Chapter Text
Dudley and Grace sat around the long table with Petunia and Vernon, who was in the middle of some long story about his boss’s brother. Ever since the wedding, these dinners had become increasingly uncomfortable—it felt as if he was keeping some kind of massive secret from his parents. He’d expressed this discomfort to Grace, but she’d assured him that Harry probably didn’t plan on keeping his marriage a secret forever.
As if on cue, Petunia cleared her throat. “We received a wedding announcement from the boy,” she warbled. “With a note. Telling us that you had gone to his wedding. And that he was sorry he hadn’t invited us.”
“Really?” asked Dudley, shocked. He hadn’t expected Harry to be quite so candid.
“Really,” she said, clearly expecting him to begin dishing the dirt on his cousin.
“Yes, we did go,” he said.
“I can’t imagine why,” she said in a snide tone. “So many freaks in one room…”
“Harry’s not a freak, mum,” he said simply. “Neither was anyone else there. It was a nice wedding.”
“Yes, it was,” concurred Grace. “Harry’s wife is lovely.”
“I’m sure,” tittered Petunia.
“Bunch of ruddy lunatics,” grunted Vernon. “Don’t spend too much time with them, son. They’ll corrupt your mind.”
“Oh, come off it,” he said. “Dad, Harry’s a good man. You’d know as much if you were to reach out to him. He’d probably really appreciate an apology.”
“An apology?” muttered Vernon. “For what? For a home? For food? For paying for his every need for seventeen years?!”
“You know what,” said Dudley. “I can’t do this.” He stood up, and Grace stood with him. “You two need to really think about the things you've done, you know that?” he said sharply.
“I’m going to go now. I’ll talk to you both later.” He quickly exited the dining room and made his way to the car, Grace following right behind him.
As soon as they left the house, she flung her arms around him. He leaned his head against her shoulder as they tottered towards their car further down the street in this strange attached formation.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered.
“You always say that,” he whispered back with a grin on his face.
“That’s because it’s true,” she responded.
As Grace drove them home, he spotted something on the dashboard. As he picked it up, he turned it over curiously and Grace saw him out of the corner of her eye.
“Oh, that’s the wedding invitation. I had to mail it after the others because I wasn’t sure of the address, but I’ll do it first thing in the morning.”
Dear Harry and Ginny,
Thank you so much for inviting us to the lovely wedding. We’re having our own in a few months, and we’d love it if you two would come. I know it may not be possible for us to be friends, exactly, but maybe we could be Christmas-card-family? We could use some more people like the two of you in our lives.
Love,
Dudley and Grace