A/N: Any prompts and challenges used are listed at the bottom. Enjoy
Word Count: 500 words
The Fall
It had started off slow.
'A slow burn,' Petunia had thought to herself as she fell in love, tumbling head over heels down the rabbit hole that became their affair.
When had it started? Even Petunia wasn't sure. Was it the days and days of driving, living in hotels, sharing close quarters? She would go outside, desperate for fresh air and a escape from Vernon who seemed to be constantly furious and Dudley who seemed to be constantly uneasy, and Hestia would accompany her. That was when they had started talking, was that when Petunia had first noticed the colour of her eyes? The way the creases around her mouth deepened as she smiled?
When had Petunia first considered Hestia's silhouette, what it would feel like to have those long fingers caressing her skin.
Her kind words soothed Petunia in a way that Vernon never had. Sometimes, late at night, when her thoughts betrayed her, whispering dark memories filled with regrets, her nephew and countless missed opportunities, Petunia wondered if she was with Hestia just to spite Vernon. She had considered having affairs before, when she first learnt about his dalliances with secretaries and other women — but Petunia had never acted on any of her feelings of anger. Now, all she felt was desire and comfort with Hestia. How Vernon might feel about it never really crossed her mind when they were together, hidden away from any outsiders who might wish to pry.
But it was Hestia who soothed her panic attacks and wiped away the tears. It was her lover that she clung too at the edge of an abyss, not her husband.
He had never laughed with her until they cried, finishing a bottle of wine, lit only by candlelight. Life with him had been all about control. He controlled her and she controlled everything else, to stop the despair, the regret, the free falling panic.
Hestia was a safety net.
Petunia felt loved and cared for in ways she'd assumed only swooning heroines did. It was another woman's lips she came to crave after they moved and Hestia came to live next door — for their own protection.
When her late night fantasies had become reality it had been Hestia who had made the first move.
Five months later and the affair was still smouldering. Petunia had dared to say 'I love you' that evening and meant it for the first time in decades.
Hestia was safety, an oasis of calm in a world darkened by looming danger. Petunia wasn't sure if she was good enough for the woman she loved, but as they fell asleep in each other's arms, she let herself hope. She let herself fall, deeper and deeper in love with a woman whose life she could never share. They were a witch and a muggle, trapped within a world at war, surrounded by prejudices and bad decisions waiting to be made — and yet Petunia held Hestia tighter and let herself dream.
A/N: This was written for:
- The Pairing the Character Challenge for Week Seven
- Hogwarts: Divination - Tea Leaves with the additional prompt: a bottle of wine.
