It wasn't good when Aunt Lily started fretting. Dudley threw a desperate look over to his cousin. And found Harry was too busy scheming something behind a tree with his dad and Sirius, Peter playing an amused looking lookout. Remus noticed, giving Dudley a wry grin and shrug. The man was stuck at the picnic table, most likely trying to explain to Dudley's Aunt Marge why there was no alcoholic drinks. As if his aunt needed more reason to start speaking her mind more than she already did. Because she did not.

He'd already got the pounds she snuck into his hand, she'd said her usual spiel of freaks, talked about her precious breed dogs, ate enough food, and now searching for something to wet her mouth. Remus was in a losing battle. Marge was not going to be convinced by the water or pink lemonade. Every year, she demanded to be invited to her nephew's birthday party. And every year, Dudley grew more confused on if she even enjoyed being here.

"Don't you think it would have been nice to invite a few boys from school this year?"

"It's fine Aunt Lily," he insisted. "We're going to different schools next year anyway. They wished me happy birthday at the end of term."

She frowned. "I'm just worried about you Dudley."

There it was, Lily finally said it outright. Dudley looked away, down to his wringing hands.

"You haven't invited any of the boys from school the last couple of years. The only one you invited wasn't allowed to come. Again," she sighed.

"He sent a gift," Dudley stated emphatically. He knew the boy wouldn't be allowed to come, that was the point. To not make his aunt worry. "Harry is the one who likes the bigger party, I can see them next month. I like the zoo and afternoon picnic at the park."

And it was also all the less chances of any of the boys he was friendly with at school to hear what Aunt Marge would say. Then the point Uncle James finally having enough of her and launching a prank. Sure, Dudley secretly enjoyed seeing what James came up with, but trying to calm down and explain to any guests who noticed it was stressful. That the Potter family wasn't all of what his loud and complaining Aunt Marge said they were. Who was usually screaming at the top of her lungs and Uncle James and his friends at the time. Aunt Lily telling off her husband about not letting it go for the day.

All that for something none of the boys he invited would remember.

They remembered most the day. But Dudley remembered, knew how they reacted to finding out and it made trying to be friends difficult. So he only ever remained on friendly terms. How his cousin managed to still go all out playing with the kids in their class was a mystery to Dudley. He eyeballed his cousin. Harry didn't even look remotely worried.

Besides, Dudley really didn't want to celebrate his birthday this year.

"I still worry Dudley. Tuney and I were close when we were younger until I left for Hogwarts. She was awful jealous that I could go, that I'd discovered magic and—"

"I'm not jealous of Harry's magic," Dudley finally snapped. Then winced at seeing Aunt Lily's shocked face. He mumbled out an apology and hastily left for an empty picnic table.

He wasn't jealous. The blond was determined to never figure out the reason his mum always denoted Lily as a freak. Why his father boasted about how normal their family was compared, certainly not freaks. It wasn't a competition with his cousin on who was better. He didn't understand the reason Aunt Marge seemed to think they weren't good choices to take in Dudley and raise him. It wasn't like she did anything about her complaining of them and took him in. At least Aunt Lily, Harry, and Uncle James welcomed him with open arms to their household. Which always amazed Dudley. He remembered the little terror he'd been as a kid.

He wasn't jealous. Just…wanted to be left alone. Go without the celebration completely this year.

"Hey Dudley. Want the last burger?"

"Not really," he responded listlessly. "Did Aunt Lily send you over Remus?"

Dudley heard the chuckle. "No, I made my escape from whatever James and Sirius cooked up this year with Harry."

He turned to see Sirius trying to charm Aunt Marge with an animated smile and nudging her sights toward a smaller cooler Dudley was sure hadn't been there before. Lily was currently distracted in hissing at her husband, suspiciously eyeballing Sirius. It didn't seem as though she'd noticed the cooler yet. Harry was ducked behind Peter, trying to cover his snickers as he watched.

"Not going to watch this year?"

"No," he huffed.

