Part Thirteen: bear necessities



Petunia stared in horror at the sight that greeted her when she opened Dudley's door. Dudley, her strong, brave Dudley, was curled up in the far corner of his bed, whimpering and clutching his blankets to his chest, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head.



"Dudley! What is it?!" she cried.



A shaking finger pointed at something on his bed. She stepped closer to see what it was. A dark lump was laying next to Dudley's pillow. She came further into the room and squinted in the dim light. When she realized what she saw, she screamed. A shrill, bloodcurdling scream that loosened plaster and sent it raining down on her head. The two policemen came running and stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw.



Dudley's teddy bear had been neatly dismembered. The arms and legs were stuck at odd angles in Dudley's mattress with long knives. The stuffing in the body had been disgorged and was strewn about the bedcovers and the limp, empty shell was impaled on the wall. The bear's head was laying next to Dudley's pillow, its button eyes ripped out. It had been carefully positioned so that the empty cloth sockets staring in mute horror were what greeted Dudley when he woke.



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Glynnis was aghast. "Sirius you didn't!" The roguish grin on his face was testament to the fact that he indeed had and was quite proud of it, thank you very much. Harry doubled over with laughter. "I would have loved to been there . . . to see . . . Dudley's face!" he howled. Glynnis put her hands on her hips. "It's not funny! Sirius, you should be ashamed of yourself. You, too, Harry!" she scolded. "Why, when I think of that poor, defenseless creature being treated in a such a heinous manner . . . " Harry angrily interrupted her. "Dudley!? Defenseless?! How can you say that after what he did? And yesterday was only half of it. Do you have any idea what he's done to me over the years?"



"Dudley?" she asked, confused. "I wasn't talking about Dudley! I was talking about the bear!" A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she waited for her statement to sink in. Harry groaned in mock anguish. "Don't worry, Glynnie. It was a quick and painless death!" Sirius assured her jauntily. "Oh, that makes me feel ever so much better," she replied, dryly. She listened to the mirth ringing through the house and joyfully hugged herself. This is what she'd been needing. A house filled with laughter. Something to chase the dark corners away and banish the ghosts that haunted her lonely heart. She smiled at the two of them indulgently. "You sound like a couple of mad hyenas. Now, Harry, when you've quite managed to control yourself, you must finish your soup. Sirius, stop encouraging him!" she admonished as Sirius began to mime ripping the head off an imaginary bear, which made Harry laugh all the more.



"Fine then,"she said, with a long-suffering sigh. "Eat it cold."



"Oh, I'll warm it for him, Glynnie! Don't worry!"



Glynnis shook her head in mock consternation. "Wizards," she mumbled and she left the two of them to their fun. It was only after she'd cleared the doorway that the laughter she'd been holding back bubbled out. It echoed down the hall and into Harry's room, and Sirius and Harry laughed all the more.



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"Sirius," Harry said hesitantly. They had calmed down and Harry was back to eating. Sirius looked around the doorway of his small bedroom where he was using his wand to repair his old clothes as best he could. Harry was picking at the soup that remained in his bowl and his face was troubled. "What is it, Harry?" Sirius replied, concerned. "Are you feeling alright? Are you in pain?" He crossed to the bedside and sat down.



"No, no. I'm fine," Harry answered. "It's just that, well, am I going to have to go back? I mean, it won't go so well for me this time I don't think, after what's happened with Dudley and all, and this summer was hard enough. And even if they knew the circumstances, and if they believed it anyway, which they won't, I doubt that they'll even have me back so then what's to happen?" All of this came out in a rush and it took Sirius a moment to figure out what Harry was talking about.



"Oh, no, Harry!" he laughed lightly. "You're not going back there, I promise you that. I don't care what Dumbledore says, even he can't dispute the fact that your life is as much in danger there as anyplace else. No, Harry. I've found somewhere else for us to stay."



"Us?" Harry asked, not daring to believe he'd heard correctly.



"Yes, Harry. Us. You and me. I'm not abandoning you to the wolves again. I am your legal guardian and it's about time I started acting like it. Glynnis has invited us to remain here. With her. Would that be alright with you? Staying here from now on?"



Harry's jaw dropped. "Really?" His voice squeaked excitedly. "We can stay here? I mean, live here. With Glynnis? All the time?"



"Would you like that, Harry?" Sirius asked with a smile.



"Oh, yes!" Harry shouted.



"What's the row?" asked Glynnis from the doorway. "I heard all the shouting and thought there might be a bear loose in the house." She giggled and Sirius felt a shiver of enchantment run through his heart at the sweet, lilting sound. "I just asked Harry if he'd like to move in," he said dreamily. Harry stared at Sirius for a moment who was staring at Glynnis with a very peculiar look on his face. His glance slid to Glynnis who was looking back at Sirius with the same expression. A thought began to flicker in the back of his mind and soon took a rather delightful shape. "I hope he said yes," she said, turning her smile on Harry.



