This is for Round 8 of the IWSC.
Story Title/Link: Magical and Muggle
School and Theme: Durmstrang - The Forest of Dean - Look at relationships between wizards, Muggles, Muggleborns and other sentient creatures.
Main Prompt: 9. (any pairing) Cho Chang/Dudley Dursley ((I did friendship into romance))
Additional Prompts: 2. (setting) muggle playground, 12. (plot point) unlikely friendship
Year: 2
Word count (google docs): 3299
The Golden Snitch
Beauxbatons, Barbegazi
The Emoji Challenge: 5. The kiss with an eye closed emoji - Write about a secret love
I would say this prompt works because Dudley is hiding his feelings from Cho and is hiding the fact that he still talks to Cho from his family. Dudley is very secretive about his love for Cho in this story.
The A/N of explanations: Dudley here, although still hates Harry, has a soft spot for Cho and is always nice to her. He never really thought that Cho was a witch until the end because he didn't know enough about the wizarding accepts her because he has changed and realizes that magic is not just for freaks. I wrote the story like it happened in line with canon except for the fact that here, instead of Cho dating Harry after Cedric dies, she dates Dudley. I wrote her as a half-blood. She knows she has to hide magic from Dudley but trues to tell him as much as she can about her life.
"Alright, Diddykins," Petunia said looking down at her lovely son, "go on and play."
"I'm a big boy now, mum," Dudley said, crossing his arms over his chest. He was 6, not a baby anymore. None of his friend's parents called them nicknames in public.
"Of course, you are," his mum said absentmindedly. "Go play now. We have to go home soon to make sure the boy isn't messing with our belongings."
"Okay," he said as his mum sat down on a bench, "I'll go and play."
Dudley set off for the swing set, his favourite part of the park. He had just learned how to ride them without his dad pushing him and he was very proud.
When he got there, he saw that someone had taken his usual spot. A young girl, around his age, was swinging happily, her feet soaring high in the air. She had raven-black hair and eyes like dark chocolate. For some strange reason, Dudley found himself almost nervous to approach her, although he couldn't figure out why.
"Excuse me," he said in his best mature-sounding voice. "That's my swing set."
The girl looked over at him and frowned. "It doesn't belong to anybody."
"It's the one I use."
"That doesn't make it yours." The girl hopped off the swing and turned to face him. "If you'd like, you can have the one next to mine."
Dudley didn't see the need to disagree with her. After all, she had a point.
"So," Dudley said after he had started up his swing, "are you new here? I've never seen you around."
"No," the girl said somewhat sadly. "I was born here but my parents don't let me out too often."
Dudley suddenly remembered his cousin, who was never allowed to leave his house. But that was because he was a freak and this girl seemed quite normal.
"Why can't you leave? Are your parents mean to you?"
She looked somewhat alarmed. "No, of course, not! I'm home-schooled and they are just very protective of me."
"Oh, that makes sense."
The two swung in silence for a while until Dudley spotted his mum waving to him from across the park. She was signaling to him that they had to go.
Dudley dragged his feet into the ground until his swing stopped and then jumped off. Turning to Cho, he said, "I have to go now."
"Okay. I should probably go too."
Then, swinging her legs higher and higher, she leapt off the swing. To Dudley's eyes, it seemed like she was in the air for just a bit too long before landing in a crouch in front of him.
"Wow, that was so cool. How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Jump off the swing like that. It looked like you were flying!"
Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh, I'm not sure. Maybe it was the wind?"
Dudley shrugged and held out a hand for the girl to shake. "I'm Dudley by the way. Can you come back next week?"
She smiled. "Okay. I'm Cho."
Cho skipped off to where her dad was standing. Dudley thought he looked a little stern as he spoke to his daughter. Turning away, he headed over to his mum, who was looking after Cho with an odd look on her face.
"Mum, what is it?"
"That girl," she said, "have you met her before?"
"No, she doesn't come here often. She's nice."
Still, she was looking at Cho strangely, like she was trying to figure something out. Then, she turned to Dudley and smiled. "Come on, Diddykins. Let's go home."
