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Harry Potter, the saviour of the wizarding world, was tired.
He had two kids, aged four and two respectfully, as well as the baby on the way, due in a couple of months. He and Ginny were happy, but Harry was tired.
Which was why he was so incredibly thankful for Hermione and Ron for offering to take the kids for a weekend, while Ginny was away supporting her team from the sidelines at the Quidditch World Cup.
He had the weekend to himself, and was off-duty for that time as of four hours ago. Alone in the house, with nothing to do.
It was…peaceful.
He hadn’t been at peace for a while. The war had ended a few years ago, though to him, it still felt like yesterday. He’d become a war hero at only seventeen, and while he knew it was necessary for him to fight and risk his life to save wizarding kind, he wishes it went differently.
He woke up in cold sweats with muffled screams almost every night. He had multiple wands, one for each room – including James and Albus’ room – just in case an intruder managed to find them, or a death eater escaped and came for revenge.
He had flashbacks and anxiety attacks daily. He struggled to deal with certain family members while on duty as an Auror, due to the side in which they were on throughout the war.
He was guilty every day.
For those who lost their lives, not able to grow as people. For those who would continue to age in life, now alone, without their life partners. For the kids who would never know their parents. For the parents who lost their children far too soon. For those who had nobody, and were forgotten, classed as collateral damage and put into a mass grave for the dead as nobody was alive to claim them.
Harry went to every single funeral. He stayed unnoticed, at first, hiding in the back for as long as he could, staying out of sight for those in which he did not know, but ultimately killed anyway.
For the funerals of his friends – Fred, Tonks, Remus, Collin, Lavender, and so many others – he sat in the front row. He carried the casket out of the building, and he was silent as they were lowered into their graves. He laid flowers on their graves every Sunday evening, and spoke his grievances.
He’d also started to forgive Draco Malfoy. The man had sent him a letter, surprising everyone, apologising for how he had acted as a teenager, and not asking for Harry to forgive him.
Harry did.
They were two sides of the same coin, he and Malfoy. Both children, forced into a war to be lambs for the slaughter, on opposite sides of each other. Both helping each other during the Battle of Hogwarts, because deep down, they were just two desperate children who wanted to survive.
They kept in contact through letters. They met up for coffee every fortnight, when their busy schedules allowed it. Malfoy was a healer, and a damn good one at that. He was renowned across Britain for his genius works and his caring appeal to everything he did, and Harry was only a little surprised.
As for Harry, well. Nobody was surprised when he became an Auror. It was what he’d been doing all of his life, after all. Fighting.
He was starting to regret it. He wanted to do something else, for a change. To get away from all the fighting that still haunts his days and attacks his nights.
Simply put, Harry is fucking tired.
He’d asked for the weekend off to recuperate after a nasty fight with a death-eater relative, and Kingsley had thankfully obliged. Hermione had taken one look at him and had offered to take the kids while Ginny was gone, and was told that under no circumstance was Harry allowed to say no.
So he hadn’t.
Which left him here, alone in his house, drinking some tea and reading the morning paper, at nine at night.
He tried to stay away from the news. It got old, seeing his face in the papers every morning. It got old seeing Rita Skeeter writing about him weekly – because she still did that, of course, but instead of slandering his name outwardly, she did it subtly, while simultaneously singing his praises. It was strange, and Harry wanted absolutely no part of that, thank you.
But it was peaceful, and the house was quiet.
Well, it was.
Until the phone started to ring.
The phone that Harry had installed, added protections onto, and had registered into the British phone logs almost two years ago now, for no reason other than to be reminded of where he had come from, and from whom.
The phone stopped ringing. And started again.
Harry had no bloody idea who was ringing him at nine on a Saturday. His friends, coworkers, and boss would all either owl him, or send a patronus if it was urgent. Only Hermione had a phone in her house, and as she had the kids – and Ron still couldn’t figure out how to use the phone – Harry knew it wasn’t her calling.
So, that left the question.
Who on earth was calling him.
The phone stopped ringing. And then rang again.
Harry groaned, got up from the couch, and answered it. Mainly to stop it from ringing, truth be told.
“Hello?”
“Hey, is this Harry Potter?”
That voice sounded familiar. He was male, probably around the same age Harry was, too.
“It is. Can I ask who’s speaking”
“It’s Dudley.”
Harry was silent. Why on earth was Dudley calling him? Who had told Dudley his phone number in the first place – ohh, the British phone log. Right.
“Dudley? Why are you calling me? Last time I checked, we hadn’t spoken in years,” Harry replied, voice a mixture of both shock and frustration. Memories flooded his mind, yet Harry pushed them back.
