16 The Disappearance of Dudley Dursley

A week has passed since the carnival and the family have been bonding a lot by traveling to different places around the regions in the area. They took pictures constantly in order to remind themselves of times left with Dudley. After the first night that Vernon shut down Harry, there had been no further incidences and the parents were even treating Harry better than before surprising Dudley and also somewhat reliving him of some of his worries.

In fact, the other night, at the dinner table, Harry made a comment and they all laughed at it. That dinner has been the most harmonious one yet. Honestly, Dudley could see why his teacher let them have two weeks of before they went on the expedition. He has been enjoying himself with his family with them going to different places

His mind has been clear since the family started going around the region to take in the sites and making memories. He has been able to see how the family acts around other people and he even believed, that was what had been helping them to slowly accept Harry into the family. Knowing these has helped him almost think that he is leaving Harry in safe arms.

On the next day, Dudley had gone up to the attic to look for the rumored suitcase Lily left Petunia. When he arrived, there was nothing there except for old boxes filled with Petunia and Vernon's old memories. Nevertheless, he was not disappointed because he did not except to find anything in the first place and also, because of the strained relationship between the sisters there was no way they would have left treasures to each other.

It was not a wasted trip because he found old letters that Lily and Petunia sent themselves when their relationship had not deteriorated to the current age. Reading through those was informative to Dudley because it explained why and Petunia knew a lot about the wizarding world even though she never lived there. Some of letters Dudley found were not only about them but also their parents.

In fact, one of last letters Dudley read was sent to the Evans address and since nobody had opened it, Dudley assumed that the Evans were dead by then. The letter was informational since it talked about the war that was occurring and some warnings to them about the Knights of Walpurgis.

She also told her parents that she had an account set up for Petunia in case any son born to her was magical. Dudley was shocked by this information and he wondered why Lily had done that. The conclusion he reached was that, even though the relationship between the sisters was not the best, they still respected each other enough for them to take care of each other. In the final paragraph of the letter, Lily explained that she was pregnant was going to give birth soon. She ended the letter with well wishes and safety for them.

Since Dudley didn't see the follow up letter to the one he was currently holding, he thought it might be the one that talked about Harry's birth and also the one that Petunia threw away without fully reading it. Dudley ended the reading session when he heard Petunia call him to come eat because food was ready.

The feast was even better to eat than usual from the response of the rest of the family. You could tell that Petunia put in more effort than usual in preparing the meal, making it even more delicious. The chemistry between them was an amazing sight to see because when the family sits to eat usually, there would be an underlying tension that settles in the room. Due to this tension, the family dinner was always the adults talking and the boys thinking to themselves.

On the following day, Dudley suggested that they take a break from traveling and begin packing his stuff that will go with him. Since the instructor did not suggest the limit of the stuff that Dudley could bring, the family talk among themselves each with an idea of what Dudley should bring with him. During this discussion, Petunia began with

"Son, you should bring your pillows, half of your clothes in the closet, some of your toys, and I'll even pack some of your favorite snacks to take with you."

"Mum! How will I even take all of this stuff along with me. Besides, this is me going on a training trip. It's not like I'm moving to a college board house." Dudley whined to his mother

"Yea Pet, the boy only needs a good gun to protect himself with along with some cash to take care of him self." Vernon said

"Dad, why would I need a gun? The teacher will not take me to dangerous place" Dudley says helplessly to his parents. Vernon and Petunia look at each other after Dudley finishes speaking and Petunia finally asks,

"What do you want with you then, son?"

"Well, I need camping gear, along with some canned food. I also need some durable clothes and shoes with some casual ones mixed together in case we get to civilization. If we get to civilization, I need some money to buy things with. I also need a flashlight along with a compass. Oh, and food with high calories" Dudley finishes. The family look at each other with nobody saying anything for a while. Then Vernon says,

"You must have been thinking about this for a long while, son"

Dudley nods his head and answers, "Yea, after I told you guys my dream, I started reading about a lot of stuff travelers carry with them when they go to places."

"Me and your ma will get everything by the time you are ready to go." Vernon says

"Thanks Da, Ma" Dudley says and the parents smile at him.

"Mate, what else do you think I need" Dudley suddenly asks Harry who has not been saying anything and was just staring at them. Harry blinks and replies nervously

"Umm, what about the pictures we took recently? Do you have a place in your bag to carry them?"

"Aahhhh, I almost forgot about that, thanks mate." Dudley says and Harry looks away shyly.

After the discussion, the family disbanded with the children heading upstairs to play and the parents going outside to do things.

Deep at night, on the same day, Dudley is in his room sleeping when someone opens the door to his room. Knowing him, one would think that with the world reminding him that it is dangerous, he would have prepared contingencies in case someone opens the door to his room without him knowing about it. That just because he is home does not mean he is safe.

As he is sleeping soundly, someone injects something in his arms. The moment the needle touches his skin, he awoke. But with sleep in his eyes, he was not prepared to do anything. The person fully injects the contents of the needle into his body and Dudley falls sleeps again. The person turns around to find Petunia and Vernon looking at him and he nods at them.

Petunia walks back to her and her husbands bedroom to pick up a gift for Dudley. She takes a picture book that contains all the pictures they had taken together as a family she puts in the gear when she comes back to Dudley's room. She also goes to the kitchen where she saved a lot of food for this event. She packages it and add it to the gear.

The person turns back toward the bed and lifts Dudley to his shoulders. The person stands up and turns toward the door. As he is walking to the door, Vernon points toward the area where the camping gear is and the person walks toward the area to pick up the gear.

After he picks it up, he walks out of the bedroom. As he walks out of the door, he says, "He will be safe with me. I'll take care of him" to Vernon and Petunia who is standing behind him with water in their eyes.He exits the house with the package on his shoulder and hand. The couple stand outside with Petunia in full blown tears and Vernon consoling her as they watch the man disappear with their only son.