Chapter 20: Another Adventure (epilogue)
He was sitting at the desk in the study and staring at a blank sheet of paper. He had put it off long enough and a few words from long ago was circulating in his mind "I still love you but I can´t support this, come find me when you have a family" and he had to at least try.
He had a family now, a perfect family just the way it was and if his mother still loved him she would be able to accept that and see the love that they had for each other. If she wanted to be a part of his family again he would give her a chance, truth be told he missed her. And it also felt unfair to both his children and to Petunia to take away the opportunity for them to get to know one another.
He sighed it was over ten years now since he had seen his parents for the last time, he was not even sure if they would want to see him or if they were even alive. He knew he had the support from Draco whatever happened though, he would be there for every step, he would try to get along with them if they decided to reconnect and comfort him if they still rejected him for who he was.
He took up the pencil, this would be the hardest letter that he would ever have attempted to write, even harder than the one he had written and had intended for Harry to read. Then he had known what he wanted to say now he had no idea how he was even going to start.
Dear Petunia Dursley
It was a start at least even if it felt too formal at the same time as it didn´t. He was about to continue writing when he almost was knocked out of his chair by a flying object. He blinked and looked around himself wondering what that had been, then he heard some giggling and saw a red mantel and dark blond hair swishing by, their daughter Kara then "sorry daddy" she shouted over her shoulder.
Dudley just shook his head and chuckled when he saw Draco coming after her "that way" Draco would need all the help he could get. Kara was their oldest with a brother 2 years younger. Kara was their little trouble maker and even more so now when she had started to have small but unpredictable bursts of magic, Harry had once commented that she would have fitted right in with the marauders to which Draco had been terrified. To be honest though he was confident in that she would be a Gryffindor, he knew Draco was too even if he didn´t want to admit it.
He left the letter on the desk making his way to the door and looking into the other room where Draco was standing in front of Kara and holding on to her shoulders so that she couldn´t run away.
"What have I said about running around inside like that, and about playing in the study?" he sounded reprimanding but Dudley could hear the fondness in Draco´s voice, he was a good father.
"To not do it, but Uncle Harry… " Dudley chuckled at that, he had heard this argument many times before and it was always as amusing, he did think Draco was right though at least when it came to running around inside.
"What have a told you about listening to Uncle Harry?" Draco said sighing and Dudley could just imagining the raised eyebrow even if he couldn´t see it.
Kara grimaced and shuffled her feet "not to listen to anything he says because if I do I will likely become a dumb Gryffindork" Dudley shook his head, he needed to talk to Draco so that their daughter wouldn´t think they would be disappointed when she was sorted into Gryffindor.
He had heard the next argument before too "you are no fun and my namesake would have been a Gryffindor for sure" he heard the whine in Kara´s voice and could see the pout that always made Draco let her go or give her what she wanted, in that aspect she was very much true to being a Malfoy.
"True, but you want to be even better than her I´m sure. Instead of being a reckless and headstrong hero you can become a smart and strategic one" Kara huffed and Dudley thought he heard a "whatever" before Draco released her and she was gone in less than a heartbeat.
Draco looked over at him then and glared "what are you smirking about?" Dudley just beckoned him over and gave him a small kiss.
"She will grow up to be a great girl you know that right? Draco just nodded and said "of course I do, she is our daughter after all" that made Dudley chuckle again before he went into the study to continue writing the letter.
He was distracted thought thinking about Draco. Kara was very much like her namesake Kara Danvers, supergirl. It had been a surprise when Draco become obsessed with comic books, especially those containing superheroes, so when he had asked excitedly to name their children after superman and supergirl he couldn´t say no. Their little boy was named Clark. To think of how adorable fanboyish and geeky Draco could be always made him smile, the not so serious sides about Draco was his favorites, he loved seeing him so free and untroubled.
He was about to take up the pen to start writing again when he felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked to the side and saw Clark standing their eyes trained on him "you going to the park with us?" he asked looking at him with sincere light blue eyes.
Dudley smiled, Clark was the opposite of Kara, very timid and reserved, he was the kindest and most humble little guy though and would always think of everyone else before himself. "I will but it will take me a little longer than for you, your sister and Draco" Clark was looking up at him in wonderment "why?"
Dudley smiled looking at his son who had on a superman costume, he hadn´t taken it off since his birthday and that was over a month ago now. He smiled thinking of Draco muttering that he didn´t get how muggles did it, he had had to cast numerus of cleaning charms on the costume through the weeks Clark had worn it.
"You see I just aren´t as fast, you and your sisters are superheroes, your father is a wizard but I´m just a regular human being" Clark was frowning at that as if thinking it over.
