Disclaimer: We do not, nor will we ever, own Harry Potter. We are just playing in J.K. Rowling's sandbox for a little while.
AN: Hello! Ladybugbear2 here, me and my big sis decided that we wanted to try writing an HP fic together. I have posted before, but most of those fics are on hiatus seeing as my muse has decided to leave me. But I can write this with my sis, thankfully. Maybe this story will help get my muse up and running again. Or find me a new one…
AN: Hi, I'm Leopardsinger and this is my first story ever. As stated above, my sister and I are writing this together. We are currently looking for a beta if anyone is interested, but we are making it since we have two pairs of eyes reading what we write. Enjoy!
Petunia's letter
Chapter 1
As the owl flew in the window Lily thought back to the first time she and Petunia had heard what they were.
She and Tuney had been racing to the swing set in the park,
"Come on Lily! Last one to the swing set has to do the other's chores for the day!" Petunia yelled as she raced her sister to the swings.
"No Fair Tuney! You had a head start! Lily whined as she got to the swings about a half-step behind her big sister.
"It doesn't have to be fair; I still won, so there!" Lily stuck her tongue out at her sister in response." Here, I have an idea, let's race to see who can jump the furthest off the swings. If you win I have to do your chores and you don't have to do any chores for me, but if I win, you have to do my chores today and tomorrow". "Sure" said Lily placated by this deal. They hopped on the swings and started swinging as fast as they could. As soon as they were about the same height, they yelled 1, 2, 3, JUMP! Petunia flew the highest but Lily definitely flew the furthest; after landing she stuck out her tongue and yelled "ha, I won!" Petunia stuck her nose in the air and flounced off. Suddenly a boy with dark greasy hair and mismatched, over-large clothes popped out from behind the bushes where he had been hiding.
He had said that both of them were witches, said that his mum was one and that he was a wizard. At first they had yelled at him for calling them an ugly name but then they realized that he had called his mum one and they figured that maybe he was telling the truth. They had listened to his explanation and decided to see if his mum would back his story. She had, and ended up talking to their parents about it. They had been shocked, but that is to be expected when you find out that your two daughters are witches. Well, their dad had anyway; their mum had looked resigned, which confused them immensely. They looked back and forth between their parents, who were whispering. Suddenly their parents disappeared into their room. The girls sat against the door trying their hardest to listen to them. They heard their parents head toward the door and they quickly scrambled away from it and tried to pretend they hadn't been listening. Finally their mum told them that she came from a family of wizards and witches and was what they call a squib, which meant she had no magic in her. She told them that they were indeed witches and when they turned eleven they would be allowed to go to a school in Scotland that would teach them more about their abilities. Excited, they couldn't wait for that day to come for both of them.
The owl flew in and dropped a very serious looking letter that had Petunia's name on it onto her lap. Excitedly she opened the letter as Lily watched anxiously to see what kind of letter an owl would bring. She opened the letter and was startled to find two pieces of parchment. The first one read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Dear Miss. Petunia Evans,
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Deputy Headmistress
The second page read: HOGWARTS SCHOOL UNIFORM COURSE BOOKS The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
of WHICHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
First-year students will require:
sets of plain work robes (black)
plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
by Miranda Goshawk
by Phyllida Spore
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Arts: A Guide On Defense OTHER EQUIPMENT Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad. PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
by Marcus Shields
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
"Wow Tuney, you got your letter!" Lily said. Petunia, while very excited had to keep up her prim and proper nature, so she smiled wide and said
"See, now I'm better than you, because I get to go to Hogwarts first!"
