Dudley fidgeted in his new uniform, looking at himself in the mirror. He has his father's heavy set body but instead of fats it was mostly build by muscles that he nurtured in his junior boxing class and then the junior rugby league in primary. This will be the first time that he will truly spend almost a year away from his family. His crazy, mix and match family that he both loved and annoyed with. He then took the hat off with a sigh.

Rustling his blond hair that was cut short, he bend over to pick up his bag and headed for the door when he heard Draco cursing…probably searching for his mischievous pet and familiar, "Lucius!"

Dudley snickered when he saw Lucius nestling happily on top of Draco's platinum blond hair with his front hair left long to cover his glass-like eyes. Draco had left his eyes exposed for all to see since he figured out that it freak out the worse of his bullies that nowadays spend more time talking behind his back than taunting him. It was part to Draco learning some French martial arts called Savate from his blind class teacher who grew up in France, obviously, and part to Harry being his freaky self.

Dudley grinned at the memory where Harry decided to stop being passive about being bullied to being passive-aggressive. This was achieved with him staring at his bully and avoiding being hit with eerie accuracy while at the same time making it look like his attacker was merely clumsy with his feet where he receives much of his own injury while Harry looked angelically innocent to unknowing bystander. Dudley suspected that he spent too much time battling in Wonderland and 'sparring' with its more aggressive creature. But the catalyst of all out aggression by Harry happened when one of the bigger boys punched Draco in the face after he fought back due to being called an unflattering variation of the red district ladies and draw blood from his broken nose which the teacher quickly fix in the aftermath.

Harry had literally saw red and he attacked the boy like a madman. Dudley had to restraint him with all of his friends with Draco ensuring him that he was fine before Harry finally calm down. The boy had to go to the St Mungo for facial surgery; apparently Harry hadn't pull punches when he goes after the fallen boy. In fact, there was a spider fine crack on the floor where he had missed the first time; a mark of his unnatural strength due to Wonderland's influence. This never seen before side of Harry spooked off the other kids that none of them wanted to see it ever again which resulted with the badly injured boy's family moving since he was terribly traumatised by Harry.

Dudley blame that Harry kept staring at him unblinking most of the time at the boy since he came back from St Mungo fixed as new. At the same time he suspected that Harry had been messing with the boy's head until he was driven half mad. Dudley shuddered; he could certainly sympathize with the boy. Harry had made him feel guilty when he did something bad to either him or Draco or even Petunia by 'whispering' in his mind about his actions or repeating his words in his head over and over. Harry had somehow become Dudley's own Jiminy Cricket.

Dudley chuckled as he plucked Lucius off Draco's head, "Here he is, hiding in your hair,"

Draco frowned, "Blasted pipefox!" He grabbed the mischievous creature and started to grumble before thanking Dudley for his help.

Lucius was a pipefox which was a part of the Eastern magical menageries and was considered sacred due to its high holy spiritual power and reign over holy flames and lightning. At the same time they were notoriously secretive and thus hard to find even by experts of their kind. However, they were unfailingly loyal to the one they chose as their wizard.

Draco found Lucius when he bought a Japanese paint brush as a birthday gift to himself when the brush came alive and turned out to be a pipefox. Luckily the strange 'snake' was recognised by Hagrid who was well known and well-loved for his love of the wilderness and its residents.

He helped Draco pack the final of his school things and down the stairs since he was used to helping the boy. As for Draco who had become highly independent did not say anything since he knew that Dudley was doing what he normally did. This was due to the fact that he was terribly mean to Draco during his first stay with them that Grandma Alice pulled him during sleep into Wonderland and blinded him just so he will learn how it felt like being Draco. Not a 'punishment' many would recommend parents but Alice grew up in hard times and learn her lessons in the most painful of way, it was also a time where children was seen but not heard.

But the point was that Dudley learned his lesson with just that one session with Grandma Alice. He also learned that she was no pushover. Easy to say, most of his turnabout was due to Alice strict and unconventional way of discipline. All of the boys had a taste of her ironclad method and learned not to be a whirlwind of disobedient demons that she often criticised other kids of becoming in their generation, comparing them to the obedient children of her time.

Petunia stuck her head into the hall from the kitchen, "Children! Are you ready?"

Dudley and Draco simultaneously answered, "Not Harry!"

Petunia shook her head with quiet amusement before disappearing into the kitchen to make sure that everything has been taken care of and pulled their pet dog that they called Grim with her. Dudley ruffled the monstrously large canine that appeared at their front porch one wet evening, thin and miserable. Dudley had taken the dog in with pity and had needled Severus into helping him nurse the creature back to health.

The dog was originally mistaken by their neighbours as the mythical creature of bad omen that resembled a dog named Grim but since no one has died from their encounter with Grim, the boys decided to keep it. Grim sometime take the position as the Jabberwocky in the boys' play at tea time. Originally they had wanted to name the dog as something from Wonderland but since the names suggested were mostly long, nonsensical or plain tongue-twisting, they agreed to just call it Grim since that's what everyone been screaming when they first saw the dog.

Harry come tumbling down with a flurry of blue smokes and butterflies, coming to a stop just as the fireplace flared to life and Severus stepped out. Through the years, he had grown close to Petunia and was often surprised by her kinder side, a side that she had never shown before but was often time reminded when she started her rant about Lily being the favourite whenever Severus brings her up. It soon became a subject of taboo to talk about Lily between the two but they both agreed with cursing James to hell and back from their terrible experience with his pranks.

Severus shook his head, "Just leave your luggage behind, except for Dudley. Take your duffel bags with you though. I trust every necessary needs has been accounted for?" He looked at each of them sternly before nodding, "Alright, let's go," He sent Grim off to Hagrid first before returning to take them to London.

He took Petunia's hand and Dudley took Draco while Harry as usual insisted on travelling alone unless he has only Dudley for company. Using the Floo Network, they group landed in an out of the way pub that was less known than the Leaky Cauldron that Severus knew will be filled with people at this time of the year for late school shoppers and such.

Draco had to order for special books for the blind with magical drawing that he can see with his eyes. It was a miracle break through when he found a way to 'see' his surrounding by sending out waves of magic or sensing magic in items like a magical portrait or writings that was written with enchanted ink. He had spent five months working with St Mungo's healers to help other disabled wizards since playing with sight was a sensitive thing even with magic so what Draco was capable off was nothing short than miracle to them.

They even called him the Blind Dragon!

Severus led them out of the pub and into Muggle London where they will settle for a night in a hotel for three days and two nights. The second day will be spent to shop for Hogwarts' necessaries like wands and school robes as well as spending their last day with Dudley before he was sent out to his own boarding school. The third day was to send Dudley off at King Cross Station.

Wands and robes were to be bought last because these had to be purchased in person. Their other school things were ordered via owl-mail since Draco's has his special books and special simple typing machine for his written work since he had to use Braille to read and write. The teachers have a special spell that can translate the dots to normal words. While Harry on the other hand has a terrible case of bibliophile as well as a bibliomaniac and to take him to a bookstore will end up with them buying advance books that will only be added to their already large library which inside had to be magically expanded and Petunia doesn't think that it was a wise idea to have him locked in the library when school's in session.

Harry had once locked himself in the library for a whole week before they realised that he had not come down for meal as he usually did, immersed as deeply in the literary world as he did.

Once the boys and the adult have checked into the hotel and placed their duffle bags in their respective rooms; Petunia sharing hers with Dudley and Severus with the other boys, they decided to take a round in Muggle London as a family before being separated by school. Severus opted to remain behind and finish necessary works instead, feeling awkward to be included in such an intimate setting. He still saw himself as a stranger despite being the closest to the family.