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A New Beginning.

By Jon08



Rating: K+ I think, slight bad language by Dudley.



Disclaimer: I have no rights to these characters, they being the sole property of JK Rowling and am making no money from said story.





I have always thought that a lot is left out of the books about Dudley. What did he see when the dementors attacked him? Why did he put that cup of tea out for Harry? Did he try to change himself because of it?



Chapter 12



The run up to exams was exhaustive, but I had some good news. Plymouth University, University of West of England, and the University of York had all offered me a provisional place based on my Mock Exam results. I knew that the wizard villages of Tinworth, Godric's Hollow, and Upper Flagley, were part wizarding villages and they were possibly near to these universities. I wanted that connection.



I received invitations from the universities to attend open days, to look around and see the facilities that were offered. I was going to do my own research at the same time.



It was Friday May 1st and I was looking around Bristol at the town and facilities on offer at 'West of England', but I had other plans too. Mum had given me some money; I had told her that it was two days that I would be looking around. I was booked overnight into a hotel in Bristol. I'd checked a few things out with Justin and I had my own plans for the next day. I was going to try and see Godric's Hollow, the town where Harry had been born. Where 'You Know Who' had killed my aunt and uncle.



The next morning I checked out of the hotel and made my way to the High Street and took out the magic card I had been given months ago, and hoped my plan would work.



There was a loud bang and pulling up was a large triple decker bus. I climbed aboard. The driver an elderly wizard, turned round on his seat, his glasses were so thick, it didn't inspire much confidence in his driving ability.



"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Where are you going to?"



"Godric's Hollow, Please!"



"That's 3 Sickles, 12 Knuts, sorry I can't offer you breakfast, but we've got no conductor, ever since they arrested Stan."



"That's fine, thanks, I already ate." I handed him the money and sat myself down in one of the comfy looking armchairs that were around the bus.



"Won't be too long, just gotta take Madam Marsh home first. She's not feeling well you see." With a bang the bus was off, the chair I was sitting in flew towards the back of the bus and hit the pole at the back. I grabbed hold to avoid being thrown off. With another loud bang, the bus came to a stop and I was flung to the front of the bus. The driver climbed out of his seat and proceeded to assist an elderly witch off with her luggage, a large trunk and a carryon bag. I got up and assisted him with the trunk; it wasn't the sort of thing you could manoeuvre about a bus on your own. "Thanks," he puffed, making himself a cup of tea and handing me one. "Godric's Hollow next, why you going there. Don't get me wrong I'm just curious, business has been downright boring lately, no-one seems to be travelling, what with 'You Know Who' causing all this bother."



"Just doing some family research and looking around the area. My cousin was born here."



"So who's your cousin then?"



"Harry Potter."



"Really, he used the night bus himself a couple of times. Went one night from Surrey to London, and another with a load of people to Hogsmeade, right bossy lot. Course that when I had Stan, then so I didn't see him much. Then Stan goes and plays his mouth off and get carted off to Azkaban for being a Death Eater. Always were an idiot when it came to talking to girls." He put his cup down and went back to the driving seat. I hastily finished my tea and put the cup next to his, and took a seat.



With a bang, we were off again. I looked through the window, and we seemed to be travelling along a motorway at a reckless speed. Other vehicles were shoved out of our way and then as we went past, they moved back into lane as if they hadn't noticed us. I was glad the bus was enchanted that way, they way the driver was driving; we would have caused several accidents. There was another loud bang, the scenery blurred and we were in a small village with old fashioned houses, and modern buildings alongside them.



"Godric's Hollow."



"Thanks, if I can ask how late does this bus run. I'll need to get home later."



"It runs all night, but sometimes if we get busy it can take a while to get to where you're going. Course no chance of that at the moment." He turned the bus off and pulled his wand from the middle of the wheel. Come on, I'll show you round the village, nobody calling the bus at the moment. He put his wand in his pocket. "Follow me, my name's Ernie, Ernie Prang."



"Dudley Dursley."



"Don't recognise the name, you muggleborn?"



"No complete muggle."



"How'd you call the bus then, you need a wand?"



I showed him the card, "it works like a wand in some ways, allows me to see things hidden by magic, and gives some sort of protection, from what I've been told. Today was the first time I tried to use it like a wand. I was told how to call the Knight Bus by afriend. I hoped it would work and it did."



"Lucky you, that's some serious magic, I'd keep the card in your hand. You'll need it to see afew things." We walked into the village square, "can you see that?"



