The Story of Petunia the Black:
A Prequel to Fate Sucks
I just really need to step back from all the other stories I'm doing right now, and using my slightly evolved writing style I decided that the history of the sorceress Petunia Evans was a good idea. I calmly ask that you read Fate Sucks first. This Petunia isn't a miniature Petunia of the Fate Sucks story. She's the same Petunia but she lacks the steel yet. She hasn't done the things she will do, and thus remains slightly immature. She also lacks any true training in the beginning, relying on the magic she has formed without help.
"Tuney," cried the feminine voice of Lily Evans, a petite redhead, aged ten and three months, "Come see what I can do."
Petunia Evans, a blonde 9 year old, a sorceress of the highest arts, at least in her own mind, walked over to her slightly younger sister. They'd been born only ten months apart, but Lily had always been special, and impulsive. "What is it Lils?" Petunia asked her younger sister. She looked into her verdant eyes, almost pleading her to not have used magic openly.
"I made a flower bloom," Lily said pointing to a flower in the garden that had recently died. It was no longer dead. It was the height of summer, the withered death of flowers coming everyday that rain was withheld in the normally wet city, "I'm just like you Tuney, I'm magical like you." Lily's smile melted Petunia's dread quickly.
"Yes you are Lils, yes you are," Petunia said with a smile, "and someday, maybe, we can find more of us. More than me, you and Severus. Now let's go tell Severus you managed magic on purpose, instead of accidentally."
"Oh," Lily said, "Yes, we should." The two girls, young and full of energy, sped off towards spinner's end. The gloomiest part of town were the battered Mrs. Eileen Snape nee Prince and her son Severus lived with Tobias Snape. The scum of the world, Tobias Snape had a foul temper and even though he knew better than to try to harm Lily or Petunia, he was still one of the cruellest people in all of Coke-worth, England if you discounted the Dursley's. Even the kindly Primrose Evans, their mother, or Dante Evans, their father had nothing kind to say about Mason and Evangeline Dursley.
As the two walked towards Spinner's End, they noticed their ragged friend, Severus Tobias Snape, walking towards them on the other side of the street with the usual slight limp. A vestige of a former punishment, Severus had had a limp ever since they had met two years ago when Petunia had magically healed Lily's twisted ankle. Ever since, Severus had stuck by them. Petunia believed it was partially so that she could heal his wounds, and partially out of admiration for Lily.
"Sev," Lily called brightly to the limping boy, "Sev, come quick."
The boy looked up, his grimace of pain changing to a smile at her voice, and started hobbling quickly to her. A few angry drivers, honking, later and Severus Snape was right beside the two sisters.
"Yes?" came the question in his scratchy voice, one that said he'd spent the night crying as silently as possible.
"I did magic," Lily said happily, "on purpose. I made a flower bloom."
"More like revived it," Petunia muttered with a smirk. Though worried, Petunia couldn't help but be thrilled that her sister could do magic. It was one more thing the two had in common. They were both rather thin, though not truly bony, and they both could do magic.
"I knew you could do it Lily. You both are so powerful," Severus rasped out, his throat was probably sore, a smile formed on his face, "I wish I was like you guys." The silent, 'so he wouldn't bother me', wasn't needed. The mood dampened slightly before the trio started walking over to the closest park, silently, which was conveniently near the police station, the only place Tobias Snape would never go.
Deciding to end the slightly awkward silence Petunia simply said, "I learned that Hogwarts might not accept us if we're too powerful."
Lily and Severus blanched, "What?" the duo yelled in shock.
"Yeah." Petunia said with a sad sort of smile, "I found Diagon Alley a few days ago while teleporting. I found the book store Sev was talking about. Finding 'Hogwarts, a History' was the easy part. I read up until the portion of the charter were it said, 'Of those magical peoples, named sorcerers and sorceresses, whose powers are too great to count, may they be stricken from the Book of Names before their letter arrives the eve afore their eleventh anniversary of life.'" She looked at the two, "we mightn't receive letters, if they think we are too powerful."
"I'm so sorry," Severus said, frowning greatly in his disappointment, "I didn't know."
"I know, it's fine," Petunia comforted the painfully thin boy.