Then she flounced into the living room where her parents were watching the telly and made them turn it off so that she could show them her letter. Her dad, having been placated by her mum about this letter, read it over and handed it to his wife as he thought of all the money that would be needed for the school items. Her mum was the first to speak; very excitedly she told them they would be heading to Diagon Alley later that day to join the hustle and bustle of the many witches and wizards getting ready for school. Their first item on the list was to get an owl so that they could communicate with Petunia. They found a beautiful brown tawny owl that was sleeping quietly in her cage. Lily, being the curious child that she was decided to poke the owl to make sure that she was still alive. "Lily don't!" Petunia yelled, waking the owl from its reverie. It blinked both eyes, looked at them and then promptly went back to sleep. They decided that even though it was a beautiful owl, they wanted to make sure that the owl would not fall asleep on its way to deliver a note. Then they found a beautiful black night owl that would blend in perfectly with the sky if it wanted to hunt at night. They liked the owl, but then they looked at the price tag. Finally they saw a beautiful snowy owl that seemed just right. They showed their parents the price tag and it was a reasonably priced owl. They paid for the owl, cage, and treats. They walked out of the store fighting over what to name the owl. Lily wanted to name it snowy for its beautiful colour, but Petunia thought that it was a stupid name and refused to take the owl with her to school if it was named snowy. Finally their mum stepped in after tiring of their incessant arguing. She told them that since they could not decide she would name the owl herself. She chose Camellia which she explained was the name of a white flower. She told them that since their names were flower names, it would be fitting to give her a flower name as well. Their next stop was to get Petunia's wand. They walked into an odd shop named Ollivander's wands and waited quietly as the store owner mumbled to himself in some corner of the store. Finally Lily, tired of waiting, decided to ring the bell on his desk. He slid over on his ladder and welcomed them into his shop. He took one look at their mum and said "you are a Prewett are you not?" She quietly nodded and stepped back hoping to divert his attention to her daughter. He would not be swayed, he told her that he didn't remember her ever coming into his shop and inquired as to why when her siblings did. Lily being the precocious child that she was spoke out saying
"My mum is a squib!"
Petunia, aghast at her sister, told her not to say something like that again. Quickly before the girls could get into another fight, their mum stepped in and explained that she was, in fact, a squib and that her parents kept her hidden to keep her from the ridicule that was sure to come. But there was a dark look on her face that told them that there was probably more to that story than she was willing to tell. "Now, I am here to get a wand for my daughter and would appreciate if we could get started." Ollivander, realizing that the conversation was over, decided to oblige Mrs. Evans and begin the task of finding a wand for the young witch. He grabbed an odd looking tape measure. After measuring every space on her body, including the space under her nose, he shot off to find a wand. He came out with wand after wand but none seemed to work quite right, she must have tried almost 10 wands until he came back with a wand which he said was willow, 11 inches long and had a hippogriff's talon for a core. The minute she held the wand, she knew that this was the right one. They bought it immediately and set off to buy Petunia's books. Once they were outside the shop Petunia turned towards her mum and asked carefully,
"What's a, Hippogriff?"
Her mum smiled down at her and said,
"I wondered when you were going to ask. A hippogriff is a magical creature that has the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the hind legs and tail of a horse. They are very majestic creatures who demand respect at all times. If you ever come across one, don't go up to it immediately, bow first and if it bows back you may approach it, never insult a hippogriff. Petunia shuddered and said "I hope I never see one." The next stop was Flourish and Blotts to pick up the books needed for the year. Petunia and Lily were amazed at all of the wonderful things that went on in the store. They quickly found the books and were pushed out of the store by their mother who was hoping to get out of the craziness of school shopping. Finally after a few more shops, the apothecary had been Lily's favorite, they were ready to leave. When they got home Petunia quickly ran upstairs to deposit her things, while her dad tried to put together the perch for Camellia. Finally he was able to get it together, and Petunia took her out of the cage so she could get used to their house. She flew around the house a few times while their dad grumbled about birds and messes. She finally landed on her perch and started to groom herself.
The rest of the summer dragged on for Petunia as she anxiously awaited September 1. She spent most of the summer going over her new course books with Lily, who had decided that she was going to learn all she could before next year so she would be ready. Finally the day arrived, and they all climbed into the car and drove to the train station with all of her things. They found the pillar that they needed and her mum explained what she needed to do. At first she had just stared at her mum, thinking she was playing a joke on her. But she quickly realized that this wasn't the case and that she actually was going to have to run at a solid brick wall. She went first, but was quickly followed by the rest of her family. She, her father, and Lily were all looking in wonder at the scarlet colored train that seemed to be wrapped in a blanket of steam. Petunia turned towards her sister and grinned before saying, "This is going to be the best year ever!"
Lily smiled sadly at her older sister and gave her a huge hug before saying, "Don't forget about me! I love you!"
Petunia smiled at her younger sister and then turned towards her parents who were both looking at her with a mixture of pride and trepidation.
"Write as often as you can, okay Petunia?" her father said with a slight tremor in his voice.
"I promise I will! I'll write as soon as I get into my dormitory." She replied quickly before turning to her mum.
She smiled up at her before giving her a big hug and saying
"I'll miss you sooo much mummy!"
"I'll miss you too my flower, now run along before you miss your train." Her mum gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then sent her on her way.
She walked off, but had to get one last glimpse of her family. With a big sigh she turned back around and boarded the train.
AN: Seeing as this is our first fic together, we would really like to know what you think. Please review and tell us what we can change.