Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!
A/N: To all of you who thought I had abandoned this story...I'm sorry!
Letters
Dudley Dursley was torn.
He'd been pacing his office for awhile and his mind hadn't come up with a solution, yet. He had promised Julie to contact Harry to tell him about the reunion, yet he knew there was no chance at all that Harry would somehow accept it.
"What would Julie think, if I showed up without Harry?" Dudley thought desperately. "Boxing champion Dudley Dursley afraid to contact his cousin. Or worse, big bully Dudley Dursley not caring to invite his hated bullied cousin..."
However, asking your cousin for a favour when you know he hates your family's guts for how he'd been treated for sixteen years was going to be as out of the question as explaining to a normal girl that your cousin is a wizard who'd spent half his life riding broomsticks and learning spells and who's revered by his own people as an all-mighty saviour.
The tall blond man sighed dejectedly. He really liked Julie Robinson and he couldn't deny it any longer. If he wanted to impress her, he'd had to convince Harry to come.
"Well," Dudley thought aloud, "Perhaps Harry doesn't really hate my guts anymore. Maybe he moved on. Yeah, right. But he shook my hand and called me Big-D the last time I saw him. Maybe I can ask for a tiny little favour..."
Slightly relieved, he took a deep calming breath and sat down on his black-leather office chair. He turned it towards the window and took a look outside. From his 12th floor office, Dudley had a breathtaking and stunning view of London. It was a sunny summer day and the famous capital looked more lively and bright than usual. His recent promotion to Grunnings marketing manager had worked quite well for him. Even though he knew his father had had to pull a couple of strings with the committee board, Dudley had been trying his hardest to show everyone that he wasn't just the director's son but the right man for the job.
After the "accident", as he used to call the Dementors' attack, his school marks and his overall behaviour had in fact dramatically improved. His parents had linked his sudden change to maturity yet Dudley had know better.
He'd never told anyone about the Dementors and the images they had impressed inside his head. Who would have believed him even if he did?
The closest he had ever come to spill his deepest secrets occurred on one stormy April night while he'd been talking to Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones. They, too had had experiences with those foul creatures and had explained to him in detail what Dementors were and did (definitely better than Harry had once done).
"Dedalus!", thought Dudley with a sudden smile. "That's who I'm going to ask to give Harry his invitation!"
...
Harry Potter stared at the unmistakable Grunnings logo on a white and yellow envelope with a kind of terrified foreboding. It had been delivered by an old noisy owl with ruffled feathers which, if he wasn't mistaken, was owned by none other than old Dedalus Diggle.
He carefully opened it and was pleasantly surprised when he realised it was Dudley's and not Vernon's.
Dear Harry,
how are you? I know you may be wondering why I'm writing to you now...well, I'll get straight to the point. We've been invited to a primary school reunion and I promised Julie Robinson I would tell you about it. You'll find the invitation inside the smaller envelope. I'd really like you to come, I'd never had the chance to properly talk to you and I admit it's entirely my fault. I'm sorry for everything.
Dudley
"Short and straight to the point," muttered Harry shaking his head amused. He glanced at the brightly designed invitation and opened it with a sigh.
Dear Harry,
I'm happy to invite you to our first Little Whinging Primary School Class of 1991 Reunion at the Little Whinging Community Hall on July 7th 2002.
There will be food, drinks and lots and lots of music!
We hope to see you there!
yours sincerely,
Julie Robinson & Melanie Lamble
Harry rubbed his temples wearily and stopped himself from destroying the letters then and there. He wasn't keen on going to this reunion at all, yet Dudley's words "I'm sorry for everything" meant something to him, after all. Dudley was his cousin and apparently the only blood relative that had the courage to contact him after what had happened during the Second Wizarding War.
"I'm not eleven anymore," Harry Potter thought with that streak of Gryffindor attitude he so easily wore nowadays. "I'm about to get married and I'm a bloody good Auror...I can easily face fifteen Muggles that, for all I know, may have completely changed after all this time."
...
When a sudden tok tok coming from the office wide window distracted him from the usual morning phone calls a few days later, Dudley Dursley smiled in relief.
...
A/N: up next : the reunion! I won't delay this for 6 months again, I promise! Thanks to my wonderful reviewers that made me come back to this story after all this time! Reviews?
JemmadA xxx