Curiosity always got the better of him.
“I know we haven’t, but I can’t call anyone else now, can I?”
“I’m certain there are other people you can call, Dudley,” Harry replied, rolling his eyes. He went to hang up the phone, to be done with his cousins antics, when–
“How do I get my two-year-old daughter to stop sneezing and setting the curtains on fire?”
Silence.
Dudley…had a kid?
Actually, scratch that thought because Merlin , he had a magical kid?
“You have a kid…who is currently setting the curtains on fire every time she sneezes…” Harry repeated, scepticism in his voice.
“Yes, and – oh shit!”
Harry heard a fire alarm go off in the background. Clearly, she’d sneezed again, and more curtains were on fire.
“Dudley, do you want a hand?” Harry asked out of impulse, wincing as the words left his mouth. “I mean, you can say no, of course, but it sounds like you need a hand and I can always…ward the place, and stop things from being set on fire–”
“Yes, ” Dudley groaned. “I know it’s awkward but my wife and I don’t know what to do.”
“What’s your address? I’ll be over soon.”
Harry wrote down Dudley’s address, and hung up the phone. He was still, for a moment, before finally getting the strength to move and get dressed into muggle clothing.
He had no idea what to expect, but hopefully, it would be nothing too bad.
Dudley’s house was modest. They clearly had a lot of money, and Harry fleetingly wondered if Petunia and Vernon had paid for it all.
He was in Little Whinging, still, which should not have come as a shock to Harry at all. In fact, Dudley’s house was only four blocks away from Petunia and Vernon. Harry didn’t bother to think about the motives behind that.
When Harry knocked and the door was answered, a frazzled woman stood before him with a sheepish smile.
“You must be Dud’s cousin, Harry?”
“Yes, ma’am. Harry Potter.”
“So I’ve heard. Come in, come in. Lord knows we need all the help we can get right now – none of our other friends are magical, see. Penelope only started doing this tonight, we had no idea – Dudley only mentioned you in a fit of panic.”
Harry chuckled good naturedly, nodding along at her words. He wasn’t surprised that Dudley didn’t have any magical friends, considering how he himself had grown up. Petunia and Vernon would never allow it – Merlin, Dudley would have been disowned for even thinking of such a thing.
“Alice? Is that Harry at the door?” Dudley called from another room.
Harry could hear it now, the sound of his voice that sent him straight back to his childhood. Merlin, he sounded just like Vernon. It was a little unnerving. He must have paled and looked awkward as one could be, because – Alice, apparently – mentioned it.
“I know you’re nervous, being here after not speaking to Dud for a while. I get it, I’m estranged from my older sibling, too. But we really do appreciate it. Dud wouldn’t have called if we could’ve helped it.”
“I know,” Harry replied. “Uh…do you want to lead me to the problem?”
“Oh! Of course! I’m sorry, I got ahead of myself. I’m Alice.”
“Nice to meet you,” Harry responded.
Together, they walked to the living room. Dudley was there, trying to calm his sick child down as he threw water on the edge of the curtain, failing spectacularly at dousing the flames.
Wordlessly, Harry extinguished the flame.
“Oh! Thank you, Harry,” Dudley huffed, looking up. “Thank you for being here.”
“Oh, it’s quite alright,” Harry said, shuffling around on his feet. “Nice place you got here. Not what I’m used to, from Little Whinging.”
“Yeah, I tried to make it as different as possible from mum’s,” Dudley chuckled. “Didn’t really want to remember all of that.”
“I see.”
It was quiet for a moment, then Dudley groaned. “God, what are we supposed to do?”
Harry huffed a laugh. He was quite used to that level of panic, when his kids started showing magical symptoms. James had flooded the basement, somehow, while Albus had managed to refill his milk bottle over and over again before Ginny had realised he was taking far too long.
Of course, there were other disasters, such as cribs suddenly not having bars on them anymore, and, like Dudley, having household appliances set ablaze, but Harry and Ginny were wizards. They could handle everything quickly, and efficiently.
“Well, there really isn’t much, other than preventative measures,” Harry sheepishly admitted. “I can add protection wards on important belongings and such, as well as make sure everything is fire-proof, considering your current problem.”
“Oh, would you?” Dudley asked. “I wouldn’t ask you to, under normal circumstances, but…”
“If I don’t, you won’t have curtains by the end of the night. I’ve been there,” Harry smirked, walking around to set the wards and fire-proofing in place. “It’s the least I can do. You weren’t all bad, you know?”
“Yeah…you have a kid, then?” Dudley asked.
