This chapter and all but the first two have been Beta'd by LimeSon
September and October had been a good and a bad start to Dudley's first year at Hogwarts. On the plus side Hermione was his best friend and Harry was... well Harry, but they had gotten on well since their first talk and had practiced wand movements together in an abandoned classroom with Hermione. Dudley's main contribution was his keen ears picking up gossip in the Great Hall during meals. Which Harry still hadn't attended as far as Dudley knew. Granted the boy had also missed a meal or two studying with Hermione, but doubted Harry had eaten during that time. He made a mental note to ask Harry about it when he got the chance. Now was not the time to bring it up, not when Harry and Hermione were arguing over something Charms related, but since it was good natured, he didn't feel the need to intervene. The only professor the three of them could all agree they didn't like was Quirrel. Harry got headaches when around him and Dudley sometimes could swear he heard a second voice coming from the stuttering professor. Hermione, however, disliked him because.
"How is anyone expected to learn from him? I don't wish to speak ill of a professor, but I just think it weird that Dumbledore would allow a nearly unintelligible educator." Upon her mini rant's conclusion she looked to see the amused look on both boys' faces.
"What?" She inquired, prompting both boys to laugh at her.
History of Magic sometimes had Dudley feel somewhere in the middle of the spectrum when it came to paying attention. To his left was Harry, dead asleep, and to his right was a Hufflepuff, whose name Dudley didn't know, who was watching with rapt attention. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the topics being discussed, it was how the information was relayed that gave Dudley pause. The perpetual droning of Professor Cuthbert Binns was enough to make even the most dedicated historian zone out and mentally wander.
Surprisingly, even zoned out, Dudley could remember the salient points of the lesson. However Harry's recollection began and ended with,
"Something about Goblin wars."
This was not the case in their transfiguration lesson, the following day, as Dudley simply lacked the imagination needed to visualise the transformation from a match to a needle. His partner in these lessons was, not surprisingly, Harry, as only Theodore Nott had been decent, when compared to the Malfoy squad and Zabini. That didn't extend past privately nodding at him when passing, but just knowing not all of his year mates hated him was reassuring in a way.
Harry himself had completed the transformation and was moving on to the next level of alteration; giving the needle more detail, varying the size of it, and even the composition. Earning Slytherin 20 points for producing a needle of striped gold and silver.
"It's just easy for me." He nonchalantly answered when Dudley gave him a confused look. "In the Orphanage there wasn't a lot of fun to be had, so my imagination had to compensate." Realising how private an admission that was, he fell silent and wouldn't talk to Dudley for the rest of the lesson. That left the boy to focus on his match, which by the end of the lesson was slightly pointy. A fact that Dudley was immensely proud of, pointing it out to Harry who just nodded but didn't say anything.
The following day was double potions and to spice things up, Professor Snape decided to mix up the previously established groups placing Dudley with Blaise. Upon hearing this arrangement Dudley went cold and Blaise opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.
"So, what role do you-" Dudley started to say, but was cut off by the furious boy.
"Don't talk to me you filthy Mudblood, don't you get it? You're not welcome in Hogwarts, or the Wizarding world in general, so what makes you think I'd waste my time listening to what you have to say? Just cut the damn ingredients up, if you have the mental capacity to do it. Can you do that, Mudblood?" He finished in a condescending voice that made Dudleys blood boil and suddenly the hatred went both ways. Deciding he didn't want to be told to shut up again he nodded and fetched the ingredients.
It was actually quite relaxing chopping, dicing, and peeling ingredients for the cure for boils, if one ignored the very hostile boy standing 3 feet away from him. They worked perfectly together despite the hatred and lack of communication. It was as if they were in silent competition waiting for the other to mess up. Pausing to read the next lot of ingredients he noticed something rather interesting.
'Make sure NOT to add any powdered snake fang at this point as the addition of such a reactive ingredient at this stage will cause an explosion near instantly, causing burns and boils to appear on the affected areas.'
Seeing the excess powdered fang in the mortar he acted on instinct and added it, turning to duck but not being fast enough and the both of them got soaked with the boiling brew.
