The sun was rising outside the window, dusting the walls a coral pink. Staring at the dust motes dancing in the air, Petunia felt an inexplicable peace as something settled within her. For the first time she could remember, her thoughts turned quiet and listened to the straining melody she could suddenly hear in the world around her. The earth is singing, she realized with a jolt. It was the day of her eleventh birthday.
Rising out of bed, Petunia combed her yellow hair and tied it back. There was a girl with a serious face staring back at her in the mirror. "Happy birthday, Tuney," she whispered to herself. She sat there silently, watching sunlight slowly spill into her room until she heard pots banging downstairs.
"Morning, Mama," she said, one hand on the staircase.
"Good morning, Petunia!" replied Rose, her mother. "And a happy eleventh to you!" She turned away from the sizzling bacon on the stovetop to hug Petunia tight. Petunia hugged back, breathing in the smell of cooking meat and baking bread mingling with the perfume her mother wore.
"Now," said Rose briskly, "why don't you set the table while I finish up breakfast?" Petunia nodded, and began setting silverware. She noticed a vase full of white petunias and lilies in the center of the table and smiled. Since all the women in her family were named after flowers, it was a tradition to let their namesakes grace the center of their dining table on special days.
Just then, footsteps pounded down the stairs. "Happy birthday, Tuney!" yelled Lily, her uncombed red hair flaming around her face. She gave Petunia a hard squeeze while placing a badly wrapped package in her hands. "Your present," she said with a grin.
"Happy birthday back! Your present is upstairs; I'll go get it later. This looks pretty, by the way," said Petunia.
Her father entered the kitchen from their backyard then, catching the end of the conversation. "You'd better be talking about the inside of that present, Petunia," Jack said, amused. "A bit of a stretch to call it beautiful, isn't it?"
"Daddy!" whined Lily. "It took me ages to wrap!"
"It looks fine, dear," soothed Rose, sending her husband a conspiratory look. "Although perhaps the inside will be even finer."
Petunia laughed. "I like it already, Lily, so don't be angry," she said. She opened her arms for a hug from her father.
"Best birthday wishes, love," whispered Jack, giving her a kiss on the forehead. He then turned to Lily, swooping her around. "And a happy birthday as well to my darling!"
"Thank you, Papa," replied Petunia.
Lily beamed. "Yes, thanks, everyone!"
The family of four sat down to eat, and afterwards watched Petunia and Lily open their gifts. They received clothes and books from their mother, both items which they loved, and Lily's present for Petunia turned out to be a brilliantly blue scarf.
"For the winter," Lily said. "It'll keep you warm."
Petunia laughed out loud. "I guess no one can say we're not twins," she said, and tossed her gift towards Lily.
Lily opened it and laughed as well. It was a beautifully rich red scarf. "Thanks, Tuney!"
Petunia gave her sister another hug, then turned to unwrap her father's present, which was very small. Opening it carefully, she gasped.
"Oh, Papa, it's beautiful," she said. Laying in the middle of the wrapping paper lay a small, perfect, pink petunia encased in glass.
"I managed to find it in the garden outside," Jack said proudly, referring to the Evans' famous flower garden. Petunia thanked her father once again, marveling at the way the glass highlighted the flower's beauty while her father gave Lily her own present.
After breakfast, the family members drifted off to their respective activities; everyone had a free day until the evening, when the family and some of Petunia's and Lily's friends would go out for a celebratory birthday dinner. It was around late afternoon when Petunia cocked her head, hearing a faint melody.
"Do you hear that melody, Mama?" asked Petunia. "What song is that from?"
"I don't hear anything," replied a puzzled Rose. "Maybe you're hearing the telly?"
"No, it's off," said Lily. "But I don't hear anything either. Do you, Mummy?"
"I can't say I do," said Rose. As soon as she finished her sentence, however, she heard the sound of the doorbell and stood to answer it. What she found at the door was a stern-looking woman around the age of fifty. Dressed in a smart suit and her hair up in a tight bun, she looked like a harried businesswoman. "May I help you, madam?" asked Rose politely.
"Yes," said the woman. "If I may, is this the residence of a Misses Petunia and Lily Evans?"
"That is correct," said a confused Rose, wondering if the woman was the girls' school teacher. The same girls now crowded around Rose, having heard their names.
"My name is Professor Minerva McGonagall," introduced the woman. "I am from Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and we believe that both your daughters may have magic."
Rose shepherded her daughters behind her, slightly intimidated by the strange words the woman was speaking. "I'm sorry, but this is all very extraordinary," she said.
