Proud

Draco turned out to be a far from perfect house guest. Upon becoming a ginger, he lost all manners and was sulky and waspish for several days after, obviously not happy about the change. Vernon didn't blame him for that, so much as he blamed Harry for inflicting him and the rest of their family with Draco's sour presence. He knew it was wrong to fault Harry for helping someone out of a hard spot, but even so, could not help the resentment he felt.

It made Vernon recall how it had been Harry once foisted on him. At the time, though, Harry felt more like a consolation gift for his dead wife and child rather than an unwanted burden. Harry was lucky Vernon had felt so, otherwise he probably would have had Marge drop Harry off at a police station or hospital and never gave him a second thought. Unluckily for Vernon now, he couldn't do such a thing to Draco. Loraine would never stand for it.

Loraine wouldn't stand for much of anything that was less than polite or kind. Except from Draco, it seemed. Draco had been allowed to sneer and scoff and insult them without check. Vernon didn't understand why they were letting him any more than he did the strange, tender looks she gave the boy when he said something terribly ignorant and insulting. Even just this morning Loraine had smiled at Draco after he said how "brilliant" muggles were to be able to create airplanes with their limited intelligence. Vernon knew, from sharing a look with his son and stepdaughter, he wasn't the only one insulted by the jab at their unmagical natures.

The kids were gone now, exploring the stores and restaurants near their hotel, Vernon turned to where Lorain was busy unpacking their things into a wardrobe and said, "We can't let him keep talking like that."

Fingering a dress of Samantha's before putting it on a hanger in the closet, Loraine remarked, "You know, he reminds me a lot of myself before I got to know Allen."

Vernon furrowed his brow and murmured, "Oh?"

Smiling as she closed the wardrobe, Loraine walked over to the window that overlooked the street in front of the hotel. "My father was a horrible xenophobe. Not in public, of course, but behind the doors of our home he was always cursing out foreigners. It didn't matter if they were Irish or Bangladeshi, he thought they were all ruining our country. Stealing jobs, bringing crime to our streets, etcetera, etcetera. I believed everything he said. I was a girl, what did I know? I trusted him."

"But that changed," Vernon said, recalling what Loraine had told him about her first husband, how he'd been born in the West Indies.

Hand still resting on the windowsill as she turned to face Vernon, Loraine nodded. "Yes, but that wasn't until Allen and his parents moved into the home across the street from my family when I was fourteen. My father almost had a heart attack from that one. Being a silly girl, though, I decided to watch Allen and follow him around. I can't remember why I decided that was a good idea, maybe I was just curious or excited at the prospect of them doing things my father always said they did.

"Allen noticed, of course. I think he was amused by it at first. When Allen finally got me to tell him why I was following him around and learned it was because I was a little twit with racist notions I know his pride took a bit of hit. Allen told me later, after we married, that at first, he thought I was following him around because I liked him and was too shy to be the first one to talk. To say the least, once he knew the truth, he avoided me at all costs for a couple days. Then, don't ask me why Allen decided he was going to change my opinion of him and all foreigners by teaching me all about himself and his family." Bringing a finger to her mouth, she gnawed on her nail thoughtfully before she said, "I was skeptical at first.

"However, once I just let go of what I thought I knew in favor of taking in what he trying to show me, it all became so much fun. I started to love the music he had introduced me to and I couldn't get enough of trying all the vast dishes that made up his people's food. Later, Allen introduced me to his cousins. Talking about makeup and boys with the girl ones was just a brilliant experience because it taught me they truly weren't any different from my English-born self."

Vernon didn't remember any of this. He knew for a fact Loraine had lived on the same street as him and his sister growing up, but he didn't remember Allen or his family. Though, given that both of Loraine and Allen were older by a few years, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Vernon had been more concerned with his own friends and playing rugby at the time.

"I'm guessing this is how you fell in love with him?" Vernon asked.

"Yes," Loraine said. "By the time I was sixteen, I was sneaking out almost every night to see him. Then I got pregnant and when I told my father, he threatened to kill Allen if he saw him. I made the decision then to leave home and move in with Allen's aunt and uncle across town. He joined me not long after. My father, as you can probably guess, disowned me. My mother had to give her old wedding dress to her sister so that she could send it to me for my wedding."

