Troubled Discussions

"What are you doing?"

The question pulled Harry away from his book. "Reading for the summer homework. Why, what's up?"

Dudley huffed, fuming, at Harry from the library door. Harry put down the book, turned, and stared back.

"You know what I mean. I'm your bully. I hit you and hunted you around, blamed you for things, and didn't do anything for years to help when my parents made you work injured. What's your plan in all this? I mean, since I've come here, you've treated me nicely. Are you trying to get revenge on me by getting me to trust you and striking me in the back?"

"Is this for real?"

"What?!"

"That's all we knew! That's all I knew until I came to this world at eleven. That's all I knew about a home life until the twins got me away from your second bedroom at twelve, and I was taken to spend time with the Weasleys at thirteen. I am hoping that with a new location that might change, but I know that might be asking way too much. I know you changed over the last year, Dudley, and we seemed to be getting on at your parents' place. Was I hoping for too much? Was I wrong in thinking that you might like a place where you have to spend time acting like a toddler just to get attention from your parents? If you don't want to live with me, Dudley, you can always go and live in a Ministry foster home."

"No! I..."

"Then what are you doing, Dudley? Are you fighting with me as a way to get back to normal?"

Dead silence from the doorway.

Green eyes looked over Dudley's hunched over posture, taking in the sick look on Dudley's face.

Harry sighed, and said, "Look, I know this is harder for you than it is for me. Look, come in, and sit down, at least?"

Dudley sat down on the couch on the side of the room, facing Harry. "Why?"

"You're my cousin, and we've started to build a friendship over the last several weeks. Separation from parents always hurts, you know that? It doesn't matter how old you are when... the bond is broken."

"Then Piers died as well..."

"The dementor got him?"

"Mom said so."

"Ouch. I'm sorry your friend died."

"You had a friend die last year as well, right?"

"Yeah. At first I didn't really know him though, but fighting through the various parts of that tournament together brought a different kind of closeness, you know? It's a mutual understanding and respect for each other, even if at the time the rest of the school hated me. Then we took the prize cup together, got captured by Wormtail, and then he died in front of me."

"Piers was my friend basically from Kindergarten. I know now a lot of what we did wasn't nice, but we had a brotherhood. We understood each other, and had a lot of the same beliefs. He helped me a lot in school, as you know I have issues with it, especially math. One of my favorite things was that we used to walk on the stepping stones of the creek in the park away from the house. Piers was having trouble understanding why I was starting to not like what we did to you. We broke a window, you see, and the neighbour made us pay for it. He did, but I didn't have the money. I ended up doing chores for the guy. I was over there cleaning afterwards, and Mom came in and talked to the neighbour. She didn't threaten to tell Dad, nothing. She ignored me. That's when I started to realize how I treated you may be wrong, and Piers didn't understand. It was tough for a bit, but we remade our friendship. Now I can't say how that friendship could have kept going."

"I'm glad your friendship with your friend ended on a happy note."

"Harry, I've got to leave..."

Dudley ran back out the door and up the stairs to his room.

Harry sat down and crawled under the desk, the tears that had been kept back pouring down his face. Why did he keep ending in front of dangerous situations? Why did people think he could keep on going without any help? Why had Dumbledore questioned him with venom still in his leg and bleeding? Why hadn't he been allowed to get healed? Why hadn't the guy who said he was going to heal him not do it? How had the man hidden from the teachers all year? How hadn't Snape caught the thief earlier? He was a kid! He wasn't a soldier. He wasn't an adult. Yet it was like his aunt's; if something had to be done, they expected him to do it. Why even did Voldemort keep coming after him in the first place? Why wasn't he allowed the comfort of a friendly letter? The tears kept pouring down his face.

.

Arthur Weasley came home from work to a pacing Molly.

"Molly, why are you so upset?"

"He's not behind his mother's blood wards and he's not with us behind a Fidelius at the Order Headquarters."

"Honey, it's fine. He's behind both a Fidelius and blood wards where he is at. They will both be fine. Remember what Bill said?"

"They're completely without adult supervision! What things could they be getting up to?"

"I think they are both not exactly children after living at that place. Harry's been rather independent since we first got to know about him. His cousin might be so as well."

"Oh, but they need to be mothered then. What was Albus thinking, putting Harry in a place like that? It must have been awful that both boys ran away."

"Molly dear, I think a little bit of mothering would be wanted by both of them, though they need some independence too."

"To think we listened to Albus' explanations and didn't believe the boys! He was so skinny that year."

"He's better this year."

"According to Dudley, that's because he's been helping Harry this year. Then we didn't let the kids send him letters after he was captured by You-Know-Who once he was home. What were we thinking?"

"Oh, Molly bear."

Arthur Weasley spent the next several minutes hugging and consoling his wife while she wept into his shoulder.

"It's going to be fine; we'll try our best to fix things."

"We will?"

"Yes, starting with allowing the kids to send their letters, we'll do our best."

"He'll be so upset."

"I'm sure he will still listen to us though."

"What if we've gone too far? This is not the first time that Albus has asked us to do this!"