“Two, actually,” Harry replied, a smile gracing his face. It was rare to see such a genuine smile, after everything. “James Sirius, and Albus Severus. Four and two.”
“Ah, the same age as Penelope here, then,” Dudley smiled. “You can say hi, Penelope. He doesn’t bite.”
“Hi,” the girl said shyly, hiding behind her fathers legs. And then she sneezed, and Dudley’s pants were on fire.
In which Harry magically extinguished before his cousin ended up pantless in their living room.
“Sorry, daddy,” Penelope sniffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
“Hey hey, none of that. It’s not your fault,” Dudley soothed, picking her up and holding her on his hip.
“But I’m–”
“Penelope, sweetie,” Alice interjected with a smile. “We aren’t mad. You’re sick, and you didn’t know this was going to happen. Granted… nobody did, but that’s not important.”
“Harry’s going to help?”
“I am,” Harry replied, looking down and smiling at her. “I’ve done this once already, it’s second nature to me now.”
“Really?” Dudley asked. “I didn’t think… this would happen if you’re born into a magical family.”
“It still does,” Harry shrugged. “Ginny – my wife – had to warn me about it, after she’d spent her entire childhood listening to the stories of what she did from her older brothers.”
“What did your kids do?” Alice asked, sitting on the couch and beckoning for Penelope to sit with her.
“James flooded the basement,” Harry chuckled. “Albus vanished the bars around his crib. They both set furniture on fire a few times. James used to shrink the clothes he didn’t like. Things like that.”
“Wow, they sound like a handful, your boys,” Alice laughed.
“They can be,” Harry admitted. “It’s going to be worse with three kids in the house.”
“Three?”
“Ginny’s expecting, in about two months.”
“Congratulations,” Dudley smiled, and Harry could tell he truly meant it.
“Yeah, well, Molly said the same, but what quickly followed was ‘good luck,’ so I’ll see how it goes,” he laughed back, shaking his head. “Alright, tell me what you want to protect, as in not break, and I’ll go ward it.”
“Can we do the whole house?” Alice joked, before shaking her head. “Here, I’ll walk you around the house and point things out. It’ll be easier that way.”
Harry nodded and followed her, and half an hour later, Harry was back in the living room, sitting down and having tea with his cousin and his wife, while their daughter slept in her room down the hall.
It was surreal, being here. Harry could not have imagined in a million years that somehow, some way, Dudley would have reached out for help.
“What should we look for, from now on?” Dudley asked.
“It’s usually mundane things,” Harry explained. “Food and drink reappearing as though she’d never eaten it in the first place, sweets being doubled, hair growing faster or not at all, that sort of thing.”
“Right…so things catching on fire won’t be a common occurrence, then?”
“Merlin, I should hope not. I fire-proofed everything in this house,” Harry chuckled, before taking a sip of tea.
An awkward silence followed.
“Harry, I want to apologise for how I treated you when I was young,” Dudley said quietly, breaking the silence. “I…”
“Dudley,” Harry interrupted. “It’s fine. Truly, it is,” he clarified, seeing Dudley’s dubious expression. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t, and after everything? My childhood with Petunia and Vernon is the least of my concerns.”
“May I ask what this… everything means?” Alice pondered, looking at Harry.
He took a breath, but nodded nonetheless. “Ten years ago, the Ministry of Magic – the government, but for the wizarding world – announced the second wizarding world war. Eight years ago, that war ended after I killed Voldemort, the man who…caused it, and was the crux of it, I guess.”
Dudley was shocked. “Those…things that attacked us?”
“Dementors,” Harry supplied, nodding.
“Were they involved at all?”
“Yeah, Voldemort had complete control over them,” Harry replied, forcing back a shiver.
“I feel a bit out of my league, here,” Alice admitted with a shaky laugh. “You were in a war ten years ago? And you ended it? How old were you, when it ended?”
“Seventeen,” Harry winced. “Of age, in the wizarding world, but…”
“Christ, that young?” Dudley gasped. “I barely remember what I was doing at seventeen.”
“Getting drunk and sneaking into clubs,” Alice deadpanned. “You met me at a club.”
“Which you also snuck into,” Dudley pointed out. “We’re the same age.”
“That’s not the point, honey.”
Harry watched in amazement, and couldn’t stop himself from laughing quietly to himself. Their lives were so different, it was shocking. Of course, he wasn’t surprised at any rate, but to be here, confronted with the differences? He didn’t know how to act.
“Well, if you’re up for it, I’d like to know more about the wizarding world,” Alice said, facing Harry now. “Of course, I know it is late and you have kids at home, so I can understand if you want to do this another time.”
