Authors Note: I'm sorry everyone. Last chapter, there was a bit of confusion. After Harry returned from the mission, he returned to Ginny, to comfort her and assure her he was okay and such, then realized Dudley must be worrying too, and quickly drove over. He left because he thought Ginny might start worrying again.

Reviews please!

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Harry did not come the following Saturday. Dudley hadn't really expected him too, with the traumatic week he had had, but it came as a blow nonetheless. Dudley, Kate, Sarah, and especially Dustin had come to look forward to these visits. When Harry didn't turn up, Dustin decided to go over to Mark's. Sarah decided to make up her own wizarding history and act it out for Kate and Dudley. It was quite entertaining at times, and Dudley got to have a good chat with Kate (Sarah seemed to be more concerned with the entertaining herself part of her presentation, and didn't really seem to care if her parents were watching).

"I don't think it's really sunk in yet," said Kate quietly, as Sarah cast the 'Fairy Dancing Spell' on herself with an imaginary wand. "I didn't realize it until I began to think about why I was sad Harry didn't come." She wasn't making much sense to Dudley, but he said nothing, and she continued. "I was disappointed at first, because I wanted to hear more of the story." She leaned her head down onto his shoulder. "You see? Right now, to me, it's all just a story. A really big, unlikely story. I've seen Harry do magic, and I think that I recognize that it exists, but to be a part of it? It's just a different idea. I just hope it'll sink in by the time Dustin heads off to Hogwarts. It's like when we met for the first time, remember, in Penzance? You were visiting for witness protection?"

Dudley's heart seemed to chill as he remembered the only lie he had as of yet told his spouse, and not yet revealed. The summer Harry left, Dedalus and Hestia had taken the Dursley's to different villages, moving every week or so. Penzance was one of them. Kate lived there, in the village. Dedalus and Hestia had let the Dursleys wander around. They recognized how they would not reveal any vital details about themselves and that being trapped inside a safe house with two of "them" would probably drive him insane. Dudley didn't really have a problem with Dedalus or Hestia, or really and problems with wizardkind in general, but he appreciated the fresh air, especially at Penzance, which was near the sea.

He remembered his first meeting with Kate rather well. It was his first day in Penzance, and he was having breakfast in a diner. He could have made meals himself, but doing something as ordinary as eating in a diner, instead of a dark, cold, bunker, almost made him forget that he was on the run from the most dangerous person in British history. He was looking through the menu, and finally settled on one of their omelets. He had decided upon it because it had small pieces of bacon in it. It was strange that he remembered that. Dudley supposed that he only remembered the exact meal because of the person who served it to him. He set his menu down, and waited for service. A minute or two later, the doors to the kitchen swung open, and from them emerged the most entrancing woman Dudley had ever seen.

She was not the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, nor was she the most charming. It was something about the way she held herself, about the easy going smile on her face, her light manner spoke to him what the beauty of any other girl did not. She flipped the cover off of her order notebook, and began to take orders. She laughed at the witty remark a patron asking for some kind of eggs, and Dudley felt a sudden, irrational wave of jealousy. But then the order was over, and she was walking towards him. Dudley forgot what he wanted to order, and started fumbling with his menu. He could not talk to the wonderful girl walking towards him, he needed time to prepare. Maybe another witty remark, like the other gentlemen, but his brain seemed to stall as she came close. She had to be less than two feet away, and Dudley's palms were shaking nervously, when a voice came from behind him. "Whaddyer want, hon?" Crushing defeat washed over Dudley as he turned his back and saw his grim fate. Another waitress, a crotchety old woman with a wrinkled face and short, curly, red hair looked at him. He mumbled his order, and watched the girl's back hopelessly.

He spent the rest of his meal slowly and deliberately chewing his omelet. It was average diner quality. As he chewed, he mentally prepared a speech for this amazing girl. He didn't know when he would deliver this speech, or why he even why this girl fascinated him at all. Dudley had had girlfriends before. Before his fifth year at the school, his much feared group could get almost any girl they wanted, and the ones they couldn't get were the ones that they didn't want anyway. His muscles and power had attracted all the girls he needed. He had naturally assumed that if any of the girls he liked would fall for him because of his strength, and influence in the school, then all girls worth liking would too. After his fifth year, he obviously had to do some reflecting, but at the time he was too busy thinking about his own problems to even try to get any relationship. He hadn't ever had a girlfriend since his fourth year in Smeltings. Of course, he doubted that even if his entire group of bullies accompanied him here, this girl would be impressed. She didn't strike him as that kind. The crotchety old woman brought his meal out, refilled his water, and did everything for him. He didn't even get a chance to talk to the object of his attentions.

