FIC: Happy Holidays (Harry, Dudley - Gen)
Title: Happy Holidays
Author: ???
Pairing: none (Harry, Dudley - Gen)
Rating: G
Genre: Slice of life
Word Count: 1500
Summary: Harry and Dudley meet for lunch on Boxing Day. Dudley brings a date.
Notes: Thanks to the mini_fest mods for keeping this fest running!
(Read on AO3)
Harry heard them before he saw them.
"D? Are you sure we're supposed to be back here?" A woman's voice asked. It sounded doubtful.
"Nah! It's fine!" D promised heartily. "Harry just likes to stay out of the public, and a private room is the only way to do that."
"Okay, if you say so," the woman agreed, a bit reluctant.
The door opened and Dudley Dursley - now known simply as 'D' since 'Dudley' nor his middle name of 'Vernon' was a name he wanted to use - stepped into the room. He held hands with the woman Harry had heard but not yet seen. Harry stood up from the table to greet them.
"D! Good to see you!" Harry said to his cousin. They hugged briefly.
"Harry! Good to see you again!" D said warmly. He went back to the woman with him, "Harry Potter, I'd like to introduce Maeve Cunningham."
Harry reached out a hand and was startled by her sudden intake of breath.
Maeve made a small curtsy and said softly, "I am honored to meet you Lord Black."
D frowned for a moment, then laughed. "Oh, I forget that you have that title thing going on."
"D! That's just not a 'title thing'", Maeve hissed at him, blushing.
"But it's just my cousin Harry!" D protested.
"And you didn't tell me your cousin is Harry Potter!" Maeve protested.
"If we're done with the awkward introductions part of the lunch, we could sit down and get to know each other," Harry suggested with a smile.
Maeve blushed some more but gamely sat in the chair D held for her.
"I know D will eat almost anything, but I do have to ask if you have any food preferences?" Harry asked Maeve. "Vegetarian? Gluten free? Anything you don't like?"
"Well," she hesitated until Harry nodded in encouragement. "I despise olives, will eat cilantro if I have to, and, well, I can eat around almost anything else."
"Would you like wine with lunch or something non-alcoholic?" Harry asked.
"I don't know a lot about wine, but I'll try," Maeve answered. "However, some water with the meal is fine."
"Both then," Harry decided. "Try the wine and see what you think. I won't be offended if you don't like it."
"That works!" she replied.
Harry rang a small bell and the server came into the room. "We'll have the starters and bring the lady some water along with the wine."
"Yes, sir," the man bowed and withdrew.
"How do you know Harry?" D asked, obviously curious.
"Oh, well, I guess I can finally tell you I'm a witch," Maeve admitted. "I was going to wait until the holidays were over and find a quiet time to talk about it. But now that I know you know about Magic, I can tell you."
"Really?" D grinned. "What a coincidence!"
"Where did you go to school?" Harry asked.
"Castelobruxo," Maeve replied. "It's in South America," she explained for D. "I studied Magizoology and I work with both the Ministry of Magic and the Regent's Zoo to deal with magical animals in Muggle areas."
"I suspect there's more of that than anyone would think," Harry laughed.
"There certainly is!" Maeve agreed. "It's never dull, I can say that for sure."
"That's why your 'zoo keeping' job has odd hours," D exclaimed.
"Sorry, couldn't tell you about it before this," Maeve apologized. "Many of the problems occur outside normal working hours. But since animals need tending around the clock, it's been easy until now to just explain late night hours as normal work hours."
"What do you specialize in?" Harry asked.
"Felines and canines, mostly," Maeve said. "I pitch in if there are larger or dangerous animals that need to be dealt with, but I'm better with canines."
Harry pondered for a moment and then realized Maeve probably worked with the Queen's Corgis. Harry had been interviewing an instructor for Hogwarts, and when Fabrizio had admitted his animagus form was a Corgi, Harry couldn't resist passing him on to the Goblins for training.
However, that was a State Secret that neither one of them could talk about, especially in front of D. Harry had worked hard to drum the idea of 'secrets should really be secret' into the Wizarding community. Years of laxity made it an ongoing challenge.