"We'll fix what we can."

"Can we have them over for supper?"

"We sure can, Molly Bear."

.

"Harry."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have brought them up."

"No, maybe you shouldn't have, but I needed that anyway."

"I forgive you."

"I do too."

Sigh.

Laughter from both parts.

"This is going to be harder than we thought."

"Or its going to be super easy because we know how each other ticks."

"Talks."

"Ticks."

"Talks."

"Ticks."

"Talks."

Harry burst out laughing again as Dudley moved his arm in a semi-circle, clicking his tongue, realistically sounding like a clock.

"I... I think...it will...be a...bit of...both," stated Harry in between his laughter.

The floo chimed.

Harry quickly stifled his laughter.

"Harry, Dudley."

They went over to the fireplace as quickly as possible."

"Hi, Molly."

"We would like to invite you over for supper."

"Thank you, that would be great."

"What time would you want us over, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Come by about 5:00, and supper will be ready soon after. See you soon."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. See you in a bit."

Mrs. Weasley's head disappeared, and Harry burst into laughter once again.

"Sorry, sorry."

Dudley started chuckling as well, which set Harry off again.

After they both sobered up, Harry remembered to let the house elves know that they wouldn't be home for supper that night.

.

After a delightful supper, Molly and Arthur sent the kids into the living room.

"Now, children, we have to tell you something. We, your Mum and I, are part of a secret organization dedicated to defeating Voldemort. Albus Dumbledore is our leader. After the events of the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, we were asked not to let you kids send letters to Harry. The reason he gave was because the Death Eaters could track Harry's whereabouts that way. However, given the later events this summer, we believe we were wrong in doing so. We were preventing any actual encouragement and help from us or you kids. After the events of the end of the school year, I understand if you are mad at us. Please still consider us your family."

Harry was stunned. He was also furious, hurt, and happy, and it was all mixing together and he didn't know how to feel.

"Harry?"

He stayed rock still, feeling sick.

A movement as Fred got up, who said, "I'll go get the letter."

Fred walking up the stairs.

The clock ticking.

Fred coming back down the stairs.

Fred standing in front of him, and putting a letter into his lap.

"Harry. We tried to send you this. As you see, it didn't get sent. Here it is."

"Thanks."

Dudley put his arm on his shoulder.

"He screams from nightmares. My dad would hit him. Unlike the other years, where a letter would be around and he could feel comforted, he had nothing to hold onto to prove you guys would be there for him. Well, he had a letter, but it was barely anything. As his door is kept locked, I couldn't help him myself. I didn't have the key. Why'd someone leave a kid alone like that? Especially after seeing his nightmare come back to life?"

Molly started weeping.

"Why'd you tell them about that?"

"Oh, mate."

Ron also wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders.

"We didn't forget you. Go on, read it."

Harry opened it up and read it.

"So, you've been hanging around my godfather. How come, if it's so safe, you didn't have me go over there this summer? He's my godfather, not yours. Also, why send letters that basically say there's something going on, but we can't tell you about it. Now to read that you've been enjoying yourselves at my godfather's house? Do you know what that feels like? It's like I'm not a friend anymore, but an asset."

"Sorry, we tried, Harry. I know we could have tried harder, but we didn't agree with them."

"No, mate. It felt too much like betraying you at the start of the whole tournament. You're my friend, promise."

"Fine. I forgive you. Can you please promise not to do that again?"

"I promise I will not do that again. If for some reason I will not be able to send a letter or communicate, I'll let you know."

"I do too"s echoed around the room.

"Thank you."

"Hey, mate. Are you up to a game of exploding snap?"

"Sure, Ron."

.

"Mrs. Figg has reported that neither of the boys in the Dursley household have been seen in a week. Does anyone have anything to report that will go with that?"

"The day the dementors were there, both boys were in the park, last I saw."

"Thank you, Mundungus."

"I thought I saw him in Diagon Alley in Quidditch Quality Supplies with his cousin."

"How'd he get there?"

"The fact he was there instead of home would be why no Patronus or anything like that happened if there were dementors around."

"Dementors?"

"Two of the neighbourhood boys were kissed. One was dark haired like Harry."

"How did you learn that?" asked Dumbledore.

"Mrs. Dursley told me. She sent the boys away."

"Probably wanted to get anything she deems freakish away from her for good," snorted Kingsley.

"Do you know where he lives now?" asked Tonks.

"It's under a Fidelius, and as he has descended from the family, he's under blood wards as well."

"WAIT," shouted Sirius, "YOU TOLD ME THE REASON WHY HE HAD TO GO BACK THERE WAS BECAUSE OF BLOOD WARDS! WHEN IN FACT THAT THERE ARE BLOOD WARDS ON A FAMILY HOUSE IN THE WIZARDING WORLD?"

Remus quickly stuck his hand over Sirius' mouth.

"He needs to be with family. They'll take care of him. He needs a chance to be a kid."

"The family has sent them away, Albus. No doubt any paperwork required to let them be that way has already been completed."

