Things Change
Title: Things Change
Universe: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Summary: Eventually, everything changes.
Harry James Potter had thought he’d reached the point where nothing surprised him anymore. But occasionally, something would happen that would shake up that view.
“Dursley?” he murmured to himself incredulously, reading the name on the list of First Year students again. It remained unchanged, written in acid green ink.
Dursley, Lucy Moria -- Number 4 Privet Drive - Muggle Born
Harry pulled his glasses off and wiped them on his shirt before reaching for his wand and summoning the Ministry file to his desk, just to be sure. And right there, in the box marked Father, was the name he hadn’t heard in over twenty years.
Dudley Dursley.
Apparently, the universe had a sense of humor.
He sent the file back with a wave of his wand and ran a hand through his hair, blinking a few times as he stared at nothing.
A Dursley. At Hogwarts. Dudley’s child, no less.
Poor thing. He wished he couldn’t imagine what growing up under Dudley was like.
With a little sigh, he made a note to go by Privet Drive to collect the girl himself. If Dudley had turned out anything like his father, this wasn’t going to happen without a fight.
***
Dudley Dursley twitched the curtains aside slightly and peered at the man with the wild black and silver hair and round glasses standing on his porch. He’d been expecting silver streaks, not random patches… but it seemed that not even twenty years could tame Harry’s head of hair. Dudley ran a hand over his own balding head, smoothing back what little hair remained, and opened the door before Harry could ring the bell again.
The cousins stood there in silence, watching each other.
“Well,” Dudley sighed, “come in. Sara’s just put the kettle on, and I’m sure we’ve got some biscuits about.”
He took a great deal of pleasure in seeing a look of confusion cross Harry’s thin face. “What?”
“Come in, Harry,” Dudley repeated. “Enter freely and of your own will. I imagine you’re here about Lucy, right?”
***
Harry wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but biscuits and tea wasn’t it. Dudley looked a bit like he’d imagined he might, with all those muscles he’d developed as a teenager running once again to fat, and his hair going thin up top. Stick a mustache on and darken the hair, and he could have been Vernon .
But he’d been so… nice. He’d invited Harry in and introduced him to a pleasantly plump woman named Sarah, who had been delighted to meet her husband’s cousin, and a teenage boy named Geoffrey who seemed more interested putting down roots on the couch than anything. Lucy, Dudley had explained, was at her music lesions, but would be home soon.
They’d settled in the kitchen with tea and ginger biscuits, while Sara uprooted Geoffrey so they could run errands, and Harry finally asked, “What’s going on here? What happened to you?”
Dudley stirred more sugar into his tea. “I grew up,” he said with a shrug. “I grew up and I saw that I could either become my dad, or I could move on.” He spread his meaty hands wide. “Just as well, for Lucy’s sake. You’ve come to take her to that school of yours, I imagine.” He wrapped his hands around his mug. “I figured you would, sooner or later.”
“How did you know?” Harry asked.
“Little things,” Dudley said with another shrug. “Things I remembered from my years with you that I saw popping up with her. She’s… different. Not that I love her any less. She’s my little girl.”
“You… you’re really okay with this?” Harry asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.
“Once I got to using my brain for more than keeping my skull from collapsing, I started thinking. This thing, this magic, it runs in families… and your mum had it. So, whatever it is, logically it could run in my family… like a recessive gene. I’ve seen what the real world is, Harry, thanks to you… and maybe I’m just too stupid to deny what I saw. Anyway, the last thing I want to spend my time doing is cleaning up a bunch of letters stuffed down my chimney.” He gave Harry a sardonic smile.
Universe: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Summary: Eventually, everything changes.
Harry James Potter had thought he’d reached the point where nothing surprised him anymore. But occasionally, something would happen that would shake up that view.
“Dursley?” he murmured to himself incredulously, reading the name on the list of First Year students again. It remained unchanged, written in acid green ink.
Dursley, Lucy Moria -- Number 4 Privet Drive - Muggle Born
Harry pulled his glasses off and wiped them on his shirt before reaching for his wand and summoning the Ministry file to his desk, just to be sure. And right there, in the box marked Father, was the name he hadn’t heard in over twenty years.
Dudley Dursley.
Apparently, the universe had a sense of humor.
He sent the file back with a wave of his wand and ran a hand through his hair, blinking a few times as he stared at nothing.
A Dursley. At Hogwarts. Dudley’s child, no less.
Poor thing. He wished he couldn’t imagine what growing up under Dudley was like.
With a little sigh, he made a note to go by Privet Drive to collect the girl himself. If Dudley had turned out anything like his father, this wasn’t going to happen without a fight.
***
Dudley Dursley twitched the curtains aside slightly and peered at the man with the wild black and silver hair and round glasses standing on his porch. He’d been expecting silver streaks, not random patches… but it seemed that not even twenty years could tame Harry’s head of hair. Dudley ran a hand over his own balding head, smoothing back what little hair remained, and opened the door before Harry could ring the bell again.
The cousins stood there in silence, watching each other.
“Well,” Dudley sighed, “come in. Sara’s just put the kettle on, and I’m sure we’ve got some biscuits about.”
He took a great deal of pleasure in seeing a look of confusion cross Harry’s thin face. “What?”
“Come in, Harry,” Dudley repeated. “Enter freely and of your own will. I imagine you’re here about Lucy, right?”
***
Harry wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but biscuits and tea wasn’t it. Dudley looked a bit like he’d imagined he might, with all those muscles he’d developed as a teenager running once again to fat, and his hair going thin up top. Stick a mustache on and darken the hair, and he could have been Vernon .
But he’d been so… nice. He’d invited Harry in and introduced him to a pleasantly plump woman named Sarah, who had been delighted to meet her husband’s cousin, and a teenage boy named Geoffrey who seemed more interested putting down roots on the couch than anything. Lucy, Dudley had explained, was at her music lesions, but would be home soon.
They’d settled in the kitchen with tea and ginger biscuits, while Sara uprooted Geoffrey so they could run errands, and Harry finally asked, “What’s going on here? What happened to you?”
Dudley stirred more sugar into his tea. “I grew up,” he said with a shrug. “I grew up and I saw that I could either become my dad, or I could move on.” He spread his meaty hands wide. “Just as well, for Lucy’s sake. You’ve come to take her to that school of yours, I imagine.” He wrapped his hands around his mug. “I figured you would, sooner or later.”
“How did you know?” Harry asked.
“Little things,” Dudley said with another shrug. “Things I remembered from my years with you that I saw popping up with her. She’s… different. Not that I love her any less. She’s my little girl.”
“You… you’re really okay with this?” Harry asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.
“Once I got to using my brain for more than keeping my skull from collapsing, I started thinking. This thing, this magic, it runs in families… and your mum had it. So, whatever it is, logically it could run in my family… like a recessive gene. I’ve seen what the real world is, Harry, thanks to you… and maybe I’m just too stupid to deny what I saw. Anyway, the last thing I want to spend my time doing is cleaning up a bunch of letters stuffed down my chimney.” He gave Harry a sardonic smile.