Title: A Very Dudley Story

Disclaimer: I do not make profit from the story, the lovely J. K. owns everything but the current plot.

Author's note: So, I have a few sorry's to say after this huge hiatus. Last month my pc was busted and I lost many things of value to me including an original story 400 pages long that I had been writing for about 2 years and some things university related and the chapters 5 and 6 of this story. I was so angry and it took me a while to even decide if I wanted to continue and I might have not if it wasn't for a certain review from BeYoushelf. I want to thank you and express how grateful I am that something us unimportant as a story I started to work on can have such an impression upon a fellow human. (I didn't quite get the P.s. though, sorry) For that I refused to abandon this story and although it took me some time to get to it I am now in a good place to keep going. With no further ado, please enjoy the…

Chapter 5 – Quiet talk

'Because I will not allow a child to die in front of me even if I have to forfeit my life in exchange for his'…

Dudley was impressed by the steely gaze and the icy tone of the usually placid and soft-spoken woman. She was standing upright and her small stature did not stop her from looking impressive as she looked each one in the eyes, daring them to continue the argument. When no one did, Hestia scooped the pale Emily up in her embrace making Dudley wonder at the strength those wiry arms apparently had, and moved gracefully to the stairs presumably to find a quieter place so the child could rest. The room was subdued after their departure.

Dedalus, visibly shaken by the news Hestia had delivered, was obviously too preoccupied with his thoughts to talk. Sara, nervous about everything and everyone was looking from the floor to him, to his parents, to the stairs where her sister had disappeared, to the floor in circles. His parents were looking at each other. His father, red still in the face, was evidently displeased with the wizards and with the state of things. His mother, pale and with pursed lips was restraining her anger and indignation, Dudley knew, in a misguided attempt to spare her child the fear and worry. Once he was out of earshot was when she would explode as had been happening for years and years. For the first time ever he was not inclined to ignore the predicament they found themselves in, nor was he eager to try and eavesdrop in hopes of hearing her vile temper spill out on someone.

He did not much care for Dedalus who was, after all, a grown man and a wizard but he very much wanted to spare Sara the pain of having to hear herself discussed with little civility and no kindness. When he caught her gaze again he silently nodded at her and he moved towards the entrance hall willing her to understand his invitation.

'Where are you going Diddy?' His mother asked with a worried voice. He simply shrugged and pointed at the door. He saw her eyes bulge and harried on to explain his reasoning. 'Mom, it's ok, I'll be safe outside as long as I keep inside the wall. Remember? It's too hot in here.' She bit her lip but, being unable to not give him what he wanted his mother consented with a nod. 'Ok, Diddikins, but please be careful.' Mortified by the silly name he moved again.

Sara moved towards him, fortunately, and he caught her hand to pull her outside so his mother would not stop her. Once outside, Sara calmed down a bit and cast him an interested look rather than a frightened one. The hand he still held twitched in his hand and he tried to let go but she griped it and tugged him so he would stand facing her. 'Hi, I'm Sara' she introduced herself in a not-quite-a-whisper. 'Dudley' he answered and she shook their griped hands.

She let her hand drop to her side and leaned against the wall next to the front door before speaking again. 'Thank you for saving us. Many don't trouble themselves with strangers.' The frost in her voice surprised him, after all, he was used to thinking selfishness was most common and selflessness the exception to the rule. His parents had objected to housing the girls and that was a sensible thing to do if they feared for their own safety. He did not know still why he had felt obliged to make his mother agree to risk the heightened danger for the sake of the two girls but he did not want to think of them, victims of the dementors.

The girl looked pale and tired he noticed. 'Are you hungry?' he asked her.

A sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes, her head resting against the wall. 'No. Well ,yes. But what I would really like right now is the chance to take a bath.' It was true, the girl really needed it. Her cloths were dirty with dust and specs of blood, her hair full of debris and her face smudged. He flopped on the front step and felt the need to explain why he had dragged her outside. 'Things are a bit tense inside right now. In a bit things will have calmed down and Hestia will have had time enough to look after your sister. We will ask Dedalus for some food and Hestia for some clean cloths.'

