The day that Dudley Dursley earned his wings

Disclaimer: Don't own don't make cash off of this.

Challenge: School of prompts: Grievous

In his youth, Dudley was a hooligan. He was a bully at best, and criminal at worst. He enjoyed seeing others in pain and it caused him joy. He couldn't explain why now but all he could conclude years later that he was broken and only became whole when he grew up. He wasn't the sharpest crayon in the crayon box. He wasn't the most colourful and he didn't blend well with others. He could never stay in the lines and was colour blind. He knew he wasn't blind and unfeeling though when in his teens he felt something demonic approach. It was the middle of a summer day and Dudley was pushing his cousin around mocking him. He was trying to push the other boy in with his muddy boots to cause trouble. His parents were away for the day. The day was clear without a cloud in the sky and heat rose up from the pavement. His cousin was looking around and he vividly remembered the time that his father hit him in a drunken rage.

Vernon got super drunk that one night and he wasn't a nice drunk. He was loud, abusive and pushy. He came in a rage and like a bull seeing red he found the target for his anger: Harry. They were young still, so they had a decent relationship. Dudley remembered the look on his fathers' face. He shoved Dudley aside but he got up to protect his cousin. Vernon backhanded him before going down on Harry. He was hurt but he tried to drag his cousin away from his father and his mother hearing the commotion got Vernon away from Harry as she took Vernon to their room. Harry was curled up in a ball and Dudley tried to coax his smaller cousin to their room. He half carried his cousin up the stairs as Harry dragged himself up. He got some of his clothing and gave them to Harry to wear for the night.

Looking at Harry in the eye and seeing the fear he pushed the boy in the house. He stood in front of it as it got closer. He was feeling faint but he kept Harry from leaving through the front door. He felt something warm flow down his legs but refused to move. He felt a skeletal hand touch his face and trail down his arm. It was so close but he couldn't force himself to move to push against it. He was ready to faint when he saw a flash of silver and it was gone. Harry was standing beside him panting holding his wand out and was trembling.

The next few hours were spent cleaning the house and cleaning up. He remembered years later seeing the strange men approaching the house. He refused to go with them so they stunned him. He saw a flash of light approach him and he fell unconscious. He woke up with his cousin gone and his parents saying that he was gone for the rest of the summer. The next day he woke up looked towards the garden, the door, and his clothing. They were the same as yesterday but could have sworn that he changed.

He tried to remember and it was like an ice pick was hitting his head hard enough to crack his skull. He tried anyway. There was nothing then he saw himself and his cousin both fixing the garden. He frowned. That never happened- the freak was always the one that did the summer chores before he left to stay at the other freaks house. Something flashed and he felt more terrified than he could imagine feeling. Something touched his face and then it blacked out only to see the freaks face as he protected Dudley.

He put it aside, but since that moment- he took boxing and fitness and dieting more seriously. He couldn't figure out why but he refused to feel helpless again. He tried to be nice to his cousin but it seemed to come out wrong but succeeded in becoming more responsible. He took on the chores that Harry did, and was given praise and money to spend. He saved it in a figurine. He laid in bed at night thinking about his cousin doing the same list of chores only to get some food during the day. He couldn't figure out how his cousin did it since it was exhausting, backbreaking work. He was exhausted and his cousin did them daily. He ran around the block when there wasn't yard work or things around the house.

He didn't know why but he stopped hanging out with his gang as much and began to go the library and study. He could have sworn the other students looked at him like he grew another head. He studied hard and stopped bullying others for money since he was doing extra chores for money and exercise. Even the teachers seemed surprised as he was quiet, asked questions, and answered questions correctly. The first time he had his physical exam he had lost weight, gained muscles, and had aced his first test. His parents were uneasy as if it was wrong.

When Harry turned seventeen and left the house for the last time he felt a pang of loss. He left with his family mid-term and studied so that he wouldn't fall behind. His eighteenth summer he took the tests independently. He got decent marks and was looking forward to college. Applying for it- with his juvenile record sealed he got into a good school. Taking general pre-requisites the first year he had a taste of freedom and independence. He was in the library when he met his future wife. She was outcast because she went missing from school without explanation for years. He still had people from Smeltings that knew him. She was looking for the additional books needed for English and he gave them to her after listening in before starting a conversation.

She was hiding something but was smart. After dating a few times they became an item and dated exclusively. She finally admitted as he was on his knees with a ring that she was a witch. He simply got up and put the ring on her finger before whispering that he knew and she was dating the estranged cousin of Harry Potter. She looked wide eyed before screaming yes. They were in a football game and didn't see the camera on them. It went on youtube after the game. Eventually, they had a kid after moving in together after graduating. She was becoming a medical doctor and he was trying to become a lawyer. The first year, Jamie levitated a bottle towards herself as it lay on the table, in front of her parents. She contacted Harry Potter through an owl, and asked that he be his cousin's daughter godfather explaining that she wished him to be part of her daughter's life and that Dudley became a good man and wanted to make up with his cousin for the bad past.

To all parties' surprise, he agreed, and the godmother was decided to be Dudley's wife best friend in her magic school. Jamie was spoiled rotten but taught responsibility. When Harry Potter had his children, Dudley and his wife became the godfather and godmother of his eldest. It was during the of his godson's magic school graduation that Dudley earned his wings. A dark wizard attended and sent a killing curse to his godson. Dudley flashed back to that summer and quickly stepped in front of her and died instantly . The wizard was disarmed and sent to prison for attempting to kill Jamie and killing her muggle uncle.

Dudley watched them all from above. He safe guarded his wife, children, cousin and his family for their life. He was the first one to meet his wife, and joined James and Lily Potter in greeting Harry and later on his wife. They all greeted their children- then later on grandchildren. It was a potentially grievous error to try and save his cousin. He could have died then and there. It saved his life instead.