As usual, Petunia woke up well before anyone else in the house. Mornings were Petunia's favorite part of the day. For an hour or so depending on when the baby woke she could relax and pretend everything in her life was what she'd always hoped it would be. Later there would be so many demands on her time, so many chances to make costly mistakes. Petunia was still unsure what had happened last night. Why had Vernon asked so many questions about her sister? And, why hadn't this resulted in punishment? Petunia could only guess that she'd given the right responses expressed the proper horror and disdain to let her escape being punished.
Petunia hoped this wasn't a new game Vernon had concocted. Vernon didn't have many opportunities to punish her now. She had learned how to avoid just about every pitfall. Occasionally he made up an excuse regarding her cooking but even those were becoming harder to make believable as Petunia had blossomed into a superb cook.
However horrible Vernon might be, he had, so far, always tied his outbursts to a specific issue. Random acts of violence did not seem to fall into way of living. Petunia was grateful for that. But last night's questions made her wonder if he wasn't going to try entrapping her into a comment or act he could use as an excuse. She didn't this though.
Pouring herself a mug of coffee Petunia finally knew why Mum had liked that first coffee in the morning, it made getting up after only a few hours of sleep almost acceptable. Petunia headed out to get the morning newspaper...she would carefully refold it and replace it before Vernon got up. He didn't approve of her keeping up with the news. Of course, he would want her to go get the paper, but he wanted to be the one who read it.
Coming back in, humming under her breath, Petunia saw something odd. A basket sitting next to her door. Odd. She hadn't been expecting a delivery. Peering in she was stunned to see a small child asleep. His head was injured. An envelope stuck up from the blankets.
Setting her mug down on the porch, Petunia found her hands were shaking as she opened the envelope.
Dear
Mrs. Dursley, It is my unfortunate duty to tell you that your
sister, Lily Evans Potter, and her husband, James Potter, are dead.
They were killed by Lord Voldemort, the wizard who is also suspected
of having killed your parents. For reasons I do not fully
understand, this child, your nephew Harry, survived the attack that
killed his parents. He is, as you might imagine, in mortal
peril. Lord Voldemort does not take kindly to people surviving his
attacks. While it appears that Lord Voldemort has, for the moment,
vanished, I do not believe that will true for long. Voldemort is not
a wizard to be easily defeated. I believe he will return and he will
try once again to kill Harry. I am sure that you will want to
raise Harry and treat him as one of your own. I want to assure you
that as long as you provide a home for Harry, your family will be
safe. Voldemort will not be able to find your home as he found your
parents'. This home, as long as Harry can call it his, will be safe
and when he is here, Harry will be safe. I have invoked an ancient
magic to make this happen. Should Harry choose to leave you, or you
for some reason decide not to provide him a home, I am afraid my
magic will cease to protect any of you. I believe you know
how to call for an owl should you need to contact me. I recall you
sent many letters to one of our students when your sister attended
Hogwarts. Please know that I am always available should you have any
concerns. Your most humble and grateful servant, Albus
Dumbledore
Headmaster
Hogwarts School of Magic
Petunia sat on the porch stunned. Lily was dead. Her husband…Petunia hadn't even gone to the wedding much less met the man…was dead. And THIS was their son...this was the Harry Potter Vernon had been asking about last night. Her nephew.
Petunia wiped tears away thinking about how much of Lily's life she had missed. She reached out a hand, pulling the blankets aside to see the face of the sleeping baby. She wound on his head looked painful. It had the odd shape of a lightening bolt. She thought how sad it was that he would never know his parents.
Suddenly the horrible reality of her situation hit Petunia. What would she say to Vernon? What could she say? She couldn't send the boy away. She had cut all her ties with Lily because of a magical potion. It hadn't been Lily's fault, but it was Lily who was hurt. She hadn't even been able to comfort Lily or take comfort from Lily when their parents were killed. So much had gone wrong in her life, Petunia was determined not to let this opportunity slip by her. She would raise Lily's child as her own. She knew it would be difficult, that Vernon would be awful, but she also knew she had to do it.
She re-read the letter, thinking that there was something in it she could use with Vernon. Something that would diffuse his anger and make him see that she did nothing wrong here, that her thoughts were only for the betterment of him and his son. Yes. It was there. It was subtle and it would depend on Vernon believing that the magic was real, but it was there.
". This home, as long as Harry can call it his, will be safe and when he is here, Harry will be safe. I have invoked an ancient magic to make this happen. Should Harry choose to leave you, or you "for some reason decide not to provide him a home, I am afraid my magic will cease to protect any of you. "
If they cast the boy out, their house might suffer the same fate as her parents. Inwardly, Petunia said a small "Thank You" to this Albus Dumbledore for being so clear.