At that point, the server tapped on the door and wheeled in a cart with their food. He quickly placed everything on the table, poured the wine and left, all without a word.
Harry lifted his wine glass and offered a toast. "To happy holidays and a good new year!"
D and Maeve replied with soft, "And a good new year to you."
Maeve took a sip of the wine and nodded in pleasure.
"Enjoy!" Harry invited, taking a spoon of his tomato soup with cheese and Marmite toast.
"This is good!" D said, after his own taste. "It's fancy without being snooty."
Harry laughed. "You'll like the rest of the meal then, too."
The food and wine helped to further ease any of Maeve's discomfort and they were soon chatting easily.
Coffee and Banoffee pie for dessert were a big hit.
"I never get a Banoffee pie as good as this!" Maeve exclaimed as she took a bite of the treat.
D added, "And I never got over my love of sweets." He looked down at his slimmed down body. "I try not to eat sweets too often, so this is a great treat."
"You've done well," Harry said. "Going out on your own was good for you."
"And that's thanks to you!" D replied.
~*~*~*~*~
After defeating Voldemort, and seeking to escape the demands of the Ministry, Harry had gone to look for the Dursleys. He had found them in Edinburgh, where Vernon had transferred to another plant owned by Grunnings. Neither Vernon nor Petunia would talk to him but Dudley had followed him out to a local pub.
A very awkward discussion was aided by ale and shepherd's pie. Harry glamored them both so they looked of age to drink, not that anyone really seemed to care.
"I... I need to get away," Dudley finally admitted.
"Where do you want to go?" Harry asked.
"Anywhere," Dudley replied. "Just... what they did to you wasn't right."
"Will you be safe if you go back tonight?" Harry asked with a frown.
Dudley shrugged. "I can take care of myself." He hesitated. "Besides, I don't have any money, only a few Euros."
"You shouldn't need to protect yourself from your own parents," Harry replied. "But I understand. I can get you a room here, or take you back to London."
Dudley's eyes had lit up at the mention of London. "Umm... could you? I mean, take me with you? If it's not a bother, that is..."
"We have to go back and tell them that you're leaving," Harry insisted. "I don't want them to call the police and complain that I've kidnapped you."
Dudley snorted. "That would be too much of a ruckus, but okay," he agreed. "And I can grab some things."
"Just take anything you need for the night," Harry said. "I'll get your room packed up and you can decide what you want to keep when you're ready." Winkie could pack up anything Dudley had in his room in minutes.
"That would be awesome!" Dudley had agreed.
Harry stayed just outside the cottage, but he listened as Dudley told his parents that he was leaving with Harry. Harry heard Petunia crying, begging Dudley not to leave, but Vernon's "Good riddance" was enough to convince Harry that he was doing the right thing.
Before they left, Harry put a locking charm on Dudley's room, so that Vernon wouldn't be tempted to destroy whatever might be in there.
Not quite knowing what to do with Dudley, Harry had asked Hermione for help, who promptly set Dudley up with her parents. They had welcomed the lost young man and helped him get the help he needed.
~*~*~*~*~
Harry looked between the two.
"I need to be blunt," he said. "Now that you're dating a witch, you need to think more about what's going to happen if you have a family."
Maeve blushed prettily. "I do have a contraceptive charm," she admitted softly. "But, we've been taking it slowly, especially since I hadn't told D that I do have magic."
"That's good," Harry replied.
D took her hand. "And Maeve is special," he added. "I'm treating her right."
"Also good," Harry added. "If you decide to make it a permanent arrangement, I need to know, since my mum left some things for you, if you ever get married."
"Harry!" D replied. "You don't have to do that!"
"Actually, I think I do," he said gently. "Just because my mum was the first witch in the Evans family in over a hundred years, doesn't mean there isn't a touch of magic in you. In spite of how definitely non-magical Vernon was." He grinned at Maeve. "And, sorry Maeve, if you ever decide to have children with or without Maeve, there's an excellent chance they'll be magical."
