Dudley Dursley and the Knights of Walpurgis

July 9, 2008

Dear Daphne,

How are you? I hope you and your parents are OK. (I'm not sure about the boys. Their boys.)

I really liked having you visit this weekend. I hope you can come visit again.

I hope you get to go to Hogwarts. I wish I could go. If you do go, promise you'll write me. It gets very lonely and boring around here and Mum and Daddy make me behave more.

You wanted to read about Wizarding etiquette (and I looked it up so I know its right.) I don't know if this book will help, but its really old so maybe it won't.

James turned Albus's hair green when he wouldn't answer unless he called him Asp. Mum made him turn it back. Daddy said he thought Al'd want it green. Al said he only wants it green when he's cheering Quidditch. He wants to play Seeker this year and Daddy said he can if he can get on the team. Scorpius wants to play Seeker to so who knows?

Nothing else has happened since yesterday so I'll end now.

Your second cousin,

Lily

July 10, 2018

Dear Daphne,

After you left, I realised I'd forgotten to tell you that you can write me with any questions you have, about Hogwarts or the Wizarding world or whatever.

Mum said that your parents have invited Gran and Grampa to your house on Saturday. Be patient with Grampa; he's very sweet but doesn't quite get Muggle stuff no matter how much he likes it. Just don't let him touch anything you don't want broken and you'll be fine.

I'm writing one of my best friends, Scorpius, about you. My other best friend is Asp, who you met this weekend. You probably don't realise that you met him. Asp is what Scorpius and I and the other Slytherins call Albus; it's his initials. James used to tease him so Asp decided he'd take ownership of it. (That's what Mum calls it; Daddy calls it showing James he can't hurt him. I think they're both saying the same thing.)

I know everybody told you Saturday and Sunday that Gryffindor is the best house ever and that Potters and Weasleys are Gryffindors, but you may have noticed that they didn't say that ALL Potters and Weasleys are Gryffindors. They can't, you see, because Asp and I were both Sorted into Slytherin. (We had our reasons.) The point I'm making is that it doesn't matter which house you're in; you just want to be where you can be you. From what I saw on Sunday, I suspect that's Ravenclaw, but I could be wrong. Still, don't let the Gryffindors brainwash you; you'll be fine wherever.

There's not much else to tell you. Hugo's been forbidden to fly for a week because Mum caught him playing with birds' nests. Otherwise, it's quiet here.

Please write back.

Rose Weasley

Dear Asp,

Don't forget about your homework; the summer will be gone before you know it. It's been a week; you should have at least one of the assignments done by now. I have the Charms and Transfigurations done; I'm going to spend this week on Potions and Herbology. If you want to work with me, let me know. I won't do it for you, though, so don't ask.

And write your cousin. Daphne, I mean. I can't imagine what it's like for her. Not just finding out she's magical, but that she's got all this other family she never knew about. It would be nice if we all made an effort to write her and make her feel comfortable.

Rose

Dear Scorpius,

How is your summer so far? Have your parents made any plans to travel? I know you were hoping they would. That would be so cool. I'd love to see all the different places you have.

Have you started on your homework? I have more hope that you have than Asp. I have the Charms and Transfigurations essays done. This week I intend on doing the Potions and Herbology homework.

Do you think we can get together sometime this summer? You wouldn't think, with all my cousins, but it gets kind of lonely here in the summer. At least, this summer.

Now, for my real news. You've heard about Uncle Harry's cousin, right? The one he grew up with, whose parents kept him in a cupboard! and put bars on his windows and all. Well, he grew up a lot nicer than you'd think with parents like that and he has two magical kids. Tom, the younger one, won't be starting until year after next, with Hugo, but Daphne will be a first year this year. That is if she comes. Her parents still seem a little sceptical. They're going on the tour your father's giving next week, so maybe that'll convince them. If it doesn't, we may have to put our heads together and come up with a way to get her there. She's really nice, and really smart, and knows about all kinds of Muggle things to help her learn things. I think she'd be able to be a lot of help at keeping James and Fred in line. I really want her to come. She's nice!

