Chapter Text
Dudley Dursley took a deep breath and stepped through the door of Number 4 Privet Drive. It was a bit strange being back in his childhood home, but his mother essentially demanded that he make an appearance at Christmas. Things have been tense in the Dursley house ever since Dudley declared he didn’t want to follow in Vernon’s footsteps and work at Grunnings. He wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do with his life yet, but he knew he wouldn’t be satisfied stuck in a boring office all day.
While his mother was supportive, she didn’t understand why he wanted to throw away a guaranteed job. He didn’t understand it himself, but as he took off his coat and hung it on the hook, he knew that the upcoming fight would be a lot worse than that day.
“Dudley is that you?” his mother asked, emerging from the kitchen.
“Yes, mum,” he said.
As Petunia embraced him, his father merely grunted, too invested in the ongoing football match to bother getting off the sofa to greet him.
“Happy Christmas, dear,” Petunia said, smiling at her son as she did so.
“Happy Christmas, mum.”
“We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow,” his mother said with a frown. “Did something change?”
“No, mother,” Dudley replied, trying to hide his grimace. “I told you I’m spending Christmas with my girlfriend and her family tomorrow.”
Always with the worst timing imaginable, Vernon decided that this was the perfect moment to pay attention to his son.
“And just when are we going to meet this girlfriend of yours?” he asked, not believing that his girlfriend was real.
“When she’s good and ready,” Dudley said, hoping to end the conversation. He wasn’t ready to have the girlfriend conversation with his parents yet, and he knew it wouldn’t end well if they ever found out the truth about Luna.
“Don’t talk to me like that!” his father said, already turning red. Dudley braced himself for the confrontation.
“You asked,” he said, “We’ve discussed it and have decided to wait until she’s ready. I’m not going to force her into doing something.”
“Well, there’s your problem!” Vernon said, now the color of a tomato, “You let her tell you what you’re going to do. If I were you, I’d drag her here whether she likes it or not! It’s time you show her who’s boss.”
“See, I’m not going to do that,” Dudley said, doing everything in his power not to yell at his father. “Unlike you, I respect my partner and see her as more than someone made to just cook and clean.”
“How dare you!” Vernon said, now an ugly shade that Dudley wasn’t sure was red or purple. “How dare you stand there in clothes that I paid for and tell me that I don’t respect your mother!”
“Now now, Vernon,” Petunia said, trying to calm down both men, “I’m sure Dudley didn’t mean it that way.”
Vernon turned to her, now the shade of an overripe eggplant, “You stay out of this woman! This is between me and this ungrateful son of ours.”
Dudley had finally had enough of his father’s attitude. He headed for the door and began to put his coat on.
“You get back here!” Vernon said, now in a full-blown rage, “We’re not done here!”
“Yes, we are, dad. I’m not going to stand here and let you talk to me that way.”
“Dudley, you get your ass back here right now!”
“No, I don’t think I will,” Dudley said, remaining calm. “This is why I’m waiting for my girlfriend to decide she’s ready to meet you. I’m not about to bring her here and have to put up with this bullshit.”
“Dudley Dursley, if you walk out that door, don’t you ever come back.”
“Vernon, no!” Petunia said, fighting the tears that threatened to break free at this turn of events. “Now come on, it’s Christmas Eve. Can’t we have a nice dinner together? We haven’t done that since Dudley was at Smeltings.”
“No, if Dudley wants to remain a part of this family, he can show up here tomorrow with that girlfriend of his. It’s time he toughens up and lets her know her place.”
“There’s a reason why I’m not coming over tomorrow, and you know it.” Dudley started, “For the last time, I already told Luna I would spend Christmas with her family.”
“And now you’re spending it here,” Vernon said. “You WILL show up tomorrow, and she WILL be with you, or you’re no longer my son.”
Dudley, who was already close to losing his temper, was pushed over the edge at the threat of disownment. What they didn’t know was that as soon as they found out the truth about Luna, they would disown him anyway.
Before he could lose his nerve, he turned back towards the door.
“Well, if you insist, father, I had best be going then. I’ll need time to break the news to her once she gets back from Harry’s place.”
If Vernon’s face could have gone darker, it would have at the mention of his nephew.
“What did you say?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“I said she’s over at Harry’s tonight. They have a Christmas Eve party every year, and since I had to be here, she decided to go by herself.”
Dudley could barely hide his smile as he watched his parents work out what he had just implied.
His mother was the first to put the pieces together.
“You mean Luna is a...is a….”
“Is a witch? Yes, yes, she is.”
The color drained from Vernon’s face. Dudley knew he was in dangerous territory now, but he was already too far gone to quit now.
“You’re dating one of them?”
“Yes, yes I am. And I love her very much.”
The temperature in the room dropped with Dudley’s words.
“Get out,” Vernon said. There was venom in his words as he looked at his son. “Get out now.”
“Vernon,” Petunia said, “Can’t we at least talk about this? He’s your son!”
Vernon’s next words were like ice. “I have no son.”
“Vernon, please!” Petunia begged. “Don’t do this!”
Vernon turned his rage on her. “How can you stand there and defend him? He just admitted he’s in love with one of those abominations!”
“Because he’s my son! I can’t just leave him!”
Vernon turned to her with a look that can only be described as demonic. His following words cut her to the bone.
“Then go with him.”