Dudley may have been a bully most of his life...or all of his life. That didn't mean he wasn't human too. People change over time, and this had to be his. No more "ickle Diddykins" and bullying Harry just because that's what his parents did. Standing in the living room of his home on Privet Drive staring at this boy he would probably never see again made him think. Yes, he disliked Harry...but did he have a reason to? This boy was his family, and Dudley was a part of the only family Harry had left. Something about this realization just...clicked.
Dudley extended his hand out to Harry, not sure why he was doing this or what he was going to say. No, that's not true, he knew what he would say to his cousin.
He was going to thank him.
Dudley realized he was about to leave any minute, and possibly never have this opportunity again. He made sure to stop by Harry to at least make somewhat of an apology. Time was of the essence.
"I don't think you're a waste of space."
Harry gave him a look of surprise, "Well...thanks, Dudley."
"You saved my life."
Right at that moment, after his mother had nearly collapsed on him in tears about how grown up he was, he was dragged out the door.
It had been years from that moment and Dudley never got to give a proper apology for all those years. He sat in his chair, reflecting this memory. He really had grown up now, with a wife and child. But, he couldn't really move on from that moment in time, he only felt it right to give Harry the apology he deserved. It's not like he didn't know where his cousin lived. It doesn't take long for talk to spread around about the newcomers in the neighborhood, especially if they're labeled as 'odd'.
That word running through his head was enough to drive Dudley out of his chair and out the door. He didn't care how long it had been since then, he never got to apologize properly. He strolled down the street, thinking exactly what he would tell Harry. He finally reached the house he was sure his cousin lived in. Taking a deep breath in, he rapped his knuckles on the door once, twice, three times and waited.
The door opened, and there stood a tall man. He had untamable black hair and green eyes. Dudley gave a sigh of relief. He was correct in assuming his cousin lived here. He removed the hat from his head and awkwardly scratched his scalp.
"Hey, um...Harry, I just thought I would come over to apologize. I never got the chance for a proper one, and I figured you deserved it."
Harry gestured for him to enter the house, and Dudley slowly crossed the threshold. Deciding to not linger and make things awkward for the both of them, Dudley continued.
"I just really wanted to apologize for the way I treated you all those years. You saved my life, and we are family. I don't even know why I picked on you, looking back on it. I guess it was just because my parents didn't like you much. How different you were and everything. So in short, I'm sorry."
Dudley extended his hand out to Harry, to which he accepted and shook his hand.
"I appreciate that Dudley, I really do."
Dudley nodded, and started to head back out the door when he was stopped by Harry.
"Hey, um...Dudley. This doesn't have to be the end of everything. I wouldn't mind you stopping by every once in a while."
To that, Dudley nodded and walked out the door.
A/N: Alright, this just sort of popped in my head. I'm sorry if there's any inaccuracies, I don't have the book right now to go off of. I also figured Harry would be able to accept Dudley's apology since he is a pretty level headed person. He didn't let Pettigrew be killed when he had the chance, so I'm sure he would accept Dudley's apology. Oh, and I don't own anything here.