The GOOD summer day
By Gemma_@SoftHome.net
Notes: Hats off to you wonderful people who reviewed the last part! The Mulder/Weasley comparison was hysterical! Just to answer a few questions: NO NO NO NO this will NOT end as a dream! I have been known scream at the end of shows on TV when they pull that. I HATE it, and would never do that to you. Yes and no to writers block, I do have another fic cooking that isn't nearly so funny. I needed a quick kick in the pants to write it, so I decided to do this one first. I wanted to cram it all into one part, but that didn't work out *g*. So, keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing. Sound fair? *g* (That was also a good bit of advice if you want me to shut up :) This story takes place after book four. I don't own anything. Refer to the other parts for notes and such. (That means this one hasn't been beta'd either.)
*News flash* My stories AND artwork dedicated to Harry Potter can be found at SilverSun Hogwarts. The web mistress, Crystal Music, has a great site filled with all original fic and artwork. She had also set up a school there. I'm a member of Hufflepuff. Everyone is welcome to join. See ya in the common room *g*
Part three - Dudley on a broom?
By the time Harry arrived at the other side his Aunt had already met Ms Weasley, and Dudley was already talking to Ron. He watched for a minute, since no one had noticed he had arrived, to see everyone's reaction. He was floored.
His Aunt was having an animated conversation with Ms Weasley. They were swapping stories about the joys of raising wizard children.
Ron was showing Dudley his broom, and telling him about all the different kinds, and which were better . . .
'I must be insane.' Harry cleared his throat to let everyone know he was there.
"Harry!" He Aunt exclaimed. "There you are, I was afraid you took a detour."
Harry shuttered at that thought. The first time he used floo powder he had done just that, by not saying the name of his destination clearly. "No, I didn't. Is everything okay here?" He finished.
"Sure Harry why wouldn't their be?" His Aunt asked.
Not able to take it any more, this was all just too odd. He felt a bit more brave with Ron and His mum there, that and he had the fireplace to his back if his Aunt went off the wall. "Because the last time the Weasley's came over you yelled at them for the thing about Dudley's tongue."
His Aunt only laughed. "Oh Harry dear, that was only a misunderstanding." She then turned to Ms Weasley, "No hard feelings?"
"Oh no, none at all. I am glad my two boys didn't do any more harm."
Dudley elbowed Ron in the ribs. "You got any more of that stuff? I know a few kids at school I'd love to feed a few of those candies to."
"Now Dudley, you know the rules, no telling anyone about Harry's magical side. That included no magical candy. Do you want to get Harry into trouble?" Harry's Aunt said.
Ron looked over to Harry with a grin, "hey, he's all right!"
Harry groan to himself.
In short order Ron and Dudley had made fast friends. The speed of it kinda scared Harry. What was going on? Before he could say anything they drug him outside so Ron could show Dudley his broom. Harry hung back watching the two boys. He was starting to feel left out, quickly. Even though the broom was a hand-me-down, like everything else Ron owned and quite battered, Dudley was quite impressed with it and told Ron so.
"Oh this thing is nothing, you should compare this to Harry's. His is the best in the world. That thing would stop on a dime." Ron said, turning to Harry. "Hey, why don't you get it so he can see both of them?"
"Uh sure. Can you come with me? I want to show you something in my room."
Leaving Dudley holding Ron's broom, Harry showed Ron to his room. Once they were inside, Harry shut the door behind them and turned to Ron. Before he could ask Ron what the heck he was doing Ron gasped.
"Wow! You were not kidding! This place is incredible! You think Mum would let me stay the night?" Ron over the contents of Harry's book case. "'Unabridged history of Non muggle England', Hey Hermione was complaining last year that the library at Hogwarts didn't have this one." He looked over the large collection of books. "I think she's give her eye teethe to read some of the stuff you got here!"
"Hermione." Harry said to himself. "I should owl her and ask her over too -"
"You can't, she's visiting, Krum, remember?" Ron said, still looking over Harry's room. His eyes fell on a long leather covered box. "Woah! This is an official version Quidditch set! It's numbered and everything! Where the heck did you -" Ron stopped himself, and looked over at Harry. "Sorry, you don't know were it all came from, right?"
