Disclaimer: J.K Rowling owns Harry Potter, and I am not her so full credit of characters and names of places go to her.
…
It was a warm day in South England and Surrey was no exception. Number four Privet Drive lay neatly between number two and number six.
From opposite them, number 3's daughter was sitting on the porch talking animatedly to a friend who had come over to stay with her for the summer.
Magnolia Crescent was as clean as ever and in the sweltering heat, even the plants had died out, ensuring the 'cleanliness' of the private no-through- road was maintained.
A lone swing set with the only toddler in the neighbourhood was creaking with the movement in the perfect garden of number five's.
The sky was blue and although the lawns in everyone's house were yellow with no irrigation, Vernon Dursley stood proudly in his own front lawn revelling in the exceptionally normal and predictable Sunday afternoon. This was paradise to him.
Inside the house, his wife Petunia was humming to herself as she prepared the Sunday Tea. This was normal. This is what all good British housewives did on Sunday afternoons.
Their son Dudley was in his high chair, snoozing with a forgotten biscuit clutched in his right hand. Occasionally Petunia would drift towards him and give him a peck, or run her hand through his very blonde hair as a show of her affection for him.
It was a typical summer of 1981.
Until Petunia's only remaining family arrived for a surprise visit.
Vernon extinguished his pipe and his beady eyes found Petunia's curious ones as he rushed back into the kitchen.
"They are here. Your sister and him!"
Petunia gave a frightened yelp and dropped the dish she had been cleaning.
Bundling up Dudley she rushed towards the stairs. "Quick, take Dudley to the cot – he's too little to be around their freakishness."
However, the doorknocker came down sharply from the other side of the door. Both the adults stood still in horrified silence.
A soft knocking vibrated into the room, yet petunia and Vernon did not attempt to open the door.
"What are they doing here, Verny?" Petunia asked in a tremble of a voice. Before he could answer, the door smacked open, just as Dudley snored loudly, effectively drowning Petunia's shriek.
A man and woman stood there, pocketing their wands, and for a brief second it seemed that Dursley would shut the door on their face as he strode forwards, but he only swung the door shut behind the newly arrived couple and practically pushed the man forward. He didn't want any of the neighbours seeing the black robes that the newcomers were wearing.
As soon as the door was closed, the tension seemed to increase ten-fold.
Petunia led the way to sitting room and brought drinks. She hadn't seen her sister since the day of her wedding and looking into those vibrant green eyes, brought back such memories that she could easily have forgotten why and where she was.
Lily smiled, tentatively back at her sister and the two women seemed to be travelling down memory lane at a mile a minute.
Vernon and his brother-in-law avoided eye contact. Their last meeting at the Evans house was still a sore spot for them both. James had managed to fix his glasses, but Vernon's nose was crooked forever.
Finally Vernon cleared his throat but even then when he spoke his voice came out scratchy and exactly how he felt- agitated.
"Why are you here, then? Can't be a social call."
Lily's eyes flashed, as she understood the meaning behind his words. It had been clear from day one
that Vernon did not approve of Lily's world and didn't believe in socialising with her kind. After her
marriage with James, who currently donned an amused grin and was squeezing Lily's hand in
reassurance, even Petunia agreed that the Potters just did not belong in their lives.
Neither of them spoke in answer to Vernon's question.
Everyone quietly sipped the milky tea. "Is he asleep?" Lily asked her sister, in her sweet gentle voice.
Petunia inhaled sharply at her sister's voice. It was the first time she had spoken to her directly in
Over a year.
"Yes. Where's the bo-Where's Harry?" Petunia quickly corrected herself. Her mother had always told
Her to never tickle a sleeping dragon and James Potter, from what Lily had told her all those years
ago, could easily turn nasty if he felt angry.
Apparently that weird Severus Snape was often a victim of her sister's husband's wrath.
"We left him with his godfather, James' best friend," Lily replied her melodious voice slicing through
The tension. Vernon snorted. James gave him a serene smile but his eyes were open and challenging.
They lapsed into a few more moments of silence but finally Lily shifted in her seat and gave James' a
Meaningful look. Petunia sensed that they were now getting to the crux of their visit.
