Chapter 20 Dudley
Chapter 20 Dudley
Dudley was convinced that if Draco hadn’t held onto him he would have physically fallen apart, he could hardly believe he was still in one piece. Something terrible had happened when Draco had left him alone in the bathroom. The spell had broken and the truth of everything he had been ignoring all day came flooding back, his parents, the dungeon, the torture, Lucius’s peppermint breath. Suddenly it had all been there again, Draco’s presence had kept it all at bay, but being alone again had brought everything to the surface.
His face was buried in Draco’s neck breathing in his earthy smell and crying desperately into Draco’s shoulder. Pathetic, Dudley was covered in snot and tears, his face was blotchy, red and swollen.
Draco was patiently rubbing his back and shushing him.
Eventually the tears began to slow, Dudley slipped slowly down Draco’s body until his head was resting in Draco’s lap and the rest of his body was curled up in the foetal position. Draco slowly drew his hands up Dudley’s neck until his fingers were lost in Dudley’s hair, stroking and thumbing through his locks. The sensation was soothing, the feeling of Draco’s hands on his body was like nothing else. If Dudley had still had any doubt as to Draco’s true allegiances they were gone now, the affection laced in every movement was undeniable. Dudley wasn’t sure how long he made Draco sit on the bathroom floor comforting him, at least an hour he guessed.
‘Dudley?’ Draco’s voice was unsure.
‘Yeah?’
‘Are you okay?’
‘Not really. Are you?’
‘Not really.’ Draco replied honestly.
‘I’m really glad I met you. Whatever happens. I’m so glad I got to meet you.’
‘Nothing’s going to happen’ Draco said sternly, moving Dudley’s chin with a soft finger so that they were looking at one another upside down, Dudley still laid on Draco’s lap and Draco looking down at him.
‘I know. Just. If anything does happen, I’m so glad that I met you.’
‘Me too.’ Draco smiled.
Dudley looked up at Draco, focussed on his sharp features, he really looked like a Greek marble, completely symmetrical with a pointed cupids bow. Dudley felt incredibly inadequate, he was overweight, his eyes were too close together, his nose was still healing and no doubt incredibly wonky now. But Draco looked down at him like he was a work of art, Draco’s lips were slightly parted, and Dudley just couldn’t help himself any longer. He lifted a hand and placed it behind Draco’s neck. He waited for any sign of disgust to cross Draco’s face but it didn’t, he continued to look straight down at him. Dudley leaned upwards towards Draco and gently pulled down on Draco’s neck the same time until their mouths were very nearly touching. He held them there a moment, giving Draco time to pull away, when he didn’t Dudley grazed his lips over Draco’s, the lightest softest whisper of a touch before pulling away again. Draco cupped Dudley’s cheek and leant down further towards Dudley, he reciprocated and tenderly pressed his lips to Dudley’s. Their mouths were both still shut, it was barely a kiss. Draco pulled away slightly but they stayed close, breathing the same air for a lingering moment. Dudley couldn’t help it, his heart was beating like a drum and he was still covered in his own tears but he beamed up at Draco. Draco smiled back. It was brief and delicate their lips had scarcely touched but Dudley decided that that was his first kiss. And it had been perfect.
They were both blushing dark red, Dudley couldn’t really believe it had happened, he sat up and turned to face Draco, they were cross legged in front of one another now.
‘That was nice.’ Dudley said looking at the floor.
‘That was very nice.’ Draco replied.
They lapsed into another moment of quiet, neither of them seemed to know what to say.
Draco took Dudley’s hand in his own and began to fiddle with his fingers, tracing the lines of his large hands, each finger, each line on his palm.
‘You’re so brave Dudley, I wish I could be more like you.’
‘I’m really not, I’ve spent the last few weeks feeling constantly terrified.’
‘You are, only scared people can be brave. I never would have had the courage to do what you just did.’
‘I couldn’t help myself anymore.’ Dudley shrugged.
‘I guess I’m pretty irresistible’ Draco smirked at Dudley, the humour breaking any residual tension.
‘I think it’s a bad case of Stockholm syndrome myself.’ Dudley laughed.
They sat on the bathroom floor a while longer, fiddling with each others hands, their knees touching.
‘Dudley?’
‘Yeah?’
‘We’ll have to go soon.’
‘I know.’ He did know, he’d been trying not to think about it.
‘I’m sorry’
‘I know.’
‘We might be able to do this again, maybe late at night we could apparate up here if we’re careful, and you can actually have that shower.’
Dudley heart leapt at the thought.
‘Really? I’d like that a lot.’
‘Me too.’
Draco held both of Dudley’s hands in a firm grip.
‘Ready?’
‘Ready.’
The world was ripped from beneath Dudley, he was tugged away by a violent force from behind his navel.
He landed hard on the stone floor of the dungeon, back in his prison.
His corner unchanged from how he’d left it this morning, though he himself felt like an entirely different person. There was a fresh plate of food for him, left by Vinny in his absence, a pie by the looks of it.
‘I hate leaving you here.’ Draco said looking around the, quite frankly very depressing dungeon.
‘How can you forgive me? How can you even look at me Dudley. The things I’ve done, I’ve don’t done really terrible things. I don’t know how I can live with myself knowing you’re down here.’ Draco looked like he was about to burst into tears. Dudley gingerly cupped Draco’s cheeks.
‘You didn’t put me here, Voldemort did. If you let me go, we would both be killed. At the moment we just don’t have a choice. I don’t blame you for it, even the Crucio Draco.’ Draco severed eye contact and looked at the floor in shame, Dudley pulled his chin back up to meet his eyes.
‘I mean it Draco. I don’t hold it against you. You did it for your mother, and I gave you permission.’ As he said the words he realised that they were genuinely true, he really had forgiven Draco.
‘As for the other terrible things, I don’t know who you were when you did them, but this Draco in front of me now, he regrets them, and he would never do them again, this is the Draco you are now, you’re a good person, you can’t take those things back but I’ll never hold them against you if you truly regret them. Okay?’
‘You say that now, but you don’t know what I did.’
‘Are you sorry for them?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s all I need to know, do you think I’ve been a saint my whole life? I can assure you I have not. You can ask Harry.’
‘Thank-you’ Draco murmured
‘You should go, they’ll be getting back soon.’
‘I know. I just, I don’t want to leave you.’
‘I’ll be fine.’
‘As soon as they’re asleep I’ll come back okay?’
‘Okay.’
And with a crack, Draco was gone.
It had been the most wonderful day, it felt like a dream. The orangery, the orchard and the flying had been the most wonderful things to have happened to him in months, maybe even years, Dudley sat back in his corner and picked up his dinner, he was exhausted. Dudley tried to ignore his breakdown in the bathroom, instead choosing to relive and replay the moment his lips had touched Draco’s. The shiver that had run down his spine, the somersaults that had spun in his stomach. In the end he finished his pie and fell asleep lost in the memory of Draco’s face so close to his own, his grey eyes and perfect lips.