Chapter Eight: Conversations

Harry stood beside the small lake watching as a white bird flew and dove in the sky above him. He knew how she felt... he knew the feeling from riding his broom. The absolute freedom of diving and rolling on the wind.

"Beautiful," a voice said from behind him. He turned to see his aunt gazing up at the sky, at the bird as it flew.

"You don't normally think so," he commented.

"I love birds."

"Not this one," Harry whistled, and the white form dropped in a stunning dive, circled once, and came to rest on his uplifted arm.

"Hedwig," Harry smiled. "Meet Aunt Petunia."

"Your owl," she commented dryly.

"Or pigeon... as you prefer."

"No pigeon," she said softly, admiring the bird's white plumage.

"No," Harry agreed. "She's a Great Snowy Owl. Not native to these parts, but she's happy here."

"Where did you...?"

"She was a birthday present. My first birthday present."

"No, it wasn't."

Harry turned sparking green eyes on her.

"Your first birthday party... your mother spent months shopping for gifts for you, only to find out on the day that your father had, as well."

"How did you...?"

"She told me."

"You had nothing to do with her after Dudley was born... even before that... after you were married."

"That's not quite accurate," Petunia said, her voice taking on a bit of the hauteur that Harry was accustomed to. "Our families had nothing to do with one another. Vernon hated your father, and the feeling was mutual. But Lily and I always knew what was going on in each other's lives."

"How?"

"We wrote."

"You wrote?" he spat.

Ignoring his tone, Petunia turned away.

"What house were you sorted into?" she asked suddenly.

He looked at his aunt, then moved closer.

"Gryffindor, although..."

"Just like your mother," she said sharply, although Harry could tell she had not meant it to come out that way.

"Yes," he said, watching her closely. "Although the Sorting Hat had other ideas at the time."

She turned and looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"When the Sorting Hat was first put on my head by Professor McGonagall, it wanted to put me in Slytherin."

She gasped, but said nothing.

"I begged it not to. I asked to be put in Gryffindor."

She staggered, but righted herself as Harry reached to steady her.

"Are you alright?"

"I didn't know...I didn't know that you could ask it for the house you wanted..."

"I didn't either. It just happened." Harry waited, sure that there would be more. Perhaps he was simply hoping, after all these years, to make a connection with a family member, but he waited.

"You know about Daisy." It was a statement.

"Dumbledore told me."

"You know what happened."

"Just that she was attacked in the Forbidden Forest. That she went in on a dare, and that you left afterwards."

"I couldn't stay. I hated that your mother chose to go. I hated that she was sorted as I felt I should have been. I hated that school, and everyone in it. When you mother chose to marry your father... well. You may think I am cruel, but I refuse to allow the Dark Arts to take anything more from me. Dudley and Vernon will never know what it is to wait for a parent, a spouse, to come home from a long day of raids on Dark Wizards' homes... or know the risks that are taken even by a Squib... like my father. I don't want it in my home."

"Aunt Petunia, I understand. I really do. But you need to understand that it isn't just the wizarding world that is affected by Voldemort..."

She gasped, "You dare to say his name?"

"There is no power in the name, Aunt Petunia, only in the fear of it. I have faced him five times. I have dueled with him..."

"You?" She was obviously stunned. "You are a boy... just a boy! How can you have faced the Dark Lord? You have no idea..."

"Oh, yes. I do. The first time I faced him I was eleven years old, and I defeated him then. The second, I was twelve... and I battled a basilisk to defeat him. Since then I have personally faced him three more times, and many times I have faced the Death Eaters."

"But you're still a student!"

"Yes, but I'm also Harry Potter. I'm the Boy Who Lived."

"I..."

"There is a prophecy. Either I will defeat Lord Voldemort, or he will defeat me. So I'm not doing this to disrupt your home, or hurt you. I'm doing it because no one else can, and someone has to. I'm doing it because no matter what I do, he will always come after me. The people I love will never be safe until I fulfill the prophecy, and I assure you, I do not plan on losing. He killed my parents, robbed me of anything approaching a normal life. I don't plan on stopping until he is defeated and destroyed."

Aunt Petunia stared at him for a moment, then turned away.

