The Magic Shop: If Dudley Dursley had a Magical Daughter

Chapter Six

A/N: This is the first chapter I didn't write for my school assignment, so the tone may change a bit.

"Azalea!" Dudley called from downstairs.

"I'm coming!" Azalea shouted, putting down her book with a groan. She dashed out of the room and down the stairs. "What? And why couldn't you come get me instead of shouting across the house?"

Her father rolled his eyes. "I was lazy."

"Big shocker," Azalea muttered, making her father frown. "So what is this about?"

"Your mother's coming to pick you up in fifteen minutes," Dudley explained. "And we need to go over some ground rules."

"Oh," Azalea replied warily. She sat in one of their living rooms' cushioned armchairs.

"First," Dudley said, sitting down across from her, "you need to promise me that you won't say a word to Jessica about your . . . abilities."

"Um . . . why?"

Dudley sighed. "She doesn't know about the existence of m-magic. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"But why?"

Dudley clenched his fist. "It's complicated, okay?"

Didn't seem very complicated to Azalea. "So I have to lie to Mom and my stepdad and my stepsiblings for the rest of my life."

"Uh, well, no," Dudley stammered. "Just until I figure out how best to inform her. We'll come up with something before school starts."

Azalea sighed. "Fine. You do know the person from Hogwarts is coming tonight, right?"

"Yes. I've worked it out with your mother. You'll be back in time for the meeting."

Azalea sighed. "Fine." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'm getting something to do at Mom's house." She hopped up from the chair, ran upstairs to get her book, then came back downstairs.

Right as she got to the bottom, Azalea's mother knocked on the door. "Hi," Azalea said as she opened the door.

"Hi," Jessica replied, studiously ignoring Dudley. "Ready?"

"Yes." Azalea waved to her dad and then followed her mom out of the house. They got into the car and her mom began asking all the basic questions like, "How was your week?" and "Are you excited for school?"

Azalea was able to answer both with simple, one-word answers. It wasn't out of character for her, so her mom was unlikely to get suspicious. If she asked more specific questions, well, Azalea was a good liar.

They pulled up to her mother's house and parked the car before going in. "They should have already started dinner," Jessica announced.

Azalea followed her mother into the kitchen, where her step siblings and and stepfather were setting the table.

"Hey, Azalea," her stepbrother, Seymour, said. Seymour was Azalea's stepfather's son from a previous marriage, and was her own age. As Seymour turned away, Azalea's younger half sister, Dahlia, nodded, and her stepfather, Richard, smiled at her.

"Hi," Azalea said. She took a seat in her usual chair as her family finished setting the table.

"So," Jessica began as they dug into the meal, "how was everyone's day?"

"Don't we have to tell Azalea that thing?" Seymour asked, ignoring his stepmother's question.

Jessica and Richard exchanged a glance. "Yes," Richard said hesitantly. He and Jessica exchanged a long look.

"Um, what is this about?" Azalea asked.

"I'm going to boarding school," Seymour said.

Azalea's first thought was, "Why do I care?" Instead, she said, "What school?" since that was probably the question they wanted to be asked.

"It's a private school in Scotland," Seymour said. "Very exclusive. We're meeting with someone from it tonight."

"Cool," Azalea said, trying not to sound like she knew anything. She debated for a second before ultimately deciding not to mention her Hogwarts letter and Uncle Alvin. Her father could be the one to tell her mom about it, and at the very least, they should wait until after the meeting that night. 

Still, it didn't escape Azalea's notice that Seymour hadn't actually answered her question. But whatever. It would be more fun to interrogate him about it after dinner, when the adults weren't around. 

The rest of dinner passed uneventfully. Azalea's mom quickly turned the subject from Seymour's new school to what everyone had been doing for the past week - which wasn't much. Azalea quickly found herself bored.

As soon as dinner was over and everyone was cleaning up, the doorbell rang. 

"I'll get it!" Azalea called. She headed down the hallway and opened the door to an older woman carrying a scroll and wearing a pointy hat. 

"Hello," she said in a clipped British accent. "May I speak to your parents?"

"Uh, sure," Azalea said. "MOM! RICHARD! The door's for you!"

Jessica came rushing down the hall. "Hello, ma'am," she greeted the pointy-hat woman. "Azalea, could you tell your father he needs to pick you up now?"

"Um, okay?" Azalea pulled out her phone and texted her dad, who was soon on his way over. 

"Come in," Jessica said to the woman before calling into the house, "Richard! Seymour! The representative from the school is here! Azalea, could you take Dahlia to play a game?" 

"Sure," Azalea said, feigning cheerfulness as she went to find her sister. "Dahlia!"

Dahlia and Azalea ran upstairs while the adults went into the sitting room. After about fifteen minutes of Azalea trying to keep Dahlia entertained, the doorbell rang. 

"That'll be Dad," Azalea said, getting up from her seat on the floor of her sister's room. "Please don't interrupt their meeting." 

"I won't," Dahlia promised solemnly. "Bye, sis."

"Bye." Azalea ruffled her hair before dashing downstairs, waving to her parents and brother, and running outside to meet her dad. 

They were home in fifteen minutes, and after getting ready for the mysterious guest from Hogwarts - her dad insisted she change into something nicer - the doorbell rang.

"Hello," Azalea said, and her mouth dropped open. 

Standing on the front porch was the exact same woman who had just been at her mother's house.

"Hello," she said pleasantly. "I'm Professor McGonagall. It appears we've met before."