Redemption (Dudley Dursley)

IV. Dudley.

It was a rather nice day today, not too hot yet not too cold. The sun was beating down on him but the breeze that was circulating in the air provided the perfect contradiction. Dudley watched the other people on his walk because he unfortunately gained Petunia's nosey personality. The main difference between that though was that he did respect people's privacy and wouldn't get in on it like his mother would. He checked his watch as he rounded a corner to see that he still had ten more minutes. It still shocked him when he entered the centre of London from the outskirts where he lived. He always found it strange how such a quiet neighbourhood could almost immediately turn into such a bustling area.

He tucked his arms into his side so as not to accidentally bump into someone who might have bitten his ear off as that has happened far too many times to count. His stomach was still twisting into extremely uncomfortable positions the closer he got to the practically abandoned side street that he was heading to. The reason he chose such a quiet area was simple. He didn't want a lot of noise during this talk. Internally, his brain was still battling itself over everything but this was the right thing to do.

The next few minutes seemingly went by in a split second because Dudley soon realised that he was stood directly outside the quaint little café that is almost always deserted. It wasn't a surprise that hardly anyone ever came here since there are over a dozen restaurants only a couple of streets away. He was glad that there was only what he presumed an elderly couple in the far corner to hide away from everything. He figured that they wanted some peace and quiet so he chose a booth also near the back which was still in view of the door so Harry wouldn't walk in and think he had ditched.

He quickly glanced through the small menu to decide what to get so he wouldn't have an excuse to stall speaking with his cousin. A few minutes had passed and Dudley was beginning to feel like Harry was not coming when he heard a rather strange sound come from outside. He didn't know what it was. It sounded like a cross between a firework and a burst fuse. He couldn't think much of it because the door opened and in walked someone Dudley had not seen in person for over three years- he could recognise him from anywhere.

The month younger man looked around before his eyes landed on Dudley. At first he didn't do anything and his face held confusion but Dudley knew the reason. The last time Harry had saw him he was twelve stone heavier in weight and he was now practically nothing but muscle. Harry's eyes widened in shock when it finally clicked and he walked over- albeit cautiously- to slip into the booth on the opposite side. For a few minutes the two strangers who were cousins stared at each other, noting one another's appearances. Physically, Harry had not changed much, Dudley noted. His hair was still that same midnight black and resembled a bird's nest which had been destroyed by a tornado and he still had electric green eyes. Round glasses sat on his nose and he realised that they were slightly different to the ones he wore until he was seventeen. They were smaller, and the framing was not quite as thick as he remembered. However, the one thing that Dudley was staring at was his scar- a lightning bolt directly above his right eyebrow.

Physically, he really hadn't changed much and for a second, Dudley only saw him as the boy he had bullied for sixteen years of his life- causing him to feel sick now. He really wasn't that same boy anymore. He wasn't even a boy anymore; he was a man. The pair continued to stare intensely at one another, not knowing what to say out loud because both had their minds becoming a giant maze inside of their heads. They both snapped their intense stare when a waitress walked over to take their order. Dudley went simple, a Cornish pasty and a black coffee. Harry got the same food as Dudley but he got a cappuccino instead. This was one fact that Dudley knew about Harry- he absolutely hated pure coffee but he loves his cappuccinos. It was something anyway, he mused silently to himself.

"You lost weight."

It was quiet, so quiet that Dudley almost never caught it. He nodded a little and bit the inside of his cheek- a nasty habit he had developed over the years which Felicity absolutely hated. He looked up to stare into his cousins very observant green eyes which were darting over his entire physique, not quite believing it was his cousin. Dudley knew he would have acted like this because almost everyone he knew years ago had the exact same reaction as Harry right now.