Who Needs Therapy ~When You Have an Emotional Support Muggle~
Dear Petunia,
I deeply regret to inform you that on the night of All Hallows’ Eve, Your sister Lily and her husband James lost their lives in the fight of good against evil. They were killed in their home in Godric's Hollow by the Dark Lord Voldemort himself while protecting their son Harry and will be memorialized as War Heroes.
We don't know the specifics of what happened that night, but what is certain is that when the dark wizard turned his wand on young Harry, he was in turn vanquished. Unfortunately, danger still lies on the path before us. Voldemort has hundreds loyal to him that will do anything to see Harry and his remaining family destroyed in the wake of their lord's disappearance.
But not all is lost my dear child, for in her dying moments, Lily performed an act of magic hardly before seen to protect her only son. And her sacrifice will live on through her blood, blood that flows through both you and young Harry. Upon you accepting him into your home, the protection and blood wards will have latched onto the residence.
It is paramount you keep the boy, the savior of the wizarding world, safe within your home. I understand you and Lily had a strained relationship in your adult lives, but I believe love and family conquer all, so I have no worries that you’ll find a place for little Harry within your family.
I offer a warning; the boy must never stray far from the wards for too long. They are powered by his proximity, and as long as Harry sees your house as his home til his 17th birthday then danger shall be averted. Until the age of 11, when he will be reintroduced to wizarding society, any extended periods away could cause the wards to fall and put your entire family in danger.
In times of strife, we do as we must for the greater good. We are relying on you to keep the boy alive until the time he may return to us.
Sincerest condolences for your loss,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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“Dumbledore!?” Marissa yells, absolutely astonished. “But he’s supposed to be like a holier-than-thou grandfather figure.” Her pen bled into her notebook where she had stopped writing. “I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Above all else, he is a politician and a very successful one at that.” Her pen resumed its furious pace across the paper, “I’ll have to check, but I think he gained most of his power after defeating the Dark Lord in one of the previous wars. In comparison to Muggle culture, the man is practically a retired war general.”
“What kind of politician is he?” Piers asked. Dudley adds, “Do you know how long it's been since that war he gained recognition?”
“His titles are actually there on the letter,” She says while pointing at the TV with the tip of her pen. “He arguably holds 3 of the most powerful or influential positions in British society. As Chief Warlock he conducts all Wizengammot meetings -- it's like their version of Parliament -- and is the deciding factor of what bills are introduced and how they are introduced. A large portion of the light faction will follow anything he says or implies under the notion that he can do no wrong.”
Marissa stops for a moment to take a sip of her drink. She had to wrack her brain a bit to make sure all her information was accurate. Despite working with the magical world regularly, it's taken her years to gather information that doesn't pertain directly to her job. Most of it comes up during casework but others after becoming friends with some of her magical coworkers.
“As for the other two titles, being the Supreme Mugwump means he’s the wizard that attends the International Confederation of Wizards on behalf of the British Ministry.”
“So he's the one asking for or negotiating aid with other countries while they're at war? And the one responsible for bringing new ideas from other parts of the world into Britain?” At Marissa's nod, Dudley continued, “That's already a lot of power for one person, and I know he's also the headmaster of the premier school in the UK. Do you know if we received any outside aid during the last war?”
She leaned back while he was talking to think about that, “I'm not actually too sure, but if we did I doubt we’d receive it on the next.” At the look on the two boys she elaborated, “The end of the war had come as such a relief to the British wizarding public that they took to the streets to celebrate, in what is probably the biggest breach to the Statue of Security that we’ve seen in centuries. Their previous Minister had responded to the concerns of the ICW by declaring their ‘unalienable right to party’” Shaking her head at the absurdity.
Piers was mouthing those words to himself before chuckling, “My type of people.”
Dudley found himself relaxing further as he watched his friend find a moment of joy in all this. His life has felt like such a shit show the last couple of days that he hasn't been able to enjoy even the little things. But wizards are barmy as hell and he's glad he has his friend there to laugh at them for him.
“So besides important branches of government and molding future generations, Is there anything else he has his old wrinkly fingers in?”
