For Marsetta, I hope you like it!

Word Count: 560

a hero in his own right

Dudley Dursley had long since stopped to think of himself as a hero.

Just about every child saw themselves and their parents as such and he, too, had done so when he was young. They were protecting the world from his cousin, the Freak, after all.

Then those horrible things—Dementor they were called—had opened his eyes.

They were no heroes.

(He wished they were, but it was not)

They were the bullies, the villains that the innocent suffered from and the heroes fought.

Dudley Dursley was many things, but a hero he most certainly was not.

And yet, here he was.

How many thing must have gone wrong that he seemed like the hero on this situation?

The day had started perfectly normal.

He had reluctantly rolled out of bed at six thirty and followed his morning routine to a t.

Breakfast (eggs and toast-that was the only thing he could manage), Shower, brushing his teeth, getting dressed, and leaving the house; nothing unusual with that.

He had gotten into his car and driven to his work as he did it every single day.

There were exactly zero unusual thing before he got to his office and zero once he was in it, too.

Nothing could have suggested the turn his life would take later that day.

(Nothing ever changed much, so he changed)

On mid day, during his lunch break, Dudley decided to leave the building to stretch his legs.

He had still a bit of unnecessary weight and moving as often as possible was the easiest way to reduce it—or at the very least keep it steady.

He had lost the majority of it, but a stubborn rest remained.

Dudley couldn't risk sweating, so he simply walked around the block once. Sometimes, he would choose to walk a larger distance. Sometimes he would get someone to join him. Occasionally, he would make two rounds.

He just had to change things up a bit, otherwise he would go crazy and Dudley had no idea how his parents didn't.

(But maybe they had gone insane years ago)

He turned around the corner and saw a lonely kid, maybe six years old at most.

That was already strange by himself, but what made it truly odd was that the kid appeared to be all bloody and beaten. Also just about ready to cry as he looked the street up and down repeatedly.

Dudley glanced around, but for some reason, no one else saw the kid.

(Magic was weird like that)

Dudley approached with some hesitation.

"Hey," he said as he crouched down to meet the kid's height. "Can I help you? Are you looking for someone?"

The kid sniffed and looked up to Dudley.

"S-someone took me away from my Uncle Harry. I don't know where he is.

Harry? How likely was it that it was his cousin?

(Not at all and the universe does not do coincidences)

"Is your uncle Harry Potter by any chance?" Dudley questioned on the off chance that was.

The kid perked up. "Yes!"

"I might be able to help you, then."

(He finds an owl waiting for him at home. He gives the kid a hot chocolate and writes to his cousin)

And somehow, he is hailed as a hero for finding that boy.

And maybe, just maybe he is one. In his own right.

Please tell me what you think!

~Marvelgeek42