A/N Heyyy! This is carried on (sort of) from my story 'A Very Unexpected Letter' so if you haven't read that, you might want to read it first.
Stop reading here if you want to read 'A Very Unexpected Letter' first. The basic - note: very basic - plot of 'A Very Unexpected Letter' to jog the memory of those of you who can't remember was: Rodney, Dudley's son gets accepted into Hogwarts. Dudley has to come to terms with his hate and prejudice of all things magic. He worries about losing his son to what is the 'unknown' for him and tells Rodney that he can't go to Hogwarts. But after talking to Harry and some self-evaluation, Dudley realises that Rodney should go to Hogwarts and he must think of his son - not himself.
I know I said I would do a few one-shots with Rodney in Hogwarts and I probably still will. But at the moment, I am getting loads of school work and I don't know when I'll be able to do them. This is not a one shot but I don't expect it to be that long. And it is also not set at Hogwarts. I wanted the story to be more about Dudley than Rodney.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! And please, send your reviews this way! :D
Disclaimer:I do not claim.
Summer With The Weasleys
Shirts and Muggles
The half moon was covered by dark, hazy clouds which roared as they unleashed their bullets in the form of water droplets. They blasted to the ground, wetting everything in their paths – nothing could escape their agonizingly cold shots. A few cars zoomed past on the main road in the blurry distance, splashing puddles that looked more like lakes and spraying water over the muddy fields that wrapped around the curving roads like a snake wraps around its prey. The fields seemed to be overwhelming the road. Most of the grass - which had already overpowered the fields and turned many a nice meadow into a jungle - had grown past the boundary fences and was conquering the road. A typical British summer. But none of this registered in the mind of Dudley Dursley. Firstly, because he was pacing his room - to busy thinking of the coming day. Secondly, because the curtains were closed.
-
Dudley was worrying – unusual for him. He had always considered himself a pretty cool guy. Why was he nervous anyway? He sat down on his bed where his wife, Emily, was sleeping and evaluated the situation. He took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down. What were the reasons for the twisting in his stomach and the sweaty palms? The answer came straight away: Rodney was returning from Hogwarts tomorrow. Dudley checked his alarm; it was past midnight – he corrected himself: Rodney was returning from Hogwarts later that day. Not to mention the fact that they were going to see him at the house of the Weasley's.
-
It had been almost a year since Dudley had last seen his son. Rodney had not returned home for Christmas or Easter because he had wanted to stay at his school so he could access Hogwarts' extensive library for all his schoolwork. Neither Dudley nor Emily had taken his decision lightly but after countless mails and one too many owl droppings scattered around the cozy house, they had consented to his wishes. Dudley had been troubled ever since. He began resenting Hogwarts just as he had when Rodney had received the acceptance letter. He felt that his son was slipping through his fingers into a world of sorcery and magic that he could not follow into – even if he wanted to.
-
Dudley remembered watching his son learn boxing at the club Dudley himself had trained at when he was a boy. He remembered feeling his heart literally burst with pride and excitement that his son could enter competitions and become a good ol' fighter. Those dreams, along with all the things he had been excited about experiencing with his son, had been crushed when he had found that stupid letter. He felt his knuckles crack and glanced down at his hands which were clenched into fists. Dudley immediately felt ashamed of himself. He should be pleased that his son was taking such a keen interest in his school work. He switched the lights off and climbed back into his bed next to Emily. He sighed. If his pain was bad, Emily's was ten times worse. She had not stopped crying after Rodney had requested to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas. And she had just about recovered when he sent another letter saying he had to stay there over Easter as well. He had said that he needed to study for his end of year exams and that the only place he could was at Hogwarts where they had the resources he needed. He said he wasn't even allowed to perform magic out of the school so what was the point in leaving it? Emily had been an absolute wreck. Dudley felt his stomach clenching again and furiously blanked his mind and tried to close his eyes and drift off.
-
"Wake up!"
Dudley was rudely awakened by the rough shaking of his wife.
"Come on! Today is the day we are going to the Weasel's house!" She said wringing her hand nervously. "Oh, I hope I've packed everything we need!"