D's eyes got large and he paled.
Harry could only laugh.
Author: ???
Pairing: none (Harry, Dudley - Gen)
Rating: G
Genre: Slice of life
Word Count: 1500
Summary: Harry and Dudley meet for lunch on Boxing Day. Dudley brings a date.
Notes: Thanks to the mini_fest mods for keeping this fest running!
(Read on AO3)
Harry heard them before he saw them.
"D? Are you sure we're supposed to be back here?" A woman's voice asked. It sounded doubtful.
"Nah! It's fine!" D promised heartily. "Harry just likes to stay out of the public, and a private room is the only way to do that."
"Okay, if you say so," the woman agreed, a bit reluctant.
The door opened and Dudley Dursley - now known simply as 'D' since 'Dudley' nor his middle name of 'Vernon' was a name he wanted to use - stepped into the room. He held hands with the woman Harry had heard but not yet seen. Harry stood up from the table to greet them.
"D! Good to see you!" Harry said to his cousin. They hugged briefly.
"Harry! Good to see you again!" D said warmly. He went back to the woman with him, "Harry Potter, I'd like to introduce Maeve Cunningham."
Harry reached out a hand and was startled by her sudden intake of breath.
Maeve made a small curtsy and said softly, "I am honored to meet you Lord Black."
D frowned for a moment, then laughed. "Oh, I forget that you have that title thing going on."
"D! That's just not a 'title thing'", Maeve hissed at him, blushing.
"But it's just my cousin Harry!" D protested.
"And you didn't tell me your cousin is Harry Potter!" Maeve protested.
"If we're done with the awkward introductions part of the lunch, we could sit down and get to know each other," Harry suggested with a smile.
Maeve blushed some more but gamely sat in the chair D held for her.
"I know D will eat almost anything, but I do have to ask if you have any food preferences?" Harry asked Maeve. "Vegetarian? Gluten free? Anything you don't like?"
"Well," she hesitated until Harry nodded in encouragement. "I despise olives, will eat cilantro if I have to, and, well, I can eat around almost anything else."
"Would you like wine with lunch or something non-alcoholic?" Harry asked.
"I don't know a lot about wine, but I'll try," Maeve answered. "However, some water with the meal is fine."
"Both then," Harry decided. "Try the wine and see what you think. I won't be offended if you don't like it."
"That works!" she replied.
Harry rang a small bell and the server came into the room. "We'll have the starters and bring the lady some water along with the wine."
"Yes, sir," the man bowed and withdrew.
"How do you know Harry?" D asked, obviously curious.
"Oh, well, I guess I can finally tell you I'm a witch," Maeve admitted. "I was going to wait until the holidays were over and find a quiet time to talk about it. But now that I know you know about Magic, I can tell you."
"Really?" D grinned. "What a coincidence!"
"Where did you go to school?" Harry asked.
"Castelobruxo," Maeve replied. "It's in South America," she explained for D. "I studied Magizoology and I work with both the Ministry of Magic and the Regent's Zoo to deal with magical animals in Muggle areas."
"I suspect there's more of that than anyone would think," Harry laughed.
"There certainly is!" Maeve agreed. "It's never dull, I can say that for sure."
"That's why your 'zoo keeping' job has odd hours," D exclaimed.
"Sorry, couldn't tell you about it before this," Maeve apologized. "Many of the problems occur outside normal working hours. But since animals need tending around the clock, it's been easy until now to just explain late night hours as normal work hours."
"What do you specialize in?" Harry asked.
"Felines and canines, mostly," Maeve said. "I pitch in if there are larger or dangerous animals that need to be dealt with, but I'm better with canines."
Harry pondered for a moment and then realized Maeve probably worked with the Queen's Corgis. Harry had been interviewing an instructor for Hogwarts, and when Fabrizio had admitted his animagus form was a Corgi, Harry couldn't resist passing him on to the Goblins for training.
However, that was a State Secret that neither one of them could talk about, especially in front of D. Harry had worked hard to drum the idea of 'secrets should really be secret' into the Wizarding community. Years of laxity made it an ongoing challenge.