"Hi, Cho," Dudley said as he welcomed one of his best friends into his house. "Happy Birthday!"
She grinned as he handed her a present. "You remembered!"
He smiled, happy that he had made her so pleased. "Of course, I did."
Cho's birthday was in June as well, which Dudley had always liked. It meant that they were only a year apart.
"Your birthday is just next week," she said, as though reading his mind. "Are you excited to turn 8?"
"Yes," he replied, showing her to the living room. "Want to play a game on the T.V?"
"Sure, I don't really know how though."
Cho set her present on the couch next to her and they played one of the games that Dudley had gotten last year. She wasn't very good although she didn't seem to mind. Dudley's mum brought them tea and biscuits and stood in the corner of the room, watching them.
After Cho had lost for the seventh time, Dudley asked, "Haven't you played this game before? It's very popular."
"Oh, I don't play games all too often on this box. My family doesn't have one."
Dudley frowned. "You don't have a T.V?"
"No, my dad says that they interfere with your m—" she cut off suddenly before saying, "he says they're bad for your brain." Glancing around the room, she asked, "Why are there four coats? I thought you didn't have any siblings. Although that one looks much more worn out..."
Dudley supposed that that was a reasonable question. Cho had never been inside his house before, they only ever met up at the playground. He wanted to go to her house for her birthday but she had asked to come to his instead. He had never mentioned his cousin to her and judging by the stern look on his mum's face, he should keep it that way.
"Oh, that's just my old coat." He cast around for something to change the topic. "Why don't you open your gift?"
She did. Pulling out the box of chocolates he had gotten her, she smiled. "These look tasty. Thanks."
"No problem," he said happily. "They're my favourite kind. What's your favourite kind of chocolate?"
"Oh, I like frogs. They're the best."
Dudley frowned. He hoped that frogs were just some rare treat he hadn't tried before because eating real frogs sounded gross. His mum, however, must have thought that Cho meant real frogs because she suddenly looked disgusted.
"Cho, darling," her mum said. "Don't you need to get home soon. Your mum had told me you were only staying for a little while."
Cho jumped up. "Right, I should get going now. Bye, Dudley."
She hugged him and he fought to keep butterflies from erupting in his stomach.
"Diddykins," his mum said once she had left. "I don't think you should go talking to this Cho girl anymore."
Dudley gaped. "Why not? She's my best friend!"
"I know, but..." his mum seemed at a loss for words. "I heard that she...comes from the wrong sort of family. You really shouldn't talk to her. You have many other friends to talk to."
Dudley screamed at his mum, whining and sniffling. Usually, when he did that, she would let him have his way. But not this time. She seemed oddly flustered and demanded that he never talk to Cho again. He stomped up the stairs angrily.
In his room, having gotten his anger out, he decided that he wouldn't lose his best friend. He just wouldn't tell his mum that he was talking to her. That couldn't be too hard.
"What do you mean?" Dudley asked, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. "You're going to a boarding school? In Scotland?"
Cho sighed and ran her hand up the swing railing. "It's a really good school, Dudley. It's for gifted children and my dad went there. He really wants me to go."
"But that means I'll never get to see you!"
"Of course, you will. I'll come home for Christmas and summer break. We can just keep meeting at the park like we always have."
Dudley couldn't believe it. His best friend was leaving him. Not to mention he still couldn't figure out why he felt so nervous whenever she looked at him a certain way. "What do you have to do to get in?" he asked desperately. "Maybe next year I can join you."
"Maybe," she said, but she looked doubtful. "It's a very prestigious school. Aren't you supposed to go to Smeltings Academy next year?"
"I know but I'd rather go with you."
She looked very sad. "I'm really sorry, Dudley. I promise we can still be friends."
The ten-year-old had a sudden urge to cry. Truly cry. Which he hadn't done in years. Cho looked on the verge of tears as well. He gave her a final hug, ignoring those crazy butterflies, and turned away to head home.
"Bye, Cho."
"See you soon, Dudley."
Dudley eagerly waved goodbye to his parents before leaving the house. Cho was coming back home for Christmas and had invited Dudley over to her house for the first time.