"Well, I am sure we can convince them to take them on for just a bit longer."

Mr. Weasley, for the first time in a while since he joined the Order, stood up to Albus Dumbledore to his face. "No, I won't let you do that. My family and I have been keeping an eye on him, and we won't let you send them back."

"You know where he lives?"

"You know how a Fidelius works, Albus. You know I can't tell you in any shape or form, nor can you read it from my mind. He's getting a chance to be a kid finally. So leave him alone."

"If ye're so agin' treatin' 'im like a weapon, Albus, why are ye agin' 'im 'avin' a 'ome now?" gruffed Moody. "The Weasleys live near 'im, he's under wards, and Molly (here he nodded at her) ready treats 'im as 'er own. Let them keep an eye on the boy, Albus."

"I can promise he's not with a death eater or death eater family."

"Not even with a sympathizer?"

"He's not with anyone that would follow Voldemort."

"At least that's a relief."

"Can you promise me that he's not with anyone dark?"

"You know as well as I that I can't, Albus. Just like this order is mainly light folk with a few dark, I can't say my family's completely light oriented either. So don't make me give a vow to that."

Snape silently sat in his corner.

.

"Arthur."

Mr. Weasley stopped as he was about to head to the floo after the Order meeting. He looked back and saw Sirius.

"What's up, Sirius?"

"Can you get this to my godson, please?"

"I can."

"Thanks."

.

Sirius stared at the mirror in his hand, hoping that soon it would cease showing his reflection. In about five minutes, not that he was checking the clock it seemed every thirty seconds, the surface of the mirror changed reflections. Harry now looked at him.

"Sirius."

"Harry, how are you?"

"I'm a little upset right now. I've been chased by dementors, beat up by bullies, given only letters that say nothing, and now I found out that my friends have been hanging out with you. How are you?"

"Ah. I am very bored. I am stuck in my family's house, because the Ministry is still after me, and I don't want to be kissed on sight. Otherwise my boredom includes Order meetings, which since I can't do anything, don't have much to contribute, and lately they've been rehashing the same things over and over again. When they've been here, your friends have been mostly cleaning, as Molly doesn't believe in idle hands and this is a very large, empty, uncleaned building full of pests. I have been telling them stories. Would it be alright if I told you some?"

"Please do. All I really know is that Snape hates Dad, that I look like him, plays Quidditch like him, that Dad was a stag animagus, and that he was an Auror. All I know about Mom was that she was good at Charms and that she had green eyes like me. Oh, and that Aunt Petunia is her sister and that they were both in Gryffindor."

"All right. Well..."

.

A little later, Harry realized his brother was in the room listening in. When he hung up, he greeted his former cousin who sat closer.

"Hey, Dud. So that was Sirius."

"Sirius?"

"He's my god father, but he would prefer you to call him my dog father. He turns into a dog."

"Who's Snivellus?"

"Huh?"

"Snivellus? Your god father repeated that word a few times."

"Snape, I mean, that was what he calls Professor Snape. They hate each other mutually. It was the same between the professor and my dad as well."

"It sounds like it."

Dudley stopped kicking and paused for a bit. There was something about this that was bothering him, something like a set of behaviours that he was used to following around his friends and Harry. It was something that he wasn't exactly proud about, but was part of his life for most of it, actually. It wasn't until that he had made that acquaintance that he had been challenged about his former beliefs and allowed himself to see the holes.

"Snivellus."

"Huh?"

"Harry, what does your professor like to call you? Snape?"

"Oh, arrogant, idiotic, foolish Gryffindor, causing trouble, just like my father, yada yada yada."

"Harry, do you know who the starter, you know the aggressor, is?"

"Between my parents and him, no clue. Between him and myself, he was. He was gunning for me on the first day of class, and right at the start of class. He's kept his dislike of me known ever since. Also, is that language you got from your counselor?"

"Yes. I got used to speaking like that, especially since I've been hearing it all school year. Mr. Lupin made me understand it by talking positions in football."

"Dud, I've got to warn you. Lupin is in the bad books with Snape as well. Snape hates or is very afraid of werewolves and guess what Mr. Lupin is."

"Werewolf, because of course that's a thing."

"Yes, and that's to both."

Dudley continued to kick his leg around. There was really something that was bothering him, and it was an itch to his brain that he was attempting to scratch and not quite reaching.

Harry looked at his former cousin. While not the dumbest or the smartest person out there, sometimes he had flashes of insight based on experience. While formerly before that year he would use it to get Harry in trouble, he had been using the same flashes of insight in some level the past year to help Harry out when he could. However, he did have some issues, so Harry decided to help the guy out. Maybe he was onto something, maybe there was a reason beyond the 'maybe Death Eater' thing that kept the fighting going. So he asked a question.

"You seemed to get stuck on Snivellus. Was the tone he used something I would use towards your dad, or something your dad would say to me?"

Dudley just shrugged his shoulders. He was really stuck on this. Hopefully he would figure this out soon. Since he and Harry weren't fighting all the time, there was a chance that Harry's brain could be used for this as well.