“That might be for the best,” Harry admitted. It was past midnight already. He was tired. “If it suits, we can get lunch tomorrow? Say around one o’clock?”
“That suits the both of us,” Alice smiled.
“I’ll drop Penelope off at her grandparents,” Dudley added. “Mum’s been nagging me to let her see Penelope, anyway.”
“Are you… sure that is wise, Dud?” Alice chastised. “She’s been setting fire to the curtains all night, I’ll remind you.”
“My parents are used to it,” Dudley dismissed. “They were used to it with Harry. As long as she doesn’t end up on the roof or set anything on fire, they won’t notice a thing.”
“I can stop by and fire-proof everything tonight, just to be safe,” Harry offered. “I can do it from the street, they won’t even notice I was there.”
“Are you sure?” Alice asked worriedly. “You could always come by with us tomorrow, and do it then.”
“It’s best I didn’t,” Harry winced.
“I’ll explain later, if that’s alright, Harry?” Dudley asked, sensing his wife about to interject.
“Probably for the best, considering your daughter,” Harry said quietly, giving his cousin a knowing look.
“Crap,” Dudley hissed. “Yes, I’ll explain everything.”
Harry nodded. He was fine with his childhood being explained – if their daughter was magical, it would have to be explained to Petunia and Vernon. And who knew how that would go.
“I’ll see you out then, shall I?” Dudley suggested. Harry stood with a nod.
Outside, Dudley sighed.
“I know I overstepped calling you today. I found you on the British phone logs and did some digging, only to discover it really was you under that number. I wouldn’t have called if I thought I could handle it alone.”
“I know, Dudley,” Harry whispered. “It’s fine.”
“Is it?” Dudley asked. “I treated you like shit.”
“You did,” Harry agreed. “But I know how to look for behaviour that’s been taught, Dudley. I saw it in highschool, and I see it at work. I’m willing to move on.”
“Well…I’m glad you can,” Dudley smiled. “But…does this mean I am allowed to call you for another crisis?”
“I’d be offended if you didn’t,” Harry smiled back.
“You seem quieter,” Ginny observed, turning around to face Harry. “What’s going on?”
Their three kids were in bed. Lily was four months old, now, and she was the calmest of the three of them. James and Albus had gone to bed unwillingly, as per usual, but had been out like a light as soon as they’d been tucked in.
Harry sighed. “I…okay. Remember when you went away for the Quidditch World Cup, and Hermione took James and Albus so I could relax?”
“For the first time in your life, yes,” Ginny smirked. “What happened”
“I got a phone call on Saturday night,” Harry admitted.
“Really? From who?”
“My cousin, Dudley.”
“That little shit?” Ginny gasped, looking offended. “What did that git want? After all this time, he had the nerve to call you, and–”
“Ginny,” Harry calmly interrupted, a smile growing on his face. “To start, you can’t really call him little, considering he never was, and never will be. And he’s grown up now, with a wife and daughter Albus’ age.”
“Cool, so he’s matured,” Ginny drawled. “That doesn’t explain why he wanted to speak to you.”
“Well…”
“Spit it out, Harry,” Ginny chastised, lightly smacking his arm. “We have about half an hour until Lily wakes up again.”
“He was in a bit of a crisis, honestly,” Harry admitted, shaking his head. “Penelope – his daughter – was sneezing and setting all of their curtains on fire.”
“His…his kid is a witch?”
“Apparently so,” Harry laughed. “I went over there to give them a hand, and that turned into me going out with them for lunch on Sunday to explain the wizarding world. His wife is very excited about the whole idea.”
“And your cousin?”
“Less so, but willing to look past it,” Harry admitted. “I think he’s just worried for his daughter’s safety, considering what he heard about our school days.”
“Merlin, you told them all of that?” Ginny whispered, stroking Harry’s hair. “I know you don’t like to talk about it much.”
“I don’t,” Harry admitted, “but that’s because all of you know everything already. Dudley and Alice don’t.”
Ginny hummed, and scrutinised him for a moment. “There’s something else you’re not telling me, isn’t there.”
Ginny didn’t state a question. It was a fact, a statement, an underlying tone for Harry to tell her what he was feeling.
“Alice is a psychologist,” Harry admitted.
“What?”
“Muggle mind healer,” Harry supplemented. “She made me realise I despise being an Auror in the span of an hour.”
“Really?” Ginny asked, sceptical. “And how did she do that?”
