Returning to Grimmauld Place with Dudley didn't feel the same without Harry also there beside him. Not even Sirius' best efforts to keep him distracted had any impact.
Of course, Sirius noticed this, as Elias normally enjoyed his antics, and so he simply took him to the side and sat him down to talk.
"Hey bud, I see you're taking Harry's absence about as well as Petunia. She's been keeping it together in front of you boys, but every day since Harry went into the healing coma, she has woken up from terrible nightmares that he never wakes up, I'll tell you what I tell her every morning. Harry is the strongest person I know, he eclipses James in every way and is both kinder and more intelligent than Lily ever was. He has had to fight every year of his life and will likely fight his entire life, I'm not sure even he knows how fiercely protective he is of those around him."
"Yeah, that's Harry for you, simply unstoppable. Am I being silly for worrying?" Elias whispered the last sentence, feeling silly for asking.
"I remember not too long ago Harry asked me the same question in this very room, he was just as worried about appearing silly. I told him to be strong, but what I should have also told him is to embrace being silly. There is more to life than the glamorous; there is hurt and dirt, pain and gain, but also the simpler side of life with the silly stuff and doing things that are simply fun, maybe only to you, but that doesn't make it any less special."
"Harry will be alright, won't he?"
"I have all the confidence in the world that he will be."
/_-^_^-_/
Dudley and Elias were both excited on Christmas Day, the spirit of the holiday being reinvigorated by the news of Petunia and Sirius' upcoming wedding. It was to take place in the summer and Elias immediately began discussing preparation with Petunia. The sight of him dragging her away to "discuss themes" amused Sirius and Dudley to no end.
"Harry asked if he could call me Dad, just before he went into the coma, I hope that we could reach that point at some point in our lives. I know I can never replace your real Father, but-" not for the first time was Sirius interrupted by someone throwing their arms around him.
"I didn't think you would want me to call you Dad. Ever since Voldemort killed my birthfather I've wanted someone to walk in and be my Dad. When we met you in the Shrieking Shack I never expected that you would be the man I called father," Dudley told him, a lot less timid than Harry had been in the same situation.
"Well, son, what do you want to do while they're planning?"
"I want to know more about you, any stories you haven't told us yet or something like that."
"I have more stories than most, especially about the Marauders."
/_-_-^_^_-_-/
If he thought going home without Harry was weird, it was even harder for Dudley to go back to Hogwarts without him. A small part of him was bitter that Harry had left so suddenly, after all, they were brothers and he had just left one day. However, he was aware that these thoughts were unhealthy and so was easily able to ignore them.
He had just finished writing a letter back to the doctor who encouraged him to pursue the mind arts, with Nora talking to him using a ring specially customised to allow a Squib to use it, and was walking to the Owlery to see his pet owl and send her off with his letter.
As he walked in, both Hedwig and his own owl Aruna flew over to him, the former probably missing Harry while the latter simply wanted something to do. He awkwardly fastened the letter to Aruna and stroked Hedwig, telling her that Harry would be back soon enough.
As Dudley went back inside to go to the Library, he was stopped by Professor Gaunt who asked to speak to him in his office. Dudley begrudgingly agreed and followed the man in silence to his classroom, the entire time ready to summon his friends via the ring.
"I have given the doctors all they will need to help Harry, however, with the elevated threat level in regards to Voldemort and his hunting of your cousin, he has been placed in the highest security ward in Britain," Professor Gaunt began once they entered the room, the door locking behind them.
"Do you think I'm an idiot? I know you are Voldemort."
"Right. I knew Harry had told his friends and family, but what I know he failed to tell you is that he entered this healing coma under my specific instructions. I have had to make myself a known enemy of the main part of my soul, I stole great knowledge from him and delivered it to the healers assigned to Harry. I have done all of this to secure his loyalty. Apparently, the influence of Ginny Weasley was stronger than I thought, or perhaps I'm simply the clearest mentally that I've ever been."
"Why are you telling me all of this? Why even bring me here in the first place?" Dudley demanded, becoming noticeably angry with the man before him.
"You asked, and I answered. Harry has an unfortunate habit of keeping everything secret from those in his life who best deserve to know, it is in an effort to mitigate the potentially disastrous consequences of his choices that I offer you the chance to enter into my Pensieve with me to view all of my conversations with Harry. Secrets will find their way out, is it not better to get ahead of this?" Professor Gaunt questioned Dudley, smiling as the boy nodded his agreement.
