Risen- Drarry COMPLETE

Chapter 19

—Harry POV—

The knocking came again- knuckles rapping loudly at the hard, solid wood.

I stood in front of the door frozen in fear as Draco, Ron, and Hermione stood by me. Swallowing, I opened the door, welcoming the party just on the other side, who had been knocking for a healthy three minutes.

My eyes widened in shock. The figure in front of me was almost unrecognizable. I gawked.

"Hey, Harry," Dudley greeted, shyly giving me his hand to shake. I blinked several times. He almost looks sick, and that's beside how strikingly different he looks.

"H-hi. Happy Christmas-" I immediately moved out of the way of the front door, gesturing them indoors. "P-please, come in."

He teetered through the threshold, looking, thankfully, less green now. Millicent Bulstrode strode in behind him.

"We apparated. It was his first time," she stated. I nodded my head in understanding.

My heart was in my throat and the pulsations could be felt from my neck, to my chest, to my fingertips. I had been nervous before to see Dudley, but now, I am utterly shocked at what's stood before me.

He really lost weight. I mean, really. He was slim, and fit, features defined. He looked healthy, almost brilliant- like a young man with a bright future awaiting him just around the corner. If I was just meeting him I would have never have even guessed that he was the same grotesque, spoiled boy who beat up on little kids and never cared for his own belongings. This man was not the same Dudley I saw two Christmases ago, and he was most certainly not the same Dudley I grew up knowing.

I was quickly pulled from my shock when Millicent sent a sneer to Draco right beside me. He shot a sneer right back at her, holding his hand over mine.

"So, Harry, who are these friends?" Dudley asked nervously. I looked up to face him, because yes, he had also gotten considerably taller in the past two years. He was now just barely taller than Ron, the tallest person in the house before Dudley.

"Ron and Hermione, my best friends from Hogwarts... and of course you know Draco."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Dudley Dursley- Harry's cousin."

I stiffly guided the group down the hallway, towards the dining room, where Draco and I had previously set up a small turkey, mashed potatoes, spring vegetables, and pudding for lunch.

"Lunch is hot and ready!" I said with a nervous chuckle. "Go ahead and take a seat, please."

The tensions were high, and Draco decided to pull me along with him to fetch Scorpius from upstairs. The small detour was what  I needed to finally force myself to breathe again. Being away from everything and just with Draco and Scorpius gave me a subtle sense of comfort for a spilt second.

When we got downstairs I noticed that Hermione had taken to serving everyone.

"Hello Scorpius, Happy Christmas!" She greeted.

"Hi Hermione," He responded, running towards her excitedly and taking his place at the table. "Where's Rose?"

"At her grand mum's," answered Ron. "You'll see her tonight, though," he said with a smile. Draco sat next to Scorpius, and I sat next to him, with Ron on my other side, and Hermione at the head of the table. Dudley sat across from me, and Millicent across from Draco.

"So, how have you been, Harry?" Asked Dudley after clearing his throat. I looked at him for a second before responding.

"Things are good, fine, really. There's not much going on, really." At this I heard a snicker from Millicent, then a sharp thunk under the table. Draco and Millicent were staring each other down fiercely. Then, while keeping a challenging eye on Draco, she spoke.