At that moment, Jack walked in the living room and saw Roses' somewhat threatened face. "Who is it, Rose?" he asked, walking up to the door.
"This is Professor McGonagall," replied Rose in a halting voice. "She says that our daughters are magic." Jack gave her a confused look.
"What? I'm sorry, maybe this is a joke, but please leave us alone," he started to tell Professor McGonagall.
The Professor, however, was undeterred. "I am not surprised by your reaction, Mr. Evans, but this is not a joke. I will show you proof of my words, but it's best that no other Muggles see it. May I step in? I mean no harm."
Hesitantly, Jack stepped back enough to let Professor McGonagall in. She then proceeded to pull out a strange, long stick—a wand, thought Petunia—and hesitated a bit before speaking. "I mean no harm," she repeated. And then she swirled the wand around for a bit, producing a bouquet of flowers amidst a shower of sparks. Everyone in the family gasped, but Petunia and Lily looked excited as well, exchanging looks of hope. Were they, perhaps, able to do that?
"Like I said before," said Professor McGonagall with a satisfied expression, "your daughters are magical witches. If you permit them to attend Hogwarts, they will in time be able to cast as much magic as I. Here, child," she then broke off, "you may keep this." Professor McGonagall handed the bouquet to Lily, who looked quite lovely holding the flowers in her hands.
The woman then looked around the shocked family, clasping her hands tightly. "Well then," she said briskly, "perhaps we may now discuss details."
Petunia thought she was dreaming. From the moment she had laid eyes on Professor McGonagall, she had heard a burst of song coming from the woman. Petunia had felt an immediate understanding with the Professor; it was not a closeness, but rather an awareness that they were of the same kind of people. And now she and her family were traveling to London, in search of buying magical materials for her magical school. Petunia didn't know how things had happened so quickly.
"Not Ebony, no no," murmured Mister Ollivander. "Perhaps Walnut will do?" Petunia grasped the handsome, dark wood and felt that strange, uplifting melody ring around her ears again, but so loudly this time that she thought her ears would pop.
"Oh yes, that's the one, my dear," said the wandmaker. "Such beautiful music! I've never heard the like. Oh yes, oh yes, you will serve each other very well. Walnut and phoenix feather, eleven inches, unyielding; a powerful combination." Petunia glanced away from Mister Ollivander's keen eyes, grateful that her turn was finally over. After Lily's "willow and unicorn hair, excellent wand for charm work!" wand had chosen her quickly, Petunia had started to worry when her own search had taken almost double the amount of time. Perhaps, she thought to herself, her magic was so weak that other wands had taken a dislike to her. Caught up in the flurry of paying for their purchases, Petunia didn't notice her wand slightly vibrating, as if reacting to her words.
"Goodbye Mama, goodbye Papa," Petunia said, giving each of her parents a kiss and a hug. "We'll see you during the Winter Holidays."
"Yes! Daddy, I'll send you lots of owls! Share them with Mummy," commanded Lily as she received tight hugs from her parents.
Jack and Rose smiled, both their eyes a bit misty as they waved both their daughters onto the train. The young couple felt a distinct sense of loss when the train heading towards Hogwarts disappeared from their sight.
"Ah, they grow up fast, don't they?" sighed Jack, wrapping his arm around Rose.
"They'll be back soon enough," replied Rose, but her eyes were misty with suppressed emotion. They walked back to their car together, both assuaging each other's fears.
On the train, Lily and Petunia dragged their luggage for a bit before dropping the heavy loads out of sheer exhaustion.
"Tuney, our bags are so heavy," complained Lily. Petunia thought for a moment before her eyes brightened.
"Lils, I think I read about a spell called the Feather-Light Charm that could make things lighter! Do you think we could try using magic now that we're actually on the train?"
"I'll take the chance!" said Lily. "Tell me the spell, Tuney, and I'll try it, since Mister Ollivander said my wand would be good at charms." Petunia did, and they yelped in delight after they found that indeed, their luggage was as light as a feather.
"That's amazing," breathed Petunia, and she beamed at Lily, who also looked ecstatic at her first act of magic. Their trunks no longer burdens, the girls pushed along the narrow corridors before arriving at an empty carriage near the end of the train.
"Let's sit here," Lily said firmly. "We won't get bothered as much since we're near the end." Petunia agreed, and the girls bustled around the compartment to lift their bags up in the storage bins before taking seats to enjoy the passing countryside. They had an enjoyable time together for a little while before Petunia noticed a dark shadow lurking near their compartment window.
"Lily, I think there's someone watching us," said Petunia. Lily leapt to her feet and pulled open the door with a great crash. Standing there was a sallow-faced boy who looked like he regretted something very much.
