2.
Dudley stayed quiet under his daughter's watchful eye, his mother opting to her short bursts of sobs. Clover stared at the two of them for a long minute, and then cleared her throat, before speaking again.
"Am I to get an explanation?" she asked with a small quaver of anger in her voice. Before either of her family could respond, another owl came swooping into the kitchen, and landed neatly before them.
Clover snatched the envelope, causing the owl to ruffle up his feathers, and hoot indignantly at her.
"It's addressed to you and Nan," she said, offering the envelope to her grandmother and father in turn. When neither made a move to take it, she sighed and sank down into her seat.
"I'll open this one too, shall I?" she asked, putting her finger beneath the envelope's flap.
"No, I'll do it." Dudley said softly, holding his hand out. Clover looked at him with question, before turning it over to her father. Dudley took a deep breath and tore it open.
"What's it say?" Petunia asked in a small voice. Dudley's face had gone to stone, and he blinked, before reading aloud:
To the Muggles known as Dudley Dursley and Petunia Dursley,
This letter is to inform you that your child/grandchild has been discovered to have magical blood running through their veins. By no means is this to be taken as a threat, nor as an omen, it is still not known what causes magic to present itself in people. Rest assured in knowing that your child will be in the greatest care, and will learn from some of the top qualified professors of our age to control and understand their abilities. Enclosed along with this letter you will find a Statute of Secrecy form to be signed by any party that was present when the witch or wizard first received their letter to a magical institution. The form is required by the Ministry of Magic in order to keep our kind hidden from non magic folk . In no way does this mean that we feel as though we cannot be integrated, but Magical Law must be upheld, and it is crucial that word not get out about our kind until the right moment in time. We are trusting you with a grand secret and hope that you will see fit to be a part of our community without exposing us to any muggle folk you know. We are here for you whenever you may need us, simply burn a note with the words "Muggle Relations" on it in your home fireplace and someone will be there to answer any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Alectra Shune
Muggle Relations President
Clover blinked and then shot from her chair to grab a match and notepad. Dudley moved faster though, and snatched the match book from the top of the microwave before Clover.
"Wait, I'm not sure I'm prepared to ask my questions." Dudley said, holding the matches above his head. Petunia sighed, and stood up, grabbing a pen and quickly signing her name on the parchment. Dudley stared at his mother's signature for a second, and then gave an incredulous laugh.
"You can't be serious mum!" he scoffed. Petunia squared her shoulders and then sat back down, giving a small smile to Clover.
"I'm serious Dudley, we can't stop this, and now I've finally got the chance to learn about this world my sister disappeared into." Petunia said. Clover turned to her father to see his reaction.
Dudley seemed to be waging a battle within him as he held the match book out of Clover's reach. Finally, he sat again, and took the notepad from Clover. In his quick scrawl he wrote "Muggle Relations", and walked out toward the lounge. Clover and Petunia followed quickly, and sat on the chairs that were gathered nearby. Clover couldn't believe all this, but she was so curious, that she bounced with excited anticipation.
It didn't take long for Dudley to get the fire going, and once it roared happily, he tossed the small note inside the blaze. It seemed as though nothing would happen, and Dudley simply shrugged, but Petunia gasped as she pointed suddenly at the fireplace. Clover watched in awe as the flames turned emerald green, and a person stepped out of the grate, shaking off their coat.
A tall man stepped from the flames, and looked around the room, taking it in with deep interest.
"Well well, Mrs. Dursley, it's been quite some time since I've seen you, and this must be your son! I must say you've never looked better, boy! How may I assist you this morning?" the man began jovially.
Petunia blinked, and then re-examined the man. "You're that Wesely man," she said a little shocked. "I didn't recognize you without the flaming red tuft of hair that you had the last time we'd seen you." Clover leaned forward and blinked. Suddenly it seemed that her grandmother and Father knew more than they were letting on about this whole magic business.
"Yes, Arthur Weasley, and the years haven't been so kind." He said giving a small laugh. He caught sight of Clover and smiled wide. "You must be Clover, I've been hoping to get to meet you."