"You can share my powers, than we can get there together" Dudley smiled at that he was almost as sure of that Clark would be in Hufflepuff as he was that Kara would be a Gryffindor.
Just then Draco stuck in his head through the door "Clark there you are, we have to go now if we won´t want to be late meeting Harry, Callum and their minions" Clark seemed to hesitate looking at Dudley, when Dudley nodded as if saying it was okay he got a big hug before they left to go and meet Harry and the others at the park.
LOTB∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞DD∞DM∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞LOTB
Later that same day in a small apartment in the outskirts to Bristol a thin middle aged woman was startled while drinking her tea. An owl was pecking on the window outside the kitchen surprising the woman inside and making her spill tea over the table.
Petunia blinked startled, she hadn´t seen an owl in years and could not believe her eyes seeing the owl outside her window with an envelope clutched in its talons. It seemed that someone from the magical world was trying to contact her, but why?
She frowned trying to decide if she was going to let the regal looking bird in or ignore it, remembering what had happened when they had tried to stop owls from delivering their letters all those years ago when Harry was to start magic school she soon opened the window to let the bird in not wanting to repeat what had happened in 1991.
The owl looked piercingly at her and offered its leg to her so that she could take the letter, she did so gingerly not trusting the bird or the letter, it had come from someone possessing magical abilities after all. She was not as anti-magic as she had been or let others believe though, she had in all truth been jealous of her sister and later also nephew. She was afraid and uncertain when it came to magical things and beings however because she didn´t know enough to be able to understand them.
Nothing happened when she took the letter from the bird perched on her kitchen chair, it didn´t leave either however which could only mean one thing that it was waiting on her to write a reply to whoever had sent the letter she was now holding in her hands.
She unfolded the letter and was surprised when the first thing she realized was that the letter had been written by a pen and not a quill meaning that it had to be a person with at least some knowledge about people not possessing magic abilities.
Then she saw the handwriting and she gasped, she would recognize that scrawl anywhere just as she would have recognized his voice, no matter if she had last seen or heard from him an hour ago or if it had been a decade.
Her hands had started to shake and she had to sit down, taking a few deep breaths she composed herself and started to read the letter.
Dear Petunia Dursley
I do not know what to say or what you want to hear and to be frank I do not really care for what you envisioned for my life to be.
So what I am going to say is the truth and you can either choose to accept it or to look the other way, the choice is yours and you can either choose to take the outstretched hand or to walk away.
I remembered you telling me to come back to you when I had a family. I have a family now which I love and I´m very happy with them, my partner Draco Malfoy and my children Kara and Clark. I have also reconnected with Harry and he is also happy and have a family of his own. There is place for you in our family though if you want it, I want to start over and for you to know my children, for you to know me because you never really did know who I am, I never really did back then myself.
I would send a letter to dad too but I had the feeling when I left over 10 years ago that he would never want to see or hear from me ever again, I wish I was wrong but some battles is not worth to fight. I have always felt that there was something left unsaid between us though and I wanted to try to see if there is something there to salvage, I hope there is because I miss my mum and my children would like to know their grandmother.
Me and Draco have also talked about being bonded, well married, in the wizarding world being bonded is the equivalent for marriage and we feel that it is time, especially now when our children are old enough to be able to remember it.
It would make me and my family very happy if you would consider too see behind our differences and get to know us and be a part of our family.
I want you in my life.
Your son
/Dudley
Petunia sat there for several minutes after finishing reading the letter, she had thought she would never hear or see her son ever again and that thought had pained her for years on end.
She had regretted what she had done or more exactly what she hadn´t done all those years ago, instead of standing behind her son when he needed support the most she had been a coward and stayed behind old believes and her husband, being his housewife before being a good mother to her only son.
She had wanted to unlock the door and run after him but had refrained from following her instincts because she had thought he would leave and see that they had been right and come back when he had realized there was no love out there to find. She had thought she had done the right thing that Dudley would just end up being ostracized and find nothing but cold rejection and frowned disappointment. It had taken a long time before she had realized that had been exactly how she and Vernon had made him feel, afraid, alone and unloved.
She had wanted to find her son and had tried but failed, it had not taken long after that before she and Vernon had fallen apart and they had divorced not seeing what had happened between them and their son the same way. She wondered if she even knew what love was and how she had been able to question Dudley, if he was to be believed he had been able to find the one thing she didn´t even know she had been missing.
She would be a fool to not take the chance she was given, she felt herself tear up at the idea of having her family back, she had lost a son but she may get 2 sons and 2 grandchildren back.
