6 Victory

Dudley knocked on his parents' door after they finished lunch. Petunia opened it, looking suspiciously at Bette, but waving them both in. The room was about the same as his, only having four chairs and a small table that his room lacked. Petunia waved them to sit and took her place on another chair. Vernon was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Dudely decided to act as if his father was sitting with them.

"Mom, Dad, you've already seen Bernadette, the girl that I met here and who became a very close friend." He could hear Vernon snort at the description. He didn't let that intimidate him. "Since we met, Bette has become a very important part of my life. I believe that her influence made me a much better man too. I want her to also stay in my life in the future. I asked her to marry me and she agreed."

Petunia looked as if she had just drunk the juice of a whole, unsweetened lemon. "Are you sure it's not premature? I mean, you're both so young. You know that people may change their minds after a while."

Dudley knew she would ask and had his answer ready. "The time here was not like living at home. Everything was more intensive, you know. Had I met her at home, I would have spent a few hours each week in her company, taking several years until I could say I really knew her. Due to the circumstances, we've spent almost every waking minute together, getting to know each other much better than many married couples. We both believe we're ready for such a commitment."

Petunia grimaced. "But isn't she..."

"A witch?" Dudley finished the question for her. "Yes, she is. As far as I can tell, she's very talented and knowledgeable, just as your sister had been, although I don't find it relevant. I love her for being the wonderful person she is, not for her talents or her looks, although I like them too."

Petunia seemed to become a bit warmer. "Well, Dudkins, if you're happy with her then…"

"OUT!" Vernon had evidently come out of bed. He was standing near the table, ominously pointing at the door. "Out, you two! I don't need another freak in the family. I won't accept this even if she bewitched me! Out you go and I never want to hear anything about you again!"

Vernon's face was red, almost violet, and the vein in his temple was inflated and throbbing, as if trying to jump out of his skin. Petunia looked at him, as if trying to make him change his mind, but he wasn't looking in her direction. He probably couldn't even see her in his rage. She turned her glance to her child. "You'd better go now. I'll talk to him later. And… good luck!"

Dudley nodded curtly, grabbed Bette's hand and walked out, not sparing his father a single glance. He still heard the door slamming behind him.

The visit with her parents was much pleasanter. "About time you proposed," Bette's father told him. "You've been experiencing the joys of matrimony for more than half a year without any of the obligations, and I was starting to worry. Now I know you're a decent chap."

"Oh, he would have proposed a week after we met, had I let him," Bette said, "but I was not ready to commit. Now I am."

"Have you thought about the future?" Her mother was the more practical one.

"Well, we both need to finish our studies, as the war took one school-year away from us. Then we shall need a place to live in and find some work," Bette said.

"Don't you want to get some academic studies first? They may improve your chances for a decent income," her father asked.

"There's no magical university in Britain. I may choose to study for my mastery as an apprentice, but I'm not sure I'd like it."

"And I'm not that great at studies, although Bette's influence may have helped a bit," Dudley admitted.

"Well, there's still time for you to decide. When do you want to get married?"

"As soon as I reach eighteen."

Her mother chuckled. "That probably means during October. It may pose a little problem."

Bette frowned. "What kind of problem?"

"Nothing too serious. Have you talked with your sister lately?"

"Not since we learned of the victory. Why?"

Her mother's smile seemed as bright as the sun. "Her boyfriend also proposed. They plan a wedding during October, just before going back to college. We can't shoulder two weddings so close, you know."

Bette only glanced at Dudley. He wondered if she could read his thoughts that way, and then recalled all the times he had known exactly how she felt about something with just a short glimpse at her face. "We can make it one wedding for both your daughters. That would be much easier for you and for your guests. Let me call Ann, so we can talk."

She returned alone a moment later. It took a few more minutes for Ann and her fiance to arrive, both looking quite red. Bette didn't let that disturb her. "Mom has just told me that congratulations are in order. We're very glad that you decided to get married. It also happens that Dudley and I decided to do the same. Now, I think it would be easier on everyone if we both get married at the same time. What do you say?"

Ann looked at her fiance and then smiled. "I see no problem, and I think it would be great to have the two weddings together."

As the women started talking about the wedding, Bette's father motioned Dudley to sit with him at the other corner of the room. "May I assume that it didn't go too well with your parents?" he asked in hushed tones.

"Yes, but how do you know?"

The man smiled. "I know my daughter. That visit annoyed her, but she tried not to show it. And then, you were also disturbed, and it wasn't due to being engaged. Can you tell me some more?"

