Have a fight, then make peace?
Like real men?
Harry gaped, never expecting Dudley to say something like that.
"M-make peace?"
Dudley nodded firmly. He took a deep breath, determination in his eyes.
"Dad... Dad told me to look after Mum. We're the only family she has left."
Only then did Harry realize that Dudley hadn't just lost weight. His personality seemed to have changed a great deal too. In Harry's mind, Dudley had always been stupid, greedy, and a bully...
But now he seemed like a different person. Was it because Uncle Vernon was gone?
Dudley kept talking.
"I know you resent us too. We always bullied you before, and I'm sorry. But Dad-
"I don't know what to do either, but I think we're family-"
"All right! Let's fight!"
Harry agreed without hesitation.
In the garden behind the house, a little wooden cabin lit up with a dim yellow glow.
One day, Dudley had suddenly developed a keen interest in boxing. Vernon had been delighted; he thought that was a proper hobby for a tough guy.
So he had cleared a spot for a little wooden cabin in the back garden he had once treasured.
Harry had never been here before. The first thing he saw was a small boxing ring. Compared with the ones he had seen on television,
this ring looked miniature, barely half the size.
A row of hooks and seats stood along the wall, with a small fridge tucked into the corner.
A punching bag hung over another small patch of open floor.
The last wall was covered in photographs: Vernon training with Dudley, Dudley hitting the punching bag.
There were photos of the two of them together too. In the very center hung a large photograph of Dudley winning a school boxing