House: Ravenclaw
Position: HoH
Category: Standard
Prompt: [Object] Springs
Word Count (excluding header): 1076
AN- I know next to nothing about boxing, so this story involved some research. Hopefully, I didn't get anything too wrong.
Dudley Dursley couldn't bring himself to resent his cousin for the year he spent in hiding. His father made it his mission to blame Harry and his "freaky little friends" for every bit of misfortune that came had befallen them and his mother was only too happy to follow her husband's example. When they got word that they could return to Number Four Privet Drive in the middle of May, his parents were pleased as punch. Their Order escorts reported the result of the Battle of Hogwarts and his dad professed minor disappointment that Harry had survived the ordeal. His mom hadn't dared to contradict him out loud.
Dudley, on the other hand, could no longer bear his cousin any ill will and told his dad off. The cousins would likely never be close; Dudley knew that he tormented Harry far too much when they were growing up for all to be forgotten. Dudley recognized that he'd been a self-absorbed bully who just wanted to please his parents. Since his parents clearly loathed Harry, Dudley had too. However, Dudley wasn't the same child he had been. He held only respect for his cousin now.
While in isolation, he had the opportunity to get to know one of his protectors. One of the wizards, a bloke called Wembley, had noticed Dudley practically crawling up the walls from boredom and suggested they work out. Dudley jumped at the chance for some physical exercise.
At Smeltings, he'd taken up boxing as a way to get fit, and as the pounds melted away, he found he liked the sport. Boxing allowed Dudley to channel his physical aggression in a way that was respectable and governed by rules. The fact that he was top of his year didn't hurt either. He excelled at something for the first time in his life and he'd missed it since being forced into hiding.
Using Dudley's directions, Wembley had used his magic and some elbow grease to create a make-shift boxing ring. The transformed bedspread, pillows, and random odds and ends barely resembled the semi-professional gymnasium that Dudley was used to, but he didn't care. The second Dudley stepped into the ring and heard the squeak of the springs beneath his feet, he felt a sense of peace.
Dudley had jogged a few laps around the ring, feeling the springs rebound with every stride he took. He transferred his weight from side to side and took a series of practice jabs in the air as Wembley entered the ring.
Dudley explained the Queensbury Rules that governed the sport as he helped Wembley lace up the boxing gloves transformed from his mother's gardening gloves. Wembley magicked an alarm clock to time the three-minute rounds with a minute in between. The pair went to their respective corners.
Dudley bounced from foot to foot, feeling the springs give and take as he went. He noticed Wembley mimicking his movements across the ring. Dudley hoped he didn't look quite as ridiculous taking practice swings into the air; Wembley looked as if he was trying to swat a bumblebee. Beneath the mat, the creaky springs squeaked and groaned as the pair readied themselves to fight.
Dudley sprinted to the middle of the ring when the alarm rang, meeting Wembley with a swift jab to the shoulder. Wembley responded with a gut punch that nearly knocked the wind out of Dudley. Dudley took a step back, quickly bouncing off the springy floor, and replied with a series of quick chest taps followed by a hard uppercut to the chin.
Wembley went down like a bag of potatoes, his body bouncing on the mat.
Dudley sprung backward, rocking back and forth on his feet waiting for Wembley to either get up or stay down. The springs beneath Dudley's feet whined in protest as he counted off ten seconds.
When the time elapsed, Dudley stopped his bouncing and dove to his knees beside Wembley who remained prone and unmoving on the mat.
"Alright, mate?" Dudley had asked.
Wembley responded by letting out a big belly laugh. He rolled up onto his knees and said, "I'm fine. You pack a hard punch!"
Dudley had helped Wembley to his feet and thanked him for the match. When Wembley offered to box again the next time he was on duty at the safe house, Dudley took him up on it.
For months, Dudley had boxed with Wembley every time he visited. His mother was pleased that her "Diddy-kins" was having a good time. His father was happy every time Dudley flattened the "magic freak" and outraged every time Wembley landed a solid hit. Dudley was thrilled that he had an outlet from the tedious hours of boredom, even when he lost a match.
Over those months, Dudley had gotten to know Wembley. He learned to trust the wizard, viewing him as an equal deserving of respect, and finally accepting him as a friend.
After Dudley and his parents were returned home, they had very little contact with the Wizarding World. Harry sent a letter through the Post extending an olive branch, but his dad chucked it in the bin. Dudley squirreled it out of the trash and saved the address for himself.
In the fall, Dudley returned to Smeltings for his final year, explaining his absence as a year abroad backpacking through the Andes. On his first free afternoon, he made his way into the empty boxing gym, suited up, and entered the ring.
The proper ring didn't have the same feel as the make-shift ring Wembley had pieced together. The new springs beneath his feet didn't squeak and groan when he bounced from foot to foot. Dudley was happy to be back in his real life, but he missed his days boxing with Wembley in the creaky ring.
When Dudley's first match came about, he was raring to go. He knocked his opponent to the mat with a couple of quick jabs and the crowd went crazy. Bouncing from foot to foot, he hit a creaky spring. His eyes, as if drawn by an unseen force, shot up to the back of the crowd, and he swore that he saw Wembley cheering. When he blinked, the man was gone.
Every time Dudley hit a creaky spring throughout the rest of his boxing career, he smiled at the memory of Wembley, a wizard who started as his protector and proved to be his equal. His friend.