“Sorry, but I can't say. While I can help with some stuff, I don't quite know everything about everyone. Dumbledore is just such a public figure that it's hard not to learn about him when his name is everywhere. Oh! Your other question, I almost forgot. The war with the last Dark Lord ran concurrent with World War 2, so it's been quite a while since he’s had the positions in the ministry. However, it's only been the last 15 or so years he’s had increased voting power.”
“Can you make a note of that? I don't know exactly what voting power is but that's the end of the last war so it seems important.” Dudley said as he started opening up the folder with Gringott's information. He was going to start with photos but it seems like they’d be best to wait till last.
He took a deep breath to center himself, the disgust at his parents was threatening to rise up in his chest again. “When I found this folder is the moment I felt like my entire world crashed around me. I texted Piers the moment I stopped throwing up.” He reached over to hand the mouse to Marissa. This would go faster if she had control since he still wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at.
“From what I can tell, the first scan is the deed to the house and the contract created by Harry's parents. The house belonged to my grandparents. My mom always said she inherited the property when they passed, but it actually went to her sister. Aunt Lily was going to marry James Potter who had an estate of his own I think. If not, you can tell he's still bloody wealthy from what he wore to my parent's wedding. But that's where the contract comes in. It doesn't give them the property but allows them to live in the house free of charge as long as they follow the rules of the contract. I didn't read enough to know what those rules were but I did see that the owner of the house has to be the one to enforce their removal if they break them. The owner who is now Harry, and Harry is completely unaware of all of this.” He had to take another deep breath not realizing how fast he was talking.
“All the other scans in this folder are bank statements from Gringotts Wizarding Bank confirming transfers from a Potter vault to my Parents' accounts. I think they are supposed to be monthly stipends for his care. Twice a year there is a larger sum payment that I think they used to take the 3 of us on our vacations or to pay for my birthday.”
“This is so much worse than I first thought.” Marissa was revolted over the amount of money these people were being paid. If the child had been properly taken care of that would be one thing but it's evident even to a stranger that they are anything but charitable towards Harry. She clicked through the statements and jotted down the timeline and amount of each statement to make it easier to reference later.
“Do you remember ever meeting a wizard in your home?” Marissa asked. “Sorry, that might be jumping ahead, how about you continue your story so we have the full overview. We only actually got to the point of Harry being found on the doorstep.”
“Yeah, okay, one moment.” Dudley readjusted on the sofa, pulling his legs up so that he could wrap his hands around his knees. “For a long time, I wasn't actively aware another boy was living in the house. His bedroom up until his 11th birthday was the cupboard under the stairs. I was too young to question why it had a lock and a vent on it. I remember being scared of the cupboard because I would sometimes hear sounds coming out of it, but whenever I brought it up to my parents they would tell me to go to my bedroom. I was around 4 or 5 when I would see Harry around the house cleaning. He was small and dirty and wearing my old clothes. Being the stupid jealous child I was, I got angry and pushed him over and it broke a vase that had been on the table he hit.
“Harry's cry and the sound of broken glass brought my mom into the room. I had never heard her scream or yell before that moment. She grabbed Harry by the back of his shirt and pulled him over to the cupboard. Throwing him in and telling him he wouldn't get dinner and that she would be telling my dad when he got home so he would be punished then. I was concerned until she came over and started cuddling me and telling me I did a good job and that I was her perfect little boy. But that was how I learned that the sounds were another kid living in the house.” Waving his hand up, unable to express how it made him feel. “I had thought it was normal until about 2nd grade. Someone had been complaining about taking out the garbage when they got home and a bunch of others had chimed in. I had boasted how I didn't have to clean because the boy in the house did it. The others obviously didn't understand and teased me until I bullied them into stopping. I never really brought it up again but I hadn’t felt ashamed about it either.”
“By the time Harry was 4 he was cooking breakfast almost every morning for the family. It took a couple years before he stopped regularly burning the bacon but they always used it as a reason to withhold food and lock him away. Neither of us knew his name was Harry until he started 1st grade. My parents only ever called him Boy or Freak, and the word magic was pretty much banned from the house. I remember how big of a tantrum I threw when I couldn't go to the circus that came through town when we were 8 all because it had a magic act.” Dudley chuckled thinking about how big of a brat he had acted as.
