Redemption (Dudley Dursley)

XXVII. Taken.

Please don't kill me

For a lot of people, silence was a comfort. A way for a person to simply reflect on a lot of things, peaceful for them, an escape from something. Up until now, that word did not mean that. Almost like someone had rewritten history and changing the definition of the word to mean torture. Dudley might have told Felicity she had only passed out, but he didn't miss the way her eyes turned jet-black once more. It had only happened once prior and he knew that she'd had another vision.

Why did it have to be his family being affected?

Normally multiple questions swam around in his head, but recently this had been his only one. Well, the only real question he had. He wasn't sure what made it worse, knowing that there are probably multiple reasons towards it or knowing that he was never going to get an exact answer. There only was one person who could answer truthfully but there was no way he was going to ask it out loud. He might be gullible at times, but he wasn't stupid. He's learned how to spot a lie within seconds from anyone, and he's also learned how to stand his ground. He didn't have much of a choice when he got into business at such a young age.

But this wasn't about him, he was just someone who had been roped into some plan that has probably been carefully pieced together over a large time scale. Would himself and Felicity have been targeted if he hadn't responded to Harry's letter all that time ago? He wasn't even sure how long it had been, so much had been happening in such a short time span that dates were being mixed up. At some point over the next few minutes, he had gotten to the phone and called Harry to let him know that there had been another vision.

It was Ginny who answered and she informed him that Harry was working all day but the second he got home they would be over. At least it was now mid-afternoon which meant he wouldn't have to sit in silence for too long. Felicity wasn't speaking, in fact, she wasn't really doing anything. As soon as she had woken up from that weird state she got whenever she had a vision, her hands had covered her face and she was mumbling a lot of broken sentences under her breath. He clearly wasn't getting answers just yet and despite slight anger beginning to brew deep inside of him, he was not going to subject his wife to that.

Even now he struggled to control his anger, he'd just learned ways that were considered safe to let it out. So that is what he done. It was clear that she wasn't going to say anything right now nor was she going to move from her spot, so he ran upstairs and immediately moved towards the treadmill. He put it on a much higher setting than normal and within a few moments, his muscles were aching. It was a good ache though, a burning sensation he'd grown addicted to ever since he had been put into hiding. Emotions that were built up inside that he refused to show on the outside melting into the air around him in the process.

He wasn't sure how long he had been running, but when he stopped he was covered in a lot of sweat and he was struggling to catch his breath. He really needed a shower. At some point, he heard that crackling noise he's become so accustomed to that he only froze for a second before carrying on like nothing had happened. At the beginning, the sound that came with apparating terrified him and he almost always jumped. Now that he's used the wizarding mode of transport more often though, it didn't even bother him anymore.

It could only be Harry and Ginny who had arrived, he doubted anyone else would have. He would have just gone downstairs right then to greet the pair but that was something he didn't want to do whilst covered in sweat. With the thought in mind, he jumped in to a quick shower and changed. In total, it had only been around ten minutes since he'd heard that noise and he knew that Felicity was not going to speak until they were all together. She hated telling the same thing over and over again when she could just get it over and done with. He was correct in his assumptions because as soon as he came into her line of vision, a very annoyed look was directed his way. That was all the confirmation he needed that his cousin and Ginny had been asking her questions.