The blond hurried. It was not absolutely essential and he was not the fastest, then there was the fact of sheer number of students rushing to get off at the same time, but having more time would go over well. Neville hurried as well, fretting as he finally located Trevor who'd apparently taken up residence behind Hermione's trunk during the train ride. She stood up on the seat, helping him coax Trevor to hop away from his cozy corner. Harry danced where he stood in the open doorway, his trunk already at hand, the other one inching toward the cage Dudley held. Spotting the hand, Hedwig let off a noise, ruffling her feathers.

"I get it, I get it." Then Harry grinned. "You'll let me carry you one of these times."

The snowy owl gave him a steady look, then swiveled her head away.

"I know you like me, you picked me. And I let you ride on my shoulder," Harry sang.

Hedwig gave a little hop and hopeful look up between Harry and Dudley.

"Sorry." Dudley turned his attention to Neville. Nodding, the round faced boy beamed as he held up his toad, then tucked Trevor into his pocket. Trunks all grabbed, Harry bounced out of the compartment. The rest followed him. Same method Dudley had used more than once in plans. Harry got through quicker and had an easier time slipping through crowds. Dudley followed, elbows up with his trunk and the owl cage, helping to part the way for Neville and Hermione. "Excuse us, keeping up with my cousin, coming through."

"I'm so sorry. Pardon us. Can we get through? I'm sorry. Dudley! We don't have to keep up with...we know where he's going. I'm so sorry."

"No problem," said an upper year as they were slipping and pushing through. He moved to the side, his hand going up stop and motion other upper years to the side. Startled, Dudley took his eyes off of the back of Harry to look up at the upper year, a Hufflepuff, slowing. "First years coming through! Incoming! Homesick first years coming by!"

The path ahead parted, allowing them by easier.

"Thank you," Hermione breathed out. "I'm so sorry about th—"

The upper classman smiled and chuckled. "It's really no problem. But, I guess homesick isn't the right word for the first year you lot are following, is it?"

Dudley, Neville, and Hermione looked back ahead rather than behind to the upper Hufflepuff who had cleared the path. Already at the exit, Harry had turned, blocking the doorway as he scowled up at the various upper years who'd simply moved out of his way. Amused, Dudley and Neville shared a glance with each other, then quickly looked away.

"It works. We wanted more time. We got it." Dudley said to Harry when they reached the doorway as well. "Thanks to Hermione."

Harry's face scrunched up. "Thanks to Hermione. I could have made it," he mumbled sourly. Then his eyes quickly latched onto a particular and notable object. "Vulture at 2 o'clock."

Neville sighed softly next to Dudley's ear. Then the boy squeezed between Dudley and Harry, sticking his arm out. Hermione wedged herself forward, trying to get a look and pushing up against them. Harry jockeyed into her way, making her push harder to get a better view, then leapt forward with a laugh of utter glee as Hermione tumbled right out onto the platform.

"Harry! Honestly!"

"Hello Dad! Mum, how have you been?" Harry was long gone, having left Hermione to her own devices as he beamed up at Uncle James and Aunt Lilly like he hadn't just done that. Dudley reached down, Neville as well, helping Hermione back up and checking her dropped trunk before the moved out of the way for the upper students who'd let them by.

"I can't believe..." Hermione shot a glare across the platform to where Harry was cheerfully bouncing and talking to James, ignoring Lily's steady gaze on him. "To think I wanted to... He's just...aggravating."

"To be fair, you did ruin his fun," Dudley pointed out. Neville nodded in agreement.

Hermione's jaw dropped open. "I was being polite! He was being rude, shoving, well, not exactly shoving, but cutting in front of all the other students like that. And it's not like you didn't apologize about it too!"

"I see some things have not changed with the first few months at Hogwarts." Augusta spoke as she came to them, scrupulous eyes traveling over Hermione, then taking in Neville and Dudley. Dudley straightened at the attention and Augusta's chin shifted up in acknowledgment, her eyes settling more to him. Trying not to wince at how quickly Neville's gran had cottoned on to something being up and he was behind it, he offered her a smile. "Not much has changed. Out with it Dudley. What do you boys want to ask of me? Like I have not realized what Harry disappearing and you straightening and my grandson half behind you with hopeful eyes means. I have always known. Do not change it. It is...appreciated it with how your cousin is. Well, ask. And with explanation on who this is."

