Suffering from a little bit of writer's block so thought I would try writing this little Ficlet before I focus on my main projects again :')
Dear Harry,
I apologise for writing to you after so many years, but I don't quite know where else to turn. I need your help. Could you please get in touch? I live in mum and dad's old house, and the telephone number is the same but I'm not sure whether you have one of those…
I understand if you never want to talk to me again, but I had to try.
I hope you're well, and I shall not contact you again in case that is what you want. If nothing else, please know that I am so sorry for how I acted when we were young- I'm sorry I didn't protect you the way I should have.
Dudley Dursley
Harry
Harry stared at the letter, his mouth agape. There had been no contact between himself and any of the Dursley's in twenty-four years, since they had driven away from Privet Drive with Hestia and Dedalus the week before he turned seventeen. What on earth could Dudley want from him? Still reeling, he finally looked up from the letter to where his husband was standing at the end of their dining table.
"Is something wrong?"
Tossing the letter onto the table, he stood up. "My cousin needs my help," he stated simply.
To his credit, Draco simply raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Your cousin," he repeated, and Harry nodded. "You mean, your muggle cousin?"
"Yes Dray, my muggle cousin," Harry clarified, then he sighed and sat back down in front of the letter, staring harshly as though he hoped it would spontaneously combust. "Of course, he didn't think to tell me what he needed, only that he needed help and where to find him. Says sorry and that he wouldn't be surprised if I never spoke to him again but, Dray, I think it might be serious. I mean, what else could have prompted- well, this."
"So help him."
Harry smiled sadly, but did not respond for a few moments. Instead, he fiddled with the corner of the letter absentmindedly. "What are you scared of?" Draco queried softly, taking the chair next to his husband and moving pulling one hand into his own lap. "It has been years Harry, the man has probably changed and at the very least, it seems like he must have been pretty desperate in order to call you for help. Don't you think we should at least hear him out?"
"We?" Harry was surprised, he had not thought that Draco would want to help with whatever was going on.
"Of course, I'm not letting you meet your big bully of a cousin alone," Draco teased. "Besides, when have I ever not been by your side?"
It was true, supposed Harry. Since he and Draco had reconnected at a ministry dinner three and a half years ago, where Harry had been drinking away the depression that was a result of his recent divorce, Draco had never once not been by his side when needed. They had suffered through six months of close friendship before Draco, drunk on Mead and Firewhiskey, had declared that he was tired of waiting. A second later, Harry found himself with a man on his lap kissing him senseless. It had not been smooth sailing for the first year as the children got used to one another- and Ron and Draco had their fair few spats before eventually laying their schoolboy rivalry to rest- but Harry had never been happier than he was now.
Pulling his hands away, Harry stood. "You're right, I should go" he decided. "Are you coming?"
"Wait, now?"
"Well, yes. I need to find out what in the hell is going on or else this is just going to worry me until I do. So I'm going. Are you?"
Draco surveyed him with wide eyes for a moment, before standing too. "Yes," he declared, pulling his travelling cloak off the hook in the corner. "Will you apparate us though? I don't know Surrey well enough."
Harry nodded then, taking his husband's hand, he turned on the spot disappearing into thin air.
Alex
There was a knock on the front door as he reached the foot of the stairs, startling him a little. This was nothing, however, to his surprise as he opened the front door to see two men wearing what could only be described as cloaks. Dudley's voice sounded from the living room- "Who the ruddy hell is calling at this time of night?"- and Alex noticed the shorter man flinch slightly.
"Hello," he offered, but he saw that the smaller man's eyes were now fixed on something just over his right shoulder and, turning slightly, he saw Dudley in the doorway of the lounge staring right back. Nobody said anything for what seemed like quite a while, before he heard Dudley sigh, "Harry, you came."
Utterly bewildered, Alex turned his head back and forth between the three men, before he realised that nobody seemed inclined to say anything further. "Look, I don't quite know what is happening," he said to the men still stood in the doorway, "but would you like to come inside?" He tilted his head in question, and the shorter man nodded before walking in and turning into the living room- almost like he knew exactly where to go noticed Alex. Closing the door behind them, he followed into the front room.
"Anything to drink?" he asked the newcomers, who both shook their heads.
"No, thank you." It was the blonde man who spoke, and Alex noticed that they sat rather close together on the sofa closest to the door, like they thought a quick escape might be needed. Shaking his head slightly at the bizarreness of the situation, Alex took a seat in the armchair opposite them and turned his head as Dudley started to speak.
"Al, this is my cousin Harry. Harry, this-" he faltered. "This is my husband Alex."
Harry coughed and spluttered, and Alex was sure that had he been taking a drink they would all have been sprayed. The blonde man patted him softly on the back, as Harry stared at Dudley with incredulity.
"Is that going to be a problem?" Alex kept the anger out of his voice, just barely, but was only more confused when the blonde man chuckled to himself.
