Redemption (Dudley Dursley)

II. Dudley.

He didn't know what to think. There was simply so much going on in his head that every single thought in his brain was tangling together into knots that would never come loose- or at least not for a very long time. Yes, Dudley had been contemplating looking for a way to get in contact with his cousin he hadn't seen in three years again but he definitely didn't expect Harry to be the first to get in touch. How did Harry even know his new address? They hadn't spoken since Dudley simply stated as they packed up to leave the home they grew up in that he didn't think he was a waste of space.

He smiled gently as he remembered his cousin's shocked but pleased look that crossed his face. He knew he was a long way off any kind of forgiveness that he is sure he will likely never get. The cousin that he had slowly convinced himself that he hated every single gut in his body had reached out first after three years. So, Dudley stared down at the strange paper in his hands, not knowing what to do. One part of him wanted to tear it to shreds and never want to get into contact with Harry again. The other side of him wanted to rip open the silver/blue seal and savour every part of the letter.

Dudley Vernon Dursley.

Harry's name might not have been on the yellowish stained material, but he could recognise that messy yet very cursive handwriting from a mile away if he was asked to identify it. Felicity was still standing a couple of metres from him, wanting to know exactly what was going through her fiancé's head. She knew this was a lot for him to take in so she stood awkwardly with the wild bird seed in her palm whilst she tried to ignore the painful pecking as the owl's beak nipped at her milky white skin. She had never seen an owl up close before so for her to know there was one not only in her kitchen, but one that was eating out of her outstretched hand was a strange thing for the petite blonde girl.

After a few minutes of agonising silence, Dudley had made up his mind. He sat the letter down on the table and left the room in search for his letter opener- hoping it could break through the stiff wax seal. He had tried to open it with his fingers but it just wasn't happening. The couple had to open a fair few letters this morning anyway because as a successful businessman and a trainee dentist, they got a lot of the white paper envelopes through their letterbox.

He picked up the silver item and walked back into the kitchen and frowned at seeing the owl had flown away. Felicity walked over and shut the window once more. Dudley walked up behind her and pulled her in for a gentle hug but she got the hidden meaning behind the gesture. She had never lost contact with a family member before (at least, not a direct one), never mind lost contact for three years so she couldn't lie by saying that she knew what he was thinking. All Felicity knew was that her husband-to-be needed her support as this was a very big thing for him.

She sat down with him at the large table in their even larger kitchen whist Dudley worked at breaking the seal. Eventually it snapped in half and the weird paper revealed its contents. With shaky hands he pulled out the large letter. Parchment. He suddenly remembered the type of paper they used in Harry's world. He had only ever seen it once and that was when he saw Harry writing a practise essay for one of his lessons. Dudley might not have said it out loud but he was genuinely intrigued to know what a wizarding school was like. Felicity placed her small hand over his trembling larger hand as an act of reassurance as Dudley finally opened the letter to read what was written inside.

You are probably wondering why I am writing to you, big D. It has been three years now but it is only now after a lot of encouraging from friends to try and get back in touch with you. I'm sure you've already heard about the outcome of the war- and yes, I did win. Still, many people died but because of that many people lived. I'm not going to get into all the details with you through a letter as there is far too much to explain.