"Why are you just standing there?" asked Lily, genuinely confused. "Do you not have a compartment? Come in here, there's plenty of room to spare." She somehow managed to shove the resisting boy into the carriage, and confidently performed the Feather-Light Charm once more on his luggage. When there was nothing else to do, she sat down next to Petunia to face the boy opposite them.
"I'm Lily Evans, and this is my sister Petunia," she said. "You are?"
"Severus Snape," the boy grimaced. "I—we—live nearby each other."
"Really?" said Lily, surprised. "I've never seen you around the neighborhood before."
Severus grimaced again. "I'm from Spinner's End," he spit out. "Your parents probably told you to stay away from the place, for good reason." He said the word "parents" like it was a bad word.
Although his words were definitely true, Petunia wisely decided not to voice it aloud. "Well, you're here now, and we're all going to Hogwarts together. Were you as surprised as we were when Professor McGonagall showed up to your home?"
"No," he replied, scowling. "My mother is—was—a Witch, so an owl just delivered the letter. Hogwarts sends representatives only to Muggle-borns."
"Professor McGonagall told us what that meant," said Lily with a worried frown. "But I forgot to ask her—does it matter, that Tuney and I have parents with no magic? Does it mean we're not as good as magic, or will people not like us?" Petunia said nothing, but she had to hide her own worry. From her independent reading, she had gathered that there was still a level of discrimination towards Muggles in the Wizarding World.
Severus began to say something, but caught sight of both the girls' faces. Softening a bit, he said bracingly, "It matters a lot—to some people. To some it makes no difference. I say that blood is irrelevant when it comes to talent. You don't need to be a Pureblood to be brilliant." He said the last sentence with a strange pride.
Petunia sat back against the seat, a tiny bit reassured. She would just have to befriend the right sort of people, she told herself. People that would look not at her supposedly lacking family background, but at her own achievements.
Lily, on the other hand, tossed her head and said hotly, "Of course blood doesn't matter! I'll hex anyone who tries to insult Tuney or me because of who we come from." Even Severus had to smile a little at Lily's impassioned words. Lily then turned to Severus. "Will you be our friend, Severus? Tuney and I will need someone to tell us how to navigate the Wizarding World, and I can swear for the both of us that we'll be great friends. That is, of course, if you don't mind being known as friends with Muggleborns," she added pointedly.
Severus suddenly looked incredibly awkward. "I don't have friends," he said gruffly. Petunia, however, rolled her eyes.
"Don't be daft," she said. "We're your friends now, if you agree to be the same. Lily and I take our friendships seriously, though, so be aware of what you're agreeing to."
Severus hesitated before staring at them with the most desperately hopeful eyes Petunia had ever seen. "Alright," he said begrudgingly. "Friends." Lily grinned, exchanging looks with Petunia. They had already figured out that Severus sounded much meaner than he actually was. The three newly minted friends spent the rest of the journey amiably, only lurching to their feet when the conductor's voice rang out to let them know Hogwarts would soon be in sight.
"I'll go outside so that we can change into our robes," Severus said abruptly, his face scarlet. Petunia and Lily giggled at Severus' shyness. After they had gotten their robes on (with the potential House badges empty for now), they crowded around the compartment window until the train screeched to a halt.
Leaving their luggage on board, the three friends elbowed their way out of the train, only to be told to get on a boat. They did so, bracing their knees so that their canoe wouldn't overturn them into the freezing lake.
"I think the three of us will be enough for one boat," said Severus, turning to catch Lily nodding in agreement. Petunia, however, was distracted by the sounds of a humming melody.
"It sounds beautiful," she said, craning her head to catch more of the song. Severus and Lily looked at her oddly.
"There's no music playing, Tuney," said Lily.
"No, there's a sort of humming in the air," replied Petunia, confused. "I swear there is. You don't hear anything?"
Severus gave Petunia a considering glance. "Sometimes wizards or witches can sense magic with a second sense. Maybe you're hearing magic as song."
Petunia was dumbfounded, but she soon wasn't the only one. When the canoes rounded the bend in the lake, they were confronted with the most magnificent castle Petunia could even imagine. As the sound of exclaiming children filled the air, Petunia also listened to the waves of symphonic music filling her eardrums. She felt like she was being welcomed home, sitting underneath a sea of stars in velvety night. Petunia heard a great big sigh, and looked to see Lily dreamily staring at the spiraling turrets silhouetted against the sky. Even Severus looked completely relaxed, a small smile trailing near the edge of his mouth.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said the prefect near the front of the boats with a theatric air, "welcome to the castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."