Chapter 1: An Unexpected Letter

Harry Potter was up early one summer Saturday morning getting breakfast. His wife, Ginny, and three kids - James, Albus and Lily - were still asleep.

As he started making his cereal, a sudden tapping at the window made him nearly drop the milk. An owl was there, with a letter in hand. Harry let the bird in, untied the envelope from its talons, and flipped it a Knut as payment. The bird flew off.

Harry regarded the envelope. It was addressed to him, in a scrawl that seemed vaguely…familiar…he couldn't place it. He tore it open, and revealed the letter inside. What he read almost made him drop to the floor:

Harry-

I have written this letter quite a bit over these last twenty years, but I could never find the right words. So, suffice it to say that I am hoping to save all those words for speech and not in writing. I want to talk with you, Harry, face-to-face. I'm available for lunch next Saturday week. You can name the time and the place.

I hope you are well.

Your cousin,

Dudley

Harry sat in the nearest chair, stunned. Dudley was alive…and well, he presumed. This thought was quickly followed by dozens of others: Where were Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia? Were they alive? And how had Dudley known about the magical mail system via owl?

He looked back at the letter. At the bottom was something he had not noticed before. It looked like a telephone number. With almost shaking hands, Harry reached for the landline phone and dialed it. The dial tone buzzed before a female voice answered.

"Hello?"

Dudley's married? Harry thought before he quickly found his voice. "Yes, hi, um…is Dudley home?"

"Who is this?"

"This is Harry Potter."

Silence. Harry was beginning to feel uneasy as he heard shuffling at the other end of the phone. He was just about to conclude that calling had been a mistake and hang up when a voice he thought he might never hear again came through.

"Harry?"

Harry couldn't help but smile. "Hey, Big D."

"Blimey! I didn't think you were even going to write back, much less call!"

"Of course I wouldn't ignore it!" Harry said, and strangely enough, he meant it. "Anyway…you wouldn't happen to know the coffee shop on Chauntsbury Avenue?"

"I should hope I did. Me and my mates go there at least once a week."

"Summit Coffee, next Saturday, 1:00 PM. Come alone." Harry said simply.

"I'll…see you then," Dudley said slowly.

Harry hung up. He didn't know why, but now he was wondering if what he had just arranged was a bad idea.