"No - and that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Harry said. "I just woke up and here it all was.
"MMMMMUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!" They both heard Dudley wail down below and outside. They both dashed to the window in time to see Dudley wiz past - on Ron's broom. He flew past so close he upset Hedwig, who had been setting on the windowsill sleeping.
"Crips!" Ron gasped. They watched in horror as Dudley flew near the tree in the back yard, and right though it. He came out the other side over in leaves . . .
Harry ran over to his Firebolt were it was hanging on the wall and grabbed it. He darted down stairs with Ron following him.
"Ron, Harry!" Ms Weasley called.
"On our way!" Ron called.
Harry ran past his Aunt, only talking mild note at the look of horror on her face. He spotted Dudley who was several yards over, and still flying at quite a speed. He jumped onto is broom and took off.
With his Firebolt it took him little effort to catch up with Dudley. He was clinging onto the broom, upside down now, screaming as loud as he could. Harry called out at him, but Dudley could not hear him over his own screaming. Not knowing what else to do, he reached out and grabbed the broom's handle. The sudden jolt did catch Dudley's attention.
'Harry save me!" He screamed.
"Hold onto the broom, okay?"
He didn't respond. Harry could see holding on was the least of his problems. "Can you right yourself?" He asked, Dudley shook his head. Harry was puzzled. Why was his Cousin having such a hard time controlling the broom? He then remembered something he had been told several years ago, 'It takes people with magical ability.' That's why the broom had jerked when he took hold of it.
"Of course!" he said out loud. "Keep holding on, I'm going to set us down somewhere, okay?" Dudley was beyond hearing him, he was screaming again. He didn't want to take the chance of going back by broom. Dudley just might fall off, and he didn't want to take the chance of being seen or any more so than they might have been so far. He looked to his right and saw a street. It looks clear, and a good large place to set down. He gripped his broom tightly with his legs, and reached down with his other hand and took a better grip with both hands on Ron's broom. At once he could steer the broom, and they came to a slow stop.
"Were hovering over the ground!" Dudley wailed.
"Hold on!" Harry yelled. He turned both brooms, and made for the street. The last thing he wanted to do was set down in someone's yard with a big pit bull dog or something. He brought them within a few feet on the ground, just hovering over the tarmac.
"You can let go now." He told Dudley, his cousin had closed his eyes . . . Opening now, he looked down, then let go.
With a loud oomph Dudley fell. Harry climbed off his broom and looked down at his Cousin, who had flipped himself over and was kissing the tarmac.
"Next time, don't do that by yourself, okay?" He hoped there wouldn't be a next time, period.
"Thank you! I am so sorry! I was standing on the ground sitting on the broom and it just took off! I don't know why it did, honest!"
Harry sighed; still amazed that Dudley would apologize for anything. "That's okay. No harm done, I think." He slung both brooms over his shoulder, and held out his hand. "We had better get home before Aunt Petunia has a nervous break down." Dudley took his hand and stood up.
"Oh, she's gonna skin me alive . . ." he moaned.
By the time they got home Dudley was laughing over the whole thing. "What I really want to know is how you stay right side up, Once I was up in the air I seamed to flip over at once, and all I could do was hold on . . ."
'And scream for all you were worth!" Harry added.
They both looked at each other, and bust out laughing. Harry marveled at the new Dudley. He was actually easy to get along with.
"Really, I don't know exactly how to tell you how to stay on the broom upright, you just do. I think it has to be with magical ability. Once I got hold of the broom, it was easy to steer it over the ground."
Dudley sighed, "I wish I did."
"Did?" Harry asked, not quite understanding what his Cousin meant.
"Magic. Your so lucky Harry." Dudley said honestly. Harry had no idea how to respond to that, lucky? He wished ten times a day that he was anyone else but himself. But that wasn't really what made him look over to Dudley. It was Dudley who had said that, not a first year from school . . .
"Well, being me isn't all it's cracked up to be." He said quietly.
Dudley didn't hear him; at that moment Aunt Petunia burst out of the house and took Dudley up in her arms. She was sobbing. "Oh my little darling! Your safe."
