Petunia waked up to the sound of a small cry in her doorstep. She always had been an early person, sometimes waking before the sun, even when she worked outside (before Dudley, and the news that she could never had another child, because her uterus was damaged beyond repair. It seems to be the right decision to enjoy her only son's childhood).
The sweet cry was obviously a baby (and where nothing like the annoying screams of her adorable Duddykins). She jumped out of bed, not even careful enough to not wake up Vernon, and ran down the stairs like she was a teenager again, her blonde hair in a mess of waves behind she, and her barefoot feet avoiding the toys all around the house.
She slides by the rug, and with shaking hands ("Maybe my wish has finally been heard? Maybe this is the little girl I longed for so long? Maybe someone out there is looking for me, after all"), she unlocked the door.
Wrapped in a nest of warm colorful blankets, was a baby exactly like her sister. It didn't remember, nothing at all, her father (he was a quite remarkable man, and she had only saw her brother-in-law one before). A letter was clutched in her small hands. Her. It was a girl. Her niece.
Still shocked, she picked up the letter, reading it numbly. Her loved Lily was dead, and she didn't have the chance to say goodbye or sorry for all that past years in their childhood.
But, in her front, was her chance of redemption. Her niece, Cassiopeia. Her niece, and now, she knew, her daughter too. Lily putted that child into the world, a small blessing for her sister. And she would create the baby like her own, would raise it like the Lady she would be, the powerful woman that need only herself.
She knew Vernon would do anything for her, including take this child (and, on the depths of his heart, he wanted a daughter of his own too).
Picking the girl in her arms, and hugging her next to her chest, feeling the soft beats of her hearts, her small hands clutching her hair, the green eyes looking right back into the woman's souls. She knew. She knew right then and there that no harm would come to this child, and the baby would be someday the most intelligent, powerful and beautiful witch that the idiot wizard kind would ever see.
She climbed the stairs, and saw, on top of it, her husband. He was starting to gain a few pounds, and in held no resemblance to the muscled quarterback she met on Battersea College of Technology. His once strong jaw gave place to layers and layers of fatness, because, in majority, of his bad habits and horrible turns in Grunnings.
Her husband sleepy face changed into a wide-eye look in mere minutes. Vernon was not dumb, despite the appearances. He figured out. The red hair wasn't common, neither that bright, full of power, green color in the child's eyes.
- We are going to keep her. – Petunia said, with a firm tone that didn't admit arguments – Cassiopeia is my sister's, my deceased sister, only heir and prole. She doesn't have anybody in this world or in her parents', and I will not drop her elsewhere. – After she sees her husband still not convinced face, she continues - This baby is getting Dudley second room, after a good reform. You know that I've always wanted a daughter, Vernon. And deep down, you want one too.
- She is not one of these… freaks, is she?
A loud clap was heard, and then Vernon's left cheek had a red mark with a delicate hand shape.
- Don't dare call my sister a freak, or her prole, or any of her associates. She was killed trying to stop a madman to kill all people who doesn't have a magical lineage, and I suppose that means lordship, and are magical themselves. This girl, Vernon, this baby in my arms, is the only survivor of more than one lineage, the only survivor from a MASSACRE.
The man looked taken back, and Petunia put her hand in her mouth noting that she had just shouted the last word, high enough for anybody in the street to hear. So, the woman shook her head slightly, and walked to their room, putting the girl, who had a curious look in her face (Cassiopeia wasn't familiar with screams), in the bed and going to Dudley's room: The boy had just started crying.
Passing by her astonished husband in her way to her son's bedroom, she scowled.
- And no harm should come above her, and no prejudice. Neither any lessening or bad habit. She will be a perfect lady, and a woman of her own. If you try anything Vernon, if you even ever look her in a wrong way, I will ask for divorce, and you know that this house is mine, and the law will be on my side about Dudley's guardianship.
To say the man was scared, if not a bit angry, was an understatement.
(Six Years Later)
Cassiopeia is now eight years old. Her hair, filled with her magic, was now almost touching her thighs, soft curls making it look angelical. Petunia never had cut it, because in Lily's journals, founded in the attic during her search for more information, there was a passage about a wizard pure blood custom that said the magic of a witch resided in her hair, and it was a sign of nobility and power never cut them.
The older woman also knew that the wizard world was full of bigotry and hate, if the scowls that she received at Lily's marriage meant anything. Maybe a sign of the "old ways" (and a lot of etiquette and basic lessons about their world) would make them more favorable to a "half-blood" (and why the books in Lily's old trunk talk about people like they were horses?)
She was a smart girl, and knew how to read and write already, with a pen and a quill (her aunt make sure that was so).
Petunia was teaching her (and trying with Dudley) how to behave while eating, how to be a good hostess, how to sit and talk (and make a mask to cover her deepest secrets, manipulate the words and discover things without it being too obvious, but that lessons were not spoken out loud). Cassy was in piano, harp and singing classes, and her aunt was planning to put her in flute or violin this year (maybe even the oboe, although it wasn't the usual instrument for a lady).
She was also in several dance classes (waltz and ballet), and with the money send to take care of her, Petunia payed not only a good primary school, but all this private lessons too.
This year, the blond woman also would be sure to put her into swimming classes, and running team. While that was happening, she was teaching her, the best she could, about the magical world.
Lily didn't leave a lot of books, but she did leave all her stuff until third year, introductory books for muggle-borns, and rests of potion's kits, quills, parchment and ink. She leaved a lot of journals too, with instructions and detailed descriptions about Diagonal Alley, Hogwarts, Gringots and Hogsmeade.