Well, that's about it for now. Hugo's being a boy, a brat and a bother, so I'm ignoring him. He says, "Good!" but it won't last.

Take care, stay well, and write me back,

Rose Weasley

July 11, 2018

Dear Asp,

I swear that cousin of yours will drive us both mad. Summer holidays have barely begun and she's already pestering us (at least she's pestering me) about homework! I'm sending her a note telling her that of course I've started on my homework and I'd advise you to do the same. (I actually have read the Potions material as I want to make sure Father has time to help me. He really is brilliant at it.)

What's this about a new second cousin who may be going to school with us in the fall? As usual, Rose only covered the highlights, but if I'm expected to befriend this relative, I'd like to know a bit more about her. Like do you want me to befriend her? (Rose seems to have done so, but she seems to have inherited her mother's championing of the less-fortunate of the world in addition to her brains.)

Father asked me to confirm with your father that the appointment he's requested is only about the tour; there are no ulterior motives. I'm trying to get him to ask if you can spend some time here this summer. Otherwise, the only people my age I'll get to see will be my cousins, and they're boring. I asked about Rose, too, but Mother said that would be entirely inappropriate unless the cousins are here as well. I explained that, although she's female, she's not a girl, but neither Mother nor Father were impressed. (Actually, they both spent several minutes laughing, but let's not say any more about that.)

Don't forget; just because your mother was a professional Quidditch player doesn't mean you'll be automatically on the Quidditch team this year. She was a Chaser and our fathers were evenly matched as Seekers. I'm spending as much time practicing as I can; Father even got me a special training Snitch, so be ready for the best man (ME) to win.

I hope your summer is well. Give my regards to your family (except the git you're forced to call a brother, of course).

Scorpius

Scorpius,

I just look at her when she starts nagging. I don't read those parts of her letters. It drives her spare. The whole cousin thing is confusing because the grown-ups won't discuss it. Dad just shrugged and said they'd all grown up and not to worry about it. (He says the same thing about your Dad when I ask.) She's OK for a girl. She spent most of the weekend with Lily giggling like a maniac, but she and Rose hit it off as well. She thinks Daphne'll be a Ravenclaw, which isn't so bad. She's kind of p-

Dad didn't ask about the tour, but he said, "Thanks" when I told him what you said, so that's all sorted. It'd be brilliant if I could spend some time with you; The Git is being annoying again. He wasn't too bad when the Dursleys were over, but that's because he spent the whole time with Rich. They're the same age. There's a younger brother, too, but he's even younger than Lily. I asked Mum and Dad about your coming to visit and Dad said we'd discuss it after the meeting. Or the tour. (He says your Dad's OK, now, but I don't think he likes him much. Ask him to be extra polite tomorrow.)

I am so going to beat you in the try-outs this year. You know I'm the better flier, and I never miss the Snitch. I can even beat Dad some most of the time. Prepare to lose!

Asp

July 12, 2018

The private dining room the maitre d' of The Gentlemen's Club had led Harry and Ron to was small and more luxurious than the rest of the restaurant. Harry was amused at Ron, who looked impressed in spite of himself. The maitre d' asked Harry and Ron for their drink orders and left, closing the door behind him.

Draco Malfoy had arrived first and was sitting at the table with a glass of what appeared to be wine. He looked comfortable and as if he belonged here. As Harry and Ron walked in, Malfoy stood and extended his hand. "Thank you for coming, gentlemen," he said as he shook their hands.

Ron snorted. "So, what was so important that you asked us to come here? Or is this the next step in Rose's corruption?"

Malfoy looked shocked. "Why would I want to corrupt Rose," he asked, "or allow Scorpius to do so? From what he tells me, she's a lovely girl."

"So, if it isn't to do with Rose, what is it?" Harry was a little amused at Ron's continued distrust of this meeting. From what Al had told him, Scorpius was a good friend and student. James had a different idea, but that probably had something to do with the fact that Scorpius helped Al avoid James's pranks and helped successfully prank James back. Ron had refused to listen to anything Harry had had to say on the matter; the feud between the Malfoys and Weasleys was too deep and too old for Ron.

