There was barely a breeze in the cemetery. It was perfectly fitting, of course. A silent still mass of graves strew around with two being surrounded by people in dark cloaks. One person stood out. He was a heavyset young man with blond hair and blue eyes wearing a normal black suit. He was standing a good distance away from the others, three of which were each giving him the occasional glare. He didn't blame them.
A redheaded woman let out a sob as she bent down in front of one of them. The boy stiffened. He knew that it was her son that they just buried. Along with his cousin. Even though they were related through blood, he had less of a right to be here than these…wizards. But it was his guilty conscience that dragged him all the way out here against his parents' orders. Well, they could remain being cruel and heartless if they wanted to. He wasn't planning to.
Flowers were being tossed onto the graves. The boy gripped on the lilies he'd brought from home and waits until nearly everyone left the cemetery to place his on his cousin's grave. He removed one and placed it on the other. With his knees on the ground, he looked at each gravestone and read the inscriptions:
Fred Gideon Weasley
1 April 1978 – 2 May 1998
Beloved Son of
Molly Lucretia Prewett Weasley
And
Arthur Septimus Weasley
Beloved Twin of
George Fabian Weasley
Another joyful life cut too short
That left so much behind
Family, friends, and more
All account of an unnecessary war
His laughter is gone
And so is part of the world
Now he shall rest in peace
Alyssa Lily Potter
31 July 1980 – 9 May 1998
Beloved Daughter of
Lily Jade Evans Potter
And
James Fleamont Potter
Beloved Fiancée of
Fred Gideon Weasley
A wonderful friend and sister
Filled with angst and suffering
Now finally with the ones she loves
And never should have lost
May she finally be at peace
"Dursley."
Dudley Dursley got onto his feet and looked at where the three teens who were glaring at him earlier were standing. They apparently hadn't even moved. All three were looking at him with a somewhat of a mixture of disdain and pity. Even then, he could tell the sorrow and grief they were feeling. It was exactly what he was feeling except he felt worse.
It was the redheaded girl who had addressed him. Her slightly raspy voice was hoarse from exhaustion and frequent sobbing. Dudley recognized her from three years ago when she, her brothers, and their father had shown up in his parents' fireplace of all places. Her name started with an O – Olivia? Yes, Olivia. She was a bit taller than she had been then with more freckles, more pale, and her blue eyes were dulled down to pools of ice. The cuts and bruise on her arms and face showed that she went through quite an ordeal as did the bushy-haired boy who had his arm wrapped around her. The lanky blond boy standing somewhat awkwardly next to them had his arms folded with his lips pursed, looking at him without any expression. All three were his cousin's best friends.
Dudley took a slight step back, remembering his experience with the giant from nearly seven years ago. "Yeah?"
The bushy-haired boy looked at him coolly. "Let's take this outside of this cemetery, shall we? I don't think Alyssa would appreciate something like this happening on her grave."
The blond strode forward and grasped Dudley on the arm. Before Dudley could react, a sensation like being twisted and squeezed tightly all around came over him and suddenly he was in a shady dumpy old bar in some village he wasn't familiar with.
"Four glasses of Ogden's firewhisky, please," the bushy-haired boy called to the grey-haired man behind the counter.
Olivia snorted. "Never though I'd see the day you'd order alcohol, Evan."
Evan rolled his eyes. "This happens to be somewhat of an emergency."
The blond shook his head at the couple's antics. To Dudley he pointed at a chair and said, "Sit."
Dudley, being fearful of wizards, complied. The other three took the other seats around the table. The barman came over and placed four very dirty glasses filled with some sort of dark liquid. He gulped some down and hissed as the burning liquid went down his throat. Wizards actually drank this sort of stuff?
"Let's get down to the point," Olivia said after taking a small sip of her drink. She looked at Dudley with narrowed eyes. "You know how Alyssa died?"
Dudley stiffened but nodded. He still couldn't believe it even now. He expected her to land in a mental hospital or something, but he never thought that she would do it. He never imagined that his cousin would kill herself.
"You know how she acted out and did violent things?" Evan asked. When Dudley nodded again he said, "That was because of what she went through as a child. She endured emotional abuse from the people who were supposed to raise her with love and support. She endured physical abuse from someone who should've been like a brother to her. She learned that violence was always the answer. And that psychological damage in her affected her so badly she nearly went insane. Haven't you ever wondered why you feared her so much? Haven't you ever wondered how she could've become a murderer?"
"She tortured and killed Bellatrix Lestrange two years ago in the Ministry of Magic," said the blond boy, causing Dudley to gasp. What did his cousin do again? "You heard me. That woman had tortured my parents into insanity and killed her godfather. You know what happened? Alyssa had a psychotic episode and killed her. The only thing she remembered was the pleasure of giving that bitch what she deserved. She completely lost control. And it was you and your parents' fault."
Olivia glared at him. "You made her childhood a misery. It took the entire train ride from London to Scotland to get her to trust me. She nearly made me go deaf after I insulted Evan for being a know-it-all. She'd sent Draco Malfoy to the hospital wing so many times I've lost count because he pissed her off that much. Do you know the only times I've ever seen her cry was when someone died? And then the death of her fiancé was the final straw and she just cut her stomach open in the middle of the night and bled to death. Do you realize what you Dursleys have done?!"
Silence echoed after her speech. Olivia was panting with anger even as she turned and buried her face against Evan's shoulder with her shoulders shaking with sobs. Both boys glared at him fiercely. Dudley shrank against his chair, feeling worse and worse as the seconds went by. What had he done?
"If it were up to us, you wouldn't have even been at the funeral," the blond boy said harshly. "but underaged family is always invited, according to the law. Even though you're already seventeen, you're a Muggle and you don't become of age until eighteen."
"You're a horrible person, Dudley Dursley," Olivia said, wiping her eyes as she lifted her head off of Evan's shoulder and faced him again. "And you know it. However, it's not too late. Alyssa would've never forgiven you, but we aren't so harsh. You have a chance to right yourself so do it. Don't make the same mistakes you or your parents did."
Dudley looked down at his lap ashamedly. "I've never done anything without my parents before. They just took care of everything for me. They never let me grow up, you know? And I realize that now. I'm a child living in a nearly adult body. What – what do I even do?"
The three teens exchanged looks with each other silently. After a long excruciating silence, they all turned back to him, expressions of coolness and pity. The blond boy spoke up. "Come with us and we'll show you."
Flicking a few coins onto the table, he stood up as did the other two. Dudley followed their lead and left the bar with them. The barman watched as the four teenagers walked towards the castle against the setting sun.
Several years later, a much more fit Dudley beamed as his wife gave one last push. They finally had their daughter. Her name was Alyssa.
AN: Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance to those who do!