James extracted a piece of paper from his wallet and tapped it once with his wand.
Vernon flinched and Lily gave a minute roll of her eyes. Petunia caught the roll…and it was such a
Lily thing to do that she couldn't help but smile.
But then she remembered Lily's eleventh birthday. The Snape boy who stole away his sister and her
parents death…it was all Lily's fault. Lily and the world's fault. She turned away pointedly from Lily
and focused instead on what James had begun to say.
Vernon was pinning James with a calculating look. He had seen his boss adorn the exact expression
That James was currently wearing, on countless of occasions. It was the expression that always
followed with displeasing news.
James inhaled deeply. It was Lily's turn to squeeze his hand in encouragement. He glanced at
Her. She always calmed him down.
"Well get on with whatever it is. We haven't all afternoon." Vernon snapped, getting somewhat
Irritated.
James smoothed out the paper and set it on the coffee table. Vernon glared at him briefly and
reluctantly reached out for the paper.
But before he had so much as moved a finger, he was shot backwards.
"Sorry," James said in a voice so far from mocking that even Lily was shocked.
"What the ruddy hell…" Vernon began, purple in the face. Dudley woke up and began to cry.
"It's cursed, you fool," James hissed. "It's old magic. Did I tell you to touch it?"
Petunia gave a scared little glance at James who still had his wand gripped tightly in his hand, as
though It was his life line, before trying to hush her son.
"I always sing Hush Little Baby to Harry. He's like you. He always falls asleep listening to me sing it."
Lily said softly. Petunia stared at her sister. "M-Mum used to sing that." Lily nodded and both
women shared a smile as they remembered their mother.
"Will you get on and tell us what you need to! We don't have time to entertain unwanted visitors!"
Vernon roared, still seething from James' attack.
"Our world is under attack." James said flatly. Petunia already knew this but Vernon sneered. "So?"
We – that is, Lily and I and a couple of friends are being targeted. We've gone into hiding."
Vernon narrowed his eyes. "Why is the government not stopping this?" Vernon asked. His faith in
the authorities, even extending to a world which he refused to acknowledge.
"They-have other issues." Lily said quietly. Vernon snorted and turned to Petunia before muttering,
"Just as I thought. Good for nothing…the lot of them."
"This directly affects you." James said in a clipped tone, knowing full well this would only raise more
questions. Petunia gave a squeal and turned to glare at her sister. "Why are we involved in this?"
Lily sighed. "You're my blood, Tuney. They can trace you through me. And because-because you're
not like us…" she trailed off. Petunia's entire body had gone rigid and she flinched when Lily tried to
touch her arm.
"Don't call me Tuney!" she practically shrieked. Lily nodded. Her sister – her Tuney Evans was gone.
Lily knew that their relationship would never be the same again, but by, gods did she try to mend
their severed friendship. But it was a two-way street. She needed Petunia to reciprocate.
"Either accept it and let us build a magical contract or be happy in your ignorant idiocy and get
yourself killed," James finally snapped. He was losing his patience and getting a bit tired of the
constant sneer on Vernon's face.
If James was anything like the other pure-blooded families, he would have hexed Vernon straight
away. These type of Muggles, James thought, were the ones who let the stereo type about Muggles
be built. James knew from meeting Lily's parents, that not all Muggles were rude and stupid, but
Vernon wasn't setting a good counter-example of it.
If anything, Vernon's glare just intensified and his fists clenched even more-as if he was preparing
mentally for a battle. "We don't need help from the likes of you, Potter." He spat out, in what, he
obviously thought, was a menacing tone.
Amusement lined James' prematurely tiring face, and he shared an incredulous look with his wife.
Lily tried explaining the advantages of the magical contract to her brother-in-law, but Vernon was a
stubborn man.
Exasperated, James finally took out his wand and Vernon jumped, nearly knocking the table down.
James just simply raised his eyebrows and moved his arm so that the wand was pointing in Petunia
and Dudley's direction.