Vernon felt his heart give a pang. "Have you seen your parents since?" he asked. His mother and father were dead and before now, Loraine had spoken little of her own. Vernon had assumed they were dead too.

"Not since my mother's funeral ten years ago," she said. "Samantha didn't know them, so I left her home with Allen and went by myself. My father spat at me. I haven't been back home since."

"I'm sorry," Vernon whispered, approaching to take her in his arms.

She sighed into his neck and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you," she mumbled into his chest.

Rocking with her for a while, Vernon didn't say anything. When he saw the kids coming toward the hotel's entrance, he remarked, "I think we can show Draco just how wrong he is about us normal folk by the end of this holiday, don't you?"

Looking up at him with tears in her eyes, Loraine grinned. "Yes, I think we can."

-v-v-v-v-v-

"So, how do you like your gelato?" Samantha asked.

A moment later, Draco said, "It's good, but wizard ice cream is still better."

"Dudley Dursley!" Loraine yelped.

Looking up from his dish of strawberry sorbet, Vernon's mouth dropped open. At the kid's table, Draco sat stunned between Samantha and Dudley, pink, half-melted gelato dripping down his face and a plastic dish still sitting on his head like a hat. Glancing to Dudley, Vernon saw his son was wearing a smug smile while Samantha on Draco's right continued to eat her shaved ice with a smirk.

"Oh, Mum, he deserved it. Drake always says that magic stuff is better. It's annoying."

"Annoying or not, that's not appropriate! Oh, Drake, let me go buy some water from inside, just wait a minute…"

Vernon laid a hand down on his wife's arm. "No, Loraine," he said. "Dudley, since you dumped it on his head, I want you to go buy the water with your money."

"Dad!"

"Go, Dudley!" he snapped.

Glowering at him, the teenager got up, grumbling what was surely an obscenity beneath his breath. Watching Dudley go back into the cafe, Vernon returned his stare to Draco upon seeing his son begin to talk to the man behind the counter.

Picking up one of the napkins in front of him, Vernon held it out to Draco. "Here," he said.

Blinking at him as he took the offered towels, Draco mumbled, "Thank you."

"I hope you learned your lesson," Vernon replied as he picked up his spoon again.

Beneath the table, he felt Loraine's nails pinch into his thigh. "Vernon…" she hissed.

He ignored her. Samantha and Dudley weren't wrong about Draco always downplaying muggle things and now, after such a visceral reaction from his son, Draco would likely be much more mindful of what he let spill out of his mouth.

"Here, Drake," Dudley said in a sulky tone as he handed the other boy a water bottle. "I'm sorry."

Opening the bottle, Draco smiled hesitantly up at Dudley. "It's fine, I guess I was kind of being an-"

"An arse. You were being a real arse," Samantha proclaimed.

Draco frowned at her, but nodded nonetheless.

Taking his seat again, Dudley laughed. "Don't worry about it, we're good now."

Leaning over, Vernon whispered into Loraine's ear, "See? They can work things out if you let them."

"I–I suppose you're right," she replied.

Taking another bite of his sorbet, Vernon felt only satisfaction.

-v-v-v-v-v-

Standing in the doorway of the living room, Vernon stared at Draco as he fiddled with the remote of the telly, obviously trying to change the channel, but failing to. It was almost amusing how after nearly a whole summer in their normal world he'd yet to master the thing. Some days, Vernon was rather glad for it, because it meant the boy had to find other ways to entertain himself and he could have the telly to himself.

Amusement fading after a time, Vernon reminded himself he had a purpose for coming to see Draco. Samantha was out with friends and Loraine had gone to take Dudley to see the doctor about a cough he'd had since they returned from Italy a week ago. Now that they were alone, he had the perfect opportunity to finally ask Draco the things that he had, until now, been too afraid to.

Stepping into the room, he told the boy, "I know you and Harry weren't mates at Hogwarts Draco. I'm betting Dudley does too. The two of them wrote more than Harry and I ever did."

