harry.

'Witnessing Snake Language: Acquired LV0 Magical Creatures Speak.'

The system's pleasant prompt sounded in Dudley's ear.

"Not a bad reward," Dudley whistled, a satisfied smile on his face.

This was why Dudley insisted on taking the time to come to the zoo—not just because Harry had tasks to complete.

It was also for such encounter rewards, which could be rare and unexpected. Counting this time, Dudley had only received two rewards in total. The previous one was the LV5 ability called Iron Mountain Crush.'

Now he had acquired an LV0 Magical Creatures Speak.

Magical Creatures Speak, as the name suggested, was Dudley's term for a collective reference to magical world creatures. This meant he could communicate with magical creatures in the future.

LV0 or not, it didn't matter. All skills started at this level. At least this skill appeared in the abilities column, indicating that it could be upgraded through experience points.

If only it were a magical skill; well, Magical Creatures Speak, could it barely count?

At this moment, a high-pitched scream echoed in the house. The glass in front of the giant python disappeared, and the python quickly extended its coiled body, wriggling out from the enclosure, slipping to the floor.

At that moment, screams and curses sounded simultaneously, and people in the house turned and ran, fearing they would be entangled if they were too slow. The entire reptile house turned chaotic.

As the python slid past Harry, there was an obvious pause. It turned its head and humanely nodded towards Harry, sticking out its forked tongue, making a hissing sound.

It seemed to be saying goodbye to Harry, as if it weren't a snake but a person.

Before the other staff arrived, it quickly wriggled through the crowd, disappearing into the house. This behavior was in stark contrast to its previous lazy appearance lying still in the enclosure.

Finally, it wasn't clear if the zoo staff managed to catch the python. However, not long after the incident, a man who claimed to be a manager of the zoo came over to apologize to everyone.

Dudley's birthday passed in such a thrilling yet safe environment.

(End of this chapter)

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