Chapter 4

Carrie MacCloud read through the letter once again;

-Carrie

Harry and I are going on holiday for a while – we both need a break. You're the only person I've met here, so I hope you don't mind me leaving you our house keys (in case of emergency). I shall see you when we get back, I look forward to getting to know you and your children better- Harry could really do with some good friends.

Vernon Dursley

P.S. I'm not sure when we'll be back, It could be a while.

That 'while' had turned into almost a month with no word. To say Carrie was nervous would be an understatement. Vernon Dursley had seemed very depressed the last, and only, time she had spoken to him. She felt a tug on her trouser leg and looked down to see her son, Liam, starting up at her with his round brown eyes.

"Mummy, can I have a drink?" he asked. She got up and fetched some apple juice.

"Where's your sister?" she asked curiously and handed him his Elmo cup.

"Ta, I dunno, we're playin' hide n seek," he looked up at her stern face, "I'll go find her in a minute. Mummy, when's Harry comin' back?" Carrie sighed.

"I'm not sure, lovey. His Uncles letter didn't say."

"He was funny, he could make stuff fly- like daddy!" Carrie gasped. Her late fiancé had been a wizard. He had been killed during a battle with some death-eaters in September of the previous year. He had told her all about the world of magic, and she'd loved it.

"Are you sure lovey?" Liam nodded, finished his juice and scampered out the room in search of his sister. Carrie sat down again- her mind racing. Was this a connection to the world she'd lost with her fiancé? No-one in the wizarding world had known of her engagement to Fabian Prewett (It would have been one more reason for the death-eaters to target him, and possibly attack her and Liam), except his friend James, who had brought the news of his death, promising to keep in touch, but she'd never heard from him again. Four months later she'd given birth to Grace. She had no way of contacting the wizarding world.

The sound of a car door slamming, and a delighted cry of "found you!" wrenched her from her thoughts. She looked out the window to see a large car parked outside the house next-door.

She made her out the front door and saw a man that looked like Vernon Dursley, but she couldn't be sure… she remembered him being larger, and maybe she was wrong, but his hair looked different…

"V-Vernon?" she asked. He patted his almost-flat stomach

"Wonderful things health-farms" he reached into the car and lifted out a sleepy-eyed Harry, placing him on his hip. "Especially when they have a crèche."

"What happened to your hair?" she asked, unsure, "Its looks… different." She had only met him once, maybe she was mistaken.

"My hair? Nothing." She let out a breath as Liam ran past her, Grace following at a waddle, to see Harry, who had just been put on the ground. Carrie invited Vernon inside for a cup of tea and a quick chat.

They exchanged small talk for a few minutes, before Carrie plucked up her courage to voice the question she'd been dying to ask.

"Vernon, do you, well, this'll sound silly, but- Do you know anything about magic?" she asked nervously.

Vernon Choked on his tea, he hadn't been expecting that. He met Carrie's gaze. She blushed.

"Forget it, it's just something Liam said." Vernon Sighed

"All I know is that Harry's parents were a witch and wizard, which is why Petunia didn't get along with her sister,"

"Oh," Carrie smiled, "My late fiancé was magical, I think that means Liam and Grace will be as well"

They heard squeals of delight from the living room. Vernon and Carrie poked their heads in to find the two boys jumping on the sofa, trying to catch the toys that were flying around their heads, with Grace sitting between them,waving her arms happily.

"See Mummy!" squealed Liam, "Told you!" Vernon and Carrie beamed at the three children.

Carrie helped Vernon unload his car and helped him put together the furniture for Harry's bedroom. The emptied the countless bags of clothes and toys into the new dinosaur-patterned wardrobe, chatting quietly. After an hour or so Vernon sighed happily and pointed to the bed. Harry and Liam were fast asleep, intertwined with Grace asleep across their stomachs.

Christmas rolled around and the two little families celebrated together. Harry and Liam had become the best of friends with Grace trying to tag along, but she was far too little to join in any of their games. Vernon had given Harry a small climbing frame for Christmas, which he had set up in the dead of night on Christmas-eve. The look of pure joy on Harry's face as the two boys played on it was well worth the cold he'd caught.

Later that week Carrie persuaded Vernon to go to a Hogmany party at the village hall. Vernon had more fun than he'd had in years, stumbling through all the different Caleigh dances with Carrie and one with Harry, before he fell asleep. He was only twenty-seven, he reasoned, he still had his whole life ahead of him. He'd settled in the suburbs to early. He suddenly realised how much he had changed for his late-wife, and his heart ached knowing he could never love anyone as much as he had loved Petunia. The Bells went and the crowded hall exploded into shouts of 'Happy New Year' as the band started to play 'Auld Lang Sine". All around him people were laughing and hugging, and everywhere he looked, he saw couples kissing. He couldn't take it. He closed his eyes as they began to sting with tears. He felt a soft hand in his own as someone sat down beside him.

"I know it's tough," said Carrie, "It gets easier with time." He smiled at her softly and their lips met briefly.

The twenty-fifth of January saw a double celebration in the MacCloud/Dursley/Prewett/Potter household. Vernon and Harry were introduced to their first Burns night supper, which was followed by Grace's first birthday cake. It would be followed by many more happy celebrations in the years to come.

A/N. Hello!! I know the explination of Vernons appearance-change is lousy, but it was all I could think of, and it allowed me to skip forward in time a bit, I wanted to get to Christmas/Hogmany this chapter,and the burns-night thing is so you all knkow what age Grace is. OK, just for this story, can you all foget the dates on Lily and James' headstone? yes? good, because I have no idea what its like to grow up in the 80's, so this story is set in the 90's. It won't make much differnce reading it, but it helps keep my mind in one peice! If anyone has any suggestions or "sences they'd like to see" just let me know! I know vaugly where i'm going with the prewett thing, so please bear with me.

As always, reveiws are much-loved, thanks to everyone who reveiwed the last chapter and everyone else whos reading!! I'll probably update agian in the next couple of weeks or so, if not, i'll get around to it eventually!

Katie.