There was the normal sort of war memorial, commemorating the dead in both world wars. As I looked at it, it changed. There was a statue of three people. A man who looked remarkably like an older version of Harry, someone who looked vaguely similar to Mum were holding a baby. I reached into my backpack for my camera. I'd taken a few pictures of the university and campus, but I definitely wanted this.



Ernie looked at my camera, "is that muggle, it won't take the right memorial, pass it here." He waved his wand over my camera, muttering under his breath. The camera gave off a blue flash. "Here it'll take wizard photos now. You'll need to have them developed at a wizard establishment, but that's not a problem. There's several of them."



I took the photo and Ernie led me to what looked like abombed out house. I looked at him. "That's where your Aunt and Uncle died and'You Know Who' tried to kill Harry." I took a couple of photos of the house. "Touch the gate," Ernie said to me. I did and suddenly there was a badly graffitied notice.



'On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981,

Lily and James Potter lost their lives.

Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever

to have survived the Killing Curse.

This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left

in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters

and as a reminder of the violence

that tore apart their family.'



I took a couple of photos of the notice, and Ernie told me that the next stop was the graveyard. There was a small grave with what had probably been a wreath on it.



'James Potter, born 27 March 1960, died 31 October 1981

Lily Potter, born 30 January 1960, died 31 October 1981



The last Enemy that shall be destroyed is death.'



I took a couple of photos of the gravestone. "Is there anywhere I could buy a wreath or some flowers for the grave?"



Ernie gave a glance around, waved his wand and a wreath of roses materialised on the grave.



"Thank you," I said, tears in my eyes. "Mum never talked about her sister, only to insult her or abuse Harry about them."



"C'mon," Ernie said, "it's lunchtime and I'm hungry." We headed back towards the bus.

"Do we have to go back to the bus, is there anywhere here we can get lunch. I feel like I owe you something for helping me out and showing me round?" we made our way back to the village square and a small cafe where I purchased sandwiches and tea for myself and Ernie. We talked about the first time Harry had used the Knight Bus, and I related how he had blown Aunt Marge up, and left the house along with his trunk.



"We took him to the Leaky Cauldron; he'd said his name was Neville something. Quite a surprise to us to be met by Fudge, the Minister, and get told our passenger was Harry Potter. At the time we thought it a bit strange him being that Sirius Black was out to kill him that he was out unsupervised."



"Hang on, Sirius Black trying to kill him; I thought he was Harry's godfather?"



"It was all a misunderstanding; Black had been imprisoned without trial for mass muggle killing and the murder of Peter Pettigrew. The authorities thought he was a follower of'You Know Who'; he was given a posthumous pardon after he died at the ministry defending Harry and some friends from a load of Death Eaters. Pettigrew's family were most upset when the posthumous Order of Merlin was stripped from him. Of course he wasn't really dead, they only found his finger, he cut it off in his escape." Ernie pulled a pipe from his pocket and proceeded to smoke it. Without lighting it. It lit itself. Magic never failed to amaze me.



We had been talking for a while when Ernie pulled his wand from his pocket, "duty calls, do you want to stay here longer or are you ready to go home?"



"No thanks'. I think I've seen all I would like to, could you drop me back off in Bristol, I'll go back home by the train, that way Mum and Dad won't know I've used the Knight Bus."



"No problem, just got to make a pickup in Birmingham first. Then I'll get you to Bristol." We picked up an elderly wizard on his way to Gaddley, and then I was dropped off in Bristol by the railway station.



I checked my camera to see how many photos I'd taken, Istill had a couple left on the film, so took a couple of tourist shots of Bristol and boarded the train for home.



It was half past four when I got back to Tinworth, so Imade my way to the nearest photo processing shop with my camera. The assistant removed the film from my camera and looked at it, "do you want standard processing or the special?"



"If by special, you mean magical, I'll take that please, though some of the photo's are muggle ones."



"Never had a mixed film before, It won't be ready till Monday though, I can't tell you the exact cost as it depends on how many of each type of photo you've got. Shouldn't cost more than a Galleon though, that's what it'll be for a full film of magical photos, so it should be less."



"No problem, the name's, Dursley, I'll come back Monday evening, if that's ok?"



"No problem, Mr. Dursley, I'll see you Monday. Did you hear the big news today? 'You Know Who's' dead. Harry Potter fulfilled the prophecy and finished him off in the early hours."



"That's brilliant, I've been out for the day, so heard no news. Anything else you can tell me about it?"



