A/N: If you read Chapter 3 before today, note that we added a couple of paragraphs to the end of the chapter that describes how Uncle Vernon responded to having Sirius in the house as well as the effects of Sirius's enchantment on Petunia and Dudley, and then how Uncle Vernon was put under the same enchantment.

[End author note]

About a week into the visit, Aunt Petunia jumped up from the dinner table in a rush after they had finished eating. Harry thought she had forgotten something on the stovetop, but then she was coming back to the table with something that rattled a bit in a box.

"Harry, I was browsing a mail order catalog from the RNIB…" she said as she stopped near him. Harry turned toward her with his eyebrows knitted together. Padfoot shifted under Harry's chair and made a loud whining noise like he was yawning. Uncle Vernon told Dudley to turn off the telly. Dudley groaned as he lumbered over to switch it off.

Aunt Petunia shook the box and whatever was in it rattled more.

"Here, Harry. This is for you."

Harry felt uneasy as he reached forward to find the box. It seemed to be covered in wrapping paper. He still wasn't used to this kind version of his Aunt. The box was lightweight, but larger than he expected. Aunt Petunia cleared away his plate and told him to set it on the table so he could open it.

"This is a late birthday present, Harry," Aunt Petunia said with anticipation in her voice.

Harry felt around the edges and found the seams where the paper was taped.

"Go on, just rip the paper already, Harry!" Dudley urged.

Grinning toward his cousin, he pulled a piece of the paper off in a satisfying rip and let it fall on the floor. Aunt Petunia scooped it up immediately and crushed it.

Harry found the flaps to the box and opened it up, then felt around the inside of the box.

"It feels like a football?" he said.

"Yes! It is!" Aunt Petunia said as she jumped up and grabbed the round ball from his hands. "But it's not just any ball."

"Mum, let me show him!" Dudley clattered out of his chair and soon was thrusting the ball back into Harry's hands.

"See this here?"

"Dudders!"

"Oh, right. Sorry. Feel this here?" Dudley corrected, making Harry cringe as he grabbed the ball, turning it in Harry's hands.

"You can say 'see!'" Harry exclaimed, his hand ghosting over Dudley's sweaty fingers as he tried to see what he was showing him. Dudley pushed Harry's fingers to a little flap that opened, hiding a small switch.

"Sorry, Harry! I… well, here you go," Dudley's pudgy finger pushed at the switch and then the ball started beeping. Harry nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Oh! It's like my snitch!"

"Your what?"

"Never mind. But this is really cool! Oi! Thank you!"

"So, you like it?" Aunt Petunia asked.

"I love it," Harry said with as much sincerity as surprise. "Hey, Dudley, want to go to the park and try it out?"

"Sure! But first, let me help mum with the dishes."

"I'll help your mum, you boys go on out! Have fun while it's still light out."

There was a stunned silence around the table, and then Harry jumped up and dashed upstairs taking two steps at a time to grab Padfoot's harness before Uncle Vernon came to his senses. Padfoot raced by him, roughly pushing against Harry's legs halfway up the stairs, his tail whipping at his face once he had passed him.

When Harry and Padfoot clambered down the stairs again a few moments later, Dudley was waiting for him outside, the football making a loud staccato against the pavement that was out of rhythm with the beeps.

"Hey, Harry! I'm passing it to you!" Harry had to resist the urge to duck away when he heard the leather bouncing off Dudley's foot. But instead of a full-on assault, it sounded like Dudley had tapped it rather gently. He had time to listen to the approaching arc of the ball as it beeped toward him. Padfoot barked as Harry jumped and tried to make contact with the ball with the inside of his foot, but missed and it bounced behind Harry.

"Ha! I'll have to practice!"

"That was close, though! You almost had it!" Dudley ran behind Harry to retrieve it, turned off the beeping, and they set off for the park—Dudley bouncing the football and Padfoot's harness jingling. Harry couldn't believe the good-natured camaraderie he heard in Dudley's voice. He winced as he reminded himself that this was magic at work and not real… but it was almost like having a brother and as much as it pained him to admit it, he was enjoying this version of Dudley.

It's what I've always wanted… a family, Harry thought.

Padfoot's pace picked up as they neared the park and Harry found that he was practically jogging to keep up. Dudley was breathing heavily as they turned to walk on the pathway between the hedgerows that bordered the park and the neighborhood. The air was cooler here in the leafy shade of the hedges and the noises of the Little Whinging around them were muted.

They emerged into the open air of the park and Padfoot lunged forward. The squeal of the metal chains of the swings at the playground across the expanse of open grass and occasional shouts of children punctuated the cool night air.

"Hang on there, buddy!" Harry called out, laughing. He knelt down on the damp grass and started unbuckling Padfoot's harness.

"Why are you taking off his harness?" Dudley asked.

"He needs to run free for a bit. Don't worry, he'll stay close. Won't you?" Harry ruffled Padfoot's ears and scratched the scruff of his neck as Padfoot licked him from chin to eyebrow, leaving a smear of smelly saliva on his face. Harry sat back to wipe it off as Padfoot launched himself away, barking joyfully as he ran.

Harry stood up and turned toward Dudley.

"Do you mind starting out slow? Just some easy volleys while I get the hang of listening for the ball?"

"Yeah, sure, mate. That makes sense." Harry heard Dudley fiddling with the ball and then the beeping started again. He dropped it to the ground and dribbled it closer to Harry. Harry listened, trying to gauge how close they were.

"All right, mate. I'm going to pass it now," Dudley warned.

Harry tapped the ball with the inside of his foot and sent it back toward Dudley.

"Nice one!" Dudley said as he kicked the ball lightly with his foot. "Coming back to you."