For the past three years, ever since Cho had left for her fancy boarding school, he had kept their friendship a secret from his parents. They were still close, just not as much as before. He knew his mum wouldn't want him hanging out with someone who came from the wrong sort of family. She thought he was headed to Piers's house.
Yet, Cho seemed quite normal to him. Not like his cousin, who was in his second year at his boarding school and was staying there until summer. Once, he had wondered if they went to the same boarding school but had then laughed at himself. His cousin was a magical freak at a freakish school and Cho was normal.
"Dudley!" she grinned when she answered the door. She hugged him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you!"
He tried to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks. He had known for the past year or so that he had quite a big crush on Cho. Piers had a crush on a blonde girl in their grade and he looked at her the same way Dudley thought he looked at Cho. She was just so beautiful, funny, and smart. He loved everything about her but wasn't sure if she felt the same way.
"Hi, Cho," he smiled. "I like your house."
Although Cho's house was a little on the small side, it seemed quite homey. Her mum smiled at him from where she was cooking something and her dad was hanging up ornaments on their tree. The ornaments were floating onto the tree...
He did a double-take. The ornaments weren't floating, Cho's dad was sorting through them, looking up at Dudley with an expression he didn't know the meaning behind. But the ornaments were definitely not floating. But he had thought they were...
"Come on, Dudley," Cho said, breaking through his thoughts. "Let's go up to my room."
Cho's room was quite pretty and very blue. When she had come back from her first year at her school, she had been obsessed with blue. Dudley found it very cute.
He saw a banner with some sort of bird on it hanging above her bed. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to it.
"Oh, it's my," she paused slightly, "school's logo. It's a raven."
Cho closed the door behind her and Dudley spotted a broom behind it. At first, it seemed normal, but it looked very polished. He had never seen a polished broomstick before. Actually, he thought to himself, he had. Only, he couldn't remember where.
The rest of the day had gone by normally. They played some card games and had tea with biscuits. Cho listened to him talk about Smeltings and he listened to her talk about how she was on her school's sports team and loved it. He wondered what sport it was.
She had hugged him two more times that day, which he enjoyed very much. As he left, he cast one more look at that broom. It looked so familiar...
Dudley had been having an old summer so far. Ever since Cho came home a month ago, she hadn't wanted to talk to him. She hadn't even wanted to see him. He had only gotten her to talk to him last week, and even then, she was quiet and sad.
His own home was odd as well. His cousin, ever the freak, had been acting more and more strange lately. He would stay looked up in his room (well, Dudley's room actually) and was being high-tempered and hostile. Dudley wondered if everyone he knew would start acting strangely.
The late July sun beat down on his back. He had told his parents that he was out to have tea but he knew his freak of a cousin thought he was out with his gang of friends. What no one knew was that he was secretly heading out to the playground to meet with Cho.
He spotted her running her hand on the rail of the swing. The one she always used. Tears streamed down her face.
"Cho," he said as he walked up to her. "Why are you crying?"
"Oh," she glanced up and tried to wipe away her steady flow of tears, "don't mind me. I'm being silly, that's all."
"No," he said, hugging her. "Tell me. I want to know."
He did want to know. He couldn't stand to see his best friend so upset. Not being able to make her feel better was like torture. He cared about her more than anyone in the world.
"I had a boyfriend," she whispered.
He felt his stomach drop. Cho had been his crush for years and she has a boyfriend? He had always thought that she liked him back.
"A day after school ended," she continued, "just before I came home—"
She broke off and Dudley, despite the jealousy in his chest, took her in his arms. "What happened?"
Cho took a shaky breath and met his eyes. "I figured out he got in a bad car accident. He died on the scene."
A wave of different emotions swept over him. He didn't know how he was supposed to feel. Her boyfriend had died, he ought to feel sympathetic, but he couldn't stop the hope that blossomed in his chest. Dudley shook his head, disgusted with himself. Cho shook even harder in his arms.
"What was his name?" he asked softly, for it seemed as though she would break at a louder noise.
"Cedric," she whispered against his chest. "He didn't have to die. He was the spare."
