Dudley's Mysterious Illness
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
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Summary: Dudley is taken ill with what seems to be a magical illness. Harry has to investigate.
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Harry felt elated for a week. It seemed that he was respected by everyone except Draco Malfoy. Harry and most of his friends took it almost as a badge of honor to be disrespected by Draco. Both Susan Bones and Ginny Weasley liked him. So did some other girls.
Cho Chang was very beautiful and very shy. Harry did have a problem checking her in Quidditch matches. He only had to play against her once a year. Cedric Diggory had become her boyfriend and they were getting serious.
Susan Bones was nice but rather shy. One day he talked to her a while.
"When I was five Death Eaters killed my parents and Aunt Amelia took me in," said Susan. "They killed a lot of people including Muggles."
"Susan do you know why Neville Longbottom is not with his parents?" asked Harry.
"Aunt Amelia knows but she says it's very confidential," said Susan. "Neville is at liberty to tell anyone he chooses. Aunt Amelia says Neville can tell but she can't. They are not in prison is all she would tell."
"Harry are you starting to notice girls, yet?" asked Susan.
"It's more like they are noticing me!" said Harry.
Harry's face started to blush.
"I made you blush," said Susan.
"It's okay. The first time I had any feeling was Ginny down in the Chamber," said Harry.
Susan and Harry spent several hours talking. It was not a formal date but Harry did enjoy it.
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On Tuesday morning the rug was ripped out from beneath Harry. Professor McGonagall brought him a letter.
"Potter your Aunt knows how to send me Muggle post. I have a post office box in Dufftown. It's set up with me as a Muggle. Once in a while something comes from a Muggle loved one or relative. We also get some of our supplies from Muggle businesses."
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Harry opened the letter.
"Dear Harry,
I don't know which way to turn. Dudley has Dragon Pox. Lily described it. I thought he could not get it.
You have a good heart, Harry. I know we've done some rotten things. Please set these aside and get a few days off school and help me with Dudley. He keeps asking for you.
Aunt Petunia."
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"Professor you better read this!" said Harry.
Professor McGonagall went pale as she read.
"Potter you are excused from classes for the day. Dobby come!"
Dobby showed up in child sized clothing and mismatched socks.
"Dobby is always willing to help Harry Potter. It is an honor!"
"Potter needs a sack lunch from the kitchen," said Professor McGonagall.
In a few minutes Dobby came back with a big sack lunch.
Professor McGonagall told Harry to relax and finish his breakfast. She visited Professor Dumbledore. He came down and met with Harry.
"I don't think this is a fake," said Professor Dumbledore, "but we will take precautions. Some Muggles have a little extra magical DNA and can get magical illnesses. We immunize a Muggleborn's family against Magical illnesses as they are sometimes susceptible to them. We forgot the Dursleys. I know their attitude didn't help. Still that is a poor excuse. Petunia's sister was a powerful magical."
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The first stop after breakfast was the Hospital wing.
"It's true it happens sometimes," said Madam Pomphrey. "Usually the child is a Squib or a wizard with a clamped core. I'll go with you. I need to run some tests on Dudley."
Two Aurors in Muggle clothes joined the group as they boarded the Knight Bus
"Number Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, England, Stan!" said Harry.
Stan Knocked on the window and gave Ernie the destination. The Knight Bus shoot off from the Boar gate and tore down the little country road that lead to the Muggle Motorway. It traveled down the Motorway rapidly, dropped some people off in London and went to Surrey. It pulled up to Number four Privet Drive. Harry, Madam Pomphrey, Professor McGonagall and the two Aurors got off the bus. It disappeared with a pop.
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Aunt Petunia was at the door and let the little group in. "I knew you'd come!" she said. "We should be okay. Vernon is on a business trip to New York City."
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"Let me introduce two Aurors, Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt and Auror Tonks. Aurors are like wizarding police. Sometimes they help people who are lost find their way and sometimes they are Muggles who never know an Auror helped them."
"Do you have a first name Auror Tonks?" asked Petunia.
"If you say it I swear my hair will turn flaming red!" said Tonks dangerously.
"Tonks is a Metamorphagus. A shape shifter. She can do it accidentally. Unlike an Animagus she can take all sorts of forms. It is very useful in her line of work," said Kingsley.
Tonks transformed into a black woman. Then she became Chinese. Then she changed back to herself again.
"Kingsley you look like that black guard for the Prime Minister," said Petunia.
"I am that black guard for the Prime Minister," said Kingsley. "He asked for an Auror to be one of his guards. I can dress as a Muggle very well. We never know that someone with magic will one day come after the Prime Minister. If that day happens they will discover one of his guards is an Auror."
