A Dog in the Den
After retrieving his wand from his new room, Dudley followed Sirius into yet another dark room in the Black family mansion. Sirius said with a wink that he needed to pack a few supplies for their fun Hogwarts trip and Dudley had assumed he meant snacks or extra cloaks, or even a forgotten birthday gift for Harry. This room, however, could contain anything. The cloudy light of the chandelier which flickered to life when they entered barely penetrated the dark, so Dudley wasn't entirely sure what all the lumps and humps around the room were. His fingertips brushed one thing near him, and guessed it was a large chest, topped by a suitcase. His eyes adjusted more, and he noticed that boxes and cases and furniture of all sorts lined all walls, creating a labyrinth that wound to the back of the room. A few bits of broken glass crunched underfoot before Sirius muttered a quick cleaning charm to sweep them away.
"Just a little late-night rambling, gone rough. Forgot about that. Oops." Dudley had never heard Sirius apologize, especially not for niceties like forgetting to clean up for guests. He was beginning to understand why Aunt Lily and Uncle James always hosted any get-togethers. He didn't think he heard scratches or whispers emanating from the walls, but he also wasn't sure he hadn't.
Dudley sneezed while Sirius climbed up to peer into one box atop a wardrobe, then jumped down to check another. Dudley wiped his nose on a handkerchief embroidered by Mrs. Weasley that he kept in his pocket. He was frequently getting bloody noses and hoped one wouldn't start before their trip to Hogwarts. He wondered what lessons with Sirius would be like. Would they often go flying off on an adventure when the whim overtook Sirius?
Dudley hoped he could at least join Aunt Lily if she took Mrs. Weasley's offer to come over sometime; he would much prefer a quieter Weasley house where he could spend time around his aunt and Mrs. Weasley without competing for the mothers' attention while also trying to skirt the notice of Harry and the other boys. Dudley also liked to spend time with Ginny, though she was a couple years younger. They sometimes went on walks together around the Burrow, running after gnomes, or catching frogs or looking at funny rocks. They didn't say much, just explored. Her quick fingers and ability to go unnoticed in the riot of boys always allowed her to sneak an extra treat for them from Mrs. Weasley's candy and cookie supply. He smiled, thinking of the warm, chaotic home, quite a contrast to the orderly, simple Potter house, with dessert once a week, or now with Sirius's dust-filled neglected cave. He hoped he could visit there; perhaps he could learn magic from Mrs. Weasley to complement Sirius's lessons?
Dudley doubted, though, that he would get the chance to visit the Burrow w. While Aunt Lily was friendly with Mrs. Weasley, she typically spent her time after work with a couple colleagues or Ignatia, a friend from her Hogwarts days, sometimes even Professor Flitwick if she was stuck on particularly difficult spellwork. Dudley sensed that Aunt Lily and Uncle James felt themselves a little apart from the Weasleys, not just because of the difference in their ages. They never said anything outright, there were never any awkward exchanges or snubs. They expressed their gratitude and appreciation of Mrs. Weasley's handmade gifts or Mr. Weasley's inventions, asking how a craft project or the book writing was coming along. They never discouraged Harry's friendship with Ron. They promptly wrote thank you notes for the gifts or visits and reminded the boys to write theirs. Still Dudley had noticed his aunt and uncle always took the lead when anything magical was to be done around the Weasleys, setting up Portkeys or casting Floo powder. They rarely reciprocated invitations to the Weasley's into their home. They sometimes even took the liberties in the little things, like preparing their own tea at the Weasley's home, or whispering a little cleaning or fix-it spell here and there. Dudley did not know why this embarrassed him. He supposed it was a bit like Ron being embarrassed by the way his mom showed care.
Something came whizzing at Dudley and he barely ducked in time. He heard a crash behind him, which completely dispelled his reverie.
Dudley squinted into the dark, and saw Sirius's figure leaning over one box, his head buried deeply within it. He probably forgot Dudley was there and he was so used to living alone that he hadn't thought to check if his mad searching methods were hurting anyone. Dudley stayed crouched down, just in case.
Dudley absentmindedly traced a pattern in the dust at his feet, using a thin, minuscule stick he found. He wasn't exactly sure what Sirius was looking for before they visited Hogwarts. He wondered why Sirius didn't try an accio spell. Perhaps like some wizards and witches he had met, Sirius preferred to do some tasks by hand. Or maybe the item repelled the obvious spells. Perhaps Sirius forgot the obvious solution for something more complicated, as Uncle James sometimes did. Another thought hiding in the back of Dudley's mind crept forward, as he heard Sirius growl and mutter to himself and continue to throw random items from different boxes. How often did Sirius spend his time as an Animagus? He half-remembered an argument between Aunt Lily and Uncle James about the effects of prolonged time inside an animal body. Aunt Lily was certain from her studies that it would warp the mind, and was only to be used under strict regulation. Uncle James laughed at her caution, drawing from his and his friends' exploits as unregistered Animagus. Dudley looked more closely at the little stick he was holding. Now that he brought it to his eyes, he saw it was not a stick, but a light, miniature bone. He dropped it, and saw that he had disturbed a little rat or mouse skeleton on the floor beside him. A couple bird feathers poked out from under another jumble of boxes, rustling briefly in the wave of his godfather's rummaging. Dudley jumped up and stared again at Sirius, hunched over in a different corner perfectly at ease in the low light, narrow passageways, and box formations. Dudley wiped his hands on his pants and licked his lips, preparing to beg off for his room to leave this den.
"Sirius—" his voice squeaked.
"Found it!" Sirius held a piece of parchment as he perched on one box on top of a stool, on top of another box. Dudley smiled weakly, watching the stool teeter. There was no safe place to look.
Sirius rolls up the parchment and scrambled down, only to scale another precarious arrangement and seek the rest of his supplies. Dudley backed out of the room and wandered further down the hallway. There were fewer boxes here and he could see the walls. Candelabras were unlit, half-burned candlesticks sweating in their holders. Big cloths covered what appeared to be large paintings, like they were preparing for an art unveiling that never happened. Dudley was careful not to touch anything, even holding his hands behind his back like he often did in Diagon Alley shops. He turned the corner on the staircase landing and jumped back into a few boxes. The wand from the beautiful owl emitted hisses and blue sparks as he hit the few items along the wall and dropped it. He grabbed for something to keep him up and his fist found fabric. A shriek began. "MUDBLOOD!" Dudley let go of the cloth and covered his head and ears with his arms.
Within a minute, Dudley felt the cloth whisking past his face and the screeching stopped immediately. Sirius put a hand out to Dudley, who peeked at his godfather through his arms.
"You are uncovering all the horrors in this house in one day! C'mon let's get you settled back in the kitchen with a cup of tea." Dudley didn't move.
"There was a head on the wall!"