The Houses Competition: Round four

House: Gryffindor

Class: DADA

Category: Standard

Prompts chosen: [Character] Dudley Dursley, [Food] Cupcake

Word Count: 2429

Summary: Being a single father is hard enough but what happens when Dudley discovers that his daughter is a witch?

Title :A Father's Discovery

Dudley Dursley had made a good life for himself. Ever since that night with the Dementors attacking him and Harry, he saw himself for the first time, as he really was, and he did everything he could to better himself. It was an extremely painful but ultimately salutary lesson. In a way, Dudley was grateful for it.

He wouldn't be the man he is today if it weren't for that night.

At least once a month, Albus Dumbledore's words would reply themselves in his head, "The best that can be said is that he has at least escaped the appalling damage you have inflicted upon the unfortunate boy sitting between you." At the time, Dudley didn't understand what the man meant, but he soon came to learn that he was talking about his parents.

Dudley loved his parents dearly, but it was no secret that they favored him over Harry, and Dudley used this knowledge against his cousin any chance he could. All he had to say was that Harry was doing something freaky and his cousin would be punished, either by being thrown in his cupboard for the day, or by having dinner taken away from him. Or even by being made to clean the entire house, and if it wasn't done to his parents liking, the punishment would only increase.

At the time, Dudley thought it was funny; he loved torturing his cousin... Now, Dudley regretted everything he did to Harry when they were kids.

He was raised to believe that Harry was less than them—a freak, as his father would say—all because Harry was magical. Back then, Dudley hung on his father's every word, even taking it upon himself to tell all the other kids at school just how much of a freak his cousin really was. He now sees that it was his mother's jealousy that drove her behavior. Being denied the opportunity to go to Hogwarts with her sister made her angry, and that anger soon turned towards magic and then Harry.

If Dudley could go back and be Harry's friend, he would. He would try to make things better for his cousin while he was living under his parents roof.

Two years after that, Dudley found himself being moved to a safe house along with his parents. His dad made sure to voice his displeasure about being taken away from his home, and his mother muttered about no good freaks and how their lives were being uprooted. Dudley, on the other hand, couldn't help but worry about Harry. He knew very little about Voldermort, but he had enough sense to know that Harry was risking his life in order to save everyone.

Dudley would overhear the Aurors that were assigned to watch over them and wonder if the things he was hearing had something to do with Harry.

A year later, they were told that it was over and they were free to go back to their lives. Naturally, when the Aurors tried to give an update, his dad quickly shut them up, stating that he didn't care what the freak did during his little vacation and made it clear that since Harry no longer needed the blood wards for protection that he wasn't welcome back at the house.

Dudley was the only one who stayed, needing to know if his cousin was alive or dead. Dudley felt himself let out a long relieved breath when the Aurors confirmed that Harry was alive and the Dark Lord was gone for good.

The wizarding world was safe, along with the muggle world, all because of his cousin.

Dudley never saw Harry again, figuring that his cousin decided to stay in the magical world. He couldn't blame him. It wasn't like his parents made Harry feel very welcome. Harry belonged in the magical world, where people saw him for who he really was—a hero and not a waste of space.

He only hoped that Harry knew that he tried to make amends before he left.

Time went on as normal, as if the world hadn't almost come to an end. Dudley got control over his weight, even gaining some muscles. He got a job working in construction and found working with his hands very rewarding. Of course, his father didn't like his choice in a career, saying that construction was a lesser man's job and his talents lay in a more high-end job. Dudley learned that he didn't need his parents' approval; he enjoyed what he did, and that's what mattered.

He spent his time off teaching boxing and weightlifting to young teenagers. He found that he had a lot of anger growing up, and maybe if he had an outlet, then he wouldn't have hurt so many of his peers, and Harry wouldn't have taken the brunt of his anger.

A couple of years later, when he was making his way up to management, he met a wonderful woman named Clara Johnson, and a year after that, Dudley proposed. The ring was modest, with a small diamond in the middle and two smaller ones on the side. Clara wasn't into big, flashy jewelry; the only thing she really wore was a small locket around her neck of her sister, who passed away when they were kids.

Dudley was over the moon when Claea agreed to marry him. They had a small wedding with just family and friends, much to his mother's displeasure. She wanted a big, astonishing wedding for her little boy. Dudley ended up having to put his foot down, explaining that he and Claea were having a small wedding, and that's the way it was going to be.

A year later, he and Clara had a baby girl, but painfully, his wife passed away shortly after having their daughter due to unforeseen complications. Dudley was left to be a single father. He named his daughter Amelia, the name his wife wanted; it was beautiful, and it fit his daughter well. It wasn't until five years later that Dudley's worst fears came true.

He was sitting on the floor as he and his daughter had a princess tea party. Dudley, with his princess crown on, held out his pinky finger as he sipped at the water in his plastic pink cup.

"More tea, daddy?" Amelia asked as she held up her teapot that had a picture of Cinderella on the front, which is why this was a princess tea party and not any ordinary tea party, as it had been explained to Dudley.

"Don't mind if I do," Dudley replied as he held out his cup.

He watched as the teapot slipped from his daughter's hands as she tried to pour it, the teapot crashing to the floor with the water spilling out all over the floor. Before Dudley had a chance to reassure his daughter that it was alright, the teapot magically lifted itself up as the water poured itself back into the small opening at the top.

Dudley couldn't help but look horrified at his daughter. He wasn't fearful of his daughter; he could never be, but he was scared of what this meant for her. Amelia adored her grandparents; she was spoiled just as much as he was.

What would happen once it was discovered that she was magical? Would his parents stop loving her? Would she be treated the same way Harry was? No, he would never allow that. Amelia was his little girl.

