The M Word
A/N:Insert your favorite disclaimer here. Hope you like, R&R please!
It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning when the fateful letter arrived by post. A twenty-four year old Harry Potter stooped to pick it up, stifling a yawn as he let in Orion (Hedwig's 'successor', so to speak) with the rest of the morning's mail. He flicked his wand at a nearby coffee pot, not bothering to simply set it himself, and sat down at the small, weathered breakfast table. Munching on toast, Harry pulled the mail towards him and was shocked to see the one that had arrived by Muggle means was from none other than Dudley Dursley.
"Merlin, I haven't even thought of them in ages," he murmured to himself, slitting the envelope open.
Harry,
I know we're not on the best of terms but I need your help with something. I have a son that's turned out to be one of your lot and I can't deal with him. I don't want to just drop him off somewhere because he's mine, but I don't even know where to begin with that freakiness. Meet me at 45 Magnolia Lane Saturday at one. I don't know what else to do. Hope this reaches you in time.
Dudley
Harry was floored. Dudley had a son? At most, he was maybe five years old… and apparently some display of accidental magic had Dudley scared out of his wits. Harry put the letter down and padded over to the coffeepot, pouring himself a cup and stirring the sugar in, lost in his thoughts. To be honest, the thought of Dudley fathering ANYTHING made him a little uneasy… especially if the child was a magical one.
"Good thing I've got weekends off," Harry muttered to himself, thinking about his work as an Auror. He and Ron had just completed training last year, and were just starting to make enough money to think about separate places.
As if on cue, Ron padded into the kitchen barefoot, his red hair sleep-tousled. "Morning," he yawned, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting across from Harry. "Any mail for me?" He spotted a letter with Hermione's handwriting on it and snatched it up without waiting for a reply, tearing it open at once.
Ron smiled. "Hermione says Italy's great and we should all go sometime," he said, his freckled nose buried in the letter. It was painfully obvious to everyone but Hermione that Ron had a humongous crush on the brainy girl- every time Ginny brought it up Hermione simply laughed it off as 'nothing'.
"Look at this," Harry said, handing Ron the letter from Dudley. He skimmed it quickly and his eyebrows shot up.
"Merlin! D'you think he'd hate the kid? That's all he knows, isn't it, is hating magic?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged, puzzled.
"I'd better get in the shower, since it's ten already." Harry got up and left, leaving Ron to ponder what Dudley wanted on his own.
&&&&&
Promptly at one, Harry knocked on the door to 45 Magnolia Lane. The house was modest, the yard browning slightly in the heat of the summer, and the car in the driveway was slightly beaten up.
A solidly built Dudley Dursley opened the door, eyed Harry for a moment, and then stepped back to let him in. Harry noticed the quaint little home looked quite respectable on the outside, but certainly didn't meet those standards on the inside. Newspapers, fast food bags, empty beer cans, and impossibly small Ziploc bags littered the floor as Dudley took a seat on a stained but expensive-looking couch, and Harry sat on the loveseat.
"Mess ain't mine," Dudley grunted, pushing some of it around with his foot. "Boy's mom was just here, and she- er- well, she's pretty much a bitch. Likes to throw trash around when she's mad."
Harry nodded silently. "So… where's your son? You never said his name in the letter you sent."
Dudley looked at him darkly. "He's gotten freaky this past year… I thought maybe if I ignored it, or just gave him what he wanted, he wouldn't have to go all weird on me. You usually went weird when you felt like you had to, so…" Dudley shrugged. He lit a cigarette and pulled on it deeply, letting the smoke escape in tendrils that hung lazily in the air. "Well, either way, I can't deal with him anymore, and there's no way in hell he's going to an orphanage… not good at all for PR,"
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why not send him to his mum then? PR for what?" Harry asked.
Dudley looked pointedly at the fireplace mantle. Harry followed his gaze and saw it was straining under the weight of so many amateur boxing medals and trophies. "I'm going pro," Dudley explained. "Can't take a kid with you on the road, anyway. His mum's… well, she was fine when I met her, and then after she had Alex she decided being a mum was boring. She got in with some old friends that went nutters and she's a cokehead. I can't let a kid be around that; she'll be worse than Dad was with you. She don't care about anything anymore but getting money for her drugs." He looked slightly uncomfortable about having slighted his father, shooting Harry a furtive look.
