Notes:
I'd just like to begin by mentioning how difficult it was for me to write this chapter. I won't spoil anything, but I will say it was difficult for me to decide how much detail was necessary enough for it not to be boring repetition but also for it to make sense.
You'll see what I mean when you read it.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think!
Chapter 1
Dudley arrived half-an-hour early for his meeting with his cousin, Harry. This could be easily attributed to nerves.
Dudley hadn't seen Harry for 10 years and, the last time he had seen him, he'd apologised for his actions, but had never gotten a response. Harry had disappeared three days after that. How or where, Dudley didn't know. His cousin had just disappeared from his bedroom in the middle of the night on his 15th birthday, taking all his things with him. Dudley had always assumed his people took him, and that he would be back the following Summer. However, that Summer had come and gone, and he had seen neither hide nor hair of Harry, and so he assumed he was never coming back. Dudley had thought about him occasionally over the years, most often when passing King's Cross on his way to work. But, it was when his daughter, Rose, began displaying some of the same signs of magic that Harry had when he was younger that Dudley made the attempt to contact his long-lost family member, desperate for help.
It had happened one afternoon, only a few days previously. Rose had come home from school, very upset, with a note for her parents from her teacher. Apparently, the teacher had told her off for talking to her friend, who was seated next to her. Some of the other kids had laughed at her for getting into trouble. Rose, who had been embarrassed by this, and upset with the teacher for causing it, had turned the teacher's skin blue.
Of course, the school wasn't aware that Rose had done it, but a note was still made of the incident. Dudley had gone pale in shock when he heard about it. He couldn't believe it. His little girl was-was a… witch. Well, he supposed that was karma catching up with him. Either that, or it was because he'd named his daughter after his deceased aunt. Either one.
However, Dudley knew he needed help. He didn't know how to raise a magical child! But, he did know of someone who did.
Which was what had led him to contacting Harry.
So there Dudley sat, half-an-hour early for his meeting with Harry, fiddling nervously with the rim of his teacup.
As he waited, he wondered absent-mindedly what had happened to his cousin since he'd last seen him. Had he gotten married? Had children? Dudley guessed so, since Harry had answered the phone with the phrase "Potter Household", which would suggest there being more than one Potter living there. He wondered why Harry was even agreeing to help him. Dudley doubted that he could ever be forgiven for his actions towards him when they were younger. He only hoped he could make up for it now.
Just then, the bell at the door of the café jingled, alerting him to the fact that someone had entered. Dudley looked up to see who it was, and caught the green-eyed gaze of the man who could only be his cousin, Harry. Except, Harry looked very different from the 15-year-old he remembered. When Dudley had last seen him, Harry had been a thin, scrawny looking boy who was rather short for his age, with round-framed glasses that always sat slightly skew on his face and a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. Now, however, Harry was tall, topping Dudley by a couple of inches. His glasses were also missing, as was the scar.
Dudley watched as Harry weaved his way through the collection of small tables in the room, until he stood before him. However, what shocked Dudley the most was that, instead of the frown or look of loathing he had expected, Harry was smiling at him.
"Hello, Dudley," he greeted, "long time, no see."
Dudley managed to smile in return, "Hey Harry. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me."
Harry swatted his hand at him in dismissal as he took the seat opposite, "It's really no problem. Now, what do you need help with that couldn't be discussed over the phone and you could only come to me for?"
Dudley glanced around them to make sure no one was listening in, before looking back at Harry.
"It's my daughter, Rose," he said, eventually, "I think she's a witch."
Harry's eyebrows rose, "That's not what I expected, but okay. How did you work that out?"
Dudley explained the incident at the school. Harry nodded, understandingly.
"It's not unusual," he said, "Most cases of accidental magic are triggered by emotions." He paused for a moment, "Have you told your wife yet?"
Dudley shook his head, "No I haven't told Sophia yet. To be honest, I wouldn't know where to start. And I still need to explain to Rose."
"What about your parents?"
"No!" Dudley cried, "There's no way I'm telling them - or, at least not yet. Maybe once she's away at school, but not before."
"They're still not any better then?" Harry asked.
Dudley sighed, "No, I'm afraid not. Look, Harry-"
"Save it, Dudley," Harry cut him off, "I know what you're going to say, and it's unnecessary. You've already apologised, so let's put the past behind us, alright?"
"Okay," Dudley agreed, internally both relieved and surprised that Harry had forgiven him.
