Vernon Dursley considered himself the unluckiest man in all of London, without exception.
He once had, in his own eyes, the most virtuous wife and the best son in the world, along with his company and house, truly, a perfect family.
Unfortunately, nearly twelve years ago that summer, a catastrophic, life-altering disaster struck this idyllic household, and a boy they had never welcomed arrived. And if that wasn't bad enough, this orphan didn't even come with a penny of support.
A boy shouldn't have been such a big deal. By the Dursleys' financial standards, taking in one more child posed no hardship.
But what followed him was a flood of trouble, most notably, that detestable group of wizards who could destroy an ordinary person's worldview.
Of course, that wasn't the main reason Vernon hated the kid. The real reason was far worse: he looked too much like someone Vernon knew.
Vernon could never forget the most humiliating night of his life, back when he had just become engaged.
At that time, still a strapping young man, he had been persuaded by his fiancée to meet her sister and the sister's boyfriend. According to Petunia, who, of course, hadn't married him, her sister had enrolled in some "magical school."
Vernon had long since forgotten the conversation, but the result was unforgettable: he stormed out at midnight, dragging his fiancée along, burning with rage.
From that moment, the Dursleys and the Potters had severed all contact, even skipping each other's weddings, two stubborn men obliterated all channels of communication. (Not fictional.)
So it became naturally clear why Harry was so unwelcome, he looked too much like his father.
Just as Snape mocked Harry under the guise of protection, Vernon treated him with a mixture of concern and disgust.
Harry had every reason to despair, after all, this wasn't him failing his father; it was his father failing him. A child paying the father's debt, what could one even say…
Naturally, Harry was unaware of all these sordid details. And although the Dursleys were begrudging, they still fulfilled their duty: when Allen and his friends returned from Hogwarts, the entire Dursley family stood at the station to pick them up.
Unfortunately, the person responsible for meeting them seemed a little… off. A group of rowdy kids clustered at the station, drawing Vernon's disapproving glare, while his son Dudley ignored it entirely, smiling as he approached.
"Hi, Ruby, you're here to meet someone too?"
Ruby, the boy with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, attempting to look grown-up, finally recognized the boy greeting him: "Oh, right, you're… yes, you must be Dudley, that first-year?"
Dudley nodded excitedly. Honestly, Ruby probably recognized him because of his extraordinary size for his age.
In Britain, before smoking bans, cigarettes had a strange magic for children, one puff and suddenly they felt like grown-ups. In fact, when Harry was in fifth grade, Dudley, imagining himself mature, smoked on the streets with his friends.
It was no surprise, then, that a boy daring enough to smoke at this age had a mysterious aura of coolness in the eyes of other children. Add in that Ruby and his crew were somewhat independent troublemakers, and it was easy for Dudley, the "problem child," to treat Ruby as a big brother figure.
In an unusually generous mood, Ruby even offered Dudley half a cigarette. Had his parents not been nearby, Dudley might have been thrilled to try it for the first time.
But Dudley had to return to his father, under the weight of Vernon's disapproving gaze, and prepare to greet the cousin who was perpetually bullied.
Finally, as crowds cleared, Dudley caught sight of a parade of strangely dressed people emerging from the platform.
Among them, his cousin carried a ridiculously large cage, containing a strikingly white owl.
Heavens, this idiot is going to ruin everything!
Dudley desperately hoped his cousin and his companions, practicing so-called "wizardry", would keep their wits about them. Ordinary people certainly didn't want to witness their madness.
Alas, it was a day for the lunatics' gathering. His cousin greeted everyone enthusiastically, as if afraid no one would notice.
Eventually, his cousin finished socializing and returned, adding a new worry for Dudley. He dreaded that his classmates, especially his idolized Ruby, would see that he had a cousin acting like a lunatic.
Yet, to Dudley's astonishment, Ruby strode directly toward the group surrounding his cousin. Stopping in front of the person his cousin was speaking to, Ruby raised his hand, curling his index and middle fingers, and smacked them squarely on the other boy's head.
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Who was Ruby?
A child from the same orphanage as Allen, also the one Allen's director had long instructed him to watch over before Hogwarts enrollment.
Like Dudley, Ruby attended Smelting School. Though independent, his good grades and the orphanage's funding allowed him to stay there, it wasn't an elite school.
By the time Dudley finished his pre-school mischief, Hogwarts had just begun its term. When Dudley was finally free to visit the station, Hogwarts was only starting its vacation, late to end, but early to start!
Add in Hogwarts' legendary resilience to continue classes as long as the Earth survived, and it's clear, this school was truly prestigious.
Back to the scene: Ruby, now in second year, already earning a reputation, trembled under Allen's long-standing intimidation, his companions fared no better.
"Speak, why are you learning to smoke at twelve?!" BOOM!
"Cool? I'll show you cool!" BOOM! The "Great Demon King" Allen moved to the next child.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
After schooling the kids, Allen begrudgingly produced gifts from a trunk, no magical items, but galleons could easily be exchanged for Muggle presents.
When Harry hurried to greet his aunt's family, he noticed Dudley's expression was sour.
But the Dursleys had never exactly been warm toward him, so Harry didn't notice the sound of something breaking as Dudley and his family turned.
That was the sound of Dudley's idol crumbling in his heart.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
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