Dudley's Discovery (More Prologue Added)

Chapter 6 ~ Friday Night’s Happenings

The rest of Dudley’s day wasn’t as exciting as Charms, but he found it interesting. His gfirst year curriculum included, Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions and Transfiguration.

Not every class was daily however. Most were every other day, with the exception of Astronomy, which was once a week, at midnight. And he had one study period each day. His DADA class had fallen on Thursday, and today was Friday, so, he missed meeting Snape face to face. He’d cross that moat on Monday. He did go to Charms, Herbology and the History of Magic class, staring at Professor Binns the entire time as his classmates nodded around him. A ghost for a teacher? Wow. And he had never seen plants like the ones Professor Sprout was breeding/attempting to tame.

Dudley was fast learning to expect the unexpected. When Peeves zipped by him pursued by a number of irate and rather wet wand-waving Slytherins, he only batted his eyes a few times, and his jaw didn’t drop nearly as low as it should have.

Little Evan Diddles had latched on to Dudley, and the seventh-year didn’t mind. Evan was a chubby little wizard, with black neatly cut hair, big rosy cheeks and guileless blue eyes. He was very friendly and helpful. He showed Dudley where to go for the rest of the day.

However, after supper Dudley recounted the desk incident to the Gryffindors, and as expected, Harry and Ron nearly died of laughter, Hermione hissing at them not to laugh at Dudley. Ginny, who was with them, did her best to keep a straight face, but had to turn away from Dudley to hide her smile.

”That’s all right,” Dudley told Hermione, frowning at Harry and Ron as they held each other up, guffawing. “They’ll get theirs, once I’ve trained up.”

This only made Harry and Ron laugh harder. That would be when? Next century?

Finally Harry calmed down enough to inform Dudley they were going to the Three Broomsticks to have a few pints. They were old enough now, and never had to pay for anything since they were heroes.

”Can I come?” Dudley asked him.

Harry was about to say yes, when Hermione pulled a book out of her knapsack and pushed it into Dudley’s hands. Dudley turned it over and read the title.

“A History of Hogwarts,” he said, frowning slightly.

”That’s right, but that book contains more than Hogwarts history. It contains a lot of the important history of the magical world. You need to read it from cover to cover, Dudley. That’s your assignment for the weekend. No Three Broomsticks for you . . . or for me, either. I’m going to be with Professor Snape, receiving my first tutoring lesson,” Hermione said importantly.

It was rather important because Hermione was the only student in the history of Snape’s employ to receive such preferential treatment. She hadn’t told anyone she had claimed a Life Debt from him.

Ron shook his head.

”Hermione, you say that like it’s something to be looked forward to or something. Snape is going to be a complete arse to you, and you know it. He hasn’t changed a whit since Voldemort died. You should just come have a few drinks with us, and keep me company,” Ron said rather sullenly.

“I don’t really like a lot of drinking, Ron, you know that,” Hermione said, sounding rather apologetic. “Drunk people irritate me. They just get louder and . . . well more silly sounding. And they just want us to tell the story of how we did everything over and over, and that’s not my idea of fun. I’d rather be learning something, don’t you see?”

Ron blinked at her, and his blue eyes softened.

”Yes, I see. You’d rather work your brains than brag about being a hero,” he said to her with a half smile. “One of the pitfalls of dating a brilliant witch, I suppose. It’s all right, Hermione. I can brag enough for both of us. I just hope Snape isn’t too much of a git to you.”

”I can handle him,” Hermione said.

Dudley was leafing through the history book and saw pictures of Ron, Hermione and more than a few of Harry, from when he was a baby, throughout his younger years and as he was now. That Snape teacher was in there too, looking perfectly evil as he stared back at him. He nearly dropped the book when a full page picture of Voldemort fell into view. He was hideous! How did Harry face him?

Now, Dudley was anxious to read the book Hermione gave him. He began to wander back toward his house, not even saying goodbye as he returned to the front of the book.

Ron watched him walk away, students having to walk around him. Hermione smiled as she watched him go.

”Do you think Dudley’s going to be a brain, Harry?” Ron asked him.

Harry shook his head.

”I don’t think so, Ron. You have to have a brain to be a brain. All I think Dudley has up there is more muscle,” Harry said with a smirk, knowing Hermione wouldn’t like it.

She didn’t.

”Really. It wouldn’t hurt the two of you to show interest in a book about something other than Quidditch or half-dressed witches,” she spat at them.

”I have something more interesting than books to capture my attention,” Ron said, swooping in and stealing a kiss from Hermione, who reddened, but stopped yelling at them.

”Stop it,” Hermione murmured, waving her hand at Ron, who smirked.

