The Importance of Intent: After the Credits

Step Brothers - Part 3

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed as he spotted her, dropping his food and bolting up from his chair, seeking refuge in the furthest corner of the room. "He's not here!" he spit out desperately. "Harry isn't here!"

Despite herself Daphne felt a small...very small...bit of sympathy for the boy. Unlike his father she could tell Dudley wasn't blustering and was genuinely fearful for his life.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Daphne stated calmly despite wanting to do exactly that. "I'm a friend of Harry's. He is upstairs gathering a few of his things and then we are leaving for good."

"Thank Christ," he exhaled as he slumped against the wall. Daphne waited as she watched the boy calm himself and slowly sit back down, never taking his eyes off of her, still looking somewhat terrified. Daphne guessed it was because she was still pointing her wand directly between his eyes.

Once he was back in his seat she slowly lowered her wand and leaned back against the counter, relaxed but ready in case the idiot tried something. "So you must be Dudley," she volunteered.

"Uh, yeah," he finally replied nervously. "I guess you go to school with Harry?" he asked, still nervous but curious.

"Yes," she replied curtly. "He is my boyfriend actually."

She watched as the boy seemed to process this information and evaluated her. "You don't look like one of them," he stated.

"One of them?" she asked.

"A magic person," he supplied. "You look normal. Not like the other nutters who've come here for Harry."

"Well we magic people come in all shapes and sizes, just like mug- non magic people," she answered condescendingly. "I just met your parents and know for a fact that most non magicals are much nicer."

To her surprise she was not met with rage or annoyance. She watched as the boy considered her words and nodded to himself, looking slightly embarrassed. "They don't like Harry," he said simply.

"That's one way of phrasing it," she countered. To Daphne's continued annoyance the oaf failed to get angry, only looking more embarrassed.

After several moments he spoke again. "You said Harry is leaving for good? That old wizard said Harry had to stay here in the summer...that there was a psychopath after him and we protected him."

"This house protected him, not you," Daphne immediately corrected him. "And Harry took care of the psychopath so he is out of the picture now."

"Really?" he replied. Although it was clear that he was surprised, unlike his mother there was no trace of disbelief in his expression. He immediately became more pensive. "So I suppose he won't be back at all after today."

"No," she answered. "Harry has several families, including mine, who are thrilled to have him and your father made it abundantly clear he never wanted to see him again."

Dudley nodded uncomfortably once again, his eyes cast down at the table.

She continued to watch Dudley as he seemed to be deep in thought. Unlike his parents he was very different than what she expected. He actually seemed...human. "Are you allowed to do magic outside of school?" he asked tentatively. "Harry said he wasn't allowed until his birthday this year."

"Yes," she replied, immediately becoming suspicious again. "I've already turned seventeen. Harry received special approval so he can as well."

"He made me promise not to do anything you know," she continued on. "He's told me a bit about how horribly you treated him and I came up with loads of ways to get you back...to make your life miserable. But Harry made me promise not do anything."

"He's so much better than you lot," she added spitefully.

Despite her best efforts Dudley once again failed to take the bait, his remorse palpable.

"Can you show me something? Something normal?" he asked uncertainly.

"Show you magic?" she asked dumbly. "Harry said you hated magic."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Apart from when Harry saved me last summer everything I've ever seen has been bloody terrifying. Harry said most magic is boring...I'd like to see it."

In Harry's original retelling he only mentioned summoning his patronus to save himself that summer, never mentioning he saved his cousin's life as well. Until the confrontation at the station Daphne had no clue Dudley had been in danger. Another instance where Harry had saved someone's life...another instance never mentioned by Harry.

She walked over to Dudley's empty glass on the kitchen table and quickly cast Aguamenti. She smiled to herself watching Dudley's eyes bulge as the glass filled with water.

Dudley picked up the glass and began to take a drink before suddenly stopping. "How do I know you didn't poison this?" he asked suspiciously.

Daphne rolled her eyes and quickly picked up the glass, taking a drink. "Delicious," she exclaimed as she smacked her lips and placed the glass back on the table.

"Sorry," he mumbled before taking a drink himself. "Force of habit with you lot."

Once again the boy had proven himself much less wretched than his parents. Daphne ventured asking him about something that had bothered her since they had arrived.

"Can I ask you something? About your parents?" she asked. At his tentative nod she continued.

"Harry said they are obsessed with making sure the neighbors think they are normal. Don't people think it odd that Harry, their nephew who lives with them, is in none of the family pictures? Most people love their nephews, particularly when they've been orphaned after their parents are murdered."

"He used to be included when we were younger," he replied quietly. He looked up, a nervous expression crossing his face. "When we got a bit older they started telling everyone that he was a delinquent...violent...stealing things all the time. At some point it became accepted why he wouldn't be included."

Harry had alluded to how sad his childhood was but as expected he hadn't even scratched the surface at how bad it had been. Damn Dumbledore and damn the Dursleys.

"So it wasn't enough that you three hated him. You had to make sure everyone else did as well. Pathetic."

"I never hated him," Dudley protested feebly.

"From the little I've heard you've got a horrible way of showing it," Daphne replied tersely.

The mood was broken as she heard Harry bounding down the stairs. "This bag you and Hermione charmed is brilliant! Everything fit without a-"