Dudley already knew he was going to do things differently; Amelia would be accepted for who she was. Magic was nothing to be ashamed of, and he would make sure that his daughter knew that.

…

It had been a couple of days since the whole display of magic, and Dudley was taking his daughter to Peggy Porschen, a small bakery that went all out on their cupcakes.

Ameila got their strawberry cheesecake cupcake. It was a buttermilk sponge filled with strawberry puree, topped with whipped vanilla cream cheese frosting, a fresh strawberry, sweet strawberry sauce, and cheesecake chucks.

Dudley got the summerberry blast. It was another buttermilk sponge, backed with summer berries, filled with a mixed berry jam, and topped with a purple berry cream cheese frosting. It was decorated with fresh raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, edible flower petals, and a berry drizzle.

Dudley led his daughter to one of the far corner tables, away from everyone else, and sat down. He had no clue how to start this conversation off, and for a moment, he wished that Harry was here. He knew more about this magic stuff than he ever would.

Dudley took a moment to think, watching in slight amusement as his daughter picked the strawberry off her cupcake and placed it on his. He would never understand why she insisted on having the strawberry cheesecake if she didn't like the strawberry on top.

"I wanted to talk to you about the other day," Dudley said, causing Amelia to pause for a moment as she was in the middle of licking the icing off her cupcake. "About what happened with the teapot and the water," Dudley specified.

Amelia set her cupcake down, and Dudley could've sworn he saw fear in his daughter's eyes. "...I'm sorry," she quickly apologized.

Dudley rapidly took a step back, not wanting his daughter to think that's why he brought her here.

"You have nothing to apologize for, sweetie. I just wanted to talk to you about it." Dudley reassured as he reached forward and pushed Amelia cupcake towards her to let her know it was okay to eat. "What you did…do you know what it's called?" he asked, thinking that was a good place to start.

Amelia smiled, letting out a slight giggle as she took her cupcake back, licking off a bit of the icing before answering, "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!"

Dudley smiled at his daughter's response, "That's right, it was magic," he agreed. "Magic isn't a bad thing; it's actually a very good thing. Only special kinds of people are able to do magic." Dudley explained as he took the strawberry that Amelia placed on his cupcake and took a bite, decently surprised at how juicy it was.

"Ya?" Amelia asked, "I'm able to do other stuff."

Dudley was surprised at this; he hadn't noticed his daughter doing anything else magical. "Really? Like what?" Dudley asked, showing genuine interest in what his daughter was able to do.

He felt a weird sense of pride, kind of liked how he felt when Amelia took her first steps.

"At night, when it gets dark and I get scared, I'm able to make myself glow, and then I'm not scared anymore," Amelia explained before taking a big bite of her cupcake, the strawberry puree pouring out onto her chin. "Am I a fairy godmother?" Amelia asked, her mouth full of the buttermilk sponge cake.

"No, you're not a fairy godmother, but you are a witch, and when you get older, you will be going to a special school for kids just like you, and they will teach you how to use your magic," Dudley explained. "But for now, I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise me that you won't tell Grandma and Grandpa about what you can do."

Dudley knew this wasn't a long-lasting solution. The moment his daughter turns eleven, she will be going to Hogwarts, and he'll need to come up with a believable story for his parents.

"Why?" Amelia asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. "I thought you said that magic was a good thing."

"It is! Magic is a very good thing, but some people, such as grandma and grandpa. They don't like magic. They believe that people who have magic are no good, and that's just not true. Having magic is who you are, and you should be proud of that," Dudley explained.

"I really don't want to lie to grandma and grandpa…Maybe we can talk to them and show them that magic is good." Amelia suggested.

Dudley couldn't help but smile. His daughter never saw the bad in people, and he hoped that she kept that way of looking, but he needed to protect her. He didn't want her to feel unwanted or unloved because of her magic.

"Maybe, but for right now, I need you to do this for me. You think you can do that for me? Just until I'm able to work a couple of things out. I just want it to be our little secret for now," Dudley asked.

Amelia pressed her lips together slightly before giving a slight nod. "Alright, daddy. It can be our secret" Amelia agreed.

"That's my little princess," Dudley praised, giving his daughter a smile. "Finish your cupcake, and we can stop off at the park on our way home, play for a bit before it starts to get dark," Dudley explained.

Dudley and Ameila enjoyed their cupcakes in silence, listening to the soft music that the bakery played before his daughter said something unexpected. "You're special too."

"What?" Dudley asked, not sure what his daughter was trying to say.

"You said that only special people have magic, but you're special too," Amelia explained.

Dudley felt his heart swell at the compartment.

"Thank you, sweetie; that means a lot."

Dudley still wasn't sure what his future plans were or if he ever planned on telling his parents about their granddaughter, but one thing was for certain: he would do everything in his power to make sure that his daughter never felt like a freak; he would make sure that she knew she was loved.

…

When Amelia turned eleven, Dudley half expected the need to take cover as hundreds of letters would start to fly through any opening into the house, but instead there was a light knock on the door. Dudley looked a little confused, as he wasn't expecting anyone. He excused himself as he went to answer the door.

Dudley would recognize Harry anywhere—the messy black hair, the round glasses, and of course, the lighting bolt scar. It had been sixteen years since he last saw his cousin, and yet here he was, standing at his front door. In his hand was an envelope with a bright red wax sealing it shut.

"I got news that it was someone's eleventh birthday. I thought I delivered the letter myself," Harry explained.

Dudley could only smile as he stepped aside to allow Harry to enter the house, already knowing this was going to be the new normal for him.