“Things started to really change a week or so before his 11th birthday.” He visibly cringed thinking about how he had been the one to steal his cousin's first-ever letter away from him. “His school sent him an acceptance letter but Harry was never able to read it before I took it and told my parents. For the next couple of days, my dad would monitor the mail and even board up the slot until they started showing up in weird ways. I remember my mom screaming while she was in the kitchen and every egg she cracked had a letter come out of it. Looking back, the following events were pretty funny if you put the trauma aside.”
Dudley looked over to see Marissa still taking notes, she had stopped to listen until he started talking about the letter. He took the moment to reach for his tea so she could finish her thoughts before he continued. It was oddly relieving to finally express all of this. Logically he knows that talking about your problems helps, but to actually experience the weight lifting off his shoulders is hard to explain.
“Is this around the time you and your family just got up and took off one day with nothing packed while Vernon was yelling about owls?” Piers asked. “Jon’s mom would not stop talking about it the next couple of months.”
A savage grin spread across his face at the thought of the neighbors gossiping about his parents despite how hard his mom tried to keep their image of the perfect household. “I think my dad had an actual mental breakdown over those 36 or so hours.” He said to his friend while he checked to see if Marissa was still writing. Seeing her looking up and ready, he continued, “It was a Sunday and we were all in the living room.
“He was talking to Harry about how mail doesn't come on Sundays and lamenting what a wonderful day it was. He honestly looked a bit manic. Neither mother nor I knew what to do but we could see all the owls on the street through the window and knew we weren't at the end yet. He wasn't even able to finish his tirade before out of the fireplace a letter shot out and hit him straight in the face.” He said with a grin. “Very quickly after it was like a floodgate of letters flowing in. My dad was screaming, me and mom were screaming, but Harry? It was probably one of the few moments I’ve seen him with a look of actual joy stretched across his whole face. He was jumping to grab a letter out of the air before running to try to get to his cupboard while Dad chased him and tackled him to the ground to wrestle the letter away from him. I remember mom holding on to me while I yelled ‘I think dads gone mad!’ It was total chaos.” Dudley laughed aloud when Piers doubled over at the image of the event.
“It was while the two were on the ground that the board over the mail slot broke off and Dad started to be pelted in the face with more letters. I think that was the straw that broke his back so to speak. He herded us all out of the house and into the car while raving about owls and letters. He peeled out of the driveway and drove for 2 hours before stopping at a shoddy hotel. We hadn't eaten anything along the way and all our nerves were fraying. Shortly after we got to the hotel, a confused employee came to the door carrying a bag of letters and we were once again ushered to the car on the road before the lady could utter another word.”
Marissa used the moment to ask a question. “You joked earlier that you think he had a mental breakdown, but it sounds like that might have actually happened. Did you at any point feel unsafe during all this?”
“Of course I did.” He answered with a sigh. “He wouldn't listen and he wouldn't stop. It had been like he was seeing through me. Set on a goal only he understood and unfortunately, the night only got worse from there.” He ran a hand through his short hair. “We drove for another couple of hours before he pulled off and told us to wait. He came back with rain gear and a very old key and told us to all get out and follow him. He had driven us to the ocean and it was dark and storming dangerously. The rain gear had done almost nothing to keep the water off us. The key was for an old rundown shack that was literally on its own island off the shore that we had to get to by an almost equally run-down row boat.” Both of them look mildly horrified at the scenario. This part has been in his nightmares since he was 12, so it's more than a little gratifying that they looked uncomfortable hearing about it.
“There was only 1 bed that my parents took so I was sleeping downstairs on the couch while Harry was on the floor.” He said bitterly. “It was midnight when it all came to a climax. Loud banging on the door had both of us sitting straight up. There had been a moment where we made eye contact and both agreed that the situation was Sus and scrambled to hide right before the door broke off its hinges and fell to the ground. I will never in my life forget the fear I felt at seeing the silhouette of quite possibly the largest man to ever live standing in the doorway.”