Malfoy stayed remarkably calm in the face of Ron's distrust. "I can't say it's not at all about Rose," he said. He turned and looked at a painting as he continued, "That's not the main reason, but I hoped . . . " He shook his head. "Look, Scorpius hasn't said so, but I can tell that he likes Rose as more than just a friend. I don't want to see them play out Romeo and Juliet when they get a little older."

"What?" Ron asked.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Romeo and Juliet is an old play. In it, the children of two feuding houses meet, fall in love and, when they can't be together, kill themselves. I'd prefer to call a truce, or an end, to our feud before Scorpius decides to play Romeo to Rose's Juliet." When Ron didn't say anything, he sighed. "Never mind. The reason I asked you to meet me here is that I need some help. Potter, you know about the tour I'm leading next weekend, right?"

"I know that you're leading one," Harry said, sitting down. "I still haven't figured out why you're leading it."

Malfoy nodded. "After you killed the Dark Lord, I asked to return to Hogwarts, to finish my seventh year and take my N.E.W.T.S. Headmistress McGonagall said that I could, but with a condition. I had to help all the Muggleborn students, especially those who'd been hurt by . . . Death Eaters. It was . . . not what I expected. I'd always been taught that Muggleborn wizards and witches were intent on corrupting our world, taking over, pushing aside the purebloods. Imagine my surprise when I found that, for most of them, our world was just a new and different one in which they finally had a chance to fit in." He took a drink of his wine. "After I finished my N.E.W.T.S, I decided to keep helping. I started with the people I'd met at Hogwarts that year, but I kept finding more things that needed to be done. Three years ago, I convinced the new Headmaster, Pernell Higginbotham, to allow me to meet and inform the families of the new first-year Muggleborn students about Hogwarts and help them with the transition from the Muggle world to the Wizarding one.

"The tour came from that. One thing I've heard over and over again is how uncomfortable the parents are, sending their children to a school they've never seen." Malfoy's smile looked rueful. "I have to admit that, when I was younger, that didn't make sense to me. Why would sending your child to the best Wizarding school make you uncomfortable? Then Scorpius was born."

Harry chuckled. "Amazing how much parenthood changes your perspective, huh?"

Ron grimaced, presumably at agreeing with Malfoy. "Yeah, Hermione's parents have talked about how hard it was to send her there. But I thought Muggles couldn't get to Hogwarts."

Malfoy sat a little straighter. "Not exactly. They can't find it on their own; however, if a witch or wizard takes them there, they can see it. That part'll work out."

Before Harry could ask his own questions, Ron said, his voice a little far away, "They'd love to see it, y'know? They've heard so much about it, and to see their daughter's name as a hero, it'd mean a lot to them."

Malfoy's smile broadened. "That can be worked out. Would you and your wife be willing to come along as well?"

Ron's expression sharpened. "Why?"

Before Malfoy could answer, Harry grinned and said, "Realised it was going to be a bit much? Who else do you have helping?"

Malfoy grimaced. "It hadn't occurred to me until I was assembling the packets to hand out. There are fifteen Muggleborn first-years this year. Of that, fourteen have signed up and I'm working on the fifteenth. Then there are the families. A conservative estimate is fifty people; judging from the sizes of the families I saw, and the comments about bringing this aunt, or this grandma, or . . . There could be close to a hundred people." He shook his head. "I'd planned on it just being me, with the Headmaster giving an introductory speech and introductions to the heads of Houses and as many of the professors as are there. But, keeping track of that many people . . . I'm going to need help. Potter, I'm assuming you'll be there and I was hoping you'd help?"

Harry nodded, but before he could say anything, Ron said, "Why didn't you ask Hermione? She's a Muggleborn herself; she'd be one of the best people you could have helping." The tips of his ears were already red, and the colour was spreading down.

Shrugging, Malfoy said, "Two reasons, neither of them anything against her. The first is that I'm used to working with the men. Generally, if I'm working with a woman, Tori makes the initial overtures, if she doesn't arrange the whole thing. I'd be very uncomfortable asking your wife to a restaurant, or my office, for a private discussion. The second is that, well, her reputation, and yours, is that you'll be the harder one to convince. So, I started with you."

