If there were a marking system of how wrong something you did was, the person seated at their table the morning after would rank top. The sight of him caused both Dudley and his cousin to freeze. There were guardians, teachers, officers of law, and hospitals. And then there were the twinkling blue eyes of the closest thing Dudley and Harry had to a grandfather.
The two boys huddled tightly together when Albus steered Lily and James out. The older man was all reassuring with everyone, but Dudley didn't trust that. No one in this family was that calm.
Dudley fidgeted as Albus carefully grasped his arm and turned it to look at the area. Without saying anything, Albus pulled at the edge of the bandage. It disappointed Dudley to see nothing out of the ordinary in it. He'd been hoping for a possible sign of change at the entry spot. Without letting any sign of what he thought come through his face, Albus took Harry's hand and looked it over.
"Well," he finally spoke. "It appears as though the two of you had an interesting night. Why don't you tell me about it?"
Dudley peered over at his cousin, whose head had gone up in relief. Then Dudley peeked over to Albus and froze at the focused blue eyes over the pleasant smile. This had trouble written all over it. The man never lost the twinkle in his eyes no matter what people did. Usually something Uncle James or Sirius did, sometimes Harry, but Dudley had thankfully stayed out of Albus's sight for the most part. But there was no twinkle of amusement now.
His cousin rambled on about how they thought the blood was close enough and thought the idea could work, hands moving as he explained. Albus nodded as Harry explained. Dudley stood in fear and trembled when the blue eyes shifted to study him as his cousin became distracted by telling the story. When the eyes suddenly snapped away, Dudley breathed a sigh of relief. Until he realized why.
"Blood based magic? From your mother's books?" Harry's head bobbed. "Can you show me them Harry?"
Quick and bright at the interest, his cousin led Albus to the bookcase and pointed up the highest shelf, covered with a slide cover and lock. Albus raised an eyebrow at Harry. Dudley wasn't too surprised at seeing his cousin rock back on his heels, grinning. Harry could be surprisingly sneaky for the oddest of things. Loud and outgoing, anyone else outside of family and close family friends were taken by surprise at realizing Harry was even capable of doing it. Luck, accident, not paying attention were all used. Dudley knew it was skill. He'd been dragged along on a couple of Harry's escapades.
Aunt Lily never liked Uncle James and his friends encouraging Harry. They'd often tell Harry and Dudley all sorts of pranks they got up to during when kids. Harry already realized and was bright with anticipation of nicking a map of the school into his possession the minute he entered Hogwarts. As his cousin cheerfully stated, his mum wouldn't be there.
Dudley didn't worry too much about Harry. Well, not after he overheard Uncle James whining at Aunt Lily mailing a professor on Harry potentially pushing limits if she or Dudley wasn't there. Considering the professor had dealt with Uncle James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus in school; it relieved Dudley somewhat. He knew Aunt Lily didn't know everything that happened when it was just him and Harry. Otherwise, she would not have named Dudley as someone to hold Harry back. His cousin liked including him in everything.
Which is why the upcoming September felt wrong.
Dudley shuffled back as Albus opened the locked shelf and brought down the book Harry pointed at. He hadn't been the best guest after the accident and hospital stay. Downright hated living in the same cottage because his mum and dad wouldn't have approved to freaks raising him. He'd only wanted them back, not be with the people his mum called the freak family under her breath. When Aunt Lily offered going back to his old school rather than the large primary Harry went to, Dudley took it.
Harry, who Dudley had never been nice to, threw a fit and made Aunt Lily cry at insisting family sticks together. When Dudley told off his cousin for making his nice mum cry, he'd gone to shock at being the one to make her cry more. Now, it embarrassed Dudley he had only thought of Aunt Lily as a freak. He'd been a terrible kid. Aunt Lily had been nothing but nice when they took him in. The offer to go stay at his school for the next fall was the first time he realized it. Dudley couldn't believe how terrible he'd been.
Unfortunately, going back to his school had not really turned out well. He hadn't been the same kid, pushing his way around to be the leader his dad wanted him to be. It wasn't in Dudley. And his classmates from the year before, the year he'd not finished, had made him cards and candy and wished him well when he'd been at the hospital. They all seemed happy to see him walking to class. But his old friends didn't like that Dudley wasn't willing to push the other kids around on the playground. Harry had been confused, asking him why he was friends with kids who made him do things he didn't really want to do. The school year didn't go well for Dudley. By the time it all came to a head with Dudley and his old friends and Harry, well.
There was a reason Aunt Lily enrolled Dudley and Harry to the larger primary school Harry had gone to his first year. And Remus worked there as a teacher. If anything did go wrong, and it did, he was there.
Dudley and his cousin had been together all these years. To separate from Harry felt wrong. And lonely. He peeked under his bandages again. Nothing. He looked back up and froze. He'd gotten too comfortable. Albus had been watching him the whole time.
Wide eyed, Dudley slid back behind Harry. His cousin snickered. Dudley prodded Harry in the back before he could make his usual joke on not being big enough to hide Dudley. It wasn't about hiding, it was about trying to get Albus to not look at him like he was under study.
