The Magic Shop: If Dudley Dursley had a Magical Daughter

Chapter Eleven

"Owl, now," Azalea announced.

"Azalea, are you sure you need an owl?" Dudley asked. He was very obviously not thrilled at this idea, and Azalea almost smiled.

"Yes. You want me to write, correct?"

"Yes . . ."

"Then I need an owl," Azalea said decisively. She and her father entered Eeylops' Owl Emporium.

"There are too many birds," Dudley muttered, glancing around. He took a step to the left, glaring at a white owl on the shelf nearest to him.

"Good thing we aren't buying the whole store, then," Azalea said. She began wandering around, while her father stood next to the door, still wary.

"This one," Azalea announced, stopping at the fifteenth owl she had inspected. The owl had brown feathers, speckled with white. Its beady eyes met Azalea's. "Why hello, beautiful," Azalea muttered, stroking its feathers. "What's your name?"

"She doesn't have one," the shopkeeper said, stepping up behind Azalea and making her jump. "She just came in yesterday, from the US."

"Cool," Azalea said. "What kind of owl is she?"

"A boreal owl."

"I have no idea what that means, but cool. How much is she?"

The shopkeeper smiled. "Ten galleons."

Azalea followed the shopkeeper to the front and handed her ten galleons.

"What are you going to name the owl?" she asked, handing Azalea a receipt - handwritten on a piece of parchment, wizards were so weird - and her new owl.

Azalea considered the owl, then smiled. "Annabeth." The shopkeeper wouldn't get the reference, but Azalea liked it anyway.

"Nice name," the shopkeeper said, and Azalea smiled to herself. "Treat your owl well."

"Of course," Azalea replied, slightly offended but not letting it show. "Thank you."

"Of course!"

Azalea headed out of the store and dragged her father, who had all her things, into the street. "That should be everything," Azalea announced cheerily.

"Great," Dudley said. "Can we go now?"

Azalea shot her father an amused look. "You're asking me? Aren't you the adult?"

"Y-yes. Okay, we are going whether or not you want to."

"That's better." Azalea smirked. Getting the better of her father was so much fun. But he was still her father, so that meant she had to be at least somewhat nice. "Thank you for bringing me," Azalea said, giving him a quick hug.

Dudley smiled as Azalea led him out of Diagon Alley. "I'm glad I did."

Azalea gave him a confused glance. "You didn't appear to particularly enjoy yourself."

"No, I didn't, but . . ." Dudley sighed. "I'm still glad I brought you. I'm glad I get to be a part of this part of your life."

Azalea blinked. This was a very confusing conversation. "Um, okay."

"I'm not going to make my parents' mistakes," her father continued. "And if they refuse to recognize their mistakes, then I'll stand by you."

". . . Thank you." Azalea wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. She still didn't really believe that her grandparents would have a negative reaction to her being a witch, but if they did, she was glad to have her father's support.

The conversation fell quiet as they exited The Leaky Cauldron and started the drove home. "When can I tell Mom?" Azalea asked after a couple moments.

Dudley sighed. "I'd rather not at all, but I suppose this is a rather difficult thing to keep secret. She knows you're going to boarding school, right?"

"Um . . . I don't know."

"Okay. We'll make sure she knows at least that, then." Azalea was quiet while her father seemed to consider something. "Can you please think about whether you're okay with lying to her and your grandparents?"

Azalea sighed. "Yes, I can think about it." She didn't like it, but she could sort of see her father's point. "I'll think about it, and I guess we can keep it a secret until at least Christmas. If I decide to tell them, can we tell them at Christmas? That seems like a good compromise."

Dudley sighed. "I suppose that's acceptable." He pulled into their driveway and parked the car. "For now, though, let's get your things situated."