Grammar School
School: Hogwarts
Chosen Technique: Descriptive Writing
Word Count: 900
Prompt: A moment of deep embarrassment.
Year: First Year
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Embracing Normality
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Apart from the gold number on the front door, Number Four was identical to every other house in Privet Drive. The houses were laid out in ordered rows, each with its own driveway and lawn. Flowers dotted straight flower beds, and cars lined the tidy streets. A stranger to this neighbourhood would find themselves lost very quickly, unlike the local postman out on his rounds.
The lady of the house at Number Four gathered her letters in a neat pile. Her hallway was just as clean and tidy as her garden. A small table in the corner held a glass bowl for keys and a neat pad of paper and pen beside the telephone. Everything was neatly arranged and welcoming. God forbid, a neighbour dropped in for a cup of tea and anything was out of place.
The kitchen had the lady's touch all over it; there wasn't a spec of dust, a smear or a smudge. The appliances were kept in such perfect condition, they looked like they had been installed the day before. The only colour in the room came from the salmon walls since the cupboards were a stark white. The smell of disinfectant clung in the air, a testament of the sterility of the room.
Three identical containers for tea, coffee and sugar, lined up neatly in the corner. A matching bread bin sat beside the kettle and microwave. The entire room followed this obsessive pattern, so much so that it almost lacked personality. This kitchen looked like it belonged in a catalogue, it was cold and impersonal, much like a show house.
A tall, thin woman entered the room, shattering the silence. Petunia Dursley had always enjoyed cleanliness and prided herself on the upkeep of her home. As her sensible heels clicked along the shining floor tiles, she pressed the button of the kettle, thinking a spot of tea was in order.
Petunia opened the cupboard to reveal neat rows of teacups, all similar and without imperfections. Selecting one, she grabbed a spoon from the cutlery drawer and filled the cup with boiling water. Condensation collected along the underside of the kettle and Petunia rushed to wipe it away. As her heart rate returned to normal, the scent of Earl Grey wafted up from the little cup. She sighed appreciatively.
Petunia smiled as she sat, finally able to relax after enduring two months of anxiety. The end of the summer brought much-needed relief to the household, like a weight being lifted off their shoulders. They were finally free of their nephew and any of his freakishness.
Petunia hated magic. She could scarcely think the word without getting upset and embarrassed. Petunia learned to associate the word magic with something other than fantasy and fairy tales when the Evans family learned of Lily's gift. That was the moment everything had changed, and magic became a wedge between the two inseparable girls.
~Flashback~
"Congratulations on getting into Cheltenham Ladies College, Petunia," offered Lily, with a gentle smile.
Petunia hissed at the implication. She got into a regular school because Lily's special school wouldn't have her. She had written to the Headmaster, imploring him to turn her into a witch so she wouldn't lose her sister, but he had rejected her request—rejected her—because she was normal. She hid the reply under her pillow. She was devastated and hurt, so she lashed out.
"My school is a proper school. They only accept normal girls, a freak like you would never get in. That's why they have a freak school for your sort." Momentary satisfaction welled up inside her while Lily's face fell. Her pain swiftly turned to anger as Lily shot up out of her seat.
"You didn't think it was such a freak school, when you sent a letter to Professor Dumbledore, begging him to let you in!" she said.
Petunia's face flushed red, and her cheeks burned as she glanced accusingly back at her sister.
"Beg?" Petunia blanched. "I didn't beg! You've been snooping through my letters!"
It was Lily's turn to be embarrassed. Her anger dissipated, and awkwardness swiftly replaced it.
"Actually, Severus found it, and the reply you got," Lily admitted. "He wondered how a Mugg– er, how a normal person could have contacted Hogwarts. Now, he thinks there are wizards in the postal system."
Her sister's enraged expression snapped Lily out of her nervous rant. Petunia's embarrassment deepened now that Lily and that boy had seen her letters, as well as the slur Lily, had almost slipped out and her.
"That's preposterous! All you had to do was leave well enough alone, but you can't, can you? Why can't wizards stay out of other people's private business, like normal people?"
"Petunia-" began Lily, desperately trying to apologise. Her sister immediately cut her off.
"It's because you're not normal. I'm normal, and you're just abnormal!"
As Petunia turned and ran back to the house, she heard Lily's gasp. She wiped her tears and cursed magic. It had just cost her, her sister.
~End of flashback~
Petunia's hands tremble around her empty teacup. She would never forget how she felt that day or what magic had cost her. She took comfort in her normal husband and child, and their perfectly kept home. Magic could not take them from her, and that was a good reason for her to continue to embrace normality.
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Extra thank you to Hemlockconium for the tips on descriptive writing! Without her and my headmistress Verity, this fic would not have been possible. Thank you so much!