The Death Eater's Daughter

Chapter Twenty-Two - Big D

Luci and Harry stood on the doorstep of his family's home. He had pressed the button for the bell, and now they were waiting.

She was feeling a little nervous about this whole endeavor. She'd never distracted anyone by beguiling them before, and she feared failure.

Suddenly, the Invisibility Cloak was no longer around her shoulders. She glanced sideways in panic, but she couldn't see Harry. And then, the door flew open.

"Whatever it is, we don't want any."

It was the same plump boy that she had seen the day that she'd accompanied Arthur to pick up Harry. He was even wearing the same sweater.

Luci threw on her brightest smile. "Hello, Dudley."

The boy didn't speak, though his mouth was hanging open.

"Remember me?"

Dudley nodded.

"Mind if I come in?"

To her astonishment, he stepped aside, ushering her past him.

She was nauseous and alone. She couldn't see or hear Harry. She supposed that she would have to flirt with his cousin until he found that letter. She wondered how long it would take...

Strolling into what appeared to be the living room, she saw a nice, welcoming couch, and made straight for it, sinking into one of the cushions.

She cleared her throat and stroked the seat next to her, beckoning Dudley to join her. He sauntered over, grinning stupidly, and plopped down. She felt herself bounce against his weight.

It was absurd that he was related to Harry. He was so... round. And red-faced. She imagined she was probably a little red-faced at the moment too though.

Luci swallowed thickly and pulled herself back into a seductive mood. She wished that this could work on Harry...

She gently laid her hand on Dudley's knee, but he flew away from her, nearly toppling to the floor. It took him a moment to clamber back into the couch, his face more crimson than ever.

"Now, Dudley, I need your help," she said as throatily as possible. She sounded ridiculous. She hoped that Harry wasn't watching this.

"With what?" the boy stuttered.

"Well, it's a matter of vast importance, so I need to know that you'll keep this just between the two of us."

He nodded his large cherry face.

She cleared her throat again. "The Ministry of Magic-"

Dudley looked entirely befuddled, so she clarified, "We're the ones who keep things safe in our world."

"Oh."

"We're looking for someone who has... um, broken a few of our rules... and we think that you might be able to tell us where he is."

The boy frowned. "I don't know where any of your kind are!"

Luci raised an eyebrow.

"S-sorry," he corrected himself. "I mean. You're very nice. But..."

"It's alright," she cut in soothingly. "I know that we are a little different. But I promise you that we are not out to harm you, just to protect our own interests. We won't bother you again after this."

"Y-you aren't bothering me," said the boy hastily.

"Oh, I'm glad to hear that," Luci smiled, thinking that his patience might be necessary, since she didn't know how long she might have to stall. "I'd hate to think that I was inconveniencing you."

She slowly crossed one leg over the other, smoothing the skirt of her dress over her lean thighs.

"No," choked Dudley.

He grinned dimly, and she returned the expression.

"So, um," he strangled, "who are you looking for?"

Straight to the point. Perhaps not as dumb as he looked...

"Your cousin," she began slowly.

Saying this out loud felt like insanity. Harry wasn't a criminal, and pretending that he was, even for his benefit... It was madness, all of it. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like she wasn't living amid madness.

"Harry Potter," she clarified, at Dudley's bemused expression.

And his face immediately betrayed rage. "Harry! I knew it! What has he done this time?"

She wasn't sure how to answer for a moment, but finally replied, "I'm not at liberty to say. But rest assured, he'll be punished for his crimes, when we find him."

Dudley smiled hopefully.

"Would you like that?" she asked him, her eyebrows raised.

The boy nodded. "He's awful."

Almost entirely out of curiosity, she prodded on, "Was it hard living with him all of those years?"

"Oh, yes, you can't imagine!"

Dudley was growing more comfortable, his hands becoming animated as he talked.

"He was the weirdest person," he continued. "Always off in his own world, and strange things were always happening to him. It was such a relief to get rid of him when he went off to that school."

"Hogwarts?"

"You think I know the name? I didn't care. I was just glad to see him gone."