The joy on Glynnis' face stunned Harry. No one had ever looked at him like that. "Well at least not since . . . " The thought stopped as abruptly as it occurred to Harry. The last place he'd seen such open welcome and acceptance in anyone's eyes directed at him specifically, had been in the Mirror of Erised. His family had looked at him like that. His mother had looked at him like that.



"May I have you, Harry?" The heartfelt plea drifted softly into Harry's mind. "You and Sirius? We need each other. And I would very much like a family again."

Harry beamed at her. "I would very much like to stay here," he said quietly. If Harry thought that Glynnis couldn't possibly look any happier, he was mistaken. He suddenly found himself wrapped in her warm embrace. "Thank you," she whispered and she kissed his cheek. And then, with tears shining in her eyes, she left the room.



Sirius' eyes followed her from the room. "She's wonderful, isn't she?" he remarked.



Harry snorted. "You sound like Ron when he was mooning over Fleur," Harry observed.



"I do not!" Sirius insisted. Then, "Do I?"



Harry laughed. "Are you two . . . ?" He left the sentence hanging.



Sirius sighed deeply. "It seems so. I can't explain it Harry. She and I . . . we just . . . "



"I think I understand. I kind of feel the same way. I mean, she's reminds of my mom but that's stupid because I never knew my mother. Not really." There was an unspoken request in Harry's voice. Sirius heard it and smiled sadly. "You're mother would have liked Glynnis. They are very much alike. Your mother had the same sense of humor. The same consideration for those hurt or in need. I think that's why James loved her so much. Why I loved her so much. She was like a sister to me. When they had you, it was the happiest day of their life. And when they asked me to be your godfather, it was the happiest day of mine. They both loved you more than life itself. But you know that." Harry nodded. "It's time, though, to move on, I think. We need someone to take care of us, Harry."



"I want to stay here. I can't explain why, I just do." Harry mumbled.

"I do, too. And I can't explain it either. But it's a nice kind of can't explain, isn't it?" Sirius grinned impishly. Harry grinned back and then yawned widely.

"I think a nap might be in order. What do you think?"

Harry nodded and yawned again. Sirius removed the tray from his lap and helped him adjust his arm back in the sling.

"Sleep well, Harry. Have pleasant dreams."

Harry closed his eyes and drifted quickly into a peaceful slumber. And he did have pleasant dreams. He was in a real home and had real people to care for him. And in the distance of dreams, his parents were smiling.

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Vernon Dursley struggled into his clothes. "I mean it, Petunia!! That murdering marauder can get in here without our knowing it! Without the police knowing it! And there's no telling what he'll do next time! We could all be killed in our beds! Or worse! Remember what happened to Marge? To Dudley? We are leaving this house immediately and going somewhere safe."



Petunia, who was throwing everything from their drawers into a suitcase, stopped to gape at her husband, who was gingerly pulling up his pants. "Safe!? Where can we go that's safe!? They find Harry wherever he goes, what makes you think they won't find us?"



"DON'T EVER SAY THAT NAME AGAIN IN MY PRESENCE!" Vernon bellowed. "If I ever, EVER, catch up with that murderer-loving-wizard-school-going-wand-waving-broomstick-riding-four-eyed FREAK, I'll . . . I'll . . . JUST LOOK WHAT HE'S DONE TO MY SON!" Vernon stopped his sputtering tirade and pointed meaningfully at Dudley, who was sitting on the floor rocking back and forth with his thumb in his mouth. Petunia burst into tears.



"My poor Duddle-wuddle-kins! Reduced to this! And my dear husband unmanned! It's more than I can bear!" she wailed, and threw herself on top of the open suitcase which promptly slammed shut on her back. "Ouch! Ouch! Oh, Vernon help!" she cried from within the mounds of clothes. Once Vernon had managed to extricate his wife, he closed the suitcase with a snap. "That's it! No more, we're leaving now," he ordered. "I've had enough!" And with that he picked up the luggage and pounded down the stairs. Petunia was left to coax Dudley up off the floor. "Come on, mama's baby boy. Let's go bye-bye with Daddykins," she cooed in a simpering voice. "Doesn't iddle Duddleboo wanna go bye-bye with DaDa and Mommy-wommy? Hmm? Mommy-wommy give her iddle baby boy ice keem. Mmmmm. Duddy-wuddy want ice keem? That's a good boy, come on. We'll get in the car and go bye-bye for ice keem. And candy! Oh, yes, lots of iddle chocolate bunnies-wabbits just for my Yummy Duddle-bunny." Vernon, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, forced back an urge to vomit as Petunia used the most vile baby talk he could imagine to lure his grown son down to the car. He grimaced as Dudley toddled by, thumb still in his mouth, a worn blanket under his arm. He blamed Harry for all of this. If that boy hadn't come into their lives, none of this would ever have happened. "Some day, Harry Potter," he vowed to himself. "Some day I'll find you. Alone. And you'll pay for this. I swear it!"