"Don't be so nervous, Sue. They'll love you." Dudley Dursley, twenty-four year old lawyer said to his girlfriend of seven months.
"They'll hate me. I just know it." Susan stared at him, worry clear on her face. The redheaded Hufflepuff had been preparing for this for weeks, but she still had her doubts. She had never met the parents of any of the men she had dated, but she and Dudley were getting serious, so they had both decided it was time to do just that.
"Susan Bones, you are the most perfect girl in the world. I'm sure they'll be able to see that just as well as I do." The blond man cupped her face in his hands and leaned forward to plant a short kiss on her lips, calming her down a bit. "Now are you ready?"
She sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be." He nodded and turned to knock on the door.
Petunia Dursley was a skinny woman, with a long neck and a face like a horse. She had a pinched look on her face like she smelled something unpleasant that disappeared as she caught sight of her son. "Oh, Dudley, you're here! And you must be Susan. My Dudley's told me so much about you. Well, come in both of you."
Susan's nerves came back to her as she followed her boyfriend and his mother into the house. The rooms were clean, almost immaculate, and Susan couldn't imagine the amount of work it took to keep them all so spotless. The flat that she and Dudley shared in Muggle London was full of organized chaos, with books and magazines and old teacups covering every available surface. She tried to clean when she knew there would be company, but it was never at this scale.
The first thing that caught Susan's eye as they arrived in the living room was the walrus of a man reclining in a chair and staring at the TV. Vernon Dursley was the largest man Susan had ever seen aside from Hagrid, and she couldn't believe a man as fit as Dudley could be his son.
"Dad, we're here." Dudley called out to his father before pulling Susan over to sit on the love-seat beside him. "This is my girlfriend Susan Bones. Sue, this is my dad."
Susan smiled warmly at the man. "It's lovely to meet you Mr. Dursley, and you too Mrs. Dursley." She inclined her head at the thin woman. "You have a lovely home."
"Thank you, dear. And please call us Vernon and Petunia. None of that Mr. and Mrs. nonsense." Petunia smiled back at the younger woman. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. I hope you like lasagna."
"Oh, I love lasagna. My aunt used to make it all the time when I was younger. It's always been my favorite." Susan replied, her smile tighter as she was reminded of the woman who raised her, and whom she had lost during the war.
"So what is it you do? Dudley never mentioned it." Vernon asked, his mustache quivering as he spoke.
"I'm a nurse. I work at a hospital in London." She answered, not wanting to give away the fact that she worked at a magical hospital. While Dudley was perfectly fine with the fact that she was a witch, she knew his parents would not be so accepting.
"Ah, a nurse. Perfect work for a woman." Vernon said chuckling.
"For a woman, sir?" Susan asked, her smile fading at his comment.
"Well, you wouldn't ask a man to be a nurse." Vernon answered. "And one could hardly expect a woman to be a police officer or a lawyer or something of the sort. It's just not done."
"My aunt was the head of law enforcement in her city for years before she died, Mr. Dursley, and I would thank you not to insult her memory by making sexist comments like that." Susan growled at him. Hufflepuffs may have been accepting of outsiders, but they would never tolerate the sort of blatant bigotry shown by this man.
"Mum, how about some tea?" Dudley cut in before the argument could go any further.
"Of course." Petunia said as she stood from her place on the couch. "Susan, would you like to help me?" Susan nodded and followed the woman into the kitchen. As they left the room, she could hear Dudley berating his father for being rude and smiled.
"I'm sorry for my husband, Susan." Petunia said as she poured water in the kettle. "He's never been very opened minded, I'm afraid. Always believed that a woman's place is at home rather than working."
Susan snorted. "I'm glad Dudley didn't inherit that bigotry. I would have thrown him out on his ass if he had even tried to make me stop working. I love Dudley, but I couldn't bear to date a man like that."
Petunia nodded at her. "I understand that, dear. Fortunately for me, I was never interested in being anything other than a mother and a housewife. I married young, had a child young, and I never wanted anything more. I've lived my dream."
"Do you have any regrets?" Susan asked.
Petunia smiled sadly at the redhead. "That I didn't reconcile with my sister before she died. That I treated her son so poorly when he was growing up. I was a good mother, but I was a terrible aunt, unfortunately."
"I know your nephew." Susan said, smiling. "Harry Potter. He's the reason Dudley and I met, actually. We were introduced at his wedding."
"Harry's married?" Petunia whispered in shock.
"Yes. They're expecting their first child any day now." Susan paused for a moment. "He's happy. Happier than he's ever been, I think, and I've known him for a long time. Since we were eleven years old, actually. We went to school together." Susan said nervously, watching Petunia closely to see her reaction.
"You're a witch?" Petunia gasped and almost dropped the tea kettle that she had picked up off of the stove.
Susan nodded and smiled. "Yes, but my mum wasn't. And before you ask, yes, Dudley knows. He did meet me at a magical wedding."
"You can't tell Vernon. He would lose it. He has such a temper, you would never be allowed back here." Petunia said quietly.
"Well, I'm sure he'll find out someday, if Dudley and I ever have children. It's almost guaranteed that any child I have will be magical." Susan replied just as quietly as the older woman.
"Mum, what's taking so long?" Dudley interrupted as he walked into the kitchen. He looked back and forth between the two women before settling on Susan. "You told her?" At Susan's nod, he turned to look at him mother. "I hope you can accept it because I'm not breaking up with her."
"Of course you're not going to break up with her! She's such a wonderful girl; I don't understand why anyone would ever want break up with her." Petunia smiled at her son. "Oh, Susan?" She turned to the young redhead. "Would you mind getting in touch with my nephew for me? I think it's about time that I apologize for how I treated him in the past."
"Of course, Petunia. I'm sure he would be happy to speak to you." Susan grinned and took Dudley's hand. "Now, the tea and lasagna are done, so let's go eat."