But then, the tobacco industry did for Dudley the nicest thing any company in all of Britain had ever done for him. The old woman got a sudden craving, popped her head into the kitchen and told someone to cover her. Then she went outside for a smoke.

The stunning waitress with the blondish hair was walking towards Dudley again. This time, he knew better than to get his hopes up. She was probably just going by to the obese man with the child, or to the old woman in the corner. Then, miracle of miracles, he heard her footsteps stop, and saw her hands reach out to take his now empty plate. He looked up, surprised.

"Hi," she said, smiling. Her voice was ten times more beautiful when she was talking to him. "I'm haven't seen you around here. Are you new?"

"Oh, yes, I'm Dudley Dursley. I'm visiting from London. I'll just be here a month or so." If Dudley could have stared at his own mouth, he would have done so. He was amazed at the words that had popped out of it. Unfortunately, at this point his mind took over. "I'm just, you know…er…here for…like…you know…a…er…break." He mentally slapped himself.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Dudley, I'm Kate Winthrop." She held out her hand, which Dudley timidly shook then she headed back into the kitchen. Dudley was alarmed for a minute, but she soon returned with a damp rag. "Seems like a bad time to take a break though. A month off, right after school's begun?"

Dudley inhaled quickly, as she went to fetch the bill. He had to come up with a suitable lie, and quickly. "Well, you see, it's not really a vacation."

"Oh?" she asked, as he withdrew his wallet.

"I'm here for…witness protection. I'm not really in any danger, because it was my friend who was a witness, and even he probably isn't in any danger at all, but just to be safe, they have me move around every once in a while." He realized he was beginning to ramble, and stopped, committing this lie to memory, in case he was ever asked again.

"Well, now that's very brave of you." Kate commented.

"It's nothing much," said Dudley, beginning to flush. "Besides, I have full confidence in who they have after him."

"Still, I'd be scared out of my mind! Especially with all these strange goings on. Have you heard? Hurricanes, perfectly sound bridges collapsing, people falling dead with no cause but looks of fear on their faces?"

Dudley nodded, half-listening. "In any case," continued Kate, "It was very nice to meet you, Dudley."

When she said his name, it gave him some sort of inner courage, to do what he had been thinking of since the beginning of the conversation. "Listen, Kate," he began. "I was wondering…" she nodded, bidding him continue. "I am going to spend about a month here, and it'll be a very boring month if I don't have anything to do so, maybe… Couldyoushowmearoundsometime?" Dudley flinched, just hoping she had understood.

Kate looked surprised at the speed he could force words from his mouth, but understood him perfectly, and gladly told him, "That sounds like great fun, why don't you tell me where your house is and…wait, you can't can you…hmmm... here." She pulled out a napkin and scribbled an address. "Meet me here at eight' o'clock." Dudley took the napkin with the utmost reverence. After thanking her very much, he stood up, put down a few pounds and a generous tip, (Which he had forgotten would go to the old woman with red hair) and left the diner.

Kate had not changed much since that day. Her hair had darkened a bit, but she was still essentially the same woman. Dudley knew that she would not be mad at him for lying. It was, after all, a long time ago, with reasonable cause. He just felt a little guilty for not revealing the truth earlier. "Remember that, Dudley?" Kate asked him. "I don't think I actually acknowledged that you would be leaving until about ten minutes before you left. I'm just glad I had the sense to give you my phone number." She laughed.

"Most valuable number I've ever written down," Dudley told her. "Listen, Kate, there's something I need to tell you." She looked at him expectantly, as Sarah had a spell put on her by an imaginary wizard, which made her go to sleep for a very long time. "I was never actually in witness protection." Kate looked shocked, but said nothing. "I…er…was on the run from an evil wizard named Voldemort."

"You were on the run from an evil wizard? Why, Dudley, that's even more dangerous and brave than witness protection. I'm amazed you even had the courage to go outside. Why was he after you?"

"Well…a long time ago, there was this wizard, I think that I once heard Harry say that his real name was Tom…Ruddle. Anyway, so he er…went evil, for some reason, and he heard this prophecy and…" Dudley realized for the first time just how incomplete his knowledge on the subject was. "Tell you what, next time Harry comes, I'll ask him to tell you. His knowledge on the subject is much more complete."

"That sounds wonderful," said Kate, and she laid her head back on Dudley shoulder, right as their daughter had a spell cast on her by a fairy, and woke up from her eternal slumber.

"Ta Da!" she yelled. Dudley just chuckled.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I'm sorry, I would have had this chapter up earlier, but a huge chunk of writing (a page or two) accidentally got deleted. Reviews, please.