"What are we going to do?" Lily asked, frustrated, "I don't think it is fair that someone would be excluded like that."
"I don't know."
The next year flew by quickly, and before Petunia knew it she was already ten. In the space of a year she had learned to fly, which was harder than she thought it should have been, and to create a barrier of energy. She had also knocked all the electricity in the small suburb of Coke-worth off twice. She had decided that apparently, large bursts of magic interfere with electricity.
"Petunia," Primrose Evans called up the stairs, "We're going to the grocers, would you like to come?"
"Is Lily going?" Petunia asked her mother.
"No, she's going to the park with Severus," she replied, "I could swear the two are like twins, if only the hair was the same."
"I know what you mean," Petunia heard her father say with a chuckle, " I almost wish I could adopt him."
Petunia, shaking a fond look off her face, said, "I'll go, if only to get Lily's birthday present while she is out."
An eleven year, nine month, and thirty day old Petunia Evans, more powerful this year than the one before, sat in her bed, reading, again, as she saw an Owl flying. This would be her sister's Hogwarts admission letter, or maybe a note from Severus whose mother's singing could temporarily persuade even untrained Owls to send letters. It had been years since that day in the park and was now the height of winter, December, and none of the children knew whether the letters came directly on the eve before birth, or weeks before as it had been long since the charter was made. Eileen simply smiled lightly and told them it would be a surprise, right before handing them each some ice mice. Eileen was a fair skinned lady. High cheek bones and dark brown eyes were framed by her black locks of hair. Shockingly, Eileen was far thinner then her son, though she seemed more lively then Severus. Especially in the months leading up to Severus' Hogwarts career. Perhaps it was how her eyes shimmered with joy, or how her voice was sweeter than honey, but somehow Eileen was thriving despite her husbands cruelty.
"Mum, Dad," came the excited cry Petunia had been half expecting, "Someone important is here to see you."
Petunia teleported to the downstairs cupboard and walked out of it and into the kitchen. Standing there, in a green business suit, was a woman with black hair and grey green eyes. She appeared rather young, maybe in her mid thirties or forties, but Petunia knew that witches aged slowly. She would be around fifty.
"Good day," Began the witch, "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Interrupted her father, scepticism apparent upon his face, which bore a small frown.
"Yes, Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now please don't interrupt. As I was saying, Lily has been identified as a witch by the Book of Names and has been invited to train her magical gifts," McGonagall spoke as though annoyed at the interruption. Petunia thought she might not be used to such a thing, "At Hogwarts she will gain a well rounded education in the magical arts, such as transfiguration and charms."
"Do you have any proof?" Dante Evans asked incredulously, "You're saying magic exists, that witches and wizards exist. I want proof, or you're not going to remain here."
Petunia rolled her eyes as the witch waved a stick, causing the table to turn into a dog.
"Is this proof enough," McGonagall's icy voice cut through any retort.
"Yes," the man blanched, "It's well enough."
An awkward pause occurred as Petunia sized up the witch's magic. Using a wand as a focus, she decided, was quite possibly a crutch. Her magic never needed a wand, so it might have been a prop, but none the less it wasn't needed. Her clothes were in style for men in 1935, maybe the forties. It was a good colour on her though, so Petunia decided it might have been a hold over from earlier days. It heightened her expected age slightly. Ten year old girls didn't usually wear suits after all. It might have been her fathers, though.
"Can you tell me about magic? About sorceresses?" Lily asked, breaking the silence and the mood, even as McGonagall startled slightly.
"Witches and Wizards, dear. Sorceresses are... different," McGonagall's hesitance brought Petunia's attention to her, "Witches and Wizards use wands to affect the world. We can break the laws of physics, bend the world to our will. Sorcerers and Sorceresses are different. They hold the power to destroy the world, but also to fix it. They existed long before witches and wizards, and some say they'll exist long after."
"How might a sorceress go about getting trained," Petunia blurted out, unable to wait.
"Sorcerers and Sorceresses ask the gods for assistance," McGonagall said, thinking slowly, "I don't know anything else. The Ministry of Magic bans the existence of the higher magicians. We are required to report anyone suspected of those magical functions." The distrust in her voice was layered below pity, but Petunia heard it all the same.
Petunia blanched for seconds before the door groaned and exploded inward.
