Chapter 3: Spring and Sprout
So began a sick sort of obsession for Petunia Evans- she took to following her little sister to the park, and, feeling very sly and clever with herself, listening to the habitual conversations between Lily and Severus Snape. It was a practice that walked a fine line between absolutely loathing herself for doing it, and, at the same time, desperate to learn more about this wonderfully romantic world of adventure, magic, and mystery.
Late winter turned into spring, and normal flowers began to bloom, although Lily's wildflowers had progressed into large flower beds wherever she went. Try as though she might, Petunia, for the life of her could, was unable to have even a weed sprout up in her wake. As for her mother and father, Petunia personally believed that the both of them had gotten soft in old age at a staggering 42, and 46, respectively. She had never seen any other grown up so excited and enthralled at childish tricks, and, to her absolute horror, watched as they not only did not admonish Lily from her freak skills, but encouraged it with a childlike wonder and glee.
Lily flourished in her refined skills, and now, had moved from flora onto fauna. She took to keeping small critters in her beds, whispering to them, training them to her liking, and had managed to have several doves to swoop in through the school house rafters, and land spectacularly in front of her and her silly friends, and promptly became the celebrity of the classroom.
So Petunia fumed and sulked and snarled at any poor classmate who was foolish enough to question her about her sister, while entirely and completely not being envious in any way shape or form of her baby sister. Petunia did not get jealous, and she certainly did not get jealous of her mental sister that had flowers follow her.
By May, Petunia had given up even bothering to be sly about eavesdropping, although she suspected Lily didn't mind. She waited for a bit after Lily skipped out the door, then crammed shoes on her feet and rushed out the door to follow her. She had timed it just so that the flower trail had begun to sink back down into the claylike soil. It was a lovely day; the sun warming the ground, and a gentle breeze rippled through the lush grass.
She found her sister and companion at their usual meeting spot, by the river, and scuttled behind the tree.
"How are things at your house?" She heard Lily's voice first.
A pause. "Fine." Snape's voice certainly didn't seem 'fine', but Petunia doubted Lily would pick up on that.
Her sister tried again. "They're not arguing anymore?" Petunia shifted ever so slightly, crunching some leaves.
"Oh yes, they're arguing," Snape said dismissively. "But it won't be that long, and I'll be gone." Suddenly, Petunia felt uncomfortable, intrusive. Just as quickly, she shrugged the feeling off.
"-Like anything, much," she caught the end of Snape's reply to something Lily had said.
"Severus?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell me about the dementors again." Petunia felt the tension drop like a ball, and almost taste the boy's relief. What were d-dementors?
"What d'you want to know about them for?"
"If I use magic outside school-" Lily's panic and worry was palpable.
"They wouldn't give you to dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff," Petunia couldn't help but imagine a magical police running around with flowers trailing after him, like Lily, and forced down a chuckle. "-Guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too-," Snape stopped abruptly, and this time Petunia could not help but snicker. That oddball fancied her sister. How perfectly pathetic.
She stepped backwards, having heard enough. Her foot caught on the root, and she tripped into view of her sister and friend.
"Tuney!" Lily beamed, but her companion glared at Petunia with such a hatred, she wondered what on earth she could have done wrong.
"Who's spying now?" Snape yelled, "What d'you want?" Petunia froze, a deer in the headlights, and glanced around for a proper rebuttal. Her eyes latched onto his… His… Was that a shirt?
"What is that you're wearing anyway," she gestured to the odd smock like thing. "Your mum's blouse?" It was a low blow, even for her.
Crack. A tree limb hurtled towards her, and caught on her shoulder, catching her by surprise. The pain and shock made her stumble backwards, and, embarrassed, she burst into tears and ran away from the both of the freaks. Only freaks could do that. Cause people pain and humiliation. She was halfway back to the house when Lily caught up to her.
"Tuney!" She didn't bother turning around, now furious at her sister. "Tuney!" Lily caught her arm.
"Leave me alone," Her older sister snapped. "Go run back to your stupid little boyfriend to- to Hogwarts, why don't you?" Lily took the jab in stride, and remained latched onto Tuney's wrist.
"Tuney, I'm so sorry, Severus just got upset, and it was wrong, and I'm so sorry-," she took a deep breath, "I told him that it was horrible of him to do that, and I think he feels sorry now, I really do, he's a lovely boy, really, just shy is all…" She rambled on.
"Whatever," Petunia muttered, no longer mad.
"Is your shoulder all right?"
"I can feel a bruise forming…" And just like that, sisters were friends once more, as they headed back into their house, laughing about the visual impression of the dementors Petunia had had.
Their mother stepped out of the kitchen. "Girls, we have a guest." Something was up; their mum's face had never looked so pale.
"Mummy-?" Lily gasped as a woman, short and round stepped out. She had the look of someone who had just wrestled one too many weeds in a garden, grubby and covered in dirt. She had a grandmotherly, pleasant feeling about her, but the air of someone who was just the tiniest bit mad. But all of this was extraordinarily normal compared to the mahogany stick tucked behind her ear, surrounded by a cloud of graying brown hair, occasionally emitting yellow and black sparks.
Mrs. Evans took a deep breath. "Lily, Petunia, this is Pomona Sprout. She's a- a teacher at the Hogwarts School of- ah- Witchcraft and Wizardry. It appears we have a-a witch in the family."
Pomona Sprout smiled genially. "So lovely to meet you, dears. Can I steal Lily away for a chat? You are welcome to join, of course, Petunia."
She brandished a fat envelope bearing a red seal, and emerald ink announcing Miss Lily Evans, Shared Bedroom, Spinner's End. "We have a lot to talk about."