Sara sat cross-legged on the grass having no room beside her (he was huge after all) and looked at him with a look he could not place. 'It seems I ow you many thanks in one day' she remarked tiredly. Again the gratitude took him by surprise and didn't know what answer she was waiting for. She was still looking at him, he saw and a bit later she spoke her mind. 'So your mother and father are not wizards. What about you?'

'No we are all normal.' She furrowed her brows at that. 'Am, then how do you know about us? And why are you hiding?' Her question took him by surprise. 'Shouldn't we know?' It was her turn to be perplexed as she answered his question. 'No you shouldn't. There is this law that the ministry of magic has enforced that prevents the wizards from using magic or talking about it to muggles. My parents knew only because we were magical and we were too young to control it.' That surprised him and he understood why the girl was asking. If he was not magical then nor he nor his parents should have known. She didn't know about Harry. 'Well you see we used to live with my cousin because his parents were dead and he is a wizard.'

'Oh, that makes sense. And it explains why he was anxious about your safety. Unlike us, your parents were the official guardians of your cousin so they could be found to the wizard records and since you are muggles, you are in much danger. I hope that there were enough volunteers because the muggle-born wizards and their parents are the most vulnerable in this regime.' There were many things in those words that Dudley did not quite understand and it must have shown in his features because Sara asked 'How much do you know about this war and who is responsible for it?'

'Well I know that it's a wizard war?' He could not keep the question out of his voice. He really didn't know anything about the wizarding world. Sara looked exasperated. 'Don't you at least know why you are required to hide?' Dudley thought that this was a strange question. 'Well it's because my cousin said that bad wizards would like to hurt us because of him.'

'That's really an understatement.' Sara said and she sighed again. 'There were things I didn't know, not being a part of the wizarding world myself but Emily has pretty much told me everything she knows. It all started because there is a certain prejudice in the wizarding world that claims that wizards are better than muggles and therefore they should be dominant.' That shocked Dudley so much that he could do nothing but stare at the girl beside him with his mouth hanging open. 'Yes, that is exactly my reaction when Emily told me.' Sara laughed lightly. 'It's exactly like saying that people from Africa are less worthy because they are black or heterosexuals are better parents because they are physically able to produce an offspring.'

Dudley really had nothing to say to that. His parents had always said that black people were dumb and homosexuals, unnatural. 'But really it's not like that.' Sara continued oblivious to his thoughts. 'I mean it's so stupid. The color of the skin has nothing to do with how smart or kind or anything really apart from how well one can withstand the strong sun and sexuality has nothing to do with how good a parent you are. There are many heterosexual families that should never be allowed to have children. What with the number of abused children that come to light frequently all over the world. It's the same with this rubbish about muggles and muggle-born wizards vs poorbloods.'

Dudley had an inkling about what it meant but he wanted to be sure so he asked. 'Poorbloods?'

'They are the wizards that were born by magical parents. There are some wizarding families that are very old. And some of them think, that makes them better than everyone else. It's people like them that are raging this war. Of course, this belief is not new. Things got out of hand because of a very bad wizard that is very powerful and is obsessed with purging the wizarding world from those that he thinks are unworthy of magic, the muggle-borns, and wants to reign the world. There are many wizards that resist him but one of the greatest wizards of all time and the only one that the bad wizard truly feared died a few months before and since then things don't look that good.'

Dudley thought that his cousin and Hestia and Dedalus must be part of that opposition movement as Harry's parents before him, which also explained why the bad wizard had killed them and was after him and the Dursleys now. Sara's explanation really explained many things.

'So we have to hide because my cousin is a revolutionary?' He said indignantly. Thinking of the anarchists his father used to call -bloody anarchist urchins-. Sara's eyes bulged. 'Your cousin is part of the opposition?' Dudley huffed. 'He must have been because he said that there was a chance the bad guys would come and attack us to try and make him comply or as a trap. Why did he have to put us in danger so? He could have kept his head down.' Dudley was angry with his cousin for being the reason they had to hide like refugees.

Sara smiled a little but her words were harsh and unmoving. 'You should be proud that he is one of those that are brave enough to fight that dictator and trying to prevent him from making a living hell out of this world…

To be continued…