Unfinished OMG Dudley's kid is magic?!?!? story
So I was looking through some of my old fics and I had a story about Dudley and his daughter and what if his daughter was a witch!! So original, right? But I kind of like this story, and I'm sure I'll never finish it, so I'm posting what I have of it.
*****
It wasn't a surprise when the letter came, not really. Dudley'd known for some time. How could he miss it, after growing up with Harry?
But then the letter came. It was one thing for your instincts to tell you something and another altogether to be confronted with indisputable proof of it.
So Dudley had to give it to Daisy and send her off to learn to be a witch.
No, to learn magic. She was--would always be--a witch, no matter what Dudley did.
He wondered what they'd do if he tried to do what his own father did with Harry's letter. He was pretty sure they'd let Daisy Dursley slide by. What if parents didn't want to send their children to Hogwarts for perfectly legitimate reasons? They couldn't force it, could they? And she wasn't famous like Harry Potter. It was doubtful anyone realized Daisy was related to Harry.
Maybe they did. Surely they didn't just send letters to people who were thoroughly Muggle, people who would have no reason to believe it? Surely they sent someone to confirm it, to explain it? And since they hadn't, perhaps they'd assumed Dudley and Harry were close, that Daisy would have Harry to explain it all.
It was just an absent thought. Daisy would go, she'd meet her train at King's Cross and Dudley would take her and smile and wave goodbye and it wouldn't be like his own parents and Harry. Daisy would never feel like a freak.
Supposing she chose to go, Dudley realized. She didn't have to, right? She might want to keep on her plans to go to Wherever with her other friends.
"You have your serious face on, Papa," Daisy announced.
Dudley hadn't even heard her come in the kitchen. "Do I?"
"Yes, and it's much too early for serious faces."
Dudley pulled out the letter. "Daisy, I have to give you something."
Her eyes lit up. "A letter for me?" She took it and looked it over. "What odd handwriting! And in green ink?" She opened it and started reading. "Papa, is this a joke?"
"What do you mean?"
"A school for witchcraft and wizardry? To learn...magic?"
Dudley reached over and took her hand. "You're a witch, Daisy."
She stared at him. "What?"
"Remember that time you broke Gran's vase and you were so upset about it, but when you told us, it was fixed?"
"But...you fixed it! You knew Gran would be upset."
"I didn't fix it. Daisy, you saw it. It was like it was never broken. And haven't other odd things happened to you?"
*****
Harry'd had a phone installed in Grimmauld Place. "You never know," he told Ginny. "Besides, Hermione might want to call her parents."
It was also nice for Grimmauld Place to have such a blatantly Muggle accessory. It would have driven the Blacks mad. Harry rather enjoyed that--and he knew Sirius would have, too.
He'd given the number to Dudley. He wondered sometimes if Dudley had ever passed it on to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Harry hadn't asked him either way, and he certainly didn't wish they'd call. He just wondered.
Dudley called, occasionally. For holidays. He called to wish Harry a happy birthday.
It was still an event when the phone rang, though.
The children were all upstairs, working on a puzzle or something. It was nice, all three of them there, and not fighting.
Until the phone rang.
"I'll get it!" Harry heard them all shout, and then he would swear that a herd of elephants began racing around above his head and then down the stairs. There was a good deal of grunting and shoving from what he could tell.
You'd think they were all six. But Al was about to start his final year at Hogwarts.
The boys always seemed to forget about Lily. They'd worry about tripping each other up and she'd just step on through.
She lifted the receiver. "Hello?" she said a trifle smugly. "Oh, hi, Dudley." She covered the mouthpiece. "It's Dudley."
"Thanks, Lil," Harry said.
"Yeah, my dad's here. Nice talking to you, too." She handed him the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Harry."
Dudley sounded...well, Harry wasn't entirely sure. It was hard to tell with two words. But something was off.
"Are you all right?"
There was a long pause. "That is a good question. You might say that's why I'm calling."
Harry waited.
"Daisy got a letter," Dudley finally said.
"A letter?"
"To Hogwarts."
Harry blinked. "Oh. Well."
"Yeah," Dudley said. "I mean, I knew it was coming, of course, but she didn't actually take it very well."
"Wait, you knew?" Harry couldn't keep the surprise from his voice.
"You didn't?" Dudley sounded even more surprised.
"How could I have known?"
"Can't you, I don't know, tell?"
"What, like with a secret handshake or something?"
"Oh. Right. Well, she does all sorts of things like you used to--she fixed a vase of Mum's once. But...she didn't really believe me when I told her. I mean, I gave her the letter first. But she thought it was all a big joke."
"Really?"
"Yeah. So could you, I don't know, stop by? Maybe prove it to her?"
*****
Daisy blinked. "Oh, hello, Harry." She barely knew her father's cousin. "And Lily, hi."
