Title: Let it Go
Rating: T
Pairing(s): Petunia/Vernon
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 1008
Summary: Muggle!AU, Petunia comes to terms with everything regarding her sister.
Notes:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Speed drabble thread – Prompts Used –Fame, Cauldrons, Olive, Fuzzy, Government, "We need to fix this."
Twister Challenge: Write a Muggle!AU.
Het Pairing Boot Camp Challenge: Prompt – hole
As Many as You Want Competition: Prompts Used – Petunia/Vernon, January, Fork, She awoke that morning with a feeling of loss, as though something were missing, something she hadn't known she had and yet couldn't survive without., Upstairs, Snowflakes, Lily, Baby Shower, Let it Go by Idina Menzel
Petunia sighed as she adjusted her olive-colored wig before she dumped candy into the cauldron by the door. She looked over her shoulder and saw Vernon stabbing a piece of meatloaf with a fork.
She moved over to the stairs, and leaning on the banister, called upstairs, "Boys, it's almost time to go trick-or-treating,"
"We'll be down soon, mom," Dudley answered back.
"Yeah, Aunt Petunia. Just need to find my sword."
Petunia rolled her eyes and remembered how she got to this point.
It all began when she was a teenager. She and Lily were inseparable as kids. Every moment that was fuzzy and happy, it was because they were together. As they got older and their interests changed, they grew apart.
Lily was so much better at everything. She was smarter, prettier, friendlier, and more outgoing. Everyone loved her, and Petunia felt like she was only tolerated because of her little sister.
Lily would be amazing when she was an adult and Petunia found herself jealous and a bit resentful of her.
Petunia married Vernon who she loved despite the fact he wasn't the best of the best. He was a good man though and would provide for her and any children they had. She became a homemaker who would keep the house clean, cook, and take care of the children once they were born.
Lily, on the other hand, took a job with the government. A very high-paying job and married James Potter, a police officer. He dreamed of fame and fortune and had the charisma to get it. Petunia found him a bit arrogant, though.
So, Lily was even more successful with her marriage and career, another thing Petunia resented her for.
They both got pregnant around the same time, and Petunia boycotted Lily's baby shower, wanting nothing to do with it. She didn't even invite Lily to hers. As far as she was concerned, the sisters lived separate lives, no longer intersecting each other.
Petunia gave birth to a beautiful baby, Dudley. She heard from her parents that Lily gave birth to a son as well, Harry. She never even met the boy when everything changed.
She still remembered the day she found out. It was an ordinary day in January. It was beautiful day, snowflakes fluttered to the ground. She awoke that morning with a feeling of loss, as though something were missing, something she hadn't known she had and yet couldn't survive without. And she didn't know what to do with that feel nor did she like it.
That day, she got a call. Lily and James had been in a car accident the previous night. A drunk driver had rammed into them. They had died before they made it to the hospital. Thankfully, baby Harry had been home with his godfather.
Petunia felt like she had a hole in her heart, and she felt it would swallow her up if she allowed it to, so she pushed away the sudden urge she had to cry.
Normally, the godfather – a man Petunia only vaguely knew as James Potter's best friend – would unquestionably be given custody, but he admitted that he couldn't take care of a baby full time, and he was still enjoying the bachelor's life. It was decided that Petunia should take Harry until custody was sorted out.
Petunia didn't want to, but it wasn't Harry's fault, and who knew what would happen if she refused to take the boy into her home. They set up a portable crib in Dudley's room. No reason to have them in separate rooms.
Vernon was a regular doting uncle. He knew of the problems Petunia had with her family, but the baby was adorable and shouldn't be punished because of the sisters' estrangement.
Finally, Vernon got sick of watching his wife ignore the child while she fussed over Dudley. Harry might not remember it when he was older, but it also might affect him negatively, and no child should feel like a burden.
That night, after a bout of lovemaking, Vernon said, "We need to fix this."
"Fix what?" Petunia asked quietly even though she knew what he was talking about.
"You need to let your resentment of your sister go. She's dead, but you can't punish her son for what you feel were wrongs she did to you. Let it go." He annunciated the last three words, hoping she'd understand.
"I can't."
"Why?" Vernon asked as he held her in gentle arms.
"Because I will never get my sister back. I wasted all of our time resenting her for being herself. I never got to make things right and now it's too late."
"It's not too late for Harry, though. He lost both of his parents and his godfather is unable to give him a good home."
Petunia nodded. She sat up, put a dressing gown on, and left the bed.
Vernon didn't have to wonder for long where she had gone, because over the baby monitor, he heard Petunia talking to both boys, not just Dudley. It wasn't much, but it was progress. When she came back to bed after a few minutes, he didn't make a big deal out of it which he knew she appreciated.
The next morning, Petunia said, "I want to put in a bid for custody of Harry."
Vernon smiled. And like they say, the rest was history.
Now, almost eight years later, the four of them were a family. Petunia still missed her sister and regretted that she never had a chance to make amends, but at least she knew she was doing right by her nephew, her sister's son.
When the boys came down, Dudley dressed as a boxer and Harry as a pirate, both kissed Vernon on the cheek goodbye and followed Petunia out of the door. They had a night of trick-or-treating ahead of them, and she massaged her temples, just thinking about the sugar highs she and Vernon would have to deal with. Oh well, it was only one night a year.