"There is a wizarding family... a family that has spent the greater part of the last ten generations linked to the Dark Arts, and... practices that are looked upon..." she paused for a moment, then continued in an undertone. "If you are in danger from anyone it will be them. Their son was the one who made the dare that day... he was the one who made Daisy go into the Forbidden Forest, taunting her, telling her that she was sorted wrong, that if I was in Slytherin, so should she be, that the great Gryffindor courage and loyalty were not within her... Harry, I may not agree with your decision, and I may not want you in my home, but neither Lily nor Daisy would ever forgive me if I didn't warn you... beware of Lucius Malfoy and any of his family."

Harry stood rooted to the spot for a moment. He didn't turn, but stood, shocked rigid. After a moment, he bowed his head and said softly, "You know, Aunt Petunia, I believe the Sorting Hat was wrong. You should have been a Gryffindor."

A moment later, as though the last five minutes of conversation had never happened, she smiled coolly and turned back, towards the house. Before moving away, she spoke.

"Somewhere around here is a box... Lily told me she left it at James' family home. She packed it before they went into hiding. Your birthday gifts are in it."

And as she walked away, Harry was left standing, dumbfounded.


As she stepped into the main hallway through the front door, Petunia was surprised to see Remus standing in the doorway to the den.

"Remus."

"Petty."

"Please don't call me that."

"Why not? Lily did."

"Exactly," she replied, her eyes sparking at him.

"You know, Petunia, I often wonder what your friends... your family... would think if they knew how different you've become."

Petunia allowed her eyes to meet those of the werewolf.

"I'm not different."

Remus laughed. "Petunia, you couldn't be more changed if you tried. I told you that this would happen."

Her eyes flew back to his. "How dare you?"

"I dare, Petty, because of that boy out there. I made a promise, as did you. I've kept mine, but you..."

"It seems to me that we only either of us kept half our promises, Remus."

"My promises never meant anything to you, Petty."

"They would have, had you really meant them," she said softly.

"I did mean them... I meant every word I ever said to you."

She was silent, not looking at him.

"Vernon Dursley ruined you, Petunia Evans."

"Vernon saved me!"

"From who?"

"Myself!" she spat, then quickly went up the stairs. Remus watched until she disappeared.

"Remus?"

He turned to find Harry standing in the doorway, watching him with a hard look in his eyes.

"Harry..."

"Remus," Harry glanced up the stairs to where his aunt had disappeared. "I think you and I need to talk."

Remus glanced back up the stairs, then back to Harry. "Yes, I think you're right, Harry."

"Tell me, Remus," Harry said softly as they closed the study door behind them.

"Tell you what, Harry?"

"You know my Aunt Petunia."

"Yes, of course."

"No," Harry watched the other man carefully. "I mean you knew her... before, didn't you?"

Remus sighed. "Petunia was your mother's sister, Harry. We all knew her."

Harry waited.

"Petunia was... well, at first, she was just around. Your grandmother was a rather old-fashioned witch, and Petunia was required to go everywhere with your mother... as a chaperone. Your grandparents were good people, Harry... but they didn't really know what to make of Lily... and her four male best friends."

"Aunt Petunia wasn't like she is now?"

"No. She was... quiet. Bitter at times, but behind it all... there was this girl... this girl who had been badly hurt. She was fun, too. She had a wickedly cutting sense of humor..."

"What happened?"

Remus' eyes darkened, and he straightened in his chair. "Vernon Dursley happened."

"Uncle Vernon?"

"He came into her life that last summer before our seventh year. Your aunt was nineteen. He had a very clear idea of how his life was going to be, and Petunia fit the bill. She rather thought she did, too. She made a choice."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, surprised by the bitter note in Remus' voice. Remus was never bitter, at least, not in Harry's memory.

"Vernon was about as far removed as it was possible to be from the magical world, Harry. She didn't have to be reminded of it every day with him. She could forget it existed. I suppose it worked for a while."

"Until my parents died."

"Yes. Until then," Remus agreed. "Your aunt... she and your mother exchanged promises when they found they were both pregnant. Lily told James, but I don't know that Petunia told Vernon. It was her last promise to your mother, Harry... they promised to always care for each other's children, should the need arise."

Remember my last, Petunia... Harry felt a shiver has he remembered the howler.

"Who..."

"Dumbledore has used that promise over the years to reinforce her duty to you."

"The son of a..."

"Harry, don't judge him before you know all the reasons he's acted as he has."

"You can excuse that?"

