Dudley Surprised 2

Head cannon goes off. Fluttering sign dropping out of the smoke says, "I Don't Own Harry Potter But I Do Play In The Forbidden Forest."

"Dudley, I love you dearly," his wife, Maddy said, "but what the devil is the grate doing out of the fireplace and on the hearth? Don't tell me you're going to light a fire on it,
you'll burn the house down. Are you nuts? Just what has gotten into your head?" The look she was giving didn't look good for her husband's future or longevity.

He looked back and asked, "Did you get Julia in bed?"

"Don't change the subject if you know what's go for you, mister," Maddy retorted.

Dudley had a calm about him that belied the craziness of the grate sitting on the hearth.
"This is going to take a little while to explain and that's part of it," Dudley told his wife,
nodding to the grate. "Right now it's likely the craziest thing you've ever seen me do but this will redefine crazy for you. With a bit of patience and understanding I think you'll see the necessity."

Maddy gave Dudley that look between husbands and wives that said he'd better make very good on the promise of it making sense. "Alright, a bit of patience," she said and crossed her arms tightly over her chest that said when the patience ran out, he'd better hide.

"I told you a little about Harry, my cousin," Dudley said.

Maddy gave a tight sigh and said, "Yes, you wanted us to go to dinner so you could make up for being a git when you were younger."

"That's very true," Dudley said. "I don't think I told you about him saving my life."

"What, a burning house, car wreck, being attacked by lions?" Maddy said, dripping sarcasm. Her tone was frosty enough to freeze the Channel.

"Oh no, nothing like that at all," he said. "I was a terrible bully and a lot of other things to him but something happened one night that got me to thinking about myself and other stuff. It was raining and we were running back from the park, soaking wet, we got in an argument and I hit him when it suddenly got icy cold. Not like a wind came up or anything like that but freezing inside and out, like I was never going to feel warm again.
I never saw what happened, I never even saw the Dementors that attacked us."

"You were mugged by a gang?" Maddy asked, worry creeping into in her voice.

Dudley took a deep breath and said, "They weren't a gang. They are things that suck all the good things out of a person and feed on the despair, at least that was what I was told while at the safe house. They aren't human, they're magic ... I don't know, beings,
creatures, whatever. The important thing is when they strip away all the happiness from a person you're left with seeing all the worst in your life. You can't stop looking, you can't make them go away and all you feel is the worst things in your life.

"That night I saw misery. I saw it in myself and knew it was myself, knew how miserable I was inside," Dudley said. "I was told that Harry attacked the one that was on him and sent it away then sent his Patronus at the one that was attacking me, that's what Mrs.
Figg said. If he hadn't done that I would have ended up a walking vegetable. I would have lost my soul to that thing. He got in some serious trouble about it with his people for using magic around me, but he did it to save me even after I was rotten to him."

He knew what kind of look he was going to get and wasn't surprised in the least when he saw it directed at him. It was something he hoped never again to see anytime in any future.

But then it faded and she seemed a little concerned when she said, "Dudley, you told me you were a bit of a hooligan in those days. Some of the designer drugs on the streets then ..."

"It wasn't drugs," Dudley said firmly. "I can understand how crazy this sounds, it sounds a little crazy to me and I lived through it, but I'm going to ask for a bit more patience."

With pursed lips, Maddy looked at her husband and gave a small nod.

"Okay," he said. "Harry is my cousin, you already know that. What you don't know is his side of the family is, how can I say this? His part of the family has an ability you and I don't have. What he has comes from my aunt that died when he was a baby and now it seems it's been passed on. I'm telling you this to give context to what comes next."

Dudley turned and called out, "Thomas, come into the living room please."

A worried looking eight year old walked into to the living room like he was barefoot and the floor was covered with mousetraps.

Dudley reached out to hug him into his side. "We were talking about Uncle Harry and his family and the dinner we had. Was that some good food or what, champ?"

"Yeah, dad, it was really good." the boy said still looking worried but relaxing a little.

"Tell your mother about playing in the field," he told him. "It sure looked like you were having fun. Go ahead, it's okay to talk about it."

Maddy shot a frown at her son then quickly softened it. "Did you get in trouble,
Thomas?"

"Oh no, mum. I was good, wasn't I dad?"

"You were great," Dudley said. He looked at Thomas and nodded, flicking his eyes toward his wife.

