Hey all! Thanks for joining me!

Thanks for all the feedback yet again. It really perks me right up.

Shout out to all my peeps in the States. Hope you all stay cozy in the snow storm.

I'm sure some of you are reading this chapter title and getting all giddy, but trust me it's not who you all want at the door...

If Someone Cared Enough

Chapter Ninety: Who's That Knocking at My Door?

Upon arriving home from King's Cross station, Severus and the Evans family were met with an unusual sight. Despite the rainy, dreadfully pour weather, someone had deemed it necessary to campout on their door step. Sitting in a damp raincoat and wet loafers, the poor fellow took shelter under a sodden and bent umbrella, presumably caught and sorely mangled by the harsh winds on the way over.

"Vernon!" Petunia gasped, leaping from the car the moment it was in park. She snatched up her coat as she got out, holding it over her head and sprinting across the muddy lawn to the door.

"Who?" Lily questioned, tilting her head to peer through the storm at the man.

Petunia was busy unlocking the front door with the spare key, tugging the soaked man into the foyer and out of the rain. By the look on her face as she spoke and the chagrin on his, the eldest Evans daughter was chastising him as one would a child.

"Vernon Dursley," Willow explained, arm resting against her husband head rest as she turned around to look at her youngest child, "Petunia met him at the restaurant sometime back. He's been popping up ever since."

Hank smirked, "Our little Petunia must have made quite an impression on him. He's a stuffy sort, one of those 'perfectly normal' folks, but for some reason he can't seem to get Tuney out of his head."

Severus craned his head to get a better look at Vernon, "He certainly doesn't seem like the laid back sort."

Lily snorted, "Like you're one to talk."

"Oh he's definitely a rigid, proper man," Hank agreed, "Sometimes he seems so tightly wound you'd think to smile he'd need to cross his legs. Still he's smitten with our Tuney. Must be the first time he's ever met someone fiercer than that bulldog sister of his."

"His sister was rude to Petunia," Willow said in response to the questioning looks she and Hank received, "Marge, I think her name was. She treated Petunia like a servant while eating at the restaurant one time. Petunia said she got the impression it wasn't the first time that woman's done something like that to people. Bossy sort, you know. Well Tuney really let her have it, gave that woman and earful, right in front of Vernon. For whatever reason, that seems to have struck a chord with him. He eats at the restaurant at least once a week now."

"Bet you that his sister has no idea what he's been up to," Hank added with a laugh as he got out to help Severus with the trunks, "He strikes me as the sort who generally doesn't disagree with her. Not to her face, at least."

The group tromped up the walkway, bags in tow, carefully side stepping Petunia and her guest in the doorway.

Once inside the cozy home, Severus took a moment to examine Vernon.

He was a large man, thick in the middle with large meaty arms and hands completed with stubby fingers. He had a chubby face with little neck and small blue eyes, though prepares they only appeared smaller due to the size of his bushy, black mustache, currently limp and dripping from the rain.

His skin was a mottled reddish purple, partially from being trapped outside in the elements, though Severus had a good feeling his complexion probably resembled a tomato or eggplant on a good day.

His hair, which sat plastered to his head from the rain, was thick and still held some trace resemblance to a meticulous part down the middle. Severus wondered if Vernon had spent most of his time waiting attempting to comb his hair every time the wind blew a strand out of place.

"Can't believe you'd be so reckless," Petunia was chiding, dabbing at Vernon's face with a towel, "Were you trying to catch your death out there?"

"You weren't at work again," Vernon stated lamely, apparently finding his statement to sound whiny and small to his own ears; perhaps he spent much of his time worrying about how he came off to other people, "I've stopped in twice this week and your manager said you'd been out for days. I was worried you quit."

Petunia rolled her eyes, though she seemed more exasperated than truly vexed, "Of course I didn't quit; I love my job."

She draped the towel over Vernon's head, lightly rubbing it over his hair.

"I was at a wedding," she said finally, "It was all very last minute and my friend's needed a witness. There wasn't much time to plan for it."

Lily's eyes lit up, "Simone's wedding? They invited you?"

Petunia nodded, pausing in her ministrations, "Yeah, she just sort of…popped in last week. Quite abruptly, you could say. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help them elope?"

"You're so lucky!" Lily gushed, "We had to find out after the fact."

"A friend of yours got married," Vernon repeated, his face relaxing with relief, "That's…that's wonderful. Good. Yes, well, I thought perhaps you'd left your job, gotten a better offer somewhere else."

"I think I'd give my work more notice if I did," Petunia said wryly, "Still, coming over here in the rain, of all the foolish things to do. You live on the other side of town. Did your sister at least drop you off?"

"N-no," Vernon admitted, looking down at his feet, "Marge thinks I'm out getting some fish and chips. I uh…didn't think it necessary to tell her where I go every time I leave the house."

"Told you," Hank whispered to his wife.

Petunia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "You really shouldn't have come all this way. I would have returned to work tomorrow."