"Husband, Dud, really? That wasn't in your letter." Harry guffawed, but turned to Alex and continued. "No, it won't be a problem. Allow me to introduce my husband Draco."
Dudley roared out a laugh, as Harry continued to stare at them. Not unkindly but nonetheless wary. Alex decided that he was confused enough, so turned to Dudley and asked, "what letter?"
The laughing stopped abruptly, and Harry and Draco seemed to sit up a little straighter to hear the story to. A sheepish smile spread across Dudley's face as he considered the question, then sat back in his chair pulling something from his pocket as he spoke. "Yesterday morning I got a letter," he began, handing a thick envelope to his husband. Harry's eyes widened as he recognised the wax seal on the back. "It's about Ella. I thought- well, I knew I needed Harry's help to explain this to you let alone to her and franky I was scared because I don't know how to help her through this and-"
"Dudley-" interrupted Harry. "Why don't you let him read the letter before you start making him panic, yeah?" Dudley nodded, shutting his mouth quickly and folding his arms across his chest before Harry continued. "So Ella, that's your daughter?"
Alex nodded, holding the letter still unopened in his hand. Not quite sure whether he was ready to read anything yet, especially anything that had got his husband so worked up, he decided that answering Harry's questions was the safest option. "We adopted her on her fifth birthday which was-"
"-six years ago today." Finished Harry. Alex threw a questioning glance at him, but Harry did not continue.
"Alex, what do you know about magic?" asked Draco kindly.
"M-magic?"
"Yes, magic. Do you know anything about it? Do you even believe in it? I promise this will make more sense in a moment."
"Well I, I don't think I ever really thought about it besides those magic tricks you see in school talent shows and much. Is that what you mean?"
"Not in the slightest." Dudley's voice was a little weary, and Harry noticed that he had gone a little pale. "He means, do you believe in witches and wizards and dis-members and werewolves and such?"
Draco looked towards Dudley in confusion, but Harry laughed from beside him. "Dementors, Dudley, not dismembers."
"Right, Dementors then."
"What the bloody hell is a dementor?" barked Alex, who felt more confused than he had in a long while. "Why are you asking me about witches and wizards? And how do you know that today is my daughter's birthday if Dudley didn't even tell you we had one I mean- what in god's name is going on?"
"From the start, a dementor is a dark creature which usually guards the wizard prison Azkaban. I'm asking you about witches and wizards because you need to know about them and it helps if we have some understanding of what you already know- which doesn't seem to be a lot- and I know that today is Ella's birthday because those letters come on a child's eleventh birthday when said child is a witch or wizard. Simply put, Alex, your daughter is magic." Silence met Harry's words, before Alex burst out laughing.
"Oh that was good! You worked hard on that one, what is this, some family joke or something? What in the world possessed you to come over here and-" he trailed off as he noticed that nobody was laughing. Draco, in fact, looked rather offended. Dudley looked scared, and Harry was sitting on the sofa patiently waiting for quiet to fall again. Alex noticed that he had pulled something out of his pocket, a long stick, and was pointing at the wall.
"NO!" shouted Dudley, shooting up from his seat quickly and rushing to stand in front of his husband. "Please, Harry, No," he pleaded.
Harry looked from Dudley's petrified face, to his wand, to where Alex was still sat peering out from behind Dudley's legs. "Oh, Dudley, No I wasn't going to hurt him" Harry insisted quickly. "I'm sorry, I forgot what your experience with wizards has been like. I was only going to show him- watch." Pointing his wand upwards snow started to fall from the ceiling, then slowly began changing colours before resting on the floor as confetti. "I won't hurt you, Dud" Harry promised, as he stood slowly.
Breathing heavily, Dudley nodded, but instead of moving back to his own seat he sat on the corner of the armchair and took Alex's hand. "Sorry-" he mumbled.
Alex was staring at Harry as though he had grown an extra head. "You- you can- what the hell?"
Harry shrugged and smiled towards the man. "I'm a wizard, yes. So is Draco. Ella is a witch. Dudley and yourself are muggles, that is to say you are not magic. I know this is all a tad confusing-" Alex scoffed at that. "- but Dray and I will help you out with whatever you need. Now, I believe you should read that letter." Harry flicked his wand again, and the letter rose from where it had fallen onto the floor in Alex's tirade, and opened itself in mid air.
Dear Ms Dursley-Atkins. -he read.
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours Sincerely
Neville Longbottom, Deputy Headmaster.
Alex folded up the letter placing it back inside the envelope, before pulling out a second sheet of thick, yellowed paper.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Uniform
First year students will require:
-Three sets of plain work robes (black)
-One plain pointed har (black) for day wear
-One pair protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
-One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags
Set books
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
-The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
-A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
-Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
-A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
-One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Sport
-Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
-Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
-The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
-1 wand
-1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
-1 set glass or crystal phials
-1 telescope
-1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR cat OR toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
And at that, Alex fainted.