Dudley didn't think to ask her what she meant by the spare. A sudden memory came to his mind. Being jolted awake by screams from his cousin. Cries of "Cedric, no!" and "Don't kill him, please!" His cousin screamed in his sleep about a Cedric. Maybe it was a coincidence. Cedric was a decently common name. Right?
He felt tears seep through his shirt, making his chest cold even with the heat. She was in so much pain and he didn't know how to make it better. Then, without thinking, without even considering the consequences, he kissed her.
She reacted better than he thought she would have. She kissed him back and he felt happier than he had in weeks. He didn't care that they were in a playground (it was deserted anyway). All he knew is that he was finally kissing her, and it was great.
Cho pulled away softly and looked up at him. Through the layer of tears, Dudley could see the happiness in her eyes.
The items sprawled across Dudley's room perfectly matched his thoughts. He didn't know what was going to happen to him. Harry had some evil wizard after him and that meant that his own family was in danger. They were supposed to go into hiding. A group called the Order was supposed to help them. They had to leave. Tonight.
He ran a hand through his hair. He had less than an hour now to pack up his whole life into a single suitcase. He didn't know if he was ever coming back to this house. And he was scared. So scared. He had been attacked by those horrible things two years ago and apparently there were thousands more of them. He was leaving his old, normal life behind.
He wasn't allowed to tell anyone. Not his friends. Not his classmates or his teachers. Or his girlfriend...
He jumped up. Cho didn't know that he was leaving. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone but she had to know. She would be devastated. She had just graduated from her school and had planned on getting a small house nearby so he could visit her more often. Now he was leaving with no certainty that he would return.
Without even being aware of it, his feet carried him out of his room and out the door. His parents, busy packing up the kitchen, didn't notice him. He all but sprinted to the playground, where he knew Cho would be.
He was right. There she was. His beautiful girlfriend. She was swinging lightly on that swing she was on when they first met. Her face lit up when she saw him like it always did. Dudley felt his heart start to crack.
"Dudley!" she cried, launching herself onto him. "I've missed you so much. I haven't seen you all summer."
He pulled back and studied every inch of her face. They had only dated for two short years. He had to tell her, but he knew it would break her heart. And his.
His expressions must have shown on his face—he wasn't bothering to hide them—because she kissed his cheek. "What's wrong?" she asked. "What's bothering you?"
Cho always knew when he was upset. He had always loved that about her. But not now.
He took a deep breath. "I'm moving away."
She froze. "What?"
"I'm moving," he said, "and I'm not coming back. It's far away from here so I can't contact you. I love you, Cho, I always have, but we can't do this." She was staring at him, confused etched upon her features. "Please be happy," he continued, trying not to choke on sobs. "For me. I love you."
Feeling tears sting the back of eyes, he turned away. Cho caught at his wrist. "What do you mean?" she whispered. "We can still talk. We—"
"No," he said, "we can't. I'm leaving. I'm sorry. Goodbye."
Tears filled her eyes. He turned around and walked away without another word. A sob from behind him made his heart break.
The familiar playground of his childhood gave Dudley a wave of nostalgia. The war in Harry's world had ended and they could go back home. But nothing was the same. He was a changed man, he could feel it.
His eyes scanned over the adoring parents and carefree children, remembering when he'd been like them. Not a care in the world.
A young girl playing on the swings caught his eyes. She had messy brown hair and was swinging, higher and higher...
An image wavered in front of his eyes. A young girl with raven-black hair and soft chocolate-coloured eyes swinging on those very swings...flying high into the air.
A woman was there now, hugging the girl when she landed.
It was as though his eyes had been opened to the world. He walked slowly towards the pair. The woman looked up and their eyes met.
"Cho," he breathed.
"Dudley," she whispered, her eyes widening in fear. "She wasn't doing anything, I swear—"
"Shhh," he interrupted, "I know about it all."
She exhaled and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is Isla. She's an orphan from the war. I adopted her."
He leaned closer. "I'm so sorry I left you."
"I never stopped loving you." Cho kissed him longingly. "How long have you known?"
Dudley knew what she meant. "I love you both. You've always been magical to me."