July 1, 1998
I'm trying an experiment here. I'm writing a couple of longer stories right now, but I have trouble with motivation if the only other person who's reading is Goofy. At the same time, I don't want to archive another WiP. So I'm compromising. I'm posting the WiP in unbeta'ed, un-Brit-picked, chapter pieces. When I'm done, I'll incorporate all the comments, etc and have the whole thing Beta'ed and Brit-picked at once. IOW, you are my alpha-readers. (Actually, my betas, since Goofy and Max are being given these pieces first. But they never find anything. Will that make my beta my gamma?)
With the exception of the prologues (this post), the story will take place a year after the DH epilogue. I'm keeping everything in canon, although I can't be held responsible for all of the tidbits that JKR throws out in interviews. The ones I've heard, I'll incorporate; otherwise, I won't. Also, unless stated otherwise, everything I'm writing post-DH will be in the same universe: if something happens in one story, it's the background for another. If you're interested.
As for this one: My current working title is Dudley Dursley and the Knights of Walpurgis. Which I don't much like and very well may not fit by the time I get anywhere. Title suggestions are always appreciated. (I hate titling my stories. With a very few exceptions, the title is the hardest part of the story to write!) And the current plan calls for a post a story day. (I hope that works as well as it does in my head.)
Summary: Twenty years after he said good-bye to his cousin, Dudley Dursley finds that he needs his help. Surprise!
July 1, 1998
He'd never intended on coming back here. He had no attachment to the things he left, and he certainly didn't have any attachment to the people. But they were still family, and they'd been in danger because of him. He needed to see them, confirm that they were okay. Then, he'd be able to leave them behind, once and for all.
It was Dudley who opened the door to his knock. "Harry!" he said, his eyes wide. Then, looking over his shoulder, he jerked his chin toward the stairs. "Why don't you come up to my room, and we can talk."
"Who is it?" bellowed Uncle Vernon.
"A friend of mine," Dudley answered, "from school. We're going upstairs."
As they walked upstairs, Harry could see the remains of the damage that had been done after they'd left last summer. "They did less damage than I'd expected," he said.
Dudley shrugged. "We've got most of it patched up. They broke some stuff, but it didn't look they were trying to destroy things." He cleared a stack of things from a chair in his room. "We think they knew where you spent most of your time. It was your bedroom and your cupboard where it was worst." He pointed to Harry's trunk, sitting below his window. "I gathered everything they didn't destroy, but there's not much. Still, it's yours."
Harry nodded, touched. "Thanks, Dudley. I mostly came to make sure you were all right. Hestia and Dedalus said you were, but . . ."
"You wanted to see for yourself," Dudley said with a smile. "Thanks."
"How was it?" Harry asked. He hadn't had much time to think about over the past year, but any time he had, he'd wondered how the Dursleys were doing.
Dudley shrugged. "Mum and Dad hated it. There wasn't any electricity; it was all magic, so we needed help with just about everything. I, once I got used to it, I found it kind of, well, interesting. Is that how you're going to be living?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah. I'm comfortable in the Mug--, er, your world, but I'll be living in that one. It's where I belong. You won't have to worry; I won't be coming back. I just wanted to make sure you hadn't been hurt or anything."
"He's dead? That evil wizard, that was after you?"
"Yeah. He's gone."
"Did you kill him?"
If Dudley had seemed excited by it, Harry wouldn't have answered, but he seemed worried. "Sort of," he finally answered. "His curse rebounded on him. Again."
"And you're okay?" Dudley pressed. "You look all right, but there's nothing . . . hidden. You're not going to die or anything?"
Dudley's worry was so unexpected that it took Harry a minute to be able to answer. "Well, I'm going to die, but we all will. I'm hoping it's a very long time from now."
Dudley's smile was pale and strained. "Did anyone you care about . . .?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I lost some friends." He closed his eyes for a minute. "It was war, Dudley; people died. My godson's an orphan, in fact. I, we, well, we'll mourn. And rebuild."
After a minute's silence, Dudley asked, "Your godson, he'll be with people who love him, yeah? He won't be with people . . ."
Hearing the unspoken, "like us," Harry said, "Yeah, his grandmother's going to raise him, and she loves him so much. He's all she has left. And he'll have me, and his parents' other friends. He'll be okay."
From downstairs, Aunt Petunia called, "Dudley, would you and your friend like a snack?"
Harry and Dudley exchanged grins. "Dare you," Harry said with a laugh.
"No thanks, Mum," Dudley called, trying to glare at Harry. "He has to leave soon."
Harry nodded and stood. "Yeah, I should get going. I don't want to make things tough for you."
Dudley stood as well, and put his hand on Harry's arm. "Look. I don't expect you to stick around, or even come back, but I don't want to lose you. We may not have much in common, but we're family, yeah?"
Harry realized that, without knowing it, this was why he had really come back. "Yeah, I want to stay in touch. He picked a pen and paper off Dudley's desk and scrawled the address of the Burrow on it. "Here's where I'm staying right now. I'll let you know when I move. You, too. Let me know when you move, or get a new telephone number. For right now, you, and your parents, are the only family I have."
Dudley took the slip of paper and slipped it into an address book filled with similar bits of paper. "I will. Good luck"
Harry grinned, and cast a Featherlight Charm on his trunk. "See you."