Well, this wasn't quite going along perfect lines with his plans to work this out, but they did get more time and Augusta had come over in maybe some sort of curiosity when she saw Hermione with him and Neville rather than them going up to her. Her being aware of his usual method to ask her of something, well, she did not appear to be upset his methods. With striding over to them, rather than them going in all proper and respectful to her before asking, she'd overheard Hermione's words about Harry. Which, likely plus to Hermione's favor. Outside of being an interest due to being near them, likely curiosity at who Hermione was to them.

"This is Hermione Granger, Augusta. Hermione, this is Augusta Longbottom."

"My gran," Neville added in. If a bit unnecessarily as Hermione had already clearly worked that out for herself.

Dudley stepped back after introductions to give them both room to look at each other.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Longbottom."

Straightening, Hermione took a tiny step forward, hand stretching out. Augusta pinned her in place with her gaze. After a moment, Neville's gran grasped Hermione's fingers with her own and shook once, then let go. Her eyes remained on Hermione. Dudley had already told Hermione to do as she did best when meeting Neville's gran. Talk. It would be the best and surest way for Augusta to get a good grasp on who Hermione was, rather than Dudley or Neville explaining her. And Hermione being who she was, was the selling point.

"I am a first year Gyrffindor, like Neville. My parents are both dentists, doctors who work solely with the health of teeth and gums, very well respected in their practice. It's only been recently I've been made aware of the wizarding world, see, I'm muggleborn. I know some might hold that against me, but I've always really enjoyed learning and reading and my excitement for it may throw others off, yet I am determined to learn and find out everything I can about magic and the wizarding world. Dudley and I...bonded over that in the library. He and Neville are friends, so Neville joined us too. But Neville and I are kind of in the same boat with other Gryffindors treating us differently, which house rivalries are made way too big a deal over, I don't understand what is with that, so we began sitting together for classes and such." Hermione jolted. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring up anything like that, I was just trying to explain how I know Neville..."

She trailed off, uncertainty showing in the face of Augusta's unchanging gaze. And then Neville's gran looked to him. "You certainly did not write to inform me of a new friend. I take it she is part of the group who revise together?"

Wide eyed at words of possible disappointment in not telling his gran that, Neville tucked his chin to his chest, nodding. Hermione's eyes were wide as well, distracting Dudley from Neville and his gran. And then he got it in a rush as he saw her mouthing the word 'friend' to herself.

"Pleased to meet you, Hermione Granger." Augusta let a pause go by between the two of them, then gave Dudley a steely look. "I said ask, didn't I?"

The blond took a breath, hopeful. "Do you think you might agree to attending the Yule party at Potter Cottage this year? It won't be falling on the same day as most of the other Yule celebrations this year. Everyone else is able to attend." Losing Remus as another voice to speak up against James and Sirius was likely a reason of her not wishing to attend. At least, wouldn't be a reason for this year. Before the date was changed for Remus so he could attend. Augusta had gone to a different one last year, which Neville tentatively suggested she only had them attend that one to avoid the Potters Yule party as both Ted and Andromeda had been stuck at home, sick. Losing two of the typically more level heads attending the Potters Yule party.

"Everyone," Dudley repeated. "Including Hermione and her parents."

This was why Dudley had wanted to give time for Augusta and Hermione. It wasn't the same as meeting Hermione's parents, but it gave enough room to get an idea of who Hermione was and what kind of people her parents were likely to be. Having Lily, Remus, Ted, and Andromeda all around this year would help. Throwing in another set of parents to help with keeping potential not-so-great antics of James and Sirius down would be a great tipping point. As well as pointing out someone like Hermione. Because there were definitely times they'd run into their own kid antics together.

"Mmm." Augusta pursed her lips together and glanced to Hermione, then back to him and Neville. "I see. I might agree. Due to it falling on another date this year, get no ideas young man. Neville, gather up your trunk. You can see your friends later."

