Just a short note: I don't think I've ever mentioned all the other brilliant stories about Dudley's Daughter that inspired me. My plot will be entirely different from all of those I have read, but so many 'Dudley's Daughter' stories inspired me to try it for myself. I have sent private messages to two of the authors thanking them, here they are:

Dudley's Daughter by theinkwell33

Dudley's Daughter by thepotterheadtwihard

Unfortunately, the other stories I looked at I read before I had an account here, and I don't remember what they were called, or their authors.

Chapter 14

No More Hiding

Dudley Dursley had a lot to think about. Anyone in his situation would. His oldest daughter had left that day to go to a school for magic, and only an hour after they got back home, his mother, a hater of all things magical, had called saying that she and her husband would be coming around for dinner.

Thoughts were speeding around Dudley's head, running into each other, causing doubt and worry. Poppy had needed to take the stack of plates out of his hands after he absentmindedly tipped the top one forwards, and watched it shatter on the wood floor without blinking.

What would he, what could he tell his parents? They surely knew that Daisy was gone. That was probably the reason they were coming by in the first place.

Dudley still hadn't thought of what he would do when the doorbell rang. Anna went down the hallway to get the door, as Dudley laid the last dishes out on the table. He could hear the cheerful exchange of greetings between Anna, Poppy, and his parents. The usual comments were said, how lovely their house looked, how much Poppy had grown, and then came the foreseeable question.

"And where's Daisy?" Dudley wasn't sure if the tone his father used was curt, but not quite angry, smug, or simply curious, although he doubted it was the latter.

"She got the train to school today," Poppy replied. Her words were smooth, and came out easily. Either Poppy was just very good at keeping calm, or she had no idea how much her grandparents had worked to keep themselves away from magic.

Even when Wizards had protected them from Lord Voldemort, or "Lord Moldywart" as his father insisted on calling him. His parents never forgave wizards for taking them away from their home. They were determined to place the blame on all magical people, not just those who had meant them harm.

It had been days since Dudley had seen his home, or the boy they had left behind in it. Not that it should matter to him. Dudley hated the feeling of regret that kept catching up to him, no matter which way he turned.

The doubt had started with the dementor attack. He had started to think that everything his parents had told him about Harry, and everyone like him, might not be the true story, but a biased account of it told by people who were scared of losing their reputation.

And then there was the fact that Harry was kind. Although he wasn't very nice to Harry, Dudley didn't ignore his cousin as much as people seemed to think. After his gang went home on some nights, he would go spy on his cousin. Often times he would be helping a younger kid that Dudley had kicked, punched, or verbally hurt.

And the guilt slowly began worming into his heart.

Dudley had stopped leading his gang that last summer. He didn't want to hurt people anymore, not just because they were there, and not because he felt more powerful. That was not the way to gain power. He didn't want people to fear him, he wanted them to respect, and trust him. All summer, Dudley tried to perform little acts of kindness towards Harry. He'd added one more piece of bacon to Harry's plate (without anyone noticing) before it was given to him. He tried to clean up some of his old stuff that was laying around in Harry's way. He had left Harry a cup of tea outside his bedroom door one day.

But it wasn't enough. Maybe, one day he could forgive himself for being such a miserable excuse for a person. Maybe Harry would forgive him too, if both of them made it through the war.

Eventually, the driving stopped, and Dedalus Diggle and his wife led them to their new home. Their new guardians showed them around the 5- bedroom home, and gave them rules. They were not to leave the property without permission. They were protected by some sort of charm (The fiddle house charm?) while they remained on their land, but once they stepped out, You-Know-Who could find them.

More than a year went by, each day as dismal as the next. None of Dudley's friends could reach him, not that he had any outside of his old gang anyway, and he wasn't allowed out of the house. Every few weeks, the protectors would leave, and return with piles of books. When Dudley requested a movie, some video games, or even just a computer, they stared at him blankly, and eventually he gave up.

His father hated their situation more than anyone else. 'No work, nothing useful to do here. Just have to wait for some crackpot to let us out of this crazy place,' he would grumble, while browsing the latest car magazines, or watching the news on the television.

Petunia Dursley took on a solemn, sad appearance. She would walk around the house in the mornings, watering the flowers, and looking out the windows, as if waiting for something to happen. The rest of the day, she would either read, or write in a journal Dudley had never seen before. Sometimes, she would even join their hosts to listen to Potterwatch on the radio, apparently the only source of reliable news these days.