“Do you know who this man was by chance? I can take a guess with how you described his size but it's better to have confirmation.” Marissa asked.
“Yeah, I think he introduced himself as Rubeus Hag-something”
“Hagrid?”
“That's the one! After he came in, he put the door back in place as my parents rushed downstairs with a shotgun. Dad had it pointed straight at him but Hagrid just walked up and bent the barrel straight towards the ceiling like it was a flimsy toy. There was an awkward moment where he thought I was my cousin before the actual Harry came out from his hiding spot. He then told Harry happy birthday and gave him a homemade cake. It was all very surreal. He started telling Harry he was a wizard and allowed him to finally read the letter until Dad and Mom burst into the conversation to argue. I ended up using everyone's distraction to snag the cake and was eating it with my back turned to the commotion. It had been the first time in my life that I had gone an entire day without food so I was more than a little tunnel-visioned. The next thing I knew the atmosphere got tense and Hagrid stated deathly seriously to my dad that he is never to insult Albus Dumbledore in front of him and then he shot a spell out of his umbrella that gave me a pig's tail.” He looked up expecting his friend to find that funny only to be met with a concerned frown that was mirrored on his mother's face.
“That's really scary mate, especially if that was your first official time learning magic was real. Your attitude towards it definitely makes a lot more sense now.”
He nodded at his friend in agreement. “Truthfully, I still don’t think I'm fully over it. It ended up having to be surgically removed after we got back home and I still have a small scar from where it had been. The moment it happened tho, I ran out of the room and my parents followed. When they went back into the main space, however, both Hagrid and Harry were gone and the row boat was on the opposite shore. We ended up being stranded out there for another day before the owner came to check on us after the storm let up.”
“Wait, you're telling me that Hagrid kidnapped Harry after both assaulting you with magic and breaking and entering in the middle of the night? Then leaving while assuring you couldn't follow?” Marissa asked, mouth agape.
“Uhh, yeah pretty much?” Hearing it laid out like that makes it sound so much worse than just a crazy traumatic day his 12-year-old brain remembered it as. He watched as Marissa flipped to a new page and started to write again.
“After we made it home, we found Harry waiting for us on the front porch having gotten home before we did, only to be locked out for a full day before we got back. All his school things were immediately locked up and he was given my second bedroom. I overheard them talking about how we were being watched considering the first letter he received was marked for ‘The Cupboard Under the Stairs’” He can see Marissa adding that detail to her notes.
“Things fell into the new normal after that until we both left for school. Every summer after that, the cloud around Harry seemed to grow heavier. The first summer back, Dad put bars over his window and locks on the door and installed a cat flap to slide his food. There had at one point been an incident with a floating cake falling on one of our guest's heads, but I genuinely believe Harry when he says he didn't do it. I still don't know what actually happened but you can’t fake the level of panic and anger he was expressing. He only was able to escape the house when some of his friends ripped the bars off the window with a legit flying car!”
“No way!” his friend exclaimed.
“It was crazy dude. My dad ended up falling out the window into the bushes cause he was holding onto Harry's leg.” He explained further. “The summer before his 3rd year was when my aunt Marge came to visit and Harry blew her up with accidental magic after she made a nasty comment about his dead mom. I think the Ministry put him up in a hotel where he gets his school things for the last month or so of summer after my dad refused to have him in the house afterward. The summer before his 4th year probably went the best of him, he was able to use the fact that his godfather is an escaped murder convict to scare us into leaving him mostly alone. Same for this summer actually, but it was by no means easy for him. Something terrible happened at the end of last year and I think one of his friends died. He wakes the whole house when he has nightmares.”
“It was the Triwizard Tournament. A deadly competition that magically binds you to compete for ‘eternal glory’. There are normally three champions chosen, one from each school, but somehow a 4th name came out and it was Harry Potter. Despite being against regulation and the age line, he was contractually bound. In the final task, Harry showed up in the victor's spot with the dead body of the 17-year-old Hogwarts champion named Cedric Diggory. He claims it was Voldemort and that he has risen again but the ministry as a whole is denying his claims and currently is starting a smear campaign against him.” Marissa interjects so that they both know what happened.