"Sorry 'bout that," called in a male voice, "I'll return it to rights before leaving." The man who walked in the door was rather young looking and short, only around five feet seven inches tall, but he had a full head of cyan hair. He was also blue and wearing rather old looking white clothes and a cloak. "Zelgadis, Sorcerer of the Guild, here to pick up one Petunia Evans of the defunct clan of Evans nee Inverse."
"Excuse me, we aren't dead," Her father said blankly.
"Sorcerer, what are you doing here?" asked McGonagall calmly.
He chuckled quietly, then answered, "Witches in a sorceresses house and you ask why the guild came. We are here to collect one Miss Petunia Evans, a Sorceress in Training. We imagine you are here to collect the witch-ling there."
McGonagall looked at Petunia with a slight pity before saying, "You should leave fast. I'll have to report this later, but I can give you a few hours to run away."
Zelgadis smiled sadly, "I understand, bound by the law as you are. May the gods have mercy upon you in the life beyond."
"As I can only hope comes to you," Minerva replied.
Zelgadis flashed the two away, the light seemingly repairing the door.
"What was that all about?" Dante Evans asked angrily, "Where is my daughter? What happened here."
"Your daughter, Petunia Evans, is a sorceress," McGonagall answered, "I must file that with the Ministry of Magic, who will possibly put a price upon her head." Dante and Primrose blanched, "I have given her a few hours to get away, but beyond that I can do nothing more. They already suspect me of having sympathy for creatures, if they find out what I'm doing here they'll send me to Azkaban."
"You mean the Prison?" Lily asked, "The one guarded by soul sucking demons."
"Soul Sucking Demons? Where exactly do you want me to send my daughter? The only one I have left apparently," Dante ground out.
"Before you get angry, they'll try to either wipe the memories of your daughter or kill her if she doesn't go to Hogwarts," Minerva McGonagall said sadly, "They'd consider her a liability at best or a threat at worst."
"So she must go," Primrose said, a golden glint in her eyes, "There isn't a choice, even if I didn't remember her, I can't want her to die. She has to go."
"But.." Dante said before seeing the glare in his wife's eyes, "Okay, but only if she is protected.
"I protect all my students with my life," Minerva said, affronted at the implication, "I won't allow harm to come to any student within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Deep in the ever present darkness, surrounded by the sea of chaos, a golden goddess smiled next to her red-haired companion, as they had done since the red head had departed her life.
"Soon my dear, you will also be upon this human world, your former world, after more than two thousand years. Are you ready? You know if there was any other way..."
The red woman sighed sadly, interrupting the deity sitting beside her upon the seas, "I know, Lucy. It is necessary." The woman sighed, "How times have changed... If one more thing can, let me be born as a man. They never took me seriously as a woman."
"If that is your wish," The golden goddess said, after a period of time, "But the world has changed much, young sorceress."
"Yes, I know... and one more thing... I don't want to have goldfish poop as my mother."
"You'd rather your sister be your mother?" After minutes the Goddess smiled at the irony of the red-headed woman, the sorceress who feared her sister would be birthed by her, "It'll be taken care of."
"Thank you, my Lord of Nightmares."
Petunia Evans and her companion, the Chimera Sorcerer Zelgadis, flashed into existence outside of a grand building. It was white marble with grand arches and columns, and it was big, bigger than any palace Petunia had seen previously. People, young and old, could be seen going about in black cloaks with hats denoting their great knowledge. Some wore modern clothing with open black trench coats, and others still wore trousers made of cotton and white shifts with jewels glowing upon them.
"Welcome," Zelgadis said after giving her time to take it in, and recover from Flashing, prodding her to walk. Flashing had never been the most uncomfortable travelling magic, that honour was reserved for flaming which was the art of Transforming into Fire and disappearing, but it did take time to walk around again after magically travelling, at least for the first three times, "To the Sorcerer's Guild Headquarters. In 1708 when the Ministry of Magic started attacking Sorcerers and Sorceresses we centralised, something unseen since over 2500 years ago when the great beast Zanaffar destroyed the first Headquarters. Come, we must get you registered to classes."
"Registered? Witches and Wizards simply take generalised classes, or so I've heard," Petunia started.
