Chapter 7 – Burying the Hatchet
Ginny sat with Petunia Dursley discussing distribution of Ginny's new maternity line of clothing. Petunia had become Ginny's most valued employee, she would spend twelve to eighteen hours every day at the main factory barking out orders, and ensuring all delivery quotas were met.
"You seem anxious," Petunia observed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm visiting with my mother this weekend, she's been teaching at Hogwarts now for two weeks," Ginny lied.
"Is it your mother your anxious to see, or is it Cindy?" Petunia asked knowingly.
Ginny smiled at Petunia, "you do know me, don't you?" Ginny asked.
"Well, we have been spending quite a large amount of time together over the last two weeks, besides, you're not that difficult to read." Petunia said smiling.
Ginny stared at her for a moment, her smile was warm and genuine, her tone pleasant and inviting, this could not be the same person who practically tortured Harry when he was young. Or maybe she just needed an identity all her own, and not just Mrs. Vernon Dursley.
"Petunia, I've been wondering something." Ginny started.
"Harry," Petunia asked knowingly.
"Yes, I've heard quite a bit from him, and you don't seem like the same person he used to describe." Ginny said honestly.
"May I confide in you?" Petunia asked tentatively.
"Of course, whatever we discuss stays between us." Ginny assured her.
"I have always been jealous of my little sister, she was always better in school than I was, better at games than I was, and more popular than I was. When we heard she was a witch, and my parents became even prouder of her, well, I became insanely jealous. So naturally, when she died and we ended up with Harry, my jealousy transferred to him, I didn't really hate him, like I'm sure he thinks; I was just jealous. So we made him wear clothes that would get him laughed at, treated him like a servant instead of a family member, we did, I mean, I did everything in my power to make sure he would never be popular, and hopefully, never be a wizard, I was wrong. We treated him like dirt, we did everything short of physical harm to ruin his life, I wish I could go back and change it, but I can't, I'll have to live with it for the rest of my life." Petunia paused in retrospect.
"Don't feel bad, believe it or not, Harry forgave you, all of you, that's why he made sure Vernon and Dudley were given excellent jobs, that's why he invited you all into his life again, but more importantly, it made Harry the man he is today. I'm not sure what you did was such a bad thing; it taught him humility, kindness towards the less fortunate, generosity, and most importantly, how to love. As bad as you may feel, it may be unwarranted; you probably gave him more than you could ever understand." Ginny explained.
They both sat there quietly, both attempting to understand the other's words, then Petunia looked up at Ginny with tears in her eyes.
"Tell Harry I'm sorry." Petunia said simply.
"Tell him yourself, at dinner tonight." Ginny said smiling.
"You want me to fly all the way to Scotland tonight?" Petunia asked disbelievingly.
"Oh no, we have a house here in Belize, it's on a small peninsula on the mainland." Ginny clarified.
"Magical or regular, I mean, what's the word, oh yeah, muggle?" Petunia asked, falling over her words.
"Well, it's magical; we have elves as servants, portraits that move, and the occasional ghost. But I can ensure neither you nor Vernon see any of them." Ginny assured her.
"What if I didn't tell Vernon, maybe I could meet some of these elves, and ghosts?" Petunia asked expectantly.
"You want to see them? I don't see a problem, but are you sure you don't want to tell Vernon?" Ginny asked.
"Yes I'm sure, I'll bring Dudley, he's become quite fascinated with the magical world ever since he started courting that witch." Petunia said.
"You know about that?" Ginny asked.
"Of course I do, Dudley told me almost as soon as he was dating her, though we haven't met yet, I think maybe Dudley's ashamed of her." Petunia said smiling.
"Ashamed, she's a stunning woman, you should see them together, you'd be proud." Ginny corrected her perception.
"Then I'll ask Dudley to bring her along too, that way I can meet her." Petunia stated.
"Great plan, I'll let Harry know this afternoon, and we'll meet tonight. If you like, I'll have the company car pick you and Dudley up at seven, and have Parvati apparate to the house." Ginny offered.
"That sounds great, I'll see you then." Petunia said standing and leaving Ginny's office.
"Well, that was weird." Ginny said to herself.
"Hey handsome," Parvati said as she stepped into Dudley's office.
"Why you sexy thing, come closer so I can fondle you properly." Dudley said smiling.
The two kissed deeply, and then Parvati sat on Dudley's desk.
"So, what brings you and that extremely short skirt over to Belize?" Dudley asked, looking up Parvati's skirt.
