Fear is the greatest emotion, and it is the most difficult to overcome. Dudley had heard this saying for years but not once did he ever take it seriously except on one prior occasion. Even then though he had managed to get over it. Yes, it did take him two whole months with fighting numerous horrible thoughts in his mind after that day when himself and Harry were attacked by dementors but it could have taken an awful lot longer. This time though, his fear was a lot stronger because at least to an extent he knew what was going on the last time he had felt so scared but this time he didn't know a single thing.
Then again, he didn't even know if he should feel scared or not. It could possibly be a false alarm despite this scenario being very unlikely or it might not even be anything bad at all. It is horrible knowing that something is most likely going to occur that is going to turn his life upside down once again but having not a single clue of when it is going to happen. Just a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach similar to how people feel when they are sick. He wasn't sick though and he knew the real reason why he was so scared of whatever was going to be thrown in his direction. There were two main reasons really for it. The first being that there was no way he was going to be able to defend himself if something bad happened considering he possesses zero magical blood in him (in that way), and the second being he doesn't want his loved ones to be targeted in order to get to him.
Despite Harry warning him that he needs to tell people of this new and potentially dangerous knowledge, he didn't want to worry anyone about it. Felicity to an extent knows just how bad things have gotten in the past but Petunia always tended to block things out and just pretend that nothing at all was happening in the first place. As each day passed, it was getting less awkward between his mother and cousin. Considering Harry had essentially forgiven her and she had forgiven herself it wasn't difficult for them to just get over everything and move on with their lives. Dudley was having a much harder time in forgiving himself.
It had taken Petunia over twenty years to do so, would it take him just as long? Dudley sure hoped not because he didn't want to be wracked with this amount of guilt for a long time. He just simply had no idea how to go about getting over everything that had happened between the two of them. This was why he didn't want to bring other people into the whole mess and he tells himself that this is his reasoning as to why he has not told Petunia or Felicity about this whole prophecy thing. He knows deep down though that this isn't the case at all and he is really just trying to put off everything and just let it all play out.
Felicity was worried for him; he hadn't failed to notice. Considering they lived together and over the time they have been a couple for she had learned each and every little quirk to Dudley. She knew that he was nervous over something and it was slowly driving her insane at his persistent excuses that things were fine. For one, he was going to the gym more often than he used to on his own. He very rarely did that- maybe once every month so that set her on edge. Secondly, he wasn't being as careful with his food choices and was willingly eating really unhealthily. He has been very self-conscious over his body and was desperate to keep in topmost shape ever since he lost all of his childhood fat. Thirdly, he was spending a lot more time at work than normal. Whenever he could stay out of office he always did and relied simply on his laptop and sending emails.
So yes, Felicity definitely knew something was up with Dudley and she wanted to know what it was. He was obviously not planning on telling her anytime soon and she knew that Harry wasn't going to tell her anything considering he would just tell her to let Dudley let her know on his own terms. She didn't know anyone else apart from one person who may know what is going on and this was why she had sneakily tied a letter to Arnold's claw when letting him out for his nightly rendezvous behind her husband's back. She got her reply around 4P.M. the next day and right now she was waiting near King's Cross train station waiting on a familiar redhead to appear.
Some people looked at Felicity as they walked past considering Dudley's name was popping up more in the news which meant her face was also occasionally popping up as well. She doesn't really like the attention she gets because of whom she is married to but that comes with being in a relationship with a hugely successful businessman now. The whole time she picked a little at her pale blue nail varnish and twisted her hair away from her face to try and pass the time. She didn't want to just go and get something to eat without Ginny because she didn't want the younger woman to think she had just ignored her so she just had to wait.
Only a few minutes had passed before she heard a familiar crack from close by telling her someone had indeed apparated. Nobody else was paying attention to the noise and continued with their everyday lives which the blonde was happy with as it meant she wasn't the centre of attention once again. For someone who was so hyperactive, she was really not a sociable person. Like she had thought, a familiar shade of burnt orange was in her vision and she walked over to meet her friend to greet her.
