Chapter I: Dudley Dursley

This is my first (and maybe only) Harry Potter fic. This story happens some time after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. As all of you hardcore Potterheads know, before Harry left Number Four, Privet Drive, he and his cousin, Dudley finally had a reconciliation of sorts. I know that in the epilogue of Deathly Hallows that JK Rowling makes no mention of the Dursleys, so I'd like to fill in a blank, if you will. Harry Potter and all related characters are © JK Rowling and Scholastic, INC. This story is © Peach Wookiee Tales.

Author's note, four years later: I decided to edit this tale since I edited its successor. I do hope you enjoy the minor changes. When I first wrote this, it was intended as a one-shot.

It had been well over a year since Dudley Dursley had laid eyes on the home of his childhood. Number Four, Privet Drive had sat empty since the day he, his mother and father and his wizard cousin, Harry had left the house because of an imminent threat. Petunia and Vernon Dursley, though quite disgruntled at having to leave Privet Drive, had elected not to return yet "because, well, I'm rather enjoying our vacation house in Majorca," Petunia had said tersely.

"And besides, he's probably taken the house anyway or filled it with things from his lot, and we can't face the neighbors after that," Vernon had growled.

Dudley, however, had other ideas. After about nineteen years of agreeing with almost everything his parents did (or at least going along with them), Dudley had decided to go off on his own for a bit. "BOY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Vernon had shouted when Dudley had told them what he was doing.

"I'm going back there. We got the letter from the Ministry and Harry's mum and dad's murderer is dead. His followers have been rounded up. Ms. Jones and Mr. Diggle said we don't have to stay here any longer."

"Well, after having put up with what we put up with for sixteen years..." Petunia said, and Dudley cut her off.

"Taking care of your only sister's son. Oh, bloody horrible, that," he said sarcastically with a look on his face that horrified his parents.

"D-dudders? He was a nasty…"

"Like bloody hell he was! Despite you, Dad and me treating him like filth…"

Now it was Vernon's turn to cut someone off. "YOU WILL TAKE THAT BACK, YOUNG MAN! WHO IN THE RUDDY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ADDRESSING? WE TREATED HIM BETTER THAN HE DESERVED, THE LITTLE INGRATE!"

Dudley countered, also shouting, "YEAH, RIGHT! YOU GAVE HIM MY PATHETIC CASTOFFS THAT DIDN'T FIT, NO TOYS OR ANYTHING ON HIS BIRTHDAY WHILE I GOT BLOODY NEAR EVERYTHING I SAID I WANTED! YOU, MUM, TREATED HIM LIKE A SLAVE AND SHOWED ME IT WAS OKAY TO BE MEAN TO HIM! AND WHAT ABOUT AUNT MARGE, HMMM? ALL HE DID WAS HAVE THE MISFORTUNE TO BE BORN INTO OUR HORRIBLE FAMILY!"

Vernon Dursley had a vein throbbing in his forehead. "You, Dudley, are unbelievable. We did nothing to…"

"What would the Children's Welfare Department say if they knew you'd made Harry live in a cupboard under a staircase for almost eleven years? For that matter, Dad, what would they say at Grunnings?" Dudley had a strange look on his face when he said this. "And Mum, what would the neighbors say if they knew Harry was scruffy because we made him be that way?"

Petunia looked horrified, and Vernon had turned a horrible shade of purple. "You… You…"

"I'm going to find Harry. And so help me, I'm going to make things right somehow."

HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP

And so it was that Dudley Dursley found himself on Privet Drive, about 18 years after his cousin had been left on Number 4's doorstep, wrapped in a blanket with a letter. It doesn't look that different, he thought. Someone had kept the yard up, though the house had a lonely look about it, as it hadn't had humans inside of it for over two years. Dudley had gotten the key from his father and walked up to the door. "I'm back," he whispered, and unlocked the door. As he'd thought, someone had gone to great lengths to keep up the house. But who?

"Greetings, Master Dudley," a squeaky little voice said.

"Huh? Who's there?" he asked.

"Please look down, Master Dudley."

Dudley looked down, and nearly jumped back in shock. "Who—who are you?" The little creature that stared up at him was wearing a red blouse and skirt with matching shoes, as well as a matching hat that he could see had large bat like ears sticking out of them.