They were both good reasons, Harry acknowledged to himself. The first one would annoy Hermione, but neither would anger Ron. "Ginny and I were both planning on coming and we'd, well, I'd be glad to help. I'll ask her tonight; I don't see why she wouldn't."

Malfoy laughed. "She has you well-trained. What about you, Weasley?"

Ron didn't say anything for a minute. While waiting for him to think it through, Harry said, "What about the kids?"

"What do you mean?" Malfoy asked. "That's what this is all about."

"Not the first years," Harry said. "Our kids. James and Al could both help out on keeping people from getting lost, and I'm sure Scorpius could as well. Judging from the stories I've been getting, those three have been trying to find every nook and cranny of the school."

"Harry!" Ron said with a gasp. "You didn't give the Map to Al, did you? Please tell me you weren't that thick."

As Malfoy asked, "What map?" Harry shook his head. "No, but after the first of their 'adventures', I checked on it, and it's not where I'd left it. The problem is, I haven't looked at it in years. It's more likely that James has it than Al."

Ron relaxed. "Thank Merlin for that. The thought of Rose with that Map . . ."

"It didn't seem to bother you when we were kids," Harry said, amused.

Malfoy looked amused as well. "Since my son may have access to this thing, do you think you could tell me what it is?"

Harry and Ron exchanged a look. After a minute, Ron shrugged with a grin. "Let's hope it's James who has it. He hangs around with Fred and . . ." Harry and Ron had the same realisation at the same time. "Of course, James has it. And you know George told Fred how to make it work. It's a map created by the Marauders, about twenty years before we went to school, that shows the entire school, where every person is, and other stuff. It was brilliant," he said with a fond smile on his face.

Malfoy's eyes had widened. "No wonder you lot got away with so much. You knew . . . " He shook his head. "Who are these Marauders? They sound like the type of person I'd like to know."

"They're dead," Harry said, hoping Malfoy understood that this topic was off-limits. Fortunately for Harry's state of mind, Malfoy seemed to; at least, he changed the topic. "But using the kids is a good idea; they can give the student's point of view. Will your two behave? I know I can keep Scorpius in line, but . . . "

"We'll just keep them apart," Harry said. "Unless you want Fred along, that should be enough." Then, he added, "We could ask Fred; I'm sure he'd be delighted to spend the day with James. And Rich, for that matter. The one time the three of them were together, we were keeping a very close eye on them."

Malfoy shuddered. "No, thanks," he said firmly. "I've been hearing stories about those two. So, unless the ladies object, I can count on you lot?"

Harry looked at Ron to confirm, but Ron, uncomfortable as it was making him, seemed to be agreeable. "Unless Ginny or Hermione have an objection, I think you can count on us all to be there." Unable to resist, he asked, "So, Malfoy, when'd you grow up?"

Malfoy's expression was serious, but not angry. "The day I realised that the people who won the war weren't going to destroy us, or even try. I did a lot of rethinking." He smiled. "It was . . . quite the revelation." Standing up, he said, "Unless there's something else you gentlemen would like to discuss, I have other appointments this afternoon." With a fond smile, he added, "I have tickets for the Falcons and I'm taking Scorpius."

When Ron looked ready to taunt Malfoy with the Falcons' terrible record, Harry kicked him. "Enjoy the game, Malfoy," he said, holding out his hand.

Malfoy took it and smiled. "Thanks, I plan on it."

As Harry walked Ron back to the shop, Ron said, "Y'know, Rose keeps talking about what a nice kid Scorpius is, and how nice his dad's been to her. I couldn't believe it; he was such a prat when we were kids."

"He was more than that," Harry said, "but it's like he said, he and his family lived and they lost a lot less than they expected to. I suppose it actually had an effect."

"Who knew?" Ron said.

July 13, 2018

Brother Simon sat down at the kitchen table and was finally ready to discuss the problem. At his request, Judith had asked Matt to join them.