”She loves me,” he said to Harry before looking back at Hermione and grabbing her around the waist, pulling her against him so she gasped.

”You do love me, don’t you, Hermione Granger?” he asked her.

”Don’t ask such silly questions, Ron, and let me go. I have to get down to the dungeons,” she said softly as Ron looked down at her. He gave her another quick kiss but it was easy to see by his eyes that he would have liked a longer one.

”Get a room, you two,” Ginny said with a smile.

Hermione scowled at her as Ron reluctantly let go. He’d been trying to “get a room” with Hermione for a while now, preferably at the Three Broomsticks, but she wasn’t ready.

In fact, that was one of the real reasons Hermione didn’t like to go to the Three Broomsticks. After a couple of pints, Ron would want to rent a room and spend the night at the inn the way Harry and Ginny did. But Harry and Ginny were on a different level than Ron and Hermione. They were engaged.

Ron didn’t try to force her, or become abusive when she turned him down. He just became rather sullen and uncommunicative. At these times, Hermione had the feeling Ron believed she didn’t care about him as much as she said she did. That she didn’t really love him.

She believed she did, but just wasn’t ready to go any further.

If Ron did think she didn’t care about him the way she said she did, he never said it. Ron knew better than to use that line on Hermione to try and corner her into sex. His mother had taught him well what to say to a witch he was courting and it wasn’t, “If you really loved me, you’d have sex with me.”

Ron might act the idiot at times, but he was far from one when it came to important things, like keeping Hermione. He was willing to wait, but was getting rather tired of returning to his room with a hard-on after an intense snogging session with the witch and having to wank off before he could get any sleep.

”Doesn’t she have any sexual feelings, Ginny?” he’d ask his sister, hoping she could help him figure out how to press Hermione’s buttons.

”Hermione's not like most witches, Ron. You’re lucky to be with her at all, you know. She’s a brain . . . usually you have to get to a witch like her through her mind. But I think she likes you because you’re such a dimwit and just run all over her logic when you want something,” Ginny told him. “She likes you being a caveman.”

“That’s fine and well, but when am I going to get to use my club?” Ron asked his sister, who shrugged.

”Maybe on the honeymoon,” she quipped as Ron paled.

Ron wasn’t Harry. He cared for Hermione, maybe even really loved her like he said he did, but there was something about the M word that made him want to head for the hillocks. He wasn’t ready to get married.

Hermione did care about Ron very much. He was affectionate and patient when they were alone, not like he was when they were around other people. She enjoyed his embraces, and his kisses, and the corny, sweet things he’d say to her. And sometimes, there was a little heat between them, a little flare of desire that would catch hold of her for a moment and she’d wonder what it would be like to go all the way with him, but something always pulled her back, not letting her get overwhelmed.

Hermione Granger would only put out if she were truly moved to do so, and so far, she hadn’t been. It was hard to explain this to Ron, so she didn’t try. All she told him was that she’d know when the time was right, and when she did, he would know, too.

Ron seemed to accept this, so they continued dating.

”Well, I’d better go. The Dark Arts await. Keep an eye on him for me, Ginny,” she said to his sister, who nodded. “And all of you, don’t forget to alternate your drinks with water to cut the alcohol and eat something too.”

”All right,” Harry said, thinking it might be good Hermione wasn’t coming. She could be a kill-joy at times.

Ron gave her one more kiss and watched her walk away.

”She’s something else, isn’t she, Harry?” he breathed softly as his eyes rested on her receding back.

Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny’s slender waist. He knew exactly how Ron felt.

”Yeah, mate. She really is,” he replied, kissing Ginny on the cheek appreciatively.

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Dudley was soon lost in “Hogwarts, a History.” The book was fascinating as was the history of the castle and of magical folks themselves. There was a time when they were hunted, when children with magic were taken and killed by Muggles, who were normal people or people without magic. The witches and wizards used spells to hide and put up borders and protections around the lands they occupied. Finally, they formed their own society.

He read about the four founders, and how his kind of background wasn’t smiled on by Salazar Slytherin. He only wanted witches and wizards born from witches and wizards to attend Hogwarts, and left the school after placing a monster in it to carry on his cleansing of Muggle-Borns.

At the end of that paragraph, there was a little “See Harry Potter” sentence underlined. Dudley touched it with his finger and the pages of the book suddenly turned themselves, showing a picture of Harry, looking all beat up and a little sickly.

He read on and found out Harry had KILLED the creature Salazar Slytherin hid in the castle, and that at one time people thought he was the heir of Slytherin who let it out in the first place. Wow! Harry was a hero more than once over.

