Proud

"You wanted to see me sir?"

Vernon looked behind his high-backed armchair at the question, not quite sure the voice was actually that of his nephew's. However, when he saw the familiar skinny boy with untamable hair and big, round glasses he relaxed. It was just time and puberty that had changed his voice, he realized with relief; it wasn't a ruse to get him out of Hogwarts.

Harry's gaze went to Vernon almost immediately. "Uncle Vernon?" he mumbled questioningly.

Before he could even nod, Headmaster Dumbledore gestured to the seat adjacent to Vernon's own. "Yes, my boy. Come sit," he said

Casting a furtive glance his way, Harry walked forward and took a seat.

"Lemon drop?" Headmaster Dumbledore offered.

Mutely shaking his head in answer, Harry said nothing and fidgeted in his seat for a moment. Then, he asked, almost petulantly, "Why's Uncle Vernon here? I haven't done anything new."

"You're not here because you're in trouble, Harry," Dumbledore told Vernon's nephew in a soothing voice. "I just have a few questions."

"What are they?" Harry asked in a tired voice. "Is this about how my name ended up in the Goblet again? Because I don't know."

"No, it's not about that. We've moved passed questioning you about that, my boy," Dumbledore assured. "What I want to know right now is if you asked your Uncle to pull you from Hogwarts?"

Harry blinked in astonishment. "Pull me from Hogwarts? I'd never do that!" he proclaimed, sounding truly disgusted by the idea.

Vernon sighed. Oh, his nephew was going to hate him once he heard what Vernon wanted to do in protest of allowing such a young boy to participate in a dangerous tournament like the sound of this one.

"The letter your uncle sent me about wanting to do so gave me the impression it wasn't entirely his idea," Dumbledore explained to Harry as he pushed his shoulders back to sit tall in his chair.

Harry scowled and looked Vernon's way. There was a light in his young eyes that made Vernon feel quite daft, as if he'd done something utterly stupid by sending Harry's Headmaster his ultimatum of pulling Harry from Hogwarts if Dumbledore failed to remove Harry from the tournament.

Sighing, Vernon admitted reluctantly, "It…It wasn't entirely my idea. My fiancée, Loraine, she suggested it. This…event doesn't feel like something my nephew should be participating in, given the fact it's made for young men and women who are seventeen. I didn't know how else to respond to Harry's letter-"

"-I wasn't asking you to do anything about it! I was informing you about about the tournament! I've already been told I can't drop out! I'm contracted to do it - if I want to or not!" Harry hissed from his spot.

"You don't even want to do this?" Vernon demanded in concern.

Harry pursed his lips and looked away.

Eyes moving between them in an assessing manner, Dumbledore brought his hands together in a grand gesture and asked, "Just how much as Harry told you about the tournament, Mister Dursley?"

Vernon shrugged. "That it's meant for seventeen-year-olds, but his name was pulled from the goblet nonetheless. Harry said it could be dangerous, from what he understood, and told me he didn't mean to be entered in the contest…I figured this was just another one of Harry's dangerous stunts. Like the one last year where he helped that murderer escape."

"Sirius isn't a murderer! He was framed!" Harry shouted, up on his feet now.

Vernon couldn't help himself from yelling back, "He's not been exonerated of those murders, has he though? No, he hasn't! I won't believe he's anything but a bloody murderer until I have more than just your word and his!"

"I hate you!" Harry cried, his feet set in an angry stance that was strangely familiar. Looking down at his own feet, Vernon understood why almost immediately. The boy's body was set in a way that was identical to his own.

It seemed the lad had been picking a thing or two up from him over the years. Like a…Like a son would. The thought made Vernon queasy. All these years, he'd been telling and telling himself Harry was just his nephew, that he shouldn't bother to care for him as much as he did Dudley because he'd never be able to love Harry as freely as James had, and would have continued to do so, if he hadn't been murdered.

Now, though, Vernon saw that it didn't matter if he loved the boy as much or more than James Potter had, or would have. Harry was his. Harry was more like him than he'd ever be like James simply because it'd been Vernon's example he'd learned from all these years.

Harry was stubborn, Harry was not going to back down in a fight like this one. Vernon wouldn't, so why would the boy who'd watched him fight battles like this behave any differently? Dudley sure wouldn't.

