"Dudley Dursley and the Birthday Wish" by Desslok
Chapter 3:
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Harry watched out the window as Dudley and Luna strolled amiably down the lane, seemingly oblivious to Neville and Hannah who followed at a discreet distance. It wasn't that Harry didn't trust Luna's ability to defend herself or that he suspected Dudley would attempt to take liberties with his friend, but still, as Moody would have said, 'constant vigilance' was never a bad idea. Satisfied that they had gone, he returned to the kitchen where Weasleys (old and new) awaited.
"Harry, Ginny has told us what is going on and I must say that I'm a bit concerned," Hermione announced as soon as he entered the room. "You know what I think about divination, but it does seem inarguable that Luna has been having visions of some sort."
"Forget about her," Ron interrupted. "What about him? You really don't believe all that 'I'm sorry I'm a big fat jerk' and 'Oooo the scary dementor' stuff, do you? I mean, it's Dudley Dursley!"
Harry sat down heavily, thankful to feel Ginny's warm arm slide into place around his neck. "I don't know what to think, Ron. He seemed sincere enough. Remember, he had to grow up with Vernon and Petunia, too. Sometimes I wonder if they didn't actually do better by me."
"Well, you aren't a rotund, sweaty git," Fred pointed out.
"Nor do you have the brain capacity of a walnut," George added.
"And you do have better fashion sense."
"Though that's because our sister dresses you."
Hermione glared at the two of them. "Could you two be serious for one moment here? This could be very important." Fred and George rolled their eyes at each other, but fell silent.
"Why do you think it's important, Hermione?" Ron asked. "It's just Dudley."
"Because for better or worse, he's the closest thing to family Harry has," Ginny answered quietly. "I know that we are all his family now, but Dudley is his cousin and Petunia was his mother's sister. People can change," she continued, looking softly into Harry's eyes.
Harry stared at Ginny with some confusion. Few people got more worked up about the treatment he had received from the Dursleys than Ginny did. Noting his expression, Ginny continued. "Luna told me a little about what is going on. I guess that I'm more used to her than the rest of you. I don't find her nearly as confusing as I used to. Really, there's always a thread of logic in what she says. You just have to tease it out. I think that Dudley… Darren… is going to be important to her. I don't know why, but she thinks so, and I believe her. She's our friend and we have to respect her choices. Maybe he really has changed, or can."
Everyone fell silent, considering Ginny's words. After some time, Harry spoke. "I don't know that I can ever forget what Dudley Dursley did to me as a child, but I guess I can give Darren Dursley a chance, for Luna's sake, if for no other reason."
"That's very nice, Harry," Hermione said gently, "but it still doesn't explain the bit about the dementors. I'll have to give it some thought. I think we have books on dementors in the archives which might explain something."
"We'd better get back in there, even if the guest of honor has disappeared again," Harry announced, rising to his feet. "Maybe I'll ask Dudley if he wants to stay the night."
"Darren, dear," Ginny corrected, "and I think that would be a good idea. If nothing else, he'll need some time to recover from Luna." Everyone laughed fondly and returned to the party.
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At first, Dudley had thought that he'd show off his car. That was what guys did to impress girls, after all, at least as far as he'd ever heard. By the time they'd gotten to the end of the drive, he had given up on the plan. He just knew it was a bad idea. So, they walked on beyond his car and down the country lane. If the cold air bothered his companion, she certainly didn't show it. Instead, she strolled next to him in a companionable silence, smiling up at the stars and at him, when she caught his eye. The silence didn't really bother Dudley too much. He knew he wasn't very good with words and they seemed superfluous in any case. He enjoyed walking next to her, so he walked next to her. That was enough.
After awhile, Dudley became aware that someone was following them. Before he could turn to look back, though, he felt Luna's hand on his arm. "Don't worry about Neville and Hannah," she said, breaking the silence that had settled over them since they had left the house. "They won't bother us and it makes everyone feel better to know that someone is watching over us."
"I guess Harry doesn't trust me much," Dudley replied quietly.
"Not yet," Luna answered. Dudley noted that she'd left her hand lying gently on his arm. The thought warmed up the chill night air considerably.
"It must be pretty keen being a witch," he pointed out. "What's it like?"
"Oh, it's fun most of the time, when we're not fighting evil," Luna explained. "In a week or so, for example, I get to go with my father on an expedition to Scotland to track down some Curl-toed Fruit Swackers. They're very tricky creatures, you see, and hard to photograph."
"I like animals," Dudley informed her, wanting to feel that he was keeping up his end of the conversation.
"Of course you do, Darren," Luna replied with that fond smile that Dudley found so disarming. "We'll have a devil of a time tracking them down, let me tell you!" she continued.
Dudley thought for a moment. "Well, maybe you could get some fruit, you know, as bait. Then, when they come out to swack it, you can snap your photos!"
Luna pondered Dudley's plan. "What type of fruit do you suppose they like to swack?" she asked.