Draco shifted uneasily. These days, he was more comfortable going by Drake, even in the safety of the flat that they were now subletting from a friend of Loraine's while the said friend was abroad in China for business. He looked at Vernon out of the corner of his eye. The boy turned off the telly and said, "Yes, that's true."

"I know you were the one being a bully to him too."

Frowning, Draco crossed his legs and arms and grumbled, "Why are you bringing this up now? I've been living with you for almost the whole summer now, surely this is a mute point?"

Taking a seat on the other end of the sofa, Vernon shook his head. "It's not mute. I want to know why. It just didn't seem right to bring it up earlier. Loraine wanted you to become comfortable with us since neither you or Harry had any idea how long you would be staying with us. Letting on we knew more about your relationship with Harry than what you told us seemed counterproductive."

Lips pressed thin as he glared at him, Draco said, "Harry didn't seem to have a very good relationship with you either, you know. It was pretty obvious when he told me that, and I quote, 'Oh, he'll probably be glad it's not actually me who's come home when he finds out.'"

Vernon sighed and pressed his thumb to the bridge of his nose. "How about we share, hm? I'll tell you a little about how things are with Harry and I and you tell me about yourself and Harry."

Draco nodded. "That sounds agreeable."

"I suppose you expect me to start?"

"Yes."

Vernon bit back the urge to tear into the boy for the lack of respect in his reply. Months after taking him in, the boy's total disregard for authority figures had yet to improve. Being too hard on Draco about obeying himself and Loraine, though, just lead to a lot of heated rows that never got anywhere. Vernon had learned to pick his battles with Draco and his lack of respect right now would have to be let go in favor of understanding why.

"When I took Harry in after his parents were killed, it was out of a sense of duty to my late wife. I didn't fall in love with him like I had with Dudley right away. This made me feel guilty and I was always telling myself it was okay, I wasn't Harry's father, just his uncle. I did eventually come to love him, of course, how could I not? By that time, though, he was already on his way out of my life again and into your damn world.

"Then…I don't know, I let him decide if he wanted to go to Hogwarts or not and after that, I just didn't feel like I had a right to tell him what to do anymore. Then there was Loraine and Samantha–who I fell in love with so damn quickly–and things just fell apart even more. After Harry hurt Samantha by accident, he left and I didn't stop him. I was afraid of what else could happen and so was Harry, I think. Last Christmas, I convinced him to not come home at all. I could bear the thought of his absence more than I could Samantha's by that point.

"I must sound like an awful man by now. I loved my first wife so much, but when it comes to her nephew, who I can see so much of her in, I treat him like he's not really family at all."

Draco's expression wasn't hard, however, when Vernon looked at him. It seemed almost sympathetic. "It seems neither of us got off on a very good foot with Harry," he said. Foot jiggling as he let his gaze focus on something behind Vernon, Draco told him, "I met him while shopping in Diagon Alley. Things weren't too bad then, I guess. It was on the train ride to Hogwarts when I extended a hand of friendship and had it declined that I started being nasty to him and his mates. I understand why he did now, of course.

"I was acting like a little prat then, talking about stuff I didn't know anything about. It's thanks to you and your family, actually, that I've actually started to realize how daft I've been. Did you know that a lot of wizards and witches of my standing in the magical world are taught you muggles are all a bunch of simpletons and vermin that we should avoid or exterminate at all cost? It's remarkable how wrong we are.

"Things changed during our second year at Hogwarts, however. I got mixed up with this journal that held a piece of the Dark Lord's soul and the things it made me do…I still don't like to think about it. Harry saved me, though. After that, I couldn't really hate him like I used to. He saved my life and as awful as it seemed to me then, I owed him. Merlin, I still owe him. I hate it. Him too, sometimes."

Meeting Vernon's gaze, he swore, "But I trust Harry. He's disgustingly selfless, he saved me despite the fact I was an arse to him for our first and second years and then he willingly helped me out again a couple months ago when I told him I was about to become a pawn of the Lord's for the second time."

"He's really the hero your world thinks he is, isn't he?" Vernon asked in little more than a whisper.