”Wow,” Dudley breathed, flipping back to the front of the book again, so not to miss anything. He read far into the night, learning about not only the world but who his cousin really was.

It was bloody amazing.

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Harry, Ron and Ginny were at the Three Broomsticks, surrounded by wizards and witches, enjoying pint after pint and getting rather tipsy as people chattered around them and at them. Ginny was in Harry’s lap. That way she showed the witches around him that he was definitely taken. Ron was doing a good job keeping them away from him.

”Nope. I’m involved,” he slurred, “and right now she’s probably casting darrrk ssspellssss, so you’d better beeeware.”

Finally, Ron stood up.

”Gotta go to the little wizard’s room,” he said, weaving his way through the laughing throng around him and making his way through the inn to the lavatory. He entered, walked up to the urinal, and went about his business, throwing his head back and sighing in relief as he emptied his bladder. The urinal automatically flushed when he finished, shaking himself off.

”Hello, Won-Won,” a female voice purred.

Ron spun around unsteadily, looking at a sloe-eyed Lavender Brown. He still had his tool in his hand as he blinked at her.

”Lavender, you’re not supposed to be in here. This is the little wizard’s room,” he said drunkenly. He should have chased his drinks with water like Hermione told him.

Lavender’s eyes flicked downward.

”You don’t look like a very little wizard to me, Won-Won,” she said, starting to walk toward him.

Ron tried to get himself situated but Lavender took a big step and caught his hands. She was wearing a low-cut blue blouse that showed her cleavage quite appealingly . . . although Hermione would have said quite sluttishly, and a short little denim skirt and blue high heels. She rubbed her big boobies against Ron backing him toward one of the open stalls.

”Lav—Lavender, I have to get back,” he said, trying to free his hands, his organ still exposed.

”I’ll let you go back in a few minutes, Ronnikins. First, I’m going to do something very nice for you. I’m going to turn back time,” she breathed, shoving him back into the bathroom stall, where he caught hold of the walls to keep from falling back against the toilet. Lavender closed the door and locked it.

Ron stared at her as if looking into the eyes of a dragon, unable to move. Lavender gave him a naughty smile as she sunk down out of his range of vision.

Ron jerked as he felt her catch hold of him. He tried to protest, but she was determined and he was so drunk and so . . . not in control. But he did try.

”No. Wait—I can’t—we can’t—Lavender! Stop. Oh, Merlin—please stop—please. Oh, gods. Damn. Damn it—that’s good. That’s—arrrgh— that’s so fucking good—”

Ron gripped the top of the stall on either side of him, throwing his head back and just letting it happen. It had been such a long, long time.

Too long a time.

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A disheveled Hermione emerged from Snape’s office. His quarters were still down in the dungeons although Slughorn taught Potions now. Snape hadn’t wanted to move and Slughorn didn’t want to stay in the dungeons so it worked out. Slughorn occupied the DADA teacher’s private quarters. Hermione’s lessons had taken place in the wizard’s book lined study.

“He’s such a bastard,” Hermione hissed, her hair standing up all over her head from the dark wizard shocking her with a Lightning Spell he’d told her to block. She might have been able to do it, if he gave her a chance.

He didn’t. Snape simply said, “Block this spell, Miss Granger” and hit her with it, watching her hair frizz, teeth chatter and body shudder until smoke rose from it.

”You have to be quicker,” he purred at the sooty witch.

She Scourgified herself, but the effects of being hit by the spell were still evident in her hair.

Hermione’s robes were ripped as well. He’d handed her a book of Dark Magic and didn’t tell her it was guarded by a small book demon, which leapt out when she opened it and shredded her robes before she managed to shriek a banishing spell to put the thing back.

”You should always be on point when it comes to Dark Magic, Miss Granger,” the wizard advised as Hermione glowered at him, strips of fabric dangling from her robes and scratches on the back of her hands. Luckily, she kept the rabid little demon from reaching her face. “Consider this a lesson learned.”

Hermione knew Snape was trying to make her quit the lessons. Technically, he had done what she asked and would be freed of the Life Debt if she did. But she wasn’t going to do it. She was going to be taught by him if it killed her.

It very well might.

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A/N: All right. The rating of this story just went up to R. I touched on Ron and Hermione’s relationship in this chapter, and put our fav redhead in a very compromising position. Well, he’s famous now . . . so . . . ah well. Poor Ron. Dudley’s finding out just how important Harry really is to the wizarding world. It was interesting to write about Hermione and Severus from the outside, rather than intimately. Hmm. Snape’s being a bastard, as usual. Lol. He’s so rotten. Gotta love him. Thanks for reading.