Dudley woke with a start, fidgeting to the side as the world shifted into view.
He'd slept funny, squirming as his small hands had fumbled about. After all, he was just a baby.
Yet, he'd awoken.
Something was wrong, but not with him.
No, it was… he felt sleepy again. His eyelids drooping tiredly, just as the door to his room swept open.
…
"No, we simply can't."
"But, there is no one else. You are his family."
"No, I won't be forced into this!"
Dumbledore was having a difficult day – or was it days?
He'd lost track.
First, he'd had to deal with party goers, who were a nuisance at the best of times. But since the Dark Lord's fall, certainly his biggest nuisance. They were everywhere, even in his way at Hogwarts.
To think his students would participate!
No, he shouldn't think that. It wasn't their fault; not really as he sighed, letting the quiet draw throughout the muggle sitting room.
It was his fault, for letting an innocent, trusting couple – friends, his friends. Trust someone whom he'd known, known wasn't to be trusted.
He should have stepped in. It was his fault.
Yet, there was a chance now. A piece of redemption in reach, if he could just help Harry grow up in a loving home, one Lily and James would have wanted for him.
Yes, he had to do it. Here was a chance for Harry to be happy, with his only family.
He met Petunia's gaze once more, ignoring her sadness and her husband as paced by the 'TV', if that's what it was called. "Petunia, Harry is just a boy. He's not his Mother, nor his Father. He's your nephew, your family."
He felt Harry shift, perhaps at his name or just in discomfort. Dumbledore could attest to his own discomfort too, he was in his nineties after all.
Petunia rose suddenly, biting her lip. "I-I need to check on Dudley."
She was gone in a flash, her footsteps growing feint as Dumbledore was left alone… with Vernon.
The man was not pleased, huffing once again as he continued to pace. "Why do you people insist on bothering us," he stated, before turning suddenly. "We don't want any part in… in your world, just leave us be!"
Dumbledore raised a brow as the man seemed to stomp, threatening the floor as it quivered beneath his heavy feet. "Mr Dursley, please restrain your temper," his voice was non-committal, yet equally chastising as Vernon glared at him. "Harry has no-one else, you're his only family. Where else could he go?"
It was an irrefutable fact, they were family. Harry belonged no-where else, he even had a cousin his age. They would be like brothers, he couldn't deny them that. Not with his own family in shambles.
He wouldn't be leaving with Harry, he'd make sure of it.
Vernon resumed his pacing, muttering aloud. "…he'd go to an orphanage, no questions asked. His parents are dead after all."
Dumbledore didn't comment, looking instead at the boy in his arms. Harry had Lily's eyes, a vibrant green. It had surprised him, since most children from England had blue eyes as children.
He cooed softly, smiling as the boy gurgled back at him.
Harry was a happy boy, full of life and innocent wonder. He'd be a wizard too, no doubt about that.
Albus could feel the magic within him, soft and warm and… the scar would heal, he hoped. It wasn't like a usual curse scar, it just didn't respond to his counter-curses, nor any other remedy they'd tried.
Something wasn't right about it, yet he could do nothing. It was beyond him, for now at least.
Click
His attention shifted, seeing the door open wide as Petunia re-entered with a bundle of her own.
Albus smiled softly, watching as the young mother carried her little boy. "Ah, and this must be Dudley," he offered, shifting Harry for a better look.
He wanted them to see each other, despite their shared sleepiness. "Harry," he called. "Meet your cousin..."
Petunia looked reluctant.
"Dudley."
Harry tilted up, gazing a little in Dudley's direction.
Albus chuckled, as did Petunia. Albeit discreetly. "They're too young for that," she said, not even trying to manoeuvre her noticeably larger boy. Albus was about to reply, until he saw her pondering look.
"Or- or is it different, for…" she trailed off, looking back as Dudley gurgled.
Vernon huffed from the side, finally running out of steam. "Surely not," he added, looking at Albus with a strange mix of curiosity, and mild reluctance.
Albus shook his head. "No, magic doesn't change how a baby grows."
The couple shared a glance, accepting the honest truth.
Perhaps that was it, thought Albus. "They don't differ, at all really. The only difference is when a child begins to exhibit accidental magic. Which usually begins between ages 4-9."
Again, they shared a look, thinking it through as Albus kept up. "It's also very rare for said exhibits to truly harm anyone, children can be cruel. But it is not in their nature, only learned."
He hoped they understood his underlying warning, knowing that any mistreatment of Harry would not be tolerated.
Vernon was oddly silent, instead looking to his wife.
Good, thought Albus as he added one last piece. "Harry's presence here would also come with suitable financial support. Harry's Trust would cover his daily necessities, along with suitable expenditure for leisure activities."
It was only right in his opinion, not that it would be his to change should it not be. James and Lily's Will had been very clear on what would happen should they perish.
Petunia was silent, her eyes lingering on the boy she held. He was asleep again, his soft breath soothing as Albus waited.
