The Alternative Past

11 Years Earlier

October 4, 1980

Petunia Dursley sighed in defeat when the doorbell rang and her son started to wail – again. She had just managed to get little Dudley to sleep, and now here she was again, alone with the screaming baby in her arms, feeling useless and up-given. Whispering sweet words to sooth him, Petunia walked downstairs to the door, thanking whichever God truly existed for the fact the Vernon, her husband, wasn't home to yell at the visitor with his ugly voice and his pulsing vein.

"Yes?" Petunia started to ask, but the word got caught in her throat half-way out and for a moment even Dudley's screams faded.

She was staring at her sister. Lily, whom she hadn't seen in three long years. A part of her, the jealous part of her, the predominating one, wanted to slam the door in Lily's pale, perfect face, and forget about the whole thing as she had done many times before. Something in that humid October midday gnawed at Petunia, however, and she spent the next minute hypnotized by her sister's pale, troubled face.

"Petunia, I know you don't want me here, but please, I beg you, let me in. Give me half an hour of your time, and I'll be gone forever. I'm begging you, for the love you once bore for me, for the memory of our dear mother, let me in."

A speechless Petunia moved aside and watched her sister gracefully walk into her small house, unmasking her ordinary life.

Dudley was still crying, and Petunia went inside the kitchen and got his dummy. It didn't silence him completely, but the volume decreased.

"Is he your son?" Lily asked her softly. Lily had always had a soft, loving voice, smooth like silk, warm like wool and pleasant like velvet.

"Yes," she heard herself whisper in answer as they both seated at the wooden kitchen table that Petunia hated. "His name is Dudley."

"I have a son, too." Lily continued, and Petunia could feel the weight of her sister's green eyes on her body. "Harry James Potter. He was born the last day of July."

"You're married?"

"Yes." Lily said simply, and Petunia couldn't find her voice to ask more. Lily had once been her best friend, but jealousy had ruined what they had and now Petunia's foolish pride was stopping her from saying even the simplest of words: sorry.

"I have come to warn you, Petunia. Bad things are going on in the Wizarding World, and I am more involved than I would like. My son is into it, too."

Petunia looked up for the first time after several minutes of avoiding Lily's gaze. Their eyes met again, and Petunia got lost in memories for a moment. But it was not a time for reminiscing.

"What happened?" she asked, like a good sister, a concerned sister, what she was not, what she hadn't been since Lily's letter arrived.

"There is war. A man they call the Dark Lord is trying to gain power and followers. He wants to rid our world of all inferior creatures. Elves, goblins – muggleborn, squibs. You remember what those words mean, don't you?"

Petunia gave her a quick nod. She knew it too well. She had been eager to learn about Lily's world, once. How many years had passed.

"There's been a prophecy," Lily was saying. "About a child who can defeat the Dark Lord. And he thinks my son is that child."

Petunia gasped. She couldn't help it. Lily's child was no one to her – she didn't know him, she hadn't known he existed until a few minutes earlier. But he was her sister's son, and as a mother she couldn't imagine her pain, her worries. She clenched her Dudley to her chest.

"We're going to go in hiding – Harry, James and I. We should be safe, but if for some reason he should find us I have a way of saving Harry. There is an ancient spell once used by mothers to protect their children, and I'm going to perform it if the Dark Lord were to come to us. It would mean that I would give my life for my son."

Lily stopped talking for a while, and Petunia noticed with surprise that they were both crying. She didn't remember the last time she had cried.

"In order for the protection to keep working Harry needs to be raised by a blood relative. My blood relative to be exact. In other words – you, sister. You are the only living relative I have."

"Oh." Petunia said. "You, you are asking me to take Harry in."

"Yes. It's not a certainty now, for I don't know if we will be found. Even if it happens, it might be years from now, Petunia. I just wanted -" Lily stumbled to find appropriate words. "I need your word that you will raise my son if I am killed."

"Lily – my husband will never agree."

