So, I've deleted the poll and the outcome is quite clear. There was a clear cut winner and a clear cut second place. Information about what became of Dudley after Vernon and Petunia were arrested and later died was the runaway winner. This chapter dives into what happened to and what became of Dudley, however, it doesn't delve into what any potential future relationship between Harry and Dudley might be, that will be coming down the road. I'm not surprised this won, as I actually predicted (in my own mind) this option to win. However, I was surprised by the clear cut second place finisher. The second place finisher was Harry meets Lily's mom, Daisy, which I had predicted (in my own mind), to finish 6th or 7th. As the second place finish was clear cut, Harry meeting Daisy will be chapter 90 as it is clear a significant amount of support exists for that option. All 7 options will be done eventually, the purpose of the poll was to prioritize what to do sooner.
On Tuesday, October 4th, 1994, at 10 P.M. Hogwarts time, Hedwig brought Harry a note.
This note read:
Harry, please see my up in the headmaster's office
-Remus Lupin.
Harry wasn't sure what was going on, but he did as he was told and walked up to Lupin's office.
Harry calmly knocked on the door and Lupin's voice calmly told him to "come in"
"Okay, " said Harry curiously as he opened the door and let himself in, "To what do I owe this late pleasure?"
Next nanosecond, Lupin pointed at a pair of empty potion bottles on his desk and said, "We're going to visit Number 4 Privet Drive tonight. You will be learning about what became of Dudley after Vernon and Petunia were arrested and later died. Please touch one of the empty potion bottles."
Harry and Lupin each touched one of the empty potion bottles and Harry found himself unhappily seeing the living room of Number 4 Privet Drive.
Glancing around, Harry saw that Dudley was sitting on the couch in the middle of the couch. Dudley didn't strike Harry as being particularly healthy, but he definitely was not nearly as overweight as Harry remembered him being.
"So?" Harry asked Lupin in surprise, "Dudley still lives here?"
"He does, " explained Lupin, "Though, at his age, he certainly is not living alone. I'll let him explain to you what has happened to and with him since Vernon's and Petunia's arrests. Why don't we all take seats on the couch?"
Harry and Lupin took seats on the couch on the either side of Dudley.
"To begin," said Dudley matter of factly, "I am now the owner of Number 4 Privet Drive. Mom and dad made wills and left most of what they owned to me, including the house. Dad left a few of his possessions to Aunt Marge and mom left a few of her possessions to her BFF Yvonne. But I got the motherload."
"That helps explain why you still live here," said Harry slowly, "But, who do you live with?"
"Let's start at the beginning," said Dudley in a businesslike voice, "On the day mom and dad were arrested, I came home to find mom and dad gone and a woman I didn't recognize waiting for me. This woman, who turned out to be the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, informed me of my parents' arrests. She then grilled me about my home life after feeding me a small dose of some clear drink she claimed forced the drinker to tell the truth. I took this drink willingly because I never felt like I had any problem with my own home life. After receiving my answers, this woman, whose name is Amelia Bones, informed me that I would be removed from my parents' care. Given the prison term she was intending to seek for my mom and dad, this would have been necessary anyway. But there were things that concerned this Bones woman."
"Such as?" inquired Harry.
"Mostly the fact that I was allowed to bully other children without even being told off for it, let alone disciplined, and the fact that mom and dad overfed me and allowed me to run wild with my eating habits, " answered Dudley.
"There was no way that Dudley was going to be allowed to live with Marge," said Lupin in a crystal clear voice. "In the immediate aftermath of the arrests of Vernon and Petunia, Dudley was sent to live with Mrs. Figg for a few weeks."
"How did that work out?" asked Harry doubtfully, "I can't see Mrs. Figg being a good guardian for a child. She'd ignore a child in favor of her precious kitty cats."
"That proved true to an extent, " confirmed Dudley, "Mrs. Figg did not let me get away with bullying as mom and dad had, but she spoiled me just as much as, especially in the food department. She gave me whatever I wanted if I asked for it, doing no more to teach me moderation than mom and dad had. Mrs. Figg did use corporal punishment on me when I engaged in the behavior of bullying other children and that put a stop to my bullying really fast. I feared her spankings you know. Mrs. Figg CAN hit hard. However, my weight became worse still. I was still devouring as many burgers and cakes every day as I wanted just by asking for them."
