Chapter 7 – The Dursleys

Once the Dursleys returned to their home after Dudleys birthday dinner they decided to let the evening end with a little bit of beer for both Vernon and Dudley, after all he had turned 17 already meaning he was old enough to drink a beer now and again. Petunia, who had decided to drink a glass of wine ventured into the kitchen to fetch the needed glasses.

She was startled to realise that the backdoor was slightly ajar, but a once over revealed nothing missing and Petunia decided that they must have forgotten to close it. She closed and locked the door without another thought and went into the living-room with her wineglass in one hand and two bottles of beer in the other.

The next day went by relative unspectacular until later in the evening. It found a bored Vernon Dursley who had already browsed the TV programme finding nothing interesting and most importantly normal. After some time he decided to play a bit with his freak nephew. After all the last punishment he had received was yesterday afternoon. He went over to the cupboard while fishing in his pockets after the keys. Once he had them he made to open the lock. However when he wanted to put the key into the hole he realised that the lock was already open. Cursing to himself he forcefully pulled the door open only to find it empty. This made him curse even louder, loud enough for his wife Petunia and his son Dudley to come downstairs to find out what had happened.

"Vernon, Darling, what is wrong?" asked Petunia in a caring manner.

Vernon cursed a bit more before answering, "That Freak ran away. He must have used his freakishness to open the lock. How dare he…"

It did not take long for Petunia and Dudley to curse over one Harry Potter as well.

A month had gone by in the meantime and life at the Dursleys had calmed down. Although both Vernon and Dudley were still upset about loosing their toy the whole family was glad that the freak was gone and didn't darken their house anymore with his freakishness.

They were currently sitting around the table eating breakfast when suddenly an owl flew through the open window, carrying a letter. It flew over the table and let the letter fall onto Vernon Dursleys breakfast, beacon and toast, before leaving the house again through the way it came in.

All three Dursleys looked at each other and then at the letter. Why would these freaks write to them? Carefully Vernon Dursley took the letter with his fingertips and turned it around. What he read there let his stomach fall into a pit. It was addressed to him. He looked at Petunia once more, his face showing the terror he was feeling.

Using once again only his fingertips he broke the seal and started reading the letter.

Dear Mr. Dursley,

You, along with your wife Petunia Dursley, born Evans, and son Dudley Dursley are summoned to appear in front of Judge O'Sullivan on Friday, July 25th 1997 in courtroom 815.

An Auror will come to bring you there safely.

Plaintiff: Harry Potter

In the left corner of the parchment was an official looking seal with a signature.

Vernon Dursley paled at reading this. Not only would a freak step into their house but his nephew had the balls to sue them! The moment he had that little good for nothing freak in his hands again he would wish that he would have died with his parents. How dare he do something like this after all they had done for him.

The more he thought about it the angrier he became. He was so lost in his mental tirade that he did not notice Petunia taking the letter out of his hand and reading it herself. Once she was finished her face paled until it was chalk white. Her sister Lily had told her once about the wizarding prison and that it was guarded by Dementors. She also remembered the way Dudley looked last year after he had an encounter with one of them. Petunia was scared to death. Who knew what the wizarding world would do with them once the truth came out? Her sister had told her about a potion – Petunia was not sure anymore what it was called, but what it did mattered – that made the person who drank it tell the truth.

Dudley who had watched both of his parents read the later and instantly pale was waiting for them to tell him what those freaks wanted from them. He did not want to know because he was curious, but rather because he did not like anyone knowing something he did not. That was as long as it did not have anything to do with learning and other school-related topics.

Realising that they weren't going to tell him anything anytime soon, he stood up in order to be able to reach over the table and snatched the letter out of his father's hands.

He read the letter, but he did not understand what it meant, aside from the fact that it had something to do with his cousin, and why it scared his parents. It wasn't as if his cousin could do anything, could he? As far as he knew he was only a freak and deserved everything he got. That was after all what his father said and he had never lied to him.

Friday, July 25th dawned bright and early, with the Dursleys anxiously sitting around their kitchen table, hoping against hope that the letter had only been a sick joke of their nephew (while fantasizing about possible punishments) or the wizarding world would at least forget about them. Dudley, for all he cared about what happened around him, was watching morning cartoons, while stuffing his mouth with his breakfast.

The tense silence was broken when the doorbell rang, announcing visitors. With trembling hands Petunia went to the front door and opened it, all the while trying to look as if she had nothing to hide.

When she saw who was standing at the other side, two men in what looked like the robes her sister used to wear only in red and a little bit different, she knew that this wasn't just a joke and the wizarding world wouldn't forget about them. Fighting the urge to scream and order the aurors to leave before banging the door, Petunia stepped aside and went back to kitchen all the while regretting that she never thought about just giving him up for adoption or back to the wizarding world. She was sure that she could have claimed various reasons for not being able to take care of her much hated nephew.

Once she entered the kitchen and throwing her husband a nervous look, she looked worried at her son, fearing what they might be doing to him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Vernon forcefully asked, "How are we going to wherever this rubbish will be held?"

"By portkey," answered one of the men.

Neither Petunia nor Vernon attempted to say or ask anything else, afraid of what this meant. The only other difficulties they had were to get Dudley away from the television, complaining about his cousin always ruining his fun.

Petunia could only hope that for some reason they wouldn't find out everything.

TBC…