Word Count: 693
Dudley knows his dad likes for them to keep their distance from Dedalus and Hestia. His mother is a little more lax in her position on the witch and wizard, but even she is wary around them.
And still, Dudley finds himself seeking Dedalus out one warm Friday afternoon. The tiny man stretches out in a hammock, his purple top hat covering his eyes. Dudley might think he's having a nice little nap, but his pipe is tucked lazily between his lips, and he puffs away.
"You aren't very good at stealth, are you?" Dedalus asks with a chuckle. He vanishes the pipe and adjusts his hat so that he can look at Dudley, lips twisting into a grin. "I heard you coming from several feet away."
Dudley scowls. "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you."
It's true enough. He had only been trying to sneak out of the house. At the very least, he had needed his parents to not realize where he's going. It isn't like they'll actually be upset with him; they never get upset with him. They just feel a certain way about magic, and Dudley doesn't know if he still agrees with them.
"You would get along swimmingly with Tonks," Dedalus muses.
Dudley doesn't know what a Tonks is, and he doesn't ask. He just shrugs. Now that he's out here, he doesn't actually know why. Maybe he just enjoys the older man's company. Maybe Dedalus is a nice change from his old life on Privet Drive. Maybe he's just lonely.
"Galleon for your thoughts?" Dedalus asks.
"A… What?" Dudley tips his head to the side, confused.
Dedalus chuckles and plucks a strange gold coin from his pocket. It almost looks like those chocolate coins that are wrapped in gold foil. Dudley takes, curiously studying it. It's definitely solid. Real gold. His eyes widen. "What is this?"
"Wizard money," Dedalus answers before pulling out two more smaller coins. One is silver, the other bronze. "This is a Sickle and a Knut. I would explain the conversion rate, but I am terrible with numbers."
"Me too," Dudley admits. The only reason he had managed to pass math at all is because Dennis understands that shit, and he had always let Dudley copy his work.
It seems strange that Dedalus can't do math well either. Maybe it's the fact that he's older, or the fact that he can do magic, but Dedalus seems like the type of man who can do anything.
"Yes, but you can work the velly-tision and make the pictures move in the box," Dedalus says, nodding. "Much more important than math."
Dudley snorts. Coming from anyone else, he might have assumed that had been a jab. But not Dedalus. He is just as amazed by the normal things as Dudley is by his magic. Their first night in the cabin in the woods, Dedalus had watched from the shadows, squealing happily each time Dudley changed the channel.
"Oh, and those blocks with the films on them!" Dedalus adds, clapping his hands together in excitement.
"I can teach you how to use the telly," Dudley says. He shrugs. "VCR too."
Dedlaus sits up so quickly that the hammock overturns. His short legs get tangled slightly in the netting. If it bothers him, he doesn't show it. He just waves his wand, looking up at Dudley with bright, eager eyes. Once his legs are free, he stands, dusting himself off. "You would do that?" He grins so broadly that Dudley thinks his face might split in half.
"Yeah. Of course. That's what friends are for."
And he means it. It's a strange sort of friendship. Daedalus is old enough to be his father, and he comes from a different world. Neither really understands the other, not completely. But that's okay. Friendships don't have to make sense.
"What about the microwave?" Dedalus asks as they start back toward the cabin. "Oh, not the toaster, though. That one scares me."
Dudley smiles as he listens to Dedalus ramble. His world has changed and been flipped upside-down, but it's okay. At least he doesn't have to go through it alone.
