A/N Sorry it's been so long since I last posted! But school has begun again and I'm being loaded with homework (as usual). It's a lot harder to find time to write. But anyway, I hope you like the chapter!
Chapter Four
Dudley stomped away, sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He tramped through the little pub he had been in hardly five minutes ago, knocking over a tiny man on the way who fell to the floor shaking his fists at him. Dudley didn't even notice. He threw the door open and walked on in a trance, his eyes glazed over and mouth slack.
-
However, he hadn't walked a few yards out of the Leaky Cauldron before Harry caught up with him and put a hand on his shoulder, fire in his eyes.
"Follow me," he ordered and Dudley didn't even contemplate disobeying.
Harry led them to a bench under a tree a few meters away and directed Dudley to sit down which he did straight away. Harry sat down next to him stared at him.
"Dudley, I don't know what happened there," he sighed. "It was like you went through a spell-"
Dudley winced when he heard the 'magical' word.
"-a phase," Harry corrected. "A phase of madness. And then instead of trying to sort it out you just flew-"
Dudley choked.
"-just ran," Harry corrected again. "You just ran away. Merlin-"
Dudley flinched but this time Harry ignored him.
"-I've never seen you move that fast. It was like an illusion. One minute you were there and the next, you'd gone. Like magic."
It was obvious Harry was teasing Dudley but by this point Dudley had gone as pale as the white brick building behind them and had scooted to the furthest end of the bench. Harry and he were now sitting at opposite ends. Harry grinned evilly at Dudley and just moved closer to him. He erased the smirk off his face and turned serious again.
-
"You know, all these years I've always thought that you had changed," Harry said.
"Mind you, I thought I had changed but here I am, still getting pleasure out of mocking you," but he said this under his breath and Dudley did not hear him.
"I really thought you'd matured when we were seventeen, remember? You…uh...when you were…um…well," Harry shrugged. "…when you were nice to me."
Dudley remembered his parting with Harry.
"But I guess I was wrong," Harry continued. "You haven't changed and you are exactly like your father."
That stung.
Not that he didn't love his parents but Dudley had always taken pride in thinking that he was nothing like either of them.
"I am not like my dad at all."
Harry shook his head. "Yes you are – and you know it."
Dudley glared at him. "I am not."
"Yes you are."
"I am-"
"Dudley," Harry interrupted. "We could argue about this forever but, to tell the truth, this isn't about you – it's about Rodney. The poor kid wants to go to the school. Why won't you let him?"
"He won't fit in there. He has his friends here. He'll realize he's better off in this world," Dudley said although it sounded more like a whine.
Harry took a deep breath.
"I can assure you that that is probably not true. I have introduced many muggle-borns and their parents into the magical world and not one of them has ever refused their child's place at Hogwarts. That is because the kid is usually unhappy with life at that moment. Remember…remember me? I got picked on by the kids and the teachers all the time because of the weird stuff I was able to do."
Dudley pinched his eyes shut and remembered his Year Three teacher's wig turning blue and flying off his head after Harry had been told off.
"You really need to make a decision, mate. What are you going to pick: what's right or what is easy?"
Dudley ignored him.
"What would I tell my parents? And the neighbours – they would want to know where Rodney's gone. And also, I'd miss him," Dudley whimpered.
"Dudley, listen to me," said Harry, losing his patience. "This. Is. Not. About. You."
They stared at each other for a minute until Harry sighed.
"Your son ran into Flourish and Blotts I think. Go talk to him."
Dudley stared at Harry and then nodded grimly.
-
The door to Flourish and Blotts creaked open and the silhouette of a large man plodded in. A flash of red hair later, Dudley was stalking up towards Ron.
"You!"
Ron turned around. "Me?"
"Yeah, you. Where's my son?"
Rodney turned around. "I'm right here, Dad."
"I need to talk to you."
Ron coughed and made to leave but Rodney shook his head.
"Whatever you want to say to me you can say in front of Uncle Ron," he said coldly.
Dudley's eyes popped out his head as he stared at Ron.
"Uncle? He's only known you for half an hour!"
Ron blushed. "Well, we are related. Technically. Distantly and not by blood. But still…related."
He turned even redder and excused himself from the little corner he had managed to get himself in.
-
Dudley and Rodney were sitting on a table outside an ice cream shop in Diagon Alley.
"We need to talk, son," Dudley sighed.