Bolstered, it took Neville a moment to realize his gran was already moving and he frantically turned to grab his trunk. He stopped, taking a moment to spared a look over at them. A slow smile filled up his round face and his voice was soft. "See you soon." Then he nearly stumbled as he turned, hastily rushing to follow his gran who was moving swiftly ahead, a pair of aurors who looked vaguely familiar to Dudley on standby to watch them and the area.

"She seems...strict. Very no-nonsense. Like Professor McGonagall," Hermione said as she watched them all leave over to the apparition point. Then she looked away, brown eyes on him, teeth pulling on her lip before her face went lighter. "That was good then? It looks like from you and Neville that went good. He might come after all?"

Dudley grinned. "Yeah, that was good. Augusta never says a for sure if she's changed her mind about something. A might is good. She changed it, but doesn't want to say it. Between Neville and I, we get a few mights out of her, especially in getting her to change her mind about Harry and I visiting."

Hermione's smile fell, immediately zeroing in on that. "What did you boys do?"

"Er… It was more along the lines of only Aunt Lily being the one to bring us for visits. And not being solely supervised by Uncle James after this thing when we were...seven at the Ministry. Tied together with Sirius and Peter who also work there. But, I think that was more a last minute change with all the adults being busy with other things that day." Hermione nodded, but her eyebrows raised up at him, waiting to hear more. "Fine. Last summer, we figured out and managed to get into the locked part of the greenhouse when Augusta and Aunt Lily were chatting. And...things happened. It was all fine, that is until... Long story short, plants used as a weapon isn't as crazy as it might seem."

Brown eyes were wide. "I...I don't think I really want to know. Did you three set out to figure that out or did you destroy something or let me guess, Harry started up some weird version of a snow or food fight... No, no, I don't want to know how that happened or why. Oh! None of you got hurt, did you?"

"Just our ears. The last time any of us really managed to get hurt as kids was the thing at the Ministry when we were really little. Unless you start counting in times since we meet you, with the troll." Hermione's face pinked and she turned her head away at the reminder. Of course, Dudley thought, he wasn't counting in the time he and Harry hurt themselves on purpose with the blood thing over the summer.

"Hey! You must be Hermione Granger." Uncle James steered himself over, leaving Harry behind to deal with his mum's gaze on him. Dudley counted in his head, but it really didn't take long before Harry broke, so he wasn't watching his cousin for long. "Nice to meet you. Dudley's written about you and Remus said how he remembers you when you were in his class. All good things. If...a bit...on the dull side. One's got to have fun outside of books after all. Balance, right?"

Brown eyes blinked up at his uncle. "Books can be quite exciting and useful, there's nothing wrong with a good... Mr. Lupin said good things about me?"

James laughed. "Sure he did! That's Remus for you though, a bit dull himself at times, saw a bit of himself in you I think." Hermione beamed and blushed all at the same time at hearing that. "But he was startled to hear you made friends with Dudley. Not surprised. But he said something about how upset you were about missing a chance to play on the playground with Harry."

Hermione's face went undoubtedly pink, but his uncle continued on without realizing as he'd turned his head in pointing back over at Harry.

"He just told me the invite you sent her family was accepted and you were asking Augusta about rethinking her no for this year."

When his uncle's hazel eyes turned back to him, Dudley pronounced proudly, "She said she might rethink it."

Uncle James grinned broadly at the news, Dudley grinned widely back. Then he swiveled his head back around. "Got two more for Yule this year Lily," he shouted back gleefully.

Black hair popped up from behind Lily. Harry grinned and bounced toward them, away from the telling off his mum had been giving him. "You guys did it? It worked? Yes! Oh yeah, sorry about before Hermione. I was going to see how long it would take before you spoke up to make it fair for ruining my game of getting by everyone, but then I saw Neville's gran coming and high tailed it out of there for Dud's plan. So it all worked out then!"

James cracked up laughing at hearing Harry's reasoning for pulling the stunt and Lily rolled her eyes at the pair. "Ignore those two. It is really a pleasure to meet another friend of Dudley."

"Hello Mrs. Potter."