“God, I’m such an asshole.” Dudley held his head in his hands thinking over what he said to Harry in the park right before the attack.
“How are they able to write articles about him without permission? There has to be some type of libel law and protection from the media for minors.” Piers asked his mom, ignoring his friend's internal guilt tornado for the moment. He had been there after all, when Dudley was taunting Harry before the sky got dark and we all scattered.
“He should have a magical guardian that's stepping in for him in this type of situation. We should see about getting him a lawyer before the trial. I have a good understanding of their criminal law but I’m not sure what type of case they’re trying to build against him considering the circumstances. Could you explain the attack?” Marissa asked. “We’ll probably collect your memories in the next couple of days but it's good to have a testimony prepared.”
Dudley shuddered, “It started when we were at the park and I was taunting Harry. I got him angry enough that he pulled his wand on me, but I doubt he would have used any spell, just hoping it would get me to back off. Almost immediately after, the sky went dark and the wind picked up. It was almost like a sense of forbidding settled over us. I accused Harry of doing something but he was just as concerned as I was, if not more so. By the time he was pulling my arm to run, everyone else had already left.”
“I’m really sorry for leaving you behind Dud, I should have stayed with you.” His friend's voice was laced thick with guilt.
Dudley waved him off, “Don't apologize for that, it was probably for the best anyways. Who knows what could have happened to both of us had you been there. I wouldn't wish the experience of being in those creatures' presence on my worst enemy let alone my best friend.”
“Anyways, I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast in my life. I would have tripped several times over if it wasn't for Harry keeping me up and going. We made it to the tunnels under the overpass but I could practically feel Harry's panic sparking across my skin and instinctively knew that whatever we were running from had caught up. It had been silent besides our panting when the cold descended.” He shivered at the memory. “We could only watch as ice crept across the walls and the lights began to flicker. At the end of the tunnel, I was closest to, a dark shadowing figure dropped down and brought with it a cloud of darkness that sapped all joy from the world. There was absolutely nothing I could do as it approached bringing with it memories of my childhood and especially memories of Harry and the torment I witnessed him live through. I remember seeing a second creature swoop in on Harry's end as he was coming my way to help before I fell to the ground. I had enough energy to look Harry's way in time to him create the single most beautiful piece of magic I think I’ll ever see. It chased the dementor away that had been attacking him before he sent it my way right as everything went black.”
Marissa looked deep in thought when he finished. It had been hard to talk about, despite all the sudden realization recently, he’s done his level best to block out all thought of the attack itself till now. He covered his eyes with his palms and tried to focus on the darkness to calm his heart down. Dudley knew this wouldn't be the last time he would be retelling the event and wasn't too sure he was prepared to keep reliving it.
“I hate to make it sound like you were only collateral in their attack, but do you think they were targeting Harry or the general populace? Dementors normally can only leave the prison if they are given a command by the Ministry. However, I remember there being some unrest a couple years back when the ones guarding Hogwarts took advantage of their freedom to try and feed off the students, so we can’t entirely rule out the possibility that they took a detour when free from a strict watch.” Marissa asks.
“I- I don’t know.” He started, “It’s not like we live by a lot of magical tho, so if they were sent to find somebody and went off the path, it's oddly convenient it was in the area Harry lives in.” He hadn't really thought about it that way before, but now that the seed had sunk in its roots, Dudley couldn't shake the thought that someone else had attempted to kill his little cousin. He could feel anger start to simmer in his stomach where guilt had laid havoc for the last several days. Like hell, he’ll allow this to continue without repercussions.
“I’ll make sure to bring it up in the case that Auror Bones doesn't say something, but I doubt she’d miss the implications. Should you ever meet her, she is a woman to be both respected and feared.” Marissa looked over at the clock and realized how late it was getting. “How about we quickly go through your pictures before calling it a night? I need to send a text to my boss to have him call me first thing in the morning so we can schedule a meeting between us, the DMLE, and Gringotts. Then arrangements with a law firm that has a team that can tackle both muggle and wizarding aspects of this case. In the meantime, I know you're on a diet right now Dudley, but have you had any chocolate in the last couple of days? It's a natural remedy for the aftereffects of dark creatures.”
