The fight ended with a score of three to seven. Mr. Weasley took one punch to the eye, while Lucius received a punch to both eyes and a swift kick to the stomach, delivered by who knows if it was Fred or George. In the end, Mr. Malfoy, using his ever-present cane as a crutch, limped away with Draco in tow.
It was clear that Mr. Malfoy, who was used to a life of luxury, was no match for Mr. Weasley, who often had to do chores and physical labor. It seems that having lots of kids really does come in handy sometimes.
After all the chaos, Lockhart's book signing had to be called off, ending in a messy failure. Of course, Lockhart himself was probably ecstatic. Dudley could already picture the headline for tomorrow's paper: "Shocking! Two Adult Wizards Brawl in the Street Over—" and the article would say it was to get a copy of Lockhart's new book. If Dudley were Lockhart, he'd make sure the Daily Prophet wrote it that way. It would guarantee a huge boost in sales.
"What a terrible example to set for the children... fighting in public! What will Gilderoy Lockhart think?" Mrs. Weasley was scolding Mr. Weasley nonstop. She was a die-hard Lockhart fan. Aside from being a best-selling author, Lockhart was also known as a "lady's man," a title he was quite good at creating for himself.
As they were preparing to leave with Harry after getting their new school books, Mrs. Weasley invited them to the Burrow again. Dudley politely thanked her and promised they would visit next term. As they left, Dudley traded a brand-new set of Lockhart's books for Ginny's tattered, secondhand schoolbooks in her cauldron.
For the rest of the holiday, they planned to go back to Privet Drive. Hermione was also going home for a bit. They had been away long enough, and even with the secrets their parents were hiding, they needed to spend some time with them.
Dudley and Harry spent the next few days dutifully staying at home. Apart from their daily training, they read and worked on their magical research. Surprisingly, Vernon didn't go out to fish or drink with Mr. Granger. Instead, he stayed home with the boys. As a senior manager, he was entitled to a holiday, too.
Even if Vernon's presence at home was limited to taking out the trash and mowing the lawn, it was still better to have family around than not. Harry was devouring the sausages Petunia had made. He hadn't had them in almost a year and had truly missed the taste.
"Slow down, slow down, don't choke." Petunia handed Harry a glass of water. "Nobody's going to steal your food, Harry." Since making peace with herself, Petunia's attitude toward Harry had changed dramatically, especially after her own son, Dudley, started at Hogwarts. It was at least a 160 or 170-degree change, if not a full 180.
Is no one really going to steal his food? Dudley on the other side of the table had already finished a whole pan of sausages. If Harry didn't eat fast, he'd be left with only three plates.
"I'll make you another batch tonight," Petunia said, happy to see her food being consumed so quickly. For a child, a mother's cooking is always the best and most irreplaceable.
"Hogwarts' food must be terrible," Vernon muttered as he flopped onto the sofa with a huge tub of ice cream. He loved doing this in the summer. He took a huge spoonful, then whispered, "It's definitely not as good as the food at Smeltings. I've been eating there my whole life."
"Vernon, can you at least set a good example for the boys? Who eats ice cream in the morning? Do you know what your body fat percentage is right now?"
Vernon pouted and reluctantly put his spoon back in the tub.
"It's okay, Mum," Dudley said after swallowing the last sausage. "I've already prepared a weight loss potion for Dad."
Vernon's eyes lit up. "How well does it work?"
"It'll make you lose fifteen kilograms in an instant."
"Fifteen kilograms..." Vernon looked down at his stomach, which was so big he couldn't see his toes, and his enthusiasm vanished. "What good is that?"
"If you lost one hundred kilograms all at once, your body wouldn't be able to handle it." Drastic weight loss isn't good, even with a potion. Magical remedies still need to be taken in stages.
Vernon glanced at Petunia. Seeing that she wasn't looking, he stealthily reached for the ice cream tub.
"And starting today, he'll be training with us."
Before he could take a bite, Vernon heard Dudley's words. He was thunderstruck, and the spoon clattered to the floor. 'Are you kidding me?' he thought. He'd be lucky to do one-tenth of Dudley's daily morning workout. One-fingered push-ups? He snorted. He could just use his belly and not need his fingers at all.
"No, no, no," Vernon's head shook like a bobblehead as he pictured himself training. There was no way he was going to train. He wouldn't do it, even if you killed him.
That night after dinner, four figures were in the Dursleys' yard. Four? Yes, four. Petunia had also come to supervise Vernon.
The fun days went by, and soon it was time to say goodbye again. The start of the second year at Hogwarts was here.
Once again, Vernon drove Dudley and Harry to King's Cross Station. There, they met the Grangers, as they had planned.
"Remember to give us a call... well, send us a letter." Vernon mumbled.
"I'll have Hedwig send one," Dudley said. He wondered if he should get an owl of his own. He shouldn't always have to use Harry's Hedwig, even if neither of them minded.
Platform nine and three-quarters was bustling. A lot of young wizards had already gone through the hidden barrier, and it was a peak time. As the three of them ran toward the pillar, Dudley suddenly felt that familiar feeling of being watched again.
"Wait," he said, pulling Harry and Hermione back. "Something's not right."
He had managed to stop them, but it was rush hour. Other students were eager to get through. They ran straight for the pillar and crashed into it, falling all over each other.
"What's going on?" Ron, who had just come from the loo, saw the scene unfold. He hadn't managed to catch up with his three older brothers and his sister.
Dudley walked up to the pillar and knocked on it. It made a solid thud, just like a normal stone pillar. "The entrance seems to be blocked."
With the entrance sealed, the spell on the platform seemed to have lost its effect, and Muggles were noticing the strange things happening around them. They gave the wizards odd looks, and a security guard started walking over to them.
"I'll take care of the Muggles," Mr. Weasley said, who had also just come back from the loo with Ron. He raised his wand and cast a spell. The Muggles around them all paused, then turned and walked away, even the security guard. Soon, the only people left on the platform were wizards.
Well, maybe not. Dudley was there, too.
"Time is running out! We're going to miss the train!" the students around them panicked, especially the first years who were reporting for their first day.
Mr. Weasley waved his wand at the pillar, but nothing happened. He stared at it for a long time, trying to figure out what was wrong.
"D-Dog, D-Dog," Ron tugged on Dudley's sleeve. "My dad has a flying car. Maybe we could..."
"Ron," Dudley said, looking at him up and down until Ron felt a shiver down his spine. "Did your dad do something to upset you recently?"