"Wizards and Witches don't know crap," Came a yell from one student walking around. Nods of agreement could be seen everywhere, "If they did they'd be able to find us in Sairaag, after all."
"Sairaag?" Petunia asked, "Where is Sairaag?"
"Sairaag ceased to exist in the human world," Zelgadis explained carefully, "we are currently in a space occupied by a magically created permanent extra-dimensional area that is patterned after the original Sairaag, with the exception that it is covering the whole of the earth's land. It is the home to almost all the sorcerers and sorceresses, except those who run the Earthside Sorcerer's Guilds."
"Why are we here and not on Earth?" Petunia asked, curiously looking around the building they were walking in. The walls were covered in murals of people and monsters. Strange symbols glowed interspersed among the paintings.
"Because wizards, for some reason or other, fear us. Their magical ability is rather low, and ours is rather high. They didn't even exist before two thousand years ago when something happened to the world. The Mazoku stopped appearing in the world of their own will, only answering summons, and chaos seemingly yielded. Concurrently elves and fae had created the faerie worlds, which was something believed impossible, and the world was at peace for a time. Then, a civilian decided to attempt create something like a demons blood talisman, an object that would increase his magical power permanently and he succeeded somewhat. Focussing stones were created first and were of great power. When implanted into the sorcerers body, he became stronger, but the stone severed his connection to the gods and demons. Thus he learned to use magic other ways. Levitations, an act that didn't require help, was his first act, and eventually other civilians followed. They gained the ability to use magic in different ways, and were cut off from the gods, and even when the new gods appeared, they didn't give them power even though they'd grant other boons." Zelgadis paused to breathe, "Eventually the stones were ingrained into their genes and though there were few a throwbacks, few sorcerers being born from them... They forgot their ancestry, that sorcery was at their beginning as had always been."
"That seems... rather ironic," Petunia breathed, "So I am a sorceress from a family of Witches and Wizards?"
"Actually you're a Sorceress from a family of Sorcerers and Sorceresses... your sister is the odd one out," Zelgadis corrected, "we didn't expect much from your line after it's powers started diminishing though."
"Diminishing?" Petunia questioned, "What is that?"
"Diminishing, the weakening of Sorcery, often happens when Sorcerers and Sorceresses marry too closely, or use magic too powerful. If they don't simply die, their bucket capacity is destroyed. A bucket capacity is the amount of mana capable of use for a single spell." Zelgadis's explanation sounded odd, but fine. "The Evans line is directly descended from Inverse, and not many were sad to see Inverse line's departing. After all, Inverse Lina was the most powerful of sorceresses, but also the most dangerous."
"Lina?"
"Lina the Pink, a powerful sorceress from before Wizardry." A shudder ran through many people, who seemed rather closer than necessary.
"What's so wrong with her that they shudder," Petunia's voice bit through the crowd who seemed to have decided they had something better to do as they walked off in an overly quick manner.
"Nothing," Zelgadis said, glaring, "She was a wonderful person, who loved and lived and died. She saved the world, the whole world, and they fear her for her power."
"How did she save the world?" Petunia asked the blue skinned sorcerer.
"She went into the sea of chaos," was the answer. "Left behind were her two children, and her husband Gourry Gabriev. They were born a month early, apparently, Gourry and I raised them. It's the reason I bothered to find you."
"That would make you..." Petunia was interrupted.
"Over 2500 years old." A new voice, attached to a blonde with startling blue eyes, said, "I'm Gourry Gabriev. I am a Chimera." The man, who she had just realised was wearing armour instead of a robe, hugged Zelgadis. He was also, for a reason she had yet to discern, rather beautiful. His skin was a normal enough colour, for all that it was closer to yellow than to peach. "Xelloss is waiting on the mirror, he wants to talk to you."
"I'll be back," Zelgadis told Petunia as he extricated himself from Gourry's embrace, "Gourry, get Petunia registered for classes." The blonde smiled at Petunia before leading her away as Zelgadis flashed off.
