Redemption (Dudley Dursley)

IX. Harry & Dudley.

On the outskirts of a small village which was named after one of the four original founders of one of the greatest schools in the world of Witchcraft and Wizardry, only around ten miles from actually, stood a rather large sized house. When saying large, it wasn't mansion sized although the couple who lived there could easily afford a much larger and much more luxurious property. After all, the man was definitely one of the most famous people to have ever lived- and he was famous simply for living. The only thing he had which was a reminder of the fateful day that the mere year of his life in which he was a more normal toddler had disappeared and was thrust into a world of celebrity.

A part of himself that Harry had never even known about until his eleventh birthday. He shook his head to rid himself of the memories that surrounded him growing up because he had very few good ones. If he was being honest, the only one he could say was a genuinely good memory was when he accidentally made the glass disappear at London Zoo and Dudley had fallen into the enclosure. It wasn't exactly nice of him to laugh at his month older cousin who was freaking out in the small space but he didn't really know what else to do in the situation. He couldn't have felt bad for him because Dudley had made his life hell for ten years, he couldn't feel angry at him for being so stupid as to press his body so hard against the glass.

Laughing was the only thing he could have done in that situation and it had led to him being locked in the tiny cupboard that was his bedroom for a few days.

Whenever people would ask Harry why he had chosen to start forgiving his cousin, he replied that there was a man whom he had known for six years who was very much misunderstood and nobody had it in them to find out why he was so harsh to everyone- but his reasoning was incredible. This man had also made the years Harry was in school horrible and was only doubled more in his fifth year by the pink obsessed toad as himself, Ron and Hermione had begun nicknaming Dolores Umbridge after she was imprisoned in Azkaban for her wrongdoings.

Severus Snape. There really is no person who would have done all of the things he did simply for the right reason. Harry had never thought once that his constantly moody potions professor would quite literally kill a very close friend in order to fulfil his double spy identity. He had spent his entire school years along with the majority of other students in Hogwarts complaining about how strict he was and Harry had had way too many run-ins with him when he didn't want it. He can remember seeing a bright flash of green light that was so familiar to him because he had seen the curse in action a mere four times prior to that night.

The first time he remembers seeing the most unforgivable curse was when he was still a baby and to be fair, he can't even totally remember it. He can only remember seeing a young auburn haired woman looking at him, then that blinding shade that reminded him of venom, and a scream. That was it. The second time he had saw the horrible curse was when he watched completely horrified as a jolt of green light had hit Cedric in the centre of the chest- he had no hope. The third time he saw it was when he himself was duelling Tom Riddle (even though the majority of witches and wizards were still afraid of the name despite him being dead) after Cedric died. The last time he had saw the curse with his own eyes during his school years was when Bellatrix snuck up behind him and his godfather was the one who had gotten hit.

He scrunched his eyes shut because he always tried his best to not think about that at all if he could help it.

So when Harry gets asked why he was giving Dudley a chance to prove that he was not a spoiled bully anymore, he would say that no one gave Severus a chance when really he was possibly the bravest man Harry had ever known in his life. He knows that if he was asked personally to become a double spy and then have to kill a close friend to show 'allegiance' he would have said no straight out. It does sicken Harry a little that the one true reason he done it was because he loved Lily and had never gotten over her- it does truly sadden Harry.