"If you want me to leave, I-I could," Vernon offered gesturing to the door. It struck Severus that Vernon probably wasn't used to feeling so unsure of himself, "I normally never drop by unannounced—very improper and all—but the phones have been on the fritz all over town with this storm and—"

"I didn't say you had to leave," Petunia said in exasperation, raising her hand to halt Vernon's ramblings, "But really, you can't go traipsing about in a thunderstorm like that; you'll catch your death of cold."

She turned, heading farther into the house, "Now come one, we should hang your coat up or it will never dry. Come on," she repeated when Vernon remained frozen in the doorway.

"Right!" Vernon said quickly, hurrying after Petunia, already in noticeably better spirits.

"I know we just met the guy," Severus began once Petunia and Vernon were out of earshot, "But is it me or does it seem…unnatural for that guy to be…so timid?"

"I get the feeling Vernon's used to being some level of large and in charge," Hank agreed with a nod, "He works as a junior executive at Grunnings, I've heard. Definitely not the type taking orders."

"Except from that sister of his," Willows surmised, "She sounds like a real piece of work from what Petunia's described. Even Vernon's afraid to oppose her. She's probably domineered him his whole life and he's sick of it."

"Shoes too, Vernon" Petunia could be heard saying sternly, "I don't want you getting pneumonia."

Lily frowned, "Then why put up with Tuney bossy him around?"

"Because," Hank said with a wry smile, "There's a big difference between someone telling you what to do for their own gain, and someone telling you what to do out of concern for your wellbeing."

"Sit on the sofa," Petunia commanded when she reappeared, steering Vernon towards the sitting room, "I'll put on some tea before the chill sets in. Have you eaten?"

"No," Vernon said, settling awkwardly onto the sofa, "I missed lunch. Didn't realize how late it was getting when I arrived."

"Then I'll make some sandwiches," Petunia declared, "Make yourself comfortable; there's an afghan on the ottoman."

{Page break}

Later in the evening, Hank drove Vernon home to avoid him getting caught out in the storm again, something the rotund man was greatly relieved about. He bid Petunia a fond farewell with much stammering and formality, sparing an awkward 'nice to meet you,' to Severus and Lily.

He'd spent the evening wrapped up in talking to Petunia so he hadn't really given her sibling or house guest much thought, only realizing as he was leaving that he'd never actually said hello to them.

Clearly he worried how this would affect Petunia's opinion of him as he was quick to make with the apologies, something he obviously didn't do very often if how stilted and uneasy it came off was anything to go by.

"He seems…" Lily trailed off, looking around at her mother and sister, "Formal."

"Very business-like," Severus added with a hum, "I was half expecting him to ask Petunia for a merger rather than a date."

Petunia slapped Severus's arm with a rolled up newspaper, "Oh hush, he's just not used to being an actual gentleman. I doubt he's had much practice being polite with that bullheaded sister of his to influence him."

"Really, who raises their daughter to behave in such a way," Willow asked, shaking her head.

"The same sort of people who raise a son like Potter," Severus said, "Lupin says they're lovely people, which I'm sure is true, but clearly they've enforced a 'my precious baby can do no wrong' mentality on their child and are too blind to see what a pigheaded fool it's created."

"He's going to keep pursuing me now that Jess dumped him, isn't he," Lily guessed with a frown.

Severus looked dourly at her, "I would bet my life on it; he clearly only dated her to try and get your attention to begin with anyway. He probably put on such a show of what a romantic he is in order to make you see what you're missing out on."

Lily huffed, crossing her arms.

"Because all girls want big embarrassing displays of affection," she said sarcastically, "You know, the kind done more for the guy to make a show of how lucky he thinks she should feel to be with him instead of any consideration to what she might actually find romantic. Not exactly interested in being humiliated with a singing gnome dressed as cupid and riding a hippogriff just so a guy can flaunt how much he spent on me."

Petunia's eyebrows went up, "Did Potter actually do that?"

"No," Lily replied, "But I overheard him talking about doing it for Jess. Now that I think about it, he probably said it purposefully for me to hear; another one of his schemes, I guess."

"No matter," Lily concluded, turning mischievous eyes on her sister, "Do you like Vernon."

Petunia pursed her lips and rolled her eyes skyward with a sigh, "Honestly, I don't know. Vernon seems…nice? But it's pretty obvious that's only for my benefit; pretty sure he's used to acting much like Marge does."

"I suppose it's flattering that he's going so far out of his comfort zone to treat me differently," Petunia went on, "But if he's still the same rude and obnoxious person he was with other people, do I really want to be with someone who treats everyone else that poorly? I'm betting he doesn't treat wait staff at other restaurants nearly as well as he does where I'm watching. They're 'menial labor' in his sister's opinion so I doubt it's any different for him."

"If I'm being honest, Petunia," Severus began carefully, "Vernon seems like the sort of bloke you would have wanted. You know…back when you were more…uptight. He's the very "absolutely normal and ordinary" type I figured you end up with."

Petunia sighed, "That was before I realized how much I was missing out on by striving to blend in. I wanted to be the total opposite of Lily because it made me feel like I chose to distance myself from her world, rather than that I simply wasn't able to be a part of it the way she was."

Petunia crossed her arms, looking out the window at the rain, "Looking back on it now, being some shut-in housewife seems like a very dull future."

