Marked

The Exposure

a/n: Ask and you shall receive. Rated M for a reason.

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Chapter 9: The Exposure

Dudley Dursley knew something was wrong the moment his mother answered the door.

There was a man standing there, a very haggard looking man who appeared aged beyond his years, as though he'd long ago had all hope drained from his face and the color stripped from his prematurely grey hair. He was sporting violet circles under his weary, kind eyes, his pale skin host to countless thin scars across his face - and if his natural physical appearance weren't off-putting enough, Dudley could practically sense the movement of his mother's upturned nose in response to the man's shabby, abnormal clothing.

"Yes?" she asked coldly.

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley," the man said, his voice exceedingly gentle. "I wonder if I might be able to come inside and have a word with you and your husband."

Dudley watched his mother shift anxiously. "And who are you?"

"My name is Remus Lupin," the man replied steadily. "I'm a member of the Order of the Phoenix, an associate of Albus Dumbledore, and I was once a close friend of your nephew Harry's parents."

Petunia's body immediately went rigid. "That boy's not here," she hissed, "and I'll not have my home be taken over by any of your sort again."

"Mum," Dudley interjected, bounding quickly to the door. "Mum, I think we should see what he wants."

He eyed the man carefully, wary of his presence. Harry and the others had made it very clear that they had purposely chosen not to tell the Order of the Phoenix - whoever they were - what had really happened when they'd come back from that wizard school. But as much as Dudley worried this man's motives might be suspect, he felt it was worth the effort to find out.

It was a quiet night, after all.

"You must be Harry's cousin, then? I'm Remus," the man said politely, extending his hand.

Dudley frowned, but clasped the man's hand in return. "Dudley," he offered flatly.

Petunia glanced around guardedly, her brow furrowed over her watery blue eyes. "You can come into the living room," she said, her harsh tone serving as a warning. The translation was obvious: he was an unwelcome intruder, and the living room was, quite definitively, as far as he would get.

"That's more than fair," Remus replied kindly, and Dudley led him inside with a grunt, taking a seat in one of two matching armchairs while gesturing for the stranger to sit on their very formal, very floral couch.

There were several moments of silence before anyone spoke.

"You're looking for Harry," Dudley said pointedly. "Why?"

Remus looked uncomfortable. "Well - have you seen him recently?"

Petunia was perched on the arm of the other chair, looking as though she very much wanted to get the whole exchange over with. "Yes, about a week ago, I'd say," she told him impatiently.

"Was he with anyone?" Remus asked cautiously. "A redheaded boy, perhaps, or a girl with very curly hair?"

Petunia's eyes instantly narrowed. "But you're describing Duddy's friends," Petunia said, puzzled. "Those two, and the third, the boy - "

Remus leaned forward curiously. "Really? A third?"

"They're my friends," Dudley interrupted quickly. "Not Potter's."