A few days ago I saw this prompt and replied to it, being an avid Harry Potter fan. I posted that reply here with a continuation. Any comments and critiques are welcome. Have a lovely day!

The man sighed again, looking at the old fashioned parchment letter and envelope on the table. He did not know if he should laugh, or cry, or be angry, or anything else. He had seen the letter before. Not this exact one of corse but many years ago his home had been flooded by many copies of this letter.

Some memories were a little hazy. Time will do that. He also did his best to forget a few things. Like how he treated a cousin, how he let his sense of self interfere with his social interactions. His parents, bless them, had fostered such an inflated self opinion. It had taken many years for him to stop acting the way he did.

Yet he remembered full well the deluge of letters that had fell down the chimney. The feelings of panic and confusion as his family fled their home to a tiny cabin by the sea. How angry his parents were. How angry he was at his cousin. And then the tail and the months of pain and embarrassment.

Some memories were more clear. A flying car if one would believe it. The time his tongue became a foot long thing. He choked a little at that memory. Then the memories became darker. Of dark shadow men that made him think of all the bitter things. That made him not feel happy. Then a long time of being protected by two of the “weirdos” his father called them. Of worrying about someone he once hated and wished would disappear.

Then one day the protectors said they did not need protecting anymore. That a wonderful thing had happened, and his cousin was responsible. His parents ignored the last bit and went back to their lives with a huff. He however did not, not entirely.

He grew up, decided a job that was not his father’s much to his dismay. However his father accepted it well enough once success was shown. He married a wonderful woman, and had two wonderful daughters. The second was still a baby and the first was about to be eleven years old. Then the letter came.

Dudley Dursley continued to stare at the letter. He vaguely wished his tea cup had something stronger than tea inside of it as he sipped. The envelope looked the same as the ones once addressed to Harry. Yet now they said Marigold Dursley on it. The signature on the parchment within said Headmistress McGonagall instead of Headmaster Dumbledore, just thinking of that name reminded him of a pink umbrella and a pinker pig tail.

His eyes closed and a near hysterical chuckle slipped from his lips. Oh what irony this was. He had bought fully into his parents’ disdain when he was younger, made it his mission to punish his cousin’s weirdness. Now his daughter, his sweet beautiful Marigold, is one of the weird ones.

He could have guessed. Apparently when they were young the weird kids could do things on accident, as if with the dreaded M word. One time no matter how hard his parents could try, she always found her beloved stuffed bear. They had tried to throw it away but she always found it with little difficulty. One time he swore they hid the candy but she always found it. Not to mention her favorite jumper grew with her. He always tried to brush it off, afraid of the implications. Now though, the letter was more irrefutable proof.

“What do I do?” he groaned with despair. “Can’t talk to mum or dad. No they can’t know. Not yet.” He glared at the offending piece of parchment, but he knew better than try to dispose of it. He remembered the consequences of that.

As if in a trance he rose from the table and walks to his study. With a grunt he sat at a large oak table and he slip open a drawer. From within he placed a box on the top and opened it with a sigh. He did not speak often with his cousin, the occasional letter here and there full of somewhat insincere politeness. Soon after the protectors left he had received this package. It was left at his window and he never told his parents he received it. Many times he wanted to throw it away but never could bring himself to do it.

Now he pulled out a plain mirror from the box and sent it flat upon the desk top. He breathed deeply, a long and slow gesture. He knew if he did this, he would be crossing a line. He knew once he crossed it, there would be no turning back. He knew that he could no longer hide and that he had to fully commit. He thought long and hard, staring at this mirror that barely showed a reflection. He also knew that he needed to do this, that he could not handle this alone. He needed help and the letter said that if he ever needed help, he only needed to say so.

“Ha-Harry Potter.”

A few days later Dudley stood outside his door, nervousness playing a melody up and down his spine. He still could not believe he said Harry’s name into a mirror, and it was even stranger when he saw his face staring back at him. He could not tell who was more surprised, though the awkwardness was completely predictable. Harry looked suspicious while they spoke and the suspicion had diluted mildly when he showed Harry the letter. Finally he agreed to come to Dudley’s home for a visit.

Dudley had offered to clean the fireplace, he actually had it open as opposed to the blocked one at his parents’ home. Harry had smiled, a genuine expression and said that he would arrive by more normal means. Of course Dudley was not too sure whose definition of normal would be used but he had agreed happily. By rights Harry could have refused to come. Dudley had given him plenty of reasons for that. Yet against his wildest hopes his cousin agreed to come.

Dudley had left work early that day, skipped his lunch to complete his tasks and had spent the last hour tidying up. His wife and children had left to do some shopping and now he stood on the stoop, absently wishing for a cigarette of all things despite having quit many years before. His heart hammered as he saw a car that he did not recognize turn down the street. It was a blue Ford Anglia and Dudley could just see a black haired man driving it and a red haired woman sitting in the passenger seat. He raised an arm and waved tentatively, heartened to see the gesture returned.