Rodney grunted and angrily bit into his ice cream. His eyes bulged and he started coughing it up. Dudley thumped his back.
"Never bite ice cream, Rodders," Dudley said. "More often than not, it'll be cold."
Rodney glared at his half-eaten ice cream.
"Anyway, we should discuss this before we make any rash decisions," Dudley carried on.
Rodney stared at him. "Why didn't you bring this up before? We had a whole week before coming here! You didn't say anything!"
"I know, I know. I was scared," Dudley admitted ashamedly.
Rodney carried on frowning at him.
"Do you really want to go, son? Wouldn't you miss us?"
"Of course, I would. But I really think I would be better off at Hogwarts," Rodney insisted.
"But, what about all your friends? Don't you want to go to secondary school with them?"
"What friends?" Rodney asked.
Dudley frowned. Rodney's face lightened as comprehension decided to dawn.
"They're not really friends. No one at school likes me 'cause I can do… bizarre things. Bizarre things which I now know are magic."
Dudley looked confused. Rodney put his head in his hands.
"Last week, at lunch time, I asked the dinner lady for peas but she gave me carrots. And I got really mad because I hate carrots."
Dudley nodded remembering Rodney's loathing for the orange, spiky vegetables.
"And suddenly, all the pots and pans on the table next to her shot up and fell on top of her. She was really scared. I knew it was my fault but no one else did. They thought that she must have some magnetic force in her."
Rodney snorted.
"The thing is, Dad, if I don't learn to control and use my magic in the right way I'll end up hurting someone. And I'll be an outcast for the rest of my life."
"No-"
"Yes, I will. Do you understand? I need to go there. Do you understand?"
And Rodney glared at Dudley with more passion than Dudley had ever seen and he just had to get away from his son.
-
Dudley stared at his son from a distance. When had he suddenly grown up? When had he learnt to make decisions on his own and understand what was right for him? It was happening too fast.
He couldn't understand it.
All his childhood, Dudley had wished he could stay a child forever. He never wanted to grow up. But Rodney did.
He couldn't understand it.
And Harry had. Harry had wanted nothing more to break away from the magical and blood chains that bound him to the Dursley family. A family who didn't appreciate, or even try to appreciate him. Dudley started to wonder if his son was anything like him at all.
He couldn't understand it.
Yes, they both had the same nose and mouth and ears but they were completely different. Rodney was more like his uncle. Dudley sighed and thought of Harry. He remembered his mother's eyes as they had bulged when she told Harry that his mother had been a freak. And his father's scrunched up face when he told that giant, hairy man with the pink umbrella that Harry would not go to that school. Dudley could still remember that scrawny little boy whom he had bullied and who had lost the light in his eyes all those years ago. And he also saw his cousin for the man that he had become. A million times greater than anyone – including Dudley – had ever thought he could be. And if that school and those people – so different from himself – could create miracles like that maybe they could help a small, not-very-confident, little boy?
Dudley finally could understand.
-
Dudley strolled into Gringotts bank and instantly found his wife and son sitting in a corner with his cousin. He walked up to them.
"I've made my decision," he announced.
Harry stood up while Emily glared at Dudley and Rodney stared at the floor, refusing to make eye-contact.
"I thought it over. It doesn't seem to me that keeping you here with us-" he gestured to himself and Emily. "-would do anyone any good. You're like your mother. And if I know my wife at all I know that even if I forbid you to go to..." he gulped. "Hogwarts, you will still find a way to get yourself there. Nothing I say really matters in this family anyway," he said without a hint of bitterness but with a smirk.
"What are you saying, Dudley?" Emily asked eyes wide.
"I'm saying: yes. You can go to Hogwarts."
'Not that it would matter even if I said he couldn't,' Dudley thought, amused.
Emily started to speak but her words were drowned out by her son's excited squeal.
"Gosh, Rodney. I didn't know your voice could go that high," Dudley said, laughing, as he pulled his son towards him and ruffled his hair.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked around to see Harry smiling.
"Remember what I said earlier?" He asked.
Dudley remembered:
'"You really need to make a decision, mate. What are you going to pick: what's right or what is easy?"'
He nodded.
"It's not easy; but that was the right answer mate."
Harry grinned. And then Dudley cracked a smile too.
A/N Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. There will probably be one more chapter and then the story will be over. Please review!
