Chapter 2: Chapter Two
Petunia remembered her childhood well. She remembered the pale boy with the long dark hair to hide his crooked nose. The boy who told stories of magic and a world full of wonderful possibilities if you dared to enter it. The boy spoke with such passion, his dark brown eyes would twinkle with joy explaining all he knew of the subject. It intrigued both herself and Lily, hearing the stories of the magical world.
She remembered the day Lily excitedly admitted she had magical powers like the small boy had shown her. Lily would hold out her hand to regrow a dead daisy she had picked from the grass field.
At first, her sister was astounded and hoped she too would get magical powers. She would watch in wonder her sister showing off her new skills to her parents who were overjoyed with excitement. Lily had always been the preferred daughter, no matter how intelligent Petunia was. Petunia would wake each morning as a young girl and practise her own powers, hoping she would have the same skill. All measures taken would end in failure.
It upset her, she was special like Lily. Lily had given handed to her on a silver platter. The beauty, the brains and now she had magical powers.
Petunia turned sour. She would overlook the garden window to see Lily excitedly practising her powers with the pale boy. He no longer took interest in Petunia, to him she was a plain Muggle. She found it an odd word, yet becoming a witch was something different. Lily became selfish herself, not even wanting to show Petunia what the boy had taught her.
That was the first decline in their sibling relationship.
All the young girl had was looking to the future, navigating her own way in the world. She was different from other young women her age due to her knowledge about the second world, it all had to remain a secret. Petunia had a vision of her future, she would live in a large house surrounded by kind neighbours. They would all have offspring of their own, which would allow her own children to befriend them. She wouldn't stop at just one child, she would have multiple in their own kingdom, protected from the freaks. Free from any magical influence.
She didn't expect her sister to be murdered, didn't expect her infant to be left on her doorstep in the middle of the night. She was told the news through a letter, from the man who rejected her own letter of communication on attending Hogwarts herself. Her husband was disappointed there was another mouth to feed, but thankful that there were two fewer freaks in the world. He was told the truth about her sister and instantly took Petunia's side, hating them. Both didn't care about keeping a relationship with the couple when her mother passed.
Yet even from the grave Petunia was still picking up the pieces from Lily, being the one left with her burdens.
This halted her plans for her fairytale vision in life. She got a husband who supported his family and one child to start their large loving family. Vernon became more bitter with the news that he was a guardian of a freak, it concerned Petunia even more. There were minimal emotions in her husband and he expected life to go his way. Vernon vowed to only provide his nephew with the basic essentials, he would rather invest in his son's future.
The idea of adding to their family was shot down. This upset Petunia, she wanted to blame that infant. It wasn't his fault, but his sister's for choosing to live in a dangerous world. Around her husband, she had to be emotionless around Harry, but in private she would make an effort to have a positive influence on his life. She was never abusive like her husband, but she was strict and had high expectations of the toddler. She had to make the best of the opportunity to raise more children than Dudley.
Eventually, her usual bitterness would take hold and she was back to barking orders at the child. Harry found it unfair that he was expected to pick up his cousin who was gifted anything if he asked for it. It was the same way that Petunia catered to any demand that Vernon asked. She had changed her lifestyle, hair colour and personal relationships with people in the neighbourhood.
One rare evening Vernon offered to stay home since a football match was on and wanted to watch with Dudley. It was under the agreement that Harry remained locked under the stairs and she prepared snacks before she was allowed to enjoy a trip to the city. It was kind of her husband to allow her to have a break. So she quickly got to work preparing snacks with the help of her nephew. She was strict about the recipes used since her husband was fussy about his food. Since Harry was still young Petunia took care of most of the cooking while he cleaned the dishes for her and made sure the living room was tidy.
"Will I be allowed dinner tonight?" It was clear that he was a bright boy.
Petunia sighed, looking down at the boy with thick round glasses. The same style his father wore, they were the cheapest option that Vernon would pay for. "I'll set aside some extras to be sent into your room before Vernon comes home." She wasn't a heartless woman, she would hate to send such a child to bed without food. There was a shadow of a smile on Harry's face hearing that news. Some nights he did go without dinner if his uncle demanded it. The boy found the mental punishments worse than the physical, at least his body could mend itself from the assaults.
Moments later the house was finished in preparations for Vernon, Dudely and the neighbours that had been invited over for the event. Harry was silently in his room enjoying a hot meal while Petunia busied herself making final preparations for her departure. "When will you be back Petal?" Vernon asks, stuffing his face with crisps.
The sight made her want to screw her face in disgust, but she kept her expressionless face in check. "Later tonight darling, I'll have the mess cleaned before you awake tomorrow for breakfast." Vernon nods, waving her off.
With the cue to leave set in motion, Petunia left the house. She felt guilty leaving her son and nephew there alone with Vernon, but he should be distracted enough with his game.
Making her way into the city, Petunia sets her sights on a bar. She had stressed enough and needed something to calm her. A glass of wine shall do that trick! She muses, walking into an empty bar. Not giving the dark atmosphere a second glance she walks up to the barmen. She is greeted happily, before making an order of wine.
Nodding the barmen hands a glace over with red wine. She takes a sip and is met is the sharp taste of wine mixed with the sweetness of berries. "Ah Snape, whiskey?" The barmen ask as a tall gentleman dressed in black clothing takes a seat two stools down from Petunia. She watches as the glass is poured before the man could respond. He frequented the bar outside of teaching at Hogwarts.
Petunia's mind was buzzing too loudly to put the connection together regarding the name called. The two adults just drank in silence.
It would take two drinks and half an hour to pass on the clock before any conversation is started between the two patrons that had chosen that bar on a quiet Wednesday night. "Stressful day at the office?" The woman asks, shocking the man with dark eyes. Usually, he is ignored.
"Yes." The man admits. "My boss is an imbecile."
Petunia snorts out with laughter. Noticing she had an outburst she quickly apologises to the man.
She is forgiven quickly. "My boss barks impossible orders around." The woman related her husband to a terrible boss.
"Better employment would be best sought, no point sticking around for useless businessmen." The man replies. The woman only nods, Snape felt like he could relate to the woman. Which was a subject he had never been able to for a very long time. "Would you like another?" He asks the dark-haired woman, her light roots creeping in exposing that she dyed her hair. She would be ordered to dye it in the coming days once her husband noticed, she was thankful her son had inherited his father's dark hair. That would be another fault of her own.
Conversation and drinks flow between the pair, Snape putting the following drinks on his own tab. Being a single bachelor had allowed him to have great savings to spend on occasion. No woman had dared to speak to him since he had lost his friend from his Hogwarts days. He enjoyed his own company but it was nice to be involved in civilized conversation.
Things were going well as Snape took to the stool closest to Petunia, the amount of alcohol consumed was more than the young woman had drunken for many years. Before she had even been involved with Vernon. "Shit." Petunia curses, her head spinning. "I don't think I'm able to drive home."
The man was in no state to venture home himself, he offered to book a room to allow the woman to rest. She agreed to the kind gesture, her bubbly personality creeping back into her body. There was a sudden need for passion, a want to be touched. She tried to argue with her brain to ignore those thoughts, this was a stranger in front of her and she was married.
Yet the bastard hadn't touched her since he watched their son escape her body.
The amount of toxic alcohol in her system was letting her feelings take over her slim frame. She wrapped her arms around the man who was lost in his own mind. "Don't freak out." She whispers quietly before planting her thing lips against the man.
She didn't remember what happened after that.
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