A Dudley Story

Chapter 11

Falling Into Place

It certainly seemed that way. Dudley had started his job at the ministry, which was on the same shift time as Susan, so they had whole evenings together. Dudley clocked out and headed to the parking lot where his car was parked, hoping to beat Susan out in their small game of race to the car. As he made it too the parking lot, he sighed as he realized he had lost. Susan sat on the car, happily tapping her watch. Dudley smiled, and then nearly laughed. He still wasn't used to her non-muggle work clothes. He thought how a person might view her at this moment, had they not known her. To others she might look like a strange hippie in her long corsited dress, and pointed boots, her knitted cap completing the look with its bright orchid on the side. A small part of him found it odd, he knew that was the part with his parents voice echoing, but it was whipped from his mind when she waved, and all he could think was how beautiful she was.

"Honey! Orchids!" she took the flower off her hat and held it up like an idea had struck her.

"What about them?" asked Dudley as wrapped his arms around her waist.

"For the wedding? I was thinking violets, but Orchids seem better." said Susan, as she wrapped her arms around Dudley's neck.

"Yesterday you wanted tiger lilies," he smiled.

"What can I say. Your marrying an indecisive witch." she rubbed her nose against his.

"I love you." he chuckled, as he pulled her off the car and placed her down on the ground.

"I love you, too.... now about the color scheme," she giggled as he rolled his eyes, "What, maybe then I can decide on the flower."

"Yellow and White." suggested Dudley.

"Yellow.... hmm. Oh, then the flowers could be sungolds and white iris." Susan, got in the passenger seat and began writing on a piece of old paper in the car, leaving Dudley standing in front of the car.

Dudley sat in the kitchen that night, working on some papers for work and a situation that was supposed to be brought up in a meeting tomorrow. He wasn't worried, it seemed like a pretty easy topic to him. Susan sat down next to him with a cup of coffee and a cup of tea. Susan was busying herself with wedding stuff, Dudley chose not to partake in a lot of it, he could really care less about trivial wedding plans like colors and flowers. He was glad Susan was having a great time with it, but he only cared about marrying her, that was the only thing he honestly cared about.

"Dudley?" asked Susan, in the silence.

"Hmm?" asked Dudley, not looking up from his paperwork.

"Do you think I'm showing?" asked Susan, looking at her stomach.

"What?" asked Dudley, looking up.

"Padma said I was starting to get a bump. Am I?" asked Susan, standing up and lifting her night shirt to show her abdomen.

"I don't know... depends, a little I guess." said Dudley, resting his hand on her stomach, he smiled.

"What?" asked Susan, eyebrow raised, as his hands moved else where, "Dudley!"

Dudley's meeting the next morning had gone very well and had ended early. Harry had asked him to assist him in packing today, Dudley wasn't sure why at first. I mean, Harry could have the whole house packed with a wave of his wand, but he understood more when he'd been told he needed to do some sorting. Dudley was also eager to hear what on earth Harry had made Ron do to allow Ron to purpose. Dudley thought Harry had been joking about the tasks, but according to the wizards he'd had a meeting with "It was a right laugh when Potter made Weasley do that..." Dudley didn't know what had happened, because the blonde wizard had been talking to a tall black wizard when he'd entered. He pulled up in front of his house and went next door, happy to finally be able to see the darn place. He knocked on the door, and without a second of waiting longer, the door was opened and Harry began walking back to the end of the hall. Dudley walked in and closed the door, Harry looked rather miffed at the moment.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Dudley, walking down the hall after him.

"Vernon Dursley, that's who!" grumbled Harry.

"What about my dad?" asked Dudley, slightly confused.

"Just nevermind.... it's.... just forget I said anything," said Harry as he went into the kitchen and began wrapping glasses in newspaper.

"..... are you going to tell me?" asked Dudley.

"Aunt Petunia wanted to go to our wedding, but he wouldn't let her," growled Harry, "You wanna know how I know?"

"Not so much, now that your armed with glass." said Dudley, picking up some newspaper.

"Because she used muggle mail to send me the wedding gift." said Harry, pointing at a package and letter on the table.

"You have a mail box, since when?" asked Dudley, more confused by the fact Harry got muggle mail.

"I got a box for the wedding. I sent an invitation to your parents, well really to your mother. She responded, rather late, but still." said Harry as he wrapped up another glass.

"She could have told me." said Dudley.

"There's a lot of things that people don't know about Aunt Petunia.... but that's not something to get into. She sent you a letter, it says to make sure you read it." said Harry, "You should go get it."

Dudley sat at home later that evening re-reading the letter. It wasn't long like Harry's, but more to the point. She wasn't approving or disapproving of the wedding, simply saying to think things over and that she supported him in what his decision might be. The letter was strange to him, almost as if not written by his mother. When he'd brought that up to Harry, he'd just shrugged it off, saying that sometimes it was easier to tell someone something when there is no one to face.

"Dinner's ready.... I think I burnt it.... but its done." shrugged Susan, Dudley looked at the food in question, mentally vowing to himself, not to let Susan cook, or eat her own cooking.

"I'm going to order pizza." smiled Dudley, going to the phone.

"So your mother is going to come?" asked Susan, looking at the letter.

"It doesn't say that, just that she's supportive." said Dudley, picking up the phone.

"The I, Will, and Come. Are all underlined in the letter." said Susan, holding up the letter and pointing it out.

"I would like a large cheese pizza...." he covered the phone, "Really?"

"Yes." smiled Susan, "Think we should write and tell her about the baby?"

"I don't want her to panic, she's already being open minded about this, lets not... not..."

"Throw a prick wall in front of her?" suggested Susan, with a smile, "I think she might notice at the wedding if I get any bigger."

".... yes..... you are not getting bigger, your still thin." said Dudley, in mid order.

"I love you." she smiled and kissed him on the nose.

"I love you." said Dudley and then looked at the phone, "No, not you Piers..... just bring the pizza."

TBC

You people made me go look at a plant guide... you wanna know something, my mom gardens and she only had ONE decent plant book and it gave me a headache. Also, weddings to me, are a little to extreme. I mean I'm just like any other girl, I dreamed about my perfect wedding when I was six, and honestly.. it will not be big nor extreme. I also refuse to force my fiancee into partaking in planning unless he wants too.