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

Chapter 6 – Involuntary Changes

'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.'

Dudley really didn't know what to say to those words and he felt embarrassed without exactly understanding why. He stood up and placed an ear at the door. Meeting only silence he opened it. 'It should be ok now, my mother has obviously stopped shouting.' He looked at Sara and added. 'I think it's time to get you some clothes and a towel and we need Hestia for that.' They presided inside, through the living room and to the staircase that leaded to the bedrooms in the second floor. Dudley guessed that Hestia would have taken Emily to her own room and as it turned out, he was right.

Approaching Hestia's room, he saw the door was open and Emily was sleeping once more, comfortably placed on the bed in the middle of the room. Dudley had never seen the older witch's room and was surprised at the colorful drapes on the bed, the curtains and the assortment of weird looking devices, tools, personal belongings and paraphernalia. What surprised him more than the unexpectedly cheerful room though was the state he found its owner. In complete contrast to her surroundings Hestia herself was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head in her hands and her small, slender body hunched and tired. The sight of the strong woman looking anything less than calm and steady, tagged something inside him and Dudley found himself wanting to do something for her. He was completely at a loss though as he had never been in the situation before.

Finally, he cleared his throat to get her attention and resorted to simply stating his business, promising himself to get her a cup of tea after Sara got on with her shower. 'Umm… Hi… Sara needs a shower, could you help with clothes and such?' He was surprised to see her face was dry as she looked at him quizzically. 'Sure Dudley, I wanted to make sure she was not hurt anyway. Come dear, we will get you comfortable.' She added, seeing Sara looking tentatively from somewhere behind his back.

Dudley left the women and walked downstairs again. Once there, he found that the kitchen was not empty. Dedalus was sitting in a chair in front of the wooden table looking at the wall without really seeing it. Tears were splashing on the table and In the mug that sat in front of him. Dudley was at a loss one too many times today as it was and was not impressed by the older man's tears. Really, if Hestia had the strength or self-control to be useful in spite of her grief, so could Dedalus.

He cleared his throat, gain, and he moved clumsily (as usual) to make Hestia a cup of tea while giving time to Dedalus to compose himself. When the tea, tow cups and biscuits where ready and waiting he turned to talk to Dedalus that had thankfully stopped crying and was watching his movements. 'Dedalus?' he asked feeling weird calling the man for the first time. The wizard looked at him clearly baffled. 'Um… could you make something for Sara to eat? And Emily if she wakes up?' He added on second thought. Dedalus gave a start and got up. 'Yes of course my boy.' He was already placing vegetables in a pan when Dudley left the room to take the tray upstairs, walking carefully and slowly lest he spill the tea.

When in front of the now closed door of Hestia's room, Dudley found himself in a predicament. He had no hands to knock. He thought briefly of setting the tray on the floor to free his hands but he was not sure if he would be able to pick it up again without making the cups tumble. He settled for moving closer to the door and half spoke, half shouted her name.

The door opened in a blink of an eye so fast and so abruptly that the Dudley lost his grip on the tray. With a flick of her wand Hestia saved it from crushing on the floor with only a little of the tea trickling down the sides of the cup. Perhaps shouting her name was not a great idea after all Dudley reflected since she would be on edge waiting for possible dangers.

She seemed annoyed at first but then she sighed and looked at him appraisingly. Her gaze made him squirm a little in discomfort. She really gave the impression that she could see his soul when she looked at him this way. He felt the need to explain himself. 'When someone is upset or after a long day mom makes tea. I thought you would like a cup? Or maybe Sara would...' He trailed off uncertainly but the smile she gave him was warm if tired.

'Sara is having a shower and after she gets ready she might prefer something to eat but I will have some. Would you like to join me downstairs so as not to disturb Emily?' Dudley didn't know if he wanted to but he felt he had to say yes because it was the first time anyone asked him for company. Sure his friends wanted to be part of his gang and at school his goodwill was sought after but they wanted his protection or the chance to avoid bulling by being part of the bullies not his company. No one wanted his company and he knew it, he was not stupid.

He followed Hestia back in the kitchen with the tray hovering in front of her and they found Dedalus spacing out holding a pan with suspiciously dark vegetables. Dudley heard Hestia breathing a huge sigh but her voice was soft and kind when she talked to the man. 'I'll make the girls something Dedalus please go to bed. I'll also take your shift tonight.'

Dedalus was startled and he stammered out 'N… No Hestia I… I'm…' The woman smiled kindly and gave him a gentle push, simultaneously taking the pan from his hands. 'Go to bed Dedalus. Today was eventful and we will need you to be functional tomorrow just in case.'

Once Dedalus was out of the room the smile drained from her face and gave one more humongous sigh. She placed the tray on the table and gestured for him to take a seat. Then she opened a cabinet and took out a weird-looking-bottle with umber liquid inside. She uncorked it and poured a little inside each cup. 'I think you've earned this much today young man.' She added and gave him one of the cups and then took a sip from the other.

As Hestia started the girl's dinner, from scratch since the vegetables where completely charred by this point, Dudley brought the cup to his lips and drank. The taste was both familiar and foreign. The fragrant breakfast-tea they had in the afternoons along with the familiar whiff of alcohol, too strong for the small amount of the amber liquid added, and a calming, peppery, sweet aftertaste that warmed him. And in a good way too. Not the warm-drink-in-the-hellishly-hot-summertime way that makes you sweat even more than usual.

After a short silence, sprinkled by the sounds of the knife and the pan, Dudley resolved to ask the questions that were bugging him since the earlier talk with Sara. 'Hestia?' He began. 'Is Harry really a revolutionary?' Her movements stilled for a moment before she could compose the scowl that had marred her kind features. She resumed and replied with a question of her own. 'You really don't know anything about your cousin do you?'

Dudley dropped his gaze on the table and swallowed the remaining tea in his cup in a big gulp (more than half the cup really). It was not easy to talk about the wizarding world or about his cousin not least because he was taught to ignore them for all his life. 'No, I suppose I don't'. He answered finally not looking up but willing Hestia to understand the need to finally know about the whys and the hows that had led to this current state of events…

To be continued…