NOVEL NEXT Chapter 66: Dursleys
Harry walked down Privet Drive next to Dumbledore, the Saturday morning sun warm on his face. The houses lined up like a row of identical toy buildings, each with the same pristine lawn and two-car garage. Aunt Min had helped him pick Muggle clothes for the visit - blue jeans and a plain shirt that almost made him feel like a muggle.
Almost.
His heart beat faster with each step toward Number Four. He rubbed his sweaty palms against his jeans, glancing up at Dumbledore who smiled encouragingly. A red bicycle lay abandoned on the front lawn next to a skipping rope, signs of the family he'd never met.
"Ready, Harry?" Dumbledore asked as they reached the door.
Harry nodded, not trusting his voice. The doorbell chimed inside the house, followed by approaching footsteps.
The door opened. A thin woman with blonde hair stared at them, her face draining of color. For a split second, their eyes met - then she slammed the door shut.
Harry stared at the shut door and wondered if they got the wrong house. Behind the door, urgent whispers broke out.
"Vernon! They're here - that Dumbledore and... and..."
"What? Here? Now?"
"The neighbors might see!"
The door flew open again. Petunia grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him inside, Dumbledore following at a more sedate pace. She shut the door and pressed her back against it, peering through the small window beside the frame.
"Mrs. Dursley," Dumbledore said. "My apologies for dropping by unannounced."
Petunia's eyes darted between them before fixing on Harry. She pressed a hand to her mouth, gaze locked on his bright green eyes.
Heavy footsteps approached from deeper in the house. A large man with a bushy mustache appeared, two children half-hidden behind him. The boy was chubby but not extremely so, while the girl - around seven years old with brown hair and blue eyes - peeked around her father's leg with open curiosity.
Vernon's face reddened. "What's the meaning of this? Why are you-" He cut off, staring at Dumbledore's long silver beard and bright purple suit.
Harry swallowed hard and stepped forward. "Hello. I'm Harry Potter, Lily's son. I... I wanted to meet you." His voice came out steadier than he expected. "All of you."
Petunia made a strangled sound. "But... you can't be. Harry would be eight now. You look..."
Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who watched the scene with his usual calm demeanor. "Magic," Harry said with a small shrug.
"Shhhh!" Vernon hissed, looking at his children. "Not here! Not in front of-"
"Perhaps we could continue this discussion in the living room?" Dumbledore suggested.
Vernon let out a heavy sigh. "Follow me." He turned and walked deeper into the house, the children scampering ahead of him.
Harry stepped into a tidy living room. A large black box with a glass screen sat in one corner, wires running from it to a smaller grey box underneath. Toys lay scattered near the sofa - colorful bricks and what looked like small plastic people.
"Sit, sit," Petunia said, wringing her hands. She perched on the edge of an armchair while Vernon settled into another. The two children sat on the carpet, watching Harry carefully.
Harry sank into the sofa, hands clasped in his lap. Dumbledore took a seat beside him.
"I'm Calla," the girl announced suddenly. "That's my brother Dudley. Are you really our cousin?"
"Calla," Vernon warned, but Harry nodded.
"Yes. My mum was your Aunt Lily."
"The one in the pictures!" Calla jumped up from the carpet and ran to the mantelpiece. She pointed at a photo of two young girls - one blonde, one red-haired - standing in front of a flower garden. "See? Mummy showed me."
Petunia made a small noise. Harry stared at the photo, drinking in the sight of his mother as a child. She beamed at the camera, holding a bunch of daisies.
"What's that?" Harry asked, pointing at the grey box under the TV. He needed to say something, anything to break the heavy silence.
"You don't know what a Nintendo is?" Dudley spoke for the first time, eyes wide. "It plays games! Look!" He scrambled over and pressed buttons on the grey box. The TV screen lit up with bright colors, showing a small red-and-blue figure jumping over obstacles.
"How does it work?" Harry leaned forward from the sofa. The figure moved when Dudley pressed different buttons on a small controller.
"It's Super Mario Bros," Dudley explained. "You make Mario jump and run to save the princess. Want to try?"
Before Harry could answer, Vernon cleared his throat. "Not now, Dudley. We need to... discuss some things first."
Dudley slumped back onto the carpet next to Calla, who still clutched the photo frame.