"Lily is fine." She turned to Dudley and smiled. "How has your year been so far? Outside of the letters you've sent. Classes going okay? No issues with any kids given you any trouble? Like in primary? Or with the houses? I know how house rivalries can go too far..."

Hermione perked up. "Yes! I agree with you. What is up with that? It got worse around the Quidditch match, so I thought maybe it was sports related with some of the fanatics and how some get with football and such."

Lily's mouth quirked. "I don't think you'd want my husband or Harry to overhear you saying that. Everything has been fine then?"

Dudley shrugged a shoulder, scratching down at his leg before realizing what he was doing and quickly pulled his hand away. "It's not like in primary. The dormitories are set up as separate rooms, like I said in my one letter, so it's not been an issue. Yeah. It's been fine for the most part."

"Most part?"

"It's just been more curiosity. I think. Since they don't know who I am." He hesitated, glancing over at Hermione, then inched closer and lowered his voice. Aunt Lily bent down and he saw Hermione strain with curiosity, but pulled back and turned her attention onto his uncle and cousin. "There was something that happened just before break after Potions class. A few had tried asking things about...about Mum and Dad, with...magic. Harry always cracked down on it when they tried and I never answered those, but it's just...I know for some of them, it makes a difference and I didn't want to stand out and with everything that happened, I don't really... I said I was a halfblood when it first came up. But they kind of questioned more to figure out things. Asking about what school my mum went to and what she was good at. And...Professor Snape stepped in."

His aunt's eyes widened, lips pulling up into not a smile, but pulling back with something.

"He remarked about the politeness of questioning me on a topic which clearly bothered me, over parents who passed at an age where I'd only have a few memories of. Then said he wasn't too terribly familiar with her, but that my mum might have been Slytherin had she attended Hogwarts. That if he recalled correctly, she had a fascination with France and preferred to go by a different name. It stopped the questions."

He paused, still trying to make sense of what Professor Snape had done. Glad, but...

"But... I tried to catch his eye. Except, he really didn't look like he was willing to speak with me and left. I know he's our head and supposed to keep an eye out for us and could have just said it to get them off my back and give them an answer to their questions. But I figured he's probably that friend you were talking about before we went to Hogwarts, so... Did Mum really have a fascination with France like he said? And going by a different name? Or was he just saying that?"

It was a definite smile now, green eyes sparkling a bit with wetness.

"No. No, he wasn't just saying it to get them off your back." Lily paused for a moment, then smiled at him. "Your mum was quite insistent when she married with going by Dursley. And yes. For a while in our teenager years, Petunia would get her hands on as much things from and about France. It was because of how she was with fashion."

Right. Aunt Lily had told him that before. He pushed the insistence on a different name, because he did not doubt that had something to do with how his mum and aunt got along, focusing on the other new tidbit. "What was her favorite thing about France? Did she learn the language or visit? Wait, I think...wasn't it where they went?"

"Fashion," Aunt Lily answered simply with a laugh. "She picked up and took a couple classes for learning the language, wrote neat tiny labels for several things in the house during the school year. Got our dad, your and Harry's granddad, using the French words of them with her for a couple summers. From the pictures we gathered up, it was Paris of where your mum and dad went for their honeymoon."

He nodded to himself. Those weren't the pictures he looked at too often. When he did go looking at pictures of them, it was more ones taken after he'd been born. Ones that had him with them. Those pictures were nice. A family. Together. And then he would hunch over at the fact Aunt Lily and Uncle James and Harry weren't in any of those. Then that would lead to memories of snide comments and insults and nothing much good. So then he would shove the photo albums back up and away, not feeling right with those sorts of memories in the Potter Cottage. About his...behavior when he first came and how he treated them when they took him in, compared with how they cared for him, cared about him, gave him a new sense of family and allowed him part of it, made him family. His last name may still be Dursley, but he felt very much part of the Potter family.

"I think...I think besides Paris with it being the City of Fashion...I think she also had cut out pictures from, I think Bordeaux and Luberon on her side of the bedroom for a time when we were kids."

Dudley nodded again.

"I can't believe, no, I suppose I can..." Aunt Lily trailed off, looking thoughtful, then her green eyes focused back on him. "What I cannot believe is Harry not wanting to invite a group of kids over for the Yule when you invited Hermione."

