Cousins Visiting

The Shrieking Shack stood tall against the moonlight. It cast an eerie shadow into the wilderness. The stars complimented the moon and winked at the Earth. Occasional clouds floated over like white cotton candy. The residents were still wary of the area. None of the Marauders had gone into the Shack in a while, and since the death of Remus Lupin during the Battle of Hogwarts, the occasional howls erupting from within had also ceased. Even so, this rumor about the Shack being haunted seemed to stay.

The silence of the night seemed to be broken only by the innocent laughter of a girl and the soft words of a boy at a distance. The petite form of Chloe found solace as she sank her head into the broad expanse of Dudley's sturdy chest, his strong arms enveloping her. The soft breathing of Dudley's warm chest beneath Chloe's face calmed her, and she snuggled further into him. Dudley's mind filled with ecstasy and affection for Chloe when he felt her face press against his chest. Standing erect, Dudley held Chloe firmly, stroking her hair and rubbing circles on her back. Dudley and Chloe held hands in their embrace. Her muffled words carried through the air like soft music.

"Chloe?" Dudley said as he lowered his face.

"Uh huh?" Chloe responded into his chest and looked up.

Dudley captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Her hands moved around Dudley's neck as she stood on her toes and passionately joined in. The stars seemed to twinkle merrily as though celebrating their union. Chloe's hands held Dudley's head and back, while Dudley's arms were around Chloe's waist. The world around them melted away into nothing. The past dissolved, the future disappeared, and the present presented a moment of passionate love. Even the birds and animals seemed to have become mute witnesses to their affection. Dudley and Chloe did not care for the slightly cold breeze occasionally drifting across. All they knew is the warmth of each other's arms.

A dog barked at the distance as the couple broke apart slowly. Dudley chuckled, "Padfoot!"

"Eh?" Chloe asked.

"Well, we are close to the Shrieking shack. And a dog is barking. That has to be Sirius Black." Dudley said.

"Smart!" Chloe grinned. Suddenly, she looked behind him.

"So, is that Prongs? James Potter?" She pointed with her face.

Dudley looked behind. A majestic, silver stag shining brightly across the dark land seemed to be walking gracefully towards them.

"Are Sirius Black and James Potter really here?" Dudley wondered, turning around.

"It is a patronus - this one." Chloe looked at Dudley.

"I don't know. My theory sounds better." Dudley shrugged.

"What theory, Big D?" Dudley heard his cousin's voice.

"Harry! What a delight!" Dudley grinned.

"The theory is that your patronus is your father." Chloe explained.

Harry nodded with a smile and a distant, nostalgic look in his eyes.

Briefly hesitating so as to give the young man some space, Chloe continued. "The dog that barked just now - The theory is that that's your Godfather."

Puzzled, Harry asked, "A dog barked? When? I didn't hear anything."

Then, he suddenly went red in the face, "Umm... Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Yes and no." Dudley said. "A dog barked just before your patronus turned up. And I wouldn't call my cousin's visit And I wouldn't call my cousin's visit an "interruption." I think this is how you found us?" He gestured to where the glorious silver stag stood all this time.

Harry nodded. "Ginny and I dropped over. Sheldon had apparently told George that Chloe had some nightmares. What's wrong?" He looked at Chloe and Dudley with concern.

It was Chloe's turn to blush. "I-It was nothing."

"Everything is fine, Harry. Don't know why Sheldon took the trouble of calling you all the way." Dudley said.

Harry's Seeker-Eyes observed how Chloe shivered slightly and Dudley's arm held her more protectively.

"Listen, Big D. You remember Cedric?" He changed the topic and saw Chloe relax into Dudley.

"The one that died before the summer we were attacked by dementors? Dudley asked.

"WHAT?!" Chloe screamed. She grabbed Dudley's shirt, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU?!"

"It's nothing, actually. Harry saved me from the dementors." Dudley took her hands away from him gently.

"Saved? You mean, underage magic?" Chloe demanded.

"Yes, and that's not the point here. The point is I have been suffering from trauma and PTSD when Cedric Diggory was slaughtered right in front of me as if he were nothing but a spare. And so is everybody involved in the war - some way or the other. You too, Chloe. You need help." Harry quickly added, trying to avoid conflict.

"I am fine! Tell me about the dementor attack! Wasn't it underage magic?" Chloe's eyes watered.

