Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)
Prompts are at the end.
Word Count: 1,022
No one knows how he got there.
It's a tiny event, because they can sense it if too many magical signatures gather in one place, that's guarded with every protection ward they can think of, which is a lot, but also never enough because they have access to a lot more than just the British Ministry's resources, now. It's dangerous. They don't even have a body to bury. But they have to do it. For Harry's sake. But that secrecy, not to mention the fact that they aren't all arrested on sight, is why it's a surprise that he showed up. Plus the fact of who he is.
It's Ginny who notices him first.
He sticks out from the small clumps of people gathered around Shell Cottage, one of the few places where the Fidelius has remained, but it's because the tears are blurring her vision, clouding her mind, that she doesn't realize that she doesn't recognize him for several long moments. He's tall, muscular, blond, wearing a dark-colored leather jacket - Muggle clothing, but that's not that surprising, since the Muggle world's safer, for the most part, than the wizarding.
But his expression, his posture, his stature… something about that reminds Ginny of Hagrid - which brings another round of tears, because Hagrid, the one who'd been there when Harry had walked into the forest; Hagrid, who'd tried to get Harry out of there, who'd died because of that; Hagrid, whose fallen body they'd seen but been unable to take, sprinting through the Forbidden Forest to the edge of the anti-Apparation wards after McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Slughorn, had sacrificed themselves so the rest of them could escape.
"Who's that?" she asks quietly, nudging Ron and pointing at the Hagrid lookalike, because he doesn't look like a threat, but after what happened to Neville and Hannah…
Ron squints, then frowns, jaw dropping because there's no way-
"No way what?"
He must've spoken out loud without realizing it. "I think- that's Dudley Dursley."
"Dudley- Harry's cousin?"
"Yeah," Ron agrees, absentmindedly because there's some small flame of fury growing inside him, because how dare Dursley come here, after everything he and his family did to Harry? How dare he pretend to mourn with the people who were actually Harry's friends, Harry's family? He steps towards Dursley-
George gets there first. "Well, well, well. Who do we have here? It looks like we have-" he pauses for the briefest of moments, as though waiting for someone else to continue his sentence, before jumping to continue "-a little party crasher in our midst."
It's obvious from Dursley's tense expression that he recognizes George, remembers that Ton-Tongue Toffee from four years ago, but he doesn't step away, only says quietly, "I don't want any trouble."
"It's a little too late for that," Ron says acidly. "Why are you here, Dursley?"
"The same reason you are," Dursley answers in that same soft tone. "To pay my respects."
"Yeah, right," Ginny snorts, vicious because it's all those tears, all that helpless fury, that's turning on Dursley, on this person who'd hurt Harry, who's right there in her reach. "I've heard about the things you did, Dursley. A cupboard for a bedroom. Bars on his window. 'Harry Hunting' as a 'game'. You didn't care about him. You never l-loved him."
"I-"
"Get out of here, Dudley Dursley," Hermione, who's appeared seemingly out of nowhere, tells him quietly. "Get out of here, before we make you." Someone's wand comes out, then suddenly there's dozens of wands, hovering by sides, pointed at Dudley.
"Three," Ron warns. "Two. One-"
"So this is what the 'good guys' have come to?" Dudley interrupts, an edge of panic in his tone, now. "Yeah," he adds, to the stunned silence, "I heard about your war. About how Harry is- was - the only one who could defeat him, Lord Vol-"
"Don't say the name," at least a dozen voices warn.
"Okay," Dudley swallows. "Who could defeat, uh, you know who." He pauses, but the nickname seems acceptable, so continues. "I heard about how they wanted to kill all the norm- non-magical people, the people like me. So how does this," he gestures at the wands directed at him, "make you any different from them?"
"Don't try to turn this on us, Dursley-" Ginny begins.
"It's like that phrase I heard about," Dudley says over her. "Like with weapons, words, or the pen, or something… uh, being faster to weapons than to words?"
"Shoot first, ask questions later?" Hermione fills in, and Dudley nods eagerly.
