It has been awhile since the last update, but to make up for it this chapter is longer than the previous ones.
Please review!
"It's Saturday! It's Saturday! It's Saturday!" Katie chanted early in the morning as she marched around the house. "I'm going to see Lily! I'm going to see Lily! I'm going to see Lily!"
"Ughh," mumbled Dudley, turning over in his bed to look at the clock. 6am! Are you kidding me! He attempted to drown out the noise by covering his ears with his pillow, but unfortunately he could still hear the chants of his very excited daughter. Might as well get up then. It's not like I'm going back to sleep. He glanced at his wife with an almost jealous look on his face. At least she is getting some sleep. Unlike me, added the voice in his head.
The whole day was very chaotic, even though they weren't going to the Potter's until dinner. Katie spent hours deciding what to wear, talking aloud to herself the entire time. "Should I wear robes or a t-shirt? Do wizarding families wear robes all the time? That's gotta be annoying. But muggle clothing is much more comfortable...a T-shirt it is!" She was also counting down the hours until they were leaving, "Ten hours to go!...Nine hours!...Five hours!...Only two more hours!...ONE MORE HOUR!" That last one caught Dudley by surprise, and he hit his head on the roof of the cabinet he was looking for paper towels in. This better be worth it, ran through his mind as he emerged, rubbing the bump on head.
Finally at 7pm they got in the car. Dudley had decided that a suit would be too formal, so he was wearing a dark blue, collared, button-up shirt that could be considered semi-formal with jeans. Katie was also wearing jeans, but with a pink shirt, and Rebecca was wearing a light blue dress. The car ride lasted for half an hour, and Katie was bouncing in the backseat the entire time. As they pulled up to 6 Brookwood Rd, Katie had her faced pressed so firmly against the car window Dudley almost thought she was stuck to it.
As Dudley and Rebecca were getting out of the car, Katie had already raced to the door and rung the doorbell. When they finally made it to the door, it was already opening.
Silence. That is what happened when the door opened revealing the one and only boy who lived. Katie had her mouth open as she gaped at the famous wizard before her. Rebecca was gripping Dudley's hand tightly and nervously. Dudley Dursley and Harry Potter, on the other hand, were staring at, well more like studying, each other.
"Umm...hi," said Dudley after what seemed like hours, "good to see you."
Harry didn't reply. His face had a glazed, thoughtful expression on it. Oh god he's going to make us leave before we even get inside. Finally, he shook his head as if returning to the present and said, "Good to see you too," He put out his hand and Dudley shook it. "Come in."
Harry turned into the house and called "Guys, they're here!"
"Eeeeeeekk!" came a scream from upstairs, which was followed by rapid thumping which could only be someone running (or maybe jumping) down the stairs very quickly. That must be Lily.
Harry seemed to be recovering from the high pitched shriek and, turning back to the Dursleys, said, "Sorry about that, she's just really excited."
As he stepped inside the house with his family right behind him, Dudley said, "Don't worry about it, you have no idea how early I was woken up this morning." He looking at his daughter pointedly, and Katie smiled sheepishly.
Dudley noticed that they had stepped into a open area with a cozy looking living room on the right. There was a fireplace in the corner, two sofas, a rocking chair, and a small coffee table. Photos decorated the mantle above the fireplace as well as the walls. Just as Dudley saw what he thought was a young boy waving in one of the pictures, Lily Potter came into view, running from the direction that the stairs must be.
"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed the two girls when they saw each other. Then Lily said, "I can't believe you're actually here!" and at the same exact time Katie said, "I can't believe I'm actually here!" Then they both giggled as the adults chuckled.
"Come on!" said Lily, pulling Katie with her as they headed upstairs.
"Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes!" called a voice from the door off the living room that probably lead to the kitchen. That must be Ginny. I wonder if Harry was able to convince her that I'm not a horrible person.
"That'll be Ginny," said Harry, and as if reading Dudley's mind, added in a low voice so his wife couldn't hear, "don't worry I got her to calm down a bit."
Dudley sighed with relief. One less thing to worry about.
