"What did you say you were?"
Harry held his shoulder and moved it a little. Dudley's medicine had worked well; it hardly hurt anymore.
"A Demon Hunter..." Looking rather helpless, Dudley simply stopped and stood in front of his cousin.
"Never mind. If you have any more questions, ask them now. I'm not all that keen on fighting this battle anyway."
Harry looked over the equipment he wore, occasionally drawing in a breath of amazement.
"Dudley, how did you become one of these... Demon Hunters?"
The question seemed to carry some strange magic. A trace of sadness slowly rose in Dudley's expression.
"I... I wanted to avenge Dad..."
Harry had not expected that answer. He froze, and for a moment, he seemed to see Aunt Petunia's tear-streaked face again.
"If you get the chance... avenge Vernon."
A sharp ache welled up inside him, like eating a sour orange on an empty stomach.
"All right. We'll do it together."
Harry took a deep breath and spoke softly.
Dudley gave him a surprised look but said nothing. For a while, an indescribable silence settled between them.
"By the way-what's going on here? How did you suddenly end up here?"
Harry looked around as he asked casually.
"Me? The Church said there was a major operation, something that would determine whether it survived. Some once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we came."
Dudley shook his head and frowned.
"I thought I'd be back after a few days, but I never imagined we'd be gone this long. I don't even know how Mum's doing at home on her own..."
Those words struck Harry like a hammer. He jolted and stammered.
"I... I just remembered... Dudley... um... Aunt Petunia... she's here too."
Dudley turned his head stiffly, shock and confusion plain on his face. He spoke one word