It was the younger woman's idea to meet here for once instead of closer to the centre of London where they usually met. They were still pretty close to the city centre but they both knew that they wanted to just go somewhere that was very private. Despite the younger not yet knowing the older that well despite them striking up an incredible friendship- Ginny knew that Felicity simply wanted to talk about something. She also had an inkling as to what it was because Harry had told her indirectly that Dudley would most likely not tell her. After all, he himself had to go into exile when things happened in the wizarding world and he doesn't want to put those he loves through the same situation.
It wasn't difficult for him to hide it from Petunia considering he has not seen his mother for a while so she wasn't suspicious of what was going on. This was probably a good thing to an extent because she would not keep her nose out of it and that would probably get her into an awful lot of trouble. Sometimes being nosey can be a good thing but in his mother's case this definitely was not true. Petunia might not trust people easily but that doesn't stop her from asking numerous questions from some people she should not trust no matter the circumstances. Felicity jumped a little bit when Ginny clicked her fingers in front of her face to take her out of her slight trance that she seemed to be in which caused her to laugh and the older to give her a fake annoyed look which didn't last for very long.
They had simply just gone to a very small café which had only one other occupant in it so this meant the two women had privacy for this talk. Felicity helped out Ginny a little bit considering she was still not used to muggle food but she was beginning to get the hang of things. It didn't take long for their food to arrive and the pair chatted about their own respective lives despite Ginny finding it odd that Felicity made a living out of fixing teeth. That just didn't sound appealing to her in the slightest but she couldn't complain because she made a living out of playing a very fast-paced sport occasionally hundreds of feet in the air.
Speaking of Quidditch, the world cup was only a week away and she had practise to go to later. She had been speaking with Harry about asking Dudley and Felicity to join them to the event. The only thing that was keeping Harry from actually asking them was that he knew they would have to integrate both sides of the family together. Ginny was nervous about introducing Dudley to her side of the family considering a couple of her brothers had seen Harry's treatment first hand and they would not appreciate the older cousin being there. Even though Ginny had told her immediate family that he had indeed changed they were all still rather wary. At least it was for good reasons considering Harry was like another family member to them long before he married Ginny.
"So, what is it?"
Ginny just asked straight out the question that was niggling in the back of her mind. Felicity gave her a startled look since she didn't expect the younger to figure it out so quickly that this was not just another meet-up as friends and was indeed something more serious. She made a small squeaking noise to showcase this which caused the younger to snort a little in amusement but she held in her laughter that was desperate to escape. She could see the blonde's resistance and she didn't want to make her anymore uncomfortable than she already was.
"It's Dudley. He doesn't think I've noticed but I'm not stupid- I know him too well. He's keeping something from me and it is really annoying me."
Ginny only nodded which confused the older woman. She stared into her eyes for a little and she immediately got her answer as to why the younger was not shocked. She was about to ask what it was that was going on but the younger bet her to it.
"I really shouldn't be saying anything but I can tell that it is really annoying you, so I'll tell you what I know."
Felicity leaned forward so her elbows were resting on the table and her chin was rested on her open palms in interest. Ginny sighed a little bit because she didn't want to go against her husband's wishes on this matter but she also didn't want to lie to her friend.
"A few days ago Harry was in work and someone who works in a different department summoned him and Hermione- my sister in law, you've not met her yet. They found a prophecy and it appears as though it is centred around Dudley and possibly yourself and Petunia."
Felicity's mouth fell open now in shock, that was the last thing she expected. She wasn't surprised at the prophecy thing considering her aunt had told her things during the second war. It shocked her though that it appeared to situate on her husband because she knew that these kinds of prophecies normally only ever predicted the futures of those who actually possessed magic. Dudley didn't, neither did herself or Petunia. This was a very weird thing and she could now kind of understand why Dudley didn't want to tell her this because he is obviously worried for the two of them.
She wanted to know more but she could tell from Ginny's expression that it was all she knew so she had to settle with the little information she had been given on the matter. She just had to settle on getting it out of Dudley whenever he got home today. It seemed that he was trying to avoid her at all means and Felicity cannot deny that it hurt a little but she understood why he was like this. The two of them stayed there for roughly another hour before going their separate ways once more considering Ginny had practise very soon that she needed to attend.
Multiple scenarios were playing in Felicity's mind once she did get home, and what made it worse was that there wasn't even much for her to do to keep her occupied in order for her to take her mind off of this. She's never really been someone who watched television to pass the time and there was only one other thing she could do. Therefore, she let her fluffy pink pet wander around but even he didn't do much. He simply ran up her front and nestled into her neck which tickled her neck a little but it was far too adorable a sight. So she leaned back being careful not to accidentally crush her pet and just fell asleep for a little.