Daisy had just studied this, so she knew Harry was her first cousin once removed and Lily was her second cousin, no removed.
Lily was cool. She was sixteen. Daisy couldn't wait to be sixteen. It would be so much better than being eleven.
"You got a letter to Hogwarts," Lily said.
Harry winced. "We could have made some small talk first, Lil. Eased into it."
"Did your dad pull that prank on you, too?" Daisy asked. "Is it something they do when you turn eleven?"
Lily and Harry both shook their heads.
"Hogwarts is a real school," Harry said. "You really are a witch."
Daisy rolled her eyes. "There's no such thing as magic, though. It's all illusions. I can do magic tricks, with cards. I know how it works."
Lily looked astonished. "Can you really? Will you show me?"
Daisy shrugged. "Sure," she said, and shuffled. "Pick a card," she invited Lily.
Lily pulled one out. "Now what?"
"Show it to your dad, don't let me see it. Now put it back in the deck." Daisy shuffled. "Is this your card?"
"No."
"Oh." Daisy bit her lip. "This one?"
"No."
"Oh, dear. Oh, this is embarrassing. Oh!" Daisy pulled a card out of her pocket. "Here we are. Is this it?"
Lily was delighted. "Oh, that's amazing! I love it! Dad, does Uncle George know about these kinds of tricks? They're fantastic!"
Harry shrugged. "These are very interesting, though. May I show you a trick?"
Daisy nodded and handed over her deck.
"What's your favorite animal?" he asked as he shuffled.
"Horse," she answered promptly.
Harry pulled out a wand.
"That's not very good," Daisy said critically. "They're supposed to be black with white tips."
Harry shrugged. "Well, this one works for me." He touched the deck. "Pick a card."
Daisy stared. The card didn't look like it had before. There was no suit, no numbers, no face. There was only a horse prancing around.
"But how--?"
"Pick another card," Harry offered.
She grabbed another. Another horse.
"What?"
Harry laid them all out. 50 more horses. He touched the cards again and they went back to normal.
Daisy stared. "This deck isn't--it's just a deck, not a trick one."
"That was real magic," Lily said.
"No way."
"Then let me give you two a gift." Harry waved his wand again and each girl held a bouquet of her flowers.
"Thanks, Dad," Lily said. "Because getting lilies because your name is Lily or daisies because your name is Daisy will never get old."
Harry shrugged. "All right."
Both bouquets became roses.
"Magic is real," Daisy said.
"Exactly."
*****
And that's that. There's actually a bit more with Daisy getting on the train, but eh. I liked the call between Dudley and Harry best. It amused me.
*****
It wasn't a surprise when the letter came, not really. Dudley'd known for some time. How could he miss it, after growing up with Harry?
But then the letter came. It was one thing for your instincts to tell you something and another altogether to be confronted with indisputable proof of it.
So Dudley had to give it to Daisy and send her off to learn to be a witch.
No, to learn magic. She was--would always be--a witch, no matter what Dudley did.
He wondered what they'd do if he tried to do what his own father did with Harry's letter. He was pretty sure they'd let Daisy Dursley slide by. What if parents didn't want to send their children to Hogwarts for perfectly legitimate reasons? They couldn't force it, could they? And she wasn't famous like Harry Potter. It was doubtful anyone realized Daisy was related to Harry.
Maybe they did. Surely they didn't just send letters to people who were thoroughly Muggle, people who would have no reason to believe it? Surely they sent someone to confirm it, to explain it? And since they hadn't, perhaps they'd assumed Dudley and Harry were close, that Daisy would have Harry to explain it all.
It was just an absent thought. Daisy would go, she'd meet her train at King's Cross and Dudley would take her and smile and wave goodbye and it wouldn't be like his own parents and Harry. Daisy would never feel like a freak.
Supposing she chose to go, Dudley realized. She didn't have to, right? She might want to keep on her plans to go to Wherever with her other friends.
"You have your serious face on, Papa," Daisy announced.
Dudley hadn't even heard her come in the kitchen. "Do I?"
"Yes, and it's much too early for serious faces."
Dudley pulled out the letter. "Daisy, I have to give you something."
Her eyes lit up. "A letter for me?" She took it and looked it over. "What odd handwriting! And in green ink?" She opened it and started reading. "Papa, is this a joke?"
"What do you mean?"
"A school for witchcraft and wizardry? To learn...magic?"
Dudley reached over and took her hand. "You're a witch, Daisy."
She stared at him. "What?"
"Remember that time you broke Gran's vase and you were so upset about it, but when you told us, it was fixed?"
"But...you fixed it! You knew Gran would be upset."
"I didn't fix it. Daisy, you saw it. It was like it was never broken. And haven't other odd things happened to you?"
*****
Harry'd had a phone installed in Grimmauld Place. "You never know," he told Ginny. "Besides, Hermione might want to call her parents."
