If Arabella had not kept a firm hand on Harry's and Dudley's collars, the boys would surely have been running out the door and jumping about in their excitement to meet their new sister.

"She's here!" Harry cried.

"Mummy, you're home!"

"Can we see her?"

"Let your mummy by, you two. She'll sit down on the couch, and then you can meet little Dahlia," Arabella instructed.

Vernon was managing the baby carrier, actually. Petunia bent down to hug her boys and kiss their cheeks. "Were you good for Daddy and Uncle Sev and Mrs. Figg?" They both nodded vigorously. She hugged them again. "I missed you."

Vernon led the way to the other room. Petunia sat on the couch and gestured for Harry and Dudley to climb up on either side of her. And then Vernon delivered a sleepy Dahlia into her arms. There were two soft gasps at the sight of her.

"Here she is. Here's Dahlia."

"Is she asleep?" Dudley asked, wide-eyed.

"She's so cute!" Harry whispered.

"Yes, she's asleep. Can you say hi?"

"Hi, Dahlia," the little angels chorused.

Dudley was the first to reach out a tentative hand, touching a finger to her stockinged foot. Dahlia's leg jerked at the touch, and she yawned. Both boys beamed delightedly. Harry poked her cheek from the other side.

"I'm your cousin Harry, Dahlia. I love you!"

Dudley leaned forwards as if to get the drowsy baby's attention. "And I'm your big brother, Dudley. I love you more than anything in the world!"

"It's not a competition, dear," Petunia said firmly.

"Can I hold her?" Dudley asked.

"Yes, if Mummy helps you and you're very gentle."

"I'll be gentle," Dudley said reverently.

"Can I hold her after Dudley?" Harry asked. "I'll be gentle too."

"Yes, you can both hold her. Scoot closer to me, Dudley."

Dudley obediently sandwiched himself right next to her thigh and held up his arms. Petunia carefully shifted Dahlia over so she was resting mostly on Dudley's lap. He kissed her forehead and smiled down at his baby sister. Her son's expression was soft and full of wonder. Tender in a way she had never seen before. It made her heart swell to see the new emotions awakening in him, even though she was sure he didn't understand them yet. She could see glimpses of Vernon in the way he cradled her protectively (if clumsily) and whispered private promises over her.

"Harry, sweetie, what's wrong?" Arabella asked. Petunia looked around and was surprised to see Harry was silently crying on her other side. "Are these happy tears or sad tears?"

Unhelpfully, Harry just shook his head and cried harder. Arabella came up to sit on the arm of the couch behind him, patting his back.

To all the adults' surprise, it was Dudley who answered them. "Harry's sad because he's just Dahlia's cousin, not her brother. He cried yesterday too."

Petunia looked up quickly at Vernon, who shrugged. "He was fine all day for me. Must have been after I put them to bed."

"Is that right, Harry?" Arabella asked.

He nodded miserably. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Petunia's heart went out to him. "Oh, Harry, it doesn't make a bit of difference if you're Dahlia's cousin or her brother. She'll love you just the same."

"Really?"

"Of course." He didn't look like he believed her, though. He still looked distraught.

Vernon cleared his throat. "Now, Harry, Petunia and I were just talking about this, and we both agreed: being a brother or a sister isn't just based on who your parents are. That's only part of it. The more important bit is how you act and how you feel. That means if you love Dahlia, and look out for her and take care of her like a big brother should, then you're just as good as a brother."

Harry perked up slightly. "I can be her brother, too?"

He looked up at Petunia for confirmation. She used the edge of her skirt to wipe his eyes. "Of course you can."

His smile blossomed, reaching from ear to ear. "Can I be Duddy's brother too? I love Duddy, and I play with him, and we do everything together, and we sleep in the same room now, and..."

"Yes, you can think of yourself as Dudley's brother if you want to, Harry."

"Yes!" Harry jumped off the couch and ran around Petunia to Dudley. He thrust out his hand. "Hi, Dudley, I'm your little brother, Harry!"

Dudley grinned in return and shook Harry's hand. "Say hi to our baby sister." Both boys cooed over Dahlia. Harry no longer seemed to care much about getting his own turn to hold her just now, quite content to grasp onto Dudley with one hand and slowly pat Dahlia's tummy with the other splayed palm. They took turns giving her little kisses, and she gradually woke up in response to their continued attentions. Harry was enchanted by the way Dahlia would hold his fingers. Dudley's eyes barely left her face.

Eventually, Dahlia started getting cranky, and Petunia picked her back up. A quick check confirmed she needed a change, and Petunia gratefully handed her off to Arabella to take care of it. She snagged Harry before he could follow along with Dudley and pulled him into her lap. "Harry, what are you feeling?" She'd had no idea he felt such insecurity regarding Dahlia's birth, and she didn't know what to do about it. Was he feeling second-best? Was he afraid he'd now be pushed to third in her mind?

Was he right to be afraid?

Harry twisted around and hugged her, thin arms snaking around her neck. "I'm really happy now, Auntie Petunia."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I thought because my Mummy and Daddy are dead I would never get to have a sister or a brother. But now I know I have both!"

"And is that everything you were worried about?" He nodded. "Promise me you'll talk to me about anything else that upsets you."

"I promise."

"Good boy."

Author's note: Pure sugar. Let me know if there's any specific sibling-related hijinks you're longing to see. Thanks for the reviews, and will continue to aim for Sunday updates.