"Now," Harry continued, smoothly changing the subject in a way that gave Dudley the impression that he did it all the time, "I assume you'd like my help with telling Sophia and Rose. I only have to be home at 17:00, because the kids are spending the afternoon with Sirius and Hermione only gets off work then. Would that be okay with you?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Dudley nodded, "Sophia doesn't work on Fridays, and Rose only gets home at 16:00 because she has dance class after school. That will give us time to explain to Sophia before we tell Rose."
"Alright then," Harry agreed, "It's about 15:30 at the moment. Should we go to your house now?"
Dudley agreed, and they both rose from their seats. He paid for his tea, and then followed Harry out onto the street.
"How are we getting there?" Harry asked, "Did you come in your car?"
"No," Dudley shook his head, "I came by the train since it was so close by."
"Alright then. I can get us there quickly if you just give me your address."
"Uh, is that safe? For me, I mean?"
Harry lagged, "Sure, although it can be slightly nauseating the first time, but it won't actually harm you."
"Okay then."
Harry led him further down the street until they came to an empty side-alley. Once he'd checked to make sure no one could see them, he instructed Dudley to take his arm before apparating them away to the address he'd been given.
It took Dudley a moment to recompose himself once they arrived, just down the road from his house. Once his stomach had settled, he led Harry to a double-storeyed face brick house just a few doors down. He then unlocked the door.
They entered into a welcoming hallway, where they both deposited their coats and Dudley hung up his key.
"She'll be in the kitchen," Dudley said, referring to Sophia.
Harry nodded briefly in acknowledgement, before following his cousin down the hall to where the kitchen was located.
Sophia was, indeed, there. She had her back to them, but she turned around at the sound of their entrance and her eyes widened when she took in Harry's presence.
"Oh, hello," she greeted, "I didn't know you'd be home early, or that we were expecting company?"
She phrased her statement as a question, glazing noticeably at Harry.
"Oh, right, this is my cousin, Harry Potter," Dudley introduced, "Harry, this is my wife, Sophia."
"Pleasure to meet you," Harry said, smiling.
"Likewise," Sophia replied, though she eyed him wearily, "I wasn't aware that Dudley had a cousin, so you must forgive me if I seem surprised."
"It's no problem," Harry said, "My mother and her sister didn't always get along very well, which led to me and Dudley not being in contact for some years."
"Ah," Sophia nodded her head, enlightened.
"I contacted Harry because I needed his help with something," Dudley explained, "I met up with him to discuss matters and he came back with me in order to explain the… situation to you."
Sophia frowned, "It's not anything bad, is it?"
Harry shook his head, "No, most certainly not, but it could be potentially shocking or surprising."
"I asked Harry specifically because he has first-hand experience in what we need to tell you, and is far more knowledgeable in the subject than I am, although I do know some things."
"Alright, now you've got me curious. Why don't I make some tea and then we can have this mysterious discussion?" Sophia suggested.
Harry and Dudley both nodded, and helped her in preparing the tea before they all made their way to the sitting room where they sat in order to begin.
"Right, well," Harry said, "Let me start off by telling you that this is going to sound rather far-fetched and hard to believe at first, but just bear with me, alright?"
Sophia nodded.
"Okay then," Harry continued, "What do you know about magic?"
"Magic?" she repeated, surprised, "You mean like in the fairy tales? Witches, wizards, spells, broomsticks, potions and such?"
"Yes, exactly that," Harry nodded.
"But they're not real, are they? They're just stories."
Harry chuckled slightly, "I can assure you that magic is most definitely real."
"But-but how? I'm fairly certain I would have noticed people flying around on brooms and using spells."
"No, you wouldn't," Harry shook his head, "I'm sure you've heard of the witch burnings in the 1600s? Well, because of those, the members of the world's magical society decided it wasn't safe for them to live amongst non-magical people, so they went underground, hiding their existence from the world. Rumours and stories still circulated, however, which explains the myths."
"But how do you know all this?" Sophia questioned, "You're not…?"
Harry smiled comfortingly at her, "A wizard? Yes, I am."
Sophia's draw dropped open, "But-but you're so… normal! And you're Dudley's cousin…" Her eyes widened, and she turned to her husband, "You're not a wizard too, are you?"
Dudley shook his head emphatically, "No, I'm certainly not."
"How do I know this is real?" she demanded, turning back to Harry, "How do I know this isn't some big joke?"