"Looking for something?" Parvati asked playfully.
"I'm always looking for some." Dudley said, choosing his words carefully.
"Really, what a coincidence, so am I," Parvati said provocatively.
After another brief kiss, Parvati decided to tell Dudley the reason for her visit.
"I was just talking to Ginny, apparently she and your mother had a heart to heart, and she was invited to dinner at the Potter's Belize home tonight." Parvati began.
"Really, my mum had a heart to heart with someone, how odd." Dudley said smiling.
"But that's not all; your mother asked if I could be invited, she wants to meet me." Parvati said nervously.
"My dad would flip if he found out." Dudley said, sounding like a scared boy.
"That's just it, she doesn't want your father to go, she just wants the three of us." Parvati clarified.
"Really, my mum wants to go to a magical house with just her son and her son's magical girlfriend?" Dudley asked for clarification.
"Exactly, she wants to see more of the magical world than she's been exposed to." Parvati explained.
"This will definitely turn into an interesting evening, how are we meeting?" Dudley asked.
"Well, you and your mother are being picked up by Ginny's company limo, and I'm just apparating to the house." Parvati answered.
"Well, put on your Sunday best, I think we'll be in for a long night." Dudley said before taking his girlfriend into another deep kiss.
Cindy and her friends had just finished Hyper-transfiguration on their second Thursday of the school year. Just as they were packing to leave, Cindy heard her teacher call for her.
"Cindy, may I see you in my office?" Hermione asked politely.
"Yes ma'am." Cindy said, as she walked towards the office door.
Cindy entered and closed the door behind her. She had been called so often over the last two weeks into teacher's offices, that it had become almost a routine.
"Grandma," Cindy exclaimed as she saw Molly standing in the office.
"Cindy dear, how are you?" Molly asked, taking Cindy in a crushing embrace.
"Well, I'll leave you two alone." Hermione said, and left the office through the secret passage.
"How have your first two weeks been?" Molly asked as she sat down.
"Great, how about yours?" Cindy asked back.
"I haven't had this much fun in a long time." Molly said smiling.
The two spent the next thirty minutes recapping the previous two weeks. Cindy spoke of the hyper-transfiguration classes, and Molly spoke of the various potion disasters that had happened in her class.
"There is another reason why I'm here." Molly said reluctantly.
"What is it?" Cindy pressed.
"I'm meeting your mother this weekend in Hogsmeade." Molly explained.
Cindy's face fell. "And I'm not allowed to go?" She asked tentatively.
"No, I'm sorry dear, school rules, first years aren't allowed off school grounds, and are not allowed visitors unless it's a family emergency." Molly said sadly.
"So my mom will be so close, and I can't see her?" Cindy asked, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I wanted to tell you so you wouldn't get any ideas about leaving the school to see her." Molly explained.
"I can't go with a teacher?" Cindy continued.
"Not at all dear, I'm sorry. But I do want you to promise me you won't try to leave the school this weekend." Molly said.
"I promise I won't try to leave the school." Cindy said dejectedly.
"Good, now how about a cup of tea before bed?" Molly asked, summoning a pot of tea and crumpets.
The two sat for another half an hour before Cindy went off to the Gryffindor common room. She spent the better part of the evening thinking of ways to circumvent her promise to her grandmother. Cindy felt it was an imperative to see her mother while she was in town.
"Ginny, I only did those things to make them disappear, I didn't actually forgive them." Harry told Ginny as they discussed that night's dinner.
"You should have heard her Harry, she's truly sorry." Ginny argued.
"I don't give a damn if she spends the next year crawling through broken glass as penance, I will never forgive that woman, or any of her family." Harry said emphatically.
"What about Dudley, surely you'd forgive him, especially now." Ginny continued.
"No, if you ask me too, I'll pretend to forgive them, but it will only be an act, I will NEVER forgive them." Harry said, making it clear his position.
"Fine, if that's the way you're going to be, pretend, don't ruin my night because you can't find it in your heart to forgive." Ginny exclaimed, storming out of the room.
"I'll never understand women, not as long as I live." Harry said to himself as he returned to work.
"We're not that difficult to understand Harry." He looked up to see Gabrielle in the doorway.
"Did you hear the argument; she wants me to forgive the Dursley's for the hell they put me through." Harry explained to Gabrielle.
"So why can't you?" Gabrielle asked in her lovely French accent.
"I've told you what they did to me as a child; I could never forgive such acts." Harry said, throwing his inkbottle across the room.