"Your letter mentioned some concerns," Brother Simon said, with a warm smile on his face. "I'd like to hear them directly from you, if you don't mind."

Judith nodded and tried to bring her scattered thoughts under control. "Matt's a good boy," she started. "He does as he's told, doesn't play with bad kids, does his schoolwork. Mostly," she said, exchanging a grin with her son. He really was a good boy. "But this letter and what it says.... it scares me. I don't want my son condemned to Hell."

"No mother does," Brother Simon said, holding out his hand. "May I see this letter?"

Judith had the letter next to the table with the rest of the things she thought she'd need. She handed it to Brother Simon. Seeing the way her hands were trembling, she moved them to her lap; the situation was bad enough without showing weakness.

Brother Simon read the letter over, as well as the one that Mr. Malfoy had left. Finally, he looked up at her. The smile was gone from his face; he sighed as he ran his hand over his thinning brown hair. "The content of the letter would be disturbing enough to me," he said, "even without the man's name. Any magic that doesn't come from God is evil, and this school says nothing about God."

"There's no mention of even so much as a chapel on the grounds," Judith added. "I asked about church, and Mr. Malfoy said that 'something could be arranged,' but it seems to me that it should already be there."

"Absolutely. His name adds to the evidence: Dragon Bad Faith. And the dragon is a symbol of Satan. I suspect that he's a knowing emissary of Satan and this school is one of his tools. Do you understand what we're saying?" he asked Matt.

Matt nodded, his face pale. "Yeah, you're saying I'm bad and going here would mean I couldn't ever get back to Jesus. Right?"

"No!" Brother Simon said at a little less than a roar. "You're no more bad than any other sinner in this world. You've been marked by the Devil, boy, and this supposed school is a trap to bring you to him." He leaned back as his smile returned. "Now, has anything ever happened that would indicate he has this, this, this magic?"

Judith closed her eyes. "Yes. When he gets angry, things start flying around the house. When he was little, he used to be able to call his toys to him, and sweets. Once, when I thought I was about to be mugged, Matt yelled and the man fell down. Except for that last time, I've always punished Matt when these things happened. He says he doesn't know what he did, but all you have to do is to look at what's happening to tell he's doing it."

Brother Simon nodded. "God's testing you; making sure you're both His people. I hope I don't have to tell you that Matt can't go to this school, this Hogwarts. That's the easy part."

"Do we have to do more?" Matt asked. He'd been so upset ever since Judith had told him that magic, and therefore Hogwarts, was evil. He'd thought it sounded like so much fun.

"God never makes us do anything," Brother Simon said. "But if you have this magic in you, it's best if we get it out. You don't want any more dealings with Bad Faith now, do you?"

Judith was so proud when Matt shook his head, "No." He looked troubled to her, but the whole thing was upsetting. Once things were settled, she'd have to arrange something nice for him. He really was a good kid!

Reaching into his pocket and handing Judith a brochure, Brother Simon stood. "That's our church; Sunday services start at 10. I'll ask for a prayer circle to meet every night next week."

"Thank you; my church refused to help. They said there's no such thing as magic and simply believing in it is succumbing to the Devil. Now, what do I owe you?" Judith asked.

Shaking his head, Brother Simon said, "You can't put a price on God's mercy. A good faith offering of what you think your son's safety is worth is all we ask." As he opened the door, he turned. "Oh, as much water as you want is fine, but Matt should only eat bread, and that every other day. Always a good idea to purify the body as much as possible, and the Devil doesn't like fasting for purification."

"Would vitamins be all right?" Judith asked.

Brother Simon seemed never to have considered it. He stopped for a minute, looking carefully at Judith, but finally smiled. "You're such a good mother," he said. "Yes, I don't see how vitamins could be a problem. Might even help. I hope to see the both of you on Sunday morning."

After he'd closed the door, Matt looked at the letter. "I was looking forward to showing it to Dad next weekend. I bet he'd be excited for me." Before Judith could say anything, or reach out to him, he'd taken the letter, and the rest of the information it had come with, and walked quickly to his bedroom. Judith's heart ached for him, but she knew she had to be firm. She wouldn't lose her son to evil, she just wouldn't.

