Chapter 10 – Loose Ends Wrapped Up

Dudley looked up from his breakfast to see the familiar white snowy owl tapping at his kitchen window with a message in its beak.

"Isn't that Cousin Harry's owl, Dad?" Jessica asked.

"Yes, it is." Dudley replied as he got up to get the message from the owl at the window. He opened the envelope, removed the parchment and began reading:

Dudley,

Wanted to let you know that we were going to reverse

Elizabeth's memory charm today. Will be at your house today at 10:30

to bring you and Jessica with me to have this done. Look forward to

seeing you.

Harry

Dudley looked up at the clock on his wall and saw that it was just after 10. Both he and Jessica were still in their night clothes as they were planning on taking a leisurely Saturday morning.

"Um Jess, I think we need to go get washed up and dressed. Harry is going to be here in 15 minutes and we're going with him to meet someone."

Jessica perked up at that bit of info, remembering the last time they traveled somewhere with Cousin Harry.

"Who are we going to meet?" she asked.

"Probably your grandfather and another person."

Jess made a face when she heard that. "I already know him and that seems hardly worth the trip."

"Your other grandfather. I would normally send you to your room for showing that kind of disrespect but to be honest, I'm not feeling very respectful towards him either. Go get ready."

Jessica shrugged and went skipping off up to her room. He was pretty sure that she was happy about getting to travel through the floo network again. Dudley even smiled at the thought as it reminded him of some of the water slides he had gone on in his youth. It sure beats the feeling of being squeezed through a rubber tube that you got from apparition. Dudley went to his room and got dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and a nice shirt. He looked at his closet and was thankful that he left it as it was before Elizabeth's disappearance.

Harry knocked on the door of his cousin's house at precisely 10:30. Dudley answered the door looking nervous.

"Relax, Dudley. This will all turn out OK. Ginny is already at your father-in-law's, so we're ready whenever you are."

"Not much notice, though." Dudley stated.

"I only found out a couple hours ago. What did you tell Jessica?"

"That you were coming to take us to meet her grandfather."

"What did she say?"

"At first she made a face thinking it was Dad. I told her it was her other grandfather and she didn't seem to have much reaction at all."

Harry stepped inside the house and saw Jessica sitting in a chair by the fireplace looking happily excited."

"You really enjoyed travelling by Floo last time, didn't you?" Harry asked her.

"That was so much fun. Kind of like going down a slide."

"When you step into the fire, say 'Number 17, Briar Park Way'. Dudley, you go first." Harry said.

Dudley stepped into the fireplace, grabbed some Floo powder from the canvas bag that Harry was holding out, threw it into the flames and said "Number 17, Briar Park Way" and immediately disappeared into the green flames. Jessica quickly followed suit and Harry after that.

They found themselves sprawled out on the floor of a moderately decorated living room. The three of them got up off the floor and went over to Ginny who was seated in a chair by the fireplace.

"Richard is in the other room with a ministry obliviator. He wants you to bring Dudley in. I'll stay out here with Jess for a few minutes." Ginny said.

Harry and Dudley went into the next room where they saw Richard, Elizabeth and a man that Harry remembered seeing at the Quidditch World Cup the summer before his fourth year at Hogwarts.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Dursley, I'm Arnold Peasegood. I'm an obliviator from the ministry. Minister Shackelbolt wanted me to be on hand to help Mr. Prince with the removal of this memory charm."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Peasegood. Please let me know if something goes wrong and it can't be reversed."

"Dudley, I may not have done right by you and my daughter by cowing to your father's demands, but I know my skills. I made sure when I cast that spell that I could reverse it if I ever saw there was a chance we could escape your father's grasp." Richard Prince said as he gave a flourishing wave of his wand at his daughter.

Elizabeth's eyes slid out of focus for a second and she shook her head as if she had just woken up from a long sleep. She looked around the room and laid eyes on her father.

"Daddy, what happened? What are all these people doing here? Where's Dudley at?"