Harry
Harry watched as the man in front of him fell forwards, pitching face first off the chair onto the floor and landing softly on the ground. If not for the cushioning charm that Draco quickly cast though, Harry knew it would have broken his nose. Pointing his wand, he whispered "ennervate," and Alex's eyes opened slowly.
"Oh god," he groaned, catching sight of the houseguests. "So it wasn't a dream."
Draco chuckled, helping the man to his feet again. "That would be a negative. Are you alright? Would you like some water?" He conjured a small glass at Alex's nod, passing it to the taller man then moving back to his seat across the room. Harry noticed that Dudley was now re-reading the letter, seemingly taking note of the book titles.
"Hey Harry," his cousin smiled shyly, "does this mean you get to show us what that giant was talking about?"
Laughing, Harry nodded, then turning to Draco- "Did I ever tell you what happened when Hagrid brought me my Hogwarts letter?" he reminisced. "Dudley here ended up with a pigs tail and I got my first birthday cake all in one day, it was quite eventful." Harry watched Dudley pale at the memory, and giggled to himself.
"Pig's tail?" queried Alex, who seemed to have been restored to his normal colouring.
Harry chuckled, although Dudley did not. "I think Hagrid, a friend of ours who works at Hogwarts, well he seemed to know that me and Dudley didn't quite get on while we were kids. So, when he wanted to prove a point to Vernon, he gave Dud a nice pink tail. It certainly caused him to squeal like a pig, that's for sure."
"Harry, I was awful to you," whispered Dudley, who was looking rather shaken himself as though it were he that had just found out about magic. "Why-" Dudley glanced to Alex and then back to his cousin. "Why on earth are you being so nice to me now, when we both know how I treated you?"
Harry nibbled his lower lip for a moment, looking from his cousin to his husband, then sighed. "If I didn't forgive those who treated me badly-" he admitted quietly, "I would have nobody. I would never have believed that I am saying this but, I honestly don't hate you for what happend. We were children, and your parents were the majority of the reason you acted the way you did anyway so- forgive and forget. You apologised and I believe you. Plus, I'm far more powerful than you now anyway," he jested lightly. "I'd like to see you try and wrestle me now." Harry winked, and Draco snorted.
"God, don't take him up on that- I learned the hard way" Noticing Dudley's uncomfortable look, Draco continued. "Dudley, Harry and I used to hate each other you know. It was mostly misguided jealousy and family rivalry but, we have done some pretty nasty things to one another over the years. Your cousin," he added softly, "is one of the most honourable, forgiving men that I have ever had the fortune to meet. I actually tried to kill him once and he still forgave me for everything. If you really feel like you don't deserve his forgiveness, well, be a better man from now on. I swear to you, even before coming here tonight, he had forgiven everything you went through as kids- his main concern was that we were going to run into your parents here."
"Wait- my parents? They died years ago Harry, that's why I have the house. I thought someone would have told you, at least, I would have but I didn't know how to get in touch or anything."
"I- I didn't know Dud, I'm sorry" consoled Harry. "Come to think of it though, how did your letter find us? It came with an owl this evening."
Surprisingly, Dudley chuckled at this. "I gave it to the owl that delivered Ella's letter and told her to take it to you- I didn't know whether it would work but I know that was what you used to do with that owl of yours and- obviously it did work didn't it."
"Obviously" grinned Harry.
"Wait just one second-" blustered Alex. "You gave a letter to an owl?"
"Given that most of us live in houses with wards and protections so that muggles can't see them, yes. It is much easier to deliver a letter to somewhere that you can actually see." snarked Draco, much to Harry's amusement.
"Should have seen when a witch sent a letter here to my dad, couldn't read the address it was so small and the damn thing was covered in stamps," laughed Dudley.
"Right…" muttered Alex.
"Look, Dud. Your man seems a little overwhelmed, and we need to be heading off so I can pick up the kids from their mum. How about we all go for a coffee at the weekend so you both can process, yeah?" Harry smiled at his cousin, who looked relieved.
"Why don't you and the kids come for dinner on Sunday?" he asked. "We're having a roast."
"Dud we have four kids and I wouldn't subject you to all of them at once"
"Please," insisted Alex, much to Harry's surprise. "We can introduce them to Ella, might help make this a little easier if there is someone she can relate to."
Draco grinned at the man, pleased that he seemed to be coming round to the idea of magic in the family. "That would be lovely, Lily is going into her fourth year but I am sure she and Ella will find something in common. Albus and Scorp are sixteen and James will be seventeen at the end of the month. Of course, he acts like a twelve year old still so maybe he and Ella will have plenty to talk about anyway."
"Hey you, that's my son you're talking about" scolded Harry.
"Yes, dear." Draco teased, "and it shows in his every action."
Dudley laughed at the duo, "we shall see you on Sunday then, yes?"
"Of course, see you then. Goodbye, Alex"
"Bye-"
"Nice to meet you-"
With a twist, they were gone.
"Dud, your family is crazy"