She looked around in shock, her head aching ever so slightly from whatever it was that was used to knock her unconscious. It appeared that she was in some kind of cell but it wasn't dirty- it was actually surprisingly clean. This confused her and she got up from the floor she was lying on and wandered around a little trying to figure out what had happened. She had just taken a walk in the park and she just remembers seeing a strange colour of light out the corner of her eye but she didn't have time to see where it had actually come from before her vision was clouded with darkness.
There wasn't anything in the room at all- not even a window so she could try to figure out her whereabouts. Strangely though, she wasn't scared even though it looked as though she had been kidnapped. She'd had a strange feeling for a few days so was this the reason why? It certainly seemed plausible considering her current circumstances. She jumped a little when the door opened slightly and nerves kicked in at some kind of creature. She'd never seen one of these before she wasn't sure whether she should be afraid of it or not.
"The mistress wants you, follow."
It was certainly a male voice so at least she now knew something about this thing. She still didn't want to follow but he clicked his long fingers (if they could even be called fingers) and she found herself indeed following. It was like she was being commanded to do something, a bit like there was something stuck inside of her forcing her to do things. She didn't know what it was though and now she was beginning to get scared. She was led into a very grand room decorated mostly with a deep forest green and a blinding shade of silver. The décor of the place looked to be a gothic/Victorian style and from the size of the room she was in it was obvious she was in some kind of mansion.
Felicity stopped in her footsteps and stayed still on the spot despite her now wanting to run. She wanted out of here right now. No matter how much thought she put into it she still couldn't move from her position. The creature had clearly done something to her for her to not be in control of her own body. The large double doors which were designed with so much care swung open and a woman stormed in followed by three other people- two male and one female. She appeared to be in her forties possibly and her wild curly black locks looked like they hadn't been brushed in a very long time. Skin as white as snow but held numerous scars which looked to have come from battle. Lips such a deep red it looked like blood and eyes so wild Felicity would have thought they belonged to a wild animal of some kind.
"So this is the girl, eh?"
The creature nodded to the woman in question and two of the four other people grabbed one arm each and just like that she could move again. She started to squirm and attempted to get an angle in which she could get in a powerful kick but it just wasn't happening. Reluctantly she stopped in her movements and glared at the crazy woman and what seemed equally crazy man who were looking at her with sadistic smiles on their faces. She heard a very creepy laugh but she wasn't entirely sure where it was coming from considering she was more focused on what was going on and not on the sounds around her.
"You've done well Zant, your services are not needed currently."
So that was the creatures name. She stared as it leaned over in a very comical bow before disappearing with another loud crack. She jumped a little in shock which caused the four people she was with to cackle at her shock. The female who was holding her spoke just loud enough so the people could hear what she was saying;
"Looks like someone has never seen a house elf before."
Felicity's gaze glanced around the room still trying to figure out what was happening. They clearly wanted her for something but for what? All she did know was that the other people in the room were witches and wizards. Now she stiffened in fright because that meant there was no way she could defend herself no matter what- she wasn't magic. Her fear was growing now to the point she could feel her heart thumping against her ribcage and her breathing was getting a little ragged. Despite this she managed to ask;
"Who are you? What do you want with me?"
The crazy woman stepped forward whilst chuckling deeply in her throat until she was only a few centimetres from the blonde woman's face. Her lips pulled into a large smirk showing off her teeth ever so slightly. She lifted her hand a little and gently caressed her cheek which caused Felicity to jump back and she had to resist the urge to spit on her face because she knew then she would be in serious trouble. She didn't want to get into any more trouble than she was currently.
"Well what a pretty little girl, I believe your lovely aunt Hestia knows who I am. Such a pity, a truly lovely face yet keeping something. Let me educate you sweetheart. This is Kyra, that is Yaxley, this is my husband Rodolphus, and I am Bellatrix. As to what I want with you, you have something of mine I believe, a choker. Now where is it?"
