The first guest to arrive at Potter Manor at 10 A.M. on Monday, July 20, 2020 was Devon Dursley.
Devon was accompanied by Dudley, who had requested a meeting with Harry.
"DEVON!" yelled James and Lily as they both ran up and engulfed him in a bone crushing hug.
"Good to you see again, James, Lily," said Devon cheerfully.
"It's our pleasure to have you in our home," said James warmly.
"I think you'll love Potter Manor, Devon," said Lily happily.
"I'm sure I will," said Devon confidently.
"Hi, Devon," said Albus politely, coming over to greet him.
"Hello, Albus," said Devon.
"Devon, did you bring a broom?" asked Harry.
"Yes," said Devon simply.
"Good," said Harry briskly, "James, Albus, and Lily will work with you on your Quidditch and flying skills so you can have a shot at that open Chaser position this September. I'd like you all to go out back now. Dudley wishes a one on one meeting with me."
Devon, James, Albus, and Lily all grabbed their brooms and headed out back while Dudley sat down at the kitchen table.
"Dudley, would you like something to drink?" asked Harry politely.
"Coca Cola Classic," requested Dudley.
Harry went over to the fridge and retrieved two bottles of Coca Cola Classic, one each for himself and Dudley, and joined Dudley at the kitchen table.
"Harry," said Dudley sincerely, "I want to thank you."
"For what?" asked Harry in a confused voice.
"Harry, you saved my son's life and, indirectly, my life as well. You see, for much of Devon's life he was overweight, and I saw no problem with it. Don't misunderstand, my parenting style is not like what Vernon's was. Any acts of bullying towards other kids by Devon would result in severe punishment from me and I have always expected him to do well in school," began Dudley.
"Dudley, were you satisfied with Devon's grades in his first year at Hogwarts?"
"Not entirely," admitted Dudley, "But I have to remember that he is a muggleborn wizard who was just getting his first taste of magical education so I'm willing to cut him some slack for this past year. My attitude toward education for my son is that I care most about his performance in the most important subjects. In the muggle world that meant English, math, and science. In the magical world, that means Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I was happy that Devon got an O in Charms. But I really would like to see him improve his Defense Against the Dark Arts grade from E to O next year. And since Devon has a powerful wand, I'd like to see his Transfiguration grade improve from A to at least E."
"For a muggle, you have a good sense for what subjects are most important in magic, Dudley," said Harry with a smile.
"Devon has said Lily was the top student in their year, you must be so proud of her, Harry." said Dudley.
"Of course, I am," said Harry with a smile, "There is no greater joy than seeing one's children succeed. Did Devon also tell you about James and Lily tying for first place in the Hogwarts Writing Competition?"
"He did," said Dudley brightly, "And it was obvious to me how proud he was of them and how happy he was for them. He also did tell me about James himself becoming a Wandmaking teacher. Devon shares everything with me unless it is clear to him that something is too personal to one of his friends for that to be appropriate. Devon is very open and communicative. And if Devon is proud of his friends/second cousins, I can't imagine how proud you must be of your son and daughter."
"James, Albus, and Lily are the three most important things in my life and there is no greater satisfaction for me than when any of all them succeed in any endeavor," said Harry radiantly.
"Anyways," said Dudley, "Devon was overweight for much of his life and I never saw anything wrong with that. In fact, the only reason I never reverted to my pre-adolescent eating habits myself is that I am a professional boxer and must maintain a specific weight for my bouts. In fact, I had long blamed the Smeltings staff and nurse for ruining my adolescence. For this reason, I was quite glad when I learned Devon would be going to Hogwarts rather than Smeltings. Debra, meanwhile, wanted Devon to go to a coed school. Devon attended an all boys elementary school and Debra HATES gender segregation."
"So," said Harry slowly, "If it wasn't for Boxing you would have become just as overweight as Devon?"
"Close to Right in one," confirmed Dudley quickly, "I missed the days when I could gobble down as many hamburgers, cakes, and chocolates as my heart desired. But I always allowed Devon to eat as much as he wanted regardless of how fat he became."
"Lily told me last Christmas that Devon was noticeably overweight on the day she met him but that he had become much more overweight since starting Hogwarts," explained Harry, "Hogwarts meals are all you can eat to an extent unattainable in any muggle setting."
"Devon has told me, that, apparently, you noticed how overweight Devon was when Lily introduced you to him at King's Cross when you picked your kids up for Christmas break," said Dudley.
"This is true," confirmed Harry, "I was honestly genuinely shocked by how overweight he actually was. I had never seen a person anywhere close to that overweight in my life."
"I did notice that Devon's weight had significantly increased when he came home for Christmas," said Dudley matter of factly, "Anyone with functioning eyes would have noticed that. But I didn't think much of it because I still saw nothing wrong with it. And then when the calendar turned from 2019 to 2020 there was a sudden change in Devon. He suddenly was eating smaller portions that were much closer to what most people would call normal."
"That caught you by surprise?" asked Harry.
"It did," said Dudley crisply, "Because it was so completely inconsistent with Devon's prior behavior. But on the last weekday of Christmas break, Devon sat down with me and told me all about his conversation with Lily on New Year's Eve. Devon explained to me what Lily had told him about the serious risks his health faced in the future if he didn't lose weight and then keep it off."
"Here's the thing," said Harry clearly, "Along with her cousin Hugo and her eldest brother James, Devon is one of the three people that Lily is closest with. Knowing what I know about the serious health risks of being significantly overweight and knowing how devastated Lily would be if she had to attend a funeral for Devon before he was thirty for something so preventable, I had to intervene. Furthermore, I saw a kid who needed help and I was going to see that he got it."
"Did you consider approaching Devon yourself?" Dudley asked Harry.