"Yeah, that! Are you really that kind of people? Er, you don't need to answer that," he adds quickly, at the mutinous expressions, at the "Yes" from someone in the crowd. "I did not need to know that. But I- You've got to listen to my side of things first, don't you?"
"Hurry up, then," Percy orders imperiously.
"Right," Dudley agrees. "So I- I know I wasn't the greatest person to Harry, before. I know I was pretty horrid to him. I'm not asking any of you to forgive that - I wouldn't forgive myself. But Harry- Harry was a better person than me, like by a hundred times. He saved me from those invisible depression things, back when we were fifteen. He had them take us, me, my parents, into hiding when that protection thing wore off. He was fighting for people like me, non-magical people, even though we, the non-magical people he knew, were terrible to him. So I wanted to thank him. I wanted to say goodbye. Because the last thing I said to him was that I didn't think he was a waste of space, but that- that was nowhere near enough. That's why I came."
When he stands beside the closed, empty casket, he sets a bouquet of asphodel and chrysanthemums atop, the beige, gold, dark crimson a rainbow of color in contrast with the frost-white lilies most everyone else chose to bring.
No one ends up finding out how he got there, they never end up seeing him again, but, well maybe, it's fine that he came.
Winter Seasonal Challenges
Days of the Year & Religious Events: January 4th - Trivia Day: Write about someone being asked a series of questions or being interrogated.
Black History Month: Rosa Parks: Write about a refusal to do something.
Crochet Week: Double Crochet: (word) basic
Penguin Awareness Day: King Penguin: (object) leather jacket
Colours: Frost White
Locations: Forbidden Forest
Crystals & Gemstones: Lapis Lazuli: (emotion) Stressed
Tarot Reading: Five of Cups, reversed: Write about someone who is picking up the pieces of their life and moving on.
But Can You Spell It? O - (plot point) Opposing someone's idea because they're them
Writing Club: December
Record Collection: Blue Christmas: Write about reminiscing.
Time Machine: Word: Stellar
Elizabeth's Empire: (emotion) insecure
Liza's Loves: Write about taking turns, or being in a line or queue.
Bex's Basement: Valhalla: (word) Fallen
Scamander's Case: (genre) hurt/comfort
Film Festival: (season) summer
Lyric Alley: You are so warm
The Forecast Says… 25th. Snow: Shy
EnTitled: The One Where Chandler Can't Cry - Write about someone struggling to show their emotions
Christmas Fair
Christmas Eve Boxes: Hot Chocolate - Cinnamon Hot Chocolate: (AU) Voldemort Wins
Snow Globe Maker: Bludger: (character) George Weasley, Gobstone: (object) Marble
Ugly Sweaters: Additional Feature - Lights up - (word) Charm
Treasure Hunt: Colour: Rainbow
Advent Calendar: Door: Occasion - A funeral
Gift Wrapping: Wrapping Paper: Dragons - Neville/Hannah, Ribbons: (object) Photo Album, Bows: (trait) Empathetic
Nativity Play: The Wise Men - (color) Gold
Holiday Crackers: Trinkets - Rainbow
Naughty or Nice: Naughty - (relationship) estranged
Hot Chocolate Station: Cocoa Flavors - Snickerdoodle Hot Chocolate: (restriction) no using "and", Toppings - Candied Ginger: (character) George Weasley
Fill a Christmas Stocking: Character: Hermione Granger, Stickers: (action) decorating something
Write Letters to Santa: Prompt 3 - A baby: (genre) family
Snowball Fight: Hermione vs Ginny: [Theme] Innocence
Big Dinner Bash: Extras: (trait) Cranberry Sauce: Aggressive
Toy Making: Broomstick - [Dialogue] "I… did not need to know that."
Christmas Party: Carol of the Bells: (genre) hurt/comfort
Paper Snowflakes: 1st Fold - Minerva McGonagall
New Year Resolutions: Read more books: (character) Percy Weasley
Pop Figures: Pop Rocks - Kurt Cobain: (Object) Guitar / (Clothing) Leather Jacket
Stickers Club: Norbert(a) - HP: Word: Vicious
Goodbye to Hogwarts: Write about the Mom (Grandma) Friend - or someone caring for their loved ones (bonus)