“Harry Potter Makes His Own Destiny”

Chapter 9 "An Upside Down World"

Vernon had been sulking about ever since that boy got back. Harry had kept to his room most of the time studying. At his one attempt at a civil family meal a week ago, Vernon just sat there glaring at Harry the whole time, occasionally chewing at his bushy mustache. Petunia and Dudley were beginning to come around, well, sort of. They were slightly above tolerating Harry, which was a lot better than what had happened before.

Harry had been throwing himself in to his studies and had nearly memorized all of his books. It seemed that Harry's brain had been like a dry sponge all these years just aching for moisture. Being exposed to the magickal world had been just what his mind was waiting for, he seemed to be learning at an ever increasing rate.

It was Saturday again, and Pip thought he would try again at an extra special family meal. Petunia was getting rather used to having a house elf around, they loved to keep things clean and were very good cooks. She was beginning to reconsider what she had felt for so many years about the magickal community. Petunia called the family to eat once Pip had all the food on the table. Harry had been in the garden and had taken a little longer to get there because he had to wash up. He heard Pip speaking rather harshly so he walked quietly into the dining room to see what was up.

"Mr. Vernon, Harry is been nothing but kind to yous. He insists in doing his chores, even at risk of hurting hisself again. I makes special dinner for everyone today. I is happy to, Mrs. Petunia has even says she doesn't mind if I help more. Since I is already making Harry's food, I decides to make a special dinner for every one to enjoys. I looks at your size and thinks even you would like that. All you can do is sits in front of your picture box and ask if he will be at table. All you dos is be grumpy and ungrateful and acting like a little child. If you be having a fit like a nasty little child, it high time you be treated like nasty little child. I knows just how to deal with that.” Pip pointed at Vernon and snapped his fingers. Vernons eyes rolled up in his head and he growned as his body shrank down to the size and preportions of a boy around four years old. His cloths changed with him, so he was in a summer shirt and short pants. Before the little brat could move, Pip strode over, put the boy over his knee and began spanking Vernon's ample bottom.

Harry was shocked, but after about ten seconds of the spanking the shock wore off. He was starting to enjoy it a bit, but still wasn't sure if it was the right thing for a house elf to do. “Pip?” he began uncertainly.

The house elf paused just long enough to say with a stern pout, ”He asks for this, Master Harry, you knows he did.” When he started in again, Vernon let out a pathetic babyish squalling.

This was too much and Harry doubled up, laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath. He fell over, literally rolling on the floor, laughing his arse off. Both Petunia and Dudley just sat there, Petunia with her hand covering her mouth, trying to swallow their laughter.

That brought Pip back to his senses, he stopped and looked around sheepishly. Petunia, calmed down and had more luck swallowing her laughter, but tears started rolling down her checks as she twitched and giggled. Pip placed the little boy on his feet, and the house elf snapped his fingers again. Vernon stood there swaying and growning.

Pip looked down at his feet, ”I looses control, I is sorry Master Harry. I is sorry to yous too, Mrs. Petunia.”

Petunia guided the shocky Vernon over to dining table to sit down. Vernon started to butter his napkin. She took that away from him, replacing it wit a dinner roll. “He should be all right, shouldn't he?”

“Is just shock. He should be his old self soon.” Pip wrung his hands,”I didn't change his mind.”

Harry thought or imagined his aunt mumbled 'pity'. Petunia sighed, ”I think I should find the smelling salts. Maybe I can salvage Pip's dinner.”

"Are you alright Master Harry? I is really sorry I lost control like that." Pip said a little worredly.

"I'm fine," Harry said, starting to catch his breath yet still laughing. "I can't believe you did that. I really can't believe how much I needed that. There's no need to be sorry Pip, I never in my life laughed like that before." Harry continued laughing as he fixed himself a heaping plate of food and retreated to his bedroom to study some more before bed.

A quick whiff of smelling salts brought Vernon back to his reality. Trying to save whatever face he had left, he threw a piece of chicken and a few rolls on a plate and stomped off.

Dudley and Petunia just look at each other as they stopped giggling. Dudley got a slightly startled look of deep thought on his face. This scared Petunia as she's never seen it before.

"Are you alright dear? Have something to eat, it is one of your favourites."

After a few moments he looked at her, "Nah, I'm not really hungry, I got some thinkin to do."

Petunia dropped her fork halfway to her mouth as Dudley got up and went to his room, not even bothering to take any food with him for later.

Dudley just lay on his bed thinking. After a half hour he felt a little more determined about what he wanted to do but was afraid. He got up and went to Harry's room. The door was open, Harry was sitting at his desk doing his homework. Dudley was about to say something when he noticed just how normal Harry looked wearing clothes that actually fit. He was wearing jean shorts and a Metallica t-shirt. The only thing that wasn't really normal were the casts, which were quite visible. A feeling of disgust of his father hit him hard and clutched his hand over his mouth fearing he would lose his lunch.

Harry heard this and turned his head to see a very ill looking Dudley turn away and run to the bathroom. "What the hell?" Harry exclaimed as he got up and ran after Dudley to see whats up. He followed Dudley into the bathroom and closed the door just as he threw up into the toilet.

"Whats up with you?" Harry said as he wet a wash cloth in cold water and went over and held Dudley's head as he heaved a couple more times. ”Serious, Dudley, what's wrong.”

Dudley took the cold washcloth and wiped his face as he stood up and looked at Harry. “Man, I'm so sorry about how we been treatin ya." he spoke quietly.

Harrys mouth nearly dropped to the floor, "What brought that on?"

"Well, what that little creature did to dad was funny and all, but it made me start thinkin."