"Okay," Remus agreed amiability. He hummed, helping himself to the burger. Dudley picked at the old picnic table, pulling off a splinter of wood. "That's cypress wood. It's considered wand of nobility for wizards. For the bold and self-sacrificing, I'm told. It means it's meant for a heroic death. I'm afraid I didn't agree on the wandmaker's assessment of informing I was bold. I'd think I'd know if I was or wasn't more than a man I met once."

Dudley put the splinter back onto the table, pushing it back and forth before leaving it next to the paper plate and half eaten burger. "You're bold enough. I'm not supposed to know this kind of stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Remus took another bite and swallowed. "You mean the magical world? Why not?"

He slumped on the table, mumbling. "I'm eleven. And muggle. I'm supposed to belong in the muggle world."

Remus set his burger down. "Oh. I see. You don't feel like you are part of either. I kind of figured with the kind of questions you ask about my fluffy little problem becoming more frequent. And then there's that stunt Harry and you pulled."

"It's not a fluffy little problem," Dudley complained on what Uncle James referred to it by. Remus smiled. "It's not."

"I know. But it's nice to hear you defending my stance on it with James," he remarked. A bit embarrassed, he scratched the side of his face and glanced away from Remus's pleased face. "It's not a problem to be swept to the side like it doesn't matter. Just like yours shouldn't be either Dudley."

"But what do I do," Dudley whined. "I can be friendly, but I can never tell anyone about this kind of stuff next year at school. Harry won't be there. We'd have to owl and it won't be the same. I can't really talk to anyone. Not really talk. Anyone who I could talk to my age are going to a whole other school than me, for classes I can't take and won't be able to really talk to them either."

Remus hummed thoughtfully. "I could point out I found others who accepted me as both wizard and werewolf, assuring you you'll find people to belong with too, but that's a false confidence. I'm afraid I can't tell the future. It would come in handy and be a great relief at times like this. Or when I was your age, stressed over anyone at school finding out or hurting someone by accident because I was there. It would have been quite a relief to know James, Sirius, Peter, and then Lily would become who they were to me."

Dudley picked at the loose splinter again.

"I'm sorry. The most I can tell you is to try not to clam up so much. Let yourself remain on good terms with a few classmates. It's not good to segregate yourself. And it'll get Lily off your back too. It takes a while to feel like you belong somewhere or with someone. There are times I still don't feel like I do. It's normal to feel like that every now and again. Don't let how your cousin can dive right into things like James and Sirius throw you," Remus advised. "Harry isn't confident at all about starting Hogwarts soon."

"What?" He jerked his head up startled. "But he's always talking to me about all the things he'll do there. And asking Uncle James and Aunt Lily and the rest of you about how long the train ride is, how many compartments does it have, how many kids will be starting first year, how will the sorting go, all sorts of stuff."

Remus chuckled. "He's asking because he's worried there will be so many compartments on the train that no one has to sit with him. That there'll be no one to sit at a compartment together. Harry's only asked questions and stories about Hogwarts to us. You're the only one he's talked to about with what he wants to do there."

The older man went quite with an encouraging smile before finishing his burger.

"Just me," Dudley asked timidly. Remus nodded.

"Harry isn't complicated Dudley. For him it's as easy as you are cousins. That's Dudley, he'll say, my cousin. He's friendly, but in his first year of school, before you joined the cottage, he was the one complaining he had no friends," Remus informed Dudley.

"I don't think I've ever heard him introduce any of the kids at school as a friend. But he hasn't complained about it since. He's had you just as you've had him until now. Give him a few months into the school year. Harry will start complaining then. He's more optimistic than you and I are."

The blond blinked, stunned. Dudley stared with wide blue eyes at Remus. Harry hadn't? Had his cousin ever called someone a friend? Well, no, now that Dudley thought about it, but… It was Harry. He was friends with just about everyone. He didn't think Harry was worried too. He never looked it. Not the way Dudley did. His cousin never said anything, he'd just drag them off on some adventure or trouble with a huge grin on his face.