“No, I haven't, after everything happened, my parents wouldn't let Harry talk at all so I don't know if he tried to say something about it.”
“You two wait here and I'll make us all some hot chocolate before we finish up and head in for the night.” She left for the kitchen with her phone in hand, already preparing a message for her department head.
“You doing alright dude?” Piers asks.
“I think-” Dudley paused. “I think I’ve just really needed someone to talk to about all of this fully; Felt like I was going crazy for a couple days there. Who would have thought therapy might actually be the answer?” He said cheekily. “But seriously tho, I don't know how to thank you and your mom enough for letting me come here tonight.”
Piers smacked his arm with a grin, “Try not to worry about it! I mean, I tagged along with all your bullshit too and I don't have the excuse of possible memory charms.” His face became more solemn. “You’ve been my best friend since before I can even remember, and I know you're going through a lot of changes right now, so I guess… I guess I just hope you won't leave me behind because I can sometimes be a cruel bitch.” He finished slightly sheepishly.
Dudley looked over at his friend and felt his heart clench. He’d been by his side for almost everything but had also been his voice of reason in a lot of it. Even if Dudley admits to not heeding that reason most of the time. His friend could easily be just as vicious as himself but he’s also loyal to a fault, smart as a whip, and has self-preservation for miles. The attack only solidified these features for Dudley. Yes, Piers had stood behind him as he threw jeers at Harry, but he had also been the one to tell him to maybe tone it down for a day before they ever arrived at the park. When the sky went dark and the wind picked up, he ran like a bat out of hell but also made sure all their other friends made it home safely and left him over 30 texts and 5 missed calls when Dudley didn't check his phone for almost 24 hours. Sure this gangly, 5’8 boy, wouldn't jump in front of a wizard to take a curse for him, but he knew in his soul that his friend would absolutely enact the retribution in his honor.
“Piers, even if I get sucked into the world of magical bullshitary, you’ll always be the greatest friend I could have ever hoped to have found.” They were both flushed and awkward at the sentimentality of the moment. “Besides, how am I going to get through all this legal stuff and demolish those who hurt my cousin if I don't have my Emotional Support Muggle by my side?”
Awkward moment successfully broken, the two fell into peels of laughter. “Thank you Duds. Say, do you have any funny stories of meeting wizards?” So Dudley spent the last couple minutes before Marissa came back telling him about the red-haired family that tried to come in through their fireplace only to be stuck in the walls.
Pier's mom came back in with the hot chocolate as he was retelling the part about the twins and the candy right before they all left. “Arthur's sons used one of their untested products on you?!” The woman seemed more incensed than either expected her to be. “With you and Harry's relationship, those boys may have thought it was a funny prank but they were practically muggle baiting! It’s a pretty serious crime even if the punishments vary drastically depending on what happened.”
Dudley shook his head in hopes of calming her, “It was a bit scary at the time due to my fear of magic but I don't blame them nor do I want them in trouble. They also seem resourceful and if I heard them correctly then I think they're going to start a business here soon. Those two would wage war if it meant keeping Harry safe, and if not its great blackmail.” He said with a shrug, getting a small chuckle out of the older woman.
“I’ve met their father Arthur a couple times and he talks about nothing besides Non-Magical products and his children. I think his twins create their own joke items. Here you two go,” She said as she set the mugs on the table.
The first sip of chocolate settled something in Dudley that he didn't know was out of place. “Should I like, always carry chocolate on me if I'm around magic?”
“It’s not a bad idea actually, me and my coworkers keep a couple pieces on us in case of an emergency. When we go to the alley we can stop by a store and pick some up. They have wrappers that are charmed to prevent melting, so you can keep them in your pocket or bag pretty easily.”
“Wicked,” Both boys said simultaneously.
“Okay, let’s go through the rest of what you have and do a brief sort so we can find everything faster later. Then I’ll have you Zip the file, and email everything you have to my work account.”