Petunia Dursley had just finished clearing away the
breakfast dishes when she heard her doorball ring.
"I'm coming," she yelled loudly. She ran to the door and opened it. When
she saw who stood behind the door, she slammed it. What was Sophie Richard
doing here at her house? She hadn't seen her since high school. And seeing
her now was certainly not a good thing. What would her neighbors think if
they knew about Sophie? Forget the neighbors;what about Vernon and Dudley?
Sophie knocked again.
Petunia began to chew her fingernails in nervous contemplation about how she should handle her unwelcomed visitor. After about ten seconds, it came to her. She would simply tell her that she didn't know who she was. No, that would be a completely stupid. thing for her to do She would just have to be mature about this. Petunia would invite Sophie in, and she would explain to her how she felt about people like her.
Petunia opened the door and prepared to speak, but Sophie interrupted her with" is everything okay? If you need me to, I can come at another time."
"Oh, certainly not"Petunia said before realizing that she'd spoken aloud.
"I know that it has been quite a long time, and you probably don't remember me, but it's me, Sophie. We were best friends at boarding school. I spotted you a couple of days ago at the market, but obviously you didn't recognize me."
"Er--yes, Sophie. Now I remember"Petunia lied. Oh gee, this was really going great. She couldn't bring herself to be rude to Sophie, so she invited her in.
"Come in, Sophie. I've just put away the breakfast things so all I can do right now is offer you tea or coffee, if you'd prefer it" she said.She certainly didn't feel like herself today. Why was she being so polite to this woman? She knew that she had to get rid of her, but she couldn't figure out for the life of her why she couldn't do it. She prepared the tea hoping that maybe Sophie would just go away on her own. Yes, that was it. She and Sophie would have tea, and she'd leave.
"I must say that you have one of the loveliest homes I've ever seen, Petunia. It's so immaculate . I suppose you still practice the old charm , ey"Sophie said teasingly.
"Oh, no. I've left all that behind a long time ago and traded it in for something much better, my husband Vernon and our son Dudley"she said motioning towards pictures of Vernon and Dudley.
"Oh my, the lad takes after his father. You seem to have a wonderful family. I'm a widow myself. I've got one daughter Estelle,"Sophie said pulling a picture from her wallet which showed a pretty brown haired girl whose eyes were blue like cornflowers. The girl wore a pink jumper and a pair of slacks. She seemed normal enough.
"What have you been up to all these years,Sophie"?Petunia asked now interested in her visitor.
"I'm a court reporter. It's pretty routine work, but something's got to pay the bills since my husband Bruce died"she said,
"Oh, yes. I imagine that it must be so hard for you being without him"Petunia said touchingly.
"Yeah, I miss him . He was common too, like your Vernon.I never told him about myself.I thought it best so as not to scare him off" she said.
"That was a good idea. Normal 'is' better"Petunia agreed. Hearing Sophiesay this made Petunia feel more comfortable about her visitor as each minute in their conversation passed.
"Petunia, does you sister still live on the other side"?Sophie asked not realizing that Petunia bit her lip which now bled slightly.
"Oh, no. Lily passed on in 1981. She was killed by a criminal who paid her and her family a vengeful visit"Petunia found herself confessing.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to force an uncomfrotable subject upon you. Please, accept my deepest apologies"Sophie said seeing Petunia's expression.
"It's not like you knew" Petunia remarked.
The back door opened and Harry came in returning from his grocery errand.
"Oh, no.Please, don't let it be him.Not now ,of all times,"Petunia whispered to herself."Please, excuse me ,Sophie."
"What are you doing back so soon"?
"It only takes thirty minutes to get to the market and back"Harry responded.
"Is everything okay, Petunia"?Sophie called.
"Who is that"?Harry asked
"None of your business. Don't you have to be somewhere or something"?
"No, Aunt Petunia"Harry yelled to taunt his aunt by announcing his presence.
"You have a nephew, Petunia"Sophie said pleasantly.
"Um--yes, Sophie. This is Lily's son Harry."
"My, if you don't have your mother's eyes. It's so nice to see that Lily left her mark on the world."
"It's nice to make your acquaintance, Ms.---"
"Mrs. Hargrove, and it's the same here, lad. I went to alternative school with your Aunt Petunia. Do you take alternative instruction,Harry"?
