Chapter: Chapter One: Dudley Un-demented
Author: King Harrison
Category: Action/Adventure
Sub-Category: Romance
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP,
Summary: Wherein Dudley asks questions and Harry reflects.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author Notes: First, thanks for reviews. (This fic was once under the name King Harrison and Harry Potter and the Ways of Learning. Second, those schnoogle-ers out there, I know this format is very similar to yours. Third, technically this fic is AU, since J.K.R. released the name of the sixth book (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince).
"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall"
–Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Chapter One: Dudley Un-dementedA boy of almost sixteen years lay on his bed reminiscing of an event that had happened a month before. The bedroom was cluttered with quills, parchment, books, and huge clothes. The bed, with a trunk embossed with a crest at its foot, sat in a corner of the room, with a nightstand next to it. He looked around, but he didn't care about the mess. He was more concerned with his thoughts about his godfather, Sirius Black. He just couldn't erase the memory of that last time he saw him.
Only one couple was still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.
The second jet of light hit him squarely in the chest.
The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock…
…It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place…
Nearly a month of people telling him that it wasn't his fault didn't help He still felt guilty. Why did Sirius have to try and save him? Why couldn't Harry have realized that the mirror (which lay broken on his nightstand) would communicate with Sirius? Why didn't he listen to Hermione? If he hadn't gone to the Department of mysteries…
A knock came at the bedroom door disturbing his train of thought. Harry growled "What do you want?"
"C-c-c-can I c-c-c-c-c-come i-in?" It was Dudley Dursley, Harry's fat idiot of a cousin. Although Dudley was a strong boxing champion, he still was a dumb idiot. He still was as fat as a small whale, but was currently following the diet that the school nurse as Smeltings sent home with him for the second time.
Harry grimaced. "Okay, why not? But, I warn you…"
Dudley opened the door to what was once his bedroom and said simply "You'll have your friends hex me. I know." Dudley was obviously remembering his other encounters with Harry's wizard friends. He hadn't forgotten how mean they looked or how scary, especially Mad-Eye with his rotating eyes.
"Exactly"
"I just wanted to ask you something." Dudley fidgeted as though Harry would be angry about the question.
"Okay, shoot." Harry glared at Dudley, silently and impatiently waiting for the question.
"Who is Sirius?"
Harry immediately became suspicious. "And you want to know because…?" Harry figured that he had been talking in his sleep again.
Dudley heaved a sigh. "There's this girl at Smeltings that I fancy, , but she said she wouldn't go out with me for two reasons. One, I'm too fat. Yes, that's why I'm actually obeying the diet" Dudley added that before Harry could say it. "Two, because I'm a rotten bully. So I've decided to turn a new leaf and be nice to people, and since I've always been meanest to you, that's where I figured I should start."
Harry though for a moment. "Alright then. If you really want to know,, Sirius was my godfather. He died last month..."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know" Harry noticed a certain sincerity in Dudley's voice.
"Didn't think you did. Was there anything else?" Harry glared at Dudley, wanting to get it over with.
"Actually, yeah. I want to know what you've been doing at that school of yours. You know, as a, er, Wizard." Dudley flinched as he said the last word.
He was still suspicious at his intent, but he figured he would be objective since he wasn't involved in his life in the wizarding world. He decided to take a chance with Dudley.
"You know what? I will. Let's see. Well, as a baby, the most evil wizard in the world tried to kill me…"
And so Harry told him. Harry told him about first year and the Sorcerer's stone. He told him how he and his friends went through dangerous obstacles to get through and how he'd faced the evil wizard once again in a different form. Harry told him about Ginny and the basilisk. Harry told him about meeting Sirius, and accidentally letting his parents' betrayer go. Harry told him about the Triwizard Tournament and how he'd witness one of his classmates get killed firsthand. He'd even told him about Quidditch. Harry even told him about the Department of Mysteries and the Prophecy.
"…THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES…BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT…AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES…. THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES.
"You know, Dudley, you're the first one I've told about the prophecy?" Harry felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of his chest.
"Yes, yes, whatever. But what does it mean?" Dudley looked overly blown over, and was shaking in fear of what the answer would be. He couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams all the things that Harry told him.
Harry sighed. "Basically, I have to kill him, or vice versa. If I live through this, he must be dead, or the other way around."
"Bloody hell! I never knew what you had to go through, Harry. I'm sorry for how I've treated you all of these years." Again, there was a certain sincerity in Dudley's voice.
"It's alright, Duds." Said Harry, smiling. Harry knew that he wouldn't have to grieve so much over Sirius anymore…the weight was off of his chest.
"So, Harry, about this Hermione? How long have you been dating?" He smirked a bit. He'd been dying to know since he'd heard Harry say her name in his sleep.
"WHAT? Me and Hermione, dating? Duds, you're insane, you know that right? Were just best friends."
"Whatever, Harry. Whatever"
"POTTER! Get down here and cook breakfast! NOW!"