Kyra and Yaxley both tightened their grips on her so there was no way she was escaping. What was she talking about? What is so important about a choker? After all, it is only a piece of jewellery and not anything special. She shook her head and spoke for the first proper time since she had woken up;
"I don't know anything; I don't have a choker. I never have had one nor do I know where one is."
A cold hand slapped her hard across the face causing her head to knock to the side.
"Don't lie!"
"I'm not lying! I don't know anything!"
Tears started falling from her eyes at quite a hard rate as her fear grew more. She wasn't sure who it was but someone grabbed the back of her hair so she couldn't move her head and was forced to look into Bellatrix's furious face. Suddenly her expression twisted into a sickly sweet one and the other three laughed merrily because they clearly knew what she was going to do. She pulled what could only be her wand from her midnight black robe and pointed it directly at Felicity's chest.
"Let me tell you girl, I don't appreciate liars. I gave you a chance to tell me where my choker is and you won't tell me even though you clearly have it. I gave it to my sister, but that Potter managed to get a hold of it and you know him- therefore you must know something. Such a shame, really."
Felicity cried even harder now but she didn't have much time to react before Bellatrix looked at her husband and nodded. He stepped forward and also aimed his wand towards the petite woman, both of them saying one word;
"Crucio!"
Just like that, agonising pain tore through her. It was like every single bone was being broken, twisted, and rearranged. Also as if her guts were being ripped out of her. She screamed, so loudly that it could probably be heard from a mile away. All she wanted was to be in her house with Dudley and nowhere else but it was obvious she was taken here to be torchered into giving information that she did not possess.
"Felicity!"
She shot up from her position immediately and scrambled away at feeling hands gripping her arms tightly. She was shaking uncontrollably but she finally opened her eyes after a long few moments to see her husband's very concerned face. She rapidly glanced around her surroundings and sighed of relief that she was indeed in her own house. She was still shaking badly at the dream she had just had- what was that all about? Surely it couldn't be a coincidence of some kind considering she knew now that there was some kind of prophecy over them. She realised her cheeks were wet still and Dudley knew she wasn't going to talk so he simply sat down and pulled her small frame into his chest to let her calm down from whatever it was she was dreaming about.
Dudley just cradled her and softly rubbing her back trying to calm her down. What was it that she was dreaming about for her to react like that? Of course like all people they have the occasional nightmare but not once has she been this traumatised after waking up. It only took her a few minutes until she had finally calmed down enough to lean out of Dudley's grip but it was a few minutes too long for him. Felicity just gave him a small smile at the way he helped calm her but this soon disappeared once she remembered what Ginny had told her. She cast her gaze to the opposite wall, not really looking at anything in particular.
"I know about the prophecy, Dudley. I wriggled it out of Ginny earlier."
Dudley froze in his spot and he looked directly at his wife. He was expecting her to be mad that he had willingly not told her a thing but instead he only saw understanding. Unlike what a lot of people who were married would react to one of the spouse's getting hidden information, he wasn't angry. After all, she wasn't stupid. She obviously knew that there was something going on and she just wanted to know.
"What did it say?"
Dudley stood up now and Felicity heard his footsteps on the stairs which confused her. Why had he just left like that? She got her answer when his heavy footfalls echoed around the house again and he sat down next to her but holding a glass ball. He made sure not to touch it with his fingers right now because he wanted her to hear all of it with her own ears. She gave the object a curious look as if trying to figure out what it was. Once she actually heard it, Dudley carefully placed it on a cushion so that it didn't accidentally smash because that would not be good. She glanced at him intensely and tightened her lips a little as her dream was still fresh in her mind. Not once has felicity ever had a dream coincide with reality and this was what told her that it might not have been a dream at all.
---
Harry and Ginny were both having quite a tense conversation in the back of the room away from everyone else. Both wondering what was going to happen. Once she had told Harry that Felicity was now aware of what had actually happened that was causing Dudley to act weird he finally sat down with her to talk about their predicament. It was obvious that the two muggles were going to need as much protection as possible and Harry even considered hiring people to be bodyguards essentially but Ginny talked him out of this idea. They had both decided after a few hours of numerous theories to get around this they all agreed that now was the best time to actually integrate their respective families together.