"You stupid Mudblood-"
"You dunderheads! I guess you neglected to read the paragraph warning against the addition of snake fang after the potion has turned light green. 10 points from Slytherin and an essay on the importance of reading the complete instructions when brewing, now go to the Hospital Wing at once. The potions Professor shouted, the angriest Dudley had ever seen him.
While walking to the Hospital Wing Blaise was glaring at Dudley for a long time before he finally snapped.
"You Mudbloods make me sick, you're incapable of even the most basic magic and have to resort to using a potion as a weapon. I, however, am a Pureblood, we are taught magic from a young age, so rest assured when we're not covered in potion, I will get you."
That night after the Hospital Wing visit Dudley was let out for the night, however Blaise had to stay, so his plan for revenge was probably not going to happen today, giving Dudley a relatively peaceful night.
That all changed on the way to breakfast when, while on the stairs, Dudley suddenly became rigid and unmoving, falling back down the flight he had climbed. He couldn't even blink so, with his eyes forced open, he was forced to watch Blaise approach with a few older years.
"Let's show this Mudblood where his kind belong, I think the caretaker's pigs could use a new friend. Let's just make him look more like his new family." The boy taunted maliciously before one of the older students gave him a pig's snout, ears, and tail before levitating him, under a very expensive invisibility cloak made of demiguise hair, and made their way to Hagrid's Hut.
He felt helpless, this was the sort of magic his parents warned him about. He could do nothing but wait for rescue. His captors had just dropped him in with the pigs and Dudley hoped they had just been fed, knowing what pigs were like with food.
No more than five minutes went past before a very familiar face popped into view. Harry had arrived and was peering down at him, looking concerned, and began talking.
"I haven't learned the counter-curse, but I should have it in one of my books, so let me have a look." Harry looked ashamed that he was unable to help straight away, but spent some time rummaging through his bag, dropping a sheet of parchment, and found the book. It wasn't long before Harry was casting a few practice attempts at the floor before, deciding he had enough familiarity with the feeling of his magic, cast the counter-curse and freed Dudley from his imprisonment. Upon getting up from the floor the boy grabbed the sheet of parchment Harry had dropped and not noticed. It was a list of names: James Potter, Lily Potter, and Petunia Evans. That last name stood out to him, but only because his mom's name wasPetunia, the only real connection between this list and him as far as Dudley knew.
He passed the parchment to Harry without comment who nodded then said.
"I'm looking for more information on my family. I-I know my parents are dead, but maybe there is someone out there. The third name is her sister but who knows how many people named Petunia there are?" He finished hypothetical and hopelessly.
"My mom's name is Petunia, but she doesn't have any sisters, I've asked, my dad does have a sister named Marge though." He trailed off, thinking that Harry probably didn't care, only to look over at him to see the raven-haired boy staring at him with his full undivided attention. It was the most intense he had seen Harry in the whole time he had known him. He must have realised that he was staring at Dudley because he turned away and spoke quietly.
"I never got to know my family and you talk about yours with reverence. I just wish I knew what family was like." He finished barely above a whisper and Dudley, not liking seeing his friend so down, thought he could cheer Harry up.
"I've never had a brother-" Harry opened his mouth to interrupt Dudley, but he raised his hand and Harry fell quiet again. "I've also never had proper friends, sure I had a group of people around me but the last month has shown me something. You and Hermione are worth twenty times my old friends." He paused having only just this moment realised he felt this way, then continued after a moment of uncertainty. "You're the closest I've had to a brother and Hermione a sister. I know that may sound dumb because we've only been friends two months but…" He trailed off again and then blushed out of embarrassment. His father would have said 'that was woman talk. I thought you were a man' and so maybe Harry thinks the same.
"I didn't know you considered me a friend. I've always been a loner, not by choice, every time I've tried to make friends at the Orphanage they would either be adopted, moved to a different Orphanage, or just straight up be mean to me." He continued, this time with anger flavouring his voice. "I would just feel so bitter sometimes 'how dare they throw me away, I'm their son' I would think to myself. 'Why didn't they love me?' It was nearly enough to break me. I made it, but who knows how much longer I could make it?" He finished darkly and for the first time he felt a little bit scared of the boy sitting next to him. Said boy's demeanour immediately changed, then he said "scourgify" and Dudley was clean again.