"Hey there! Just came to remind you that you might want to be louder because the professors and students at Hogwarts might not have heard you." A voice floated. It was Ginny.

Dudley had to marvel at how Harry conveyed to Ginny everything that happened in a moment. Ginny looked back at Dudley and Chloe.

Chloe looked abashed, but her eyes were streaming.

"Hey, listen. It will be okay. This is why Harry and I came here." Ginny said, moving over to Chloe.

"No! Dementors attack these two? Underage magic? And Diggory..." Chloe demanded.

"I promise we will tell you everything. But first, come with us." Ginny told her.

Harry put his hand on Dudley's back to guide him, and the girls followed.

"You'd know about the Chamber of Secrets." Ginny told Chloe.

"Ginny?" With a shocked expression, Harry turned. "Talking about it upsets you. You should always think of happier stuff."

Ginny shook her head, "It's okay, Harry. This is one way to deal with trauma."

She looked back at Chloe, who nodded, "Yeah, a secret chamber in a school for children that hosts a giant Basilisk that travels through the pipes stunning and killing innocents. My first year at Hogwarts."

"That was my first year too. I'm a Gryffindor, as you know."

Chloe nodded. Of course, she knew. Ginny had been her friend for months now.

"Did you know who opened the Chamber of Secrets?" Ginny asked.

Together, Ginny and Harry spoke at the same time, and stared at each other.

"Me!"

"Voldemort!"

"What the hell. Ginny? It was Voldemort! Tom Marvolo Riddle! I told you—you have nothing to do with it!"

"He took over my body, controlled me with deceit, made me petrify innocents, and kill innocent roosters. And finally, you had to come down to the Chamber and fight a Basilisk because of me." Ginny said.

"That was his doing, not yours, Ginny!" Harry said.

Ginny's eyes watered. "Thanks, Harry!"

She grinned at a pale faced, shocked looking Dudley. "Everyday things at Hogwarts. A giant three headed dog, a Basilisk, dementors, moving staircases, a Forbidden Forest full of dangerous creatures, the list goes on. We understand why many, such as Chloe, prefer not to go there."

"You fought a giant snake at 13?" Dudley's voice shook.

"12." Harry said and laughed when Dudley's eyes popped out of his sockets. "I have faced better and worse things than that, Big D. Many of us have!"

"Yes, and did you know how I cope with the nightmares from the Chamber of Secrets" Ginny steered the conversation back to Chloe, who was pale in the face.

"Harry and I went to the Chamber again. Sixth year, a few weeks before Professor Snape killed Professor Dumbledore." Ginny revealed to the shocked faces of Chloe and Dudley.

"In a nutshell, we went down with my broomstick. And we returned with it later." Harry said.

"Harry is oversimplifying it. I had hysterically cried into his chest for hours there!" Ginny shook her head with a chuckle, "I bet it was uncomfortable."

"Nothing with you would ever be uncomfortable. I love you!" Harry said. Ginny blushed, "I love you too, Harry."

"The war and all that trauma is horrifying!" Dudley shivered. "What should Chloe do for her to be okay?"

"Be there for her." Harry told him. "I can see you're already doing that."

"And speak about your feelings openly. Get it out of you without hesitation." Ginny said. "How about you, Dudley, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and me going to visit Luna sometime? She would love it, and you would feel better."

Chloe nodded, her eyes sparkling.

"Right, now that that is settled," Harry patted Dudley's back, "how are Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon? What did they say about you moving in here?"

Moving back to let Harry and Ginny inside, Dudley said, "They did wonder, but I told them I am almost 20. I can take care of myself. Besides, Chloe is with me."

As Chloe came closer, Dudley whispered, "Are you okay?"

Chloe nodded at him.

"Good." Dudley made to let her in first.

"You will tell me about that dementor attack the summer after Cedric Diggory was murdered." Chloe glared at him.

"Uh. Not to worry you unnecessarily," Dudley started, but her glare grew so fierce that he gave in and said, "Fine. Some other time."

"Better be soon!" Chloe nodded and went inside.

Locking the door after getting in, Dudley looked around. His cousin and Ginny were climbing the stairs with Chloe in their wake.

"So, Chloe. You and Dudley use this room?" Ginny's voice drifted down from above.

"Yes, Ginny. You and Harry can use the room next to it." Chloe offered.

