a/n: I know its been far too long and most of you were probably hoping for an update of TotP but this just came out. I hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoy getting a chnace to write Dudley.

No Regrets

This new school was a far cry from Smeltings, it had none of the pomp of his old school but Dudley Dursley couldn't say that was a bad thing. In fact for the first time in his life, Dudley had friends he actually thought liked him for him and not because he was the biggest and meanest kid on the playground.

It wasn't something that they ever talked about at home, the changes he'd made in his life. At home they didn't talk about any of the changes that had happened in their lives. His dad had found a new job (one he hated), his mum had gotten a job for the first time in her life (gossip column for the local paper – she loved it) he had a new school, new friends, a whole new attitude. Thinking about it, it was probably this new attitude that had helped him make friends.

He'd been nervous that first day, he was just lucky that it was the first day of the new school year and he wasn't being forced to start in the middle of a term. He hadn't been intending to get noticed, had tried his best to keep his head down and just get on with things but they'd been discussing King Arthur in his English class and the topic of Merlin had inevitably come up and he'd snorted a laugh before he could stop himself. He'd been thinking that Harry would have found the whole topic hysterical and the laugh had escaped him.

His teacher hadn't noticed but the girl sitting in the seat beside him had and she'd given him a quizzical look and a smile which he'd returned – after flushing bright red. Three months later and Georgia was his new best friend, their quartet was rounded out by Georgia's next door neighbour Adam and his twin sister Paris.

His mum had never come out and said it but he knew that she felt these new friends had been a wonderful influence on him. It went unsaid that Harry had been responsible for the majority of the changes in Dudley but the confidence that these new friends gave him had done a great deal to improve his attitude and how he acted.

He'd been honest with his friends, hadn't tried to be anything other than what he was but he had never been able to tell them about his past. How could he explain why he'd moved without having to explain about Harry? No matter how he looked at it, Dudley knew that his entire life until this point had been touched and shaped by the magical world. It was a huge part of his life but he couldn't share it with his new friends.

He told them what he could, that he lived with his parents and that they'd lost their old house to a fire. He'd told them that it was an accident that his mother had taken as an opportunity to start her life again in a new place. He'd never mentioned that another boy had grown up in that same house; he didn't think he could ever explain Harry to friends who had never known him. But on a Thursday in late November he was forced to acknowledge that hidden part of his life in a most unexpected way.

They were having a good natured argument about dinner, Georgia was determined to have her way and take them to the new Indian restaurant that had opened up around the corner from her work, Adam was arguing for a simple burger while Paris and Dudley were trying to argue the value of pizza. In theory they outvoted the others but Dudley had come to learn that Georgia could be almost as stubborn as Harry's friend Ginny Weasley and when she got to arguing with Adam it was best to just stand back and let the battle rage.

'Hey,' Paris said suddenly, touching Dudley's arm and nodding over his shoulder, 'Do you know her?'

Curious, Dudley turned to see what she was looking at and his eyes widened in surprise. For a moment all he could do was gape and that was enough to get Georgia and Adam's attention. They were standing in a small crowd outside the old movie theatre that was playing Back to the Future but she'd managed to find him all the same. Ally Martin – or was it Potter? – was standing across the street watching him with a smile, Molly held in her arms facing him across the street. When she noticed him watching her she waved.

'Dudley?' Paris questioned.

A huge smile bloomed on his face and he said the first thing that came to mind, 'That's my brother's girlfriend and their daughter.'

He crossed the street, barely pausing to check for traffic and a moment later Ally had her arm around him in a one-armed hug of greeting. She kissed his cheek as she stepped back and he turned his surprised expression on Molly. She giggled and reached out to him. Dudley hesitated but Ally gently passed Molly to him. It was at this point that his friends caught up.

'Oh she's beautiful,' Paris murmured, coming up behind Dudley to peer at Molly over his shoulder.

Georgia slapped him lightly on the arm, 'Why didn't you tell us you had a brother?'

Ally looked up sharply at the word, eyes locking with Dudley's and showing him just how surprised she was to hear that word used in reference to Harry. Then Dudley smiled and her expression softened.

'There is no simple way to tell you about Harry Potter,' Dudley said wisely, with a little bit of humour. 'When you meet him, you'll understand.'

Over Indian food Dudley got to see firsthand what it would be like for his two worlds to collide. He watched Ally talk about her life like she was just another muggle, with enough references for Dudley to understand the wealth of information she was hiding. She wheedled stories of his first days out of his friends and they got the story of their first meeting out of her.

Chewing thoughtfully on a piece of garlic naan, Dudley couldn't help but smile. Here in a half empty restaurant over a boisterous dinner with new friends and new family Dudley knew that he would be alright. He'd make amends, he'd put things right and he'd do it with great friends and a great family. He was such a long way from the whale of a boy who had smoked and laughed as he terrorised the neighbourhood.

And despite it all, the up and downs, the loss of old friends and his childhood home, the threat of death hanging over his shoulders, Dudley Dursley wouldn't change a thing.