"Sorry about that. We're waiting for Lina to come back and Xelloss is the only one who can get information of that sort. He's a Mazoku, a demon being from the Sea of Chaos, and as such is much more informed than most. Unfortunately he can't appear upon this plane of existence easily without all the gods attacking him." Gourry smiled sadly before walking them onward towards a few hundred desks, "You see, Gods and Demons are opposite each other traditionally. Xelloss's kind had originally desired the destruction of the multi-verse as their mother, The Lord of Nightmares, desired her body back. Somehow she created a new body, and thus no longer desires thus. We have no knowledge on the possibility of this, with exception of Lina Inverse, your ancestress, having met with The LON many times."
"I see," Petunia said, ignoring the odd acronym for now and gesturing to the first desk, "I suppose this is where we shall register."
"Yeah, first desk," Gourry said, smiling as they walked, "Hello."
"Gourry Gabriev and New Student," said the woman sitting at the desk in a monotone voice. Unlike the rest of the sorcerers in the guild she was wearing a purple robe, and had a youthful face. Her eyes and hair were brown, like maple syrup, "Hello New Student, I am Roana the Purple."
"Her names Petunia Evans," Gourry said, smiling carefree.
"Class schedule?"
"Basic incantations, Theory of Magic, Words of Power and Chaos, and Shamanism. Zelgadis went to get her so that seems accurate, correct?"
"Acceptable. I shall have her in those four classes. Electives? Choose at least two."
Gourry turned to Petunia, "Enchanting, Potions, Thievery, Gods and Monsters, or Illusions?"
Petunia thought for seconds before saying, "Enchanting and Gods and Monsters."
"Acceptable." Roana said, writing upon her sheet. "I'll assume she is nearly 12 and has basic abilities that all Sorcerers and Sorceresses show as young children. Her room assignment will be Earthbase Room: Paris, France: Training Facility 3: Number 25: West Wing. Designation, Initiate... and do try not to destroy anything... please."
Petunia opened her mouth, but was flashed away by Gourry... to the middle of the Seine river.
Sputtering as she came up she glared at the soaked blonde, "What on Earth?"
"Sorry," Gourry sputtered in the dirty waters, "I have never been good at Sorcery. Even after 2000 years this is about all I learned."
"And yet you can't do it properly? What kind of Sorcerer are you?"
"The forgetful kind," Gourry shot back, "and I'm not a Sorcerer, the only reason I'm alive is because of a Chimeric experiment to return Zelgadis to what he once was. It failed, I transformed."
Petunia glanced down, abashed, before swimming out of the deep, yet slow moving, waters. "We're lucky it's not raining, otherwise we'd have drowned," Petunia said, conjuring a fire as the two got out of the river way.
"Nice fire spell. D'ya know, magic used to be all incanted? No humans could use a spell without the words," Gourry said, reminiscing upon simpler times, "So much has changed in the last 2500 years, and it all started with the elves."
Her ears perked, practically poised in a listening position, as she turned to look at him, "What started with the elves?"
"Everything," Gourry replied, "right after the death of Lina, the elves created mass and energy, a feat previously impossible. The creation of such sparked a whole new way of life for everyone, as well as the creation of wizards."
"Wizards were created out of jealousy, right? They wanted power, found a way to get it, and yet still were weaker than the average sorcerer," Petunia commented, "They used stones, which eventually became magical cores, a weaker version of bucket capacity which cut them off from the gods."
"That's pretty much it. Anyhow the elves, having created other spaces, weren't around to see it. The Fae went with the elves, and everyone knows they had a hand in it," Gourry commented lightly, "The elves and fae created what is today known as faerie lands: Avalon, Atlantis, Tir Nan Og, and more. They disallowed those weaker than their average strength, which means most wizards haven't seen any of them."
"Average strength?"
"A Magus Wizard's strength," Gourry clarified, "about a third of an initiate sorcerer, maybe a bit less... I never did get the power scale, it's so inflexible. You'll learn about it in Theory of Magic."
The two walked into the guild, Gourry disappearing before Petunia realised... I just met my own ancestor. He's alive, but Lina isn't. He's a chimera, created on accident.
"Something seems wrong."
A ginger head turned to her goddess, her constant companion for several thousand years, "You sent her to do the job, we should let her do it."
The goddess sighed, "I suppose we must, meddling with time is too annoying."