This was why they were essentially hidden because none of the Weasley family apart from Ginny knew what was going to happen. They were both getting odd looks from the rest of the family over their secrecy but they didn't want to cause an even bigger problem considering they were all extremely protective of Harry. Arthur and Molly both considered him another son, and all of Ginny's brothers considered him another brother. During the past few days, Dudley had finally told Petunia everything which had terrified the older woman. She was also accompanying the young married couple and Harry knew that she was not going to get a nice reception. He knew that he would need to get his aunt isolated with Molly because the brothers would not hesitate to do something. At least with it being mother-to-mother they might come to an understanding and not want to rip each other's throats out.
Eventually the two of them excused themselves and with that they apparated outside Dudley's and Felicity's Fulham home. They were all standing in the front garden waiting on them to arrive and they were all understandably very nervous and all for different reasons. Either way this was not going to go well but it had to be done. This was eventually going to happen one day so why not now? It seemed like the perfect time considering something was probably going to happen. Over the past few days as well, Dudley had managed to wriggle out of Felicity what her dream was about and he intended to ask Harry about it just to see if it possibly meant anything.
Petunia let out a short yelp at the horrible feeling that came with apparating and the five of them were soon standing in the Potter's house. The rest of the family were all outside so there was no arguments going to happen yet. The oldest was looking around in awe at the very large house her nephew owned with the fiery redhead. Of course she knew that James and Lily's fortune had been left to him in their will but she was surprised that it was this much. This place was more of a mansion than it was a house but she wasn't going to let her shock get in the way of anything. She wasn't even aware that Ginny had left until she entered the room with Molly in tow- the other mother stiffening greatly at seeing Petunia.
With that, the two married couples left them alone and walked outside. At first Ginny's brothers didn't see Dudley but when they did the atmosphere immediately changed. The joy that surrounded them seconds before disappeared into one of crippling tension. Nobody dared speak for quite a while but nobody had pulled their wands much to Harry's surprise. Ginny led Felicity around everyone to introduce her brothers which left Dudley with Harry. The slightly older cousin was taking in their appearances one-by-one and trying to remember their names. He knew the eldest was called Bill and it wasn't difficult to figure out who that was due to his very impressive height.
The next brother he spotted seemed to be a few years younger and his bright red hair curled ever so slightly and appeared to be a bit more isolated from what the others were doing. He didn't recognise him so he couldn't be the remaining twin or Ron, he also didn't have any burn marks on his skin which meant that this was Percy. The other three were quite simple to figure out, the youngest two because he had met them personally before. The scars on the remaining brother told him immediately that he was Charlie and he got those scars because he worked with dragons. Actual dragons. Dudley cannot deny that this intimidated him massively because he doesn't understand why someone would willingly want to work with something so dangerous.
Nobody spoke for quite some time, all of the men just sizing each other up and debating whether to speak or to remain quiet. Another crack echoed soon after which told Harry that the women had arrived. The first he saw was a tall and slender frame with long hair so white it appeared silver in the light. She ran over and immediately attacked Bill into a hug which caused Harry to chuckle lightly. Dudley was looking at her a little strange- he recognised that face but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before. He probably hadn't and she just reminded him of someone he had once known and just couldn't remember their name.
Angelina was the next to appear and she pulled a stupid face at Harry before joining George. They had started dating a couple of months after the second war finished- her being there as a shoulder to cry on who was not family after Fred died. Herself and Harry had kept their good friendship outside of Quidditch which was probably a good thing. The last woman who appeared ran over and pulled Harry into a tight hug, gave Dudley an awkward smile because she of course didn't like him at all, and finally running over to Ron. Out of everyone here it was only Ron, Hermione, and Ginny who had good reason to really despise Dudley. Yes, everyone else knew of the way Harry was treated but those three had witnessed it first-hand so they had a better reason.
Ginny may have warmed up to him by now but she was still extremely cautious around him because she doesn't want to see Harry get hurt. He's not just her husband, he's her best friend and also her saviour- literally. After all, it was Harry who came to her rescue when she lay dying in the Chamber of Secrets. She'll never forget that even though at times she wants to forget all that happened in her first year at Hogwarts. Eventually she walked away to mingle with all the other females which left just Harry and Dudley- both of them silently deciding whether or not to speak to everyone else. Since they were alone currently, Dudley seized his chance and told Harry about Felicity's dream earlier.