It was also nice for Grimmauld Place to have such a blatantly Muggle accessory. It would have driven the Blacks mad. Harry rather enjoyed that--and he knew Sirius would have, too.
He'd given the number to Dudley. He wondered sometimes if Dudley had ever passed it on to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Harry hadn't asked him either way, and he certainly didn't wish they'd call. He just wondered.
Dudley called, occasionally. For holidays. He called to wish Harry a happy birthday.
It was still an event when the phone rang, though.
The children were all upstairs, working on a puzzle or something. It was nice, all three of them there, and not fighting.
Until the phone rang.
"I'll get it!" Harry heard them all shout, and then he would swear that a herd of elephants began racing around above his head and then down the stairs. There was a good deal of grunting and shoving from what he could tell.
You'd think they were all six. But Al was about to start his final year at Hogwarts.
The boys always seemed to forget about Lily. They'd worry about tripping each other up and she'd just step on through.
She lifted the receiver. "Hello?" she said a trifle smugly. "Oh, hi, Dudley." She covered the mouthpiece. "It's Dudley."
"Thanks, Lil," Harry said.
"Yeah, my dad's here. Nice talking to you, too." She handed him the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Harry."
Dudley sounded...well, Harry wasn't entirely sure. It was hard to tell with two words. But something was off.
"Are you all right?"
There was a long pause. "That is a good question. You might say that's why I'm calling."
Harry waited.
"Daisy got a letter," Dudley finally said.
"A letter?"
"To Hogwarts."
Harry blinked. "Oh. Well."
"Yeah," Dudley said. "I mean, I knew it was coming, of course, but she didn't actually take it very well."
"Wait, you knew?" Harry couldn't keep the surprise from his voice.
"You didn't?" Dudley sounded even more surprised.
"How could I have known?"
"Can't you, I don't know, tell?"
"What, like with a secret handshake or something?"
"Oh. Right. Well, she does all sorts of things like you used to--she fixed a vase of Mum's once. But...she didn't really believe me when I told her. I mean, I gave her the letter first. But she thought it was all a big joke."
"Really?"
"Yeah. So could you, I don't know, stop by? Maybe prove it to her?"
*****
Daisy blinked. "Oh, hello, Harry." She barely knew her father's cousin. "And Lily, hi."
Daisy had just studied this, so she knew Harry was her first cousin once removed and Lily was her second cousin, no removed.
Lily was cool. She was sixteen. Daisy couldn't wait to be sixteen. It would be so much better than being eleven.
"You got a letter to Hogwarts," Lily said.
Harry winced. "We could have made some small talk first, Lil. Eased into it."
"Did your dad pull that prank on you, too?" Daisy asked. "Is it something they do when you turn eleven?"
Lily and Harry both shook their heads.
"Hogwarts is a real school," Harry said. "You really are a witch."
Daisy rolled her eyes. "There's no such thing as magic, though. It's all illusions. I can do magic tricks, with cards. I know how it works."
Lily looked astonished. "Can you really? Will you show me?"
Daisy shrugged. "Sure," she said, and shuffled. "Pick a card," she invited Lily.
Lily pulled one out. "Now what?"
"Show it to your dad, don't let me see it. Now put it back in the deck." Daisy shuffled. "Is this your card?"
"No."
"Oh." Daisy bit her lip. "This one?"
"No."
"Oh, dear. Oh, this is embarrassing. Oh!" Daisy pulled a card out of her pocket. "Here we are. Is this it?"
Lily was delighted. "Oh, that's amazing! I love it! Dad, does Uncle George know about these kinds of tricks? They're fantastic!"
Harry shrugged. "These are very interesting, though. May I show you a trick?"
Daisy nodded and handed over her deck.
"What's your favorite animal?" he asked as he shuffled.
"Horse," she answered promptly.
Harry pulled out a wand.
"That's not very good," Daisy said critically. "They're supposed to be black with white tips."
Harry shrugged. "Well, this one works for me." He touched the deck. "Pick a card."
Daisy stared. The card didn't look like it had before. There was no suit, no numbers, no face. There was only a horse prancing around.
"But how--?"
"Pick another card," Harry offered.
She grabbed another. Another horse.
"What?"
Harry laid them all out. 50 more horses. He touched the cards again and they went back to normal.
Daisy stared. "This deck isn't--it's just a deck, not a trick one."
"That was real magic," Lily said.
"No way."
"Then let me give you two a gift." Harry waved his wand again and each girl held a bouquet of her flowers.
"Thanks, Dad," Lily said. "Because getting lilies because your name is Lily or daisies because your name is Daisy will never get old."
Harry shrugged. "All right."
Both bouquets became roses.
"Magic is real," Daisy said.
"Exactly."
*****
And that's that. There's actually a bit more with Daisy getting on the train, but eh. I liked the call between Dudley and Harry best. It amused me.