"If we did," she swallowed. "If we did take Harry, how would his… nature, affect us? Would Dudley be safe?"
Petunia was fairly certain Harry wasn't a risk. After all, she'd grown up with Lily and aside from her parents' obvious favouritism, it hadn't affected her.
But Dudley was different, he was her son – not Harry.
"Dudley would be safe, particularly as they are blood related. It makes it hard for any magic of Harry's to harm him," which was true, since Harry's magic would instinctively recognise Dudley as kin.
But, considering Petunia's frown. "I can however, place a protective charm on Dudley."
It was unorthodox, but not uncommon for families to take precautions.
Petunia sighed, glancing at her husband who seemed to visibly deflate.
She nodded. "Harry can stay. But I want Dudley protected."
Dumbledore withheld a cheer, before nodding seriously. "I will place the protections now, would you…" he gestured to Harry, his meaning clear.
It was Vernon, surprisingly that offered to hold Harry. And without words, they exchanged as the two swapped seats.
Dumbledore sprung into action, his wand appearing with a soft snap as he began waving it across the room. The couple watched, a mixture of fear and awe as various pulses of light filtered through the walls of their house.
They felt nothing, knowing they saw only the surface of what the aged Headmaster was doing.
Harry stirred, as did Dudley.
The light show ended as Dumbledore turned, relaxing as he looked at Mr and Mrs Dursley. "If I may, I'll need to cast the charm on Dudley."
They tensed, watching closely as Dumbledore approached. "It won't take a moment, he'll feel no pain."
Dumbledore was beginning to feel jovial again, his usual personality peeking through as he raised his wand.
Petunia shifted Dudley in her arms, her bearing on the edge.
Dudley stirred, opening his eyes of a vibrant green.
Dumbledore froze.
"His eyes," he breathed, the words aghast. "How…?"
It couldn't be. They were the same as Harry's, as Lily's.
Petunia wouldn't meet his gaze, her own looking firmly away. "They've always been like that, like hers."
She didn't feel the usual stab, hadn't since she'd first seen her son's beautiful eyes.
Innocent, Dudley was innocent. He wasn't her sister.
Dumbledore swallowed, connecting dots he'd never even considered as he truly looked at the boy.
The realisation stumped him, yet it shouldn't have.
Dudley was a wizard.
He could feel the magic now, so bright and real that he'd wonder just how he'd missed it before. It felt like Harry's, yet different.
It was… raw, turbulent even; and it was strong, very strong for just a baby.
He lowered his wand. "Dudley does not need protection," he began, astonished as he looked carefully at Petunia.
It was one thing Harry being a wizard, an unsurprising fact given his heritage. But Dudley?
"Dudley does not need protection," he repeated, swallowing his thoughts away. "Because he is a wizard."
Petunia froze, whilst Vernon shivered with rage. "What!? He can't be! We're not like you!"
The larger man tried to get up, before quickly stopping as Harry jostled within his arms, beginning to cry… he took a breath, looking to his wife and her palpable shock. "Petunia?" he edged, leaning towards her. "Petunia!"
He didn't care that his voice had changed, weakening as he watched the eyes of the woman he loved close, her hands clutching Dudley.
"No,"
It couldn't be. "A-Are you sure?" she asked, looking imploringly up at the man who would take her son away. "You can't be sure, he's too young. Not Dudley!"
Dumbledore rubbed his nose, adjusting his half-moon glasses. "Yes, I am sure. His magic is strong, I can feel it."
He knew the pain muggle-born parents felt, had witnessed it when magic took their children away.
Some let them go, whilst others... "Dudley will exhibit accidental magic, likely at a similar time as Harry. When they do, notify me."
Petunia nodded limply, looking down at Dudley again. She'd suspected, or rather dreaded what his eyes would mean from the first moment she'd seen them.
Lily's had been the most obscure shade of green, with all who'd seen them saying how wonderous they were.
Yet, hers hadn't been; and now Dudley would leave too.
Why was fate so cruel to her. "…how will we contact you?"
She watched as Dumbledore fished into his pocket, rummaging for what seemed too long for its size.
He pulled out a piece of paper, or parchment, as Lily would call it. "Write to me on this, anything you do will reach me."
She took it carefully, placing it beside her. "Is that all?"
It wasn't impolite, yet its meaning clear. Dumbledore nodded briskly. "Yes, for now at least. We will arrange the particulars via letter," he met Vernon's gaze, knowing the money would be managed by him. "If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to contact me."
He bowed, before promptly disappearing with a soft crack.
The silence almost echoed, settling across the family's living room.
Vernon stood with effort, moving carefully with Harry as he settled beside his wife on the large sofa.
"Petunia, are you alright?"
A sob broke her strength, leaving her weak as she leant against her husband.
"Oh Vernon."
The boys didn't stir, still fast asleep.
AN
Hope you're enjoying it! The chapters will start getting longer now.
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