"Too annoying? For who, you or the gods you delegate the responsibility to," The redhead smirked, "anyway, I don't think anything is too off course. We should be fine as long as Luna and Naga don't get killed... and Luna falls for the right man... of course who could love that hook-nosed future sadist."
Petunia Evans, heir to the line of Inverse, was angry. It had been months since she had first arrived at the Guild training facilities in Paris, and the shock of an Inverse coming to the facility had worn off. They decided to push her. First the other students had ignored her, while the faculty had decided to be overly harsh. After that tactic failed as she hadn't reacted the students attacked her while her teachers ignored it, her only defence being the freeze arrow spell, and several of what were deemed minor tricks by the faculty. The students also tried to trash her stuff when the found she had good aim, among other things, and sabotage her homework. She'd had enough. She'd learn another spell if it killed them. That is how she ended up in the library, studying Vu Raywa, a Golem creation spell out of an ancient looking tome. That it was restricted was of no worry to her as all the instructors seemed to avoid her out of some sort of primal fear.
'Vu Raywa is the original spell of Naga the Serpent, a former companion and rival of the Inverse Sorceress.' Petunia scoffed at the veiled, and distinctly rude, naming of her ancestress, but read on, 'originally unstable, it was perfected by a Saillune royal of the same name, Gracia Ul Naga Saillune the second who was the god-daughter of Gourry Gabriev and sorceress he married. Vu Raywa summons the power of Bephimos, the earth spirit, to create a body of earth for the dragon. It then forces lower level spiritual beings to possess the body, creating a Golem of unsurpassed strength.
Before being perfected, the spell often created weak and imperfect bodies for the Golem to inhabit. Side effects of the pre-perfected spell were that the caster might suddenly lose control of the Golem, or that the spell could simply not work as planned.
This spell is one of many Naga created, including Greater Vu Vraimer, which creates golems of greater intellect, and more likely to attack it's creator.
Incantation:
Vu Raywa
'Perhaps,' Petunia thought, 'a Golem waiting for them would be a good thing. Especially one I could pawn the blame on, this early in the game... no, when they are defeated I want them to know it was truly my plan.' Grabbing a different ancient looking book from the shelf, a new looking paper fluttered out from the many pages. Detailed upon it was a spell that looked like a high level black magic.
Darkness beyond Twilight,
Crimson Beyond Blood That Flows,
Buried In The Stream Of Time Is Where Your Power Flows,
I Pledge Myself To Conquer,
All The Foes That Stand,
Before The Mighty Gift Bestowed In My Unworthy Hands,
May The Fools Who Stand Before Us Be Destroyed By The Power You and I Possess:
DRAGON SLAVE
A cursory examination of the words of power caused Petunia gasped, picking up the page and placing it into her pocket before running off to the target room. She'd need practice.
"I guess it wasn't so secret," a sly smirking figure said to a red-haired woman.
"Why, my favourite trickster priest. Have you done what I asked?" The ruby-eyed woman said, a small smug smile gracing her face.
"Of course, Dragon Slave is now in the possession of the serpent. That Spell is also Unsealed."
"Excellent." The Woman smiled, "I'll make sure you aren't punished for contacting the human world then. I should hold a little sway with those gods."
"Darkness Beyond Twilight,Crimson Beyond Blood That Flows, Buried In The Stream of Time Is Where Your Power Flows, I Pledge Myself To Conquer, All The Foes That Stand, Before The Mighty Gift Bestowed In My Unworthy Hands, May The Fools Who Stand Before Us Be Destroyed By The Power You And I Possess: DRAGON SLAVE," Petunia screamed the last two words as the spell formed in her hands, blazing a trail to the target. The target, several meters away, was an archery target made of wood. To say that it was blown up would be an understatement, nay her target was obliterated. It had been three days of practice, but her Dragon Slave was finally at average levels.
"You definitely take after Lina," Zelgadis said, having taken to showing up at random times during her practices, "she had a rather good Dragon Slave. I'm sure in time yours will only get better."
"Did she live long enough to see the creation of wizards?" Petunia asked as her legs failed her, having taken to asking a single question each time he appeared.
"She disappeared a few days previous to the creation of wizards, actually," Zelgadis replied, "it was a few years after that that Gourry became a chimera as well."
