(and that pisses hi off, what they ould have been if unle vernon hadn’t been suh an arse)
“so i was thkied, and harry groaned whenever dudley started to thk, they always fourouble “no, really, i was thkg that you should o to y birthday dih u and dad this thursday”
harry ughed, but then realized he wasn’t kiddg “what? e ohey hate ”
“ed agi aed your dad” dudley titled his beer bottled towards hi, pai so guy aross the bar that ight have been hekg harry out but ertaly wouldn’t ahey tolerated you”
“gee, dud” stupid “way to ake a guy feel speial”
“listen, i know it’s not your idea of a fu i thio ove past this they’re willg to try if you are” dudley ated like it le aybe his world it is like, okay, here’s y hek list: get i a good sur job, fd a girl that puts up with and is hot at the sa ti, did all that, o reate war fuzzy feeliweehe kid they repeatedly abed sounds like a pn “you an even brg drao, if you want i wa hi”
harry alost hoked on his drk, but se dudley was ruagg io pay the bartehe look on his fae “really? you waa wizard as y date, but a ale wizard?”
≈ are that yay” dudley alost looked offended “really now, what did you this, harry”
the irony of it alost hurts
drao
when harry asks hi to go to dih his uggle retives, drao had said yes, fully expetg hi to ae but as it tur, harry stuk to his oitnt, eves onsiderably jupier as the week goes oo beoi odd oartled that he drops whatever he’s holdg
it’s a strange look on hi, to see hi afraid, ai drao is able tet an idea of how horrible it t have been frow up the way he did they t have been really bad, if he was ore sared th a dihao fight death eaters
“you dohis” drao said, after the third ti that harry tried to tie his tie but ouldn’t beae his hands were shakg so bad drao stood up to do it for hi, so he a it pas harry to thk about bakg down “you dohe anythg and i’ not gog to thk anythg less of you for it”
he fiie, and then works at the uffs of his shirt, buttong up the ufflks that he had bought hi for christas, then steps bak
“i proised dudley it’s his birthday, as there” his v, and his eyes were dartg around the roo, and drao wahaell hi no, that this is ohat he will not wath hi torture hiself over “it’s o”
drao stays quiet, but even as he goes up to get ready to leave, he ahk that this is gog to end very badly
harry
≈aurant is redibly fany, jt like he k would be, and harry is terribly gd that he brought drao with hi, beae he’s opletely out of his elent
drao, though? he sees to stand straighter the ute he walks , as if pikg up o tog to be follog his lead people oved aside for hi, and se drao was holdg harry by the ha have to fight through the rowd of people arouess wh for a table “hi” he leahe podiu and siles, harg and oess, like she reoghis is the kd of person who an atually afford to eat here, turns away fro the et a table that wouldhere a hi “i thk our party already went bak table for dursley? or aybe it’s uer?”
“ver very white teeth, whih akes the lipstik sta stand out that uh ore harry aop lookg at it, but drao doesie
drao looks bak for onfiration, and harry ’s the one”
he keeps up a steady strea of hatter ohe bak of the roo, and harry takes a ont to gather his beargs this is nothi done before he held his tongue and pyed his part for seventeen years, he ould st one eveng for dursley’s sake and this ti, drao was with hi he would have soone his orner
“hello” drao siled, ngly, givg no sign that he had heard anythg bad about the dursleys dudley stands up first, and after exhangg a look, auunia and unle vernon follow suit to shake drao’s hand “you t be the dursleys i’ drao”
(harry an pratially feel the atiag on drao’s suit, ahough it doesn’t atter and harry doeshe suit outside of the o of how good drao looks it, he’s hd that it ost uh ore thahe end)
“i’ dudley heard so uh about you” harry wiher than a slight sile iion, drao does “and this is y other, petunia, and y father, vernon”
harry stays silent through the trodutions, etunia is a garishly greeed with pk flowers, heras long and bo her hands looked worn down, the sk pale and ripped raw unle vernon was jt as gruff as ever, dressed to ipress, like he ould bully his way through di like he did every other aspet of his life
“and you, boy?” boy the word still stgs eve deserve a na “sees like y well for yourself”
a oplint harry didn’t know how to respond to that—if he shoul