Hey everyone. Here is another story written for both Marauder Map Madness, and Fortnightly Challenge Thread's Fibonacci Sequence on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For Marauder Map Madness my prompt set is 239. The Front Yard: (trope) Snowed In, and 242. Back Yard: (character) Dudley Dursley. For Fibonacci Sequence I wrote for Big Family Gathering. I hope you all enjoy Snowed in at a Weasley Gathering.
They hadn't thought anything of it when the snow had started. The forecast had said it would be about a few inches to a covering of the stuff but looking out the window at this point Dudley Dursley wanted to curse the idiot weather person. The snow was piled high against the door and it didn't look like it would stop any time soon.
"What's wrong, dear?" Adora, his red haired wife, asked as she looped her arms around him from behind. "Is something the matter?"
He looked over his shoulder at her wondering how she couldn't see what was wrong with this situation. He should have told Harry no when the other man had invited him to come over to his parent-in-laws house. But he had said yes thinking that his own children would like get a chance to see their cousins during the holiday.
"They're very nice people, Dudley," his wife told him smiling over at were the big family was waiting for them to come to the table. "You should give them a chance." Seeing he wasn't about ready to change his mind she added, "For the children's sake at least."
Looking over to his son Dudley Jr. caught up in conversation with James, Albus, and red haired boy who looked about Albus's age he knew Adora was right. "For the children's sake," he whispered to himself as he and Adora rejoined the adult table.
"What is you do, Mr. Dursley?" asked Molly Weasley politely.
"I've taken over my father's job at the drill company he worked for," Dudley told the plump red haired woman. "It's actually quite dull in comparison to what Harry and Ginny do." Which was true. He half wondered if he went into the drill business for himself or to please his father.
"What would you rather be doing instead?"
This question surprised Dudley. No one had ever bothered to ask him what he would rather be doing. It was always expected that when he came of age that he'd go into the same business as his father. No one ever bothered to think that maybe he'd wanted to do anything besides sell drills.
"I've never actually thought of it before," he said with a wry chuckle.
"Why not?" asked the red hair man with the missing ear who sat across from the table from him.
"George," scolded the woman sitting next to him. Dudley assumed she was the the man's, George's, wife the way she addressed him.
"I was only asking Angelina."
'It's quite alright," he assured Angelina. "I guess it was always already decided that I was going to go into the same business as my father. So there was never really any reason to think about any other job prospects."
George shook his head sadly. "Bit of shame though," he told Dudley. "It's no fun doing something you aren't happy doing."
"I think that Dudley would make a very lovely teacher," Adora said with huge smile. "He's very good with children."
George and Ron looked kind of dubious about this statement and Dudley felt for the first time since he stepped foot into the Weasley household that this house was totally prejudiced against him. But he made it his own personal project to bring them all around. To show them all that what was done in the past was the past. He wasn't like now.
An owl flew thought the window which surprised Dudley and Adora both. He remembered that Harry used to receive mail from his world by owl he just never knew they arrived during meal time. Mr. Wealsey opened the letter that dropped on his plate and quickly scanned what it said.
"I'm afraid that the Muggles have shut down all the roads," the kind older gentleman told them. "And the Ministry is shutting down the Floo Network too." He looked towards Dudley and his family. "I'm sorry about the inconvenience to you and your family."
"It's no trouble," Adora told him smiling.
"We were expecting this though," Molly told Adora. "We've made accommodations so that everyone can fit here comfortably. I hope you don't mind if the Dudley Jr., and Emily stay with the other children."
"No. They seem to be having fun."
Dudley nodded watching as his son who was the spitting image of him sat between Harry's sons and was in the middle of a very animated story about his week at school. He looked over to where his dark haired daughter was sitting near the other girls listening into the conversation they seemed in the middle of.
"They do," Dudley said. He turned to Mrs. Weasley. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."
"Molly," the plump older woman said with a smile. "I insist. I'm glad to see that you and your cousin seem to be trying to be on better terms with each other. It's nice to see that some things can change."
The adults talked well into the night after this exchange and Dudley felt for the first time since he stepped foot in the house that things could work out well for him this holiday. Looking out the window as he followed Mrs. Weasley up the stairs to the room that he and Adora would be sharing with both Harry, and his friend Ron and their wives he hoped that there would be enough supplies to last them awhile. The snow was now piled past the top of the door.
I hope you all enjoyed Snowed in at a Weasley Gathering. I know these character probably would never mix in cannon but I really wanted to explore the what if of all.