"If Harry is willing to trust you, then I shall do this, one time, if you prove that decision to have been a poor one, then I won't offer my trust again."
"A perfectly rational way of looking at things. Accio Pensieve. Shall we begin?"
/_-^_^_-/
"No, Harry has not permanently left the school, I don't know where you got that nonsense from, but I'm getting sick of having to answer questions about him, so is Elias, so can you please stop? I'm sure Harry will answer you if he wants to when he gets back," Dudley answered for what felt like the hundredth time since Harry had gone. It seemed that every mealtime he was inundated with question after question, though Elias seemed to get the worst of it, with Dennis Creevey leading people into asking provocative questions just to get a rise out of him. Fortunately for Elias, he had the Vipers as well as Derek to keep people away from him. More than that, the rest of the school was respectful of Harry's right to privacy and Dennis ended up more lonely and isolated as a result.
Leading into February, Dudley had noticed that Dennis was staring at him, in a very similar manner to how he would stare at Harry. Dudley put the thought out of his mind as the days turned to weeks and he received his first update on Harry's condition. He would be back in March hopefully, but he might act a bit irrational or unstable. He and Elias felt a wide array of emotions upon reading the letter from Sirius and Petunia, with the Vipers all coming together to keep their spirits up.
Blaise and Hermione also detailed their plans to help Squibs to wield magic like the wizards of the world, asking if anyone there would like to help with the experiment, nobody objected to being asked to help, satisfying the seven-person requirement.
"Now all we need to do is find a Squib who wants us to try this on them, though I can't imagine where we would find one."
/_-^_^_-/
"So, what you mean to tell me is that the dragons cannot return to their human Elemental form," Harry questioned the four forces of nature who had held him in their world for what felt like an eternity.
"Exactly, when they became dragons and the Air Elementals fled, they were able to take what was previously a genetic gift and turn it into something that anyone could achieve. Let's just say that nobody is truly well-informed, and even the dragons can only remember so far back. Sors'Dzala knows the most, more than the Zabini woman, yet the book she gifted you will unfortunately only be for you, as the Air Elementals were able to live on by abandoning their kin. I had to personally bestow upon you the ability to control Air, which will pass onto any children you have."
"Can't you give the power to anyone else, it would be a lot easier to learn with another Air Elemental."
"That I cannot do Harry, I overstepped my bounds by doing so to you, I fear that consequences will be rather unfortunate for me if I did," Fate explained, apologetic for her inability to help even more.
"You will be returning to your realm very soon, you have seen the threads of fate and have gained unspeakable knowledge. We trust you to do what is right," Magic spoke up, a rare occurrence indeed, smiling at Harry as the Sisters faded away and the world around him became light and then dark again. Harry could hear incantations being recited, as well as an excruciating pain from deep within his head, before silence met the darkness and he was aware no more.
/_-_^_^_-_/
"Have you lost your mind, Albus? This is the single stupidest thing you've ever done," Molly Weasley shouted at the man who had just announced that Tom Riddle would be joining them at their next meeting.
"It's as if you're inviting the Devil himself into our homes," Ted Tonks added, earning a murmur of agreement from the Order.
"We have a permanent location from the next meeting onward, Sirius here was kind enough to offer us one of the Black family properties that don't get used. It is warded so that only the Lord and Heir of the family can cast offensive spells of any kind," Albus Dumbledore rebuked, quelling some of the opposition, but not all of it.
"What makes you think that he really is a good person, how can something good split away from something that is pure evil?" Arthur asked rationally, not one prone to outbursts outside of the most extreme circumstances.
"I have met with him, several times, in fact, he even sent me a particularly nice thick pair of socks for Christmas. Nevertheless, I have looked into his mind and soul, both of them are without a doubt pure. I confess that I was surprised by this myself, I had prepared to duel him if it came down to it, but even the neighbours love him. He has single-handedly reinvigorated the village, with the addition of a small company that made the very socks he sent me. It has brought in a few outsiders, who in turn brought their families, who have their own small startups, with very generous loans from Tom. I even have someone I trust working there and she reports that they get a very generous wage and pension plan, with their meals being provided by Tom. He is very protective of the inhabitants of Little Hangleton, so much so that he was upset that I had asked the locals any questions. He is a good man, I know it."