Lily closed her eyes, and Petunia regretted her blunt words. Her sister should come before her husband. Any good sister would stand her ground. But she was not a good sister. She hadn't been since Lily's Hogwarts letter arrived.

Petunia saw her sister shiver, and, shifting a quieter Dudley to rest of her shoulder, she stood up and filled the kettle with some water before putting it on the stove. Silence reigned in the room for endless minutes, until the kettle's whistling sound threatened to wake Dudley again.

"Can I hold Dudley?"

Petunia froze for a moment. "Yes, of course."

Watching Lily with Dudley hurt Petunia's heart. She wanted to say yes, she needed to say yes.

Lily smiled, and another rush of memories invested Petunia like a wave of warm water or a sniff of nice perfume. She and Lily on a swing, as children. Lily jumping on her bed. Lily talking about her ideal wedding. She and Lily giggling like sisters. Like good sisters. Could they be that once again?

"What's that?"

"What? What's what?"

"It's a bruise. Petunia, does he hit you?"

Petunia felt like a deer caught in a car's light. Her heart was pounding, and she started sweating. She noticed how her sleeve had inadvertently gone up, revealing the mark of Vernon's anger on her.

"N-no."

"Tuney-"

"It's all right, Lily. He didn't hurt me." (He did). "Vernon loves me. And I love him." (She didn't). "We have a son together and I don't want to leave him. It will never happen again."

Lily wasn't convinced, and Petunia saw no reason for her to be. As a sister, she had every right to be concerned and every right to talk her out of her marriage. But that marriage was Petunia's illusion of a happy life, and she didn't want Lily to shatter it.

"Tuney. I love you. Please don't do this to yourself. You can leave him. You and Dudley. I can help you be safe."

For half a second, that sounded tempting.

"You said there's war there."

"I did. Yes. I'm sorry. What about the muggle world, though? You can move to another town."

"I have no money, Lily."

"I have-"

"No." She cut her off sharply, regretting it when her sister's face fell. Good sister, remember, be a good sister. "Lily, you need the money for your son. Dudley and I are okay here. Vernon loves the baby, and he does love me. He's just a little stressed because he's waiting for his promotion at work. He would never hurt me."

"Yet you seem to have been his punching bag."

Petunia could not deny that fact, yet angered rose in her. "Do not judge me, Lily."

"I am not judging you, Tuney. I apologise if it sounded like I was. I am, however, wondering about the choice you made regarding your husband."

"My husband is right for me, but thank you for your concern." Petunia found herself saying stiffly.

Lily rose from the chair, and gently passed Dudley back to her. "Does this mean you will not help me?"

Lily was desperate. She could see that. And deep down, under the layers she had built, Petunia was desperate too.

"I will."

Hearing the words, Lily fell back on the chair and sobbed. Petunia hesitantly stretched her arm and brushed her thin fingers against Lily's beautiful hair and her wet face.

Later, when Lily composed herself again, it was Petunia's turn to feel like breaking down. But she held her wish inside, promising herself there would be time to feel sad after Lily was gone to her safe place.

"I need to explain a few things to you," her sister was telling her.

She nodded, cradling Dudley as she listened. She thought she would have liked to see her sister's son. Her nephew.

"Harry will be brought here by wizards, but I'm sure they'll be discreet and won't attract your neighbours' attention. Harry will most likely be a wizard, so he'll go to Hogwarts when he turns eleven. My spell will work until he is seventeen, and it will be active as long as you allow him to come back to your house every summer. The efficiency of the spell is linked to love – if he comes here and finds no love for him, the protection will be minimal. If he's loved as if he were your son, not many things will be able to hurt him. Don't get scared if he does accidental magic. Do you remember when I made things fly, and when I fixed the vase we had accidentally broken? Those things might happen, and they will be out of his control. Don't be mad at him. It's not his fault. I will also set up a vault at Gringott's, the bank, for him. I would like him to use that money for his education, but if you need some of it before that, you can use it for Harry or Dudley. I will have whoever brings Harry also bring a key to the vault. I told a few people about this plan. They are all people I trust, although I hope it won't come to this. I don't want to die." More tears fell down Lily's cheeks, and Petunia bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself quiet. "You may need to go to the Wizarding World. You can do that by going to London to the Leaky Cauldron. You've been there once, do you remember?"

