Three dollars and some change

Second Chance Boy
An AU Harry Potter story
by mhalachaiswords

Summary: Lily survived but Petunia is dead, and there's no one to look after little Dudley...
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. I am but borrowing the characters for a brief time and shall return them intact at the end.
Spoilers: References some of Lily's childhood, as mentioned in Deathly Hallows.
Rating: PG
Characters: Lily, James, Molly. Did I mention it's AU?
Words: 3,400
Author's note: I'm not usually one for AUs, but I started to wonder what might have happened if the shoe was on the other foot... or, on the other Evans sister. And then this happened. It's a little, uh, fluffy. You know, with character death.

~~~

"No!"

Lily shot to her feet, green eyes blazing. "What exactly do you mean, No?" she demanded.

"I mean, I don't think it's a good idea!" James sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It doesn't matter if it's a good idea or not!" Lily picked up the letter and waved it in her husband's face. "My sister and her husband are dead, and their son is all alone! Someone has to take him in, and that's going to be us!"

"No, it is not!" James said again. "Your sister and that arse Dursley hated me and you, Lily, are you forgetting that? They didn't want anything to do with us or our world!"

"That doesn't matter!" Lily shouted. "Dudley is a baby! If someone happened to us, Petunia would have taken Harry in--"

"But something didn't happen to us," James argued. "You-Know-Who is gone--"

"That is not my point!" At the end of Lily's shout, Harry's happy babbling in the other room ceased. The house was silent. "Vernon's sister told the lawyer that she didn't have time for Dudley! There is no other family and I will not let that boy be put in an orphanage!"

"He's a muggle! He doesn't have any place in Godric's Hollow, you know that!"

Lily froze, her insides turning to ice. James' expression changed, as if he finally realized he may have gone a little too far.

"So you're saying that someone who was born a muggle has no place here," she said quietly. "I see."

James sprang up. "That's not what I mean!"

Lily turned and walked into the other room. James followed, to see his wife snatching little Harry from his play pen.

"What-- where are you going?"

Lily summoned Harry's winter jacket, narrowly missing James's left ear. "I'm taking my son to the park," she said, not looking at her husband.

"Lily--"

"Oh, stop being such an idiot!" Lily jammed a woolly hat on Harry's dark hair and shifted him to her hip. "I'm not leaving, I'm just going out!"

With that, she stormed out of the house, leaving James staring after her.

~~~~

Lily made it as far as the burned out cemetery in the centre of Godric's Hollow before the tears blurred her vision. She stumbled across the broken cobblestones to a toppled grave stone and sat down, trying to muffle her sobs.

Petunia is dead.

Her older sister, whom Lily had always been running after, trying to be like her, was dead. Killed in a car crash in Surrey with her husband, leaving their little boy all alone.

Petunia is dead.

"Mama?"

Harry's tiny uncertain voice cut through Lily's grief. She squashed her feelings down. She breathed deeply and wiped her tears away with the back of her glove. "Everything's fine, Harry," she said, smiling down at her little boy. "Mama's fine."

Harry stared at her with worried green eyes. Eighteen months old and already so sensitive to her moods.

He hadn't been this way before You-Know-Who-- No! Lily told herself. Voldemort! He is dead and he cannot harm us! Before Voldemort had come to Godric's Hollow, intent on murdering Harry. So much powerful magic swirling around her son that night... Lily wondered if he had seen too much, heard too much. But Albus Dumbledore said Harry had not been harmed, and Lily clung to that reassurance.

Looking at her baby boy's upturned face, his cheeks pink with the January cold, Lily shuddered by how close their escape had been. If Sirius hadn't realized in time that Peter had betrayed them to Voldemort... If Dumbledore hadn't Apparated in just as Voldemort had raised his wand to kill James...

Sirius and James had dealt with Peter while Dumbledore battled Voldemort. The deadly magical battle had leveled their house and half the neighbourhood. Lily had barely made it out in time with Harry. She'd seen their house burn, and thought James dead. But he lived, Sirius lived, Dumbledore lived.

Most importantly to Lily, Harry had lived.

But Petunia is dead.

How could it happen? Lily survived a magical war against the most powerful dark wizard in centuries, and Petunia died when a drunk driver slammed into the Dursleys' car.

It wasn't supposed to be like that.

"Mama?" Harry said again. He reached a mittened hand up and bopped her on the nose. "Mama?"