"Uh, well, James and Albus wanted to play so we went outside," Thomas said. "We went into the shed and I saw a bunch of brooms and asked about them. They looked kinda weird then James asked if I wanted to go flying and gave me one. He said to hold on and just jump so I did and I was in the air. It was sorta scary at first because I kept tipping but then I figured it out and we went out and started chasing each other around.
Flying on that broom was the most fun I ever had." He was grinning widely.

Dudley gave him a hug and said, "Okay, you can go play if you want to."

Thomas looked up at his dad then toward his mother and asked, "Are you gonna be discussing?"

Gently tousling Thomas' hair, Dudley said, "Yes we are. Go ahead and go play."

"Are you gonna be discussing me and flying the broom?" he asked.

"That's one thing," Dudley said.

"Uh, can I stay and listen?" Thomas asked. "I'll be real quiet but since it's about me I want to hear. Please?"

Dudley looked at his son in a new light. "This will be grown up talking so you have to be grown up to stay. Promise not to interrupt no matter what and you can listen."

Maddy shot a look at her husband that said he'd better make this one real good or he was going to be in more to trouble than he could ever want to handle. Standing next to the chair she looked furious at Dudley's calmness after telling such a tall tale and to think he brought their son in on it was just too much.

"Flying brooms. What's going to be next? Dragons?" she asked in a stern tone.

"No, they're in Romania. Maddy, you remember those Christmas cards I send out to people you've never met?" he asked and got a nod. "When I was seventeen my family had to go into hiding. There was a bunch of people that wanted my cousin Harry pretty bad so he arranged to put us under protection so we weren't kidnaped and interrogated about where he had gone."

"Dudley, interrogate? I mean really," Maddy said quietly, frowning again.

Dudley took another breath and said, "You're right. What I meant to say was we would have been tortured to death to get any information we had." He stood on one spot as calm as he could make himself.

"I'm telling you this to make a point," Dudley said. "The person that wanted Harry dead was called Valdemort, the darkest wizard ever seen. Harry defeated him. There was some sort of war and a lot of people died in the struggle but he won in the end. Again, I only heard most of it while I was at the safe house."

Dudley took a calming breath and said, "Harry's a wizard, a real wizard, he's my cousin and now Thomas appears to have inherited the family's secret. Our son in a wizard.
That why he was riding the broom at Harry's place."

Maddy stood stock still, not saying a word. She glanced at Thomas sitting on the couch with a big grin on his face and turned back to her husband. "You have got to be joking.
That is the biggest, most outlandish thing I've ever heard and for you that's saying something."

"Yes," Dudley agreed, "that's saying something. I said it would redefine crazy but it's the truth. While I was in hiding I was living with a dozen other people, all of them witches and wizards. I got to like and respect them for who they were and that's where I learned a lot about Harry and the Dementors and a lot of other things. I never talked about them because I couldn't., there's a Secrecy Statute and I promised. It seems it's best if the Magical and Muggle worlds are kept apart, at least that's how I understand it. Our history has witchcraft trials though it's silly, really, to think a witch wouldn't be able to just disappear rather than allow themselves to be condemned, if you think about it.

"But back to the important point," he said. "Thomas is a wizard and we'll have to accept that fact. I love him dearly and want the best for him so now we have to adjust to his new status."

Maddy just stared at Dudley for a long time.

"Mom," Thomas said.

Dudley turned to his son and said, "I thought you were not going to interrupt."

"I know but I wanted to say I kinda like being a wizard and if I'm going to be one, I want to be the best wizard ever," the boy said.

"Sweetheart, I'm trying to understand what is going on here," Maddy said, "but one thing's for sure, there's no such thing as a wizard."

"Yes there is," Thomas said with earnest. "I'm one and so is James and Albus and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. Even Lily, she's only four so she can only ride a little kid's broom but she never fell off and Uncle Harry has a wand and can make things float. He floated me around the living room and it was super cool."

Maddy smiled at her son. "I'm sure you had a good time, son, but ..." and she couldn't think of a word to say about what she'd just heard.

Dudley reached for his cell and flipped it open. "I asked Harry if he would mind coming over to help explain everything. I'd like to call him, if you wouldn't mind a late visitor."

Maddy chuffed a breath through her nose but didn't refuse him so Dudley tapped the keys. "Hi Harry. Say, would you come over and help me explain all this to Maddy. Yes, I moved the grate out. Okay, I'll make sure."