"It's normal to feel like you don't belong," Remus assured Dudley. "Everyone does. Some people just manage to look like it better. Oh bloody hell, what did they do?"

Dudley jerked around in his seat to see what Remus got up for. The man hurried across the distance, pulling out his wand. While Aunt Lily was telling off Uncle James and Sirius rolling around on the ground, Remus went to work in waving his wand. The tiny brown paws disappeared from Aunt Marge's hands. Another wave sent the snout and ears away. The last one got rid of the shaggy tail.

And then she barked.

Dudley slapped a hand over his mouth.

James and Sirius roared with laughter, Peter squeaking in his amusement beside them. Remus spun. "Really? This is the woman you choose to turn to the way of dogs Sirius?"

Sirius howled. "Oh, she's already part dog! But I'm afraid this one is an inbreed bitch!"

Aunt Marge barked and yapped right back at Sirius, her face turning an awful red color. This…Dudley watched with wide eyes. This was magnificent.

"Dudley! Dudley," his cousin called out. "You've got to come over and see this!"

The blond ran across the uneven terrain as quickly as he could, quite eager, to get a closer look at this year's prank his uncle finally pulled on her. He grinned a bit at Harry.

Unlike classmates he didn't invite the past couple of years, he fully delighted in magic around his Aunt Marge. Aunt Lily said she was the kind of person who enjoyed feeling happy and important. By making others feel the opposite, James added. She told off her husband, but never disagreed with it. Dudley thought his uncle may have a point about his dad's sister. She wasn't necessarily pleasant. But she did insist on coming and giving him his present of money every year for him. Which was something in her favor.

Still, Dudley still loved this moments. The best part of it was the same reason he disliked this magic trick with classmates. Aunt Marge was obliviated afterwards. Unlike discovering friendly classmates who screamed in fear and sometimes hate at finding out, Dudley already knew Marge hated magic and called it freakish.

And Aunt Lily fretting over what silly thing Uncle James did this time was good. It was normal. Which was weird to feel relief in when nothing with the Potter family was normal.

Harry nudged him with a wide grin. "A smile! Me, Dad, and Sirius got a smile out of you." With a quick glance to his mum, Harry dropped his voice lower. "Hey, your birthday's not over yet. And you've got extra time because of me Dud. I talked to Sirius and he says 'my blood, my birthday'."

Dudley glanced over to the older man, frowning. Sirius was probably more optimistic than Harry, always saying the top excitable answer without any basis in fact. But he supposed this was why his cousin didn't at all look concerned today. It was something Sirius more than likely made up under pressure of Harry's face staring up at him. The most common excuse when Sirius was called out by Aunt Lily for lying to Harry or Dudley.

"He overheard Dad and Mum talking about what Albus told them. Something shifted. Then some things about assuring them over the intent and we were completely fine." Harry waved that part off like it didn't matter, his face lighting up as he leaned closer. "Something shifted. My blood did something. Just wait until we get our letters later this summer, it'll happen, I know it."

"What if," Dudley said quietly. "It didn't shift enough?"

Something flashed across his cousin's face at the idea.

"Of course it did," Harry insisted with a defiant face.

The blond studied his feet, feeling warmth in his chest. Anything Harry had said over not caring if Dudley had any magic was half a lie and half the truth. His cousin apparently had cared. It wasn't just leaping in with the crazy idea on only helping out a cousin. Remus had been right in his observation. Harry was worried after all.

His cousin may not be fretting over him like Aunt Lily was earlier, but it was good seeing Harry looking a little scared at the idea of them not together.

That they belonged together.

It still might not be helpful to Dudley on where he fit in with anyone else than family and the few close friends to the family. But still. It was nice seeing that today.

Harry gave a lopsided smile suddenly, eyes sparking mischievously. "Want to go bark at your aunt before Dad oblivates her?"

Author's Note: Hmmm. I wonder how far and what direction this 'What If' will go in. Maybe I should start planning rather than exploring the idea now. Hmmm. Thank you to the favorite and more follows and to the reviewer Alicia Olivia Mirza.