Chapter 4

Harry walks into the restaurant he told Dudley he would meet him at. It is a small delicatessen, and the food smells good. Harry realizes he is hungry and is glad that he changed some of his Galleons into Pounds. He sees Dudley in a corner booth, and makes his way over there

Harry and Dudley spent the next few hours talking about life in general. Dudley even asked about some wizarding world things without stuttering over the words. He was mostly amazed that the broom Harry kept in his room could actually fly. He made a comment about wishing he could see it sometime, and Harry reminded him that they couldn't do it where non-wizarding folk could see it. Dudley got a little thoughtful and that worried Harry a little.

"Mum and Dad were really going at it when they dropped me off," Dudley answered when Harry mentioned it being late and wondering where Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were. "They gave me some money and told me to get a room somewhere," he seemed slightly frightened.

"You mean, they aren't going to take us back to Little Wingy?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Nah," Dudley said bitterly. "Dad said that..." he stopped and looked at Harry in despair. Harry had an idea that Uncle Vernon had said something really terrible this time. Something that not even Dudley could agree with. "Look," Dudley said suddenly, taking Harry's arm and leaving money for the tab as he dragged Harry out of the restaurant. "I know I've always been something of a bully to you, Harry, but truth is, I was jealous." Harry stopped walking and stared at his cousin in surprise. Dudley turned and saw the expression on his face and flushed.

"It's true, Harry. Even after I realized that Mum and Dad were never going to treat you like their son, I kept thinking that you were suddenly going to become their favorite." This revelation from Dudley caused Harry to suddenly want to fall over in hysterics.

"Yeah, sure Dudley." Harry said skeptically instead of laughing.

"I was the only child and always got what I wanted," Dudley went on as if he hadn't heard him. "I didn't know until I was older that you hadn't been brought to be my replacement," he said softly. They had reached the Leaky Cauldron, though Dudley didn't know it. Harry steered him into the taproom and sat them down in a corner while Dudley spoke. Part of Harry thought this was a joke, but some of him really thought Dudley meant it. Apparently one of Aunt Petunia's family members had said something about naughty children like Dudley being replaced by good ones if they didn't learn to behave. So when Harry was left on the doorstep and he was so quiet and never did anything wrong, Dudley thought he was going to be taken to wherever bad children were taken.

Harry wondered why Dudley never started being a "good" child then. He got them some Butterbeers and let Dudley talk. When things got late and there weren't so many people around Harry got him and Dudley a room. Harry thought about how Dudley didn't even seem to notice some of the weirder things going on and realized that Mr. Weasley was right; Muggles would make up excuses for anything that didn't make sense to them, and ignore what they couldn't excuse.

Dobbey

Ginny Weasley left her brothers' shop just past sundown by way of floo powder. She sneezed as she came out of the fireplace at the Burrow. Her mum and dad were in the kitchen talking, she could just make out their voices, although not what they were saying. She was glad they hadn't checked the clock to see she was home now. She had spent the first month of the summer vacation working with Fred and George who were kind of exiled from the family since they had quit school. Although they sent money home to Molly every week to make sure the family had anything they needed (unlike Percy had done. Even when he'd still lived here he hadn't given Mum and Dad any money to help out) Molly seemed to think it was a bribe to get them out of trouble at first.

When Molly and Arthur realized that Fred and George weren't going to repent, but were still coming home every weekend, despite the fights, and still sending money they were mostly forgiven. Then Ginny had started working with them to earn extra galleons. 'Mum and Dad didn't have kittens, but Merlin knows they wanted too' Ginny thought to herself as she laid her things on her bed.

Her eyes caught sight of a picture of Ron, Harry and Hermione on the mantle above her fireplace. They were making faces at the camera. Colin Creevey had taken the picture, of course. Harry had let him take it because his friends were going to be in it as well. Colin had given the photo to her. Seeing the picture made her smile for a moment. Then it faltered and she frowned as she looked at Harry more closely.

Ginny hadn't been in love with Harry for quite some time now. It hadn't taken her long to realize it was just hero worship. Of course, having him around practically every summer since his and Ron's first year at Hogwarts had helped. Ginny had noticed that Harry's eyes never really seemed to smile when he did. And today, Merlin, he hadn't had a reaction like that since his fifth year when her Dad had nearly been killed. He hadn't wanted to talk about it though. Said it was probably nothing, Voldemort just seemed to be feeling a little more excited than usual and it had gotten through his wards. But Ginny had noticed that Harry was blushing, and more than a little aroused. That worried her no small amount.

Harry stood on the balcony outside his and Dudley's room looking at the stars. Diagon Alley was mostly quiet, although he could hear some whispers coming from closer to Nocturne Alley. Harry wondered if Lucius Malfoy had made his way back here yet. He knew that the other Death Eaters had been sighted around France and Spain, but that really didn't mean a thing. He thought of all the times that Sirius had been 'sighted' in other parts of the country when he had been in London for most of a year. All it took was someone in the Ministry who was sympathetic to the Death Eaters and no one would truly know where they were.

Harry's thoughts turned to Draco Malfoy. He wondered if the vision he had was real. He desperately wanted it not to be. But, then, if it hadn't been, why would Voldemort show him? Harry and Malfoy were enemies. The only reason they hadn't killed each other was Dumbledore. Voldemort couldn't get Harry to come running to Malfoy's rescue unless Dumbledore demanded it. Yet, if it was real, then he should tell someone. Who, though? Snape? Dumbledore? How would he explain that he'd seen it? Dumbledore had taken up his Occlumency lessons before school had ended the year before, and Harry was very good at it now, almost as good as Snape.

Well, what he'd told the Weasley sibs had been true. Voldemort had been extremely excited, more so than usual of late. It was possible that he didn't know he'd opened up to Harry at all in his excitement.

This thought actually gave Harry a start. If he didn't know he had, then Draco was really in a bad situation, and it would only get worse. Harry may hate Malfoy, but what Voldemort was doing to him, Harry wouldn't even wish on Voldemort, his worst enemy. Well, okay, maybe on HIM! Harry thought to himself, being a bit more honest with himself than usual. But not on Malfoy, I don't hate him that much!

Harry closed the French doors and lay down in his bead, re-casting the Occlumency before he slept.

It didn't help at all.