She gaped at him. How could he have known? 'Yes I am,' she replied cautiously, her hand slowly reaching for her purse, where her wand had been stashed. Being used to seeing it for years, he caught the flurry of movement that she had done instinctively on his question. He looked at her reproachfully, feeling mildly offended, 'You needn't take out that wand of yours, you know,' he said silently pleading her. 'Why shouldn't I?' She asked, unable to keep the defensiveness out of her tone. He surveyed her silently. She looked torn between bemusement and discretion. Taking a deep breath to brace himself, he asked, 'You want to know how I came to that conclusion, don't you?' She nodded mutely.
'I used to live with my cousin until a few years ago. My parents always thought of him as a bit of a nuisance. I used to think of him in the same way too, though my opinion changed drastically at a later stage, but that's not my point. My cousin possessed some special abilities which my parents and I despised wholeheartedly. Honestly, I reckon that, more than hatred, it was fear which made us keep distance from him. Fear of what he was capable of, fear of what he could do to us.'
'When we were about fifteen and he had returned after finishing his year at the boarding school, he used to keep muttering a name in sleep, begging someone to not kill that person. I remember teasing him for the name he used to moan with fervent remorse.' He saw her pupils dilate and knew that he couldn't stop without finishing now, 'The name he used to chant was Cedric.'
Feeling like a protagonist of a twisted suspense novel, she asked, 'Who are you?' He gave a small chuckle before asking, 'You don't remember my name do you?' She shook her head, her milky white skin flushed with embarrassment, 'No, I don't.' She gave him an apologic look which he returned with a grin, feeling highly amused despite himself, 'No wonder. Or you would have had at least a vague inkling about who you were talking to me about. I am Dudley Dursley, son of Petunia and Vernon Dursley and the first cousin of Harry Potter.' Her dainty hands flew to her open mouth he continued airily, 'Don't worry, I am not angry at you. I always wanted to know what Harry thought of me, so I should be thanking you instead.' Seeing her look at him incredulously, he added soberly, 'I don't blame you for what you said and after all the torment I had put him through, that's the least Harry could have said to me; and it's not as though he is lying - I was nasty to him.' He felt his voice getting heavy with regret.
A soft hand slid over his making him jump in surprise. Revelling the feeling of her hand on his, almost didn't hear her as she spoke, 'He does know that you're sorry, right?' 'He does though not in those many words. I merely told him that I didn't think that he was a waste of space. Does that even count?' He asked more to himself than to her. 'Yes it does,' she said, smiling. 'I am not sure. I've met him a few times after that and he is always so nice and merry with me.' 'There shouldn't be a problem then.' 'I know there shouldn't be, but I don't think that like him, I hold the ability to get over the past that easily.'
He was a pitiful sight. Cho gazed at him. When she had seen him for the first time that day, she had been so sure that she'd never even come close to remotely liking him; yet there she was, squeezing his hand, reassuring him, his pain making tears brim in her eyes. 'The past should hold nothing but fond memories and the lessons which you learned from your bad ones. The present is an opportunity for you to make amends; if you spend this time dwelling in something which can't be changed, then how can you hope for a better future?' She demanded, though not harshly, 'Each day is a new beginning. So start it with a new zest.'
He nodded, smiling at her ruefully and then suddenly gave a bark of laughter. Startled, she sprang back, shooting him a puzzled glance, fearing his sanity. 'What was that for?!' 'When I let Ms. Abbers set me up on this date, I never in my wildest dreams thought that I'd be getting life lessons from my cousin's former girlfriend,' he said, beaming. 'And neither had I expected myself to be ranting my philosophical crap to the Chosen One's cousin,' she replied, letting her head fall back as she laughed with an undue burst of elation. 'Please. That was anything but crap. And what do you mean by "The Chosen One"?' He enquired quizzically. 'Nah. Not now. Will tell you later,' she replied, not thinking twice about what she had said. But he did. 'So there will be a second time then?' He asked, trying not to get his hopes up. She stopped laughing and leaned in, brushing her lips gently against his as she whispered, 'Don't worry Mr. Dursley, I am not planning on leaving you alone so soon. You still have to make it up to me for turning in late for our first date.'
With that she stood up, dusting her dress meticulously, 'I've got to go now. Stefanie must be waiting for me; and don't worry about the other stuff too much. Things will get all right before you realise it – and this, is just a beginning,' she said winking as she turned around and walked away, her heels tapping sharply against the ground; leaving a stupidly grinning Dudley at her wake.
Maybe she was right, he thought, this was just a beginning: a beginning, to a new end.
A/N: Dear readers, I know its not exactly interesting to review a story, but how else is an author supposed to know whether readers have liked the story or not? Criticisms are also openly accepted. They will help me write better fanfictions in the future. So, please can I get a review? Please with a cherry on the top? It really encourages me to write more :)