Lily hugged Harry tight, kissing him all over his face until he giggled and tried to squirm away. "It's all going to be okay, I promise," she said to her son. "You're going to grow up in a world without evil, and you're going to have a chance to know what magic can be like when it's used for good." She transfigured a dead leaf into a brilliant blue butterfly, and used her wand to dance the insect around Harry's head, just out of reach of his chubby fists.

How many times had Lily wondered how things might have been different, if Petunia had been a witch too? Would she have been happier? Would she still have grown to hate Lily?

No matter what had happened between them, Lily knew that if anything had happened to her and James, Petunia would have taken Harry in to raise him. Blood was deeper than magic.

And no matter what James said, Lily was going to raise Petunia's son. He may be a muggle, but he was family. She'd bring him home, help him deal with the loss of his parents. He was just a baby, only a month older than Harry, and he needed family.

Harry grew bored with the butterfly and started pointing at things in the graveyard. This was where the final leg of the battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore had occurred. Headstones still lay broken and burned, left as bitter memorial while the village healed its wounded.

Footsteps crunched in the snow to her left, then a crunch and soft swearing. James. He dusted the dirty snow from his cloak and continued on until he was beside Lily.

"I'm sorry about your sister."

Lily didn't turn to look at James. "Really?"

He settled next to her on the stone, taking Harry from her and bouncing the boy on his knee. "Yes. I mean, she hated me and I couldn't stand her or that muggle husband of hers--"

"You're not helping!"

"You know what I mean." James gave Harry one final bounce, then put him on the ground. Harry took a tentative step on the rough snow. James held his hand while the boy stomped in a circle. "I reckon you're right, about... What was his name?"
"Dudley," Lily said wearily. "His name is Dudley."

James shook his head. "Poor kid. Anyway, we'll need to move."

Lily stared at him.

"He'll have to go to a muggle school, right? I was thinking, Sirius's mum kicked off during the last months of the war, and he can't stand living alone in the Black family home. Why don't we all move in there?"

"What are you talking about?" Lily finally demanded.

Harry tugged on his father's robe, and James swung the boy up to his shoulder. "You and me and Harry go get little Dudley from the muggles in Surrey and move into 12 Grimmauld Place with Sirius."

"Have you hit your head?" Lily asked, springing to her feet. "You want to put two defenseless children in that deathtrap?"

James shrugged, nearly unseating Harry. "It was just an idea."

"Of all the nerve!" Lily gripped her wand, ready to levitate Harry in case the boy toppled to the cobblestones, when the whole meaning of the conversation hit her. "You'd be fine with me bringing Dudley here?"

"I suppose," James said. "He's your family, and how much more trouble can another baby be?"

"You know it's very unlikely he'll be magical."

James waved that away. "So he goes to a muggle school. Harry won't be doing any magic of his own before he goes to Hogwarts. We'll worry about that when they're older."

Lily's heart started to beat a little faster. James understood... well, as much as he could. She could bring home her sister's son. "We're not living in 12 Grimmauld Place," she warned him.

"Sirius was thinking of taking out some of the walls," James said, his eyes sparkling. He tumbled Harry over his head, swinging him around like a Bludger. The boy crowed. "Getting rid of most of the portraits, if you know what I mean."

Living in London. Would it be any worse living in a big house with Sirius? He had pretty much been their houseguest since they left Hogwarts and married. Nothing much would change there. She shook her head. "We can't bring two babies into that house until it's gutted and safe," she said.

"So we wait." James smiled sheepishly at her. "We're all together, that's all that matters, right?"

Lily went to him, letting him wrap her and Harry in a hug. "That's right," Lily said, tearing up again. "That's all that matters. Right, Harry?"