"Not much, heard a little on the radio earlier. Potterwatch came on with no password, broadcasting direct from Hogwarts. There's been fatalities on our side. Didn't catch the names had to come to work. But apparently it's been broadcasting the same message all day, from what I've been told."



"Thanks, I'll go home and tune in."



*

As I walked in the door, Dad called out, "Dudley, your friend Justin phoned he's been trying to get hold of you all day, but you didn't answer your mobile."



"Thanks Dad, I'll go upstairs, put my phone on charge and call him from there."



I quickly went to my room and retrieved my mobile from my backpack and dialled Justin's number. I must have been in some bad signal area all day, because it hadn't rung and the charge was full. "Justin, it's Dudley, you've been calling me all day apparently."



"Yes, have you heard the news? Harry did it."



"Only just, I've been in Godric's Hollow most of the day, the photo shop manager told me when I dropped my film off for processing. There's been fatalities, but he couldn't give me any names."



"Well, some won't mean much to you, but there was Remus Lupin, my old professor, his wife, Fred Weasley, those names should be known to you. I think you said you'd met Fred, one of Ron's brothers."



"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was one of the two that gave me those bloody toffees. But that's terrible; he wasn't much older than us was he?"



"Only 20. The youngest was Colin Creevey; he was a year younger than us. He shouldn't have been there, he was muggleborn and underage. He must have got the message on his DA Galleon and got to Hogsmeade somehow. Lisa went. But I know she's fine, bit bruised and battered but otherwise ok. She's sent me a message via Galleon. Can you come round to mine later, were going to go to the Happy Hippogriff, there's apparently a celebration going on there."



"I'll have to meet you at the Hippogriff then; I can't find your house remember."



"That's solved. I live at 124 Ravenclaw Road; I'll explain later, how I can tell you. See you about seven."



"I'll be there. See you later."



Over dinner that evening I told Mum and Dad that I was going to Justin's and we'd be going to a party, he'd had some good news regarding some friends and I might be back late.



"Ok, Dudley, don't get too drunk will you?"



"Mum, I'm not old enough to drink yet remember!"



"Don't play the innocent here. I know you've been out to a local pub, and Iknow you used to drink back home in Surrey. So I'm just telling you to be careful about how much you drink, ok."



"Ok Mum. I promise to stay sober."



I left the house and without thinking turned right and headed down the road, reached the end and turned left. Ten minutes later I was standing outside 124 Ravenclaw Road, Justin's. The first time I'd ever got there on my own. What had changed with the magic?



I knocked on the door and was greeted by Biskit, who was now wearing what looked like a patchwork dress, made from several different pieces of material, each one clashing with the next. "Greetings Master Dudley, please come on in, Master Justin is expecting you." She led me into the lounge after taking my coat.



Justin and his mother were listening to the radio. "The new Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt is asking all muggleborns in hiding to remain so until they are either contacted by their secret keeper or a member of Ministry staff. All wizards who are able are asked to assist in the rebuilding of Hogwarts, which has suffered major damage. Apparition points have been made available in Hogsmeade, and the Hogwarts express is running daily from platform 9¾ at 11 o’clock. The news once again. ‘You Know Who’ is dead, killed by a backlash from his own killing spell as he tried to kill Harry Potter for the third time at around 6 o’clock this morning. There are some Death Eaters still at large, but the ministry is doing its best to bring them to justice...”

Justin turned the radio off. “You’ve heard most of the important stuff there. They tend to repeat a lot. The list of fatalities etc, there’s going to be a service of memorial is going to be held in Hogsmeade at the end of June. Now, I know you’re wondering how I can tell you where I live. Our secret keeper was professor Remus Lupin, he died in the battle, and so anyone he told the secret to has also become a secret keeper and can pass the information along. Dedalus Diggle was your secret keeper and he’s still alive, so your secret is still safe.”

“That makes sense, but is there a way to remove the charm? I mean I don’t want to live in a secret location for the rest of my life. If there is, does it work the same way for you, now your secret keeper’s dead?”

“I know it can be undone, but not how. I would have learned the Fidelius charm this year at Hogwarts and how to undo it, but that’s no use to me now.”

All of us then left to head for the Happy Hippogriff to join the celebrations there.


Author Note: the universities I have mentioned are real universities in England, but no reference is inferred that they do the courses I think Dudley will need. Any similarities between ‘my’ universities and the real ones is coincidental. The quotations from Godric’s Hollow, Ernie Prang, Madam Marsh, and the Knight Bus are the work of the wonderful JK Rowling. No infringement of copyright is intended.