Dudley and his wife followed Harry into the kitchen. Ginny was making pasta on the stove, cutting vegetables, pouring a jug of water, and setting the table at the same time. Rebecca saw all the work going on and immediately asked if she needed help, but failed to notice in that split second that Ginny herself was looking for something in the fridge. "Oh no I'm fine," replied Ginny. At the same time Dudley was being mindblown. Whoa...the pasta is cooking itself, the carrots are chopping themselves, the water jug is filling by itself, and the table is setting itself...just like magic! Oh wait….it is magic! A second later Rebecca seemed to come to the same conclusion, and squeezed Dudley's arm, but he couldn't tell whether it was out of fear or excitement.
"This is so cool…" Dudley finally said, looking around with an awestruck expression on his face.
Harry looked amused, "This is nothing. Oh god," he started laughing "wait until you see a quidditch match! Didn't Katie tell you anything?"
"Qui-what? And yes she did, but I guess seeing is believing..." replied Dudley, now staring at the knife that was chopping away at some lettuce.
Ginny emerged from the fridge holding a jar of marinara sauce. Dudley could see her wand sticking out of her back pocket. She grabbed the jug of water which was floating next to her and it immediately stopped filling, just an inch from the top. She walked over and set it down on the oval-shaped dining table, then finally looked over at her guests for the first time. Ginny looked Dudley up and down while he gulped, Oh god oh god...is this some kind of approval test? Can she do some magic thing on me to figure out if I'm worthy or something? Finally she seemed satisfied and turned towards Rebecca, giving her a small smile. Then she said, "Welcome Dudley, Rebecca. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. You can wait in the living room if you want." Turning towards her husband, she continued, "You go out there too, and call the kids down."
Harry and the others walked backed into the living room. After they were seated on one of the sofas, Dudley said, "Well...Ginny seems...nice…"
"Sorry," said Harry, "she's normally not so…" he was searching for the right word, "...cold?"
"It's ok, I'm sure I can win her over," Dudley grinned.
"Yup I hope so," replied Harry. He then said, "Well I better go get the kids, you guys can stay here." He then went through a hallway that the girls had disappeared through before.
Dudley and his wife wife exchanged many looks while Harry was gone. They didn't want to talk aloud since they were sure Ginny would be able to hear them, because they could clearly hear the noise of dinner preparation from the kitchen, meaning the door must not have been too thick. It seems to be going well, said Dudley, just with his expression. Yup, Rebecca seemed to say with a slight nod. The couple could faintly hear Harry yelling at the kids upstairs, and then the noise of many feet clambering down the stairs.
As the kids came into view with Harry trailing behind them, Dudley was surprised. Why are there two boys here as well? They looks just like Harry! I didn't know Harry had three kids! I thought it was just Lily! He shared a look of surprise with his wife, and then followed the others into the kitchen.
The Potters (except for Ginny) and Katie were all sitting at the dining table. The table was rectangular, and was big enough to fit eight people (three on each side and one on each end). A quick thought ran through Dudley's mind, I could have sworn the table was different before...maybe Ginny used some kind of shape changing magic on it? The two boys were sitting on one side, and the girls on the other. Harry had taken a seat on the end, and next to him there was a empty seat next to the one of the boys, where Dudley assumed Ginny would sit. Dudley took the seat on the other end and Rebecca sat next to him, right beside Katie.
Ginny walked over to the table with the pot of pasta and a bowl of salad floating in front of her. She pointed her wand at them and they gently landed in the middle of the table. Then she took her place next to Harry. Dudley just noticed, now that they were all sitting together, that the Potters were wearing muggle clothing, Hmm, well I guess Katie made the right choice of clothes.
"So…" began Harry breaking the silence (the kids had stopped talking once Ginny took a seat), "how are you?" He was looking at Dudley.
Umm…fine I guess? Oh wait I'm not talking out loud. "Fine...good," replied Dudley awkwardly, noticing the kids watching the exchange curiously. "Wait actually I was wondering about something…"
"Oh, about me being famous? Well it actually started when-"
"Well yes I was wondering about that, but also...not to sound rude or anything, but since when did you have three kids?" I hope that didn't sound horrible…
Harry had a mixed look of astonishment and confusion on his face. "Did I not tell you that?" He was looking around him as if the answer was there somewhere. "Did Katie not tell you that? I swear I thought I must have mentioned it at some point…"
"Ummm, no you didn't actually," said Dudley looking a little bit embarrassed. Why did I even mention it. What's wrong with me.