"Ah," Petunia said, turning to look at the man. He was blue, of course, and had some sort of rockish scale-like features upon his face. He was beautiful, she supposed, in an exotic way. "How did you and Gourry get together?"
"That is a hard question," The chimera stalled, obviously searching for an appropriate answer, "and one I actually don't know the answer to... It was subtle, a change after a thousand years, I suppose. We got comfortable."
"Ah," Petunia said, not really understanding. She was young and she was aware that it would take years before she truly understood. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are you here?"
Zelgadis looked a little sheepish before saying, "I noticed that a few of the brats were picking on you, and wondered if you were going to destroy them or simply scare them."
"I don't know, actually," Petunia said with a half smile as she struggled to stand up again, "This spell is far too powerful for most of them to survive, and as it is it's extremely tiring. My bucket capacity can handle it, it's my pool capacity I'm worried about. One dragon slave and I'm nearly wiped out."
"That'll be taken care of in time, with training," Zelgadis paused as though he was trying to find words. He looked towards the sky for a second before saying, "you'll be strong. Don't worry about it."
'That's kind,' Petunia thought, 'wonder if he's sick.' "What kind of chimera is Gourry anyway?"
"Part Brass Demon, and a bit of a golden dragon as well as his original self. Trust me when I say his memory has improved extremely," Zelgadis answered, as though he had expected it for a while.
"But his memory is horrible," Petunia protested, "He teleported us into the Seine River."
"That's actually an improvement. He used to not have the memory capacity for magical spells," Zelgadis commented, "In fact, even when magic became more easily usable he couldn't do it for years. Then the wizards started persecuting everyone with high bucket capacity and he had to learn to at least flash away. It only took him one hundred years to do so."
"That's far too long," Petunia said incredulously, "How did he survive?"
"I locked him in Sairaag, in a room without a door or windows, made entirely of Orihalcon."
"That's a bit too much!" Petunia exclaimed.
"It would have taken twice as long otherwise," Zelgadis revealed. "The mental need to eat or drink caused him to teleport in only one hundred years."
"You didn't feed him?" Petunia asked, almost not wanting an answer.
"Brass Demons don't require much food," Zelgadis placated, "and Golden Dragons live for thousands of years. He was fine."
"He was probably pretty pissed when he got out," Petunia prodded.
"Yes, but he got over it rather quickly. It did help strengthen his memory," Zelgadis winced slightly, "Anyway, I'll let you get back to training." A flash, mixed with a bit of wind, and Petunia was alone again.
The Golden Goddess smiled upon the world as she watched one of her creations spells cast over and over again by the Goldfish Poop. "She's getting rather good," she offered, starting the conversation.
"True enough, I suppose," The red-haired woman sighed, "I had thought that her past experience with the spell would have allowed her to get it quicker. Shinzoku knows what that knowledge is doing, sitting around and not being useful."
"Spell knowledge won't come back until she's about 13 or so, and even then she was a white magician," LON said, "and the rest will be restricted, as per protocol. She'll have impressions of having been somewhere, possible Deja Vu over a conversation but most will be out of her reach. She isn't technically a prophecy after all, neither is Luna."
"Technicality kinda sucks," The redhead said, before smugly smirking, "We could circumvent technicality... just this once... right?"
"Possibly, but if we do that then Luna could remember the truth, and we wouldn't be able to stop it. And as a Greater Goddess she'd be forced off the plane and back home," Lon pointed out.
"Fine, you win."
"Don't I always, my favourite." A fond smile, unseen by the redhead.
"Light Which Burns Beyond Crimson Flame, Let Thy Power Gather In My Hand, Lighting," Petunia chanted. It was class time, and the light spell was the focus. Light pooled from her hand as she focused on the power. 'It's internal, mostly. I can't tell where the other magic comes from though.'
"Class," The Teacher, Renee Witchelny, called, "It's time to go to your next lecture hall. Please make sure to write what kind of magic you think Lighting is. In your own words, I know every definition of Lighting in the school. Make a new one, or at least don't simply use synonyms."
"Yes Ms. Witchelny," The class chanted in time.
"Remember children, even the mightiest of magics can be learned only through the basics," With that she swept out of the room, and expected the children to go to their next lectures.
As one the class stood and started to follow, Petunia bringing up the rear as though not to be ambushed from behind.