Another nod, feeble. Petunia felt like a jealous little girl again.

"Usually muggles can't see it, but Professor Dumbledore assured me that whoever has a magical person in his or her family has the ability to see it. Just go inside, and tell Tom, the owner, that you are my sister and need to go to Diagon Alley. He will open the passage for you. If you need to contact someone, you can also tell Tom. I will give you a list."

Lily rummaged in her bag and placed a paper on the table between them. Petunia recognized none of the names.

"Some are my former professors of Hogwarts, others are my husband's closest friends, and others are Aurors. Aurors are like a magical police. You can trust all of them." Lily inhaled deeply. "Petunia, you don't know how much this means to me, how much thankful and grateful I am. If there is anything that I can do for you, anything, name it and it will be done."

Petunia shook her head vehemently. Forgive me, she wanted to tell her. But she was too proud. "Just – just contact me when you are safe again."

November 1, 1981

Petunia Dursley felt her heart shatter when her husband started to yell about a baby on their doorstep. She conceded herself a few moments to grieve her sister's death, and then joined her husband in the hallway, helplessly listening to his tirade. Vernon was reading a letter that accompanied the baby. It said things that Petunia already knew, so she tuned it out and looked at the baby instead. Harry was wrapped in a light blue blanket and he had a small matching hat that covered his head. Petunia could see a few locks of black hair creeping from beneath it. A scar was burning on his forehead. Harry's eyes – Lily's, truly, Petunia could have sworn – were wide open and he was screaming. Petunia crouched down and gathered him in her arms – it was love at first sight. He was smaller than Dudley, and lighter. He was warm in his woollen blanket and his skin was smooth and smelled of milk and of Lily. Petunia felt the urge to cry, but she had to be strong, for Harry. And for what was to come.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? PUT THAT SCUM DOWN. DO YOU HEAR ME, WOMAN? PUT HIM BACK OUTSIDE, WE WON'T KEEP HIM! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID SISTER AND HER LOSER OF A HUSBAND. THE BOY IS GOING TO AN ORPHANAGE!"

"No!" Petunia screamed when Vernon tried to grab Harry from her. She tried to kick him, but he was too strong and so so angry... Vernon punched her right on her left eye, living her blind for a few moments. She stumbled back, lost her balance, and fell, but Harry was still in her arms at least. Vernon towered over her. Petunia was scared, but she was also angry. Angry with herself, mostly, for staying with him after he had revealed his true nature.

"DON'T YOU DEFY ME, WOMAN! YOU WILL REGRET YOUR INSOLENCE, I PROMISE."

Petunia had no doubt that she would pay for that two-letter-long word, but for the first time she was going to fight back. Pressing Harry against her breast with one arm, she searched for a handhold with the other, determined to get up. Vernon kicked her, and she screamed as his foot connected with her thigh. She saw the stars.

"Don't hurt him, Vernon. You are not going to hurt him." I promised, she reminded herself. I promised to keep him safe. It's my time to be a good sister again. I can redeem myself. Lily will never know, but her son will. That can be enough.

"Shut up, woman. Don't talk to me."

As Vernon's hand closed around Harry's blanket and the other raised in a fist again, something that Petunia could only identify as magic happened. It was like an explosion of energy that made Vernon fall back away from them. Petunia was scared that he would get up again, angrier than before, but he didn't. He was screaming and waving his legs and arms in the air, but could not rise, as if he were an overturned ladybug or turtle.