"In a manner of speaking, yes ma'am. I do"Harry answered looking around at an uneasy Petunia wondering what Mrs. Hargrove meant when she used the word 'alternative'.
"At which school do you practice the arts"?
Petunia's heart raced frantically. She knew that it was too late to try and redirect the conversation.
"The arts,ma'am"?
"Yes, you know arcane studies."
"Oh, 'magic'"Harry commented empahtically hoping to see Petunia cringe, which she did when she heard him use the forbidden 'm' word.
"I go to Hogwarts like both my parents did"he said.
"My aren't you the lucky one. Two special parents. Your aunt, and I attended Cackles Academy together in Canada. Since your mother was invited to study magic at Hogwarts,your grand parents didn't want your aunt to feel left out.I too had a magical sibling, a brother Alan who got selected when I didn't. I remember when Petunia and I first met, we went to an orientation to attempt enrollment.
"Excuse me,Mrs. Hargrove, but what do you mean by 'attempt', ma'am"?Harry asked trying to understand.
"Oh, at Cackles, when a student without magic requests enrollment, she goes through a screening. She enters a maze in the courtyard of the academy presents an offering to a statue of Terpsichore which has special powers. Now the offering is a display of talent which could be anything from a poem, a song that is either sung or played , a display of brainpower, or handmade craft. Should the statue be pleased with the offering, then the girl is endowed with magic. If the statue is not amused, then the girl cannot be enrolled. Your aunt presented the muse with a lovely green sweater trimmed with lace. I wrote a poem."
"Aunt Petunia and magic"Harry commented teasingly as he stroked his raised chin .
"I'll bet your cousin Dudley's quite a wizard. Petunia was quite a witch."
"Oh, don't be shy, Petunia . You outdid everyone. She was the top of the class at graduation. I've also heard that Lily was quite something at magic too. I always envied the Evans family, especially when my mum compared my brother and me to them and their scholastic excellence. Alan and I were average students. Petunia's showed her best effort when she won a Potions Fair Award for inventing a solution that repelled dirt and scuff marks on house surfaces for three months. I tell you, Petunia was a domestic genius and still is from the looks of things. I still have yet to meet anyone who can best her touch with food. Of course, I don't need to tell you that. You know first hand. I still remember her pastry spell.Let's see---okay, I've got it Crustus Spongificus Tenderatum."
At those words, a plate of scones and puff pasty tarts had appeared. Harry had never seen such delectables in his life. He knew that had Dudley been present, he would have gobbled down the entire plate by this time. He looked at his aunt who looked embarrassed almost to the point of tears.
"Very good, Aunt Petunia,"Harry teased smiling evilly at her.
"I don't like to brag. Plus, living as I do I must remain discreet," she said glaring at Harry.
"Of course, Petunia dear. I understand.As I said earlier, my husband didn't know either."
Mrs. Hargrove then looked at her watch and said" Oh my, look at the time.I can't believe that forty-five minutes have just passed that quickly. I really must get going, my daughter's bus from Cackles should be arriving soon, and I've been sitting here all this time gadding on. As you can see, Petunia, I've never outgrown my old habit of trivializing and ignoring matters of priority. Forgive me for rushing .It really was nice visiting with you .Thanks for letting me stop by. "
"No problem. Let me show you out, Sophie"Petunia said.
Harry could tell by her face that she was ready to be rid of this stranger who had let her secrets out of the closet, so-to-speak.
"No need. I'll show myself out. Bye,dear."Mrs. Hargrove opened the door, gave one last goodbye, then closed the door behind her.
"Thank goodness"Petunia said rolling her eyes in relief."You are not to breathe a word of this to anybody. Do you understand me, boy"?she said animately rounding on Harry.
"Yes,Aunt Petunia" Harry retorted cooly as he rubbed his fingernails against his shirt and blew the particles from under them.
"I have worked very hard to keep my life as perfectly normal as I could. I'll not let an upbringing steeped in freakish abnormality spoil it"she said nodding her head to emphasize her point.