Petunia took a few breaths to calm herself then rose, she trotted away to put the newspaper back in it's normal place midway up the walk. Vernon was impressed with the accuracy of the paper boy, often commenting that he had the makings of a good English worker...Vernon would be stunned to learn that, in reality, the paper was often under the car or lodged in the fence. It was just that Petunia always returned it to the same point midway up the walk. She picked up her coffee mug and downed the now tepid liquid in a three swallows...It was no problem to hold the empty mug while lifting the basket.
She brought Harry into the house and set his basket on the kitchen table. So far, there were no other sounds in the house. Dudley was still asleep. He might well sleep for another few hours. Dudley did little but sleep and eat. Even at this age he seemed to be asleep for 20 hours out of each day. The other four being spent eating, dirtying diapers and refusing to do what Petunia asked.
Reaching into the basket, Petunia lifted the baby out. He seemed so much smaller than Dudley had ever seemed. He stirred and mewed...she pulled him to her, tears streaming down her cheeks. Lily's son. Petunia lost herself in the moment until she heard the unmistakable sound of the shower running.
Vernon was awake.
Petunia steeled herself for this performance. She had gotten good at appealing to Vernon's ego. It would be a stretch to make the current state of affairs seem like something for which he could take credit, but Petunia had found Vernon was willing to stretch credibility quite thin if it meant viewing himself as superior to others.
Vernon pushed open the kitchen door to find Petunia clutching a too small baby, a dingy basket and a piece of what looked like parchment on the kitchen table.
"What in bloody hell is going on!" Vernon switched instantly to angry mode. Others might tip toe up on a situation and try to "make nice" but Vernon had found that to be a waste of time. Satisfactory answers only came after he got angry with people so why not just do it immediately and save all the bother?
"Oh, Vernon! You were right!" Petunia hastily put the baby in the basket and snatched up the parchment, holding it out to Vernon. "You were right! Yesterday when you said something odd was going on and you thought it might be about my sister! You were right!"
"'Course I was right!" Vernon's expression was an odd mix of arrogance and confusion.
Petunia pressed on. "Lily's dead!" She was unable to keep her voice from catching as the reality of what those words meant was now inescapable.
"What do you mean, Lily's dead?"
"She's dead! She and her husband were killed by the person who killed my parents! Here, read this! It's all here!" Petunia pushed the parchment into Vernon's hand, jabbing at the critical paragraph with a bony finger.
Vernon gazed at the parchment, his mouth silently formed words as he read. When he'd finished the part about them being protected if the kept the child, Petunia barged in.
"Read that part again, Vernon! What does that mean?"
This time, Vernon read the words out loud.
" This home, as long as Harry can call it his, will be safe and when he is here, Harry will be safe. I have invoked an ancient magic to make this happen. Should Harry choose to leave you, or you "for some reason decide not to provide him a home, I am afraid my magic will cease to protect any of you. "
"It's some kind of bloody blackmail it is! They can't do that!"
"What do you mean, blackmail?"
"This man is threatening us! He's saying we have to take this baby or our house will be destroyed with us in it, isn't he?"
Petunia took a couple of breaths, collecting her thoughts. This was almost the reaction she hoped for, but she had to make him see that they couldn't fight it.
"Blackmail? Should we go to the police? I mean….do they handle things like this? Would they take it seriously?"
Vernon had given up any pretence of looking arrogant and had settled quite firmly on a look of utter confusion.
"No, of course we can't go to the police! Can you imagine what they would say? Look…" Vernon decided to do something he never did, ask Petunia her opinion about something important.
"What do you think, Petunia? You know more about these people than I do. Do we believe what this Albania Dumbledoof says? Do we have to keep this…this… boy?"
"You didn't go with me to see what was left of my parents' house, Vernon. It was gone. Everything. Not a scrap of wood, not a bit of floor tile. Gone. It couldn't have just been "weather"…it couldn't."
"Alright, I understand that, it was those people your sister was with, I get that."
"No, Vernon, it wasn't the people she was with, it was people she was fighting. Don't you see? The letter says that the same person killed Lily as killed our parents. We can't let that happen here, to us…to Dudley."
"And you think this Albania person is on the same side as your sister? That she can protect us?"
"Yes, Vernon, I do. I remember hearing that name before. I think it's a man and he's the head of that school, see…it says "Headmaster" in the letter."
"But you think he can protect us?"
Petunia took a breath. They had never discussed magic and what it could do before. Since the potion had worn off, they had both pretended it had never happened.
"Yes, Vernon, I do. Powerful wizards can do things with magic that seem impossible. I do believe he can protect us."
Vernon seemed undecided. He slowly read back over the letter.
"Here, what does he mean you know how to summon an owl?"
"Yes, um, well…" Petunia looked down, hoping that looking properly frightened now would keep Vernon from becoming angry with her. "Well, that's how they communicate. By owl. Sort of like carrier pigeons. I sometimes needed to send things, you know. To Lily."
Vernon read that part of the letter again, thinking it didn't sound like Lily had been the recipient of Petunia's letters. Should he ask her? Vernon was pretty sure he knew to whom Petunia had been writing. If he asked her and she confirmed it, that would just open up the issue of how she ended up married to him in the first place.