"Dudley." The blond hunkered his head down. His cousin stiffened and then stood as tall as his tiny body could. Albus chuckled. "There's nothing to fear from me. Harry was just explaining why he sacrificed some of his blood to you. He's apparently been watching you at the church trying to preform magic."
Blue eyes went wide. His cousin ducked his head right before Dudley jammed his finger into his back. Harry was quick to gaze back up with eager eyes.
"I'm sorry Dud, but I was worried. You've not spent any of the summer hols with me and I followed you a few times." Dudley snorted. A few times. "Okay, like everyday. You not having magic never bothered me, you know? I didn't think it bothered you. But then, suddenly, it mattered. Because you looked so mad about it and I noticed you'd make angry comments whenever I asked to hang out and I wanted to help you somehow since it seemed so important to you. No wonder you never said anything. Even Mum said there was nothing we could do to change who you were, but you're my cousin. I'm not not going to do something to help you."
Harry gave a crooked grin, looking up to Albus with bright eyes. "So? Mum and Dad freaked out, but we're both okay. Did it work Albus? Did it? Can you tell?"
Albus's mouth twitched. "Give me a moment Harry. I've got questions for your cousin here first."
His cousin grumbled. Dudley swallowed as the focused blue eyes shifted back onto him.
"Now Dudley. You boys didn't just add Harry's blood into your cut, you pressed them together, didn't you?" The older man cracked a smile and joke. "Almost like the close friendship of those boys in that delightful muggle film we watched a few summers back. I remember even Lily taught me that day when she informed James of how it wasn't like the dark magic for us wizards and witches."
"Dad was horrified," Harry chirped up and then his smile fell to panic. "Dark? Dark magic?"
"No, no Harry. Neither of you boys forced the other to give blood for evil intentions, did you?" Dudley shook his head with his cousin. "There, see? And although the book mentions it, there were no dark rituals listed for you. It is only a book speculating what caused seemingly magical miracles."
Harry drooped. "So, my blood didn't do anything?" He scoffed his shoe on the ground and looked up with watery eyes through wild bangs. "Sorry Dud. I got us in trouble for nothing. Still worth it though," he muttered.
Albus said nothing to agree with his cousin Dudley noticed. And his blue eyes still held sharp focus. "Why did you press your cut against Harry's? I promise there is nothing to fear in telling me. Just an old man curious about his favorite little boys."
Harry perked up at that. "Are you sure you can still say that when classes start up…professor?"
The old man laughed. "Oh, I'm sure you'll try to cause enough of a nuisance like your father to change that, but this old man is stubborn my boy."
His cousin grinned broadly. Then Albus looked back to Dudley, who scowled. He knew he did wrong the second he saw the man sitting at the kitchen table. He wasn't going to drop his guard. Er, again anyway.
"Aren't you going to answer him Dudley?"
"I thought it'd make up for any blood you gave me," Dudley reluctantly told quietly towards the floor. "It's not good to lose too much blood. I wanted to make sure you didn't have to go to the hospital Har."
He could see Harry go pale in looking up from the ground. "I didn't even think of that! Bloody hell!"
"Language," Albus said simply. His cousin didn't even notice. Dudley blinked, startled. He hadn't meant to shock Harry. "Well, I must say, you two boys keep an old man's life all the more exciting and fresh. And it's good to see cousins caring so much for each other. I think I'll take Lily up on her offer of orange juice instead of coffee this morning. You boys have given me enough to stay awake today I think."
Dudley caught sight of Albus winking at them as he left. Hope and worry sprang up within him. His eyes were still focused rather than twinkling. They'd done wrong after all. But, he seemed to think their reasons for it mattered, so possibly, could it come out right?
He choked, the air leaving his lungs, Harry squeezing him tight. "I'm sorry Dudley! I promise I didn't lose enough blood to go to the hospital, I swear! I didn't mean to make you think about that again! Want one of my Chocolate Frogs?"
"Yes." Dudley never turned down a piece of chocolate. Nor did he wonder where Harry kept getting all of it from. Godric's Hollow didn't have a store that sold that kind, Aunt Lily never gave enough money for more than one piece when they did go to one that did, and Dudley was the only one who could get Remus to part from his chocolate stash. Just another way Harry was surprisingly sneaky, even around Dudley in those candy stores, because Dudley was usually observant enough with his cousin to catch onto what his aunt and uncle did not. But Dudley wouldn't question getting chocolate when Harry shared it.
But it figured that the Chocolate Frog Card was Albus Dumbledore, Dudley thought sourly.
Author's Note: I'm a little embarrassed at the attention. A little happy people enjoyed my 'What If' idea. I've been wondering if anyone has read anything similar of circumstances being switched. I've read a few stories of James and Lily and Harry together in alternate worlds or some other way, but they focus on Harry and forget Harry's other family members usually. Thank you to the couple favorites and more follows and to the reviewers imranramji1, fanHPTW, James Birdsong, and Alicia Olivia Mirza. The last one knows why they're in bold.