It failed. Reddish lights burst past her hitting hard walls. She rolled.
"Barrier."
Fire stopped at her shield of light.
"You're trying to kill me," Petunia accused looking up to see a trio of girls. One blonde, the other two brunettes of varied shades.
"Not kill, just maim," the blonde claimed, flashing green eyes in a simile of a smile, "It's not as though anyone would actually care except the ancients."
"Yeah," chorused the two brunettes gleefully, mud coloured eyes flashing in hate filled glares. Flare bits appeared, knocking Petunia's barrier as they hit.
"You won't get away with this," Petunia spat out, sweat appearing on her brow from strain. She hadn't been able to eat enough earlier. They'd harassed her away from breakfast. They'd planned this.
"We won't?" the blonde asked mockingly, "I think we will." She sneered down at the girl. The blonde narrowed her brows in concentration before snapping out "Flare Arrow." Two arrows of fire blazed towards her barrier.
"Aqua Create." The arrows fizzled out in steam as water rose from the ground. Petunia turned her head slightly to see Zelgadis standing there, his anger a cloak as he glared at the girls. Upon seeing him, his anger nearly palpable, they blanched."Next time this happens, Inverse Petunia, you are allowed to use Dragon Slave."
"Yes," Petunia said, her voice cracking, acknowledging the command. The two brunette girls startled visibly before deciding to save face and sneer at the descendent of Inverse Lina.
"As for you three, I, Zelgadis the Gray, charge you with attempting to end the line of Inverse. You will be held in the Dungeon until your trials. Ending a Sorcerer's Line is a High Crime according to the Société de Sorcellerie Lois et de la Justice," Zelgadis glared, "You face at least 2 years imprisonment in The Prison of Sorcery in Sairaag and a fine paid to Inverse Petunia of at least 200 golden galleons."
"No," the girls gasped, "Please, anything but that. Not the Prison. Anything."
"You've done the crime," Zelgadis said loftily, a smirk appearing before he snapped his fingers, flashing them away. "They'll be gone until their trial. You'll have to speak there."
"Thank you," Petunia whispered, dropping to the floor as her barrier disintegrated.
"That was a rather strong Barrier," Zelgadis said, almost as consolation, "It would have lasted the Flare Arrows."
"Thank you," She whispered again, shaken from the attempt upon her life "I will get stronger."
"You should probably eat, Barrier spells are hard on people. Especially without full incantation, come to think of it," Zelgadis shook his head before turning, "Anyway, get some food and go to bed, I'll talk to your instructors."
"Thank you," She whispered, looking lost as she carried out his orders.
"Is she actually beaten?" The redhead asked with a disbelieving frown, "Where is her spirit? Where is Naga?"
The LON shrugged a bit, frowning.
Petunia's magical knowledge and pool capacity grew as the year went by, and by summer vacation had decided that she would travel to earth. Gourry and Zelgadis had a problem with that thought.
"What if the wizarding government catches you?" Gourry had questioned, and when Petunia simply flashed from one end of the room to the other Zelgadis asked, "What if they find a way to ward against it?"
To that she frowned. Turning to the wall she held out a single hand, chanting, "Earth below me, submit to my will, Dug Haut." Slamming her hand against the ground, large pillars of earth skewered the wall in front of her, an earthquake destabilized the ground. The wall fell slowly as cracks appeared upon its surface. "Is this good enough?" She asked the two, her eyes filled with accomplishment as she watched the wall fall down.
"Only for this summer," Zelgadis said, a small frown playing on his face, "Make sure you don't do anything to get into trouble. Stay only for a week or two, then come back."
"Understood, Zelgadis," Petunia said before flashing away.
Reappearing in her old room, which appeared untouched since she had last seen it, she frowned. There was a slim layer of dust on everything, as though forgotten. Her clothing was still in the basket she put it in as well, not in the closet. Nothing had changed.
Walking down the stairs she saw her mother, and her father, watching the stairs. Upon seeing her they froze. "Petunia?" Primrose Evans asked quietly, as though not quite believing it, "Petunia is that you?"
"Yes," she answered, hands raised at the ready for any surprises.
Thanks go to Gamma Cavy for a grammatical error being detected.