"You're acting like a child Harry, you've forgiven other people for far worse, you just don't WANT to forgive them." Gabrielle argued.
Harry stared at her with his bright green eyes unable to understand when Gabrielle had become so intuitive.
"Maybe you're right, maybe I don't want to forgive them, but it is my choice, and no one has the right to ask me to forgive them when I choose not to." Harry said calmly.
"You're wrong Harry, Ginny has the right." Gabrielle said as she grabbed the documents off Harry's desk she had come in for.
Harry was unable to work the rest of the day, he decided to take a ride into town to distract him from the argument he had with Ginny.
Harry jumped into his Bentley, and set off for town. An hour later, he found himself in the local church on the outskirts of town.
"Harry, how are you? We never see you here any more." A priest said, shaking Harry's hand vigorously.
"I'm sorry Father Brian, but I never seem to have time to visit." Harry said apologetically.
"That's all right; you certainly take care of us in other ways." Father Brian said, motioning to all the construction in the church.
"I was wondering if we could have a talk." Harry asked eager to talk to a disinterested third party.
"Of course Harry, would you like to use the confessional?" Father Brian asked.
"Um, no, just a small chat in the garden would be fine." Harry said as they both headed for the doors.
"What's on your mind?" The priest asked.
"Forgiveness," Harry said vaguely.
"Are you sure you don't want to use the confessional?" He asked Harry again.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure, it's not me that needs forgiveness, it's me who needs to forgive." Harry clarified.
"Go on Harry." Father Brian beckoned him.
"Two years ago we talked about where I grew up, all the nasty things my foster parents did to me, well, my wife wants me to forgive them, and I'm not sure I can, or want to." Harry said in one breath.
"A dilemma indeed. Do you feel they should be tortured?" The priest asked.
"Tortured? Of course not." Harry answered.
"Then why torture them? Don't you see Harry, our mistakes define who we are, but if we are never forgiven for them, they end up weighing heavily on our souls, they torture and torment us. Whether or not you forgive your family is entire your decision, but think of the impact on everybody's lives, they may end up hating themselves for the rest of their lives, your children may never truly know them, and you Harry, you'll carry this hate around you like weights, slowing you down, eating at your soul. I'm not going to tell you what to do, just think about it carefully before you make a decision." Father Brian explained.
"Thanks Father, I'll think about what you said." Harry said, shaking the priest's hand.
"Come by more often Harry, we'd love to see you." He told him.
"I'll see you Sunday at the castle." Harry said, ignoring Father Brian's statement.
"Good bye Harry, drive safe, and God be with you." Father Brian added, as Harry left.
After a brief stop off at the local pub, Harry set off for home. He was still unsure what he was going to do, but he felt much better after speaking with Father Brian. He drove home as fast as the law would allow, and made it in time to find Ginny preparing the twins for the trip to Belize.
"And where were you?" Ginny asked shortly.
"In town, I went to see Father Brian." Harry answered with no malice in his voice.
"Did he tell you the same thing I did?" Ginny asked, softening a bit.
"Pretty much, but I still don't know." Harry said honestly.
"Well, get ready, we'll meet you in Belize." Ginny said, taking the twins by the hands and apparating to their home in Belize.
Harry stood staring at the place Ginny had been standing, he still could not figure out what he should do, and now the time was upon him.
"I should have gone to see Sirius, he would have understood." Harry said aloud to himself.
"No, he would have agreed, but he wouldn't have understood." A voice corrected him.
"Michael, what are you doing here?" Harry asked as he embraced his old friend.
"Ginny called me; she thought maybe I could talk some sense into you." Michael said, embracing Harry as a brother.
"You know what they did to me all those years, you know how much I hate them, how could I ever forgive them?" Harry asked, longing for a voice of reason.
"You already have forgiven them." Michael said suddenly.
"WHAT? I have never forgiven them." Harry said emphatically.
"Oh but I beg to differ, if you hated them with even half the passion you claim to, you would have killed them a long time ago. You would have opened a fissure in the ground and had them and that damn house swallowed up, they would already be dead. You not only did not kill them, you gave them jobs, and homes, and cars, and justified it by saying it was for your betterment, you have already forgiven them Harry, you just haven't realized it." Michael explained.
Michael's words caught Harry by surprise, had he actually forgiven them already, had all this hate he claimed to have for them been nothing more than self delusion, Harry just stared at his old friend.
You're thinking about it aren't you, you know I'm right, you may not have entirely forgiven Vernon, but Petunia and Dudley you forgave a long time ago." Michael continued.
