Sorry for this boring filler, and thank you to Kalabaw Crap for reviewing.
Thanks to Kalabaw Crap, Absolian, ShuTheDragon, and drainey940 for following.
"What are you doing here?" Lily was sitting upright in her bed, frowning. Petunia was afraid to say anything, but since she had Lily all by herself, she thought she might give apologizing a try.
"I came to wake you up." She went quiet, waiting for a reaction from the younger girl. Lily delivered,
"Why? So you can torment me in private? I don't know what your problem is, but you can stop taking it out on me!"
"Can I apologize?" It was worth a shot.
"You called me a freak Petunia! You made me feel awful for just being who I was. You're supposed to protect me, stop people from bullying me! Not bully me yourself. And then when I finally make a friend who's like me, who can help me understand and feel better about myself, you can't accept that. And it's not like I didn't try to help you. To connect with you. I wrote you letters and sent you presents and parcels, but you just pushed me away! When I came home, I hoped it was just a mistake. That maybe your coldness over the Christmas holidays was just a fluke. Then you told me you wished I would die. My own sister!" Lily was crying now, and Petunia wasn't far off herself, "I looked up to you Petunia. I loved you. You've hurt me so much and I don't even know why. I don't think an apology is going to fix anything."
Petunia winced at her sister's words. They were right, no matter how hard Petunia wished they weren't, and that was exactly what made them so hurtful. In her pain and jealousy, she had done exactly to Lily what she thought her parents had been doing to her. Had they even been neglecting her? Or was it all just in her head? Petunia didn't know, but she did know that she had to do whatever it took to gain back her sister's trust and love. So she tried again,
"I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, Lily. I do love you, you're my sister. I was just jealous and I let my pain take over me. I'm-"
Petunia was cut off as Lily shoved her out of the way and stormed into the hallway. She followed her sister silently as she walked across the hall and into their parents' room. When she went storming in, and went storming out, Petunia guessed that she'd discovered that their parents were awake. After that, Lily went downstairs, and Petunia followed her right to the sitting room where her mum and dad were still sitting silently. Lily's anger had evidently finally gotten the better of her, as she shouted,
"What is she doing in my room, waking me up at this hour?" Her parents remained calm and collected despite Lily's temper. If it had been Petunia yelling… well… she preferred not to think about that. Petunia watched as her mother met her sister's eyes and smiled warmly,
"I asked her to wake you."
"Why?!"
"I figured I'd make us some breakfast then we'd all head down to purchase your supplies for the year." Could her mum have been any vaguer? Petunia knew that her mum was using the term 'your' collectively, but Lily obviously did not. Hence why she asked,
"Does she have to come?" with a pointed look at Petunia. Their mother, not catching onto the fact that Lily didn't know, (she must have assumed that Petunia would tell Lily that she was a witch when she woke her up) merely chuckled and said,
"Well of course she does, don't be silly." At this, Lily walked out. Her footsteps could be heard fading as she walked up the stairs. Petunia's mother, cheery as anything, simply pursed her lips and stood up,
"Well, I suppose I should get started now, shouldn't I?" She walked out of the room and Petunia could hear her rummaging around in the cupboards. With nothing else to do, Petunia decided that this was as good a time as any to look at the letters that she had hidden from her parents. She slipped away and up the stairs to her room. Once she made sure nobody was coming into or, at the very least, walking past her room, she pulled out the letters and began to read. The first piece of parchment was nothing more than a supply list:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Requirements:
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
sets of plain work robes (black)
plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)
winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
The second letter was written on a shorter piece of paper and it seemed a bit more personalized than the other two:
Dear Ms Evans,
We hope you are dealing with the discovery of your powers well. The staff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry notes that because of your age and blood-status, your case is very sensitive, and if you are so inclined, you may choose to take part in tutoring sessions with the Deputy Headmistress. These lessons would take place during the remainder of the summer and for the duration of the school year, weekends included. This is if you wish to begin the term in the same year as your age group. If you choose not to, you may enter as a first year. We await your owl no later than July 31. It may be sent with your acceptance letter.
Sincerely,
The Staff at Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Petunia looked up, her mind whirling around. She hadn't considered the fact that she would be the eldest of her peers. They'd be 11, and she'd be 13 going on 14. By the time she graduated, she'd be an adult and they'd all be teens. But… her magic wasn't strong by any means. Even with all the tutoring and magic help, she still might not have enough power. Even if she practiced all summer… she'd still have missed years. It would probably be safer just to enter as a first year. Old as she may be. Besides, she'd always been a bit short for her age.
Petunia spent about 10 minutes carefully considering the pros and cons of each option until she ultimately decided that entering as a first-year would help make her magic stronger. She hoped. When she had finally decided, Petunia got a piece of paper from her desk drawer and composed a reply. While she was at it, she also wrote a reply to her acceptance letter. She'd kill two birds with one stone.
Petunia was just putting the finishing touches on her letters, and reminding herself to get an envelope from her father's study when a voice a rang out from behind her,
"Mum says it's time for breakfast." Petunia jumped, and in an attempt to cover, looked up and smiled as if nothing had happened,
"Thanks." Petunia stood up to join her in walking downstairs, but not before hiding her letters under some clutter. She didn't know why she did it, but she chalked it up to not wanting Lily to know yet. Petunia was tempted to attempt an apology to Lily again, but she knew it was a horrible idea. She'd have to give Lily some time. Or maybe she could prepare a huge gesture, like buying Lily something to make it up to her…
When they got to the kitchen table, she sat down at her place and waited while her mum fixed her food and while her dad sat down. The breakfast was nothing special, just some sausage and eggs. But it was made more special by the fact that after they'd finished, she'd be getting a wand!
The breakfast was silent and awkward. Usually, they'd talk, or, Lily and her parents would talk while she would listen. Instead of paying attention to anybody else, Petunia spent the entirety of the meal thinking about what she could do to make it up to Lily beside being kind and apologizing profusely. When she finished eating, Petunia asked if she could be excused. When her mother consented, Petunia decided to go ahead and get prepared for their trip to Diagon Alley. She'd been there before when Lily had gone to pick up her supplies for her first year. It had been astonishingly amazing, and Petunia had enough allowance that she was sure she'd be able to buy her sister something when they went. She couldn't wait to go again. To just see all the different shops and people. Petunia thought about the alley as she hurriedly picked out and put on a dress before rushing to the bathroom to brush her hair. As per usual, she jumped a bit when she saw her hair. She'd had it for months, but for some reason, she always expected the blond she used to have. She began slowly brushing hair out of her face and pulled it into a low ponytail. On her way out of the bathroom, she bumped into Lily who glared at her before shoving past her and slamming the bathroom door. Petunia simply walked to her room, picked up her list, and rummaged around for her money and her coin-purse. Once she had determined that she had everything that she needed, Petunia headed downstairs to wait. Soon, she'd be a part of the Wizarding world.