"Well, I'd need to know more about them."
Luna proceeded to describe the ecology of the Curl-toed Fruit Swacker, making sure to clarify the differences between them and their cousins the Straight-toed Fruit Swackers. Dudley listened patiently, asking pertinent questions now and then such as "Are they furry?" and "What do they do with the fruit after they swack it?" Finally, he felt confident that he understood the creatures well enough to offer a suggestion.
"I'd use bananas."
"Of course!" Luna shouted out joyously. "I should have thought of it myself. Daddy will be so pleased. He's been trying to get a photo of them for ages." She gave Dudley a quick hug, and then pulled away, blushing and suddenly shy. Shy was a new emotion for Luna and she reveled in it.
"You could do that again, if you wanted," Dudley stammered, trying to settle down his heart rate.
"Do what?" Luna replied coquettishly, happy to have finally found the opportunity in her life to be coquettish. (She had been waiting for the chance for years.)
Dudley took a deep breath and collected himself. He'd never really been alone with a girl and he'd certainly never felt this way before. This was new territory for him and he hoped he wouldn't mess things up. Screwing up his courage, he stepped closer to Luna and gently placed his large arms around her tiny waist. "This," he answered, exerting the lightest of pressure to hug her. Luna settled herself into the soft, warm embrace and sighed happily.
"We should head back," she eventually whispered, regretfully pulling away and turning towards Harry and Ginny's house.
They strolled back, taking their time, enjoying once again that comfortable silence. Now and again, Luna would squeeze his arm gently and smile over at him. Each time, his heart raced and he felt the heat on his cheeks. Eventually, he found the courage to shift her hand down into his own and they continued on, fingers entwined loosely.
As they began their walk up the drive, Luna spoke. "I just knew you would be a perfect gentleman."
"No one's ever called me that before," Dudley replied in a low monotone voice. He felt dazed, as if he had just gone ten rounds in the ring, without any head protection. "I don't think I ever knew what it meant before."
"And you know now?" Luna asked.
Dudley hesitated over his words. It was so hard to speak, especially with his mind awhirl with all these strange feelings. "I think it means doing things for people… for you… well… treating you the way you deserve," he stumbled out. He knew that it didn't make any sense, but before he could feel ashamed, she was suddenly leaning up on her toes and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"I forgot to get you a birthday present," he blurted out, trying to generate coherent thought. The fact that he hadn't even known she'd existed before this evening did not matter. He knew that if that the situation had been reversed, she would have brought him one.
"You drove all the way down here and you took me on a very nice walk," she pointed out. "Besides, you gave me that wonderful idea for the Swackers!"
"What idea is that?" a deep voice inquired from the doorway. Dudley looked up, startled to realize that they had made it all the way back. Luna's father eyed him skeptically even as he examined his daughter to make sure she had come back in one piece. Dudley noted Harry and Ginny standing behind Mr. Lovegood as well.
If Luna was put out by the attention, she hid it well. She strode forward and happily explained to her father about the banana trap that 'Darren' had proposed.
"I say," Mr. Lovegood announced when she had finished her tale, "that is a brilliant idea. Thank you, Darren. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again, but for now, it is time for us to Floo home, Luna."
Dudley noted that the party was drawing to a close. Most of the guests had already left. Neville and Hannah vanished before his eyes while a few other folks mounted brooms and took off into the night. Dudley looked at his watch and frowned. He had a long drive ahead. He walked into the house with the Lovegoods and waved to Luna sadly as she stepped into the fireplace with her father.
"I'll see you soon, Darren," she called out. "Don't fret!" With that, she blew him a quick kiss and vanished in a puff of green smoke.
Dudley turned to face his cousin. Only at that moment did he remember why he had come to Godric's Hollow in the first place. The nightmares didn't seem so important anymore.
"I guess I'd better get going. Sorry to crash your party," he said to Harry and Ginny, pulling out his car keys.
"You can stay the night if you like, Darren," Ginny offered. "We have an extra room for guests all made up."
Dudley looked over to Harry who nodded his assent. "Ok, thanks. I am pretty tired. It's been a long day."
"I can only imagine," Harry chuckled. He gave his fiancé a quick kiss and gestured for Dudley to follow him up the stairs. He showed Dudley to his room and prepared to head back downstairs to help Ginny with the clean-up. Before leaving his cousin alone, however, he couldn't help asking the question that had been niggling in his mind.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Dudley replied.
"Why a banana?" Harry had been turning it over in his mind ever since Luna had explained it all to her father.
"Well, you see," Dudley explained with a big yawn, "if they live in Scotland, then they'll have never seen a tropical fruit and probably not anything yellow, so they'll be curious and anxious to swack something new."
"Ok, I guess that actually makes sense," Harry answered, recalling his girlfriend's words and trying to find the thread of reason.
"Of course it does. Perfect sense. Good night, Harry, and thanks for everything."
"Good night, Darren." Harry grinned in amazement and shut the door behind himself.