At that point, the server tapped on the door and wheeled in a cart with their food. He quickly placed everything on the table, poured the wine and left, all without a word.
Harry lifted his wine glass and offered a toast. "To happy holidays and a good new year!"
D and Maeve replied with soft, "And a good new year to you."
Maeve took a sip of the wine and nodded in pleasure.
"Enjoy!" Harry invited, taking a spoon of his tomato soup with cheese and Marmite toast.
"This is good!" D said, after his own taste. "It's fancy without being snooty."
Harry laughed. "You'll like the rest of the meal then, too."
The food and wine helped to further ease any of Maeve's discomfort and they were soon chatting easily.
Coffee and Banoffee pie for dessert were a big hit.
"I never get a Banoffee pie as good as this!" Maeve exclaimed as she took a bite of the treat.
D added, "And I never got over my love of sweets." He looked down at his slimmed down body. "I try not to eat sweets too often, so this is a great treat."
"You've done well," Harry said. "Going out on your own was good for you."
"And that's thanks to you!" D replied.
~*~*~*~*~
After defeating Voldemort, and seeking to escape the demands of the Ministry, Harry had gone to look for the Dursleys. He had found them in Edinburgh, where Vernon had transferred to another plant owned by Grunnings. Neither Vernon nor Petunia would talk to him but Dudley had followed him out to a local pub.
A very awkward discussion was aided by ale and shepherd's pie. Harry glamored them both so they looked of age to drink, not that anyone really seemed to care.
"I... I need to get away," Dudley finally admitted.
"Where do you want to go?" Harry asked.
"Anywhere," Dudley replied. "Just... what they did to you wasn't right."
"Will you be safe if you go back tonight?" Harry asked with a frown.
Dudley shrugged. "I can take care of myself." He hesitated. "Besides, I don't have any money, only a few Euros."
"You shouldn't need to protect yourself from your own parents," Harry replied. "But I understand. I can get you a room here, or take you back to London."
Dudley's eyes had lit up at the mention of London. "Umm... could you? I mean, take me with you? If it's not a bother, that is..."
"We have to go back and tell them that you're leaving," Harry insisted. "I don't want them to call the police and complain that I've kidnapped you."
Dudley snorted. "That would be too much of a ruckus, but okay," he agreed. "And I can grab some things."
"Just take anything you need for the night," Harry said. "I'll get your room packed up and you can decide what you want to keep when you're ready." Winkie could pack up anything Dudley had in his room in minutes.
"That would be awesome!" Dudley had agreed.
Harry stayed just outside the cottage, but he listened as Dudley told his parents that he was leaving with Harry. Harry heard Petunia crying, begging Dudley not to leave, but Vernon's "Good riddance" was enough to convince Harry that he was doing the right thing.
Before they left, Harry put a locking charm on Dudley's room, so that Vernon wouldn't be tempted to destroy whatever might be in there.
Not quite knowing what to do with Dudley, Harry had asked Hermione for help, who promptly set Dudley up with her parents. They had welcomed the lost young man and helped him get the help he needed.
~*~*~*~*~
Harry looked between the two.
"I need to be blunt," he said. "Now that you're dating a witch, you need to think more about what's going to happen if you have a family."
Maeve blushed prettily. "I do have a contraceptive charm," she admitted softly. "But, we've been taking it slowly, especially since I hadn't told D that I do have magic."
"That's good," Harry replied.
D took her hand. "And Maeve is special," he added. "I'm treating her right."
"Also good," Harry added. "If you decide to make it a permanent arrangement, I need to know, since my mum left some things for you, if you ever get married."
"Harry!" D replied. "You don't have to do that!"
"Actually, I think I do," he said gently. "Just because my mum was the first witch in the Evans family in over a hundred years, doesn't mean there isn't a touch of magic in you. In spite of how definitely non-magical Vernon was." He grinned at Maeve. "And, sorry Maeve, if you ever decide to have children with or without Maeve, there's an excellent chance they'll be magical."
D's eyes got large and he paled.
Harry could only laugh.