Petunia ran to the living room as fast as she could, and got little Dudley from is playpen. He was crying even harder than Harry, and the loud sound the two children made, combined, was deafening. Still, Petunia ignored it and walked out of the house. A few neighbours were starting to gather on the street, but she ignored them, too. She walked until she found a bus stop, and she waited for the bus. She had no money, but the driver took pity on her and let her in. Petunia realised that she must look horrible, with tangled hair and a black eye and with two wailing babies in her arms. But she didn't care. She was going to a safe place.

The Leaky Cauldron was beautiful. She sat in a room that Tom, the innkeeper, had gently offered her – for free. Harry and Dudley were finally sleeping, after having received a few drops of a sleeping draught. Petunia had been fearful about it, but several witches and wizards had said it was okay. Eventually she had agreed, after asking Tom's opinion. Her sister had said she could trust him, so she did.

The room was small but cosy, and Petunia simply liked the idea of being in the Wizarding World. She didn't belong there, she knew that, but she felt good nonetheless. As if she was closer to happiness.

She had given the list of people to contact to Tom. She'd been keeping it hidden in her bra – Vernon would never find it there, he never bothered to fully undress her. Now she was waiting for him to come back and get her, and he had also promised her some warm food.

Finally, twenty minutes later, a soft knock on the door alerted her. She opened and stepped back, allowing the man to enter before taking the tray of food from Tom's arms, thanking him.

"I'm Petunia Dursley – Evans, actually. Lily Evans's sister."

"My name is Auror Cadmus Arkwright, Ms Evans. I didn't know your sister personally, but she was an exquisite person, I am sure. I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, sir."

"You have run away from your husband, if I understand correctly?" The man asked. He was a tall man with chestnut hair and curious hazel eyes.

"I have. My husband is a muggle, like me. He revealed his abusive nature soon after our wedding, but thinks had never got bad enough for me to leave. One year ago my sister visited me, and told me about the prophecy, the Dark Lord, the war. She asked me to take care of her son in case she died. So when this morning we found Harry on the doorstep... I knew Vernon didn't want him. I knew he would make me abandon him, and he would make me pay for every word I said against it, so I ran." Petunia hesitated, but talked again a moment later. "Vernon was hitting me when some magic pulled him away and stuck him to the floor. Was it Harry's magic?"

"It's unusual for children under five or six to perform magic, accidental or not. But I will look into it. You said you are a muggle, am I correct?"

"Yes, you are." Petunia answered bitterly. She couldn't hide very well the fact that she had hoped it was her magic, as silly as her wish was.

"I have asked Tom to contact Remus Lupin, a friend of the Potters. He-"

"Potters?" Petunia interrupted, blushing.

"James Potter was your brother-in-law's surname, madame. As I was saying, he will gladly host you and the children for as long as needed."

Remus Lupin arrived at the Leaky Cauldron shortly after, and he hovered over Harry before properly introducing himself to Petunia. Petunia found him rather pleasant, and she enjoyed the stories of Lily that he told her as they ate together. Auror Arkwright lingered long enough to give her some papers stating that she could reside in the Wizarding World for a few months, and promised to find a loophole in the law that claimed that muggles couldn't live in magical places.

Petunia thought she would love floo-travel when Remus explained what it was – but she changed her mind quickly. She forgot her annoyance just as quickly, however, when she saw Moonlight Chalet. It was the most beautiful house she had ever seen. The walls were all in wood, but Remus immediately assured that spells protected it from burning and from magic attacks. The fireplace from which they had emerged was in the middle of a big room, furnished with two soft sofas, two large armchairs and several full bookshelves. From the window Petunia could see the hills surrounding the house, and the forest in the distance. It was magical.

"The kitchen is over there," Remus told her. "It's not big, but the table can be magically enlarged to fit twenty people comfortably, and there is another fireplace. It's not connected to the floo network, though. Oh, and this is the main entrance. The spells surrounding the house stretch as far as the end of the forest, so you can safely walk around the hills."

Remus then led her upstairs. Her bedroom were as cosy as the living room, with thick coloured curtains and a big king-sized bed. Remus took out his wand and turned two wooden spoons into cribs for Dudley and Harry, where they proceeded to place them.