"I thought you'd be on my side." Harry said sadly.
"I am on your side, but you're still wrong. You are like a brother to me, I would never let something so trivial eat you up like this, but I'll tell you what, why don't you go on hating them, don't forgive them, see what happens. I have made my fair share of mistakes, and no matter what anyone would have told me, I still would have made them, so go, make your mistakes, and maybe next time I offer you my council, you'll accept it." Michael added as he vanished from sight.
"That was uncalled for." Harry said, as he made his way to the bedroom to change for dinner.
Cindy had been mulling over how to see her mother without breaking the promise she made to her grandmother. Her two Gryffindor friends had not yet returned from the general common room where they were enjoying the company of the others. Cindy was about to give up and go to sleep when Madison and Dave walked in through the portrait hole.
They immediately sought out Cindy and went over to her.
"So what was the meeting all about?" Madison asked as she sat down by the fire place.
"My grandmother wanted to see me. She told me my mother was going to be in Hogsmeade this weekend." Cindy said, sounding melancholy.
"Are you going to get to see her?" Dave asked.
"No, my grandmother made me promise not to leave the castle." Cindy responded.
"That sucks, your mother is right in town and the school won't let you see her." Dave said what Ginny was feeling.
"And I really want to see her too, but I don't want to break my promise to my grandmother." Cindy added.
"What exactly did you promise?" Madison asked.
"Not to leave the castle." Cindy said.
"Well, it's easy then, make your mother come here. Don't you have an owl?" Dave asked.
"Yeah," she responded doubtfully.
"Then write to your mother and have her stop by, it's easy." Dave said smiling.
"Dave, you're a genius!" Cindy exclaimed and hugged Dave happily.
"I am, now you have to convince Krum." Dave said jokingly.
"Yeah, like he'd believe me." Cindy added sarcastically.
Cindy got up from her chair and proceeded to the exit.
"Wait, where are you going?" Madison asked.
"To the owlry." Ginny said in an obvious tone.
"It's after curfew." Madison argued.
The realization of the time was only a slight setback for Cindy; she ran up to her room, rummaged through her belongings and ran back down the stairs.
"What do you got there?" Dave asked as Cindy ran passed.
"My dad's old map, my Uncle Ron gave it to me." Cindy said unrolling the parchment and saying; "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" and the map came to life with miniscule dots representing everybody in the school and its surrounding grounds.
"Oh cool, we could have so much fun with that thing." Dave said longingly.
"Oh no we can't, Cindy, you know better than to leave the common room after hours, even with that thing." Madison berated her.
"Oh, I'm just going to the owlry, I'll be back in a few minutes." Cindy assured her, and then ran for the door once again.
Once outside the door, Cindy used one of the things her father had taught her as a little girl, she became invisible, including the map.
She turned towards the direction of the owlry, and began to walk quietly.
The trip up was completely uneventful; she did not encounter anybody along the way. She quickly made herself visible, and began writing a note for her mother. Hedwig, seeing Cindy for the first time in almost two weeks, flew straight down to her shoulder.
"Hello girl, you ready for a job?" Cindy asked while she wrote.
The owl hooted happily, she had begun to get bored sitting in the owlry with nothing to do.
Cindy attached the note to Hedwig's leg, and sent her on her first mission.
"Go straight to mom, I need her to get this as soon as possible." Cindy told the owl, who just hooted her understanding.
Cindy was about to open the door to leave, when she heard voices. She quickly made herself invisible, checked the map, and then made the map invisible.
Two dots were moving into the owlry, one labeled Viktor Krum, the other labeled Conan Conner. Cindy pushed herself into the farthest corner and waited.
The door opened slowly and the two entered quietly.
"Here, now ve can talk." Viktor said.
"Professor Krum, I know our master wants us to keep an eye on them, but there's no way I can do that, they are all first years, it would look too suspicious." Conan said.
"Ze master does not care, your job iz to vatch zem, I expect you to do so." Krum said angrily.
"But Professor, how?" Conan asked exasperatedly.
"I don't care, just do it." Krum yelled and exited the owlry.
"Stupid Bulgarian, if the master didn't need you, I'd take care of you myself." Conan said to himself as he walked out of the room.
Cindy used that opportunity to follow Conan to see what other mischief he was up to. She followed him around the castle, he did not seem to be walking to anywhere in particular, he just kept wandering around.
Cindy was starting to grow tired of the spy business, and was about to leave when she heard another voice call to Conan.
"Where have you been?" Conan asked the man in the shadow.