July 14, 2018

"Don't forget," Sophie said to Dudley over breakfast after the kids had left. "Your parents are coming over tomorrow."

Dudley swallowed his toast, trying to dislodge the lump that had joined it. "You want to tell them. Even though we may decide not to send her to Hogwarts."

"Be honest, love," Sophie said as she scraped the dishes to put them in the dishwasher. "We're waiting until we see it because neither of us is comfortable sending her somewhere we've never even seen, but she'll be going unless there's a very strong reason not to."

Dudley sighed. "Yeah, she'd probably run away if we didn't send her; she's that excited. It's just . . . It's going to be such a fight."

Sophie poured herself a cup of tea and sat down facing Dudley. "Do you know why she's, why either of them, is so prejudiced against magic?"

Wishing he had a better answer, Dudley shook his head. "I'm not sure. Part of it's that magic is different. Most people don't have it. Respectable people don't have children who turn their teacher's hair blue, or jump up on the school roof, or make fancy puddings float. Or land on Mrs. What's-Her-Name's head. Or use owls to send post. It's not normal; it's not respectable; it doesn't . . ."

"Doesn't fit your mum's idea of what a proper upper middle class family should be like," Sophie said when Dudley trailed off. "Did Harry do all those things?"

For the first time, Dudley looked back at all the strange, unnatural things that had happened around Harry as they grew up, and saw the humour. "Yeah. Mrs. McGillicuddy was especially funny. Piers had set a tack on Harry's chair, so he was trying to pick it up before he sat down, and Mrs. McGillicuddy snapped at him to sit! Down! Now! So, he did, and then got in trouble for yelping when the tack got him--because she hadn't seen it, you see--and then her hair went blue. The whole class started laughing."

"She didn't think it was Harry, did she?"

"Well, yeah," Dudley said, still smiling at the mental image of a bright-blue-haired Mrs. McGillicuddy, "but only because she blamed Harry for everything that went wrong in that class. She and Mum were friends, y'see. But she couldn't suss out how. I didn't realise it then, but Mum knew exactly what happened." He stopped smiling as he remembered what happened later. "He was locked . . ." He trailed off. "Amazing, really, that any of us lived long enough for Harry to grow up, with all that we did to him."

Sophie took a sip of tea, clearly thinking about something. Finally, she said, "I think we wait until they're sitting down and comfortable and then just tell them. If they get, well, we tell them they have three grandchildren and, if they can't handle the fact that one of them is a witch, they don't have to have anything to do with any of them."

"You don't want to tell them about Tom?" Dudley asked. Not that he was arguing, but Sophie was usually more upfront and blunt than that.

"No, love," she said. "Let's let them get used to Daphne before we spring Tom on them. Now, do we tell them about Harry?"

Dudley shrugged. "If they ask, yeah. Otherwise, . . . They don't like Harry and he doesn't like them. It's not like we're asking them to put up with him. Or his family. On the other hand, if they ask, we tell them." With a smirk, he continued, "We can let them know how well he's doing, and how well he's known. And thought of."

"And how badly they, and you, are?" Sophie asked. Then she sighed. "I can't wait until this is over. For better or worse, I just want this to be over. Then, after we've made our final decision, we can think about my family."

"How do you think they'll take it?" Even though he'd known her family for years, Dudley still had a hard time predicting how they'd react to things. They were so different from his family.

"Are you kidding?" she asked with a laugh. "They'll think it's fantastic, although we'll have to confiscate her wand so she doesn't get in trouble for breaking the underage magic rules. Dad, especially, will want to have her try any spell he's ever heard of. And he's the fantasy lover of the family."

Dudley nodded and laughed. Yes, Sophie's family would be much easier to handle. On this issue, at least.

July 15, 2018

"Where are the children?" Petunia Dursley asked, looking around the front hall.

"They're busy with something upstairs," Sophie said, just as she'd planned. "Why don't you come on in to the lounge?"