"Oh. Well sorry about that. This is James," said Harry, pointing to the older looking boy sitting next to Ginny, "and this is Albus," he said, pointing to the younger boy.
"Wait...after I heard their names I realized I think Katie actually might have briefly mentioned them once. Sorry, I forgot." Whoops...I'm pretty sure Katie mentioned them that first day I found out about Lily, but I guess I were to focused on the "Harry is actually alive and my daughter is his daughter's best friend" part to remember. Way to go Dudley you made it awkward!
"It's ok. No problem," said Harry. "Actually, maybe everyone should go around and introduce themselves so we can get to know each other better."
"Yes that sounds like a good idea," said Rebecca, finally speaking for the first time.
The kids began to groan, but Ginny gave them a glare and it looked like Lily, James and Albus knew to shut up. "James why don't you go first and then we will go around in a circle," said Ginny, "and we can eat as we talk or the food will get cold." She motioned for everyone to begin serving themselves as James started to talk, though it was clear he wasn't thrilled to.
"Um well, I'm James Sirius Potter. I'm going to be in 6th year in September. I'm in Gryffindor. And um…...I'm on the quidditch team, I play seeker."
Dudley was about to ask what a seeker was, but then decided against it. He had figured out that quidditch was some type of sport, so assumed seeker was one of the positions on the team. I'll ask Katie later.
"Oh ok, my turn. I'm Albus Potter-"
"Middle name, Albus?" said James, snickering.
Albus glared at his older brother. Finally he muttered, "I'm Albus Severus Potter."
The rest of the kids giggled, and James said, "Snivellus." under his breath. Dudley and Rebecca looked at each other with confusion.
Harry said, "Do not make fun of him James, you know that Professor Snape was the br-"
"Yeah yeah, the bravest man you ever knew whatever," completed James, rolling his eyes.
"Anyway…" continued Albus, "I will be in 4th year in September. And...well...I'm in Slytherin." Albus looked at Dudley with a face that clearly showed that that statement usually got bad reactions, but since Dudley had no idea what that meant, not knowing what to say, he finally remarked, "Cool." Albus looked relieved.
Next in line was Dudley. "Oh am I going too?" he asked as all eyes turned toward him. Without waiting for an answer he started talking, "I'm Dudley Dursley, Harry's cousin, as everyone probably knows. Like I mentioned in my letter, after school I went to the University of Surrey and now I'm a marketer at the Grunnings Drill company. Uhhh….." What else do I say? "Well this is my wife, Rebecca." Dudley motioned to the left of him. "We've been married for 14 years, and I guess she can tell you a little about herself."
"Right." said Rebecca, turning towards the others. "I'm Rebecca. I'm a teacher at Sherington Primary School." She paused for a second before saying, "And honestly I'm really surprised and overwhelmed by everything that has happened in the past few days. Especially since Dudley never told me anything…" she trailed off, and then finished, "well that's life I guess." Dudley gave her a weak apologetic smile.
Harry, being the person he is, said, "Wow, yes that must have been hard for you." He gave her a sweet smile, and Dudley couldn't help but think that the smile meant he was welcoming her into the wizarding world.
"My turn!" announced Katie, breaking Dudley out of his thoughts. "I'm Katie Dursley, I'm going to be in 2nd year at Hogwarts. I'm in Gryffindor of course. I was so excited when I found out I was a witch, I love magic so much! And of course I couldn't survive school without my best friend! Well actually," she added after a second, "Lily's my second cousin. I still can't believe we are related, that's so weird…" Dudley looked down at his plate. Well that would be my fault…
"Oh my gosh I know right that's so weird," agreed Lily. "My turn I guess. I'm Lily Luna Potter and I will be 2nd year. Umm...I don't know what else...oh right, I'm also in Gryffindor with my bestie!" She turned at her friend and the two exchanged smiles.