"Feel free!" Dudley chimed in as he reached the stairs in time to see Harry step forward to enter the room.

"Harry?!" Dudley's voice boomed across the room. Chloe groaned into Dudley's chest and looked up. She felt Dudley's arm slither away from her back. Her vision cleared to show Dudley standing up from the bed and Harry with a tray.

"Woke up early. Thought I would make tea." He shrugged.

Dudley got up. "You shouldn't have taken the trouble! We have made you overwork enough already!" He took the tray from Harry and made him sit on the bed. "Did you have tea?" He asked.

Chloe could see there were four cups of hot tea. Harry shook his head.

"Chloe, bring Ginny in here. We will drink tea together." Dudley nodded at Chloe, who immediately went to Ginny's room.

"It is not a big deal, Dud. I do this all the time." Harry shrugged.

"Be that as it may! But we can't make you and Ginny work around the house."

"Eh?" Ginny's voice came in.

"You and Chloe are family, Big D. It doesn't matter, really." Harry said.

Dudley saw Chloe stop behind Ginny.

Chloe's eyes had grown moist. Harry considered her and Dudley as his family. At a time when her parents were dead and her best friend was abroad, and she only ever had Dudley! She was so grateful.

"You okay?" Ginny called from Harry's side. Both of them looked concerned. Dudley set down his cup and approached her.

"Oh, it's nothing." Chloe sniffled in Dudley's arms. her voice muffled, "I am fine."

Harry and Ginny did not resume drinking until Dudley handed Chloe her cup of tea and resumed drinking from his own cup.

"Thanks, Harry. It means a lot to hear it from you." Chloe said, sipping her tea.

"Eh?" Harry looked up. Then, as though remembering, he shrugged and said, "Oh, that!" He shook his head, "This is a fact."

Ginny chuckled at the wide-eyed look on Chloe's face.

"What do we do, today?" Dudley asked.

"You and me go to the shop, of course!" Harry said.

"Chloe and I will oversee the Quidditch tryouts at Hogwarts." Ginny said.

"Hogwarts? Me?" Chloe looked alarmed.

"Come on! A little Quidditch won't hurt anyone! We can come back when you don't feel like staying." Ginny told an agitated Chloe.

"Last year, when I was the captain of the Gryffindor team, there was a player. His surname is 'Merriwinkle' and he was one of my best players. I am attending the tryouts today to see him perform. Harry, do you remember I told you about the boy in my team who has a massive build like Dudley?" Ginny said.

"Oh, so that tough guy is Merriwinkle?" Harry connected the dots. Ginny nodded.

"Now wait a minute. Why can't I go? And who says I am 'massive', after all?" Dudley questioned.

Ginny chuckled. "You tell him, Harry."

With a grin, Harry said, "Big D. Muggles can't see Hogwarts. At most, you will watch a couple of nutters flying around with broomsticks inside some dangerous ruins! Besides, I'll stay with you today. The shop!"

"My second question stays. Who says I'm massive?" Dudley stood to return the cups to rhe tray.

"Me! Very much!" Chloe chuckled but turned pink when Dudley's eyes grew wide and he coughed, while Harry and Ginny gaped at her. The room suddenly grew hot, the silence was suffocating. Chloe hastily shook her head.

"Why me, then? I have no interest in Quidditch!" Chloe intently met eyes with everyone in the room as Dudley returned to his spot beside her.

"One way to deal with your complex feelings about Hogwarts is to visit it for some lightheaded reason such as Quidditch. Perhaps the nostalgia will make you feel better - all this is to help you deal with your nightmares." Ginny said.

"But my nightmare was about Luna!" Chloe protested.

"Luna's condition. Inflicted upon her by Death Eaters and dementors. You yourself told me. I think you should accompany Ginny." Dudley gripped Chloe's hand.

"You told me nothing happened to Luna!" Chloe protested. "She is my best friend and I could've attended Hogwarts with her last year. But I did not go. Because Hogwarts reminds me of the war. How much ever I try NOT to associate the castle with it!"

"I am sorry that Hogwarts makes you feel this way. Chloe. Believe me, Hogwarts is the best thing that's happened to many of us, despite its shortcomings." Ginny said.

"We are here to help, Chloe. Yet again, it is fully your choice. And yeah, nothing's happened to Luna. But she would definitely be upset if she knew what you've been going through." Harry assured her.