"You? Thinkin? I don't believe it." Harry laughed, this had to be a set up for some joke.

"Please, Harry, I gotta say this." He had a pained look.

Harry saw the seriousness in Dudleys eyes, "ok ok, go on."

"While I was sittin at the table something happened. I felt Dads humiliation at bein treated that way, cause ya know, that coulda been me. When I pick on you or any of the kids at school I never thought about that before. I just knew that it felt good to be able to tell others what to do. I never thought once about what they felt, ever.” He staired down at the floor, “Never put myself in their, or your shoes. But at the table I did. I didn't know what to think. What were we doing, ya know? Dad told me to do it in his own way so I just went with it. I been in my room thinking what I should do, even though I knew what I should do. When I got up the nerve I went to tell you that I was sorry. I saw you sittin at your desk doin your homework, and I noticed you were just a regular kid, specially now that you got clothers of your own. They were part of what did it, before it was you were taking my old clothes. Taking something from me, no matter I couldn't use em anymore. The other part was the casts. My dad actually broke your bones and didn't even take you to the doctor or anything. It made me sick to think what he did, that I had a hand in it. I realised my dad was just a really big bully, and a dangerous one at that."

Harry just stood there. "Man, I really don't know what to say."

"Er, Harry, we all heard what you said to the little elf the first night you were back. You woke us up when you yelled." Harry started to feel small now. Dudley noticed this, "I didn't say this to embarrass you. It just made me realise what all this has done to you, giving you nightmares and all. I wish we could make it up to ya somehow."

Harry just couldn't believe it. After all these years, Dudley had finally grown a conscience. "Well, not doing it anymore is a real good start." Harry said as he opened the bathroom door, and turned to go to his room.

Dudley started to go to his room, "Er, Harry?" Harry looked back at him. "Do you wanna watch a movie in my room? I got this real funny one that mum and dad don't know about."

"I guess," Harry was still in disbelief.

"Great, go get some popcorn and I'll get the videotape ready to go."

"Er, okay." Harry said heading downstairs. In case Dudley changed his mind tomorrow, Harry wanted to enjoy having a cousin who was human for once.

* * *

Meanwhile, Petunia had been discussing her own demons with Pip as they cleaned up the kitchen.

"I can't believe Dudley didn't eat anything, he's always hungry." Petunia commented as she began carrying the dishes to the sink." Pip just smiled and began assisting in the manual muggle way. "Perhaps you should take Vernon over your knee more often, Dudley could stand to lose a few pounds."

"Why din't Miss go to Hogwarts?" Pip said not experianced in casual conversation.

Harry was almost to the kichen door when he heard Pip say that and stopped. knowing Petunia would say nothing in front of him, and this was a very interesting question that needed an answer.

Petunia stopped, but didn't turn around, and after a few moments continued rinsing the dishes for the dishwasher. "I suppose I shouldn't ask how you know that. Well, I've actually been thinking on that the last few days. My sister, Lily, and I never got along. She was a few years older. All I ever heard was Lily was good at this, and good at that. It always seemed to me that nothing I did would gain the attention or approval of my parents. They were so pleased when she got her letter from Hogwarts. Oh, how delightful, we have a witch in the family. How could I ever compete with her now. During the holidays she was always telling how good she was doing. I was so angry I couldn't stand it. So one night, I crept into her room a got her wand and her book to see if I could do anything to try and show her up. I read through it and try though I might I couldn't get a stupid feather to float. I checked and rechecked if I was doing it correctly, and after a good hour of trying, it floated up about a dozen centimeters, and then fell back down. I was so excited I almost called out, but caught myself as I realised that I would not be very good and would have to compete with her at that school as well. So I put her things back and cried myself to sleep. The next year I got a letter too but decided since I wasn't very talented, I'd save myself the embarassment of going. I was tired of trying to compete with my sister. I tore it up before my parents ever found out. I went on to secondary and made every effort to distance myself completely from the magickal world. I met Vernon and fell in love for the first time in my life. He found out about my sister though. I thought he wouldn't want to see me anymore, but he saw how much I despised my sister and reinforced my hatred of magick. So he never knew. I thought things would be okay, But right after we graduated, I got pregnant. He would have been disgraced, so we eloped." Petunia turned on the dishwasher and turned around to face Pip. "Want to hear the real kicker?" She asked with a forced laugh.

A stunned Harry hoped Pip would say 'yes' as he stood hiding just outside the kitchen.

"Dudley got a letter a few months before Harry. But with Vernons attitude I ripped it up immediately. I've seen no sign of ability in Dudley, I was hoping I could ignore it like we've tried to do with Harry. You know, no one sent a second letter for Dudley. I was suprised Harry got so many letters. He must have more talent, just like his mother did."

This explained volumes. Startling as all this was, Harry decided he had to compose himself. If he talk to Vernon, this could finally give him the upper hand here. As tempting as that was, all the Dursleys had their own reasons for what they had done. Harry didn't want to break up this family, there had been enough pain in this house. Better to keep his mouth shut. He pulled himself together before walking into the kitchen for popcorn and soda.

A startled Petunia quickly tried to act naturally and failed. Her small talk proved no better then Pip's had. "So what are you up to Harry?"

“Not much,”Harry smiled to himself as he got some soda from the refrigerator realising he must have really unsettled Petunia, she was acting like a normal person towards him. He thought he should go for the gold and said, "Er, Dudley apoligized for how he's treated me so we're gonna watch a movie in his room."

Harry grabbed the bag of popcorn from the cupboard and walked out of the room, leaving a rather queezy Petunia and a VERY confused Pip.