Harry scanned the busy street anxiously. He could have apparated there in an instant but instead he had opted to take three trains, two busses and a taxi to get to the bakery where he was supposed to be meeting his cousin. He had needed time to think. To compose himself. As it turned out, the dress of the long journey had served quite the opposite purpose so now, as he hurried nevously across the street, Harry felt physically sick.
A bell rang softly as Harry stepped into the bakery, almost making home jump, but a delightful mix of aromas - fresh bread, currants, icing and cinnamon- washed over him, calming him immediately. It was the smell of the Hogwarts kitchens, the smell of the burrow, and the homely aroma of Hagrid's hut all rolled into on. To Harry, it was the smell of home. Scanning the bustling shop, at first he couldn't see Dudley. Frowning, he looked at his watch - he was ten minutes late anyway! Dudley should have been there!
Walking over to the counter, he ordered himself a coffee off the smiling barista and a slice of treacle tart for old times sake before turning to find a table. It was just as he was scanning for an empty seat in that he saw a lead young man waving nervously at him from behind a pair of smart square glasses. Harry did a double take and almost dropped his tray. Dudley? As if in a trance, he wove his way past a bawling toddler and two old ladies to the table in the corner where his cousin sat.
"H-hi?" Dudley smiled self consciously at Harry.
Dudley? Self conscious?
Realising that he was staring, Harry quickly sat down opposite Dudley and smiled back.
"Dudley? How are you? I ... Well - you've changed a bit - I didn't recognise you!"
Dudley grinned sheepishly back. To say that he was skinny now would have been untruthful but whilst his broad frame had once been covered in layers of piggy flab, Harry could now make out the faint outlines of muscles underneath his smart pinstriped shirt.
"I guess I have lost some weight.." He admitted.
"Some?!" Harry was astounded. Since when had Dudley been modest? "I think, big D, this is the healthiest I have ever seen you looking, and considering I lived with you for nearly 17 years, that's saying something."
Dudley blushed. "It was after dad started getting ill - I realised I had to change or I was going to end up , well, like him. So I started going to some sessions and that's where I met henrietta. And I guess you'd say the rest is history."
Harry regarded his cousin who was looking at him anxiously, as if seeking approval. A smile tugged at the edge of his mouth as he took a large gulp of coffee. Maybe his cousin had changed - he certainly seemed to have turned over a new leaf. So maybe, just maybe, they could get along. Who knew? Anyway, thought Harry to himself, it was worth a try, wasn't it?