**Once again, I do not own any of these characters. I am just letting my
imagination play with J.K.R.s world.**
Chess and Dinner
It turned out that Uncle Vernon was a very skilled chess player. While they played, he and Harry whispered explanations to a very confused Dudley. Dudley, it seemed, was very keen to learn the art of chess. When Uncle Vernon took Harry's queen he gave whoop of triumph. "Well, Harry, you are quite the player." He said and offered his hand. Harry took his hand and shook it. Harry grinned at his cousin, "And this is how you loose graciously." He said with a wink. They all laughed.
As they were boxing the game back up Dudley said. "I don't know if I will ever learn to play chess. It all seems so complicated."
That is when Harry came up with a brilliant plan, and before he could think better of it he offered it up. "I have a wizard chess set in my trunk. The players move their selves and give you their opinions. Maybe, it would be easier if we played with that?" The shocked look on his Uncle and cousins' face paled Harry. Maybe, they weren't that ready to face Harry's' magic after all.
"Where did you get a thing like that?" Uncle Vernon asked.
"My first Christmas at Hogwarts. It was in the cracker Ron and I pulled. He let me keep it because he has his grandfathers old chess set." Harry explained.
"Well, that is a good idea. Err. Why don't the two of you go up to your room after dinner and you can teach Dudley there?" Uncle Vernon's eyes kept shifting to the doorway as if he were afraid someone might hear.
Harry smiled nervously. "Uh, alright. If that is ok with you Dudley?" His cousin grinned broadly and nodded his head.
"Dinner is ready." Aunt Petunia cried from the dinning room.
************ *********** ************
Aunt Petunia had really out done herself with dinner. They had tossed salad, roast beef, carrots, potatoes and peas. For desert there was a fantastic fruit salad, whipped cream optional.
Harry noticed that Dudley ate a huge plate of salad before diving into dinner, and his dinner servings were rather small. "Its not how much you eat." Dudley explained. "It's what you eat. I eat a large salad first and then I am not so hungry when I get to the rest." Harry nodded and smiled. It looked like Dudley was really working hard to loose all that weight.
"I have practice Monday through Thursday at Charles Park until noon. Mum drops me off on when she brings Dad to work and picks me up after she does her shopping and errands." Dudley explained over spoonful of strawberry.
"What? Aunt Petunia, I didn't know you could drive!" Harry said.
Aunt Petunia smiled. "Well, it's perfectly normal for a woman to drive in this day and age. Vernon taught me this past spring." She seemed quite proud of herself and Harry felt proud of her too. Odd, he thought, it's like a real family.
"So, maybe after practice you can teach me how to play chess?" Dudley asked.
"Sure, but I do have to study a lot this summer. We have O.W.L.S. in our fifth year. Fred and George even had a hard time with them and they are brilliant." Harry noticed an uncomfortable change in the room and he decided to break the ice. The Weasley's were his favorite wizarding family and he didn't want his "family" to hate or fear them. "Dudley, Fred didn't mean to be cruel to you by letting you have that candy. That is what they do. I mean. Well, they intend to open a joke shop. They always take an uncomfortable situation and make everyone laugh." Harry directed the next statement to his aunt. "They drive their mum mad with their antics, but it is all in good fun." She nodded and the scowl on her face loosened. "She stays at home to take care of the family like you Aunt Petunia. She knits the best jumpers. I have received one for Christmas every year now."
That statement caught Petunias interest. Her eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Really?" She said in disbelief.
"Yes, they don't have a lot of money. Well, because there are so many of them. So, she makes a lot of the things they need." Harry explained.
"Oh, well that's very good of her. How many are there?" His aunt asked.
"Well Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley. Charlie, Bill, Fred and George they are the twins, Percy, Ron and Ginny." Harry said hoping he hadn't forgotten any of them.
"Good Lord!" Vernon exclaimed. "No wonder they don't have a lot of money. What is it that Mr. Weasley does?"
"He works for the Ministry of Magic in the misuse of muggle artifacts department."