Shaking his head wearily, all anger gone, Vernon sat back down and said, "I'm not going to fight you about this now, Harry. What I want to know is why we can't break this contract? Why does my fourteen-year-old nephew have to participate in something he didn't sign up for?"

"Magic has a way of binding things," Dumbledore explained slowly. "Decisions have much more weight in this world. Even if he's not the one who signed himself up for it, the decision has been made now and if he were to try and break it, he'd be risking any number of things. His magic, his health, his mind…even his life could be reaped as compensation for breaking his end of the bargain.

"If I recall correctly, during the last Triwizard Tournament where a contestant attempted to get out of the competition, she lost her voice for it. That's the last thing any of us want for Harry. He just has to try Mister Dursley, not win."

Vernon didn't know what to say. What could he say? There was absolutely nothing he could do for his nephew. The poor boy would have to participate if he wanted to continue to be whole and well.

Looking toward his nephew, he said to him, "I'm sorry, Harry."

"At least someone is," Harry muttered, not looking at Vernon or Dumbledore.

Vernon wanted to ask what he meant, but not now. Not in front of this old man who was watching them with eyes far too keen. So, sighing, Vernon got up and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I'll be writing you, alright Harry? I want to be kept up to date."

"Yessir," the boy agreed dully.

Holding back the urge to sigh once more, he looked to Headmaster Dumbledore and said, "I think it's time I head home."

Nodding in agreement, Dumbledore smiled. "I will call for Professor McGongall to take you home."

"Thanks," Vernon replied. "Harry? Lad? Can I get a proper goodbye?"

Harry glanced up, brow furrowed. Vernon knew Harry understood what he meant, even if he looked confused. This used to be his way of getting a goodbye hug out of Dudley in the mornings before he left for work when they were little. Rarely, Vernon had ever asked for the same from Harry - always just expecting he'd know the request was extended to him as well.

Thankfully, Harry always had. Now, though, their was no Dudley, just him and his nephew. Vernon had to ask him if he wanted to leave this school feeling like he'd done something at all for this boy - even if it was just offering a bit of comfort in the face of his new obstacle.

Lips flickering into a smile, Harry got up. "Sure, Uncle Vernon."

Extending his arms, Vernon took his nephew in a strong embrace, holding on just long enough to let Harry know he was there for him. Vernon hadn't ever done that before, he thought.

It felt right, however. Maybe this would be the turning point of his and Harry's relationship - like Loraine's question for Samantha during that argument had been.

When Harry pulled back, green eyes so much softer than they'd been in years, Vernon whispered, "Now, don't forget about the letter I'll be sending."

"I won't, Uncle Vernon," Harry promised.

A moment later, Missis McGonagall appeared, beckoning Vernon to her so she may guide him back home. Vernon didn't look back, but he knew Harry's gaze followed him out of the Headmaster's office.

Maybe, this horrible, horrible turn of events had been good for something after all, Vernon thought. Harry would be at risk this whole year (again), but maybe Vernon would know more about what was happening with him at Hogwarts than he ever had before. Maybe Vernon could stop the lad from doing something truly stupid or guide him in the right direction with some gentle words (which likely would come from Loraine, but Harry wouldn't have to know).

And for a while, Vernon was right. Things did go quite well for the rest of the school year, Vernon was kept up to date on the trials his nephew went through, made suggestions where he could and encouraged him to the best of his abilities when his ignorance of magic left him with little else to offer.

Vernon even started to think that he and Harry were getting on better than they ever had before. He even began to believe they were going to have a great summer, one where he, Harry and Dudley and Lorraine and her daughter would finally come together and become the family he and Lorraine had been hoping they would become since they moved in together.

All of Vernon's hopes were dashed, though, with the news of Cedric Diggory's murder.

-v-v-v-v-v-

When Vernon had met Loraine's daughter, he hadn't quite known what to think.

She was darker than her mother in complexion, eyes and hair and at first, he'd wondered if she wasn't adopted. Vernon had no strong opinions on adoption, but if it was the case, he wished Loraine would have told him in advanced because he was quite sure he had to be making a poor impression on the teenager with his wide-eyed stare.

But, then, the girl smiled and revealed a gap between her front teeth that was all Loraine.

Next, she'd given Vernon her hand and said in a voice nearly identical to her own mother's sweet as honey tone, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Vernon."