Dudley sighed. "They're so… bigoted! I mean, my aunt and uncle were both magical. After they were murdered, Harry was brought to live with us, but they treated him awfully and taught me to act the same. They called him 'freak' because of his magic. Then, two years ago, something happened that made me realize the truth. Now, my mother seems willing to accept a magical person in the family, but my father wouldn't hear of that." He then shrugged. "Well, it's his choice. He can either accept us both or reject us both. There's no other way."

The man nodded understandingly. "Let's hope he chooses right, this time. Now, about that cousin of yours. I hope he got over the treatment you've given him. How is he?"

Dudley shrugged, yet couldn't dismiss the pride he was feeling about Harry. "I haven't seen him since we came here, a few days before you arrived, but Dedalus said he was alright."

The man started connecting the dots. "Your cousin, Harry, isn't he the Potter everybody is talking about?"

Dudley affirmed with a nod. "I never knew I would feel so proud to be related to him. I'm not sure he's proud being related to us, though."

The man nodded his head in agreement. "Well, back to you. If I understood correctly, you need to finish school and then maybe go to college. Will your parents help you?"

Dudley gave it a thought. "I think that they'd already paid for this year, that I missed. It may probably be used to cover the rest of my studies at Smelting. I don't think Dad would pay even a penny for me while I'm with Bette."

"You may not like it, considering it charity, but if your parents won't help you then we will. A proper education is a must, and as my daughter's husband, taking care of you is a part of making her happy. In a way, you are also our son now."

Dudley felt his eyes fill with tears and fought to contain them. "Thank you, Dad," he said, feeling much closer to this man than to Vernon Dursley. "It doesn't matter so much what I study or what I do, as long as I can make Bette happy, and I promise to do all that I can to keep her as happy as can be."

"That's all that I can ask from you, son," the man said, patting his shoulder.

\/\/\/\/\/\/

The house seemed to be a complete chaos, like every year at the same date. Dudley felt so proud, though. His youngest daughter, Lily, was going to join her brother and her sister on the train to Hogwarts. "Hurry up! The Potters will be here in a moment and you don't want to keep them waiting," he yelled at the staircase to the upper floor.

"Coming, Dad," he heard three voices answering almost in unison. A moment later, he could see his eldest floating her big trunk down, using her wand, followed by his son, who was dragging his trunk, although it seemed to be empty, by the way he was holding it. Dudley knew it was full and quite heavy, but the featherweight charm was, well… magic. Last came Lily, her trunk floating behind her, directed by Bette's wand. He only regretted their decision to stop at three. The house would be so empty while they were at school.

The doorbell rang. Lily ran to the door, opening it wide, as two boys and a little girl came in, followed by their parents.

"Aren't you excited, Lily? We're going to ride the express for the first time! Oh, I can't wait to see the castle! They say it's magnificent!"

Lily Potter chuckled. "One could think you've never been there. Don't forget you see it every time you come to visit us during school terms. Oh, and don't forget to call my parents 'Professor Potter' or you may lose points to your house."

Lily Dursley smiled. "But it isn't the same. This time we'll ride the train and the boats and eat at the great hall."

The brunette nodded. "True. I'm going to miss my bed in our apartment, as I'll have another one in the dorms."

The blonde didn't care. "Oh, it will be fantastic."

The parents were also talking. "So, Vernon got three magical grandchildren," Harry said, chuckling.

"Yes. Luckily he hadn't met any. He died of heart attack only a few months after the war," Dudley said.

"I remember getting the message that he had passed out after landing on our way back from honeymoon," Bette added.

"Now, please hurry. The morning traffic is quite heavy today," Hermione urged them.

The children smiled. They all knew how their aunt liked to be early, They were sure they'd need to wait another hour for the train to move, but nobody wanted to say anything to her. Their aunt was quite frightening when angered, and she was also their teacher. They had to stay on their best behavior. For now.

The chaos seemed to intensify as six children and four parents made their way back to the stretch limo that was waiting for them. The adults put the trunks in, made sure that everybody was buckled in and then took their own seats. It was just a normal start of year, after all.

A while later, as Dudley was waving at the departing train, he felt thankful for that year he'd been forced to hide. He'd learned what sex was and then what love meant. He'd enjoyed being with many girls; he'd made new friends, and most of all – he met Bette, who made it all possible. It had been the best year in his life.

A.N. As the last sentence hints, this is the end of the story. Although it didn't get as popular as other of my stories, I believe it to be on par with them, but Dudley is certainly not as popular as Harry. Still, those of you who read it, I thank you and I hope you enjoyed this story. I'm looking forward to publishing some more stories.

And as always, Please Review!