"My name is Winky," the little creature said, introducing herself. "I is a house elf, you see. We usually do not works in Muggle homes, but Mistress McGonagall gives me a mission two years ago for the Order of the Phoenix. 'Winky,' she says, 'I needs you to help protect Harry Potter's family.' I had been very sad because my last masters was killed by Lord Voldemort, and Mistress McGonagall wanted me to be happy again. So she sends me here to keep up the house, sir. And it is very lonely, but I likes the work, sir."

"You're like the house elf Harry talked about! You're like Dobby! Here now, what's wrong?" he asked, because the house elf burst into tears.

"Dobby died, saving Harry Potter from a bad Dark witch."

"Someone else tried to kill Harry?" he asked, sitting his large self on the floor. "Yes, Master Dudley," she continued, tears falling. "Many Dark witches and wizards worked for Voldemort and were to bring Harry Potter to him, but some wished to kill him and then bring him to their master. But Dobby would not let Bellatrix Lestrange kill Harry Potter. Harry Potter buried Dobby himself."

Dudley found himself asking the little house elf many questions about Harry, and it seemed she knew a lot. How, Dudley asked himself, how could I let myself not know so much about Harry, and why could Mum never bring herself to tell me? When Winky was finished, Dudley asked her, "Why do you call me 'Master Dudley?'"

"Because you is my master now, sir. Mistress McGonagall told me to serve Harry Potter's family as I served my masters, the Crouches."

"But I'm a Muggle. Does that matter?"

"No," Winky said, "as you is related to Harry Potter."

"Okay, then, Winky," he said kindly, "do you know where my cousin is, by any chance?"

"Yes, Master Dudley."

"I'd like to see him if it's possible. Could you deliver a message to him for me?" Winky nodded.

"Tell him I'd like to meet with him and… just talk for a while if that's all right." Winky curtsied and Disapparated.

Two days later, as Dudley sat at the kitchen table, enjoying fresh sliced fruit, kippers and toast, there was a knock at the front door. He got up, checked through the peephole, and there was… "Harry? Harry, is that you?" The face on the other side of the peephole smiled.

Dudley opened the door, and sure enough, there was a young man with decidedly untidy black hair and bright green eyes, dressed in khaki pants and a sweater. "Hey, Big D." Dudley couldn't say why, exactly, but the very sight of his cousin made him misty-eyed. "Er… Dudley, are you all right?" the young man in glasses asked, genuinely bewildered.

"Yeah, Harry. Please come in."

"Where are Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked, coming into the house.

"They're in Majorca. That's where we'd been hiding. But they decided to stay there longer even after the wizard and witch protecting us said it was safe to return here as… reparations," Dudley said with obvious disgust.

"Dudley? Is everything all right with you and your parents?" Harry asked as he hung up his coat on the coat rack next to Dudley's leather jacket.

"Not really. Mum and Dad couldn't believe I wanted to find you. We… had a bit of a falling out. Dad's really not thrilled with this, but quite frankly, I don't care. You're my cousin and you really should've been more like my brother."

At this point, Harry James Potter was genuinely bewildered. What's come over Dudley? First saying I'm "not a waste of space" and now he's… apologizing? What in the name of Dumbledore..? "Um… where exactly is Dudley and what have you done with him?"

Dudley looked back at Harry and understood. "I've had some changes while you haven't seen me, Harry. I guess I just realized how wrong we were to treat you the way we did. Dad and Mum, though… well, Dad more, really… I don't know if they'll ever see that they were wrong. But I want us to be at least friends."

Harry smiled at this. "I think we can manage that."

The cousins talked about all manner of things through that day. Harry learned more about Dudley's old private school, Smeltings, and Harry told Dudley about Hogwarts, his friends, all that had occurred in the past two years since they last saw each other and of course, Harry's engagement to Ginny Weasley. "Oh, she's lovely, Harry," Dudley breathed, looking at Ginny's photo. "So how did Ron take it?"

"Well, better than I thought he would, though I expect Molly talked to him beforehand and Hermione threatened him." They shared a laugh at this.

"So, Harry, d'you know anyone I might be able to date?"

"You want me to find someone for you, Big D? I can work magic, but I can't work miracles!"

"Just try, won't you?"

"Okay."

HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP

That single meeting led to many others. Harry did set Dudley up on dates with his magical witch friends and eventually, Dudley did find a witch he married (much to Vernon and Petunia Dursley's horror). Harry and Dudley were able to achieve what they didn't in childhood: they became friends.

The End