Chapter 3: Dudley

Dudley looked at Harry, clearly embarrassed. Harry studied Dudley. He knew Dudley wasn't a good liar but this was something completely unexpected. Harry had never been inside Dudley's room, for that would risk the severest punishments possible. Unsurprisingly, Dudley was allowed to come and go into Harry's room as he pleased, although he did not dare.

"Okay," Harry said suspiciously. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. I just want to talk," Dudley replied.

Harry thought it over for a minute. He nodded his head.

Harry followed Dudley up the stairs into the attic. Dudley had slept in the Dursley's attic since the last summer, when his room just wasn't big enough. The attic had been furnished like a bedroom with wallpaper, molding and carpet. The wallpaper, although bright red, could hardly be seen beneath every poster you could imagine. A huge portion of the room was devoted to the latest entertainment system complete with giant plasma TV. A giant waterbed was squashed into the far corner of the room. Because of Dudley's immense size, Harry was surprised to find the waterbed without any patches.

"So what did you bring me up here for?" asked Harry.

Dudley looked at his feet. Harry could tell that whatever Dudley was about to say, he would rather battle ten Blast-Ended Skrewts than say to Harry. Dudley took a deep breath and said painfully,

"I would just like to apologize for being so terrible to you and I would like to thank you for saving me from the Dementoids."

Harry could tell that Dudley had practised in front of a mirror countless times. It still left him shaken. He stared, aghast, at Dudley. Dudley stood with his hands at his sides, a look that plainly said, "Please forgive me!" Harry was only able to say one word, and only out of habit,

"Dementor," Harry muttered.

"Pardon?" Dudley looked nonplussed.

"They're called Dementors."

Dudley then did something he hadn't done since he was one, when he discovered he had a brand new brother. He stopped looking guilty for a moment, and he smiled at Harry. It was a sheepish grin, but at least it wasn't the usual smirk Dudley had on his face when he watched his father yell at Harry.
Harry grinned backed at Dudley, another first in 15 years.

"So why the sudden change of heart?" Harry asked.

"Not really sudden." Dudley replied, reddening slightly. "I've been envious of you since you went away to that magic school."

"You're pulling my leg!"

"No really! I would have loved to go to..."

"Hogwarts"

"That's the one! Go to school just to learn magic? It must be fantastic!"

"Not always," Harry assured Dudley. "You still get a lot of homework."

"I bet it's still brilliant."

"It is," said Harry honestly, "but why are you telling me all this?"

"Ever since you saved me from the Dementors, I've felt really guilty for picking on you for so long." Dudley said guilty. "I've always just thought that you deserved being picked on, going to away better school then I got to."

"But you get pampered here instead"

"That's still not as good as learning magic."

"I guess your right," said Harry pensively. A sudden thought struck him. "Dudley, do you remember when you were near the Dementors?" Dudley shivered and merely nodded his head. "What did you see?"

Dudley looked pale when he said, "I remembered the tail." Harry remembered when Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts, had made a pig's tail appear on Dudley. "I remembered the tongue, but it was more the feeling that I was going to suffocate." Harry remembered that, only two summers ago, Dudley had eaten a magic toffee that made his tongue swell five feet long.

"I never thought of it that way," Harry accidentally said aloud.

"You wouldn't," Dudley said darkly. "But you didn't have your dad and mum trying to pull your tongue out."

"I never will either." Harry said shortly, not looking at Dudley.

"I didn't mean it that way," said Dudley apologetically.

"Don't worry," Harry said dismissively. "Was that all you saw?"

"No." Dudley hung his head.

"What else did you see?"

Dudley took a big breath. He looked; if possible, more embarrassed than before he thanked Harry. "I saw a bit from my first year at Smeltings, when some older students ganged up and were calling me names, like fatty, while they hit me with their Smeltings sticks." He said this quickly, avoiding looking Harry in the eye.

Harry, to in the least, was shocked and amazed. "You?" he gasped, "Being bullied? I thought you were the one picking on others!"

Dudley hung his head again. "I usually am. It's just that those boys were three or four years my senior. It's not a big deal."

Harry saw Dudley as he had never seen him before.

"So," Dudley said in an I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it-anymore tone. "What has happened to you while you've been away? Will you please tell my why Mum is so afraid of this Voldamert guy?

Harry spent the next hour and a half to briefly explain the important things that had happened at Hogwarts. When he got to the part when Cedric was killed by the killing curse, Dudley finally interrupted.

"Oh," he said looking ashamed. "That's why you were screaming last year. I'm sorry for saying Cedric was your boyfriend. But why, this summer, are you screaming about your godfather? Or is it different Sirius?"

Harry reminded himself to close the door properly before going to sleep. He continued into his fifth year, and ended by telling Dudley the prophecy.

Dudley sat there, staring at Harry (who had stood to show the action of his duel in the graveyard). After a while Dudley said, "I can't digest this right now, it's just too much. I tell you later when I'm finished taking it all in." And with that, he and Harry walked down to breakfast, as cousins.

The next day Harry was sitting on the remaining swing, thinking about how he had finally come to terms with Dudley. He had only sat for five minutes, until he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and was sent sprawling. Spitting out woodchips, he looked up in time to see Gordon, one of Dudley's friends, kick him in the ribs. Dudley, being at boxing practice, was the only member missing.

"Awwwww," Gordon said mocking, "The poor little baby. Is the fweak fwightened?"

Harry remembered the last time someone had talked to him like that. It was last June in the Department of Mysteries, by the Death Eater who killed Sirius. Harry felt hot anger course thought him. He was just about to jump up and try to attack Gordon when someone called out to Gordon. He looked up and smiled.

"Hey Big D," He called out, smirking more broadly still. "Do you want a kick, too?"

"Gimme a second," Dudley said, finally reaching them and bending to catch his breath. Harry saw Dudley wink at him. "Actually," Dudley said standing up, which made him considerably taller then Gordon. "I was thinking more along the lines of this."

Gordon had no time to react. Dudley gave him a well-practiced right hook in the jaw. The force of it sent his sprawling backwards, making him trip over the swing Harry had just been on. Dudley then offered a hand to Harry and helped him up. All of Dudley's gang members decided at the same time that they'd rather run and be safe than help Gordon.

Chickens, Harry thought.

Gordon staggered upwards and, regaining his balance, ran away, too.

Dudley picked up his boxing equipment and started home, with Harry at his side.

That night, Harry retreated to his bedroom after supper to mark down the days left until summer's end. When he got there, he noticed that, in all of his excitement with the O.W.L.s, he had forgotten about the second letter. It was a brown envelope with "The Ministry of Magic" written upon it.

"I wonder what's in it," thought Harry

A/N: I'm mean. I admit it. If you still think Dudley still be a big bully, by all means, flame me. I'd love to get the review.