"I'll show you," Harry said, calmly flicking his wrist to draw his wand from the holster he had strapped to his forearm. He then pointed it at the empty teacup which sat on the table before him. With barely a thought, the teacup changed into a beautiful white dove, which circled the room a couple of times before landing back on the table and turning back into its original form. Sophia stared at it, slack-jawed, before tentatively reaching over and picking it up. She examined it carefully for about a minute, before placing it back down on the table and looking back up at Harry.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, "If it's illegal, surely I'm not allowed to know? How does Dudley know, for that matter?"
"That, I'm afraid, is a rather long story," Harry said, "I won't go into detail, as that would take too long, but I'll give you a rundown of the basics." He paused, turning to Dudley, "Some of this is new information for you too, Dud. It explains where I disappeared to that summer."
Dudley's eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded in acknowledgement of his cousin's words.
So, with a deep breath, Harry began.
"First I'll have to give you a bit of background," he said, "As you now know, Dudley and I are related through our mothers - my mother, Lily, being Petunia's younger sister."
Sophia nodded, so Harry continued, "When my mother was 11 years old, she got a letter inviting her to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You see, despite her being born to non-magical parents, she was a witch."
"My mother didn't take this very well," Dudley explained, "She was jealous of Lily, and so tried writing a letter to the headmaster, asking if she could go too. She was denied, of course, and it made her bitter and hateful towards anything magical - including her own sister."
"My mother went to Hogwarts," Harry continued, "On the train there, she met the man she would one day marry- my father, James Potter. For reasons I am not aware of she took an immediate dislike to him. He, however, fell in love with her at first sight. He pursued her throughout their years at school, and eventually started dating sometime in their 7th year. They got married soon after graduating. They had me a year or so later."
He paused a moment, before continuing, "However, not everything was well during this time. Throughout my parents' years at school, there had been rumours of a dark wizard trying to rise to power - Lord Voldemort. People started disappearing, and things eventually escalated into a full-out civil war. After they graduated, my parents and their friends were very much at the frontlines of the fight. In fact, my parents fought Voldemort himself, and came out alive three times." Harry sighed, "A few months after I was born, my parents were forced into hiding. They planned to hide their location using a spell known as the Fedilius Charm. This charm would, effectively, hide their secret in the soul of the person they chose to trust it with. However, they chose the wrong person. Peter Pettigrew, one of my father's closest friends, became one of Voldemort's followers soon after leaving school, and he sold my parents out. On the night of the 31st Of October 1981, Voldemort came to our house and killed both of my parents, before attempting to kill me. However, the spell didn't work. He tried using what is known as the killing curse. It's said to be unblockable, and, once it hits you, there's nothing that can be done to save you. You die in an instant. When he used it on me, the protection my mother had given me by sacrificing herself blocked the effects of the spell, and caused it to backfire on Voldemort. I was left with nothing more than a lightning- bolt scar on my forehead, while Voldemort was vanquished, and assumed dead."
Harry took a moment to compose himself, looking up at Sophia and Dudley. Sophia looked shocked, her eyes wide and glassy with tears, while Dudley looked pale. He knew a few of the details already, but had never heard them spoken of so plainly before. Harry decided it was alright to continue onwards, "That night left me an orphan at just over a year old. That left the question of who was going to raise me. My godfather, Sirius Black, came to our cottage that night after finding Pettigrew missing from his own home. On his arrival, he found my father - his brother in all but blood - dead, and my mother as well. He then found me, alive, and picked me up, intending to take me back with him. However, he was stopped by the arrival of Hagrid - the groundskeeper at Hogwarts - who was under instruction from the Headmaster - Albus Dumbledore - to take me to him. Sirius, who was crazy with grief, thoughts filled with getting revenge on Pettigrew, easily handed me over and went after the traitor. He ended up getting framed for murder, and put into prison, leaving no one to care for me. It was because of this that, a few nights later, I was left on the doorstep of Number 4 Privet Drive to be raised by my aunt and uncle - Petunia and Vernon Dursley. However, that night had other consequences. By then, the world had heard of the events that occurred that Halloween night, and my survival of the curse once thought unstoppable made me famous. Among the magical community of Britain, I became known as "The-Boy-Who-Lived", a moniker I would later come to hate."
