"You will stay here, Dudley Dursley, if you know what's good for you! Don't you see she lied to you? Not that I expected anything else from the likes of her! Look, son, she's not ... er... pregnant. She is pretending and binds you so you don't leave her! I'm warning you now!" roared Vernon Dursley in the hallway of their little home in Private Drive.

Where the father stood with his face in a violent shade of red and numerous veins pulsing, shaking, the son stood at the door with his hand on the doorknob, shaking likewise but nothing else betrayed his inner uproar.

"Father, I'll go to her. I have grown to be an honest man and you won't stop me. I love her. She won't lie to me. I'll go now," he replied calmly, facing the door in fear of wrestling his father to the floor and shaking him until he came to his senses if he turned around.

"Don't you dare open that door, boy! You go to her, you leave us! I won't see you again in my house, if you go to her and the whole neighbourhood is talking about silly Dudley Dursley, who believed his girlfriend to be ..."

"I'm "boy" now, ain't I! Harry isn't here anymore to put the blame on and to behave out of order and now it's me, isn't it? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? I'm your son! Do you think that changes depending on what the neighbours say?" Dudley shook his head unbelievingly. He couldn't remember the time when he wanted to be like his dad when he was grown up. How could he ever have wished that?

Vernon clenched his fists even tighter. Rhinoceros ready to pounce. "Don't you dare speak to your father like that, boy! You're living under my roof and..."

"Now you say it, why didn't I move out yet? I earn my own money, I could pay for my own flat far, far away from you. It doesn't matter you won't see me in your house again." He glared at his father, watching his reaction with great satisfaction, gaping like a fish out of water. His father had not foreseen this. And he didn't like it. "I'll just come back this evening and pack my things and leave. And I'll take Emily with me. Bye, dad," he told him as composedly as he could possibly manage. Now he thought about it, this was it. He'd move out. He had a steady job and could support Emily and their child. He had to tell her immediately. Who knew how she was coping with the situation. There was no place he needed to be than with her at this moment. And his father wouldn't keep him from Em another second. With that thought in mind he dared to open the door and jumped in the car his parents had bought him and was down the street in no time.

Nearly five minutes had passed since he had first rung the bell at Emily's place, but neither she nor her parents opened the door. Dudley did find it curious that the family's car was nowhere to be seen, but at least Emily should be at home. She had written him a message to come and see her.

After ten minutes Dudley finally decided to call her.

"Dudley?"

"Emily, where the devil are you? Didn't you tell me to come to your house?"

Silence. Had something happened to her?

"Emily? Are you there? Em, I'm standing at your doorstep for ten minutes now. Where are you?"

Just as he was about to shout into his cell phone for her to answer the door opened and his Emily flung herself at him.

"Oh Dudley, I thought my parents wanted to get back in. I left the key in the door from the inside. They were horrible. They left!"

Relieved Dudley held her close to him, stroking her dishevelled golden hair and murmuring in her ear: "It's gonna be ok. They'll get used to the idea. They'll come around. Now let's get back inside and you tell me," he soothed her even though he wasn't sure their parents would ever understand, not after the scene his father had made. And what people were her parents, if they left their pregnant daughter alone?

As Emily didn't seem to want to let him go to get back into the house, he gathered her in his arms and lifted her small frame with little effort off the ground, one arm under her knees, one supporting her back.

Dudley shouldered a few doors open and kicked them shut behind him before he reached Emily's bedroom and gently laid her down on her bed. She looked so utterly miserable it broke his heart. Her eyes were bloodshot. Who knew how many hours she had been crying? The tearstains were still visible on her cheeks. Her face all together was deathly white and her lips quivered with silent sobs.

"I'm here, darling," Dudley whispered desperately. "Tell me what I can do to make you feel better. What did your parents say?"

This only made her sobs louder and tears began to fall again. What could they have said to break her so? Not knowing what else to do he stroked up and down her arms before he let his hand rest on her stomach lovingly. They would have a baby! He knew it was yet impossible but he somehow imagined to be able to feel the child's presence.

Eventually her shaky hand joined his. "They want me to have an abortion," she sobbed and Dudley gasped. "They want me to have an abortion if I want to stay at their house. And now they're on holiday. They said they couldn't stand to be near her disobedient daughter until the p-problem is solved." Her voice was merely a whisper and Dudley could merely shake his head in horror.

It was one thing for his parents to throw him out of the house if he associated with her but another for her parents to demand an abortion. It was her decision after all, her body and her baby – their baby.

"I'll protect you," he suddenly said, "both of you."

This was the first time in his life he took responsibility and he would do it right. He would make it right for her.

"Both of us?" she whispered astonished.

"That is if you want it," he added hastily. What if she didn't want the child?

Her glistening gaze held his frightened one for a moment. "Of course I want it. It's your child after all. I love it already. But I can't stay here obviously."

At that he smiled softly. He didn't know if he could do this all on his own, but he would try with all his might. He had just promised to protect his little family. "I'm moving out," he told her, "my dad threatened to throw me out, if I come to you. But let's face it, my time with them is up. I earn my own money. I'll rent us a flat. Will you come and live with me?"

Emily blinked at him, stunned. "Do you mean that, Dudley? Because I don't think I can take another letdown," she told him earnestly.

She looked so fragile. How could he hurt her any more than this? It had always resembled physical pain when he'd hurt her unintentionally. But if he damaged her any further now, he didn't think he'd be able to forgive himself, even if she would.

"Of course I mean it. Tonight I'll get back home and pack my things. How long is this house free of your parents?"

She snuggled even closer to him, warming her shivering body. "They said I have two weeks to..."

"We'll have a flat by then. Hell, I'm going to be a father," he said in awe as he stroked her again.

A small smile flickered over her face. "Looks like it. Are you afraid?"

He'd never thought about this. With all the stones thrown in their path there had been no time to imagine the child after its birth, to imagine himself as a father. "No ... ok, yes ... honestly, I'd run if I didn't love you so much. I'm terrified," he admitted hesitantly. But Dudley could admit his weaknesses now; he could admit them to Emily. And she smiled gratefully at him for it. "What if I'm ... like my dad?" He gulped at the thought.

"You won't, Dudley. I know it. You're a better person, you're..."

"Emily, you don't know that. I've been just like him before I met you. That's me too. What if I become like that again?" He let out a shuddering breath and pulled Emily even closer to him. "I couldn't do that to you, or our baby."

"You'll be great, Dudley." Her clear blue eyes almost made him believe her words. "You changed. I know you can do it. We'll go through this together, because I'm just as afraid as you are. We'll be there for each other. Promise?"

"Promise!"