"Could you..." Harry hesitated, looking at Petunia. "Could you tell me about my mum? What she was like when she was young?"
Petunia's fingers twisted in her lap. She glanced at Vernon, then at her children who watched with rapt attention.
"She loved the park near our house," Petunia began slowly. "The swings especially. She'd spend hours there, going higher and higher..." She stopped, pressing her lips together.
"Did she like flowers too?" Calla asked. "Like you, Mummy?"
A ghost of a smile crossed Petunia's face. "Yes. She'd find the prettiest wildflowers in spring. Made crowns from daisies." She paused. "Mother used to say we both inherited her love for gardens."
Harry's eyes widened. "…my grandmother? What were they like, you know, my grandparents?"
The room grew quiet. Petunia's hands shook slightly as she smoothed her skirt.
"They..." She swallowed hard. "Father worked at the bank. Mother stayed home with us. They were..." She stopped again, eyes bright with unshed tears.
"Tuney," Vernon said softly.
"They died," Petunia managed. "A car crash. One year before... before Lily." She stood abruptly. "I'll make tea."
Calla jumped up and followed her mother to the kitchen. The sound of cupboards opening and closing filtered through to the living room.
"I didn't know," Harry whispered, more to himself than anyone else. He stared at his hands, wondering how many other pieces of his family history he'd never learned.
Dudley shuffled his feet against the carpet. "Want to see my computer while Mum makes tea?" He pointed to a desk in the corner where a bulky machine sat. "Dad got it for my birthday. It's got games and everything."
Harry looked at Vernon, who gave a slight nod. He followed Dudley to the desk, curious about the beige box with a screen attached.
"This is Space Quest," Dudley explained, pressing a button that made the machine whir to life. "You're this space janitor who has to save the galaxy." His fingers moved across a board with letters. "See? You type what you want to do."
The screen showed a cartoon character in a white suit. Words appeared when Dudley typed: 'WALK NORTH'.
"How does it know what to do?" Harry asked, wondering if it used magic of some kind somehow.
"It's all inside," Dudley said proudly. "Dad says it's got a processor and memory and stuff. Here, you try typing something."
Harry carefully pressed the keys: 'LOOK AROUND'
The screen filled with text describing a spaceship corridor. Calla returned carrying a tray of biscuits, followed by Petunia with tea.
"I've got cool stuff too!" Calla set down the tray and ran upstairs. She returned moments later with a small silver device and what looked like flat plastic cases. "Look, it's my Walkman! It plays music." She opened one of the cases and pulled out a black rectangle. "This one's my favorite - Madonna!"
Harry watched in amazement as she put the black rectangle into the silver device and pressed a button. She held up two small foam-covered circles connected by a band. "These go over your ears. Want to try?"
"Is it like a radio?" Harry asked, taking the headphones carefully. "We have those at ho- at school."
"Sort of," Calla said. "But you can carry it around! And choose what music to play." She frowned. "Haven't you ever seen a Walkman before?"
Harry placed the headphones over his ears, jumping slightly as music filled them. The sound quality was a bit clearer than the wireless in his room at Hogwarts.
"Where do you go to school?" Dudley asked, turning away from the computer. "You must have computers there, right?"
"Er..." Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who was engaged in quiet conversation with Vernon and Petunia.
"And how come you don't know about Nintendo?" Dudley continued. "Everyone at my school has one. Well, almost everyone."
"I... go to a special school," Harry said carefully. "Up in Scotland. It's very... traditional."
"Traditional?" Calla wrinkled her nose. "You mean no computers or anything? That sounds boring."
"We have other things," Harry said, removing the headphones. "Like sp- like sports and... um..."
"What kind of sports?" Dudley perked up. "I play football with my friends. Do you?"
"Not exactly..." Harry fumbled for an answer that wouldn't mention anything magic-related, considering they clearly weren't aware that magic existed from how Vernon reacted...
Calla glanced at the adults, still deep in conversation, then tugged on Harry's sleeve. "Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered. "I heard you say magic earlier."
Harry tensed, but Calla's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"I can do magic too!" She leaned closer, voice dropping even lower. "Sometimes when I play with my skip rope, it keeps turning by itself! Without me holding the ends!"
Harry's eyes widened. He looked at Dudley, who nodded.
"I've seen it," Dudley whispered, joining their huddle. "We didn't tell anyone. Mum and Dad don't like talking about stuff like that."
