I own nothing. I'm also getting tired of writing this. I wonder if I can put a disclaimer into an automatic signature. Hmm...
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The faint beginnings of dawn slipped silently through the streets. As the sky grew gray, there was the sound of hesitant footfalls from inside one of the nearly identical houses. There was a pause, as if someone was working up their courage, then the front door opened and a woman slipped out onto the front steps. After a nervous glance up at the sky, she sat abruptly down. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she hunched over them, waiting.
A stray lock of hair fell into her face, but uncharacteristically, she left it alone. It had been a long, sleepless night, and something as trivial as perfect hair didn't seem to matter right then. She momentarily considered waking Vernon and asking him to hold vigil with her, but was startled to discover that she didn't truly want to. For now, she just wanted to know the truth. Dealing with it, whichever way, would come later.
Her thoughts drifted inside the house to the sleeping occupants, and to one boy in particular. For years she had watched him covertly, fearing at every moment, at every odd happening, that he was tainted. Tainted by magic, as Lily had been. Despite the warm air, she shivered. "Please," she whispered, though to whom, even she wasn't sure.
A flicker of movement caught her attention. An lone owl swooped overhead, a letter tied to its leg. Feeling strangely weak, she rose quietly and stepped inside as the owl circled to approach the house. As she walked down the hallway, she heard a rustle from the letter flap. She hesitated, listening, but only silence followed. She continued on; then stopped by Dudley's door.
"Harry's the only one who got a letter." she whispered to her sleeping son. "You're safe. You're not to be a part of that world. Never..." Her voice broke, and Petunia turned suddenly away from Dudley to glare in the direction of Harry's cupboard. Unnoticed, a bitter tear slipped down her cheek.
One owl. One letter. Only one...