The car came to a smooth stop in the driveway and the doors opened. A smile grew, much to his surprise, on Dudely’s face as Harry appeared. IT had been many years since the two saw each other face to face, and he saw that the years have been kind to his cousin. The hang-dog look of neglect had disappeared, the thinness was more a lanky fit build. The same mop of unruly black hair fell about however, and the scar that graced is forehead was noticeably lighter. Dudley even chuckled as he saw Harry give him the same appraising inspection. Dudley was not the same massively overweight boy he was, better eating and proper exercise fixed that. “You look good Big D,” Harry said with a wry smile.

Dudley winced at that terrible nickname. “Blimey, forgot all about that. You...you look great too Harry.” He extended a hand and after a moment’s pause Harry took it. The handshake was cautious and oozed awkwardness, and the red haired woman snorted at the sight. Dudley almost took a step back from her glare, piercing eyes bore into him and the expression seemed to fuel her fiery red hair. She seemed vague familiar to him and he could feel his tongue tense for some reason.

“This is my wife Ginny,” Harry said hurriedly, casting a look at her. Dudley offered a hand and she took it faster than Harry did, and she squeezed it much harder than he did as well. “Charmed,” Ginny said with a tone that suggested anything but.

Dudley resisted massaging his hand after she let go. “Well, please come in.” He led the two into his home, giving them an impromptu tour before they sat at the kitchen table. “Would anyone like some tea?” He puttered about with the kettle and watched the pair inspect the letter. He sat two steaming cups before them and waited with his.

“Well it certainly looks real,” Ginny remarked and Dudley supressed a bristle.

“Now now, we weren’t saying you made it up,” Harry soothed. “Just that, well in my line of work you can see some clever forgeries with less than pleasant outcomes.” He took a sip and then gave Dudley a wary look. “What does your mother say?”

“Nothing for now, haven’t told her. That’ll be its own problem.” Dudley sighed heavily. “I’ll figure out a way to tell her.”

Harry chuckled then grew grave. “Well, let’s get to the meat of it shall we? What exactly do you want from me?”

Dudley’s hand shook a little, making the cup rattle in the saucer. He had thought long and hard about what he was going to say. Ever since Harry agreed to come he had rehearsed the moment in his head. So many things he wanted to say, so many things he did not want to say, and now that the moment was here he felt trapped. His carefully crafted speeches gone, struck dumb. “I...want to say I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Ginny replied flatly, ignoring her husband’s look of exasperation,

“Everything. All the shite I put you through, for letting my parents encourage me to be how I was. You didn’t deserve any of it.” He pushed back the look of surprise that grew on their faces. “I...I think they were scared a little. Because they didn’t know how to treat you, and what to do. It’s no excuse, but I think they were because I’m afraid. When I saw that letter I was terrified.”

“Because your daughter would be a freak?” Harry asked mildly.

Dudley flinched. “No! No, sorry. Not that she’s a freak, cause she isn’t and neither are you or anyone who can do what you do.” He took a deep breath. “I’m afraid because I have no clue what to do. I can teach her so many things, protect her from other things. I can help with almost everything. Everything but this.” He pointed at the letter. “I know nothing about this, nothing aside from what I’ve seen you do. I’m afraid Harry. This is my daughter. I love her. I want her to be ready and to be safe. And I can’t provide that.” His eyes rose and met with Harry’s. “You can though. I know you’re a great wizard. The two that watched over us said so. And, I know I don’t deserve this, but if you could help her, well I’d be in your debt Harry.”

The ticking clock filled the silence. Harry stared deeply into his tea cup, swirling the leaves about in the dregs of the tea. Ginny’s eyes flicked back and forth between the cousins and Dudley chewed away at his lip. Finally Harry snorted. The sound was like a gunshot and Dudley watched with mouth open as the snort became a chuckle, then grew into laughter. “Ah, you surprise me Dudely, you really do. You know, I’ve thought for a long time about what you were going to say, and why I agreed to come. Ginny told me not to come at all.”

“I did.” Her look of defiance blazed. “I still think that.”

“I wouldn’t have blamed you,” Dudley replied meekly.

“You put me through hell Dudley.” Harry’s voice was surprisingly bland. “You and your mother and father were horrible. Truly.” Dudle could only nod in silent agreement. “However, the way you are now, well. Maybe things can change.” Dudle watched with glistening eyes as Harry drank the rest of his tea. He then inspected the leaves at the bottom of the cup and set the cup aside. “Still think that’s rubbish.” He and Ginny laughed and Dudley just stared nonplussed. “Very well, I’ll help you Dudley.”

“R-really?” The tension in his spine seemed to seep away and Dudley felt his heart beat from relief. “Thank you, thank you so much.!” A thought crossed his mind and he spoke before he could stop himself. “But...why?”

Harry smiled wryly. “Because you need it, and so does your daughter. My father’s mates helped me when I needed it. It’s my turn to do the helping now.”