"Oh--"she sighed "how could you understand? You've never met someone you love with all your heart,someone that you'd do anything for. "Anything---- say,pretending to be someting you're not"Harry said . She could tell that he wanted to drill her for more details, so she said "I know that you have no reason to oblige me for my treatment of you, but I beg you to consider the fact that Vernon is our sole source of income and support. We have no choice but to conform to his wishes. He hates all abnormality. Please try to understand this. When I met him I wanted nothing more in the world than to be with him from that moment on. Lily didn't have to hide. She and James were the same;they had each other to cling to after father died and mother sank intoa state of despondent reclusion. Don't you see?A life with Vernon meant a life of happiness." After a moment Harry said "You know, I almost feel sorry for you;because, you go on day after day living this farce. It is amusing to find that after all these years of trying to make me feel as if I didn't exist that it was always you who didn't exist. " "Promise me that you won't tell anybody about me"?she asked her the tone of her voice betraying her need to grasp the slightest bit of hope. "Don't worry, I won't; you've made a jail that surrounds you with iron bars made of lies. It's more suffocating than the one that you and Uncle Vernon force me to live in. I leave you peacefully to rot in it," and with that Harry went out the back door leaving his crying aunt behind him in a cold silence that lasted until Vernon returned after picking up Dudley from Smeltings . "Hullo, dear"Vernon said pecking her cheek. "Evening,darling, and there's my Diddy" she said running to hug her blushing son." Was your trip okay"? "Traffic was rough. They had to clear away a seven car wreck. I tell you, if it's not one thing, its another. What's for dinner dear"? Petunia forgot that she didn't cook and hurriedly said" Oh, of course,forgive me for being so silly. Today's been a lilttle hectic for me too. We're having roast beef in onion gravy, mashed potatoes, and carrots. I know that they're your favorite, Vernon.Let me go and get them. She ran to the kitchen, turned to see if anyone had been watching then turned her back and used her finger to motion whispering a few nonsense words under her breath.A puff of smoke jetted from her finger then a second later, the oven timer rang. "Well what do you know, ready just in time. I thought that it would take a wee bit longer;because, the meat was still a little frozen when I through it in. Get ready, here it comes" She opened the oven and removed the roast from the oven with the mittens she grabbed off the counter and brought it to the table. Next, she brought the dishes that contained the carrots and the potatoes, then finished off by bringing the gravy boat to the table. Petunia proceeded to serve her husband and son when Harry re-entered the house through the back door in the kitchen. Both Petunia's and his eyes met as would the eyes of two lions who were preparing to engage in battle. "Close the door ,boy.Petunia, I must say that this is the best that dinner's ever tasted, I wonder why I didn't smell it when I came in. I must have been too tired from driving all that way to have noticed anything, I guess," Vernon said chuckling. "I guess so"she agreed also chuckling.
Sophie knocked again.
Petunia began to chew her fingernails in nervous contemplation about how she should handle her unwelcomed visitor. After about ten seconds, it came to her. She would simply tell her that she didn't know who she was. No, that would be a completely stupid. thing for her to do She would just have to be mature about this. Petunia would invite Sophie in, and she would explain to her how she felt about people like her.
Petunia opened the door and prepared to speak, but Sophie interrupted her with" is everything okay? If you need me to, I can come at another time."
"Oh, certainly not"Petunia said before realizing that she'd spoken aloud.
"I know that it has been quite a long time, and you probably don't remember me, but it's me, Sophie. We were best friends at boarding school. I spotted you a couple of days ago at the market, but obviously you didn't recognize me."
"Er--yes, Sophie. Now I remember"Petunia lied. Oh gee, this was really going great. She couldn't bring herself to be rude to Sophie, so she invited her in.
"Come in, Sophie. I've just put away the breakfast things so all I can do right now is offer you tea or coffee, if you'd prefer it" she said.She certainly didn't feel like herself today. Why was she being so polite to this woman? She knew that she had to get rid of her, but she couldn't figure out for the life of her why she couldn't do it. She prepared the tea hoping that maybe Sophie would just go away on her own. Yes, that was it. She and Sophie would have tea, and she'd leave.
"I must say that you have one of the loveliest homes I've ever seen, Petunia. It's so immaculate . I suppose you still practice the old charm , ey"Sophie said teasingly.
"Oh, no. I've left all that behind a long time ago and traded it in for something much better, my husband Vernon and our son Dudley"she said motioning towards pictures of Vernon and Dudley.
"Oh my, the lad takes after his father. You seem to have a wonderful family. I'm a widow myself. I've got one daughter Estelle,"Sophie said pulling a picture from her wallet which showed a pretty brown haired girl whose eyes were blue like cornflowers. The girl wore a pink jumper and a pair of slacks. She seemed normal enough.