The redhead also left a lot of moving pictures, an entire album. Some of them showed (a lot of times by accident) a group of four boys, one that Petunia recognized as James, and another who share some, to not say a lot, of similarities with Cassy, and if the older woman wasn't wrong, was the best-man of her parents, and two sand haired man. The taller had scars in his face, while the shorter looked a bit scrawny, and constantly afraid. The caption in the pictures usually said "James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, Marauders".
Also featured a lot of pictures with Lily in her red and golden robes [the four-house system looked a bit prejudiced. Petunia wondered whether separating children by such adult characteristics (many of them still would not have developed such traits at age eleven) made them into caricatures].
The boy who was often by her side used green and silver robes (the woman was not at all surprised that Lily had seen through the layers of rivalry based on… well, based on the rivalry of two old, dead and buried mans), and she remembered him from the neighborhood. He was the one to tell Lily everything about magic. The tag above his pictures were named with "Severus Snape, best friend extraordinaire and half-blood prince", often with a date too, or at less a year.
In the pictures, often other people appeared: a girl with a pixie-like hair who always appeared with a studious looking guy ("Alice and Frank, it took you long enough!); a slightly older redhead couple ("Prefects Molly and Arthur, they will be great parents someday"); three or four years' older twins ("The Prewett Twins, seventh years and up to something"); a blond couple, with greyish blue eyes ("Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy, they don't see too prejudiced"); a girl with curly black hair and violet eyes hugging a brown haired older teenager girl, a bored looking younger boy in the middle of them. The blond girl and the best-man of James were there too ("Sirius gave me when I asked about his family. Narcissa Black, Andromeda Black, Bellatrix Black, Regulus Black and himself"); another blond couple was featured, with a brown haired boy always smiling in between and the older teenager from Sirius' family ("The best of friends: Ted Tonks, Andromeda Black, Xenophilius Lovegood and Pandora Malfoy. I bet Lucius and Bellatrix aren't happy with the developments").
Petunia snapped out of her thoughts as heavy footsteps came from the stairs. Behind them, lighter and smooth small steps followed.
- Good Morning Mom! – The voice of her son was too high, and he was getting fat, like his father. She repressed herself of correct the child in front of Cassy, or Dudley could get envious of her.
Cassiopeia Heather Potter was everything Dudley Dursley wasn't. She was polite, tidy, refined and always talked in an audible, paused and educated tone. She dedicated herself to learn and practice. Have just a few friends, maybe, because she was advanced for her pairs. That didn't make her depressed or repressed, she played like any normal child, and laugh with the same cartoons that Dudley.
- Good Morning Aunt Petunia – Said the girl. Unlike Dudley, who was in his pajamas and slippers, she had showered up and was dressed in a blue summer dress, a white ribbon avoiding that her hair obscures her face. A pair of perfectly polished black patent-leather shoes matched the short white socks, and on her neck, a blue medallion that once belonged to her maternal grandmother hangs.
She never taught the redhead to call her mom. It seemed to be disrespectful to Lily's memory.
- Good morning darlings. Sit down, the breakfast will be ready in minutes. What are you going to do today? – It was Sunday, neither of them had class, so, if their homework was finished, they could do whatever they want, if they didn't leave the neighborhood.
- I´m going to read, and practice some ballet in Chandler's house. Duke and McNamara will be there too, and maybe Veronica. Then maybe we will watch some Disney' movies. – Cassy smiled to her aunt, while Petunia put some eggs with toast and jam in her plate.
- All these girls named Heather, I´m sure they will form a powerful trio someday. – The three Heathers were daughters of rich man, and lived near there in big houses. They were as close as sisters, Chandler being the obvious leader. They, and Veronica Sawyer, had ballet classes with Cass, and she was like an unofficial Heather too, seeing her second name was, indeed, Heather. – And you Duddykins?
- Mum, don't call me Duddykins! – She laughed briefly to his protest, and a soft laughter was hide by the sound of orange juice being carefully dropped in a cup – I´m going to play videogames with Polkins!
Mentally, Petunia scowled a bit at her son's choice of acquaintances, but again, didn't say anything.
- And Cassy, we are going to have a talk about your piano's teacher hair. - There was a smirk in the face of the girl, but even Petunia couldn't help but think that the old grumpy lady did deserve the blue hair.
And as the days past by, Dudley turned even more like his father, and Cassiopeia could be confunded with a pureblood witch, the perfect lady. Petunia loved them both, but grew closer to the girl, teaching her anything that could help her. Vernon in most ignored the girl, and praised at his son with fury.
It was Cassiopeia birthday. Her cousin had been five weeks ago, and he had won a lot of gifts, about fifteen. She knew what was coming for her, too, like every year (they coudn't really hide anything from her).
Her hair now was in the middle of her thighs, and her skin was smoother and whiter (she didn't like sun). To the grand day, she was dressed with a purple summer dress, white silk short gloves and socks, a pair of velvety black shoes, with low heels. A white lace secured her hair in the base of her head, something she learned from the Little Mermaid, her favorite Disney movie (even, after memorizing all her mom's books by heart, she knew that mermaids were nothing like that).
She knew she would receive ten luxury dresses of her aunt (five for summer, five for winter), more gloves and socks and shoes and ribbons, made of fur, velvet and leather. She had seen the beautiful fur black coat her aunt bought in the name of her uncle (with his money, too). Also, she would receive a pet (probably a magical one, when she receive her letter). She saw books too, and a kit of make up with a big hair brush.
And, yes, after all, the Hogwarts letter. Her introduce to this new world (although her aunt didn't have problems teaching her, she didn't want to enter the place who reject her and risk feel envy of her niece).
When she entered the living room and saw the owl, she smiled.
And this is the start of our story.