A couple times during the war, Deatheaters had seemed to know their general location. When Dudley went outside, he could see them walking through the streets, scaring the residents of the town. But no one ever left while they were there, and they were never caught.

On their final night in their eerily cheerful prison, both of their guardians left.

"You-Know-Who's attacking Hogwarts!" Dedalus said. "And Hogwarts is fighting back! Harry Potter is there, and we must succeed! This might be our only chance to defeat him!"

And then it was over. The next morning, they had been set free to drive back home. A few days later, after driving around in circles for a while (they had no idea where they were, and no map or gps) they arrived at Privet Drive.

The house itself hadn't changed much, but the yard was overgrown, and a tree branch had fallen in the drive from a storm that had passed. Inside, was still and silent. Dust was layered on everything, and the dry brown leaves from once brilliant flowers lay in heaps on the floor. They now only served as a reminder of the past.

The only thing that had changed, not due to time, was Harry's cupboard. The door hung open on its hinges, and inside it, on top of Harry's old mattress, was a letter. It was the only thing Dudley had seen so far that was not covered in dust. It must have been put there recently. He reached out his hand and picked it up. The letter was addressed to him.

When his parents had left to begin tidying up the place, Dudley ripped the envelope open and read the letter.

Dear Dudley,

I hope that your year in hiding wasn't completely terrible. Either way, I'm sure you're glad to be back home. Anyway, I've been thinking about last time we saw each other. You seemed - different I guess. I don't know if that means that we can ever really be friends, or even see eye-to-eye on anything, but I thought, if you want to, we can try. If you want to meet me at the coffee shop two blocks from Privet Drive next monday at 3:00, just send the owl back to me with your answer. Maybe we can arrange to see each other at least once a year. If you let the owl free without a reply, I'll understand.

Some experiences are just too hard to turn back from.

Sincerely,

Harry Potter

Dudley looked up to see a little owl perched on a shelf in the cupboard. It was so still, he hadn't noticed it, but when he reached to touch it, it let out a short screech, and lifted its leg. He ripped the bottom empty half of the note off, and scribbled a reply.

I'll be there.

- Dudley

Back in present time, the Dursleys were seated around their dining table, passing around plates of food until everyone had gotten a chance to try a bit of everything.

"So, you really did send her to that school then?" Vernon Dursley asked.

"Ah, yes. We didn't really have any choice on the matter. Like I said, we don't know what trouble it would cause if she didn't learn how to control it," Dudley said, calmer than he thought he would be.

"And how do you feel about this, Poppy?" Petunia asked.

That was a good question. How come Dudley hadn't asked his daughter if she felt jealous? Poppy had seemed so happy about everything, he hadn't thought to ask her how she really felt. All these years, he suspected that his mother's hatred for magic came from the fact that she didn't get to have it herself, but when his own daughter had been put in nearly the same position, he didn't even notice. Poppy mirrored Petunia's story, and even how she had looked as a young girl, although Poppy had dark brown hair instead of blonde, and a slightly friendlier face.

Poppy looked up from her food. She grinned, and held a finger up, signaling for them to wait a minute while she finished her bite of food.

"I think it's great!" she said. "I really hope I get to go to Hogwarts when I get older." Seeing the look on her grandmother's face, she added, "but if I don't get in, it will be just as well. I'll still support Daisy. She's my sister, and I love her."

"Remember that a few years from now, Poppy," Petunia said seriously. It was clear she didn't want a repeat of what happened between herself and Lily.

The rest of the dinner went on normally, although any talk of Daisy was stopped as soon as it started. Everyone could feel the tension in the room when she was mentioned. Dudley however, was quite pleased. His mother seemed like she wouldn't treat Daisy any differently. Maybe she was even happy for the girl. His father still looked upset whenever the name came up, but he was smart enough not to start an argument, which was better than Dudley could have hoped for.

He was sure a meeting without Petunia and Poppy there would have ended in the two of them arguing about Daisy - even though there wasn't really anything to be said. She was what she was, and hopefully his father would be able to see that soon.

Maybe keeping his family together wouldn't be as hard as he thought. There was hope, that his parents could join - well maybe not join - but be accepting of the wizarding community. Did that mean he was free to join in too?

Review please! It's always nice to get a review notification, especially when it's from someone who's never reviewed before.

There will definitely be a lot more chapters with the Dursleys in them. Did you really think Vernon would back down that easily?

Cheers

-Eruditegirl