“She…Merlin, Ginny,” Harry sighed, rubbing his face. “I didn’t realise how miserable I was. I looked past the anxiety and the memories every time I went out and fought, and she made me realise I’ve only been doing it because it’s what I’m used to. She asked why I joined the ‘wizard police,’ as she called it, and I could not think of an actual answer.”
“That’s…”
“Yeah,” Harry whispered back. “And now all I can think of is how much I really want to resign.”
“What would you do, if you did resign?” Ginny asked softly.
“Well…when I was explaining everything about the wizarding world, Alice pointed out that I looked more alive when explaining spells, and spell-casting,” Harry admitted sheepishly. “She said it was interesting, but...I keep thinking about Dumbledore’s Army, too. How I liked teaching you lot defensive spells.”
“Well…” Ginny trailed off, smirking. “McGonagall is looking for a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the one to break the curse on that damned position. Merlin knows you’re too bloody stubborn to die.”
“Harry, I am so sorry for calling, but Penelope was running away from some kids in the neighbourhood and she just vanished from thin air and I don’t know what to do, Dud’s at work right now and I don’t think this is something I can explain to the police,” Alice rushed out in a panic, hyperventilating over the phone.
“Alright, give me a second to tell my wife, yeah? I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Harry promised, hanging up the phone after Alice forwarded her rushed thanks.
“Ginny!”
“Harry!” Ginny called back, smiling. “What’s up? What happened?” she asked, sensing something was wrong.
“Penelope has apparated somewhere after running from the neighbourhood kids,” Harry informed. “Alice is a wreck, Dudley’s at work, and we both know that telling that to the police – muggle Auror’s, before you ask – is going to get them nowhere.”
“I’ll fire-call mum, she can take the kids,” Ginny nodded, turning around and calmly walking into the lounge room.
“Wait, Ginny–”
“Hey, mum! Can you take the kids? Something’s come up that Harry and I have to deal with.’
“Ginny–”
“Of course!” Molly smiled through the fire. “I’ll go put some tea on, you get the boys and Lily all ready.”
“Thanks, mum.”
Harry stood in the lounge, confused, as Ginny expertly packed up Lily and the boys, shuffled them into the fire, and dropped them off at their grandmother’s place. When Ginny walked back in, she immediately held up a hand to silence him.
“There’s a missing kid involved, Harry,” Ginny said. “I’m joining you. I’ve been wanting to meet this ‘Alice’ woman anyway. She got you to quit the job you hated and start the one you love. She must be something.”
“Oh, she’s something, alright,” Harry grumbled, remembering the lecture she gave him about cooking his kids proper meals. “You two are going to get along just fine.”
Ginny laughed, and before she could reply, Harry had grabbed her arm and apparated them both into Alice’s living room.
“Harry! And you must be his wife, Ginny – oh it is so lovely to meet you, though I wish it weren’t under the circumstances of my missing seven-year-old,” Alice rushed out, looking frantic yet grateful the two of them were there.
“That’s quite alright, Alice,” Ginny smiled.
“Gosh, I just don’t know where to look,” Alice admitted. “Anything could have been going through her mind!”
“Harry?”
“Yeah, Ginny?”
“Didn’t this happen to you growing up?”
“It did, but I’m assuming that the people Penelope was running from were her friends?” Harry asked Alice, turning around.
“Yes, they were, thankfully,” Alice sighed. “They’re in hysterics, apparently. Poor girls think Penelope was kidnapped! They turned a corner and she was gone!”
“Oh good, they didn’t see her apparate,” Ginny mused. “That means Auror’s don’t need to be called.”
“Well, harry is one, right?” Alice asked.
“No, I, uh. Quit, actually. About a year ago now.”
“You resigned far too late, Harry,” Ginny scolded. “Merlin, why did you wait four years to resign? Poor Minerva had to go through three other staff members before you!”
“Minerva?”
“She’s the headmistress at Hogwarts,” Harry explained. “It’s the school I went to – and likely where Penelope will go, when she turns eleven.”
“You teach, now?” Alice asked, looking excited. “Oh Harry, that’s great!”
“Yes, he’s happy now, I can see it,” Ginny smiled.
“So can I.”
“Penelope?” Harry asked, getting the topic back.
“Yes! Ginny, is it?”
“That’s me.”
“You were saying something about this happening to Harry when he was younger…Harry, what happened?”
“I was being chased by some bullies–”
“Dudley and his friends, right, go on.”
Ginny had to hide her laugh as Harry sighed.
“Alright then, Dudley and his friends. Well, all I was thinking was that I wanted to get away, and I ended up on top of the school’s roof. She could be on a rooftop somewhere.”
“That’s…very likely, actually,” Ginny admitted. “What street was Penelope on?”
