DISCLAIMER: Everything belongs to JKR.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and to those who have added this to thier favorites! Love to you all!
Chapter 6: Family Reunion
Aunt Petunia bustled them all into the living room. "I'll go make some tea," she disappeared into the kitchen.
"What a lovely house," Lily wandered around the room looking at knick-knacks and photographs. She was holding a picture of Dudley when her sister returned with a tray of tea, "Is this your son?"
"Yes, that's my little Dudley," she said proudly. "He and his father are in London getting his things for school."
"How lovely," Lily said. "We got Harry's last week."
"Why didn't you go with?" James asked his sister-in-law curiously.
"I wanted to do some gardening and get some house work done," she replied. She turned back to her sister, "It's so wonderful to see you again; I missed you."
Lily leaned over and hugged her, "I've missed you, too."
James saw that they needed time alone, "Why don't you two catch up while Harry and I make sure we have all his things?" He stood up, "Come along, Harry."
Lily smiled gratefully at her husband, "That's a wonderful idea, dear."
The guys headed upstairs. "I don't remember her being that nice," James commented.
"Neither do I," Harry muttered.
James shrugged, "Oh well, I suppose everyone has the right to change." He looked around the room, "See anything you missed?"
"Not really, I don't have much other than my school things."
James seemed to notice something for the first time, "Why are there so many locks on your door?" He took a closer look, "And why are they on the outside?" he demanded in disgust.
"Oh," Harry thought quickly to head off his father's impending explosion. "Don't worry about those. They haven't been used since the summer before my fifth year when a dementor attacked Dudley but they thought that I did it. They also used them after I accidentally blew up Aunt Marge."
"Aunt Marge?" James tried to remember who that was.
"Uncle Vernon's sister," Harry explained. "She said some things and I got really mad. I wasn't trying to do anything, but she started to inflate and float. The Dursleys were really mad; they thought I did it on purpose."
James laughed, "What did you do?"
"I ran away. I got my trunk and things and stormed out. I saw Sirius for the first time that night and I rode the Knight Bus and I met the Minister of Magic."
"Busy night," his dad commented.
Harry laughed and roamed around his old room. Suddenly he remembered some things he had left behind, "My cards!" He dropped to the floor, pried up the loose board, and pulled out the stack of letters he had received from his friends over the years.
"What are those?" his dad asked curiously.
"Just letters and things."
James looked around the room, "There's an awful lot of stuff in here."
"It's Dudley's. I used to live downstairs," Harry avoided saying exactly where his room used to be. "Then, during the summer before I started going to Hogwarts, they moved me up here. Dudley's room isn't big enough for all of his things so lots of his junk got put in here."
"I recognize most of these things from Muggle Studies, but what is that?" James was pointing at a portable DVD player.
They spent the rest of the afternoon digging through Dudley's things until James realized that it was almost dinnertime. They headed downstairs to see if Lily was ready to leave.
Petunia seemed appalled by the idea of their leaving, "Nonsense, you should stay for dinner. Vernon called a bit ago to say that he and Dudley will be staying the night in London to finish their shopping tomorrow, so there's no reason you can't all stay for a bit of supper."
"Oh that would be lovely! Can we, dear?" Lily pleaded.
"Anything for you, love." her husband said.
Harry rather reluctantly dragged himself into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised when Aunt Petunia told him to sit down with his parents instead of making him help.
Petunia bustled happily around the kitchen while the Potters sat at the table. "Are you sure you don't want me to help?" Lily asked her sister.
"Of course I am. You just sit back and relax, I have everything under control."
"At least let me set the table."
"Oh, all right," Petunia agreed grudgingly. "Harry can show you where everything is."
"I ought to be able to," Harry muttered darkly. "By now I can probably set this table blindfolded."
A delicious chicken dinner was soon on the table and they all exchange small talk around mouthfuls of mashed potatoes and gravy. Harry was surprised by how much his aunt really knew about the wizarding world and her curiosity about the recent war.
"I don't think I ever asked you, James," Petunia spoke up, "but what did you used to do? For a living, I mean."
James quickly swallowed a mouthful of chicken, "I worked for the Ministry, as an Auror."
"They're sort of like the police," Lily explained when she saw the look of confusion on Petunia's face.
"Speaking of jobs," James turned to his son, "what are you planning to do after you take your N.E.W.T.s?"
Harry shrugged, "Obviously, I'm going to be an Auror."
"Like father, like son," Lily tried to flatten Harry's hair.
"Actually," Harry countered, "I didn't know dad was an Auror. My Defense teacher suggested it during my forth year."
"Smart man," his dad approved. "Who was it?"
"It was supposed to be Mad-Eye Moody, but it was actually Barty Crouch Jr."
"What! He was a Death Eater!"
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "He's the one who put my name in the Goblet of Fire. He was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Mad-Eye."
"That's terrible!" Lily declared, but Harry just shrugged again.
After a few more hours, and two helpings of bread pudding, James decided that it was time for them to head home. As everyone said their goodbyes, Harry was shocked to discover that for the first time in his life he was actually sorry to leave number four Privet Drive.
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