"That is none of your concern boy, you are being followed." The man in the shadows said.
Cindy froze with fear, could this man actually see her standing there.
"By who, I've been checking, I haven't seen anybody." Conan said angrily.
"That's because you only see with your eyes, see with your ears as well, I've heard footsteps following you for the last twenty minutes, and though they've eluded me, I know they are around." The man whispered.
"Whatever, do you have my orders?" Conan asked.
"You know boy, playing both sides of the field is dangerous, especially for someone your age." The man said, handing Conan a piece of parchment.
"You might think so, but I expect to be fully paid, from both sides." Conan said taking the parchment.
"Oh, I have a feeling you'll get yours." The man said, before leaving the shadows.
Cindy almost gave herself away when she saw what came out. "A vampire." She thought.
Conan left right after he looked at the parchment, and Cindy wasted no time getting back to the common room.
She removed the invisibility charm when she was at the portrait of the fat lady, gave the password, and entered.
The only students left in the common room were Madison and Dave.
"Do you realize what time it is, we've been worried you got caught." Madison said in a motherly tone.
"I'm sorry; I think I need to go to bed." Cindy said, not wanting to tell her friends about the incident with Krum, Conan and the vampire.
"What's up with her?" Dave asked Hannah.
"I don't know, but we'll find out tomorrow. Good night Dave." Madison said, following Cindy to their dorm.
Petunia and Dudley Dursley exited the company limousine, and proceeded to ring the doorbell of the Potter's winter home in Belize.
"Now mum, be on your best behavior, I like this girl a lot." Dudley told his mother.
"Don't worry Dudley dear, I'll be nice." She assured him.
The door was answered by a tall, imposing man in his late twenties, wearing wizard's robes, and a threatening look.
"May I help you?" The man asked.
"Petunia and Dudley Dursley." Petunia said regally.
"This way please." The man said, opening the door wider.
"Petunia, Dudley, welcome." Ginny greeted them with a kiss on the cheek.
"Wow, this house looks so much smaller on the outside." Dudley said looking around.
"It is, it's been magically enlarged on the inside, it's about four times its original size." Ginny explained.
"This is so cool." Dudley said, taking off his jacket.
"Has Parvati arrived yet?" Dudley asked.
"Not yet, she's due in ten minutes, please come into the drawing room while we wait." Ginny said, motioning to the room adjacent to the entryway.
The three made their way inside, they sat on a group of four chairs that faced each other.
"So, what do you think?" Ginny asked Petunia.
"Well, I like the idea of having a home this large inside a building a quarter of the size it should be. But everything else seems normal." Petunia said, looking around.
"Have you looked at the portraits?" Ginny asked, as Petunia's eyes fell on the portrait of Albus Dumbledore who removed his hat and bowed.
"Oh my, that is strange." Petunia said nervously.
"I'm sure it takes some getting used to, but I find them rather fascinating." Ginny said.
"And what of these servants, these elves?" Petunia asked.
"Oh Gimmel!" Cindy called out to the room.
Immediately a small, plump elf appeared right next to Ginny.
"Yes madam?" Gimmel asked.
"Gimmel, these are our guests, this is Petunia and Dudley Dursley." Ginny introduced him.
"Please to be making your acquaintance." The little elf said cordially.
"Hello there." Petunia said tentatively.
"Are you a real elf?" Dudley asked, still amazed by the magical world.
"Yes Master Dudley, I is." The elf responded.
"Thank you Gimmel, that'll be all." Ginny said, dispatching the elf to his work.
"Is he the only one?" Petunia asked.
"No actually, there are five elves who work for us at this location; he's just the head elf." Ginny explained.
At that moment, the fireplace sparked to life, and a large green flame shot up. A moment later, Parvati Patil appeared in a rather conservative dress, and her hair pulled back in a bun.
"Parvati, welcome, I see you used the floo network." Ginny said, as she stood to greet her guest.
"I was a little too nervous to apparate, I brought wine though." Parvati said, handing the wine to her hostess.
"Please, come meet our guest of honor. Or would you prefer to introduce them?" Ginny asked Dudley.
"If you don't mind, yes. Mum, this is Parvati Patil, Parvati; this is my mum, Petunia." Dudley said nervously.
"I am very pleased to finally meet you Mrs. Dursley." Parvati said tentatively.
"As am I Parvati, Dudley's told me quite a bit about you, as a matter of fact, you are all he talks about." Petunia said, sounding a little cold.