The next several minutes were spent with the usual small talk. Once they'd established that they were all fine, the children were doing well, and this summer seemed even hotter than last summer, Sophie gave Dudley a look. They'd agreed that he'd be the one to break the news about Daphne to his parents; if she were to do so, they'd assume it was just one more way to keep them away from their precious grandchildren.

"Mum, Dad," Dudley said, looking as if he were about to be marched off to his execution, "a couple of weeks ago, we got a letter accepting Daphne to a special school. We're considering sending her there."

Petunia beamed while Vernon blew out his moustache and said, "Glad to see they're recognizing our little princess. She's quite the special girl, isn't she? What school is it?"

Dudley smiled. "She certainly is." Then he took a deep breath. "The school is Hogwarts--"

He got no further. Petunia leapt to her feet and screeched, "You can't send her there! Dudley, you remember what those people were like. She can't go!"

Sophie looked at her mother-in-law calmly. "We haven't made any definite decisions yet, but we're seriously considering it. She'd probably be happier with people more like her."

"But they'll steal her!" Petunia wailed. "They'll steal her just like that boy stole my sister!"

As Sophie tried to wrap her mind around the completely unexpected objection, Vernon stood and walked over to Petunia, embracing her. "I don't know why you're upsetting your mother this way. They'll take our Daphne and turn her into some kind of freak. You'll never see her and, when you do, she won't be your little girl any more, but one of them. Like that nasty little creep Petunia's sister hung around with. Or your cousin, for that matter. You remember what a nasty boy he was."

"Dad," Dudley started to say, but Sophie cut him off. Better to handle the fears that didn't involve the word "freak" first.

"What do you mean, they steal them?" she asked. "And what boy? Do you mean, erm, Lily's husband?"

"No," Petunia said, sniffling, "I only met him once. There was a boy, he lived near us, a nasty little boy. He was a wizard, though, and he stole Lily away from me. And now he, or someone like him, will steal Daphne, too. They're horrible people! Horrible!"

As Sophie tried to get Petunia to sit down, Daphne came flying down the stairs, with her brothers right behind her. "Grandma," she said as she flung her arms around her grandmother, almost as upset as Petunia was, "I promise, I won't do any such thing! I love all of you! But magic's cool and I think I'll be good at it." Then she scowled. "I have to come up with some way to make my laptop work, though; I need it."

Petunia hugged Daphne back and started sobbing in earnest. Vernon scowled at Sophie and said, "See what you've done?"

"Dad," Dudley said firmly, "don't blame Sophie for any of this. We're making this decision as a team, and I doubt if Daphne got the magic from her. It's my aunt, and cousin, who were magical. Not hers. Now, why don't we all sit down and have a calm discussion?"

Sophie wasn't surprised when it wasn't that simple. First, Petunia had to be calmed down, which took a lot longer than Sophie had expected. Then, Vernon had to be calmed down, which took every bit as long as Sophie had expected. Then, the kids had to be calmed down, which was no easier than it ever was. Finally, after heavy doses of tea, and whiskey for Vernon, the seven of them were sitting in the lounge reasonably calm.

"What do you mean, they steal children?" Sophie asked.

"Before she got her Hogwarts letter, she met that awful boy," Petunia said, sniffling. "He, well, he convinced her that we, my parents and I, weren't, weren't as good as the two of them. As witches and wizards. Just because they had magic. And I tried to go, too, because--" She dissolved into tears again. When she'd calmed down, she said icily, "It was made clear to me that the only thing those freaks care about is magic. Family doesn't matter at all. They steal our children. I guess they don't have enough of their own." She put her arms around Daphne, drawing her closer. "They took Lily, and she died so very young. I won't let them have Daphne."

"We're not letting them take Daphne away from us," Dudley said firmly. "We're considering letting her go because we do think she'll do better with people who will understand the, the, the strange things that happen to her, but she's our daughter, and we won't let anything change that." He gave Sophie a look and took a deep breath. "I don't think it'll happen. Harry seemed as concerned about Rich as he was about Daphne." He chuckled a little ruefully. "Maybe even more so; he knows what it's like to be the odd one out."