"What have you been up to all these years,Sophie"?Petunia asked now interested in her visitor.
"I'm a court reporter. It's pretty routine work, but something's got to pay the bills since my husband Bruce died"she said,
"Oh, yes. I imagine that it must be so hard for you being without him"Petunia said touchingly.
"Yeah, I miss him . He was common too, like your Vernon.I never told him about myself.I thought it best so as not to scare him off" she said.
"That was a good idea. Normal 'is' better"Petunia agreed. Hearing Sophiesay this made Petunia feel more comfortable about her visitor as each minute in their conversation passed.
"Petunia, does you sister still live on the other side"?Sophie asked not realizing that Petunia bit her lip which now bled slightly.
"Oh, no. Lily passed on in 1981. She was killed by a criminal who paid her and her family a vengeful visit"Petunia found herself confessing.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to force an uncomfrotable subject upon you. Please, accept my deepest apologies"Sophie said seeing Petunia's expression.
"It's not like you knew" Petunia remarked.
The back door opened and Harry came in returning from his grocery errand.
"Oh, no.Please, don't let it be him.Not now ,of all times,"Petunia whispered to herself."Please, excuse me ,Sophie."
"What are you doing back so soon"?
"It only takes thirty minutes to get to the market and back"Harry responded.
"Is everything okay, Petunia"?Sophie called.
"Who is that"?Harry asked
"None of your business. Don't you have to be somewhere or something"?
"No, Aunt Petunia"Harry yelled to taunt his aunt by announcing his presence.
"You have a nephew, Petunia"Sophie said pleasantly.
"Um--yes, Sophie. This is Lily's son Harry."
"My, if you don't have your mother's eyes. It's so nice to see that Lily left her mark on the world."
"It's nice to make your acquaintance, Ms.---"
"Mrs. Hargrove, and it's the same here, lad. I went to alternative school with your Aunt Petunia. Do you take alternative instruction,Harry"?
"In a manner of speaking, yes ma'am. I do"Harry answered looking around at an uneasy Petunia wondering what Mrs. Hargrove meant when she used the word 'alternative'.
"At which school do you practice the arts"?
Petunia's heart raced frantically. She knew that it was too late to try and redirect the conversation.
"The arts,ma'am"?
"Yes, you know arcane studies."
"Oh, 'magic'"Harry commented empahtically hoping to see Petunia cringe, which she did when she heard him use the forbidden 'm' word.
"I go to Hogwarts like both my parents did"he said.
"My aren't you the lucky one. Two special parents. Your aunt, and I attended Cackles Academy together in Canada. Since your mother was invited to study magic at Hogwarts,your grand parents didn't want your aunt to feel left out.I too had a magical sibling, a brother Alan who got selected when I didn't. I remember when Petunia and I first met, we went to an orientation to attempt enrollment.
"Excuse me,Mrs. Hargrove, but what do you mean by 'attempt', ma'am"?Harry asked trying to understand.
"Oh, at Cackles, when a student without magic requests enrollment, she goes through a screening. She enters a maze in the courtyard of the academy presents an offering to a statue of Terpsichore which has special powers. Now the offering is a display of talent which could be anything from a poem, a song that is either sung or played , a display of brainpower, or handmade craft. Should the statue be pleased with the offering, then the girl is endowed with magic. If the statue is not amused, then the girl cannot be enrolled. Your aunt presented the muse with a lovely green sweater trimmed with lace. I wrote a poem."
"Aunt Petunia and magic"Harry commented teasingly as he stroked his raised chin .
"I'll bet your cousin Dudley's quite a wizard. Petunia was quite a witch."
"Oh, don't be shy, Petunia . You outdid everyone. She was the top of the class at graduation. I've also heard that Lily was quite something at magic too. I always envied the Evans family, especially when my mum compared my brother and me to them and their scholastic excellence. Alan and I were average students. Petunia's showed her best effort when she won a Potions Fair Award for inventing a solution that repelled dirt and scuff marks on house surfaces for three months. I tell you, Petunia was a domestic genius and still is from the looks of things. I still have yet to meet anyone who can best her touch with food. Of course, I don't need to tell you that. You know first hand. I still remember her pastry spell.Let's see---okay, I've got it Crustus Spongificus Tenderatum."
At those words, a plate of scones and puff pasty tarts had appeared. Harry had never seen such delectables in his life. He knew that had Dudley been present, he would have gobbled down the entire plate by this time. He looked at his aunt who looked embarrassed almost to the point of tears.