"After Vernon and Petunia died," said Lupin seriously, "Madam Bones decided to evaluate how Dudley living with Mrs. Figg had gone. It turned out that Mrs. Figg had always given Dudley whatever he wanted when he asked to avoid spending time arguing and discussing things so that she wouldn't have to take time away from petting, playing with, looking at pictures of, and adoring her beloved cats, Snowy, Tufty, Tibbles, Paws, etc."
"So, I was right about that, " said Harry in an unsurprised voice, "Mrs. Figg wasn't willing to put in the time and effort to be a proper guardian to a child. Though, I do give her credit for not tolerating Dudley bullying other children."
"So, after evaluating the situation, " said Lupin patiently, "It was clear to Madam Bones that while she had stopped Dudley's bullying, Mrs. Figg was not the right guardian for him. In addition to spoiling him, she neglected to give him any affection or guidance. If anything, she resented that she and her cats didn't have their house to themselves anymore. In fact, she was utterly relieved when Madam Bones told her that she was not going to continue being Dudley's guardian going forward."
"So," piped up Dudley, "I attended mom's and dad's funeral. It was a dual funeral for both of them on the same day and their caskets are now side by side. At the funeral, this Bones woman stopped by and informed me that I had inherited Number 4 Privet Drive and that I would be removed from Mrs. Figg's care because she had spoiled me, especially by overfeeding me, and because she had shown me no affection or guidance. I was told that one of mom's friends had agreed to become my guardian and had agreed that we could live together at Number 4 Privet Drive. Even if I can never have mom and dad back, it was a joy and a comfort to be back in the house that is truly my home."
"That's interesting, " said Harry slowly, "I think a lot of people would NOT want to go back to their old house in your situation because roaming the very place you'd once roamed with your loved ones who are now lost and gone forever would be a painful reminder of how those loved ones were lost and gone forever."
"Different people react differently, " said Dudley fairly.
"You may have noticed," said Lupin to Harry, "That Dudley is showing very little emotion over the loss of his parents."
"That doesn't surprise me, " replied Harry a nanosecond later, "Dudley may have been spoiled rotten, but Vernon and Petunia never gave him any real love or affection, especially not Vernon. Because he was never raised with the concepts of love and affection, Dudley never developed an emotional backbone and is very emotionally sterile. Because of his upbringing, Dudley has the emotional range of a teaspoon."
"Exactly, Harry, exactly, " said Lupin seriously, "However, the friend of Petunia's who is now Dudley's guardian is seeking to raise him better."
"I did notice," interjected Harry, "That when I first saw Dudley tonight, that while he doesn't look like the healthiest person in the world, he doesn't look nearly as overweight as I remember him being."
"My new guardian enforces limits on how much I'm allowed to eat. I'm still allowed to eat the foods I like, but my new guardian is enforcing a policy of moderation by simply limiting how much she is giving me, " explained Dudley, "I've lost weight through exercise and I still need to lose a bit more, but my new guardian is making sure I'm spending some time each day being physically active and not just playing video games all day and night."
"You always hated exercise, "Harry told Dudley bluntly.
"I've been riding my racing bike a lot more recently and I'm enjoying doing so," smiled Dudley, "And when the fall semester started at Smeltings, my new guardian told me to go out for the Basketball team. I make the team, and Basketball is really good exercise for me."
"Dudley is still living on campus at Smeltings during the school year, " explained Lupin, "I brought him here tonight so you could meet him and have him help tell the story of what happened to him."
"That's why this meeting is late at night, " said Harry in understanding.'
"Yes," said Lupin, "And now I'd like you to know who Dudley's current guardian is.
Lupin made a whistling noise, and a woman came down the stairs.
It was Petunia's BFF, Yvonne.
"I tried to tell Petunia for years that she wasn't raising her son in the right way, " piped up Yvonne, "But Petunia was too proud to admit that she might be making serious mistakes. Nevertheless, Petunia did ask me to look after Dudley if anything happened to her and when I was asked to be Dudley's guardian after Vernon and Petunia died, I had to say yes and keep that promise."
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