"Let's open the wine." Ginny said, to break the momentary silence.
"Good idea." Petunia agreed.
The four sat down and began to drink the wine Parvati had brought.
"So, where is Harry, I was hoping to talk to him." Petunia said in between sips.
"He must not be ready yet, he was working late." Ginny lied.
"I understand, he must be very busy." Petunia added somewhat coldly.
"Hello there." Gabrielle said, walking into the room.
"Ah, Gabrielle, come in." Ginny beckoned her. "Parvati, Petunia, Dudley, this is Gabrielle, Harry's ward." Ginny said merrily.
"Harry's ward?" Petunia asked.
"Yes madam, my parents died when I was still under age and Harry took me in as his ward, now I run his magical concerns, but tonight I'm just the baby sitter." Gabrielle explained.
"I don't understand what magical concerns?" Petunia pressed.
"All of Harry's magical business." Gabrielle clarified.
"What type of businesses?" Dudley asked, now interested in the subject.
"Oh, there are quite a few, he owns professional sports stadiums, many stores, restaurants, he owns a broom manufacturing plant, an art studio, vast real estate holdings, oh the list is endless." Gabrielle explained.
"Wow, does it earn him much money?" Dudley asked.
"Not as much as his muggle concerns, but more than enough to still call him filthy rich." She answered.
"I've heard about some of Harry businesses, I didn't know you ran them for him." Parvati said skeptically.
"Oh yes, Harry has been spending the majority of his time on his muggle businesses, he leaves Gabrielle to handle all the magical concerns, and of course her brother in law handles all the finances, for both muggle and magical businesses." Ginny added smiling.
"Isn't that dangerous, leaving one family to take care of all his money?" Petunia asked.
Ginny smiled. "No, because its Harry's brother in law too, my brother Bill, who's married to Gabrielle sister Fleur." Ginny said almost in a laugh.
"Is everybody related to everybody else in the magical world?" Petunia asked flabbergasted.
"No, just in our little corner of it." Ginny said laughing out loud.
"There is too much glee in this room." Harry said, walking in with the twins in tow.
"Harry, good to see you cousin." Dudley said walking up to Harry and embracing him, Harry reciprocated.
Harry passed all the others and went straight to Petunia.
"Welcome to my home." Harry said warmly.
Petunia stood and hugged Harry also. "Thank you for having us Harry." She said, kissing him once on each cheek.
"Dinner is served." Gimmel said.
"Let's eat." Dudley said happily taking Parvati's hand. Somehow Harry's presence made Petunia seem a little less intimidating.
"May I speak with you a moment Harry?" Petunia asked as the rest made their way into the dining room.
Harry stole a quick glance at Ginny who gave him a hard look. "Of course Aunt Petunia." Harry said, conveying no emotion.
"I don't know what Ginny has told you, but I wanted to apologize for all those years of torment we visited upon you. I know forgiving us is probably out of the question, but for Ginny's sake, can we try to act as family?" Petunia said in a genuinely apologetic voice.
"Petunia, for so many years I've harbored hateful feelings toward you and Vernon, and Dudley, but somehow, I cannot maintain those feelings any longer, you are still my mother's sister, my blood relative, you I can forgive, your son Dudley, who is also my blood relative I can forgive, but as much as I want to, I could never forgive Vernon, I've tried reasoning with myself and there's just no use, I will always hate that man, and though I am civil towards him, it's only because he's married to you, and he's Dudley's father, I hope you will one day forgive me for not forgiving him." Harry said honestly.
"Harry dear, you need never ask for my forgiveness, I will be forever in your debt; I just hope I can make it all up to you." Petunia said, a lone tear running down her face.
"There is something you can do for me, I want you to give Dudley your blessing about Parvati, I've heard rumors about the two of them, and nothing would make them happier than you happily giving them your blessing." Harry said.
"They'll have my blessing. And not because you asked me to give it, but because I'm starting to understand my prejudices, and I will overcome them." Petunia added, kissing Harry on the cheek.
"Dinner?" Harry asked.
"Indeed." Petunia agreed.
As the two entered the dining room, Harry took his place at the head of the table and Petunia took her place next to Ginny and across from Parvati.
"So Parvati, Dudley hasn't told me what you do for a living." Petunia said, fishing for the answer.
"I work for Ginny's brother Ron; I'm in charge of public appearances for his professional sports team." Parvati answered.
"Does it pay much?" Petunia pressed.
"Mum, that's rude." Dudley pointed out, but was ignored.