"Mum . . ." Dudley wined, trying to wriggle out of her tight grip. "I'm fine, I'm fine."
Aunt Petunia spotted Harry over Dudley's head and reached out and pulling him into the hug. "Oh my two wonderful boys! You saved him Harry! I knew you would!"
"Mum!" Dudley protested louder, but she paid him to mind, and just held them and cried.
Once Aunt Petunia had calmed down she brought them all back into the house. She was so over-joyed, and dead set on making something sweet for both 'her' boys and her guests she didn't notice Harry sneak off to his room. He set both brooms in the corner, and sat down on his bed.
He felt numb.
'She'd knew I save him?' It was all too much for him. One thing after another, his room, the Dursleys . . . The final blow was the acceptance he had now. He had spent his entire life in this house, with them - using him as a whipping boy. Nothing he did was ever right, nothing! Anything out of place was his fault without question. Once Dudley was old enough to understand the situation he started in on him as well. He knew they hated him, and he accepted it. It was just how it was. Now with start of this odd day the rug had been pulled out from under him. It was as if the law of gravity had been re-written on someone's whim.
For the first time that he could ever remember in his life his Aunt held him. What hurt him the most was that he wanted it to last. He wanted this new life more than anything, or as much as he could have. He knew that his parents were gone, and that his Godfather was on the run . . . but this was the next best thing. He was scared it would all be taken away. And because of that he found it hard to accept. The last time he dared hope for anything like this, it was taken away.
"Harry? You in there?" Ron asked from the other side of the door.
"Yeah." Harry said.
Ron pushed open the door and looked at him. "You okay?"
"Yeah, why?" Harry asked, wondering how he could know what he was thinking. Ron pointed to his side, were he was griping the sheets so tight his knuckles were white. For the first time he felt a dull ache from the cramps in his hand. He let go.
Ron came in and closed the door behind him. He set himself down next to Harry. He couldn't bring himself to look at Ron, and turned his attention to his hands, rubbing them.
"So, are you okay?" He asked again.
Harry sighed, and told him as much as he could. Once he was done he looked over to Ron.
"Well," Ron said, scratching his head. "I guess its all going to take a little getting use to." He said, not knowing what else to day.
"But that's it, I don't know if I can let myself get use to this. Is it all going to last? Is this even real? I still keep wondering if I am going to wake up any minute now."
Ron reached over and pinched Harry. He let out a small yelp and stared at him. "Well, you didn't wake up, did you?"
"No." Harry said, looking down at the floor.
"Look, Harry I don't know what is going on any more than you do, but there is one thing you should keep in mind . . ."
"And that is?"
"Enjoy it. If this ends in an hour or a year you will be kicking yourself. I don't know what all your Aunt and Uncle do to you here -" Ron said, with a slightly hurt look. Harry noticed it and sighed sadly. He had not told Ron everything. He just couldn't bring himself to share. "- But I do know you deserve this. And I had any say so they would act civil for now on."
Harry smiled faintly.
"Okay, with that said, you had better come down. Your Aunt is dishing out ice cream." Ron said with a grin.
"Ice cream? Its not noon yet, and I don't think I got room from breakfast!" Harry said with a laugh.
"I'm sure you will find some room."
True to Ron's word Harry did make room. It was the first time he had ever had chocolate ice cream, and he loved it. He loved the nuts on top, and even the whipping cream, which she made up fresh for everyone.
"Do you think they would adopt one more?" Ron whispered in Harry's ear, making sure his mum didn't over hear. Harry couldn't help laughing.
Harry realized it was the first time he was really happy in the Dursleys house, truly happy, and smiled. He looked over to his aunt, and she noticed his gaze. "Do you want any more?" She asked without thinking.
He shook his head, "No, but thank you. Thank you for everything." He knew he couldn't even try to explain himself, and knew she wouldn't even understand if he tried. Ron was right, he should enjoy it.
This is part three of five. 'Part four - Dinner with Harry, the Dursley's, the Weasley's, Sniffles, and Dumbledore . . . Oh my!' coming very soon. This is my first Potter fic, please PLEASE let me know what you think!