Vernon had fallen in love with the young woman almost instantly. He'd never said anything about it, simply because it'd always seemed so pointless to voice it until he and Loraine had started going out, but Vernon had always wanted a daughter. A little girl to spoil with kisses and hugs he'd never dare give a son, a pretty daughter that would bat her lashes when she wanted things and chatter on and on about anything and everything that interested her when they were alone together.

Upon welcoming Samantha into his home, Vernon had felt his wish had finally been granted.

Samantha didn't need hugs and kisses from him, nor did she ask for things, but she talked. At first, it was mostly about the year she spent abroad in America, but then she moved onto her ambitions for the future (she wanted to be a nurse), and about her deepest passion - watercolor painting.

Mostly, she painted fruit and vegetables. But when he asked if she thought she could paint a nice picture of a cottage for him, she did so and presented it to him as a gift for his birthday.

Vernon had been very touched by the thoughtful gift and hung it above the mantle of the fireplace in response.

As time went on, Vernon's fondness for Samantha only grew and grew. By the time Dudley and Harry came home from their fourth year, he considered her a daughter and felt things for Samantha that Vernon knew he never had for Harry.

The guilt that weighed his heart at that only became heavier upon seeing the haunted look in his nephew's eyes after picking him up at King's Cross.

Vernon thought he should have had something to say to Harry, after all, he'd made it through Petunia's death, hadn't he? He knew what it was like to lose someone. But…

Harry had seen the boy murdered, Petunia's own rather violent death paled in comparison. The best Vernon felt he could offer Harry was a pat on the back and the consolation of, "A quiet summer will do you well, I think."

His nephew said nothing to that and the whole car ride home from the station refused to speak. Instead, he spent the time with his fingers clenched in his pant legs staring determinedly forward. When they arrived home, he hurried out of the car and took himself and his school things straight to his room - shutting the door behind him firmly.

"Gone up already, has he?" Loraine questioned as she came to join Vernon by the front door.

Vernon nodded. "Can't really blame him," he said. "I remember after Pet died I refused to leave me bed for almost a week after the funeral. It just felt too hard to deal with anything beyond my own thoughts."

"This…other student and Harry, were they close?" Loraine questioned.

Vernon shrugged. "He talked about him some in his letters," he answered, "seemed to think he was a nice enough fellow." Then, wrapping an arm around Loraine, he remarked, "I think it's more to do with the fact the lad was murdered in front of him that it's gotten to him so hard. Can you just imagine that? Seeing someone die like that? It was bad enough finding poor Petunia on the bathroom floor more dead than alive…"

"I'm sorry," Loraine said, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek. "I just feel so awful about everything and there's nothing I can do for Harry or you."

Capturing her lips in his for a long, sad kiss, Vernon whispered, "You being here is enough. I love you."

"I love you too, Vernon."

-v-v-v-

A few days after Harry's return, the boy fell asleep on the sofa in the living room one afternoon. Vernon knew he should have probably sent him off to his room to rest, but he'd seen the way his nephew had been shambling around the house with heavy-lidded eyes. The poor boy wasn't getting nearly enough sleep as it was and to wake him seemed almost cruel.

So, he let him alone.

That would be his biggest mistake with Harry in a long, long time.

Samantha coming home from a friend's place just in time to say goodbye to himself and Loraine as they headed out for supper with Dudley, declined their invitation in favor of a quiet night in.

The young woman didn't even notice Harry right away, assuming that he was in his room (as he usually was). Padding around the house, she made herself comfortable by changing clothes and starting the kettle on the stove before sitting down at the kitchen table to start taking stock of her painting supplies and what she needed to buy.

As the kettle began to whistle, Harry had made himself known in the living room by giving a shout. Jumping to her feet, Samantha went to the other room. Peering over the back of the sofa, she saw Harry writhing and muttering furiously. Out of concern, the teenager had reached out and taken Harry's hand.

Upon being touched, Harry's magic lashed out and electrocuted Samantha.

Thankfully, Harry woke at the way Samantha's grip turned rigid. Seeing what had happened, Vernon's nephew jumped to get to the phone and called for an ambulance.

Later, the doctors would say it was his quick actions that saved Samantha's life. However, unlike her life, Samantha's right hand could not be saved. It'd been burned to a charred mess in the accident and as the Doctors had explained again and again to Vernon in his oh so enraged state, nothing could have saved it.

