dancing on bones (our souls of iolites and emeralds)

Chapter 20

Kusuo was right. It took three more months for Dudley to be dropped from the gifted program and go to a normal pre-KG. Dudley was happy, Vernon and Petunia were not.

Best of all? Kusuo kept the books. They were boring but he needed to know what was expected of gifted children in the 80s. He only knew about the 90s and 2000's. There were way too many differences in expectations between the decades.

As a bonus, Petunia's face took on a most unpleasant expression whenever she saw him flip through Dudley's old books. She looked like she wanted to snatch them out of his hands and burn them in a bon fire. She didn't. By now, it was clear that snatching anything from Kusuo's fingers would result in a tantrum. Dudley's tantrum, that is. God forbid their darling Diddykins ever felt upset about something avoidable.

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Kusuo was absolutely bored in the next two years. Being five was not much different than being four. Being six was not much different than being five. Dudley went to pre-KG, the twins did not. That didn't matter. What did was that Dudley was fond of his cousins. A complete change from the books. And a useful one too.

When Petunia started giving Harry Dudley's old cast-off's, Dudley started tearing them apart so his cousin could get new clothes. When Petunia tried to make Kusuo cook and clean, Dudley insisted on following him around and doing the same things in the way children imitate those they idolize. Petunia very quickly learnt not to make them do chores. When Petunia pushed Kusuo and Harry to stand in the middle of the garden under the hot summer sun, Dudley followed right after, wanting to accompany his cousins in their 'summer adventure'.

The neighborhood thought their attachment was cute. Petunia did not. She knew very clearly that he had done some 'witchcraft' on her Diddykins to make his 'follower'.

Kusuo wanted Petunia to get her head checked. It was not 'witchcraft' he did. It was Applied Behavior Analysis. 

Even so, Kusuo didn't quite like how much Dudley relied on him. It wasn't healthy. But if he wanted Harry to survive in the Dursley household as a child, one needed one of two things: Vernon and Petunia's approval, or Dudleys protection. He was not counting on the plot armor of the books. Absolutely not. Kusuo knew the first was unlikely to happen. He also did not like the idea of making peace with his abusers. So, second option it was.

And if he was going to do things, he would do it right.

Kusuo knew how to fix it. It would take some time, teaching Dudley to think outside his approval. Dudley was now 'family', had been since that day two years ago when he had taken his hand. Family had to be planned around, not over. But Harry's life depended on Dudley's goodwill. So it made sense to tie Dudley's goodwill to Kusuo's approval. Sometime down the line, when they were twelve and they had more maneuverability to get out from under the Durlsey's, Kusuo would fix it.

But it wouldn't be now. Not anytime soon. Dudley was Kusuo's till that time.

And he didn't mind. After all, he had always been terribly protective over his people.