"You talked to him!?!" Vernon roared.

Before his father could say anything else, Dudley said, "Yes, we spoke to him. And he's been really helpful. We spent last weekend with them, got to see what a real Wizarding house looks like, even spent Sunday with his in-laws. They've got us signed up for a tour--"

"They don't give tours!" Petunia said, her mouth a thin line. "They don't let decent folk anywhere near their precious school!"

"They do now," Sophie said, deliberately speaking softly. "It's the very first year, but they're giving a tour to all the families like ours, that have a youngster who may be attending Hogwarts in September. We're already signed up--"

"And I asked Harry," Dudley said, smiling at Sophie. "If you want, the two of you can come along. He'll take care of everything."

"And I got to meet their kids," Daphne said. "And they're really nice, and their girl is Lily just like your sister and she even has red hair and she has a puffskein that looks just like a Tribble from Star Trek and they've all got brooms but Uncle Harry, 'cause that sounds better than Cousin Harry, Uncle Harry says I can't take one to school this year and electronics don't work but Rose says there ought to be a way to make them work and we got history books and Uncle Harry's in them and . . ."

Petunia hugged Daphne close. "I don't know about the tour. That Headmaster Dumbledore didn't seem to think them a good idea."

"He's dead," Daphne said. "He was murdered! And his murderer got to be Headmaster after him. Except he was really a good guy. I'm not sure why. And they named Al after both of them. And--"

"You're awfully quiet," Vernon said, looking at Rich. "What do you think about all of this?"

Rich shrugged. "I like Smeltings. Hogwarts sounds like too much work to me, and all my friends go to Smeltings. James is OK, though, and so are his cousins." He shrugged. "I'm cool with it all. Me and Dad have had a couple of good talks, and I had one with Harry, too. He's wicked." Rich suddenly grinned. "He's an Auror, which is kind of like a police detective and an army special forces guy combined; he knows some cool stuff."

Vernon grunted. "Nasty little freak; could have gotten us all killed! Had to hide for a year! Lost accounts, made your mother sick, blew up poor Marge . . . Is that what you want our Daphne to become? A nasty little freak?"

"Daphne is not a freak and I will thank you to stop using that word!" Sophie took a deep breath before she completely lost her temper. "I happen to like Harry, he seems like a nice man, but I'll accept that raising him was difficult. But he's no more a freak than any of us are, and I won't put up with prejudice or that kind of language in my home." Making her voice hard, she added, "As I've said before."

Petunia scowled. "My sister died for that ungrateful little brat and all his lot could do was celebrate. They let her die and didn't care a bit."

"She's got a statue," Tom piped up. "She and Uncle Harry and his dad, too. You have to be magical to see it, or be touching someone magical. And Daphne said that she read a book that said she defeated the bad guy, but through Uncle Harry." Tom looked confused. "Or something like that. I didn't really understand it."

"The books don't make it clear," Daphne said, "but they all say it was Lily Potter who ultimately defeated him the first time, and one theory is that she defeated him both times, but through Uncle Harry. Everybody knows her."

Petunia looked shocked and didn't say anything for a long time. When she did speak, she asked Tom what he'd be doing for school for the next year. The topic of Daphne and Hogwarts, and everything associated with magic, was dropped for the rest of the day, which was much more pleasant than Sophie had expected.

As they left, Petunia pulled Daphne aside and whispered to her for a few minutes before kissing her good-bye. Once their car had left, Sophie asked Daphne, "What did she say to you just now?"

Daphne grinned. "She said that she'll come on the tour if I want. And she asked me to send her a copy of one of the books that talks about her sister so much." She skipped up the stairs, muttering something that Sophie carefully didn't listen to.

As they went to bed that night, Sophie sighed. Their biggest hurdle was out of the way. If they decided to send Daphne to Hogwarts, they'd have to decide what to tell her side of the family, but Dudley's parents were resigned, if still not very happy at the idea. And she hadn't even had to threaten them with not allowing them to see any of the kids. Life was good.