Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the characters, except for the hospital staff which are mine.


Soliloquy

Petunia Dursley lay in her hospital bed waiting for them to come and take her into surgery. She stared at the ceiling and thought about how she had come here.

"I wonder how I got here."

"I was smart and did well in school. I earned better grades in primary school that Lily. Why did I want her life so badly?"

"I took my A levels and have and AVCE certificate. That's how I got that job in the secretarial pool at Grunnings. I did a good job there and would have been made supervisor if I hadn't quit work to marry Vernon. My performance appraisals were always Exceeds Expectations or Outstanding."

"I kept the house clean and tidy. The meals were always on time, healthy and tasty. Dudley was well taken care of and Harry was taken in and given a room and food. They were always clean. Even though Harry wore Dudley's hand-me-downs, they were clean as well."

"I prepared wonderful meals for Vernon's clients. I was a good hostess. I allowed Vernon's sister to come visit whenever she wished. I did not complain when she brought the dogs."

"Why do I feel like I have no life without Vernon? Why does it feel like I am missing something? Why do I need for him to tell me what to do and when? How am I going to live once the war is over and I have no home to return to? I have no money. How will I survive? How will I take care of Dudley?"

"Oh, my god! I have totally forgotten about him since Vernon left! I have been so selfish."

"Is Dudley learning anything this year? Weren't they supposed to be tutoring him? What will he do after this is all over? Can he take his A levels? What kind of job does he want? I don't even know what my boy is interested in? Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Mrs. Dursley, are you doing okay?" A man in scrubs came in and looked at the chart. "I am Doctor James and I will be administering the anesthesia." He jotted something down and asked, "Do you have any questions?"

Petunia shook her head.

"Sister will be right here to give you a jab," he said. "You will be sleepy by the time you reach the operating room where they will remove the dead skin from your hand. It should not take long and I will be by your side for the whole procedure. The next time you are here you will have been through recovery also." He looked at the frail woman on the gurney. "Since you are going to have your right hand operated on, we will be doing the anesthesia through the veins in the left." With that he stood and swept out of the room like a giant bird.

Doctor James was immediately replaced by the nursing sister who came in wielding a syringe. Efficiency must have been her middle name because she was in and out in a matter of seconds.

"Vernon, you are absolutely right. I only need to take care of you and Dudley. I can give you the shopping list and you can pick the groceries on the way home. Then I will no longer need to drive."

"Yes, Vernon, I think that the church is wrong and we should find one more to your liking."

"What are we going to do with him? The Christian thing would be to take him and raise him to be a God fearing citizen."

"No, Vernon, we will not spend any of your money to take care of him. He can just wear the clothing Dudley has outgrown."

"I don't know why his grades are better than Dudley's. The school must be wrong."

"Please, don't hit me. I shouldn't have given him a piece of cake. I know he doesn't deserve dessert. But, I thought for his birthday…. You are right Vernon. I will not give him any more. Freaks like him don't get cake for birthdays. Freaks like him don't get cake for birthdays. Freaks like him…."

"I won't talk back. Please, don't hit me. Yes, you are always right I deserve to be punished."

"Wake up, Dear," the recovery sister gently touched her, "you are safe and there is nobody going to punish you." She called for another person to come over, but Petunia was too groggy to fully understand.

"How are you feeling?" the nursing sister asked. "Don't try to talk yet. I will get you ice chips to suck because your throat is dry from the anesthesia. I am sending your son back to see you."

Dudley entered the recovery suite and moved to the left side of his mother's bed. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You had me worried," he gruffly intoned, choking back a tear or two. "We are going to be okay, but you need to take care of you. I will take care of you also. Nobody should be hurting you."


Nine months later

Petunia was looking into the mirror. They had trimmed her hair into a pixie bob to allow the new hair to grow in without looking out of place. It had grown out and was now chin length. She turned her head left, then right, and then she smiled. It really was growing in nicely. Her legs had healed from the cuts and the burns on her legs and feet were but a memory. The right hand had not needed grafts once the charred flesh had been removed. It was still pink and tender and smooth but they said she might never get her fingerprints back. The counselling had done wonders for both her and Dudley. She had been surprised to find out how many battered wives and abused children there were. She now knew that if it hadn't been for the "bacon incident" she might have continued the self-abuse and Dudley might have grown up to become an abuser because that is what he had been taught.

They told her that the Battle of Hogwarts had been won. Harry was alive, but Severus had been killed. Both had saved her. She had been nothing but hateful to either. She looked down on the parchment that had been delivered by owl. Severus had given her his house in Spinners End, but the books and most of the personal belongings were to go to his godson. It was only right, but why had he given her a place to live with Dudley. How had he known she needed it?

Sometimes the most pain inflicted on a person is self-inflicted. So much damage is done when another plants a seed of doubt, but it is nurtured and watered by one's own insecurities.


DADA Assignment #5 part 2

Task: Please write a follow-up chapter of your initial assignment. You should use the same characters as before, but this time, you should write in the POV or narrative of the character who caused the pain to the other character. For example, they could be the one committing the trauma, the one breaking up with a person, or the one who killed the character's loved one.

Word Count: Minimum 400 words.