Title: Ask me to help you find the wind

Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Anderson

Warnings: child abuse, AU, victim blaming by the victim

Pairings: none

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 410

Point of view: third

Prompt: Harry Potter, Dudley + Harry, they grew up as best friends, with Dudley trying to help Harry everytime his parents were abusive of him.

When the letter comes, Harry hands it off to Dudley; his parents don't notice, so later that afternoon, they hide in Dudley's room to read it together.

"Could it possibly be real?" Harry asks hesitantly.

"I think it might be," Dudley says. "All the... odd things, you know."

"I suppose," Harry replies dubiously. But there are a lot of odd things.

They have no owl to send back a letter, so they put it aside for now.

.

Three days later, a witch knocks on the door. Aunt Petunia nearly faints, and Uncle Vernon scowls fiercely, but Dudley politely invites her in.

After her explanation, Harry says, "It does sound wonderful, ma'am, but I can't leave without Dudley."

Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, blinks at him. "Beg pardon?"

"He's my brother, you see," Harry says, licking nervously at his lips while glancing towards the door. His relatives had left him alone with the professor, dragging Dudley with them. "I can't leave him alone here. Without me around, they might turn on him."

"Mr. Potter," she says severely. "Do you mean to tell me that your relatives are… are harming you?"

He hesitates, glancing again at the door. He doesn't want to say – it's always his fault, anyway – but without him, Dudley might be in danger. "Yes," he whispers.

Her eyes flash.

.

Hedwig brings letters between them daily, as Harry writes down everything about Hogwarts while Dudley shares all the details about their new family. He doesn't have enough magic for Hogwarts, but there is a tiny spark there, enough to see the creatures. As best the healer could determine, the one Professor McGonagall dragged them both to that first day, Dudley's potential had been there since birth (of course) but only Harry's magic in close proximity had let it grow enough to actually matter.

Harry is Sorted into Hufflepuff, makes friends with Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot, and doesn't like Professor Snape all that much, but since the healer fixed Harry's eyesight and Harry's not in Gryffindor, Professor Snape never goes into tirades about the father Harry can't remember and never knew.

Sometimes, the headmaster watches Harry; Harry pays it no nevermind.

Over the holiday, Harry goes home to his brother and foster family: the Diggorys. They have another son, a fourth year Hufflepuff who helped Harry navigate Hogwarts in the beginning.

"It's been amazing, Harry," Dudley says, pouncing on him at the station.

"Yes, it has," Harry agrees.