Harry waited for the normal outburst for having said the "M" word.
"Here, you three help me clean up this mess and Harry can explain what that job is exactly." Aunt Petunia motioned for them to help clear the table.
"Well," Harry said while picking up the dirty dishes. "He makes sure that people aren't putting spells and enchantments on cars, books tea cups. There is this law that muggles. err non-magical people are not allowed to know of our existence. So, Mr. Weasley makes sure that witches and wizards aren't doing anything that could hurt unsuspecting muggles. Things like that."
When they had finished clearing away the dishes and cleaning up aunt Petunia had them all sit down at the kitchen table while she washed the dishes. "How old are all of the Weasley's children? Do they all live at home?" She asked.
"Well, I don't know all of their ages, but Bill works for the Wizarding Bank." Harry decided that the Dursley's were not ready to hear about Goblins running a bank so he omitted that part. "He breaks into tombs in Egypt gathering treasure."
"Whoa! Just like Lara Croft from tomb raider!" Dudley exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, I imagine it's very exciting. Charlie is the second eldest. He works as a dragon tamer. You know, to keep muggles from seeing them."
Uncle Vernon gaped. "There aren't real dragons!?"
"Sure there are." Harry said grinning. "I have a statue of one that I bested in the tournament." His smile fell and he felt overwhelmingly sad at that thought.
Dudley noticed and chirped, "You can show us later, but tell us what the rest of the Weasley's do first."
Harry nodded. "Well, Percy works for the Ministry of Magic as well. But. I don't know. Mr. Crouch was killed and he was Percy's boss."
"Well, what do the rest of them do?" Petunia called from the sink.
"Err. Well, the rest of them are still in school." Harry explained.
"Why don't the two of you go on up and play chess now." Uncle Vernon said looking at Dudley.
Dudley stood from his chair. "Yeah, come on Harry you can teach me how to beat Dad at chess."
"Sure." Harry said trying to cheer up. It wasn't every day the Dursley's were nice to him and who knew how long this would actually last. He decided that he had better make the most of it while he could.
Chess and Dinner
It turned out that Uncle Vernon was a very skilled chess player. While they played, he and Harry whispered explanations to a very confused Dudley. Dudley, it seemed, was very keen to learn the art of chess. When Uncle Vernon took Harry's queen he gave whoop of triumph. "Well, Harry, you are quite the player." He said and offered his hand. Harry took his hand and shook it. Harry grinned at his cousin, "And this is how you loose graciously." He said with a wink. They all laughed.
As they were boxing the game back up Dudley said. "I don't know if I will ever learn to play chess. It all seems so complicated."
That is when Harry came up with a brilliant plan, and before he could think better of it he offered it up. "I have a wizard chess set in my trunk. The players move their selves and give you their opinions. Maybe, it would be easier if we played with that?" The shocked look on his Uncle and cousins' face paled Harry. Maybe, they weren't that ready to face Harry's' magic after all.
"Where did you get a thing like that?" Uncle Vernon asked.
"My first Christmas at Hogwarts. It was in the cracker Ron and I pulled. He let me keep it because he has his grandfathers old chess set." Harry explained.
"Well, that is a good idea. Err. Why don't the two of you go up to your room after dinner and you can teach Dudley there?" Uncle Vernon's eyes kept shifting to the doorway as if he were afraid someone might hear.
Harry smiled nervously. "Uh, alright. If that is ok with you Dudley?" His cousin grinned broadly and nodded his head.
"Dinner is ready." Aunt Petunia cried from the dinning room.
************ *********** ************
Aunt Petunia had really out done herself with dinner. They had tossed salad, roast beef, carrots, potatoes and peas. For desert there was a fantastic fruit salad, whipped cream optional.
Harry noticed that Dudley ate a huge plate of salad before diving into dinner, and his dinner servings were rather small. "Its not how much you eat." Dudley explained. "It's what you eat. I eat a large salad first and then I am not so hungry when I get to the rest." Harry nodded and smiled. It looked like Dudley was really working hard to loose all that weight.