Draco sighed. "Yes," he said. "He's a damn hero through and through."

Silence falling between them, Vernon wondered just where Harry learned to be so brave, so giving. It wasn't from him, he was sure. That wasn't what he'd taught the boys when they were little. Vernon was of the opinion the world was a place where the strong beat the weak and to learn to do without when something couldn't be had. None of his life lessons taught a selfless outlook. Perhaps it was an innate trait gifted to him from his parents? They had both died trying to protect Harry all those years ago.

Yes, that had to be it.

-v-v-v-v-v-

"Are we sure this is the best idea? I know I said I wanted to continue to get an education, even if it's a Muggle one, but…" Draco trailed off as he fussed with the jacket of his new uniform.

Dudley clapped a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be here with you. I know with my history grades I won't be able to help you much if you're having trouble with that, but there are tutors who are here to make sure you pass."

"It's better, Drake, that you go," Loraine told the boy as she stepped forward to push Draco's freshly dyed bangs out of his eyes. "No one is sure how long you'll be with us. If things drag on long enough you have to start looking at universities, you'll be glad you went to Deighton with Dudley.

Pouting at her, Draco said, "You're always far too sensible."

"It comes with being a mother, I'm afraid," Loraine teased as she moved on to Dudley. Giving his tie a little tug, she sighed when it became misshapen. She undid it and began it again. "Dudley, you would think you'd know how to do a tie by now. Smeltings's had one as part of their uniform too."

Meeting Vernon's eyes, Dudley rolled his eyes, indicating what he thought about Loraine's chastisement. "Yes, I'm sorry. I guess I was more concerned about English papers and French Exams than my tie being perfect."

Pulling back, she wagged her finger in his face and warned, "If you're cheeky like that toward your new professors, I promise you'll end up with detention in no time. I have been told that Deighton is very demanding in that regard. Students are expected to be courteous to staff and fellow students alike."

Which was exactly why they chose it over Samantha's old alma mater. The boys (especially Draco) needed to learn how to be respectful toward all of their peers and professors–not just the ones they liked or felt threatened by.

"Yes, Ma'am," Dudley said as he shared a look with Draco that spoke of amusement.

It made Vernon's heart pang, reminding him of how once it was Harry who Dudley shared those easy glances with. Briefly, he wondered if Harry was getting ready to go back to Hogwarts today as well. If he and that Weasley boy he was mates with were sharing a similar, brotherly smile that Draco and Dudley now were.

"We'll see you two at Christmas," Loraine said as she took a step back from the duo.

Reaching for her, Vernon pulled her to his side. She was a solid comfort, grounding him in the reality in front of him rather than the imaginary train station where his nephew and the Weasleys were saying their farewells. "Goodbye, Dudley, Drake," he concluded.

Grinning, the two wasted no time in getting away. "Bye Dad!" Dudley shouted as he and Draco went to join the other pairs and groups milling around Deighton's lawn.

Vernon raised an eyebrow at Loraine when he saw their were tears gathering in her eyes. "We've said goodbye to our children many time before, Loraine," he reminded her in exasperation.

"I know," she said. "It's just… Drake. We've come so far with him, he doesn't sneer at us anymore and has stopped those backhanded compliments too. Can you imagine what he'll do for his home when he goes back to it? What he'll have to teach his peers? It's from watching him grow that I wish I'd tried to make Dad come around and accept Allen and Samantha when I was a girl."

"Your father wasn't young when you left and he's only older now, Loraine," Vernon told her gently as he began to guide them back to his car. "When you left all those years ago, it was for the safety of your daughter's father, just like you've told me time and time again. Your dad was stubborn then and probably even more so now."

Climbing into their car, she sighed. "I know," she said. "Drake was like I used to be when he came to us; young and in need of having his world widened. Not grown and stuck in his ways. Even so… I can't help but wish I could have changed how things went between me and my father. You understand that, don't you love?"

Gripping the steering wheel tightly with one hand as he put the key in the ignition, Vernon didn't let himself look at his wife as he said, "I do understand."

He understood all too well. Harry was his Loraine's father, the one he wished he could have done everything differently by.

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