Dudley jumped at the sound of Elizabeth's voice asking where he was. He rushed over to her.

"I'm right here, dear. So you remember me?"

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?"

"That is a discussion you're going to have to have with your father. Why don't you do that, while I go into the next room and get Jessica?"

"Jessica's here? I can't wait to see her. What is Harry Potter doing here?" She said after looking around and seeing everyone in the room.

"First talk to your dad and let him have a chance to explain everything before you start in on him. As for Harry Potter, he is my cousin but I'll go into that later." Dudley explained.

Meanwhile in the other room…

"Ginny, what's going on in the other room?" Jessica asked.

"Well, your father, Harry, and your Grandpa Richard are trying to reverse the memory charm your grandfather put on your mother. I think it's going to work out just fine."

"Why did Grandfather Richard do that?" Jess asked.

"I think he was scared of your other grandfather."

"But why? He's all bark and Grandpa Richard is a wizard."

"Remember, there was a time when wizards were afraid of muggles. Your Grandpa Vernon is one of those reasons. He hates magic and anyone who can do magic."

"But Harry isn't scared of him." Jess shot back.

"He used to be before he found out he was a wizard and grew into what he was. Plus he had help once he became a wizard. He was first introduced to the magic world by a half-giant named Hagrid. Hagrid, to the ordinary muggle, would look terrifying. But to Harry, and those who know him, he is one of the greatest friends anyone could have. Plus there was an auror that helped protect Harry. Mad-Eye Moody was another person who is a great friend when you know him but absolutely horrifying to the average muggle. Of course my favorite was when Harry told him who his godfather was. Sirius Black, who was wrongfully convicted of killing 12 muggles with one spell. Those of us who knew he was innocent weren't scared of him at all. Of course Harry didn't tell your grandfather that Sirius was innocent. It had a remarkable effect on your grandpa's attitude. Plus he also had my brothers, Fred and George, who had a penchant for causing trouble, to help him. Fred and George started the biggest joke shop franchise in all of wizarding Britain. In the end, Harry had help standing up to your grandfather. Your Grandpa Richard will have our help. Please, don't be too hard on him."

"I'll try to remember that." Jessica said.

"Jessica!"

"Mommy! I never thought I'd see you again."

"Jessie, my how you've grown. You have no idea how much I missed you. I hope I never have to leave you like that again."

"Don't worry, you won't. I plan to keep a closer eye on my cousin from now on." Harry said.

"I can't thank you enough, Harry. Although I still can't help but be surprised that you are even involved in this. You never really cared for us Slytherins too much." Elizabeth said.

"I think you are under the same mistaken impression that everyone was regarding my feelings towards Slytherins. My dislike was directed at the death eater wannabe's like Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. I never had anything against the others. Although I admit that I didn't pay heed to the other Slytherins, which is why I don't remember you from Hogwarts."

"Plus there were the usual inter-house rivalries that kept us from really getting to know each other." Ginny piped in.

"Ginny Weasley! You're involved in this too?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ginny Potter" Ginny corrected her. "I am involved only because Harry is."

"I used to admire watching you play Chaser for Gryffindor right before my father took me out of Hogwarts. Maybe you both can teach Jessica about Quidditch. But back to my first question. How is it you got involved?"

"Well as Dudley explained in the other room, I am his cousin. I am quite familiar with Vernon Dursley's ways. In fact, there was a time that Dudley was very much like him. When Voldemort killed my parents I was sent to live with Dudley and his parents. Dudley wasn't as nice as he is now. He used to bully me as bad as Uncle Vernon did."

"I know. Dudley told me about how he used to be, although when he talked about you, I didn't realize he was referring to the Harry Potter. He said he changed his ways after you saved his life."

"Actually, it was his soul I saved. We were attacked by dementors that the idiot Umbridge woman sent after me. Do you remember when the ministry was trying to discredit me and Dumbledore? They sent dementors after me to shut me up and poor Dudley almost got caught in the crossfire."