“This one,” Alice whispered. “I watched her turn the corner just at the end of this street, if you turn left once you walk out.”
“Right. I’ll go walk down the street, Harry, you head left and look up.”
“Yes, Ginny, I know how to look for missing kids,” Harry grumbled, walking out the door.
“Thank you both so much for this,” Alice said to them both. “Really, you guys are an amazing help.”
“Like I told Dudley when Penelope was two – I’d be offended if you didn’t call me,” Harry smiled.
He turned and started to walk down the street.
It didn’t take long to find her, in truth. He turned left at the end of the street, made it about ten metres, and started to hear Penelope, crying out for her mother. As Harry sped up and the crying got louder, he began to look up.
He found her on the rooftop of a school building, shaking.
“Penelope!” Harry called out from below.
“Uncle Harry?”
That was new.
“Yep, that’s me!” he said instead. “I’m going to come up there and get you, okay? You’re being really brave right now, did you know that?”
“I don’t wanna be brave, I want my mum!” she cried, shaking harder.
Harry soothed her as best as he could, before apparating behind her.
“Woah,” she sniffed, giggling as Harry walked toward her on the roof. “That was cool.”
“Yeah? Well, that’s what you did too,” Harry smiled, holding out his hand. Penelope rushed straight into his arms, ignoring the hand he held out. It knocked him off balance, for a bit, but that wasn’t an issue.
“Did I look cool, like you?”
“I’m sure you did,” Harry laughed. “Right now, though, I have to get you off of this roof and walk you back home, so that your mum knows you’re alright.”
Penelope nodded silently, before looking up at Harry with her lip wobbling.
“Is she mad?”
“At you? Never,” Harry replied earnestly. “She’s just worried.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Harry apparated her off of the roof, and held Penelope steady as she swayed once on solid ground. She giggled at being on the ground again, but willingly took Harry’s hand as they began to walk home.
Harry, secretly, sent a patronus out to Ginny to head back to Alice’s place, as he’s found Penelope.
“Oh Penelope!”
Alice rushed toward her daughter as Harry walked up the drive. He smiled, knowing what it was like for your kid to suddenly apparate, without knowing where they went.
“Harry, thank god,” Dudley breathed, coming in from the house.
“When did you get here?” Harry asked, smiling nonetheless.
“Five minutes ago,” Dudley admitted. “Alice called me when she disappeared. I told her to call you, just in case it was the magic stuff happening again. I assume it was?”
“Yeah, she apparated onto a rooftop.”
“That’s the thing like teleporting, right?”
“The very same,” Harry smiled.
“Dad! Uncle Harry came and saved me!” Penelope laughed, rushing into Dudley’s arms. “It was so cool, we got to teleport back to the floor!”
“Wow, that sounds exciting,” Dudley exclaimed, then looked at Harry with his brow raised, clearly asking what the whole ‘uncle’ thing was about. Harry shrugged.
“I see she;s in one piece,” Ginny remarked, walking up the drive behind harry. “Hi, I’m Ginny, Harry’s wife,” she introduced, shaking Dudley’s hand.”
“Dudley,” he replied, smiling.
“Hi!” Penelope wave.
“Hello munchkin,” Ginny grinned, looking down at the girl. “I see you went on an adventure today.”
“I did! It was fun!”
“Well, that’s always the best part, isn’t it?”
“Harry, I have an interesting name on the list of new students, this year,” Minerva smirked, turning to Harry.
“Oh yeah? And what would that name be?”
“Penelope Dursley,” Minerva replied. “Last time I heard, that was your aunt’s surname.”
“Yeah, she’s my cousin’s kid,” Harry replied. “Wicked smart, too. I’ll be shocked if she’s not in Ravenclaw when she gets sorted.”
“So you’ve met them?” Minerva asked. “How did that go?”
“Minnie, Dudley’s wife is the only reason I’m a teacher,” Harry deadpanned. “She has a knack for making people realise they’ve made stupid decisions.”
“Well, I could have told you that about being an Auror, but you were pretty adamant you wanted that as a career.”
“I was also fifteen and not a war hero,” Harry snarked, grinning.
Harry had been having fortnightly lunches with Dudley and his family over the past few years. Every so often, he would invite the three of them to his place, so Penelope could learn what it was like to be an underage witch or wizard with kids her own age.
Her father had a few heart attacks when the quidditch games started getting introduced, but with a few protective wards that Harry personally displayed actually worked, he was willing to watch and cheer on.