Out of everyone, it was Harry who took the news the worst.

"It's my fault," he said. "I'm so sorry, Loraine. I-I don't know what else to say, but I'm sorry."

Loraine, Vernon knew, was scared. He'd told her before magic was a strange and rather dangerous thing, but this was the first time she'd seen the truth of his warnings. Thankfully, though, unlike Harry, she did not blame the boy for what happened. "It's okay, lovely," she replied. "I know it was all an accident…"

This, however, didn't appease Harry in the slightest. He didn't want to be forgiven. He wanted to be punished. However, neither Loraine or Vernon was going to do that to Harry. It wouldn't be right.

Appearing to have realized this, Harry took it upon himself to find a way to punish himself.

A little while after coming home from the hospital for the night, Harry had approached Loraine and Vernon in the kitchen where they were talking over tea and said, "I think…I think I'll go stay with the Weasley for the rest of the summer. If I…have more accidental magic, at least they'll be able to protect themselves from it - not like you lot."

Vernon wanted to tell him no. He wanted to say that Harry was his nephew and that a bit of bad magic wasn't going to turn him off enough to agree to such drastic measures, but…

He'd burned off Samantha's hand. He'd taken away a painter's ability to pain. Samantha had been right-handed and now she was going to have to re-learn her all her skills with her left hand. It'd be years before she could paint him another cottage just as pretty as the one that he'd hung so proudly above his and Loraine's mantle.

What if it happened again? What if it was Dudley in Samantha's position? What if…What if next time someone died?

Could Vernon live with himself? Could he live with knowing that he could have prevented it by letting his nephew go stay with people who were magic like him and knew how to deal with it when it was out of control?

Vernon didn't think so.

So, even as Loraine looked ready to protest Harry's decision, say something about how family's supposed to be there for each other, Vernon put on a tight smile and told his nephew, "If that's what you think is best for yourself right now, you may. Perhaps you'll be up for coming home for Christmass Hols, though?"

Harry smiled back, but it was wobbly and his eyes looked a little misty. Vernon thought it was because, maybe, even now, Harry wished he'd told him no. Wished that Vernon had insisted he stay home and be there for Samantha's recovery and to spend time with all of them as a family.

But that wasn't the kind of man Vernon was. He liked to give his boys space, he liked to let his nephew make his own decisions since no matter how much Harry may have become his over the years, he wasn't his son. Hell, he wasn't even normal like Vernon. Harry belonged to a whole world and people that Vernon would never know, would never be able to involve himself with.

From the moment Harry had landed on his doorstep, Vernon realized he had been preparing himself for losing Harry. Five, ten years ago he would have said it was because his wife's death had shaken his long-held belief that life was permanent (despite all things that spoke to the contrary). Now, though, he wondered if he hadn't always just known.

Vernon almost believed some part of him had understood from the moment he took his nephew in his arms, that Harry was a different breed. A true changeling-like child that he would lose so much sooner than he would Dudley to those who'd left him behind on his doorstep.

Beckoning Harry to him, Vernon brought his nephew close to him for a parting embrace. As the boy hugged him back, Vernon sensed this would be the last time he would get to hold his nephew in a long time.

What did you guys think of this chapter? How do you feel about the first half in contrast to the second half?

Now, I'm aiming to get another chapter done before classes start again, but I'll make no promises because that would be fair to no one. But, assuming you guys are into AUs just as much as me, here are a few I'd recommend for fodder until then!

Lost Boys by Bil: "Perhaps it was the whimper that broke through the boy's fear, the evidence that Severus was as human and broken as he."

My Brother's Keeper by ChatterChick: "Sophie Potter is the younger sister of the infamous Harry Potter. Her life at Hogwarts should be set, but things take an unexpected turn when she is sorted into Slytherin. Being green is never easy, especially when those cunning folk will befriend you just as fast as they would cut your throat."

or

Beneath the Legends by Virgo743: "Harry, Ron, and Hermione accidentally get sent back in time to the founders era where they are immediately confronted by a group of hostile muggles who plan on burning them alive. They are then saved by four teenagers who will show the golden trio what lies beneath the legends that have been spun about the four of them."

Thank you for reading and please review!