Harry stiffened instantly on the spot at the mention of Bellatrix. It wasn't easy for him to think about the psychotic woman considering she killed his godfather Sirius (who also happened to be her own cousin) so her name certainly put him a little on edge. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought which unsettled Dudley because Harry was thinking deeply. Harry himself has had dreams like this hundreds of times in his life and it seemed to be the same. Surely someone couldn't enter a muggles mind in the same way they could enter a witches or wizards?
"Was there anything that seemed really odd about it Dudley?"
The older thought for a bit before remembering something about a choker. Surely a simple piece of jewellery couldn't be that important. Although, he now remembered Harry telling him about the horcruxes- two of which were essentially jewellery. A diadem, and a ring. Surely it couldn't be, could it? He voiced this possible theory to Harry and right then his face turned a ghostly shade of white at the theory. Dudley also told him something about a sister having been given it. Bellatrix only had two sisters- Andromeda and Narcissa. Harry knew fine well that Andromeda would not keep something of her sisters and this meant he was going to need to pay a visit to Narcissa despite him not wanting to do so.
"Will mum and Felicity be ok? Like, this Bellatrix won't come after them will she?"
Harry looked at his older cousin and cast his gaze elsewhere. He didn't want to worry him about how strange this was until he knew absolutely everything. There was no use in worrying over what might happen when there is almost nothing to go on apart from a bit of speculation.
"Well, Dudley. Bellatrix was killed in the second war by Molly. Yaxley and Rodolphus are both locked up in Azkaban. Although, I don't know of any death eaters called Kyra."
Dudley let out a sigh of relief at that and it was now that Harry started to slowly introduce him to all of the brothers along with Angelina and Fleur. Once he had been told her name he suddenly remembered seeing a picture in Harry's house a few months ago- she competed along with Harry in that tournament when they were at school. It wasn't easy to get over the tension between them all but that soon shifted when Dudley spotted Molly along with Petunia carrying trays filled with a ridiculous amount of food. It wasn't this that surprised him considering Petunia loved to cook- what surprised him and everyone else really, was that they were laughing. Not at each other- but seemingly with each other.
It was a bit of a strange sight to see and he gave Harry an odd look from where he stood to which the younger shrugged his shoulders. It looked as though it was a good thing after all to separate the two mothers from everyone else. There was another crack heard and a middle aged man with flaming hair (not a surprise there) appeared. All of the Weasley's ran over to him and promptly attacked him into a giant bear hug which caused him to lose his balance ever so slightly. This must be Ginny's dad then. Like the youngest two brothers, he had met him briefly as well. Although that was only because they travelled through the fireplace and destroyed most of the living room. Embarrassingly it was also him who told off the twins for giving him that toffee years ago.
He generally seemed quite a cheery man but Dudley saw the stern look shot in his direction very discretely. It was only there for a second but he certainly caught the message. Suddenly a large table appeared but he didn't see who it was that cast the spell. His eyes certainly widened at all of the food and it wasn't long until lots of conversations and funny stories were being shared. Dudley still felt very awkward but he definitely didn't feel as alienated as he did when he arrived. Eventually though, Harry managed to get everyone's attention. He knew what it was he was doing this as did Ginny and Felicity. There was murmurs around everyone when they were told of the prophecy in question- eyes darting to Dudley, Felicity, and Petunia.
Nobody talked for quite some time and Dudley saw Harry leaning over to Hermione and also Ron to whisper something to them both. Probably about the dream because he didn't say that out loud at the table. The two of them glanced his way and also Felicity's way which seemingly confirmed what he was thinking. A couple of hours quickly passed and people started leaving in pairs mostly. It was first George and Angelina, then it was Bill and Fleur, and finally Ron and Hermione. The remaining brothers all left not long after and soon Harry and Ginny both apparated the older married couple back to their home.
Dudley didn't want to keep anything from Felicity though, so once the pair had sat down he told her of his possible theory. She tensed up in fright but she seemed to calm down a bit that one of them was dead and another two were locked up in prison. They were both set a little on edge considering one of the people in her dream- nobody seemed to have any information on her. Almost like she had never done anything in her life and had just sat back to let it all play out around her. Was it just a random person in it or was this Kyra actually real? Was she dead, in prison, or even walking free. There was no need to think about all the what-ifs though until they knew more about this situation.