Penelope was accustomed incredibly well to the wizarding world, considering she was a muggleborn witch. She reminded Harry of Hermione, and that feeling had only grown as Hermione, Ron, and their kids had joined them all for lunch one afternoon.
Hermione had been pestered with questions all afternoon about being a muggleborn at Hogwarts, and Hermione had been excited to answer all of them.
“I suppose that is true,” Minerva agreed. “Besides, I’m glad you’re here now. But I do have something else to ask you.”
“Go on, then.”
“Our healer has resigned, as she’s gotten a wonderful job offer in Italy that even I would not pass up,” Minerva sighed. “I was wondering if you had anyone in mind to replace her?”
“Malfoy,” Harry replied instantly.
“If you two begin bickering in the hall’s again, it will not be Malfoy who gets in trouble, Mr Potter,” MInerva warned, though she was smiling. “You believe that Mr Malfoy will be a good pikc?”
“Good? He’ll be great!” Harry corrected. “I called for Malfoy when James snapped his femur clean in two last year. Malfoy is great with kids, he’d be perfect here – if he accepts the job offer, after all.”
“I’m sure he will, considering he had written to me a couple of years ago asking if there was a position open,” Minerva admitted. “Alright then. Malfoy to offer a job to, and a certain Penelope to go and visit.”
“May I ask a favour?”
“Well, that all depends on what it is, Harry,” Minerva smiled.
“May I join you in visiting the Dursley’s? It’s been a while since all of us have been free to have lunch…and Dudley might take it better if I’m there. The wizarding thing still makes him uneasy, despite it being years.”
“Of course you can,” Minerva easily replied. “Besides, if you’ve told stories from your time here at Hogwarts, somebody needs to be there to explain that it’s not all bad.”
“You just want to put me in my place, don’t you?”
“Oh, of course I do, Potter.”
“Mum, I need to tell you something, and I need you to listen to me well. Can you do that for me?” Dudley asked, looking at Harry with fear in his eyes as he spoke on the phone.
Minerva and himself had visited over a month ago, and Penelope was now all set to attend school in two weeks time. The trip to Diagon Alley had been completed with Harry, though he had been under a disillusionment charm at the time, so he wouldn’t get recognised.
Now, Dudley was on the phone to Petunia, to tell her that Penelope would be attending Hogwarts with Albus and James, and to set the record straight about his, and her, thoughts on the wizarding world.
For what it was worth, Harry didn’t see this going well. At all.
“Of course, Dudders!” Petunia simpered through the phone. Harry had placed a charm on it so he could hear what she was saying. He was curious, and Dudley allowed it.
“Penelope is a witch, mum,” Dudley informed her, in a rushed, quiet voice. “Just like Harry is. She’s going to be attending Hogwarts with Harry’s sons, Albus and James, and I will not have you insulting wizards and magic around my daughter, or myself, again. One negative word about them out of you when you’re with me, and I will never be speaking to you again.”
Oh, harsh. Harry was impressed with Dudley right now. That took some confidence to be able to do. Luckily, Alice and Penelope were out running errands, and didn’t have to hear this. Penelope didn’t know what her grandmother thought of wizards and witches, and neither of her parents wanted this to be how she found out.
“I’m – Dudders, what are you saying? Your little Penelope is one of them?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Dudley replied. “And if you insult them in any way, I will no longer be speaking to you, and you won’t be able to see Penelope again. I cannot have you insulting wizards – her own community – around her, or me.”
Harry nodded, a smile on his face.
That smile dropped into a frown when they heard the dial tone.
“Well, that went better than I thought it would,” Dudley admitted, hanging up the phone. “I honestly thought she would have started screaming at me first.”
“I think you’re right about that, Dudley,” Harry sighed. “She wasn’t the best when we were growing up, was she?”
“You’re downplaying it again,” Dudley countered, smirking at harry. “I won’t forget about that bloody cupboard any time soon.”
“Merlin, neither will I.”
Harry decided to stay for a while. And Merlin, was he glad he did, because less than ten minutes later, Vernon and Petunia had let themselves into Dudley’s house, both as pale as a sheet.
“Mum, dad, you need to tell me if you’re coming over unannounced!” Dudley cried. “For all you knew, Penelope could have been here!”
“Or Harry, for that matter, as you two are clearly in contact with one another,” Vernon grumbled, shaking his head. “Why you are talking with that boy is beyond me.”
“Harry’s here,” Dudley replied, arms crossed and his stare cold.
“Uncle Vernon. Aunt Petunia. Long time no see,” Harry grinned, walking into the room. He was basking in their discomfort, and he loved it.
“Oh – I…Harry,” Vernon gulped. “So good to see you.”
