Title: All the Things We Fear
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews!
Chapter 1
Harry Potter wove through the crowds of London on his way to the Happy Leprechaun Pub. He'd been surprised when Dudley had called him, and even more surprised when he'd said he needed to see him right away. Still, Harry had agreed and suggested next Saturday, when he and Ginny would be in the area to take the kids to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies. No, Dudley said, it had to be sooner than that. So, here he was on a Friday afternoon, fighting his way to a pub to talk to someone he hadn't seen in four years, instead of going home to his family for the weekend.
Although he and Dudley no longer hated each other as they had in their youth, neither were they exactly friends. Acquaintances, maybe. Possibly even friendly acquaintances, sometimes, but nothing more than that. They called occasionally, and their children had met once or twice, but that was all.
Finally, he made his way into the pub. He immediately spotted Dudley's huge form slouched over in a corner booth, working on what appeared to be his fourth or fifth beer. Cautiously, Harry made his way over and sat down across from him, waving off the approaching waitress.
"What's going on, Dudley?"
Instead of answering, he continued drinking his beer with one hand, while he pushed an envelope across the table with the other. Harry had to do a double take before he believed what he was seeing. "Niamh got a letter?!"
Dudley finally set down his bottle. "Yeah."
Despite himself, a grin spread over Harry's face. "Huh."
He glowered at his cousin. "It's not funny."
Harry disagreed, but Dudley seemed to be genuinely upset by it, so he forced himself to control his smile. "What'd Rebecca say?"
He grunted. "Didn't tell her."
This time, Harry couldn't control his reaction. "You didn't tell her?! Don't you think Niamh will?"
Dudley couldn't bring himself to look at him. "Didn't tell her, either."
"What?!"
Dudley pulled himself straight and brought his impressive bulk far enough across the table to make Harry lean back. "What was I supposed to tell them? They don't know anything about your kind, your world. What was I supposed to say? 'Rebecca you know my cousin Harry and his wife Ginny? Well, they're wizards. And guess what? So are Niamh and Alfie. Since Niamh's eleven now, we have to send her off to some school to learn how to do magic.' How do you think that would have gone over?"
Harry would have laughed if Dudley hadn't still been so close to him. Instead, he picked up on something interesting he'd said. "How do you know Alfie's magic too?"
Dudley leaned back in his seat and stared at the letter Harry still had in front of him. "Becca took them to the barber's. They both hated their hair cuts, complained about it all afternoon. Next day, their hair looked as though it had never been touched." He looked up. "Sound familiar?"
Harry had to admit he was right. He was also astounded at Dudley's perception and memory, although he didn't think he'd admit that part. "So what are you going to do?"
Dudley put his head in his beefy hands. "Ruddy hell, Harry, damned if I know. How did this even happen? It was your mum who was a witch, not mine. We don't have magic anywhere on my line." Still with his head in his hands, Dudley realized that Harry was suspiciously quiet. Forcing himself to lift his head up, he noticed that Harry was looking anywhere but at him. "I don't, do I?"
Harry swallowed, "Well…"
Dudley slapped the table hard enough for the patrons at the next booth to look over at them. He ignored them, but hunched in closer. He did not want people overhearing this conversation. "Do I?"
Harry sighed. "You've met Hermione Weasley, right? She and her husband Ron came over for dinner one time with you and Rebecca?" Dudley was confused by the question, but nodded his remembrance. Harry continued. "Well, she's a Muggle-born, too." At Dudley's questioning look, he explained. "A magic person born to two non-magic people, or what we call Muggles. Anyway, she's done some research into why Muggle-born wizards happen at all. Her theory is that Muggle-borns actually have magic somewhere in their family tree, just maybe decades, if not centuries, back. The magic blood has been diluted by generations of marrying Muggles, but it's still there. Then, when two Muggles who have magic somewhere in their lines start a family, they sometimes have children who are born magic. She reckons that's what happened to her, and to my mum. And, apparently, to Niamh and Alfie."
Dudley was quiet for a long, long time, processing all that he'd been told, all that he'd learned. Finally, he looked at Harry. "What do I do?"
Harry had never before heard that pleading tone in his cousin's voice, and it unnerved him. "Tell them. Rebecca needs to know. Niamh and Alfie deserve to know. Explain it to them, tell them what I just told you. Ginny and I are taking the kids to get their school supplies next Saturday, you guys can come with us, if you want. Lily will be the same year as Niamh, and so will Ron and Hermione's son, Hugo. They'll be there too. We can answer any questions you have, and maybe it will help if you can see our world, your children's world."
His children's world. And so it would be. It wasn't his world, nor would it ever be. But maybe, he could understand theirs, if only a little bit. "Alright, I'll do that. I'll call next Friday?"
Harry nodded as Dudley hefted his bulk out of his seat. "No problem. Tell Rebecca she can call us before that if she needs to."
Dudley nodded. He stood by Harry, who was still seated. Struggling with himself, he finally got the unfamiliar word out. "Thanks."
Harry waved it off but acknowledged his appreciation of it with a nod of his head. Dudley had already turned to leave when a sudden thought popped into his head. "What are you going to tell your mum and dad?"
Dudley froze for a moment, then slowly turned around, huge and glowering. Harry shrank slightly in his seat. Without a word, Dudley turned back around and lumbered out the door.
As soon as he was gone, Harry dropped his head into his arms on the table and laughed himself silly.
TBC