"I'm paid quite handsomely; it works out to be a quarter million Euros per year." Parvati said proudly.
"Do you want children?" Petunia asked, spooning mashed potatoes into her mouth.
"Mum!" Dudley exclaimed, but was again ignored.
"Yes Mrs. Dursley, I do." Parvati said, trying desperately not to get flustered.
"How many children," Petunia kept up her interrogation.
"Three." Parvati answered shortly.
"What is your religion?" She continued.
Ginny was starting to get worried, and if she thought looking to Harry for help was a viable course of action, she was sadly mistaken. Harry was sitting back in his chair, as happy as Ginny had ever seen him.
"Catholic," Parvati continued using one word answers.
"Do you love my son?" Petunia asked calmly.
Dudley was about to protest but found he could neither speak nor move.
"Yes." Parvati said shyly.
"Do you want to marry him?" Petunia had crossed the line with Parvati; she could no longer contain herself.
"That's it! I can't take it anymore! Yes I love your son, yes I want to marry him, no I'm not a virgin, and YES I am a WITCH!" Parvati screamed.
"Harry could no longer contain his laughter and broke down, Ginny on the other hand was livid, but Petunia seemed unaffected by the outburst.
"Ok, thank you." Petunia said calmly and began cutting her prime rib.
"How's the prime rib?" Harry asked her between fits of laughter.
"Quite good Harry, and I must get the recipe for the mashed potatoes, they are excellent." Petunia said pleasantly.
The rest of the table was stunned by the events, Parvati was still standing from her outburst, and Dudley was finally able to speak and move, but he couldn't find anything to say.
"How's work been?" Harry kept up the small talk.
"Oh, work's wonderful, the plant opened a month ahead of schedule, and we're getting ready to send out our first shipment." Petunia answered smiling.
"Ginny, you didn't tell me you were up and running." Harry said to his wife.
Ginny was brought out of her thoughts by Harry's statement.
"Um, yeah, we managed to open last week." Ginny said distractedly.
"Can I ask something?" Parvati asked, still standing.
"Certainly dear," Petunia said pleasantly.
"What just happened?" She asked confused.
"Nothing happened." Petunia said in a mocked confused tone.
"You attacked me with a barrage of personal questions, and I just screamed at you. Don't you find that strange?" Parvati reworded her question.
"No dear, I don't, I wanted to know certain things about you, of course your virginity was not an issue, and you got tired of answering, sounds like a normal family discussion." Petunia answered, almost causing Harry to topple over with laughter.
"It's not funny Harry." Parvati said angrily.
"You people are so blind, let me tell you what just happened, Petunia wanted to see if you were a strong enough woman for Dudley, you answered her question. She can now give her blessing to your relationship; you're willing to fight for your man, that's what she needed to know." Harry explained.
"Do you know you've grown into a very intelligent young man Harry?" Petunia asked pleasantly.
"Thank you, that means a lot to me." Harry said smiling, tears of laughter running down his face.
"So do you mum?" Dudley asked.
"What dear, give my blessing, of course I do, she's a wonderful girl, and I wish you both all the happiness in the world." Petunia told her son.
"Whoa, I'm still confused." Ginny piped in.
"Don't worry Ginny; I'll explain it to you later." Harry said in an amused tone.
"Harry, can I have a word with you please?" Dudley asked.
"Sure cousin, let's step back into the drawing room." Harry said standing.
When they both entered, Dudley closed the door behind them.
"What's up Dud?" Harry asked.
"You're like the godfather of the wizarding world. Don't try and deny it, everyone loves you, and those with power value your opinion, I've done my own checking." Dudley began.
"What's your point Dudley?" Harry asked, feeling somewhat impatient.
"I want your permission to ask Parvati to marry me." Dudley blurted out.
"You don't need my permission Dudley, you can just ask her." Harry argued.
"I know I don't need it; I want it. Parvati told me how her parents died, she told me you ensured she was well taken care of, even though you tried to hide your involvement, she still knew. She thinks of you as a godfather, a surrogate father if you will, you are the only family she has left, so allow me to ask again; may I have Parvati's hand in marriage?" Dudley asked formally.
"Dudley, so long as she accepts, you have my permission to marry her." Harry answered formally.
"Thanks cousin, I'll make her the happiest girl in the world." Dudley said, turning to leave.
"Oh Dudley, there is one catch." Harry said before Dudley left.
"What's that?" Dudley asked nervously.
"I want to give the bride away." Harry said smiling.