“Jesus, Dad, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Dudley sighed. “It’s just Harry! Bloody Hell, both of you need to get a grip.”
“Dudders,” Petunia whispered.
“Mum,” Dudley replied. “What are you here for?”
“I want to say that…that we won’t say anything bad. About Penelope,” she informed. “Or Harry either, for that matter. We won’t.”
“Good. That's the bare minimum, I guess, but it’s good nonetheless. I expected screaming and tears, truth be told,” Dudley replied, shrugging.
“What? Why?” Vernon boomed.
“Need I remind you that you locked Harry in a cupboard under the stairs for being a wizard?” Dudley asked. Harry choked on his tea.
“I – well–”
“Dad, you’re lucky he didn’t press charges as soon as he turned eighteen,” Dudley sighed.
“I honestly forgot, with everything that had happened, and was happening,” Harry admitted. “You guys weren’t really in my thoughts.”
“What…what happened?” Petunia asked. “What were you doing?”
“I’d fought and ended a war, then went to over fifty funerals for the people who had died in the final battle,” Harry deadpanned, looking his aunt and uncle dead in the eyes. “I was a bit preoccupied with that, as well as my job, to be thinking of my shitty childhood.”
“I…”
“Mum. Dad. You’ve said your piece, now go,” Dudley ordered, pointing at the door. “If you go back on your word, I’m still going to stop speaking to you.”
“Okay, Dudders,” Petunia whispered. “We’ll go. And…thank you, for telling us. And Harry, I’m sorry.”
“Apology not accepted,” Harry grinned. “But I’m willing to be civil. My wife won’t be, and nor will my mother-in-law. Pray that you never meet them.”
Harry smiled as he looked down at the Ravenclaw table, and met Penelope’s eyes. She had been sorted into the house Harry knew would fit her best. He’d made a bet with Minerva on it, too, and had won.
Minerva saw Hermione in Penelope, and had guessed Gryffindor.
The shock that came to most of the school, however, was Albus being sorted into Slytherin. The entire student body had gasped, while the faculty had all frozen in their seats – most of all Malfoy.
Harry caught Albus’ eye as soon as the boy had turned to him, fear in his eyes. Harry had simply smiled, and began to clap. It alleviated Albus’ worries, and the rest of the school started to clap along with Harry, no longer terrified of the Defence teacher’s reaction.
The feast went along without a hitch.
“Potter.”
“Malfoy,” Harry grinned, turning around to face the man next to him. “How weird is it to be up here, in the teacher’s stands?”
“Very,” Malfoy admitted after a moment. “I never thought I would end up back here.”
“Neither did I, truthfully,” Harry admitted. “It took some convincing.”
“From Ginerva?”
“Penelope’s mother, actually,” Harry smiled.
“Penelope…the Dursley girl sorted into Ravenclaw?”
“The very same,” Harry grinned. “She’s my niece, technically my first cousin once removed. Her mother is a muggle mind-healer, and basically told me that being an Auror was making me miserable and I should quit.”
“And you did? Just like that?” Malfoy asked, shocked.
“No, it took about four years of further convincing, mainly from Ginny and Hermione,” Harry sheepishly admitted. “I don’t regret it, though. It’s…calmer, here. I get to rest.”
“From the fight?”
“From the fight.”
Dudley and Alice,
Penelope was sorted into Ravenclaw! That’s the blue house we talked about, the smart one. Minerva was not happy to lose the bet we had. She was certain Penelope was going to be a Gryffindor (brave house) just like I was.
I knew she would be wrong, of course. Your Penelope is too smart for her own good, sometimes.
She seems to be settling in nicely. Albus, James and Penelope are all in different house groups, but as the houses are allowed to mingle across tables starting on the first day of school, I’m sure they’ll find the time to cause trouble in the halls.
She made some friends at her table already, all first years just like herself. She’s going to be wonderful here, I can see it now.
I wanted to take this time to say thank you, which I realise I did not do enough these past few years.
You trusted me, especially you, Alice, when you really did not have the means to do so. It meant more than I cared to admit when you called, asking for my help, only for you to sit me down and be wholly interested in the life Penelope was about to, and has started to lead.
You put aside your previous ignorance and welcomed the wizarding world better than many people would have, and took the time to learn about it, for your daughter’s sake.
So, thank you, for letting me be a part of your life once more, Dudley, and thank you for letting me join yours, Alice.
Penelope is going to be great.
- Harry.
P. S: I won’t go easy on her if she gets into trouble, nor in classes. I am about to become her least favourite uncle, so be prepared to hear a few complaints from her about that.