Luci smiled slightly, nodding. "And things got better then?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed brightly. "We didn't have to hide him anymore. I could have friends over. There were no more strange things happening in the house. My parents didn't have to worry about him anymore. Best day of my life, when he left."

"I imagine," she encouraged him. "What kind of strange things happened when he was here?"

"Oh, you know, odd creatures and things moving when they shouldn't. That bloody owl hooting in his bedroom. And there was this thing with a snake once."

"A snake?"

Draco had mentioned that Harry spoke Parseltongue. It still creeped her out. Was it the connection to Voldemort? Or was it something else?

"Yeah, we were kids," explained Dudley. "And we were at a zoo, and he set this snake on me."

Luci raised an eyebrow.

"He really did! It was bloody terrifying! It was like... Well, this will sound mad, but it was like he was talking to it."

"Interesting," she mused. "And when was this?"

"Oh, I dunno, while back. Hey, I'm hungry. Want some food?"

She nearly laughed aloud at him. The last thing this boy needed was food.

"No, thank you," she answered, "but feel free to get something for yourself."

He got precariously to his feet. "You sure? You're very thin."

Luci guffawed before she could stop herself.

"I mean, not that there's anything wrong..." He turned bright red again. "Sorry. Never mind. Won't be long."

After he left the room, it occurred to her that Harry was wandering around the house somewhere. She hoped that he wasn't in the kitchen. It was too late for him, if he was.

But the only noise coming from that direction was the refrigerator opening, then closing, and the clinking of glass.

Luci looked around the room.

Above the fireplace, on the mantle, hung a large photograph of Dudley, his parents on either side of him. Harry wasn't pictured. They looked... well, not happy, but something like it.

The television was the prominent piece of furniture in the room. It was evident that it was their main source of entertainment. Besides food, obviously.

Otherwise, there were only two overstuffed armchairs, a coffee table, and an oak cabinet against one wall. What was a living room without a book shelf? Perhaps they kept books somewhere else. Though she'd deducted that they probably weren't the reading kind.

On the oak piece, she noticed a clock. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she had come into the living room with Dudley, but she made note of the current time, so that she could keep track. She hoped that Harry wouldn't be much longer.

Dudley waddled back to her a few minutes later, carrying a large sandwich on a white plate and a glass of milk. He set them down on the coffee table and sidled up next to her again. He had found some confidence. It was unsettling.

"Ham," he told her, gesturing toward the plate. "You're sure you don't want any?"

"Yes, thanks," she smiled. "You have a lovely home. What do your parents do?"

"My father is a director," he said proudly. "He makes drills."

"Drills?"

Dudley nodded, but couldn't speak, as he'd taken an enormous bite out of his sandwich.

He chewed loudly for a few moments, and Luci tried not to grimace in disgust.

After swallowing and taking a swig of the milk, he said, "I thought your kind knew everything about us."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why would you think that?"

"People came here," he shrugged. "Always seemed to know things."

"Well, I'm not like them. I was raised a little more like you."

Not only was it true, but it caused him to beam warmly.

"Yeah? Like a regular person? With telly and sports and normal school and things?"

She giggled. "Yes, just like that."

"Ooh, what do you watch on telly?" he asked enthusiastically before taking another noisy bite.

"Well, I haven't watched anything over here, since I haven't had access to a TV, but at home, I watched things like Seinfeld."

Oh, wow, she kind of missed Seinfeld. It came as a surprise to her. She missed her semi-Muggle life.

"Do you watch Dream Team?" he was asking between gulps of milk.

"No, sorry, haven't heard of it," she responded absentmindedly, still feeling homesick.

"Oh, it's great. It's about football. Do you like football?"

"Um, well, I don't like the American version, but I think yours is like our soccer, right?"

Dudley shrugged and shoved the last of the sandwich into his mouth.

She let him chew and glanced at the clock. It had been fifteen minutes. It felt longer. Where the hell was Harry?

Finally, Dudley swallowed and declared, "I was a boxing champion, you know?"

"Really?" she glowed with feigned interest.

"Mmm hmm. Everyone is still afraid of me. They do anything I tell 'em to."

Luci found herself thinking that Draco would be envious.

"Nice," she commented. "I'm sure your parents are very proud."