"If Parvati agrees, and I'm sure she'll insist on it, then I have no problem with it." Dudley replied smiling.
When the two men reentered the dining room, they could have both been knocked over by a feather. Petunia and Ginny were talking animatedly about their weddings, and the various mishaps they'd have over the years.
"Parvati, can I ask you something?" Dudley asked, sitting back down next to her.
"Sure Dudley, anything," she answered smiling.
Dudley immediately dropped on one knee. "Parvati Patil, will you marry me?" Dudley asked pulling the ring he had been hiding out of his pocket.
"Oh my God, oh my God, yes, yes I'll marry you." She answered, hugging Dudley tightly.
"Is this what you meant earlier about having heard things?" Petunia asked Harry in a whisper.
"Sort of, I heard Dudley had been shopping for a ring, I just assumed it was for her." Harry answered.
"I think this deserves a toast." Harry began, motioning for everyone to stand with him. "To my cousin Dudley, and his beautiful bride to be; congratulations from my wife Ginny and me." Harry rhymed.
"Here, here." Ginny agreed.
The last day of the week flew by for Cindy, she was looking forward to seeing her mother that weekend, and her two favorite classes were after school; Hyper-transfiguration and Muggle Defensive Arts.
She and the rest of her friends sped through dinner like locusts; they ate as fast as they could, and then headed for the Transfiguration classroom for their lesson.
Her friends were already able to grow their hair longer and shorter with only minimal discomfort, but still required several minutes to complete.
Hermione entered the classroom and took her place at the front of the room.
"Good afternoon class." Hermione said pleasantly.
"Good afternoon Professor." They responded.
"I've been doing some research and I may have come up with a way to speed you along on your training, but before we begin, I have a little news, I know most of you, that is to say all but David, know Dudley Dursley and Parvati Patil, well, they're getting married." Hermione announced.
"Really, when?" Cindy asked excitedly.
"In the spring, they haven't set the actual date yet, but I hear your father will be giving the bride away." Hermione explained.
"Wow, I hope I'll be able to go." Cindy said longingly.
"I'm sure you will, most of the staff will be going, so I don't see why you can't." Hermione said.
"Professor, I've been wondering, are we on track with our training?" Madison interrupted.
"Actually you're all ahead. Typically after only two weeks, most people are still feeling discomfort when their hair grows." Hermione answered.
"How long did it take you?" Hannah asked Cindy.
"Don't use Cindy as an example; her training was very different than this." Hermione explained.
"Then what about your training, how long did you take?" Madison asked.
"My training was different also, I did all my training in three months, it was very accelerated." Hermione said.
"Than how can we be sure?" Dave asked.
"Because it typically takes two to three years to become an animagus, you're doing it in one." Hermione said shortly.
The answer seemed to be sufficient for them; they all turned and began working on Hermione's new technique.
After only twenty minutes of training, Kari raised her hand.
"Yes Miss Jersey?" Hermione asked.
"Can I ask a question completely unrelated to what we're doing?" She asked tentatively.
"Of course you can, what is it?" Hermione asked back.
"Well, I've been hearing arguments in Romanoff house about wandless magic, is there such a thing?" She asked curiously.
"A lot of teachers do not believe it is, to them it's a myth, a legend, the holy grail of wizard kind, but I believe it is not only real, I believe there are witches and wizards using it every day." Hermione answered.
"I heard Professor Snape and Professor Krum had a heated argument about it, Professor Snape kept saying it wasn't a myth, and Professor Krum kept saying it was, they are both fully qualified wizards, how can they have such a different opinion?" Kari asked.
"Well, what if I were to show you wandless magic, would you believe in it?" Hermione asked back.
"Yes," she said without hesitation.
"Then there's your answer, Professor Snape has probably seen it with his own eyes, and Professor Krum probably has not." Hermione explained.
"Have you ever seen it?" Madison asked.
"Yes, many, many times." Hermione answered without question.
"Can anybody do it?" Dave asked.
"Yes." Hermione answered.
"Can anybody show us?" Hannah added to the questioning.
"No. Only those skilled enough in wandless magic can teach it. As a matter of fact, I know dozens of people who can do it, and only a select few can teach you." Hermione said, not mentioning any names.
"Can you teach us?" Madison asked, knowing who at least one of them was.
"I, unfortunately, do not have that kind of time." Hermione answered.
"Is there anybody in this school?" Madison pressed.
"I know of two other people." Hermione said mysteriously.
"Professor Snape and who?" Kari asked, figuring he would have been one.
"Me." Cindy said.