And even though she had turned her attention at James and Harry parrying jokes back and forth, goggling at the two of them, Hermione still picked up the use of her name. She turned her head, looking relieved to see him and his aunt looking at her. "Yes?" She asked and quickly moved toward them.

"Oh it wasn't about you," Lily said, smiling. "I was more voicing my disbelief on Harry not inviting a large group of kids, since Dudley asked about inviting you and your parents."

Somehow, Dudley was brought back to what Remus had said during the summer. Harry had always seemed to make friends and play with others in an ease Dudley couldn't seem to manage, so Dudley hadn't really thought about it too much. But now it seemed odd.

Harry had laughed and waved off the idea of taking up his parents' offer in inviting any new friends to the Yule celebration. He'd said something about how Dudley was closer friends with Hermione than he was with anyone else and he liked her well enough. Then said he'd do his usual with inviting everyone in the class to his birthday party, grinning at the idea of inviting Draco. With bringing up Draco specifically, rather than just all the boys, perhaps Harry really could someday call a person his friend. Then again, despite how Harry seemed to oddly get along better with Draco over the others in Slytherin, bringing up Draco could have just been all in fun considering Draco was a Malfoy.

Dudley shook his head, pushing Remus's words about Harry out of it. For the time being.

Hermione shrugged, turned a bit bashful and hopeful. Then Dudley blinked as she played it off. "Oh, I think that was more of trying to get Neville able to come for Dudley. And I expect anyone else Harry might have wanted to come are already invited. It sounds like a big celebration here. Especially how a few others, like Parkinson, talk about their own big parties for Yule and how it's a shame I've never been to a single one." Her nose wrinkled at bringing up Pansy. "I'm just a new one, since I'm new, what with being a muggleborn."

He stared. Then looked up to his aunt, but quickly looked away from her face. Lily looked ready to swoop in and comfort Hermione, tied in with righteous fury. At hearing a small laugh though, Dudley looked back up. His aunt seemed amused and had directed her green gaze on him. "Tell her. Why don't you tell her who comes to our big Yule celebration? I think you forgot to mention that."

"Mention what?"

"Ours is...it's not a big celebration," Dudley said to her. "It is big and all and there's a good sized group that come, but it's not like...it's not like ones that Malfoy's family does. They invite just about everyone who is someone to their Yule celebration. I think they invite the whole Ministry of Magic and then some other foreign leaders and usually some big entertainment. The difference is...they don't invite people like Andromeda's family."

Hermione frowned. "Huh? Who?"

"Oh, uh, sorry. She's Draco's aunt." He fidgeted and swore he saw Aunt Lily seeming more amused. This had been so much easier with Neville because he and his gran had an automatic in, Dudley had never had to outright say it. Neville's parents had been friends with James and Lily. Hermione looked outraged at the thought of the Malfoy family not inviting Andromeda's family after finding out they were related. He hurriedly spoke before she could. "She's also Sirius's cousin. She's been coming to ours as part of the family. That's..that's the difference. Everyone who is invited to our Yule party is family or...or practically family."

At her shocked face, he quickly added in, "A close friend. Or at least, you are a friend. So..."

It didn't seem to help much as Hermione seemed close to bursting into tears.

Author's Note: I'm feel like I'm rambling along in this one. Probably due to trying to get the characters back after this long time. And to give Dudley a bit of a break. Holiday and family and friends. Thus their plans to change Augusta's mind about attending a holiday event, asking Hermione to come, bringing up Snape's helpful actions even if it was just annoyance about them doing the questioning in the Potions classroom, and having the first time Dudley has outright called Hermione a friend. Harry has called her Dudley's friend, with ease, but I see both Hermione and Dudley being a bit more...wary of bringing up that up to each other. The Yule is typically during winter solstice. During 1991, the winter solstice fell on December 22, day after a full moon. Remus would be down for the count in doing too much. Wanting Remus to fully enjoy the celebrations as well, the Potters would be of the mind to change the day of their celebration of the Yule. Or at least, I think so. Halfway through the school year now, wow. Thank you to the favorites and follows.