new hopes
Dudley walked in alongside his family and the two Order members utterly speechless and dumbfounded with the interior of the house. He could not clearly remember the details but sometime after they entered, the Dursleys had been given their own part of the manor near the East Wing as Hestia called it. The area was huge and aesthetically designed with three rooms, a tiny kitchen, and a sitting area along with surprisingly a TV and a few playstations and video games.
Dudley and his parents had spent the first day gathering themselves and it was soon decided that they would not be coming out of their allotted area however, Dudley wanted to get to know more about his cousin and the only excuse he could find for getting out of their living quarters was that he did not want to be out of shape and so would be searching for a gym.
Vernon did not have any reason to restrict that and allowed his son out with a “DON’T TALK TO THE FREAKS”
The youngest Dursley upon trying to navigate the huge Manor noticed that there were talking and moving portraits in all the areas but those closest to where his family stayed and one even talked to him!
“Are you lost young one?”, a plump lady with blonde curls and kind hazel eyes dressed in medieval dress asked. “Perhaps, I could offer you some help?”
“Um uh I- yes”, Dudley would forever deny that he stared at her for an entire minute, and it took all his resolve to not just faint then and there. “Is there- uh where are others?”
“Take a left at the end of this corridor dear, and you will find the stairs leading to the library on the bottom floor”.
“Th-thank you”.
Dudley hurried and as he was about to descend to another floor he saw Hestia Jones and Daedalus Diggle standing by the main entrance and hid behind the pillar that was to the end of the staircase. He knew he should not eavesdrop, but his curiosity won over, especially as he considered that whoever came most likely arrived with some news regarding his cousin.
“Who’s there”, Hestia asked, her wand raised as Daedalus stood in a similarly ready position across her, facing the door.
The voice from the other side was rough and deep, “Charlie Weasley here”.
The adults exchanged looks of wonder, doubt, happiness, and suspicion.
“I’ll ask", Hestia sighed. “What was the first thing you told me when I asked you about Heidi after you met her in her third year?”
“Um lil’ Olly is crazy about her, no wonder though, she is such a natural, I am almost jealous”, Charlie answered. “Then, you told me about her father being just as skilled and teased me about perhaps liking Olly”.
Dudley wondered who ‘Olly’ was and how his cousin seemed to be rather popular with the boys.
He peeked to notice that the adults relaxed and were overjoyed as they opened the door to a rather ruggedly handsome. He had fiery hair like those twins that offered Dudley the toffee three years ago but he was more muscular than lean like them and had too many scars and burnt marks.
“Charlie! Did she reach the Burrow safe last night?”, Hestia questioned as they were done with greetings and hugs.
Charlie gave a crooked grin that didn’t completely reach his eyes, “The lil’ hatchling is fine, but… Hestia, Diggle… Mad-eye didn’t make it”.
Hestia and Diggle stood shell-shocked before tears and sobs overcame them.
Daedalus, Dudley presumed, did not want to believe it, “No, no, no one could’ve taken him down! Not even those Death Eaters!”
Charlie patted him on the back, “Not death eaters, no. it was you-know-who himself from what Bill told me. Dung apparated away as soon as he saw him and Mad-eye…”
What followed was a series of curses towards ‘Dung’ and Dudley felt like he was invading a private moment and was about to sneak away when he heard the Weasley mention his name.
“...Dursleys here, are they as bad as the twins say?”.
“Yes, the parents are rather foul. I’ll never understand how they could be related to sweet fierce Lily or elegant noble Heidi”, he heard Hestia sniff.
Charlie sighed, “and the boy?”
“He seems interested and more open than his parents, but you never know”, Daedalus answered.
“Baby girl has hopes for him, I have been in contact with her since her first year and she is basically my sister”, Charlie elaborated at the looks he got for the nickname. “I treat her like I do my dragons and she pretends like she hates it, but I bet secretly loves it.”
“Anyway, she told me about him, and she has hopes for him so don’t close him off completely,” Charlie advised. “Just keep an open eye, Aunt Tia”
Hestia Jones looked rather miffed but agreed to do as the younger male wished and Dudley couldn’t help but be rather proud that his cousin had hopes for him. It made his resolve to learn about her and rekindle their relationship stronger.