"I do remember that. Blimey, I hated that woman. So after that, Dudley changed his attitude toward you and life in general. Still, I'm not getting what got you to come see Dudley when you didn't even know where to find him."

"Well, given who I am, anything weird that goes on in the wizarding world that is remotely connected to me is kicked up to the highest levels of the ministry. So when the Misuse of Magic Office detected underage magic coming from Dudley's household, they brought it to Kingsley Shackelbolt who called me in." Harry explained.

"Wait, underage magic. Jessica?"

"Yes, it is the usual case of detecting magic in a muggleborn, or what is expected to be muggleborn. They didn't know about you because you disappeared so they assumed Jessica was muggleborn and thus the Ministry and Hogwarts had to send someone to explain. Because it was Jessica, they thought it best that a family member explain the situation to the family, thus me."

"So Jessica will be going to Hogwarts?"

"If she wants to go and you and Dudley agree."

"I think it would be better for all of us if she went to Hogwarts." Dudley said as he walked into the room. "What do you think, Jess?"

"Daddy, you know I want to go when it's time."

"I guess that's settled then." Dudley said. "I guess this is good-bye again, Harry."

"No, it's not. You're family and Elizabeth and Jess are family now. Besides, who is going to show Jess everything there is to know about Quidditch? We'll get together at holidays and what not. That should also include your father. You have made peace with him, right?"

"I was not happy with what he did but I also understand he was caught between a rock and a hard place and was afraid of you. I'll be working with him to get past his past, so to speak. Plus he needs to get to know his granddaughter. She needs a grandfather. From what Dudley told me, his father isn't going to be allowed to come anywhere near us."

"Uncle Vernon is under a ban from contact with the wizarding world for five years for this little scheme. It might be shorter if he behaves himself. In essence, I am his probation officer. I'll make sure he does not bother any of us again." Harry assured her.

One week later…

A man cautiously entered his home in London. He had had a busy day and was anxious to sit down and relax. Just as he was about to sit down in his favorite chair he heard a voice he hadn't heard in a while.

"Lumos. Really Dedalus, is it really necessary to poison the minds of non Death Eater Slytherins into thinking that I'm some sort of boogey-man out to hate and persecute all Slytherins."

"Harry, Richard Prince was no saint. He use to be a relentless bully when we went to school. He and his cousin both were not nice people."

"Dedalus, Severus Snape was cleared twice by the ministry, the second time based on my testimony that came after seeing his memories. Whatever he did as a student is ancient history as far as I'm concerned. He paid his debt when he gave his life to protect me and wizarding kind from Voldemort. You need to let go of the past. However, more appalling is that you used my name to do this and tore apart his family not to mention part of mine."

"They were horrible to you, why would you be so worried about what happens to your cousin's family?" Dedalus asked.

"You saw when you went to lead the Dursley's into hiding that Dudley was not like my aunt and uncle. You knew we were starting to bury the hatchet. I would have seen him if I knew where he was but I also thought I'd give him space. Fortunately, your actions did not cause lasting damage. However, only time will tell if Dudley reconnects with his father. I hope for your sake that things start to warm up between father and son. You can do a lot to whisper reconciliatory encouragement into my cousin's ear."

"I suppose that is agreeable." Dedalus answered.

"I also suggest you make peace with Richard Prince. He is going to be a big part of that family. Although, I don't expect Vernon Dursley to be an active part of that family, I hope that there will at least be peace between them.

"I suppose I should. It's the least I can do given what I did."

"To be honest, the poison was in my uncle's heart. I just wish you hadn't tipped him to using my name against Richard Prince. I'm trying to make peace with the Slytherins. I need the non death eaters to feel at ease. People can't help what they're born, it's what they become that matters."

"Do you honestly think that the Slytherins will like you or that witches or wizards from the other houses will come to like them? The wounds from the war are still too fresh."

"Yes, the wounds are still fresh. They have to start healing now and that healing is going to begin with me not holding their backgrounds against them. What better way to start then with a Slytherin being in my family married to my muggle cousin." Harry replied. His resolution was firm.