Quidditch League, Season 5, Round 11

Prompt: CHASER 1: Write about losing someone/thing on a windy day(s) OR winning someone/thing on a rainy night(s).

Additional prompts: 2. (emotion) bitterness; 6. (sound) sobbing; 13. (phrase) walking down the road

Words: 1315

Disclaimer: Thank you to J.K.R. for allowing her wonderful characters to populate my world. CoC/AU

Things in Common

The last person that Harry Potter expected to see at the funeral of Severus Snape was his Aunt Petunia, but there she was. The day was blustery and the chill in the air felt more like autumn than early summer. The only reason he recognized her was the wind had blown the veil up slightly revealing her face. He was not even sure how she had found her way onto the grounds of Hogwarts, but there she was sitting on one of the benches in the last row surrounding the grave.

The grave was near that of Dumbledore, but in contrast the crypt was made of black onyx instead of the pure white marble of his predecessor. It had taken the Wizengamot nearly six weeks to completely clear the former Headmaster and spy of all charges against him. The Governors of Hogwarts had taken another three weeks to decide whether to allow him to be buried on the grounds near the other Headmasters and Headmistresses that were not buried with their own families. Professor McGonagall had finally won the argument by stating that he had no family except Hogwarts.

Now Petunia Dursley was here and sitting amongst the mourners. There were considerably fewer mourners than there had been for Headmaster Dumbledore, but then again nobody in recent memory had as many mourners as he had. She looked slightly out of place in her muggle mourning garb, but only slightly. The black dress, gloves and hat with veil were not that different from black robes and hat with veil. Nobody paid much attention except to ask those seated near them in a hushed whisper who the lady was. When they lowered the coffin into the grave she was seen daubing her eyes with a white handkerchief edged with black embroidery. Just before the grave was closed she rose and made her way forward. In one hand she held a large bouquet of white lilies and in the other a posy of forget-me-nots. Sobbing she tossed the posy onto the coffin, then she laid the lilies at the head of the coffin. Without a word she turned and went to her seat. Harry knew the meaning of the lilies, but was surprised at the forget-me-nots.

After the service ended and the grave was closed, Harry moved to her side and offered his arm to escort her into the Great Hall for the reception. Petunia was startled, but silently took it.

"Before we go inside, would you like to walk with me around the grounds?" he asked.

Petunia nodded. Silently they walked near the Dark Lake then toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They then moved on up the path toward the greenhouses. Neither of them talking, but both communicating in the unspoken language of sorrow. At last they neared the entryway and she spoke. "You know that I can see it."

"No, I didn't know," Harry replied. "I was wondering how you came to be here."

"They told us he had died during the final battle when they came to move us home," Petunia began. "I pulled Hestia Jones aside and asked if I could come when they had services because I had known him in my childhood. She notified me of the services and I caught the train from King's Cross."

"I'm not sure I understand," Harry said. "Can you see any of this?"

"Oh, yes! I've always been able to see it," she replied. "I just cannot do anything about it. Professor Dumbledore explained it to me in my letter."

"He wrote you a letter that Mother and Snape read," Harry prompted. "I know that from his memories."

"Yes, I wanted to go to school here just like Severus and Lily, but Dumbledore explained that I could not because I was a squib. He said that I could see things like the Leaky Calderon and the entrance to the train, but could never perform magic. He said that some squibs performed valuable tasks and the caretaker of Hogwarts was a squib. I was just so angry and jealous to be left behind that I couldn't enjoy Lily's good fortune. The bitterness ate at me to where I could never be kind to you. I'm sorry I was so terrible."

They continued to walk in the courtyard. It was as though a floodgate had opened and Petunia continued to talk. "Severus and Lily would sometimes let me tag along, but then they would start doing magic and push me away. I was never a part of their world, though I wanted to be so badly. I'm sure it seems strange to you, but other than you he was the last living person I knew that also knew Lily. Knowing that Severus was alive and teaching was comforting to me. It was a weird touchstone, but I always listened for you to mention him when you talked to your friends. The first time was alarming because you seemed to hate him nearly as much as I did, yet you also seemed to respect him."

"That makes a crazy kind of sense. Does Uncle Vernon know that you're a squib?"

"Heavens, no! I'd be dead before the dust settled if he had an inkling. I think Dudley might suspect. Living with the others in the safe house last year may have given it away to him, but Vernon's prejudices didn't allow him to see beyond the end of his nose."

"Did you tell anyone you were coming here today?" Harry asked.

"Well, I told them that I was going to a funeral out of town. I said it was someone I knew from school in Cokeworth, which isn't a lie. I traveled up yesterday and will go back tomorrow. It was kind of nice to be on the train alone with my thoughts. Hestia was able to exchange pounds for galleons, so I could pay the train fare and for the room and food at the Three Broomsticks. She's around here with other members of the Order. We'll catch up later. Would you like to join me for breakfast before I catch the train home? My room is quite comfortable, and the food is good."

"Speaking of food, shall we go in to the reception?" he invited. "Have you been inside yet?"

"When we came up before the services, she took me in and introduced me to Professor McGonagall," Petunia replied. "It really is amazing to see the ruined parts and those that have been repaired. It is so much like the buildings that were bombed during the war."

Harry chucked, "In a way it was bombed during a war. It wasn't just the kind of war muggles think about."

He escorted his aunt into the building, then played host introducing her to his friends and instructors. He filled her plate and sat with her at the end of the Gryffindor table. They discussed his time here. As people came and went they chatted about how each was doing. Being gone for a year everyone wanted to get caught up with Harry. Some were friendly with his aunt, but most presented a chilly front. All were confused as to why she would come for Severus Snape's funeral.

After a while they rose and headed toward Hogsmeade. The carriages were near the gate, but Harry and Petunia walked down the road toward town. Once more they walked in silence. Each one deep in their thoughts about the day and the man they had once known.

"If I had it to do over, I would try to be nicer to him. I was mean when we were children," Petunia mused.

"I was thinking the same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"I really gave him a hard time. If I had it to do over, I, too, would try to be nicer to him. I was mean when I was a child."