Harry tried dribbling it for a bit, running forward and kicking the ball in front of him. He wasn't sure where Dudley was. He was able to track the ball. It was very much like his snitch, though easier to follow because it stayed on the ground, mostly.

"Hey, Dudley?"

"Over here, mate." Dudley was farther to the left than Harry expected and he adjusted his stance, then kicked the ball toward Dudley and heard his cousin connect with it.

"I guess we need to put a bell on you, too!" Harry laughed.

Padfoot came running by close enough that he pushed against Harry almost knocking him down.

"Hey, watch it, Padfoot!"

"You talk to that dog like he understands you!" Dudley guffawed.

The ball was beeping as Dudley dribbled it, then there was a pause, and then it started hurling toward Harry. Harry stopped and listened, and jumped up with his knee in the air, trying to connect with the ball, but missed and fell onto the grass. Padfoot pounced on him, pushing his wet nose into Harry's neck and licking his ear.

"Oh, he understands all right." Harry pushed Padfoot away as he sat up and reached for the beeping ball, tossing it toward Dudley.

Harry shivered… a sudden biting wind made the sheen of sweat turn icy on his back and arms… it was like a bank of clouds had rushed in. Padfoot growled.

Harry noticed the eerie quiet from the playground as well… he could hear the swing creaking, but he couldn't hear any children laughing and shouting anymore. He was pretty certain that they were the only ones at the park.

"Geez, how is it so cold and dark all of the sudden?" Dudley said with a shudder, coming over to where Harry was with the beeping ball. "Is there a storm coming in?"

"Kinda feels like it. Does it look like it is going to rain?"

"I dunno. The sun disappeared and … it's freezing. Ahh. It is so dark. I can hardly see anything."

Padfoot leaned against Harry's leg and whined.

"What is it, Padfoot?"

"Like he's going to answer!" Dudley exclaimed as he stumbled. "It's pitch black out here. I can't see a thing. How do you manage? Gah!"

"Padfoot, fetch the harness!" Harry commanded, pointing in the general direction of where they had set it down when they entered the park. The hair on his neck was standing on end.

Something is wrong. Very wrong, Harry thought.

Padfoot raced over to it and soon the jangling harness was in Harry's hands and he was hurriedly passing it over the shivering dog's head and fastening it around his middle.

"Let's get out of here, Dudley. Home! Padfoot!" Padfoot lurched forward and Harry trotted after him, but Dudley didn't seem to be following. Harry pulled on Padfoot's harness.

"Come on, Dudley! We've got to go home. Something isn't right here. Dudley?"

Padfoot had stopped and then started barking. Harry pulled his wand out of the mokeskin pouch and pointed it in the direction that Padfoot was barking. In between Padfoot's barks, he could hear the rasping, rattling breath and then he caught a whiff of smell: something putrid on the air and suddenly he knew what was going on.

Dementors! How could there be Dementors in Little Whinging?

He felt Padfoot shake through the harness. "Padfoot! You gotta… you can't transform! Please. I need you to guide me. It's too dangerous. The Dementors… you know what they do to you. Where's Dudley? Take me to Dudley."

Padfoot whined and walked forward until Harry's outstretched wand poked his cousin.

"Dudley! We've got to go! Come on!" Harry shouted, linking his wand arm through Dudleys and pulling him along while he clung to Padfoot's harness. Dudley stumbled and then fell into step with Harry and they half-ran, half hobbled toward the hedgerows that would take them back to Privet Drive.

Dudley got caught up on the branches of the hedgerow as they passed through. The Dementor's rank odor engulfed them. Harry turned toward it and pushed Dudley behind him, freeing his wand arm. He pointed the wand toward the advancing misery, feeling its pull. Padfoot was barking frantically. There was a strange clanking noise coming from the other end of the hedgerows… like tin cans and footsteps.

Think happy thoughts, happy thoughts! Harry urged himself.

Harry frantically grasped the nearest memory… that of playing football with his cousin while Padfoot raced around the field.

"Expecto patronum!" He felt the force of the spell as it erupted from his wand and then heard the hooves of Prongs and his huffing snorts as he chased after the Dementors.

"Go get them!" He knew there was more than one because of their rattling breath… they had been surrounded.

The footsteps and clanking metal he'd heard earlier ran near him and an icy hand grasped his wrist and pulled him, "Run!" He didn't have a moment to wonder who else was in the hedgerow with them.

Harry pulled on Dudley as Padfoot lurched through the hedgerow. Harry put his arm around Dudley's waist to help him as Dudley's legs were buckling. The other person was now pulling on Dudley's arm, too. When they cleared the hedgerow, they got under Dudley's other arm and the four of them hurried along the pavement as quickly as they could.

Harry made to tuck his wand back into his mokeskin bag at his waist.

"Don't put that away, boy!" He realized that it was Mrs. Figg.

"What? Wait? You're a witch?!"

"Squib. I can't help you a wit with them. So you keep that out. I'll tell you if they are coming back. Why didn't that mutt of yours transform?"

"What? I'm glad he didn't!"

"Why on earth? How else can he protect you?"

"The Dementors are worse for him! We'd be hauling both of them out of here. As a dog, he can withstand them. He knows that."

"Well, it's a good thing you can do that deer magic!"

"The Patronus," Harry corrected unconsciously.

The night air was no longer piercingly cold as he drew it into his lungs and Harry could hear the birds and insects humming their nighttime chorus again. He had a stitch in his side and he was pretty sure that a muscle in his shoulder had been pulled from hanging on to Padfoot's harness while he lunged forward… but he was thankful for their hurried pace back to Number 4 Privet Drive. The protection of the blood wards never sounded so welcome.

And Harry was really worried about Dudley who seemed barely able to stay on his feet and hadn't muttered a word since the encounter with the Dementors.

Worried about Dudley. That's new, thought Harry. Gah! They didn't kiss him, did they?