Note: So, I'm a huge HP fan. I read the books as they came out way back when, and have been reading FP fanfic since it was a thing. I also loved the movies (not that there's anything like the original book!) and have recently listened to all of the audiobooks, narrated by Stephan Fry (you should listen if you haven't!).

I've never written HP fanfic. I've written dozens and dozens of other fics, in fandoms ranging from Doctor Who to Roswell to Buffy. (all on )

I had a dream weeks ago, maybe months, where Vernon Dursley became friends with the Marauders early on in his and Petunia's relationship, and it changed everything.

Every time I think about HP, that dream pops back up in my mind, and so instead of wondering what would happen, I sat down today and wrote for like 5-6 hours. Please be kind, I haven't written in years, and no one checked this.

The Strength to Start Over

'For what it's worth: It's never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start over.' – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Chapter One: Mr and Mrs Dursley

Mr and Mrs Dursley of Number 4, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. Well, Mrs Dursley was. Mr Dursley didn't give a toss what anyone else thought of him, and secretly thought being a little strange was a bit of a badge of honour.

Vern Dursley was honest enough about himself to admit that had his life taken a different path, he would have been a nasty and bitter man, potentially with the same obsession with being normal that his wife seemed to have.

He was also clever enough to know that if he shared all of his thoughts out loud to his wife, she'd make his life very miserable indeed. So instead, he kept his mouth shut, and with every year that passed in their sham of a marriage, the life that he lived outside of these four very normal walls became more and more separate to hers.

If you asked him to be even more honest, Vern would admit that if it hadn't been for their son Dudley, he would have left Petunia long ago. But he was a proud man, and he wasn't going to walk out on his son – hell, he wasn't going to let him be raised in the spoilt and mollycoddled way that Petunia seemed to be set on.

As he bounded down the stairs, and made his way into the kitchen, Vern cheerfully bellowed "Dud my lad! Are you ready for a day out with your old man?"

Rosy cheeked, and slightly plumper than normal for a baby – no, toddler – of his age, Dudley raised his arms in the air and grinned "Dad dad dad!"

Petunia scowled at the pair. Why on earth her husband couldn't work an ordinary job like every other husband in the street she didn't know. She had no idea what had gotten into him 3 years ago. His personality and drive for normality had taken a sudden u-turn, and he'd quit his very normal office job at Grunnings Drills, and started, of all things, his own landscaping business.

She grimaced slightly, watching Vernon pluck Dudley from his high chair, and in a slightly desperate manner she shrieked "Vernon! He hasn't finished eating yet!"

Vernon laughed, which only made Petunias face look pinched and anxious.

"Pet, darling, he's already over fed as it is. He's fine. I'll get him some lunch while we're out. He's not going to starve."

And with that, Petunia stared after Vernon as he grabbed the nappy bag from behind the door, and chatting away to Dudley walked out into the hallway, shutting the front door behind him without so much as a goodbye.