Everyone's gaze shifted over to Harry. "Well...I guess everyone knows who I am," said Harry, putting down the fork he was using to eat pasta. "But just for formality, I'm Harry James Potter, formerly in Gryffindor house and formerly the seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team." He seemed lost in thought for a split second, then continued, "Of course, those days are long gone. After school I became an Auror-"
"Sorry, what is that?" interrupted Dudley, curious about Harry's life since he last saw him.
"It's sort of like the police, basically we catch dark wizards." Dudley nodded in understanding, so Harry continued, "Pretty soon I was the Head of the Auror Office. But now I'm the Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement." He looked over at Ginny signalling that he was done and it was her turn.
"Right, ok. Well my full name is Ginevra Molly Potter, but if anyone ever calls me they will be on the receiving end of my famous bat bogey hexes." She eyed the people around the table carefully. The Potter's looked scared, she must be really good at that spell or something. "So Ginny only please. I was, like Harry, in Gryffindor, but a year younger. And I was also on the quidditch team as a chaser, but sometimes I had to play seeker because someone," she pointedly looked at Harry, "kept getting into detention, even though they were the captain of the team."
Harry grinned sheepishly, "Well that wasn't my fault...Professor Snape liked giving me detention. And I seem to remember that you winning the Quidditch Cup as seeker led to us getting together."
The kids started making disgusted faces.
"Ya ya whatever…" Ginny trailed off. "Anyway, I played on the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team for awhile, and now I am the senior quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet newspaper."
"How did you guys meet if you weren't in the same year?" asked Dudley, curious.
Harry answered, "Well...Ginny's brother, Ron, was, well still is, my best friend. And Ron is married to our other best friend, Hermione Granger."
"Oh...wow...ok," said Dudley, not really sure exactly what to say.
"Ya...I'm just glad Ginny's brothers didn't kill me when I started going out with her," said Harry.
"Brothers?" asked Dudley, "How many brothers do you have?" He directed the question to Ginny.
"Well I had six," Six! " but one died...in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998," answered Ginny.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." said Rebecca. Her comment was followed by a moment of silence.
"Anyway," said Ginny, clearing her throat, "it seems like everyone is done eating, how about some ice cream for dessert?"
All the kids decided to have ice cream, while the parents politely declined. Afterwards, the kids went back upstairs and Harry, Dudley, and Rebecca went to sit in the living room, and after a few quick cleaning spells, Ginny joined them.
Harry spent the next three hours talking about what Dudley was most interested in, how he became so famous. Though the story took so long, starting from when Harry was born in 1980 to the Battle of Hogwarts, which ended the Second Wizarding War in 1998, Dudley was hooked onto every word. He realized why Harry could not explain all this in a letter, and that it actually would take many books to write it all out, because the answer wasn't a single statement or a short story, but basically Harry's entire life.
Dudley interrupted the story occasionally with comments like, "Wait, you became famous when you were only one? So you were famous the whole time we lived together?" "Someone was trying to kill you for your entire life? No wonder you were always so weird during the summer." "THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?! But you were so young! I was the same age as you at the time, slightly older actually." "How is that even possible?" "I lived with you during all this?!" "Wow that's so cool!" and "You murdered someone when you were 17?" (the last one leading to an explanation of how Harry technically didn't kill Voldemort, but Voldemort basically killed himself).
Rebecca, not knowing Harry in his childhood, had comments on just the events that happened. "Wow you were so young." "It's so sweet that you saved her and now you are married." "I'm so sorry for everyone you lost." and "It seems like you had a tough childhood."
At the end Dudley apologized for everything he did to Harry when they were kids. "Wow Harry I'm so sorry I know I was horrible to you, and you were going through so much."
They realized that it was almost midnight, and Dudley called Katie telling her it was time to go. As the Dursley's were heading out the door, Harry said, "Hey, we are having a big family and friends get together in two weeks at the Weasley's, you should come, since you are family." After seeing Dudley's look of confusion, Harry added, "The Weasleys are Ginny's family."
"Ok sure, sounds good." said Dudley.
"Great, I'll send you more information later. See you there."
The Dursley's went to the car and as they began driving away, Dudley saw Harry shutting the door. When one door closes, another door opens, welcome to the wizarding world.