"One time," Calla continued, "I was really angry because Tommy from next door said girls can't play football. All the footballs in the school yard suddenly went flat!" She giggled. "But don't tell Mummy and Daddy. They get weird about things like that."
Harry blinked at that. His cousin was a muggleborn witch. Like his mother had been. He glanced at Dumbledore, wondering if Grandpa already knew.
"Does..." Harry hesitated. "Does anything else happen? When you're scared or angry?"
Calla nodded enthusiastically. "Last week I turned another girl's nails blue! She was being mean to Sarah about her reading." She frowned. "Nobody believed it was me. They thought it was dye."
"You're not surprised," Dudley said suddenly, studying Harry's face. "About the weird stuff she can do."
Harry checked over his shoulder. Vernon and Petunia were still talking with Dumbledore, all three focused on what seemed like a serious discussion.
"Watch this," Harry whispered. He cupped his hands together, letting a wisp of grey mist form between his palms. The mist swirled and took shape - a tiny Nemean Lion, no bigger than a kitten, stretched and yawned silently.
Calla's mouth fell open. Dudley leaned forward, almost falling off his chair.
The misty lion padded across Harry's palm, shook its tiny mane, then dissolved back into nothing. Harry quickly lowered his hands.
"That was brilliant!" Calla breathed. "Can you teach me?"
"How did you do that?" Dudley asked at the same time, eyes wide. "Is that why you go to a special school?"
"I-" Harry started, but movement from the adults made him stop. Petunia was standing up, straightening her skirt.
"Children?" she called. "Would you like some more biscuits?"
Calla grabbed Harry's arm. "You have to tell me more," she pleaded in a whisper.
"Yeah," Dudley added quietly. "We won't tell anyone."
"I'll visit again," Harry whispered back. "I can't write about... this kind of stuff in letters. But I promise I'll explain everything next time."
Calla nodded eagerly while Dudley looked thoughtful.
"More tea, Harry?" Petunia asked, holding up the teapot. She paused, noticing the three children huddled together. A worried frown crossed her face.
"Yes, please." Harry stood up and walked to the coffee table. While Petunia poured his tea, he noticed her hands trembled slightly.
"Your mother..." Petunia set down the teapot. "She would have been proud of you, of what you've done."
Harry nearly dropped his teacup. It was the first time Petunia had directly mentioned his mother since they arrived.
"I have some photos," she said quietly. "From when we were young. Would you like them?"
"Yes!" Harry said, louder than he meant to. He lowered his voice. "I mean, yes. I'd like that very much."
Petunia disappeared upstairs, returning moments later with a small wooden box. She sat next to Harry on the sofa and opened the lid.
Inside lay dozens of photographs, some faded with age. Harry's breath caught as Petunia lifted out the first one - two young girls in matching summer dresses, standing in front of a rose bush.
"This was at Grandmother's house," Petunia explained. "Lily was six here. She'd just discovered the fairy rings in the garden."
Harry touched the edge of the photo. His mother's red hair shone in the sunlight, a crown of daisies perched on her head.
"And this one..." Petunia pulled out another picture. "Our first day of primary school. Lily was so excited she barely slept the night before."
Two girls stood by a brick wall, wearing identical uniforms. Young Lily beamed at the camera while young Petunia looked more reserved, but both held hands.
"Can I..." Harry swallowed. "Can I keep some of these?"
Petunia nodded, already sorting through the box. She picked out several photos, creating a small pile on the coffee table.
Calla and Dudley crowded around, looking at the pictures over Harry's shoulder.
"Mummy, you look just like me!" Calla pointed at a photo of young Petunia with pigtails.
A small smile tugged at Petunia's lips. "Yes, I suppose you do take after me." She paused, glancing at Harry. "Just as you have Lily's eyes."
Harry looked up from the photos to find Petunia studying him with an unreadable expression.
"I remember when these were taken," Vernon spoke up unexpectedly. He pointed to a picture of Petunia and Lily at what looked like a Christmas dinner. "That was the first time I met your mother, actually. She, ah..." He cleared his throat. "She had quite the sense of humor."
"Really?" Harry asked. "What happened?"
"She turned my tie different colors throughout dinner," Vernon leaned forward and whispered. "Thought I wouldn't notice because I was so nervous about meeting Petunia's family."