Dudley went down the stairs first to distract his parents, so Harry could leave without having to be shouted at. When he'd reached the corner, he set the trunk down and looked back at the house. After a minute, he shook his head, wondering at Dudley, and Apparated away.
tbc
With the exception of the prologues (this post), the story will take place a year after the DH epilogue. I'm keeping everything in canon, although I can't be held responsible for all of the tidbits that JKR throws out in interviews. The ones I've heard, I'll incorporate; otherwise, I won't. Also, unless stated otherwise, everything I'm writing post-DH will be in the same universe: if something happens in one story, it's the background for another. If you're interested.
As for this one: My current working title is Dudley Dursley and the Knights of Walpurgis. Which I don't much like and very well may not fit by the time I get anywhere. Title suggestions are always appreciated. (I hate titling my stories. With a very few exceptions, the title is the hardest part of the story to write!) And the current plan calls for a post a story day. (I hope that works as well as it does in my head.)
Summary: Twenty years after he said good-bye to his cousin, Dudley Dursley finds that he needs his help. Surprise!
July 1, 1998
He'd never intended on coming back here. He had no attachment to the things he left, and he certainly didn't have any attachment to the people. But they were still family, and they'd been in danger because of him. He needed to see them, confirm that they were okay. Then, he'd be able to leave them behind, once and for all.
It was Dudley who opened the door to his knock. "Harry!" he said, his eyes wide. Then, looking over his shoulder, he jerked his chin toward the stairs. "Why don't you come up to my room, and we can talk."
"Who is it?" bellowed Uncle Vernon.
"A friend of mine," Dudley answered, "from school. We're going upstairs."
As they walked upstairs, Harry could see the remains of the damage that had been done after they'd left last summer. "They did less damage than I'd expected," he said.
Dudley shrugged. "We've got most of it patched up. They broke some stuff, but it didn't look they were trying to destroy things." He cleared a stack of things from a chair in his room. "We think they knew where you spent most of your time. It was your bedroom and your cupboard where it was worst." He pointed to Harry's trunk, sitting below his window. "I gathered everything they didn't destroy, but there's not much. Still, it's yours."
Harry nodded, touched. "Thanks, Dudley. I mostly came to make sure you were all right. Hestia and Dedalus said you were, but . . ."
"You wanted to see for yourself," Dudley said with a smile. "Thanks."
"How was it?" Harry asked. He hadn't had much time to think about over the past year, but any time he had, he'd wondered how the Dursleys were doing.
Dudley shrugged. "Mum and Dad hated it. There wasn't any electricity; it was all magic, so we needed help with just about everything. I, once I got used to it, I found it kind of, well, interesting. Is that how you're going to be living?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah. I'm comfortable in the Mug--, er, your world, but I'll be living in that one. It's where I belong. You won't have to worry; I won't be coming back. I just wanted to make sure you hadn't been hurt or anything."
"He's dead? That evil wizard, that was after you?"
"Yeah. He's gone."
"Did you kill him?"
If Dudley had seemed excited by it, Harry wouldn't have answered, but he seemed worried. "Sort of," he finally answered. "His curse rebounded on him. Again."
"And you're okay?" Dudley pressed. "You look all right, but there's nothing . . . hidden. You're not going to die or anything?"
Dudley's worry was so unexpected that it took Harry a minute to be able to answer. "Well, I'm going to die, but we all will. I'm hoping it's a very long time from now."
Dudley's smile was pale and strained. "Did anyone you care about . . .?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I lost some friends." He closed his eyes for a minute. "It was war, Dudley; people died. My godson's an orphan, in fact. I, we, well, we'll mourn. And rebuild."
After a minute's silence, Dudley asked, "Your godson, he'll be with people who love him, yeah? He won't be with people . . ."
Hearing the unspoken, "like us," Harry said, "Yeah, his grandmother's going to raise him, and she loves him so much. He's all she has left. And he'll have me, and his parents' other friends. He'll be okay."
From downstairs, Aunt Petunia called, "Dudley, would you and your friend like a snack?"
Harry and Dudley exchanged grins. "Dare you," Harry said with a laugh.
"No thanks, Mum," Dudley called, trying to glare at Harry. "He has to leave soon."
Harry nodded and stood. "Yeah, I should get going. I don't want to make things tough for you."
Dudley stood as well, and put his hand on Harry's arm. "Look. I don't expect you to stick around, or even come back, but I don't want to lose you. We may not have much in common, but we're family, yeah?"
Harry realized that, without knowing it, this was why he had really come back. "Yeah, I want to stay in touch. He picked a pen and paper off Dudley's desk and scrawled the address of the Burrow on it. "Here's where I'm staying right now. I'll let you know when I move. You, too. Let me know when you move, or get a new telephone number. For right now, you, and your parents, are the only family I have."
Dudley took the slip of paper and slipped it into an address book filled with similar bits of paper. "I will. Good luck"
Harry grinned, and cast a Featherlight Charm on his trunk. "See you."
Dudley went down the stairs first to distract his parents, so Harry could leave without having to be shouted at. When he'd reached the corner, he set the trunk down and looked back at the house. After a minute, he shook his head, wondering at Dudley, and Apparated away.
tbc