She was still overwhelmed at the notion of being a grandmother, it would take some time to get used to, it did made her smile though, a genuine smile she had not felt in years taking over her face, all she had ever wanted was to know that her son was happy.
Turning over the letter she started to write back, she had so much she wanted to say, 10 years to catch up on and making up for lost time.
LOTB∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞DD∞DM∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞LOTB
Draco was laying in his and Dudley´s bed reading a potions assay from one of his first year students, the work was exceptionally good he was impressed if he didn´t know better he would have thought it was an assay from a third year student. He looked at the name though and smirked, Granger´s daughter of course, he had to do something about that maybe he would put her with Longbottom's son that would surely give her a challenge.
His musings were disturbed by Dudley making his way into their room and walking straight into their bedpost, he looked at his boyfriend and raised an eyebrow. Dudley looked up at him from where he was rubbing at his shins "I got a response from my mother" was his explanation to his clumsiness.
Draco drew away the duvet and Dudley smiled and crawled into bed snuggling up to him. Draco would never admit it but he loved it when he could feel the warmth and weight of Dudley at his side. He levitated the assay putting it back on the top of the pile that was located on the desk in the corner of the room "and what did she say?"
Dudley´s smile widened "she said she wants to plan our bonding" Draco made a horrified expression, no one was planning his bonding other than him, with the help of Dudley of course. He would let Callum make the clothes but that was not because he was their friend it was because he was the best on what he did.
Dudley was laughing at him and he scowled in response "I was joking, you should have seen your face." Draco looked at his boyfriend disapprovingly, really having fun at someone else's expense, and Dudley was the one that were supposed to be the good influence on their children. He snorted at that knowing that they were equal bad influences but somehow they were still doing something right.
Dudley´s good mood must mean something though "I take it that it was good news then?" he knew that the woman had done a lot of mistakes but if there was something he knew it was that everyone deserved a second chance.
Dudley was nodding at him before taking his hand "it was, she regret her actions when I came out and she wants to give it a chance" the smile he was sporting soon turned into a smirk, which Draco was proud to say was something Dudley had taken after him. "She do want to come to the bonding though even if she will leave the planning to us, or I assume she will when she didn´t say anything indicating otherwise."
Draco shook his head, he would not get in an argument with his future mother in law the first thing he did. Then he got an idea, there was one thing that could be in the way of his plan however "and your dad?"
At that Dudley shrugged and grimaced "as I thought a lost battle, he and mum are not even together anymore." Draco gave a satisfied smirk at that, Petunia would not have time to even try to be the one planning their bonding even if he would let her believe she was of course.
Dudley was looking at him with a twinkle in his eyes and an amused expression "what are you thinking, that is your plotting face" Draco was astonished every time, after 10 years though it was not surprising that Dudley could read him like an open book.
"Severus will be coming to the bonding alone as well I´m sure, I could make them have to interact…" he left it open ended knowing that Dudley would catch on.
It was very amusing watching Dudley and observing exactly when he did get Draco´s plan "my mother and Severus, you are not serious? Please say you´re not serious?"
Draco raised an eyebrow, Dudley and Severus had never really gotten along just as Harry and his godfather never had, so to suggest such a match was the perfect payback for what Dudley had fooled him to believe earlier. When he thought about it though it would be worth a shot, Petunia was the sister of the only one Severus had ever loved and he knew the man was lonely.
Dudley´s eyes widened, he must have seen Draco´s eyes turning calculating and drawing his own conclusions "you know Severus would be furious if he knew you were even thinking of trying to play match maker" Draco nodded and was about to answer that yes he knew and that was why he had no intention of letting Severus know.
He was interrupted though by the door cracking open and their son stepping in nervously, Clark was looking sad and to both his and Dudley´s surprise he was no longer wearing his superman costume.
"Clark are you alright" Dudley had sat up and the boy shook his head, "what happened" Draco asked.
"Nightmare, I don´t want to be a hero anymore. I just want to be Clark" he looked so sad and lost that it made Draco´s heart hurt.
"That is okay, you can be whoever you want, we will love you anyway, just the way you are" Dudley said giving their boy a reassuring smile.
Clark looked hesitant but then he smiled seeming to accept that what Dudley had said was the truth. Draco smiled too, Clark was special and there was no one else he knew that was liked by literally everyone, if everyone was a little more like Clark the world would be a better place.
Draco patted the bed between himself and Dudley "come here, you get to sleep with us tonight" Clark looked relived at that and hurried to join them.
Dudley looked at him over Clark and the love was evident in his eyes. Draco wondered every day how he could have become so lucky. He loved his life and he could not wait to see what the next adventure that was in store for him and his family was going to be.