He closed the phone and reached out to touch his wife on the arm. "It would be a good idea if you could move away from the hearth. Harry's coming over to talk with us." Once more he got a look like he was a patient in an asylum.

A puff of green fire appeared on the grate and a face formed within the cold flames.
"All clear?"

"All clear, Harry," Dudley said.

Thomas giggled and said, "You're gonna love this, mom."

The green flames flared up and a man appeared within them, stepping out into their living room with a half grin on his face. Dust made a small cloud around him and he reached into his sports jacket, took out a piece of wood, waved it over himself and the dust snapped to the stick. When he pointed it toward the fireplace proper and muttered,
the dust jetted in a stream and landed inside the fireplace to settle in.

He turned and held out his hand. "I'm Dudley's cousin, Harry. I'm so happy to meet you at last, Maddy. Your husband spoke most highly of you at dinner."

Maddy was standing there with her mouth hanging open, not moving a muscle.

Harry turned to Dudley. "You sure this was the best way to introduce myself?"

"Trust me, Harry," Dudley said. "Would you like some tea?"

With a smile he nodded. "Yes please. That sounds pretty good right now."

Dudley moved to gently encourage Maddy onto the couch, tousled Thomas' hair, got a giggle then turned toward the kitchen.
"Say Dudley, I could get the tea," Harry offered, raising his wand.

"That's okay, Harry," Dudley said. "I'll get it. You two get acquainted."

Harry found a chair and sat down. "I'm very glad to meet you, Maddy. Sorry you couldn't come to dinner. Dudley invited us to go sailing with him when we can make arrangements. I've never been sailing so I'm really looking forward to it. Do you get out on your boat very often?"

A moment of silence followed, Harry looking at Maddy to see if she was going to say anything with the change to a safe subject, saw the stunned look still there and turned to Thomas. "How about you? Do you go sailing?"

"Oh yeah, Uncle Harry," the boy said. "It's awesome. It's as much fun as riding a broom and you get to bring everything with you and stay overnight and see lots of other people and everything. Julia gets seasick when it gets rough, I do too sometimes, but it's so much fun I wish I could do it every day. Did you know there's people that live on their boats and sail around the world and all kinds of stuff? I got to talk to some kids who did that and they said it pretty cool but it gets stormy sometimes and it's kinda scary then."

"Do you like meeting other people that do adventurous things like that?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Everyone's real nice and all the boats are cool," he said. "I like seeing other people's boats. They sorta have the same stuff but everyone does things different,
that's what dad says."

Harry smiled. "Yes. Everyone's the same in a lot of ways but they're different too. It'd be pretty boring if everything was always the same, huh?"

"Yeah," Thomas agreed.

Harry turned back to Maddy to say, "I guess it can be a bit disconcerting learning your child has a talent you didn't expect, especially when it concerns magical ability as it's not something people expect to hear. I didn't find out until I was eleven and it was a surprise to me, let me tell you. Most of my friends were brought up in the wizarding world but a lot were brought up in non magical families like I was. Usually they don't find out until they turn eleven and get their Hogwarts letter, then we send someone along to explain it all. I guess that's part of why I'm here."

He looked for a reaction but she just stared at him, blinking.

"With Thomas I have to say I was more than a little surprised," Harry said. "Dudley's been quite accepting of the idea, much more than I thought he would be, but then he did spend a lot of time around magical folks when he was in hiding. I think it really changed his outlook. Like he said, you don't know what's going to change you into a better person."

"He never told me about the safe house and having to hide," Maddy said. "He never shared that part of his life with me."

Hearing her voice was a good thing so Harry told her, "One thing we do is to keep our two societies apart. We're both better off in most ways though we do lose a bit around the edges. Dudley was just doing what he promised to do, to keep the secret. Perhaps you could forgive him for that but I'm sure he feels bad about not being able to share that part of his life with you. From what he told me it had a profound effect on him."
Maddy turned to look at Harry. "So, was it true what he said? That he had to go into hiding to keep from being ... tortured for information?"

"Yeah, sadly, that's pretty much the truth," Harry said. "On the other hand he told us,
Ginny and me, how the experience changed him. I think that was the part that impressed me the most. He had rather intense emotions about his experience so it must be a very strong memory for him. I'm sorry he couldn't share that with you but he gave his word."

Maddy was quiet a few moments then said, "He is an honorable man."

Thinking of his own life and family, Harry said, "It must have been quite a burden for him holding it back from you."