"No," said Harry firmly, "I'd never even spoken to Devon except for a few quick hellos at King's Cross. Trust was a key factor. I knew that Lily was the only one who could get through to Devon. It was a mission that required both great tact and complete honesty. Lily is an expert at striking that balance. But it ultimately came down to the fact that Devon trusts Lily above all other people. Because this trust was so prevalent between Lily and Devon, I knew that Lily could get through to Devon and that he would realize she was intervening because she cared about him and not just being a nosy interferer."
"Did Lily ever share the details of the conversation she had with Devon on New Year's Eve with you?" asked Dudley.
"No," said Harry simply, "Lily only told me that she had succeeded in convincing Devon to lose weight and change his eating habits and that she had given him the sheet of weight loss exercises I had provided."
"That's what I thought," responded Dudley, "That's basically all Devon told me about that conversation either. But Devon did make it clear to me that he had to change his lifestyle or take on serious health risks, including heart disease and heart attack. And I realized then that I was lucky that Smeltings hadn't stocked knickerbockers big enough for me anymore and that I was lucky for the nurse's intervention. After Devon's talk with me, I realized that, had I not lost that weight when I did and had I not steered away from my own terrible childhood eating habits, I would not have lived long enough to marry Debra or father Devon."
"You also said that I indirectly saved your life, how?" asked Harry curiously.
"I don't know how much longer I'm going to box. I've made more than enough money to be set for several lifetimes. I had had fantasies of returning to my childhood eating habits after I retired. Devon's talk with me about his own situation made me realize that I couldn't do that. So, I want to thank you for caring enough about Devon's well being to see to it that he changed his ways. Your concern likely saved both Devon's life and my own," said Dudley briskly.
There were a few minutes of silence while Harry and Dudley sipped from their Coca Cola Classics. Then Harry spoke.
"Dudley, may I ask you a very personal question?" requested Harry.
"Yes," answered Dudley.
"Well," said Harry, "I know that, as a muggle, you can't see dementors, but you can feel them. Dementors feed on you and force you to relive your worst memories. You know that time we ran into two dementors when we were fifteen? What did you relive?"
"I just saw myself exactly as I was," said Dudley, "I saw myself for the mean, cruel, selfish, bullying boy that I was at the time. Realizing exactly how bad a person I really was mortified me. That episode with the dementors was a major factor in making me change as a person."
"So, you didn't experience any specific memory but a general overview of your own flaws?" asked Harry.
"Yes," said Dudley simply.
"That is the most unusual experience with dementors I have ever heard," mused Harry.
"It was a blessing in disguise," said Dudley firmly, "Because it set me on the pathway to being a better person."
"I'm glad you realize that," said Harry.
"Harry," said Dudley slowly, "I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to you for the way I treated you when we were kids. You had a very difficult childhood anyway, particularly having to grow up without parents, and I did nothing but make it that much worse for you."
"Honestly," said Harry clearly, "I think most of the blame for that lies more with Petunia and Vernon for being bad parents. Most parents would never tolerate the bullying you displayed towards me when we were kids."
At the mention of Petunia, Dudley's head had drooped a bit.
"Dudley, are you okay?" asked Harry with concern.
"The mention of Petunia stung," said Dudley sadly, "You see, last September, Petunia died in a fall down the stairs on her way to breakfast. It was tough to lose my mom and Devon was also close with Grandma Petunia. Knowing how devastated Devon would be at Petunia's death made it that much worse than it already was."
Harry thought of how he had felt when Sirius died and what Luna had said about how sad the loss of her mother made her feel.
"Dudley, I'm sorry to hear about your loss," said Harry with empathy, "Losing a parent is the hardest thing a person can endure."
"Vernon disowned the family when he learned about Devon having magic, " said Dudley matter of factly, "And to be honest I wasn't too upset about that. I had already grown quite a bit apart from Vernon anyway. And he was never really very loving. In fact, I can honestly say that my ability to love came from Petunia. Petunia was the one who hugged and kissed me and gave me love and affection. Whatever faults Petunia has as a parent or a person, one thing I can say for her is that she genuinely loved me and Devon. This genuine love is what made Petunia's death so especially heartbreaking for both me and Devon."
"Lily told me in her letters in September that she was having to help Devon through what she called a "terrible personal tragedy," The loss of his grandma must be what that tragedy was then?" realized Harry.
"Yes," said Dudley in a heartbroken voice, "That was the hardest thing Devon has ever had to go through. The sudden and tragic loss of a close loved one is something no eleven year old should have to deal with. I am glad that Lily was respectful enough not to divulge what Devon's personal tragedy was to you."
"She would have respected that Devon's personal matters are none of my business and that was obviously a very personal thing. Dudley, I give you my word that I will NOT tell Devon that I know about this unless he should happen to tell me," said Harry respectfully.
"Thank you, Harry," said Dudley gratefully.
"Dudley," said Harry warmly, "The past is the past. What went on when we were children is behind us. Your son is extremely close with two of my children. I want you to know that anytime you wish to talk to me, you are welcome to write me or to come here."
"Harry, we are family," said Dudley clearly, "You being my cousin makes that way I treated when we were kids that much worse. You are also welcome to write me or visit me at any time."
"Dudley, if you agree to leave the past in the past and that we can be on good terms moving forward, shake my hand," said Harry.
Harry put out his right hand and Dudley shook it with his right hand.
In this moment, Harry and Dudley formally ceased to be enemies. They were cousins with children who were very close with each other and they would both be on good terms from here on out.
Dudley then left. Dudley and Debra were going on vacation to Aruba for some one on one husband-wife time. Devon would be spending this time with his friends/second cousins at Potter Manor.