Harry blew a raspberry.

~~~

It wasn't easy, but Lily managed to convince the muggle authorities that she was indeed Petunia Dursley's only living relative. Armed with a court order, she gathered the screaming Dudley from a harassed-looking woman at the orphanage, and took the Knight Bus back to Godric's Hollow. Dudley screamed the whole way.

It went like that for hours. Dudley was quiet while he slept and screamed while he was awake. Harry watched his cousin with wide eyes, while James made himself scarce.

By tea time, Lily was ready to start screaming herself. Instead, she magically buckled Dudley into a high chair, stuck Harry in his play pen, and sent a frantic owl note to the only person she could think of.

Molly Weasley arrived just after dinner, carrying an infant wrapped in a worn quilt. "I got your note, dear," Molly said, giving Lily a quick kiss on the cheek before shoving the baby into her arms. "Here, you hold Ginny for me, will you?"

"I'm sorry to take you away from your family, but--"

Molly waved the protestation away. "Arthur's home with the boys, and he deserves what he gets!" she declared. "Bill and Charlie can help keep the twins in line. Now, what do we have here?"

Lily transferred the tiny sleeping girl to her shoulder. "Dudley won't stop screaming, I can't get him to stop."

"He missed his mother, poor boy," Molly said. She rolled up her sleeves and approached the blond boy. "Let me see what I can do."

Lily watched, fascinated, as Molly hoisted the boy from the high chair. She deftly caught the flailing fists and held Dudley tight, walking around the room and talking to him. After five minutes, Dudley's wails tapered to sobs. Ten minutes later, he was quiet.

"How did you do that?" Lily asked, dumbfounded.

"Years of practice with my boys," Molly said. "They get so worked up they don't know how to stop." Deftly, she handed Dudley over to Lily and took back the baby. "Just soothe him, dear."

Lily cuddled Dudley tight to her, one hand smoothing down his hair while she sang a lullaby in his ear. He sniffled mightily, his arms going around her neck.

Oh, Petunia, what am I going to do with your little boy? Lily wondered. She sat down with Dudley, so tired.

Molly had fetched Harry and was showing him the baby. Harry seemed fascinated by Ginny's tiny waving hands.

"I take it you haven't had much of a chance for the boys to play together?" Molly asked quietly.

"No, I didn't want to risk it," Lily said. "Dudley was so... He was hitting at everything."

Molly nodded. "You may find that they may get used to each other sooner than you'll think."

"But what if one of them hits, or bites, or--"

"Lily, dear, they're children! Of course they'll hit. That's what discipline is for. They're not too young to learn right and wrong. Tell them 'no', and mean it, and they'll be fine." Molly sighed. "I remember what it was like when I had Bill. No idea what I was doing."

"Do you now?" Lily had to ask.

Molly gave her a look. "Every child's different." She shook her head. "But by baby number two, you just throw up your hands and realize that you're the adult and that it's not the end of the world if you have to tell them no."

"Okay," Lily said, taking a deep breath. Dudley seemed calm, maybe calm enough to eat. "He's just so different from Harry."

"They're all different. How different were you from your sister?"

Lily thought about Petunia, what her sister had been like before Lily went away to Hogwarts, how things had used to be better, how hurt Petunia had been when she realized that she'd never be a witch like Lily.

And now Lily would never have a chance to make it up with Petunia.

History looked as if it was going to repeat itself with these boys, one wizard and one muggle. Lily sat up straighter, Dudley snuffling noisily against her neck. Well, she wasn't going to let it turn out like that.

She held out a hand to Harry. Hesitantly, eyeing his cousin as if he were a poisonous snake, Harry shuffled across to his mother and climbed up on her knee. Lily could feel his little body vibrating with uncertainty.

"Harry, Dudley, would you like to be friends?" Lily asked, feeling totally out of control. "We're all going to live together now, a family."

Dudley snuffled, clinging hard to her neck. Harry reached out and touched Dudley on the cheek, an echo of how he had touched baby Ginny a few minutes before. "Dud'y?"

"Yes, Harry, this is Dudley."

"Dud'y," Harry repeated. He cuddled against Lily, his black hair tousled against her sweater. “Mama, Dud'y.”

"Well, it's something." Lily hugged the boys tight, and smiled at Molly. "It's a start."

~~~

Two sets of footsteps pounded up the steps, then a door slammed, and momentary stillness.

Lily stared up at the ceiling with a rueful grin. "They're at it again."

Molly chuckled. "Not a moment's rest for you?"

"I don't know how you do it with seven," Lily admitted. "Just those two and some days I'm ready to Apparate to Tibet to get away from it all!"

"Well, I've only the five at home right now," Molly admitted. "Although I do miss the calming influence that Bill and Charlie had on the twins."

Having met Bill and Charlie Weasley at numerous Weasley family events, Lily only raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean," Molly continued. As she spoke, a tiny grey house elf shuffled into the parlor carrying a laden tea tray.

"Kreacher," Lily said, leaning forward. She wanted to ask the house elf if he needed help, but she knew better. "Thank you for tea."

