Daisies • HP Next Generation

Coffee

About the next update: This is a really, really short chapter. Shorter than all of them except maybe my first few. I realize that you might be disappointed, but I hope to make up for this by posting the next chapter within a week, not a few weeks like I usually do. After that I'll be gone on a trip with no wifi for a bit, so it will be another couple weeks.

Catching Up

Conversation between Dudley and Harry though texting.

Dudley: Daisy just texted me, she's in Hufflepuff. What is Hufflepuff?

Harry: It's a school house representing loyalty and hard work.

Dudley: Thanks

Dudley: She says the portraits at Hogwarts move. How is that possible? Do you have any at your house? How come we've never seen any?

Harry: It's possible because of... you guessed it! Magic!

Harry: And we have two houses technically. After the war I found out that there is a Potter mansion, but for a time, I lived in my Godfather's house before making it into a home for kids orphaned during the war.* Now I have one smaller family sized muggle home, and the Potter mansion, which does have moving portraits. You're welcome to come and visit this Christmas.

Dudley: That sounds very complicated. But I would love to visit. Thanks.

Dudley: Would you like to meet for coffee tomorrow?

Harry: I'd love to. Same place/time?

Dudley: Yep, see you tomorrow.

O0o0o0o0o0o

Dudley sat across the table from his cousin Harry, who was taking a sip of his tea.

"So," Harry said, setting his mug down. "What's on your mind?"

Dudley paused and took a sip of coffee as he thought about what he should mention first. He winced as the hot drink burned his tongue.

"I just wanted to... catch up a bit. We always just played board games, or watched movies with the kids, or talked about things that didn't really matter. I want to know what happened. In the war. Obviously, our side won, but how? What was it like? Why was this Lord after you in the first place?"

Harry stared at him. "Well, that certainly is a long story. Where would you like me to start? My first year at Hogwarts-"

Dudley automatically searched the small shop for anyone close enough to hear them talking about 'Hogwarts' in public.

"- or the year the war really got bad?"

"From the beginning. I want to know everything."

"Well it all started during my first trip to Diagon Alley, when Hagrid took a small package out of a Gringotts vault..."

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Wow," Dudley shook his head at Harry. "That doesn't seem possible. You really defeated Voldemort again when you were eleven? How were you and this guy both still alive?"

Dudley knew that, at eleven, he would never have had the brains or bravery needed to anything of the sort. Even something like the troll would have gotten him in seconds. Scratch that, he would never have gone troll fighting for anyone!

"That is another very long story. We'll get there eventually, but it will take a lot more time to tell than we have today."

"I know that now. But, Hogwarts is safe now, isn't it. You didn't just convince me to send her to a troll-infested haunted castle with mean teachers, did you?"

"Of course not, Dudley. Voldemort and his followers are long gone, there are new teachers, and everything is good now," Harry murmured. "See you later then, Big D."

Dudley wasn't sure whether he wanted to smile or cringe at his old nickname, but he smiled at Harry, and gave a quick "see you later" as he went out the door.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Poppy Dursley sat on her bed, staring across the room at a pencil sitting on top of a dark wooden desk. It wasn't much, but this pencil would be her ticket to Hogwarts - or at least, that's what she told herself.

"I have to start somewhere," She told the purple ball of fur sitting in the windowsill.

In her mind, Poppy mentally prepared herself for what she thought magic would feel like, before starting a silent chant of every single word she knew that corresponded to levitating. Up! Fly! She told the pencil in her brain. Rise! Hover! Glide! As she said each word, she inched closer to the target, as if it simply couldn't hear her mental voice, and moving closer would open its ears. Move! "MOVE IT!" The last words came out as a yell, as she raised an angry fist in the direction of the pencil.

The girl froze when she heard the knock at her door, suddenly realizing how crazy she must look. Her face was flushed with anger, and her dark brown hair wasn't combed, and stuck to the sweat on her forehead. Poppy let out a breath.

Her father opened the door. "Is everything ok here?" Dudley looked suspiciously around the room, glancing first at Poppy herself, who stared back with unblinking hazel eyes, and then around her furniture, from her bright green bedspread, to the blue chair, and brown desk and dresser.

"Yep, everything's fine Dad! You can go!"

"Okay then. Just let me know if you need something." Dudley retreated, pulling the door shut behind him.

Poppy got up once Dudley's footsteps faded, and picked up the pencil. "You are useless," She hissed at it, and without any thought, broke the pencil in half. She didn't realize she was crying until a salty tear made its way to the middle of her cheek, and fell between the broken pieces of the pencil.

"I don't have to give up!" She muttered. "I have y- years!**" but it was too late to stop the tears from coming, because Poppy had lost hope. She knew it would never happen. She didn't have magic. There was no point in pretending anymore.

*I've seen tons of fanfics where there was a Potter mansion, and a few with Harry founding some kind of place for orphans, so I wanted to incorporate that into my story a bit. I'm not sure it will be talked about again in the rest of the story, but it's still cool.

**For anyone that doesn't remember, Poppy is only 9.

Hello readers! As usual, I have a question for you all, that you probably won't answer, but if you do, thanks. I also have one announcement/comment at the end.

Firstly, what do you think of Poppy. If you got to choose would you pull for her being magical, or not? Why? Do you think she gave up too easily?

Announcement/comment: In one of the previous chapters I wrote that Daisy has light brown hair. I'm just letting you know that it's one of those shades of hair that you look at and are not sure if it's a light brown, or a dirty blonde color. 

I entered this story in the wattys! I have basically no chance of actually winning anything, but I figured, why not.