Chloe swallowed hard, "I'm sorry. You are right. All of you! I'll go with you, Ginny!"

"That's the spirit! The tryouts start around nine. If we have breakfast now and leave, we can comfortably reach there well in advance!" Ginny told her.

"Hey, how is everyone at home?" Dudley asked Ginny.

"Ron and Hermione have reached Oxford. Ron says he has the situation under control." Ginny answered.

"As you very well know, George is busy with the joke shop business. He is currently advertising the Hogsmeade branch, Big D." Harry said.

"Fleur says the baby might be a girl. Bill wants a girl! Both are doing great!" Ginny's eyes shone with excitement.

"Charlie and Percy have gotten busy in their jobs. Haven't heard from them." Harry looked at Ginny who nodded.

"And finally, Mum and Dad. It's hard for them, but they try to be strong for everyone. It shows, though, when they mistake George for Fred." Ginny said.

"George plays by that. He pretends to be Fred briefly." Harry laughed.

"Teddy's the best part, though. Andromeda often drops by." Ginny leaned into Harry, whose arms went around her. "We will make sure to tell him stories of his parents once he grows old enough to understand English."

Dudley noticed Harry whispering sweet nothings into Ginny's ears as she snuggled into him. He wondered if talking about these things affected her.

"Andromeda talks about reconciling with her sister. Narcissa. She sometimes lets the Malfoys come over." Harry said.

The room suddenly grew tense. Ginny stood up, fury etched across her face.

"THE MALFOYS? HOW COME? HOW DARE THEY!"

"Calm down, it's nothing." Harry pacified her but she shook her head. Dudley and Chloe watched with alarm as Ginny furiously paced the room, "After all that happened? Let them near! What is Andromeda even thinking? How can that dirty death eater scum even dare dream they can get close to Andromeda or Teddy?"

"Listen, it is just an idea." Harry stood. "They are Andromeda's sister and family. Draco Malfoy is related..."

"NO!" Ginny turned around, her face and eyes equally red. "He is MY baby! If anything happens to him...!"

"It won't!" Harry held her trembling shoulders.

"Perhaps, we should check if the customers have arrived." Dudley looked at Chloe, but she wasn't listening.

"They are scum, they were okay with handing you in to Voldemort! Draco almost KILLED MY BROTHER!" Ginny screamed.

"We won't leave Teddy alone with them if that concerns you." Harry pulled her close.

"Hey, it is ok." Chloe went up to them. Dudley wouldn't have wanted to disturb them but couldn't restrain Chloe.

"I understand you don't trust Baby Lupin with the Malfoys." Chloe said. "Perhaps it would be better if we don't leave him alone with the Malfoys? That is, if Mrs. Tonks really insists on seeing Mrs. Malfoy."

"Who did Draco Malfoy kill?" Dudley tried to ask.

"Didn't succeed, that one. He tried to kill Ron!" Ginny's muffled voice came from Harry's chest. She seemed to be sniffling and taking deep breaths.

"Why?" Chloe was shocked.

Ginny pulled back from Harry, "Because death eaters are scum! In your nightmares, they go after Luna. In mine, I see Fred lying dead in the Chamber of Secrets, surrounded by menacing death eaters laughing as though celebrating after winning the House Quidditch Cup!"

Chloe and Dudley stared at each other in shock.

"Do you want to stay home today?" Harry gently asked Ginny.

"No, it's fine. I promised Merriwinkle I would watch his tryouts. The poor boy has lost his parents and friends in the war. Still stays strong and goes about doing what he loves to do. And besides, this isn't about me." Ginny said.

"We can stay. I wouldn't mind." Chloe looked hopeful.

Ginny smiled, "Not going to work. Chloe. Think of it this way. Even if you aren't a Quidditch fan, you do deserve to take a break. and maybe watch a sport. It will be fun!"

"Course it will!" Chloe sighed.

Ginny looked at Harry who nodded. The two turned to Dudley, who looked intently at Chloe.

"This will make you feel better." Dudley took Chloe into his arms.

Ginny and Chloe snuggled into Harry and Dudley respectively. For them, no other place in the world could match the feeling of listening to their boyfriend's heartbeats, having their faces pressed deep against the rising and falling of their boyfriend's chests, and being in their boyfriend's secure arms.