"Mrs. Potter is welcome," Kreacher muttered. "Will Mr. Harry and Mr. Dudley take tea?"

"If they want tea, they can come down to the kitchens," Lily said. "I'll pour here."

Kreacher shuffled off.

"He's certainly changed," Molly commented.

"I couldn't stand the way Sirius was treating him," Lily said. "I made it clear when we moved in a few years ago that he was to be treated well. Harry and Dudley needed positive influences."

"How do they like living here?" Molly accepted a biscuit.

"They simply adore it," Lily told her. "There's a wonderful muggle primary school they go to, with a lovely park, just a few streets over. On the way home, there is a delightful Indian sweet shop. I swear, if their teeth fall out, that'll be the reason why."

Molly smiled. The women drank their tea for a few minutes. Then a loud crash sounded from the upper floors, followed by silence.

Molly eyed Lily over the edge of her cup. "It's the time of year for Hogwarts letters."

"So it is." Lily set her cup down. "I expect Ron will be getting his letter soon."

"Making his sister infinitely jealous," Molly said. "And you?"

The question was a delicate one, but Lily still felt the sting. Harry had been exhibiting wild magic since he was a baby, the loose uncontrolled bouts of magic like any wizarding child. Dudley seemed to be following in his own parents' footsteps as a muggle.

And yet...

Harry and Dudley spent almost every hour together, so whenever magic had occurred, James and Lily had assumed that Harry had been the one behind it. At least, until the last few months. She and Harry had been in the kitchen, he at the table scowling at his unfinished homework while Lily watched out the window at Dudley fiddling with his punctured bike wheel in the back yard. Dudley had been getting more and more frustrated with the black tube, until finally with a giant pop, the thing expanded into a huge black balloon and floated up and away over the wall.

James had said it was probably Kreacher, or one of the magic joke toys from Diagon Alley that someone left lying around, but Lily wasn't so sure. Dudley had looked so scared and guilty when she asked about it, that she bit back her questions. She wouldn't press him, wouldn't make him worry about magic. He was just a little boy.

So much like his mother, Lily thought. He was big boned, like his father had been, and more muscular than Harry. Harry was faster than Dudley, but Dudley could carry more, and the boys usually ended up using the mis-match in their skills to cause more trouble.

But while Harry was friendly and happy and, she would admit, sometimes rather oblivious, Dudley was quick to take offence and to bluster when things didn't go his way. He hated anyone to think he was weak, and there had been a few times when Lily was called to the boys' primary school because Dudley was exhibiting bullying behavior with other children, but Lily had nipped that in the bud. If anything, Harry's disapproval of Dudley's behavior was more of a deterrent than anything Lily could think up.

And while Harry had been going on about Hogwarts all summer, Dudley kept saying that he was looking forward to keeping all their same friends at the high school.

All the same, Lily saw how unhappy Dudley had looked while Harry pestered James with questions about Hogwarts.

She had done all she could. Now, she was left to hope.

"We'll see when the letters get here," Lily said.

As if summoned by magic, Kreacher wandered back into the parlor. "Post," he muttered sourly, and dropped a handful of envelopes on the table.

Lily's throat closed as she spotted the emerald green ink on the top letter, addressed to her. As she snatched up the letter, she dislodged its companions and the two identical envelopes fell to the ground.

One was addressed to Harry. The other...

Heart pounding, Lily ripped open the envelope.

Mrs. Potter,

I received your letter and have reviewed Ministry records on underage magic performed at your house in London, 12 Grimmauld Place, and in your previous house in Godric's Hollow. While you are correct that your young son Harry is responsible for the lion's share of the magic, records indicate seven separate occasions where magic was performed by your nephew, Dudley Dursley.

Your question, about latent magical talent being stimulated in a magical household over a long period of time, is an interesting one, and appears to be what has occurred with young Dudley. I remember well the letter I received from your sister many years ago, and I am pleased that her son will be joining us at Hogwarts.

I look forward to welcoming both boys to Hogwarts this September. Their invitation letters to Hogwarts accompany this missive.

Cordially yours,

Albus Dumbledore

"Harry, Dudley!" Lily called, happiness lifting her to her feet. She dropped her letter to the floor. "Come down here! The post is here and there's something for you! For both of you!"

Molly was smiling. "Congratulations, my dear," she said warmly.

Lily was too happy to speak. Both her boys were going to Hogwarts.

Just like it should have been with Lily and Petunia.

end