"I'm going to get some food and clothes for them, if you don't mind staying alone for a while. It won't take me long, and you are completely safe here."

Petunia nodded, and assured him she would be fine. When he left she explored the chalet a bit more and chose a book to read from the shelves. It talked about werewolves and it captured her immediately.

The next months went by quickly. Dudley and Harry got used to her presence (and the lack of their other parents). Remus, or Moony, as he was teaching the kids to call him, was wonderful with them, and with her as well, teaching her about the Wizarding World and telling her about the years of Lily's life that she had missed due to her jealousy and pride. He also informed her of Voldemort's presumed death and of Harry's fame.

She also met a few of Lily's professors, who spoke wonderfully of her and who fell in love with both Harry and Dudley. Petunia was quite pleased with how everyone had accepted her son. She hoped she would be able to erase Vernon's appalling manners from Dudley's behaviour soon.

Once a week, she flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and met with Auror Arkwright. He had found out that she would be able to stay in the Wizarding World if she proved she was a squib. He asked her to think back and figure out if she ever had bursts of accidental magic, because even squibs had them occasionally.

Petunia could remember a few uncertain episodes, but she couldn't be sure. She told Arkwright that when she was about eight years old Lily had taken the doll she was playing with. They had started to fight over it, both pulling it away from the other. After about a minute the doll had caught fire and they had both dropped it. When Lily turned eleven and they were told she was a witch, her parents recalled the episode deciding that it had been Lily's magic, but Petunia clearly remembered feeling very powerful for a brief moment. She also reminded Arkwright about the magic that had saved her from Vernon, and he promised to investigate.

Towards the end of December, a few days after Christmas, Cadmus Arkwright showed up at Moonlight Chalet and informed Petunia that she was indeed a squib, having found a very ancient book at the Ministry that contained the names of all the squibs of the United Kingdom, listed by year of birth and in alphabetical order.

Petunia's eyes widened at the news, and she suddenly felt very warm and happy. She could stay.

"Is my son's name in the book as well?" She asked.

"I didn't think of checking, madame. But you need not worry, he can stay here, either as a squib like your or as a wizard."

"Wizard? Dudley might be a wizard?"

"Yes. See, Ms Evans, when there is a magical child in a muggle family, usually one or both of the parents are squibs. That's how the child inherits magic, even if it has skipped many generations. It's very likely that years ago someone in your family, born in a magical one, was born a squib, or married a muggle and later had a squib child. It's really rare to be a pure muggle nowadays, but it's difficult to prove to be a squib, because they are ignored by our society. That said, you have every legal right to live here, to find a job and to raise your children, magical or wizards, in our world, for as long as you live."

"So my parents were probably squibs?"

"I think so. There are a few witches and wizards who are currently studying this – the birth of magical children in muggle families. That's why I suggested you might be a squib, actually, because I read a couple of their articles. They don't have any certain information yet, but they did discover the book I told you about."

"Thank you very much, Mr Arkwright. You did so much for me and my son, and it's not even your field of work. Please, allow me to offer your a thank you lunch, as soon as I have found a job."

So she did. Remus helped her find a small part-time job in a shop called Flourish and Blotts, where she had the task of cataloguing new books and of dusting the shelves. She also revealed herself to be very creative in arranging the shop window, and Mr and Mrs Crook, the owners, seemed to appreciate her help a lot more after that.

When she received her first weekly pay she contacted Auror Cadmus Arkwright, and, as suggested by Remus, who gently offered to take care of the little boys, she invited him to The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, place that Petunia had come to love deeply.

That wasn't the last time they went to lunch together, but it was the last that Petunia paid. Cadmus, as he told her to call him, showed himself to be a true gentleman, and he never changed, as Vernon had did. Petunia found herself slowly falling in love with the wizard, and she rejoiced immensely when he told her it was mutual. They got married on Valentine's day of 1982, and bought a house in Diagon Alley, where they lived together, happily, with their two boys and a black cat.