A Long Awaited Reunion
'Harry! Harry Potter!' someone yelled down the packed streets of Diagon Alley. Harry cringed. It had been a while since someone had so publicly called for him. Especially when surrounded by his family. He simply wanted to take James to get an owl, like Hagrid had done with him before he left for school, when he was eleven. Now he had to deal with someone wanting to talk about the war.
"I thought that was you.' said a hulking figure coming out of Madam Malkin's, face obscured by the shadow. The voice was familiar to Harry, though he could not place it in his recent memory.
"Who'd have thought i'd end up here, eh?" said the voice once more as it came into the sunlight. Harry gasped, and James' head whipped to his father, not used to seeing the Auror caught off guard.
"Dudley? Blimey! How-? Why-? What-?" Harry didn't even know where to begin. He had reached out a hand to shake Dudley's, but his blonde brute of a cousin pushed past it and pulled him in for a hug.
"My daughter, Sophie. She's a witch. We've suspected for a while, I've been meaning to write you a hundred times, but I never knew how. But just last week, Professor Hagrid, the same bloke that came and picked you up from the island, knocked on our door, and explained it all to Hyacinth and me. He said he requested the visit when he saw Sophie's name on the list. Had a right good laugh about it, actually, he and I did." Dudley tells him.
"Right! Congratulations! This is my son, James. He'll be starting at Hogwarts on the 1st as well. James, this is my cousin Dudley." He says, nudging his son to shake Dudley's hand as well. James, always polite in company, shakes Dudley's hand and introduces himself once more. A very tiny blonde woman, and her daughter that looks much like Dudley did at that age appear at his cousin's side.
"Hyacinth, this is my cousin Harry, the one everyone has been telling us about. I hope you don't mind." he turns to Harry. "But people ask if we know anyone magical and I say you out of reflex, and I forget that you're a celebrity in this world. It's a lot to reckon with i guess."
"It's perfectly fine Dudley." he assures his cousin, as he shakes Hyacinth's hand. "You must be Sophie." he shakes the young girl's hand as she looks shyly to her mother. "This is your cousin James. He'll be starting Hogwarts this year as well. So, you'll know someone. I remember my first train ride. I was a wreck, thinking I wouldn't make any friends. Now you know you'll have at least one." Sophie smiles at James who waves at her, comforted in that fact.
"We'll see you on the first then? at the special platform." asks Dudley.
"Absolutely. We'll catch up after the fact too. Get lunch or something. Ginny, my wife, and I can answer any more questions you have."
"I'd... I'd really like that" Dudley nods and they part ways with the promise that their next reunion would not take another 17 years to come about.