"I have practice Monday through Thursday at Charles Park until noon. Mum drops me off on when she brings Dad to work and picks me up after she does her shopping and errands." Dudley explained over spoonful of strawberry.
"What? Aunt Petunia, I didn't know you could drive!" Harry said.
Aunt Petunia smiled. "Well, it's perfectly normal for a woman to drive in this day and age. Vernon taught me this past spring." She seemed quite proud of herself and Harry felt proud of her too. Odd, he thought, it's like a real family.
"So, maybe after practice you can teach me how to play chess?" Dudley asked.
"Sure, but I do have to study a lot this summer. We have O.W.L.S. in our fifth year. Fred and George even had a hard time with them and they are brilliant." Harry noticed an uncomfortable change in the room and he decided to break the ice. The Weasley's were his favorite wizarding family and he didn't want his "family" to hate or fear them. "Dudley, Fred didn't mean to be cruel to you by letting you have that candy. That is what they do. I mean. Well, they intend to open a joke shop. They always take an uncomfortable situation and make everyone laugh." Harry directed the next statement to his aunt. "They drive their mum mad with their antics, but it is all in good fun." She nodded and the scowl on her face loosened. "She stays at home to take care of the family like you Aunt Petunia. She knits the best jumpers. I have received one for Christmas every year now."
That statement caught Petunias interest. Her eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Really?" She said in disbelief.
"Yes, they don't have a lot of money. Well, because there are so many of them. So, she makes a lot of the things they need." Harry explained.
"Oh, well that's very good of her. How many are there?" His aunt asked.
"Well Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley. Charlie, Bill, Fred and George they are the twins, Percy, Ron and Ginny." Harry said hoping he hadn't forgotten any of them.
"Good Lord!" Vernon exclaimed. "No wonder they don't have a lot of money. What is it that Mr. Weasley does?"
"He works for the Ministry of Magic in the misuse of muggle artifacts department."
Harry waited for the normal outburst for having said the "M" word.
"Here, you three help me clean up this mess and Harry can explain what that job is exactly." Aunt Petunia motioned for them to help clear the table.
"Well," Harry said while picking up the dirty dishes. "He makes sure that people aren't putting spells and enchantments on cars, books tea cups. There is this law that muggles. err non-magical people are not allowed to know of our existence. So, Mr. Weasley makes sure that witches and wizards aren't doing anything that could hurt unsuspecting muggles. Things like that."
When they had finished clearing away the dishes and cleaning up aunt Petunia had them all sit down at the kitchen table while she washed the dishes. "How old are all of the Weasley's children? Do they all live at home?" She asked.
"Well, I don't know all of their ages, but Bill works for the Wizarding Bank." Harry decided that the Dursley's were not ready to hear about Goblins running a bank so he omitted that part. "He breaks into tombs in Egypt gathering treasure."
"Whoa! Just like Lara Croft from tomb raider!" Dudley exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, I imagine it's very exciting. Charlie is the second eldest. He works as a dragon tamer. You know, to keep muggles from seeing them."
Uncle Vernon gaped. "There aren't real dragons!?"
"Sure there are." Harry said grinning. "I have a statue of one that I bested in the tournament." His smile fell and he felt overwhelmingly sad at that thought.
Dudley noticed and chirped, "You can show us later, but tell us what the rest of the Weasley's do first."
Harry nodded. "Well, Percy works for the Ministry of Magic as well. But. I don't know. Mr. Crouch was killed and he was Percy's boss."
"Well, what do the rest of them do?" Petunia called from the sink.
"Err. Well, the rest of them are still in school." Harry explained.
"Why don't the two of you go on up and play chess now." Uncle Vernon said looking at Dudley.
Dudley stood from his chair. "Yeah, come on Harry you can teach me how to beat Dad at chess."
"Sure." Harry said trying to cheer up. It wasn't every day the Dursley's were nice to him and who knew how long this would actually last. He decided that he had better make the most of it while he could.