"Oh that's great… she turns to drugs to make life interesting…" Harry muttered.
Dudley snorted. "Yeah, and spreading her legs for cash. Don't forget that part," he added sardonically. Harry shook his head in disgust. "Anyway, I figured you'd be best, since you're- well, you know…magical." Dudley looked slightly terrified at having said the M word.
Harry sat back, his mind spinning. Ron should be moving out soon… but if Harry could convince him to just move into a bigger place, having a kid around might end up being exactly what they needed to liven up the evenings after a hard day at work, and Ron certainly knew more about kids than Harry did. If anything, Mrs. Weasley could watch the boy during the day, since she always bemoaned a lack of children at her home besides Teddy Lupin when Andromeda Tonks was at work. Being an Auror meant he had next to no free time, however… he had some experience with children by insisting on being in Teddy's life as much as possible… could he do the same full time? He certainly had enough money to be able to cut down to thirty hours at the Ministry… and this was family, PLUS a magical child to boot.
"Where's the child?" Harry asked.
"Alex, come in here!" Dudley called over his shoulder. Out of what must have been a bedroom, a tiny little boy walked out uncertainly, and sat next to Dudley. He was a thin, wiry child, much like Harry when he was younger. His deep blue eyes seemed to pop out of his pale face, contrasting with the light brown color of his hair. He smiled at Harry fleetingly before burrowing into Dudley's side.
"Alex, this is my cousin Harry. He's going to take care of you while I'm boxing, and he'll make sure your mum can't get to you and hurt you," Dudley said to Alex, his voice level and almost uncaring. "I won't have time to look after you while on the road."
Alex's eyes shone brightly and his lip quivered. "I'm sorry, Daddy! I don't know how Mommy's hair turned pink, or how I broke your trophy! I'm sorry!" he wailed, tugging on Dudley's shirt.
Dudley simply pressed his lips into a firm line, standing up and holding Alex. "It's for your own good. Harry knows how to deal with all of that, and I don't. I can't take care of you." Giving Alex to Harry, Dudley added, "If you'll let me know where you're at, should you move, I'll send some money every two months or so."
Harry nodded, numb, and turned to leave without another word. Alex had gone limp with crying in his arms, and sniffed occasionally as Harry stepped out and walked down a few streets to a place where he could call the Knight Bus. He rubbed Alex's back like he did Teddy's, warning him, "The bus we're about to go on is a lot of fun, but you must make sure you hold on to me very tightly." Harry felt Alex nod, still sniffling.
The Knight Bus arrived, and Harry stepped on board. Alex looked up and even smiled a few times as the bus trundled along, making trees and lampposts move to avoid it. When they arrived at Harry's and Ron's house, Harry was surprised to hear frantic scratching and whines at the door. As soon as he opened it, a black furball panted happily and yipped, running around Harry in circles and he shut and locked the door.
"Hey mate, I found a puppy outside that looks like a baby Snuffles! Thought you'd love it!" Ron called from a different part of the house. Alex smiled at the frantic puppy and wriggled in Harry's arms, begging to be put down, and Harry complied. All his earlier cares forgotten, Alex started to chase the hyper puppy throughout the living room, squealing in laughter.
"Hey mate, we have a new guest in the house," Harry said as Ron came in to see who was laughing so hard. His eyes went wide at the sight of Alex.
"Merlin! Is that your cousin's kid? Where is he staying?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes following Alex and mini-Snuffles.
Harry nodded in confirmation. "He can't stay with Dudley. He's about to go on the road boxing, and his mom's a druggie. I figured we'd take care of him, if you're not too against it."
Ron frowned slightly, and then shrugged. "It's cool with me; the place feels too empty anyway." He smiled ruefully. "Guess I'm too used to having six other siblings running around and making noise. Have you told him about the magical world yet?"
Harry shook his head. "He liked the Knight Bus- kept his head down for the most part and didn't ask any questions." Ron shooed him into the room.
"Tell him, then. I'll be right here to help," he offered.
"Alex, Ron and I need to talk to you," Harry said. Alex obediently sat down on a nearby chair and looked at the two, puzzled. Harry took a deep breath, wishing Hagrid could have explained this instead. "Alex… you're a wizard."
Alex's eyes went as wide as saucers.