A Different Dursley Family
by Lucillia is a Harry Potter Alternate Universe fanfiction with the Point of Divergence being a prank Vernon did as a schoolboy in Smeltings, more specifically the consequences. In canon, Vernon successfully framed another student for beheading a rival school's statue. In this fic, Vernon was caught and expelled, and was humbled by the result. This means a different Vernon Dursley meets Petunia Evans.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Vernon defies this, and Petunia begins to seek therapy when she fears she might become one, but their respective parents certainly fall into this trope. Vernon notes that his father took his anger out on his family, and Petunia grew up believing herself to be The Unfavorite, not learning until much later that Lily grew up with the same treatment.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: The Dursleys, all three of them, as a side-effect of being nicer people. While not traditionally attractive, both Vernon and Petunia are described in more appealing terms, and neither Vernon nor Ryan ever become overweight as in canon due to not subsisting on junk food and sweets.
- Adaptation Name Change: Vernon and Petunia name their son "Ryan" instead of "Dudley" in this fic.
- Blessed with Suck: The Blood Wards protect them from Dark wizards but they are unable to leave Privet Drive for a place more affordable and tolerant.
- Break the Haughty: What sets off the whole plot. Vernon getting expelled from Smeltings ends up humbling him greatly.
- Can't Argue with Elves: Vernon and Petunia still have some grievances with the Wizarding World. In this case, however, a lot of their arguments come across as legitimate, but they are unable to fight back for various reasons.
- Career-Ending Injury: Petunia worked as a nurse until somebody ran over her. She eventually started a new career as a lawyer.
- Dead Fic: Hasn't been updated since 2013.
- Drunk Driver: The reason Petunia suffered a Career-Ending Injury.
- The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Petunia speculates that her mother tried to invoke this by only praising her daughters when they were out of earshot and unfavorably comparing them to each other, possibly under the belief that it would lead to some healthy competition between them. It didn't work and Petunia struggles with her resentment toward her sister for years.
- I Am Not My Father: Vernon makes a point of being a better father to Ryan and Harry than his father was to him.
- Inadequate Inheritor: Humbled Vernon was this to his father's eyes.
- In Spite of a Nail: Vernon and Petunia still became a couple and had a son.
- One True Love: As noted above, Vernon and Petunia still become a couple in this story, and in many other universes.
- Shout-Out: The Dursleys meet "an old man who resembled Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, except for the fact that Gandalf would never be caught dead in such an atrocious purple and green outfit oddly reminded Vernon of some villain from his vague recollections of the Batman comics".
- Stepford Suburbia: Vernon and Petunia hate Privet Drive and are not happy to learn they're stuck there.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted. Petunia met one when she realized she was letting her jealousy towards Lily affect the way she treated Harry.
- Unfortunate Names: Believing "Dudley" to be one, Vernon opposed the idea of his son having that name so, in this fic, Harry has a cousin named Ryan.
- Walking Techbane: As a budding wizard, Harry ends up becoming this by accident. After Petunia is run over and forced to be confined to a wheelchair, she requires a lift to help her get up the stairs. However, said lift often malfunctions when Harry is around due to the stress of his aunt's condition.