Dudley rattled the tray he was carrying, came in and set it on the coffee table, set a glass of chocolate milk in front of Thomas and proceeded to pour the tea.

"So, you two got acquainted?" he asked.

Maddy sort of smiled at Harry and said to Dudley, "Quite. You did a masterful job of taking your time, sweetheart."

Dudley flushed slightly as he finished pouring the tea. "Well, I thought it best to give you a few minutes."

"Yes, it worked out well," she said. "Now, about your keeping secrets."

"Like Harry said, I gave my word," Dudley said. "I never thought it would come up so I just put it out of my mind. I didn't think about it until Harry ..."

Maddy put her hand on his. "I understand, dear. Was it the burden he suggested it was?"

Dudley sat down with his tea. "It was hard, yes, but I did promise. That year changed me more than you can imagine. There were times I wanted to talk about it but, well, I couldn't."

Harry set his cup down and said, "The outcome of all this is your son is a wizard, he can do magic but he must be taught to control it. It won't be something you can share with your friends and it's not something he can do in front of his playmates. When he's eleven he'll be invited to go to Hogwarts, the wizarding school for the UK where he'll experience more magic than he can imagine. Until then Ginny and I can help you with teaching him control and other things you need to know.

"If I might ask," Harry said, "how's all this going for you right now. It's a lot to take in all at once, especially since you've never been exposed to it before."

Maddy shifted her gaze between Harry and her husband, then smiled at Thomas.
"You're serious about all this then? This isn't a joke or something you two got up with."

Harry slipped his wand back out, pointed it at the tray and lifted the tea pot up, brought over to her and asked, "Heat up?"

She stared at the pot hanging in midair in front of her, nodded and he poured, sending it back to the tray.

Thomas giggled and said, "That was so cool. I can't wait until I can do that."

Harry turned to him and said, "You'll have to go to Hogwarts and study hard to learn how, but yes, when you're older you'll be able to do it."

Thomas made a sound then said, "Yeah, I always have to be older to do stuff."

Harry chuckled and turned to Maddy. "But back to where we were. We are quite serious about everything we've shared tonight. Sorry to have to spring this all on you out of the blue, but since Thomas has already manifested his magic it's time you were brought into the picture. There's always help available, Hermione especially as she's Muggleborn and can show you some of the things you might need to know to help raise Thomas to be the best he can be while keeping the magic part private."

He took a sip of his tea and said, "Any burning questions you have at the moment?"

"Uh yes, Julia," Maddy said. "Will she be a magician? A witch I guess I should say."

Harry tried to keep the grin off his face at her acceptance of the new world she found herself in. "Hard to say but we can tell you what to look for. Kids all grow up in their own time so if she is a witch, she'll manifest in her own time. Until then I'd like to introduce you to our world so you have a better understanding of what to expect."

Once more he gazed at his cousin's wife and went on, "I understand you have finals coming up for school. Let's put this on the back burner until afterwards, then we'll get together for a weekend or whatever you'd be comfortable with and we can talk about it.
Ginny would love to meet you and Lily is looking forward to meeting your Julia. Always looking for another friend to play with she is.

"In the meantime you'll have a chance to digest all of this so it'll make better sense," he said. "Besides, I've never been sailing before and we can tell you the whole story and not have to worry about neighbors or anything like that."

Maddy sat back in her chair with her fingers steepled in front of her chin for a whole minute without saying a word. "So, you're a wizard, it's hard to believe that but I guess I can't deny it after how you got here. Then Thomas flies on brooms so he's a wizard that will need to control himself and Dudley was attacked by Dementor creatures and you saved his life. Then he had to go in hiding so he wouldn't be interrogated and he lived with witches and wizards and never said a word about them. That's a lot to take in,
coming out of the blue, as you say."

"Yes it is," Harry said. "I want to say how impressed I am with your ability to grasp it all so rapidly. I've talked to other couples about the magical world and it took a lot just to get them to accept the basic concept. It's too much to ask you to change what you've believed your whole life in one night but do believe that Thomas is a wonderful young lad that is going to grow up into an even more wonderful wizard. If he takes after his father I'm sure he's going to be a very good man too."

Dudley looked between his son, wife and cousin. "I think a weekend sail would be a great way to get together and talk it all out."

END

A/N: Maybe another chapter or two.

Head cannon goes off again. "Please Review" is on the sign fluttering to the ground.