Dumbledore chuckled softly from his armchair. "Lily did have a particular talent for charms."
Vernon stiffened at the mention of magic, but relaxed when he saw both children absorbed in the photos rather than listening to the adults.
"Will you come visit again?" Calla asked suddenly. "You could show me more..." She glanced at her parents. "More stuff. Like before."
"Calla," Petunia warned, but Harry noticed she didn't seem angry. Just worried.
"Perhaps," Dumbledore said, setting down his teacup, "we should discuss certain matters that might arise in the future." He looked meaningfully at Petunia. "Particularly regarding young Calla's... unique talents."
Petunia's face paled. Vernon grabbed her hand.
"We noticed," Petunia whispered, looking resigned to it all. "The same things that happened with Lily. The flowers blooming out of season. Objects moving by themselves."
"She'll receive a letter," Harry said quietly. "Like Mum did. When she turns eleven."
Calla's eyes widened. "A letter? What kind of letter?"
"Not now, dear," Petunia said. She turned to Dumbledore. "Will someone... come to explain? Like with Lily?"
"Professor McGonagall usually visits Muggleborn families," Dumbledore explained. "She can answer any questions you might have when Calla turns eleven, though I suspect Harry will be able to explain as well."
"Muggleborn?" Dudley asked. "What's that mean?"
Vernon cleared his throat. "We should discuss this another time. When we've had a chance to... process everything."
Harry gathered the photos Petunia had set aside for him. "Thank you," he said, carefully placing them in his pocket. "For sharing these. And for letting me visit."
Petunia nodded, standing up. "You can write. Through the regular post, I mean. If you'd like."
"I'd like that." Harry smiled. A real connection to his mother's family, even if it wasn't perfect.
"Can Harry see my room before he goes?" Calla asked. "Please?"
Vernon and Petunia exchanged looks. "A quick look," Vernon said. "Then they need to leave before the neighbors start asking questions."
Calla grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him toward the stairs, Dudley following behind. Her room was painted light blue, with posters of pop stars on the walls.
"That's Madonna," she pointed proudly. "And that's Kylie Minogue. Do you listen to them at your school?"
"We have... different music," Harry said carefully.
"Will you really come back?" Dudley asked from the doorway. "To show us more stuff?"
Harry nodded. "I promise. And Calla..." He lowered his voice. "What you can do? It's special. But you need to be careful, and not show any other mu- people. It's illegal to show people who aren't already aware, though family is always an exception."
"Children!" Petunia called from downstairs. "Time to say goodbye!"
Back in the living room, Harry found Dumbledore waiting by the front door. Petunia clutched an envelope in her hands.
"This has the address for letters," she said, holding it out. "And... a few more photos I found. From her wedding."
Harry took the envelope, fingers brushing against Petunia's. For a moment, neither let go.
"Thank you, Aunt Petunia."
Vernon stepped forward, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Right then. Well. Good to meet you, boy." He paused. "You seem... decent enough."
"Bye Harry!" Calla hugged him suddenly. "Don't forget to visit!"
"Yeah," Dudley added. "Maybe next time you can try the Nintendo properly."
Dumbledore opened the front door, checking the street was empty. Harry stepped outside, the envelope secure in his pocket next to the photos.
"Harry?" Petunia called softly. He turned back. "You have her eyes. Exactly her eyes."
The door closed quietly. Harry stood on the path, sunlight warming his face, with a small smile on his lips. He felt Dumbledore's hand on his shoulder.
"Shall we, my boy?"
Harry nodded, and they walked down Privet Drive in comfortable silence. Once they reached the corner, out of sight from number four, Dumbledore spoke.
"You handled that very well, Harry. Especially regarding young Calla's magic."
"Did you know?" Harry asked. "About her being a witch?"
"Yes. The signs were there in our records." Dumbledore smiled. "Much like they were for your mother at that age."
Harry pulled out one of the photos from his pocket - young Lily and Petunia in the garden. "She gave me pictures of Mum." His voice caught slightly. "And my grandparents."
"Family is a precious thing," Dumbledore said softly. "Even when relationships are... complicated."
Harry remembered Calla's excited whispers about her skip rope. "She seemed happy about having magic."
"Unlike your aunt was in regards to Lily, all those years ago." Dumbledore sighed. "Perhaps this time will be different."