"Yes, well…quite… If you're sure, Petunia.." He looked at her questioningly. She responded with a few rapid bobs of her head. "Then I suppose we have no choice but to keep the boy."
Petunia stopped herself from thanking Vernon. If he thought she was happy about this decision, he might well change his mind. "If you think that's best Vernon, then of course, that's what we have to do."
At that moment, a squawking noise signaled to the world that Dudley Dursley had awakened. Petunia looked toward the sound and then back to the basket. Vernon growled ominously before Petunia dashed for the nursery, leaving Harry sleeping peacefully in the basket.
Petunia made sure not to skimp on preparing Dudley for his day. She dressed him in the blue sailor suit Vernon had told her to buy. Barely a week old, the suit was already starting to be a tight fit. Petunia had to take extra care to get every bit of his nappy tucked into the pants. One thing Vernon never tolerated was seeing a bit of a nappy peaking out of his son's pants. Carrying Dudley into the kitchen, Petunia noticed how much heavier he felt than Harry. Yet, she knew that they were almost the same age. Lily had sent Petunia a card announcing the birth. Petunia had not replied, sending the owl off as quickly as she could and running the card down the disposal before Vernon could get back from the office.
"Here's Daddy's little man!" she forced herself to say with something resembling joy.
Vernon appeared to have spent the time staring at Harry in the basket. He looked up and gave a smile though at the sight of his son. Fine boy. Strong and healthy, not like that scrawny rat of a boy in the basket.
"Here's my Dudders!" Vernon hefted the large child out of Petunia's arms and gave him a big hug while she pulled a high chair from the corner.
"Let's just get you started on breakfast!" Vernon said, lowering the boy into the chair. The chair hardly seemed meant for such a healthy child. Vernon made a note to write the manufacturer a letter complaining that his son had outgrown their silly product in only a few months. Meanwhile, he'd have to get Petunia to find a more suitable chair for his son.
After Petunia had set Dudley up with a bottle of milk and bowl of cereal—which he quickly discovered were much more interesting as projectiles than food—she gave a glance at the basket and then looked at Vernon.
"I suppose there's room in the nursery for Harry?"
Vernon's nostril's flared dangerously.
She tried again… "Or the guest room, perhaps?" A low growl seemed to be coming from somewhere in Vernon's chest. "Or, not…I, uh…I suppose we'll find a place he can stay, then, won't we?"
"I will find him a suitable place. Understand something, Petunia, we may be forced to keep this child in order to protect ourselves, but he is never to be treated as an equal to our own son. I will not have you wasting time or money on this boy that should go to our son. Am I clear?"
"Yes, of course, Vernon, very clear. It will be like he's not even here."
"See that it is!"
At that moment a fairly loud cry announced to the world that Harry James Potter was awake. Vernon looked startled then immediately remembered to look angry. Petunia picked up the basket and gave a sniff.
"He'll need to be changed. I'll just take him then if you wouldn't mind watching Dudders for a bit."
Vernon glared. "I'm not a babysitter, Petunia, you hurry back here before Dudley needs anything else!"
Petunia rushed off to the nursery. She hurriedly dealt with the dirty nappy and got Harry cleaned up and ready in record time. Scurrying back into the kitchen with the basket, Petunia was happy to find that Vernon was helping himself to a cup of coffee while Dudley threw cereal across the room with one hand and hungrily sucking down his bottle with the other.
Placing the basket so it faced Dudley, Petunia pulled out another bottle and filled it up for Harry. She had no idea if he'd ever had milk before and she recalled the doctor making quite a fuss when Vernon had insisted it was time to give up nonsense like baby formula and start Dudley on regular milk. Still, she had no choice and hoped that the sudden change—if it was a change—wouldn't harm Harry.
Prying Dudley's bottle away for a quick refill—during which time he discovered the cereal was also edible—she then turned to Vernon.
"Now, Vernon, what can I get you for breakfast?"
Vernon had a distinct smirk on his face as he said "Toast and a 2 minute egg, Petunia, and tomorrow, please have my breakfast waiting when I come down. I am far to busy a man to be waiting around while you tend to babies."
Vernon felt quite strongly that while this turn of events was unpleasant in the extreme, it offered other rewards. It seemed unlikely that Petunia could adjust quickly enough to her new situation without his discipline. Yes, yes, there could be quite a few rewards in having Petunia try this juggling act.
Petunia set about preparing breakfast with similar, if less gleeful, thoughts. She had, in the space of an hour, become mother to twins. Twice the diapers, twice the feedings, twice the number of things to keep out of Vernon's way.
Surprisingly, the adjustments to routine came fairly quickly. Vernon had called from the office the first day to tell Petunia he had decided Harry could live in the cupboard under the stairs. Petunia—he said—was to clear space out today so the boy could sleep there tonight. Vernon made it quite clear that nothing was to be thrown out and nothing was to turn up in the spare bedroom. Petunia would simply have to re-arrange things.