"I'm not excusing anything. I've been as upset with him as you, over the years. But he did have his reasons, reasons you don't know."

"So tell me."

"It's not my place, Harry. Talk to Dumbledore."

"I intend to."

The silence seemed to stretch out. "Was Mum like my aunt... or was she like Molly?" Harry asked after a moment.

Remus' eyes shone with remembrance. "She wasn't like either of them, Harry. Lily was... unique."

"How?"

"She was... well, she was just Lily. There's never been any one else like her... and never will be. She was fire... and ice. She could cut you with a word, but was always the first one in line to help you if you needed help. She had a heart too big for her own good, but had the ability to tell you off with style, as well. She was a firebrand..."

"You loved her," Harry said softly.

"Everyone did, Harry. I did, but not in the way you mean. Lily changed the lives of anyone she came in contact with. She's... missed. Terribly."

"You didn't..."

"No. Not Lily. She was like a sister to me, Harry. Would have been, had I... asked."

Harry sensed that Remus was done with this line of questioning, and turned back.

"Was she a good mother? To me?"

"The best. She died for you."

"That's not what I mean."

"You mean, would she have become a Molly Weasley?"

"Maybe."

"No. She wouldn't have been anything like Molly. Lily wasn't the cookie-baking, homemaking kind of woman, Harry. She had far too much energy and natural curiosity... No, Lily would have had you off exploring the world. She loved the outdoors, freedom. Had she tried to be like Molly, she would have gotten sidetracked by something... the opportunity to learn something... or someone needing help. She wasn't very organized... but she was very, very intelligent. And she adored you."

Remus smiled, looking intently at Harry.

"What?"

"Now that I think about it, she does remind me of someone."

"Who?"

"Ginny Weasley."


Another one down, folks... wow, I am seriously impressed with the response that I'm getting to this story!

Shotgunn: Scott, darling, you sound like you expect me to leave you all hanging... would I do that?

Apate137: Pleading puppydog eyes do it to me every time...

Rdprice29: I think Petunia and Harry both have things to learn.

FriendofDobby: Thank you for your lovely comments. As for Uncle Vernon... we'll have to wait and see!

Akemi: Probably, but that isn't the focus of this fic.

Nimbirosa: I'm glad to have responded to your challenge – it was fun!

LarnaMandrea: And once again, she picks out several of the pivotal bits to comment upon! You really have a knack for that, you know?

RyougaZell: I'm absolutely certain that Vernon isn't cooking... perhaps Marge came to stay... who knows? As for the twins... well, they don't play a big part in this part of the story... it's about people making assumptions... judgements... on others... and the realization that nothing is ever black and white. And Harry's thickness does seem to be an ongoing theme, doesn't it?

PCB: I have a feeling (my own) that that resemblance is more than just passing... I think the fact that Harry looks so much like James (which is really harped on in every book), is going to prove to be a major plot clue when JKR finally ties up all the loose ends... I'm not sure how yet, but I'm absolutely certain that there is something more there than coincidence or plain genetics... she's definitely seeded that seemingly innocent little clue in many places throughout the series.

ADJ: Being a redhead myself, I can assure you that my views on this are not "based on some fallical notion that all red heads look alike". Indeed, there have been specific references to the fact that Ginny is redheaded, as was Lily, in canon (please don't ask me for page numbers right now, I don't have the books in front of me), but my adding that the resemblance is more than mere haircolor is simply a plot item in MY stories, and little else. A little foible of my own that, IMHO, will prove to be a factor in canon. And I would certainly never suggest that Harry would eventually get together with Ginny based on her resemblance to his mother... that's just a little too Oedipal... even for me.

Lady of Masbolle: My writing style is kind of "purge and edit"... I tend to push out ten chapters at a time and then go dry for a month...

And to all the rest, I thank you: Ice-Phoenix-Tears, SabineStrohemMoss, Wren Truesong, CannonFodder, Kazziedal, Bobboky, Agloechen, NuttyAl, MysticRuby, Nightwing509, Merlindamage, DavidMPotter, ImaQuidditchFan, IndiaInk, lovehpstories, Kordolin, LilyMalfoy13, Lost.Somewhere.Out.There, Bklynbecca, PurpleRivAngel, ThundersShadow, Jen, Weselan, Kaleena Mason, OnlySecret, kudoran, tanydwr, GiGiFanfic

CQ