Emily flitted around the bedroom pulling things out of drawers and putting them back in. Dudley rolled his eyes at her mispronunciation of the wizarding family's name and looked at his alarm clock.
"6am!!! Are you crazy! We don't have to leave until this evening!" He exclaimed.
"We need a head start to get everything ready," Emily said disapprovingly.
"We packed two weeks ago," Dudley pressed.
"I just want to be prepared! This is the first time we've seen Rodders in almost a year. It will be so strange! And we will be the only ones who can't do any magic there – I'll feel completely useless," she cried, sitting on the bed and covering her face with her hands.
Dudley grudgingly sat up and put his arms around his wife.
"Don't worry, dear. They can't be that much different then us."
He felt bad about lying but he knew he had to comfort Emily. Suddenly, she sprang from his grasp and started pacing the room.
"Oh no! Should I take a hairdryer? They don't have plug holes do they?" She cried, flailing her hands helplessly in the air.
Dudley rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed.
-
The evening had eventually come and Emily and Dudley were sitting nervously in their living room.
"You don't think they'll come on broomsticks and expect us to fly do you?" Emily whispered as though she was worried that they would hear her.
"No. They'll be more considerate then that," Dudley said.
Emily nodded.
"I hope," he added in an undertone.
-
CRACK! Dudley sprang up from his seat and Emily let out a shriek of surprise. Harry Potter stood in the Dursley's living room, eyes wide and mischievous, holding a stained and torn T-shirt in his hand.
"Nice to see you again, Harry," Emily said, springing forward to shake Harry's hand, recovering faster than Dudley had.
"It's my pleasure," Harry said politely.
"Um…would you like a cup of tea?" Dudley offered, unsure whether they were leaving immediately and whether or not he should be courteous.
"No, that's fine," Harry said, rocking on his feet. "We can be off straight away."
"Um…not to be rude," Dudley said cautiously. "But…how?"
He couldn't see any way for them to leave. Harry hadn't arrived by a car or a broom. He'd just appeared with a snap. Dudley and Emily did not possess those teleporting powers.
"Oh of course!" Harry said. "You don't know!"
Dudley and Emily laughed uneasily.
"All you have to do is grab onto this shirt when I tell you to," he indicated the grey rag in his hand.
Dudley raised an eyebrow. "Is that it?"
Harry nodded.
"What about our suitcases?" Emily asked.
"Don't worry about them. Ron's stopping off here before he goes to the Burrow and he'll apparate them to your room," Harry said ignoring the confused expressions on the Dursley's faces.
He looked around and caught Dudley's eye, his own emerald pair twinkling. Dudley cleared his throat, preparing himself for the journey and Harry grinned slightly.
"You are so merciless," Dudley berated Harry whose eyes immediately went all wide-eyed and innocent. "You enjoy seeing me like this!"
Harry laughed and Emily giggled slightly.
"That is quite true," he admitted. "You can't blame me. Imagine what you'd be like if you saw me with a drill or something else DIY-ish."
'Well…that is sort of true, I guess,' Dudley thought.
"Oh! 30 seconds!" Harry exclaimed.
He laid the dirty cloth across the sofa – Dudley and Emily winced – and then ushered the two muggles over.
"When I say, grab onto that cloth, okay?" Harry said.
The couple nodded their head and set their faces in determined expressions. Dudley was considering just not doing as Harry asked and remaining safely in his house but he forced the image of his son to front of his mind and knew that he had to face his fears of magic.
"3…2…1…NOW!" Harry roared.
The three grabbed a fistful of the dank material each and suddenly, Dudley felt a jerking sensation behind his navel - as though his liver was trying to escape from the rest of his digestive system. He closed his eyes as everything started to move around him. And as suddenly as the feeling had started, it stopped. Dudley opened his eyes and found himself standing in what could be called a yard in the front of an odd, lopsided house.
"Welcome," Harry said. "To the Burrow."
A/N Hope you liked! I know it's not much but it's only just started. The Dursleys will be meeting the Weasleys in the next chapter! Please review! I really appreciate all the feedback I get and it's good to know what you think of my ideas and writing; how I could better them, etc. Constructive criticism is always welcome :D.
Until next time!