There was sudden confusion. Lily gasped and tried to reach out to James arm, but he shifted and she
missed. Dudley started bawling all over again and Petunia stood up, trying to shield her son from
James' advance.
"WHAT THE DEVIL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Vernon bellowed, spit flaying everywhere.
James whirled around and in his eyes, anger could be seen.
"What am I doing? What am I…? This is the amount of mercy they will show to your son and wife.
The ease with which they kill…and you ask me. Me? What am I doing!"? He started laughing
before walking right up to the bigger man.
"What I am trying to do, Dursley, is protect my wife's family. That's a little more than what you have
managed to do!" James wand poked Vernon on the
chest and he jumped backwards.
But James was still advancing.
"Are you insinuating that I am not a good…" Vernon could get no further because James spoke over Vernon, effectively shutting him up.
"Seven months. Seven goddamn months, Lily and I have been in hiding so that not just us, but you are protected too!" He seethed. He turned his back to Vernon, shaking and started pacing.
"And you have the audacity to disregard our help completely?"
Getting his courage back, Vernon spoke up, "We didn't ask for your ruddy help. We don't want to be involved with your kind." Petunia was nodding vehemently, her eyes a closed door.
Lily let out a sob. "Oh Tuney! You've always been involved. They can trace you. If we are found out, they can trace you. You must take precautions Tuney. Don't let your grudge against me put your family's life in danger."
Petunia's lip trembled and Lily noticed that she was trying to process the information.
"Do it for Dudley," Lily said softly. Petunia gave a sound between a yelp and a sob.
"What will we have to do?" Petunia asked, at last.
"Pet? Petty, dear? What are you saying? W-We don't want their help, remember?"
"Oh for goodness sake Vernon, haven't you been listening!" Petunia all but yelled, strained from the topic of conversation.
Lily grinned as she saw her sister in her element. Before they drifted apart, Tuney had often spoken like that. After her Hogwarts letter, Tuney just closed up- like a clam.
"They don't stop." She said in a hollow voice. "They don't have mercy for people like us, Vernon. You know what they did to my parents."
The smile from Lily's face vanished instantly and James took this as his cue to step in.
"You must be willing, or else, it won't be a binding contract." James said in a brisk voice, moving towards the centre of the table.
"What utter rubbish!" Vernon said, in an irritated voice.
"Verny…" Petunia's voice hadn't raised any more decibels, but it was clearly heard and it put an end to Vernon's muttering.
"I am the contract binder. I need the blood relatives to stand on opposite sides of the table. Your hands must be touching. Vernon you don't have to move. You just have to be willing to join with our magical cores in order for this piece of magic to work," James spoke with an authoritative edge to his voice. The three adults shifted around into position.
The two sisters both shuddered a little at the physical contact.
Vernon was still on the fence but one look at his son's wide-open eyes and yet to be broken innocence, he made his resolve. He may be a stickler for what was normal, but for his son, he was ready to break his fundamental principle.
James wasn't particularly pleased in the position he was, either. But he was doing it for Lily. Seeing her face radiate happiness at being able to do something for his sister, made this whole disastrous trip somehow worth it.
James cleared his throat and indicated Vernon to close his eyes, as he shut his own as well.
In a low voice, he began a chant: "Per sanguinem ad tutelam quaerimus Potter Dursley-familias"
A bright gold streak glimmered between the two sisters and even Vernon was quite as the powerful magic surged through the house and the people in the room.
Black ink was appearing on the piece of parchment on the table.
It was written in Latin and it was proof that despite their differences, family ties were ones that last.
…
A few months later, Petunia will wake up to find Harry Potter, her dead sister's only son outside on her doorstep.
She will despise his very being. Vernon will make his life eternal hell and Harry's only cousin will be more of an enemy than a friend.
Yet still, every year until his seventeenth birthday, Harry Potter will call them family. He will have a home at number four Privet drive.
Because family ties, however fragile they may be, last forever.
Latin Translation: Through blood we seek to protect the Potter-Dursley families.
A/N: So, this was my first serious story about the pre-Hogwarts era. I hope you liked it. Please leave me a review. Thanks.
Vitzy