"Hard to be normal once you've petted a real live unicorn, isn't it?" Lily teased.

Petunia laughed, "Don't I know it! However, that there is the problem: even if I gave Vernon a chance, it's not like anything could come of it in the long run. I've opened myself to the magical world; there isn't any going back now. I'd need someone I could share that world with and somehow…I don't see Vernon being nearly as receptive to it."

Severus snorted, "Pretty sure he'd burst a blood vessel the first time he saw a Goblin."

Lily snickered into her hand.

Petunia sat down with a groan, elbows on her knees and chin in her hands, "I don't know. He really does seem genuine in his feelings for me, and I don't want to hurt him, but it isn't like we'd have a future. I don't even know why he likes me in the first place."

Willow sat down, wrapping her arm around her eldest daughter, "Well if you ask me, it sounds like Vernon has spent a lot of time in his sister's shadow."

"What do you mean?" Petunia asked.

"You said he told you that Marge is the family favorite as the oldest right? Well what does she even do? She's some dog breeding hobbyist who just sits around blowing through the family's money on pricey things. Hardly sounds like she did anything to earn her parent's praise."

Petunia snorted, "She acts like the Queen of England; only with not even half the class or manners."

Willow chuckled, "She certainly sounds like a vision of loveliness, doesn't she. And yet Vernon goes out of his way to do the normal, respectably thing and have a fairly decent job. He even got promoted to a higher position. Yet somehow, he's not the one his family fawns over. Perhaps Vernon is drawn to you because you are the opposite of his sister. Not only that, you don't put his sister on a pedestal."

Willow grinned, "In fact, it sounds like you tried to knock her off it."

Petunia laughed, "I was tempted."

"What I'm saying is that you're a caretaker and a giver," Willow elaborated, "And Vernon might have only known takers in his life, especially with that sister of his. He has to make his own way in the world while Marge had things handed to her. Maybe he likes that the idea of someone occasionally taking care of him instead of him being expected to always take care of himself."

"Well I'm certainly not interested in being someone's caretaker," Petunia huffed, "Yes, I like the cook and clean; love it even, but I don't want it to be something people just expect me to do without question. There's more to me than being a domestic."

Willow patted her daughter's back, "Never said there wasn't. I'm just saying that Vernon might like knowing someone cares about him instead of his sister for a change, even if how you treat him is the same way you treat everyone."

"So…what do I do?" Petunia asked, "I can't say I really see myself in a relationship with anyone right now."

"Then don't feel obligated to be in one," Willow advised, "You are not required to date Vernon simply because he's changed some things about himself for you. While it's sweet of him to, it was his choice, not something you requested. You are allowed to turn him down. You're not expected to repay a kind gesture with a date or anything other than kindness."

Petunia slumped into the sofa, "Still, this would be a lot simpler if he disliked me like his sister does."

The sound of howling winds filtered in from the foyer as the front door opened with a clatter.

"Woo," whistled Hank, folding his coat over his arm as he entered the sitting room, "It's downright awful out there. So, what did I miss."

"Nothing much," Petunia said evasively, "Did Vernon make it home okay."

Hank nodded, "Got him home just before the winds picked up."

"So," Hank said as he sat down, waggling his eyebrows, "Is this fella Mister Right?"

"Dad!" Petunia squawked, completely scandalized, "I hardly know him."

Severus bit back a smile while Lily made no effort to hide her laughter.

Hank grinned, "Hey, if you need him to take a hint, I can start sitting on the front steps in the evening, polishing my old hunting rifle."

"Dad has a gun?" Lily asked, eyes wide.

"Yes," Willow admitted through pursed lips, sending her husband a glare, "But it's absolutely ancient; wouldn't fire if you tried. And someone told me they got rid of it last summer…"

Hank froze, the smiling slipping from his face, "Whoops…"

Come on, you knew he'd be back, right? Right?!

Honesty, I couldn't let Vernon disappear just yet. There's a part of me interested in exploring his character some more.

If anyone thinks his timidness seems out of character, i have my reasons. We mostly hear how he interacts with Dudley or Harry, but Petunia in canon was so fixated on proper perfectness that I imagine Vernon probably bent over backwards for her usually to appease her.

One of my reviewers actually made a lot of speculations into Vernon's background, and frankly I agree with her. Vernon was a businessman who clearly had to suck up and kiss ass to get where he was. But his sister apparently has a decent amount of money and she what? Breeds bulldogs on and off? Is she even doing it as a job or a hobby. She has all the money she needs to go on trips and buy expensive things, but how does she afford it? Was she the favorite child in her family and therefore given a large inheritance? Not even Vernon ever disagrees with her or talks back to her. Petunia clearly hates having Marge's dogs in the house, yet Vernon who usually does what his wife wants let it happen. You have to wonder if much of Vernon's personality stems from being the second best in his own household growing up. Maybe that's why he found solace in Petunia. It might also be why he spoke so much about himself on their first dates (according to pottermore)-it was probably one of the times he got to make a big deal about himself!

Still not share where I'll go with Vernon or if he and Petunia will end up together.

Review please :)