"Oh, they are," he grinned. "They've always told me so. Especially when Harry was around. We wanted to make sure he knew that he was a burden to us."

She frowned. Poor Harry...

"Hey, you never told me what he did," Dudley pointed out.

"I told you that I wasn't at liberty to say," she covered. "It's a, well, a legal matter. And you never mentioned whether you might know where he is."

"I don't," he answered, finishing off the milk. "Glad not to. I don't think we'll see him around here again."

"Hmm. Well, where would you suggest we look?"

"I dunno. Somewhere in your world, probably. He'd never come here."

"Why not?"

"He hates us as much as we hate him," remarked Dudley.

"Hate?" she asked. "That's a very strong word."

"Sometimes, it wasn't strong enough, believe me. He ruined my life until he left. He was this ugly kid. He was stupid and annoying and he smelled-"

Smelled? She tried not to laugh.

"- and he was always around. And I couldn't have a normal life. Because he wasn't normal."

"I see," she said sympathetically.

Then, Luci felt a subtle tapping on her right shoulder. It was so unexpected that she nearly flew into the air, but she managed to tone it down to a swift intake of breath. No one else was in the room, so she could only think that it was Harry under that valuable Cloak. Thankfully, it was time to go.

"Well, Dudley, I think I have enough," she said abruptly, getting to her feet.

He followed her as quickly as he could while bearing that kind of weight.

"Can't you stay? I have tea and cakes. Anything you want."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, but I really can't. You've been very helpful, though."

"But!" he cried out, and she turned to him.

"I need your help too," he finished quietly.

Luci furrowed her brow. "With what?"

Dudley's face was full of terror, and she felt sorry for him all of the sudden.

"It's okay, you can tell me," she coaxed.

The boy took a solid breath. "Harry did something to me."

She took a step towards him. "What do you mean?"

Dudley looked away and didn't respond. A few seconds went by.

"Well, I can't help you, then," she said with finality.

"No, wait!"

Luci turned back to him, giving him a supportive nod.

"I keep having nightmares..."

Fascinated, she prompted, "And how did Harry cause this?"

He hesitated again, but then blathered, "It started when he attacked me in an alley a few years ago."

Stifling a gasp at the declaration, she asked, "Harry attacked you?"

"Now I can't stop having nightmares," nodded the large boy.

She wanted to know everything. "And what are you having nightmares about?" She corrected her own grammar in her head.

Dudley was sweating, his chest heaving, obviously distraught. She could only watch him and wait for the next words out of his mouth.

Finally, he went on, "I keep seeing my mum... w-with a... a... one of those w-wand thingies... and she's waving it around and chanting something... but nothing's happening and she's mad and yelling..."

Was Harry's aunt a witch too? It wouldn't make any sense. Harry had told Luci that his family hated magic.

"Did this actually happen to you, Dudley?" she questioned the boy.

He gave her a short nod, nearly in tears, and strangled, "When I was six."

"And has it happened since?" she pried on.

"Only in my nightmares. Can you make them go away?"

Luci was deep in thought at this point, wondering what this boy's mother had been doing with a wand all those years ago, and now so adamantly against them.

But she met Dudley's gaze and sighed, "No, I can't. I'm sorry. But they'll go away on their own, with time."

She knew that she couldn't help him, because she'd been looking for the same cure for Harry, with no luck so far. Slightly ironic.

"They will?" asked his cousin, sniffling.

"Yes, I think so," she lied.

And when he grinned optimistically, she felt guilt creeping into the pit of her stomach.

Until he did a one-eighty, snarling, "I hope you do catch my nasty cousin and put him away for what he's done for me, and to loads of others, probably."

Luci kept her cool through this, but apparently, Harry did not.

She heard Dudley shriek in horror and saw him fling his plump body backwards, an impressive feat. He was gurgling noises and pointing hysterically. To Harry's sneaker, which was clearly not under the Cloak.

"Shit," she breathed. And then at Dudley, to cease the noise, "Calm down!"

The boy went silent.

And Harry appeared before the pair of them, standing only a few feet away.

"Hi Big D," he grinned at his cousin.

The other boy immediately flew into a fit of rage, lunging at Harry and punching him right in the jaw.