"There has been Death Eater activity lately," said Petunia. "I know what happened at the Quidditch World cup. An owl brought a Daily Prophet to Dudley. It was an eagle owl, a beautiful bird."
Kingsley took a notepad out and wrote down what Petunia had told him. Then with Vernon absent he and Tonks left. There were a couple of soft pops as they Disapparated.
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They sat down in the living room.
"Mrs. Dursley, I have to ask some questions," said Madam Pomphrey. "First of all, is Dudley your actual blood son or did you adopt him?"
"I carried him in my body for nine months. He is my son," said Petunia.
"Has Dudley ever shown any sign of being magical? Might he be a Muggle-born?"
"My Dudley is normal. He is not a freak!" spat Petunia
"Petunia! You have a bad attitude like someone who had their child's core clamped!" said Madam Pomphrey.
"Dudley has no magical core. He is not one of you!" snapped Petunia.
Harry decided to play advocate for Aunt Petunia.
"This is very hard on my Aunt and you are making it more difficult!" said Harry.
"Potter, silence!" said Professor McGonagall.
"I am required to do this!" said Madam Pomphrey.
"If your son is a wizard and his core is clamped, especially by anyone who does not know what they are doing he might die. If that happens the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will ask for your arrest. The charge will be murder. If, however, you tell me we will not prosecute you even if he dies. If you need to change your answer, please do so now."
Petunia remained silent.
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"Alright, then, let's see the patient!" said Madam Pomphrey.
Dudley had a rash and as the group entered he sneezed and his sneeze took fire.
"That is the symptom Lily explained to me," said Petunia. "She said I could have magical children she also said even I could get it. The Ministry had us all immunized."
"Sometimes a child who is a cousin or sibling of a Muggle-born will contract a magical illness," said Madam Pomphrey.
"Usually it is mild. We treat it and modify some memories. In Dudley's case he knows about the magical world so we will treat him and then immunize him without memory modification."
"Dudley we need to have you clean up in the tub and put some potions on your skin and you'll mend quickly," said Madam Pomphrey. "Go take a bath, take these with you and apply them to your skin. We'll give you your privacy."
While Dudley bathed Aunt Petunia got him clean pyjamas and put what he had been wearing in the wash. She also changed his bedding.
Dudley put on the clean pyjamas and climbed into the clean bed.
Madam Pomphrey darkened the room and told Harry to hand his wand to Dudley. "Speak the incantation 'Lumos' and think of the wand tip glowing."
Dudley did this and a soft glow appeared. Dudley spoke the incantation 'nox' and extinguished the wand glow.
"I've read your books, Harry. Dad would kill me but you'd be more tolerant," said Dudley.
"Dudley you have a lot of magical genes, from your mother no doubt," said Madam Pomphrey. "I need to check your magical core. If it has been clamped I need to take you to St. Mungo's and get it unclamped or you could die."
Madam Pomphrey used her wand to do a magical examination. A parchment was generated.
"Everyone has a magical core, Dudley," said Madam Pomphrey. "Muggles have ones that gives them life. Everything alive has this core. Destroy it and you die. Life requires a magical force to sustain it. A wizard has an enhanced magical core that allows him to do spells."
"Clamping is a spell done to restrict the power of the magical core. Done improperly the magic essential to life is also clamped. Clamps are supposed to weaken over time. Clamping done by wizards who are not trained is dangerous. While you have a little extra magical DNA I am happy to tell you that you are still classified as a Muggle."
"What do I tell his father?" asked Petunia.
"Nothing at all!" answered Madam Pomphrey. "His bigotry is known to the wizarding world. Neither I nor one of your doctors can do anything about bigotry. Only he can change his own heart."
Madam Pomphrey counted out some vials for Dudley and Petunia. She told them they were vaccines for magical diseases and to drink them. Petunia had them during Lily's first summer but Madam Pomphrey said she needed boosters after all the years.
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"Dudley, I'll send Hedwig in three days with a blank note addressed to you," said Harry. "Write a quick note of how you are doing, put it in her beak and she'll bring it to me. If your dad asks, you are sending my owl back with a note not to send her to you."
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Harry and his party returned to Hogwarts. After three days Harry sent Dudley a blank note. Dudley had recovered and gone back to Smeltings. Aunt Petunia answered simply, "Dudley is back at Smeltings. Thank you for helping him out."
"Why was Harry's owl here?" asked Vernon.
"It was probably someone at his school playing a prank. I made sure Harry knows we did not appreciate it," said Petunia
Vernon sat down in his easy chair. Things of late had been good at Grunnings. The stocks were up and he'd recently made a good deal in New York City.
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