Escape the House ~To Seek Refuge!!~
Dursley House;
Cleaning himself up, Dudley went back over to the box. He didn't really want to look through it anymore but knew he needed to get this over with for Harry's sake. Dudley flipped through the few folders reading the labels; Banking, Housing, and one oddly named The Old Man. Deciding to look at housing next since it only had a couple of documents, Dudley couldn't keep his jaw from falling open. The paperwork he's looking at shows they not only do his parents not know their house, but it was actually in Harry's name. There was a document signed by both his and Harry's parents that allowed his parents to live here in the house free of charge. Harry inherited it upon their death, not his mother like she tells anyone who’ll listen.
Quickly grabbing the last folder he notices they are all handwritten letters. While only one was signed - the very bottom letter of the pile - each had the same handwriting. Reading through the top letter on the pile, Dudley drops the stack with a gasp and runs to check if the printer has ink. He could feel himself starting to hyperventilate as he put page after page on the scanner. He’d fully read them once he had the copies and everything in here put away. He knew his mom would be coming home soon and he didn't want to be anywhere near the house if he could help it.
Dudley texted Piers to see if he could stay the night, before putting everything away and packing his things. His friend had come over the day after the attack and listened for hours as he talked through how his family treated Harry, much to his friend's absolute horror, especially knowing what they did to make Harry's life harder. Even with keeping the magic part out, it felt nice to come clean about the hidden evils of the family to even just one person.
Running his hand through his hair and down his face he sat on his bed with his elbows resting on his knees, waiting for his friend to respond. He had packed more than he normally would in the hopes he could either stay a while or stash some things there if he needed a quick getaway later.
Dudley looked around his room. Everything stood out as luxurious compared to the room he photographed earlier. For the first time in his life, he could say he felt genuinely ashamed of the things he had. Up till now, it's been a hard crash of guilt and sadness and concern and betrayal. He really felt like he was going through all the stages of grief.
The alerting ping of Piers' ringtone was a welcome distraction.
Dudley briefly glanced at the message before he was shooting off his bed and down the stairs with his bags in tow. He waited till he was in their car and down the road before he texted his mother that he'd be with his friends. She's never really questioned him too much and today he's thankful she’ll always see him as her little ‘Duddy-kins’.
“So dude, what's with the sudden emergency departure? I didn't see either of your parents' cars home.” Piers asks from the front passenger seat, and he can see Pier’s mom occasionally looking at him through the rearview mirror with concern.
Glancing between the mom and son pair he can tell his friend must have already told her some or all of what they talked about the other night. He thought it was cute even if most people didn't realize how closely bonded the two are. With a sigh, Dudley responded, “I snooped around today and found out there's a lot more to the story I told you before. Let's wait till we get to the house tho, though I made sure I took pictures and copies of anything I could.”
“It looks like you packed quite a bit, would you like to stay for a week or two?
“Or indefinitely” came a nearly ineligible mumble from Piers. At the looks he got from the 2 he said, “What?! You're both probably thinking about it too. What kind of logic is it to send him back into the house of abusers? Sure they may not treat you like they do Harry but if we sit down tonight and start talking things through I’m sure we can make a list of what they do to abuse you as well.” The 3 remained silent the rest of the 4-minute car ride to Piers, thinking about what the 16-year-old had said.