Dudley decided to continue from that point, "So, Harry was left on my parents' doorstep that night. However, what Dumbledore was unaware of was that my mother still held a deep hatred for anything magical, and had passed that hatred onto my father, and later, to me as well." He sighed, "Harry's childhood, I'm ashamed to say, was a nightmare. He spent the next 10 years of his life sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs while I had the luxury of two bedrooms. My parents would constantly abuse him, both physically and mentally. He was given my old hand-me-down clothes, which were many sizes too big for him. I played my part as well. My parents spoiled me rotten, and taught me to treat Harry as if he was nothing better than dirt. I bullied him at school, and frightened other kids so that they would never be friends with him." Dudley turned his gaze to his shoes, guilt ridden and unable to look at his wife's expression. She was staring at him in a mixture of shock and horror, unable to believe what he was telling her. The Dudley she knew was nothing like that!
"Anyway," Harry continued, breaking the awkward silence, "Everything changed a few weeks before my 11th birthday, when I received my own Hogwarts letter."
"I wouldn't exactly say 'received' Harry," Dudley interrupted, "Dad took it from him before he got a chance to read it. The wizards were determined though. One Sunday, a whole horde of the letters flew down our chimney. Things had been getting progressively worse before then, and that was the last straw for Dad. He took us all away, and we drove for hours. I was miserable, and had no idea what was going on. We ended up in this old shack of a house located on an outcrop of rock in the sea that could only be reached by rowing boat, and of course it was storming that night."
"It was the night before my birthday," Harry continued, "I stayed up to count it down, as I did every year. Then, as it struck midnight, there was a great banging on the door. After a few strikes, during which time I hid myself behind a section of wall, the door gave way, and a great giant of a man came through." He grinned, "It was Hagrid. He came to give me my letter. Appalled and angry he was, too, when he found out that Vernon and Petunia had told me nothing of my heritage. Terrified them, to be honest."
"He terrified me too," Dudley added, "Gave me a pig's tail when I tried eating some of the cake he'd brought for Harry. Called me a pig, and, honestly, I deserved it."
"Anyway," Harry continued, "The next morning, he took me shopping for all my school things in the wizarding shopping district - Diagon Alley, in London. I'll skip over the details as they aren't relevant. Anyway, a month later, after managing to find the correct platform, I boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time. I made a friend at that point - Ron Weasley. We met on the train. Coincidentally, I also met my future wife on the trip, but didn't become friends with her until a few months down the line." He grinned again, "I'll skip over most of what happened - the details aren't truly important. I got sorted into Gryffindor House at the feast - the House of the Brave, as it is known, and I saved Hermione's life that Halloween, with help from Ron. The three of us became best friends after that, and we still are. However, at the end of that year, we discovered that Voldemort wasn't truly dead. He'd been possessing one of our professors the whole year, and was trying to regain his body. We foiled his plans, although I almost died in the process. Dumbledore came to me in the hospital wing once I was better and explained, not in great detail, how my mother's love had saved me that night. The following year, I foiled another of Voldemort's attempts to regain a body, and the year after that, I discovered the truth of who had really betrayed my parents. Again, I won't go into too much detail." He paused a moment, then continued, "However, it was my 4th year that things changed. I was forced to compete in a competition I didn't voluntarily enter that was aimed at people three years older than me, and had a high death rate. It turned out that my being entered was yet another of Voldemort's plots to regain a body. He kidnapped me in the final round, and, with help from Pettigrew and the use of my blood, regained a body." Harry's whole body shuddered at the memory of that night, but he pushed forwards, "A friend of mine was killed that night, right in front of me, and I could do nothing to stop it. The nightmares plagued me that summer. I'm sure Dudley will remember." He looked to his cousin, who nodded in agreement, "However, that was also the summer Dudley and I made amends."
"I'd been seeing a counsellor at school," Dudley explained, "He made me see that the way we treated Harry was wrong. I went up to him one day and apologised. However, that was the last time we spoke to one another before I contacted him yesterday. Three days after my apology, on Harry's birthday, he disappeared during the night without a trace. I always assumed his friends had collected him, but from what he's been hinting at, I assume that that's not what actually happened."
Harry nodded at him in agreement, "You'd be right about that. You see, I'd stayed up again that night, as I usually did before my birthday. Then, as it hit midnight, I received a strange note. The contents confused me, right up until I, and all my belongings were whisked away involuntarily a moment later."
"What did it say?" Sophia asked, speaking up for the first time since they'd started their explanation.
"It said, and I quote, 'Get ready – it's going to be a bumpy ride!'"
"So, where did it take you?" Dudley asked, eyes wide in curiosity.
Harry grinned at him, "1 000 years into the past - to the time of the Hogwarts Founders."
Notes:
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