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Steamed chicken, chicken soup, braised ribs. Dudley cooked different dishes every day. In short, whatever was nutritious, he made it.
In truth, with Dudley's wealth, he could absolutely hire a professional cook. But food cooked by a professional was still not as reassuring or as delicious as food he made himself.
In only two short weeks, under Dudley's all-out feeding, Petunia noticeably filled out. At last, she looked properly pregnant.
Otherwise, people might have thought Vernon was mistreating her.
Outside the delivery room, the three of them sat nervously in their seats. Vernon was like a child, pacing back and forth at the door. Almost every minute, he asked Dudley whether there would be any problem.
His fat round face was full of worry and concern.
"Relax. Nothing will happen." Dudley, meanwhile, seemed more like the adult as he patted Vernon's shoulder comfortingly.
There were two wizards standing right there. Perhaps they did not have a potion for childbirth itself, but they had more than enough recovery potions of every kind. No matter what situation appeared, there would be a way to handle it.
Finally, after another half hour passed.
Along with a strong, powerful cry, Petunia successfully gave birth.
"Congratulations, Mr. Dursley," the nurse said to Vernon. "It's a girl."
The nurse's words finally let Vernon relax.
Boy or girl, it was all the same. As long as Petunia was fine, that was enough.
Vernon eagerly wanted to go in and see his wife and child, but the nurse stopped him outside and told him that the mother needed rest now. The baby also needed to be cleaned before being placed in the nursery. A newborn baby was truly fragile, and the hospital needed to observe her for a while.
And so Vernon began pacing again.
Perhaps only this could calm his heart.
The Grangers and Hermione then arrived with things in hand: some nutritional supplements and fruit.
After a while longer, the nurses told Vernon he could go see Petunia, but he could not be too noisy. Whether he heard that or not was unknown, because he rushed to the ward like the wind.
Petunia lay on the hospital bed, somewhat weak, but from her complexion, it was clear she was not in serious trouble.
Dudley and the others also finally saw their younger sister.
Her little body was wrinkled. Her face and eyes were slightly swollen. She curled herself up, tightly clenching her tiny fists. She looked very fragile, and also a little like a thin little monkey.
Most importantly, her eyes. She had not inherited Vernon's blue eyes, but Petunia's green eyes.
More accurately, the color was closer to Harry's. No, even greener than his.
"She looks a lot like Lily," Petunia said softly, leaning against the bed and looking affectionately at the sleeping baby in the cradle.
Red hair, green eyes. Exactly like Lily had once been. It seemed she had inherited the Evans family's previous generation of traits.
This was the first time Dudley had heard Petunia call Aunt Lily by name in that tone. So natural, with deep longing in her voice.
"What is the child's name?" Mrs. Granger asked.
Vernon and Petunia looked at each other. They had decided on the name long ago. If it was a girl, she would be called...
"Lily. Lily Dursley," Petunia said, her eyes never leaving her daughter.
This was a custom in many places: giving a child the name of a deceased relative or friend as a memorial.
For example, according to the original course of events, Harry's children would be called Albus Severus Potter and James Sirius Potter.
"Lily Dursley. A very good name."
There was no surprise in the name. Dudley looked at little Lily, who had fallen asleep, and said softly, "I think Professor Snape will like her very much."
"Severus?"
Hearing Dudley mention Snape, the familiar old neighbor from the past, Petunia unconsciously said, "If possible, I hope he can become little Lily's godfather. I remember Lily once saying that wizards have that custom. Of course, only if little Lily has magical talent, and if he is willing."
"Of course." Dudley said meaningfully. "I think Professor Snape should be very willing to become little Lily's godfather."
He had already imagined little Lily going to school eleven years later.
"This Potions question, Lily, please answer."
If she answered correctly:
"Very good. Ten points to Lily."
If little Lily said she did not know:
"Honest. Ten points to Lily."
"..."
That scene would definitely be very interesting.
If everyone survived until then.
Hermione leaned over the side of the baby's cradle, her gaze fixed on little Lily. She seemed lost in thought. No one knew what she had thought of, but in short, a blush climbed from her neck all the way behind her ears.
Like a ripe little apple, bright enough to draw the eye.
A week later, Dudley, Harry, and Hermione still left Number Four, Privet Drive. This had been agreed on beforehand.
Because of little Lily, they had already delayed by a week.
Before leaving, however, Dudley had already made arrangements.
He arranged for Vernon and Petunia to stay in a villa not far from the Grangers' house. It was a temporary residence Dudley had bought in his spare time. He also hired several professional nutritionists, bodyguards, cooks, and the like to specifically guarantee the three of them had proper meals, especially little Lily's diet.
Now that he had money, if he did not use it to look after the family he cared about, was he supposed to pile it up in the bank and let it gather dust?
Godric's Hollow. When they came here again, not far from the old Potter house, which had originally been half repaired, a small medieval-style castle had already been built.
Dudley had commissioned Carrow to build it. It had been completed one week ago.
In a certain sense, wizarding construction speed was quite impressive.
After all, with the wondrous ability called magic, many things were much more convenient. It was not slower than pure machinery at all.
"Very good." Dudley patted the castle's sturdy wall and praised it. Just now, he had applied a little force and actually failed to break off a piece. The quality was unquestionable.
According to Dudley's requirements, Carrow had used the strongest and best materials for every detail.
Only a rich brute like Dudley could do this. If another wizard tried renovating a house like this, they might go bankrupt halfway through.
Although the house had now been built, it was still far from Dudley's requirements. A house was a place to settle one's life. It had to have perfect defensive measures.
Otherwise, Dudley always felt uneasy.
So Dudley needed to modify this small castle in all directions. Of course, the old Potter house was the same.
After the modifications were finished, he would set up a Fidelius Charm. That way, they could be perfectly hidden.
Of course, Dudley had also considered packing the house away and turning it into a mobile fortress, like the moving wizard towers described in fantasy novels. But with his current ability, he was not yet allowed to do that. Mm, his financial strength also needed to rise further.
First, set himself a small goal: earn one hundred million Galleons within a year.
Of course, Magic Armor Modification also needed to level up further.
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