"Very good, Aunt Petunia,"Harry teased smiling evilly at her.
"I don't like to brag. Plus, living as I do I must remain discreet," she said glaring at Harry.
"Of course, Petunia dear. I understand.As I said earlier, my husband didn't know either."
Mrs. Hargrove then looked at her watch and said" Oh my, look at the time.I can't believe that forty-five minutes have just passed that quickly. I really must get going, my daughter's bus from Cackles should be arriving soon, and I've been sitting here all this time gadding on. As you can see, Petunia, I've never outgrown my old habit of trivializing and ignoring matters of priority. Forgive me for rushing .It really was nice visiting with you .Thanks for letting me stop by. "
"No problem. Let me show you out, Sophie"Petunia said.
Harry could tell by her face that she was ready to be rid of this stranger who had let her secrets out of the closet, so-to-speak.
"No need. I'll show myself out. Bye,dear."Mrs. Hargrove opened the door, gave one last goodbye, then closed the door behind her.
"Thank goodness"Petunia said rolling her eyes in relief."You are not to breathe a word of this to anybody. Do you understand me, boy"?she said animately rounding on Harry.
"Yes,Aunt Petunia" Harry retorted cooly as he rubbed his fingernails against his shirt and blew the particles from under them.
"I have worked very hard to keep my life as perfectly normal as I could. I'll not let an upbringing steeped in freakish abnormality spoil it"she said nodding her head to emphasize her point.
"Oh--"she sighed "how could you understand? You've never met someone you love with all your heart,someone that you'd do anything for. "Anything---- say,pretending to be someting you're not"Harry said . She could tell that he wanted to drill her for more details, so she said "I know that you have no reason to oblige me for my treatment of you, but I beg you to consider the fact that Vernon is our sole source of income and support. We have no choice but to conform to his wishes. He hates all abnormality. Please try to understand this. When I met him I wanted nothing more in the world than to be with him from that moment on. Lily didn't have to hide. She and James were the same;they had each other to cling to after father died and mother sank intoa state of despondent reclusion. Don't you see?A life with Vernon meant a life of happiness." After a moment Harry said "You know, I almost feel sorry for you;because, you go on day after day living this farce. It is amusing to find that after all these years of trying to make me feel as if I didn't exist that it was always you who didn't exist. " "Promise me that you won't tell anybody about me"?she asked her the tone of her voice betraying her need to grasp the slightest bit of hope. "Don't worry, I won't; you've made a jail that surrounds you with iron bars made of lies. It's more suffocating than the one that you and Uncle Vernon force me to live in. I leave you peacefully to rot in it," and with that Harry went out the back door leaving his crying aunt behind him in a cold silence that lasted until Vernon returned after picking up Dudley from Smeltings . "Hullo, dear"Vernon said pecking her cheek. "Evening,darling, and there's my Diddy" she said running to hug her blushing son." Was your trip okay"? "Traffic was rough. They had to clear away a seven car wreck. I tell you, if it's not one thing, its another. What's for dinner dear"? Petunia forgot that she didn't cook and hurriedly said" Oh, of course,forgive me for being so silly. Today's been a lilttle hectic for me too. We're having roast beef in onion gravy, mashed potatoes, and carrots. I know that they're your favorite, Vernon.Let me go and get them. She ran to the kitchen, turned to see if anyone had been watching then turned her back and used her finger to motion whispering a few nonsense words under her breath.A puff of smoke jetted from her finger then a second later, the oven timer rang. "Well what do you know, ready just in time. I thought that it would take a wee bit longer;because, the meat was still a little frozen when I through it in. Get ready, here it comes" She opened the oven and removed the roast from the oven with the mittens she grabbed off the counter and brought it to the table. Next, she brought the dishes that contained the carrots and the potatoes, then finished off by bringing the gravy boat to the table. Petunia proceeded to serve her husband and son when Harry re-entered the house through the back door in the kitchen. Both Petunia's and his eyes met as would the eyes of two lions who were preparing to engage in battle. "Close the door ,boy.Petunia, I must say that this is the best that dinner's ever tasted, I wonder why I didn't smell it when I came in. I must have been too tired from driving all that way to have noticed anything, I guess," Vernon said chuckling. "I guess so"she agreed also chuckling.