Hi-hi!

Welcome back, everyone. I trust you all had a good week?

This is going to be a short chapter, hope that's alright. I would rather have short chapters that work on the characters than no chapter at all simply because I can't think of something longer and exciting.

As usual, thanks for the awesome reviews. You know I love you for it ;)

If Someone Cared Enough

Chapter 104: Lunch and Love

"What's this?" Severus asked inquisitively, "That's cheese, right?"

Petunia sighed, glancing away from the zucchini she was chopping to see Severus pointing to an assortment of red, white, and green lined on a baking sheet.

"It's Caprese Salad," Petunia informed him, "Fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomato slices in olive oil."

"Doesn't look like a salad," Severus observed, taking a nearby fork to lift up a corner of mozzarella, "just cheese and tomatoes in little rows."

Petunia reached over without looking and deftly plucked the fork from Severus's hand, "Well, it's called a salad. I'm going to serve it over roasted zucchini slices."

"That's weird," Severus commented, missing how Petunia rolled her eyes.

Lily giggled, trying to hide it by busying herself with plucking fresh parsley from the plant Petunia grew in a pot by the kitchen window.

Severus pointed at another dish, "Well what's this?"

Petunia put her knife down and wearily looked over at him and the dish in question.

"That's Arancini," she explained, gesturing to the breaded balls waiting to go in the oven, "They're stuffed breaded balls, sort of like a croquette, except these have rice, sundried tomatoes, and basil inside with mozzarella."

Severus resisted poking one, knowing it would only result in a swift swat from Petunia's hand, "So there's like mozzarella sticks?"

Petunia huffed, crossing her arms across her aproned front, "These are a tad bit more classy them simple mozzarella sticks. I'm not making food for a cheap pizzeria."

This time it was Severus who rolled his eyes, "Sorry to offend."

Petunia sniffed primly, lightly drizzling olive oil over the zucchini and scoring the vegetable with a knife before sticking it in the oven.

Severus watched Petunia move to the stove and take a pan off one of the burners. It held a mixture of sautéed onion, garlic, and an odd leafy thing sliced real thin.

"Now what are you doing?" Severus asked.

"Making Torta Pasqualina," Petunia said, "Also known as Easter Cake."

She poured the pan mixture into a bowl and added some marjoram to it. Taking the parsley Lily picked and chopped, she added that to the bowl and then stirred in ricotta and Parmigiana Reggiano.

"Cake?" Severus questioned skeptically, a brow raised.

Petunia snorted, rolling out pastry dough before placing it in a tart mold. Poking tiny holes in the dough, she then proceeded to dollop the ricotta mixture into the mold.

"Think of it like a quiche," she settled for, smoothing out the first layer of ricotta and veggies, "See, you make a little indent in the ricotta and chard mix with the back of a spoon, like a little nest. Make several nest and then you crack an egg into each of them."

"Then you top it with two more thin layers of dough brushed in olive oil, poke some holes in the top for venting, bake it and Voila! An Italian quiche," Petunia proudly presented her finished creation, ready for baking.

Severus cocked his head, "So it ends up looking like it's got a bunch of soft boiled eggs stuffed in it? That's…interesting."

Petunia didn't bother hiding her annoyance this time, nor her rolling her eyes, "You like quiche well enough; this is the same thing."

Severus didn't look to convinced, "That weird green plant you put in it begs to differ."

"It's chard," Petunia clarified, "It's sort of like spinach; you like spinach."

Severus frowned, "Doesn't mean I'll like chard. Similar does not mean the same."

"Young man, this is a culinary house now," Petunia said with authority, hands on her hips, "Here, we try new things. So don't knock it until you try it."

Severus raised his hands up in placation, "Okay, okay. Grant it, I may like those cheese and rice balls, or this quiche thing, but do you honestly expect me to believe that I'll like," he pointed to a large pot bubbling on the stove, "whatever that is."

Petunia rushed to the stove and pulled the lid off the pot before it could boil over.

"Thanks for reminding me," she said gratefully as she gave the pot a couple stirs with a large wooden spoon."

Severus wrinkled his knows as an odor filled the room, "It smells fishy."

"That's because it is fish," Petunia said tiredly, "Cacciucco; fish stew. The recipes from Tuscany, of course I can't exactly get all the seafood selections they offer there."

She inhaled deeply, humming in delight at the aroma, "I got hold of whitefish, some clams, muscles, shrimp, and even some crab meat. The market did have octopus, but I thought that might be too adventurous for the lot of you."

Lily blanched, "Good call."

"Some of what you already have in there may be more adventure than I'd like already," Severus muttered.

"Fish is good for you," Petunia declared, shaking the wooden spoon menacingly at Severus, "You should eat more of it; it's good for your health."

"Besides," she added, returning to her stirring, it's not all fish. There's onions and tomatoes, some yellow squash and leeks. It's what makes the broth so delicious. That and the red wine."

Severus's brow rose, "Because getting drunk at dinner is so much fun."

Petunia poked him in the nose, "The wine cooks off, smart mouth. Now if you don't have anything nice to say, shoo! Lily and I still have a lot to do."

Severus glanced at Lily before shooting Petunia a glare, petulantly skulking from the kitchen.

Petunia groaned, slumping against the counter, "For god's sake."

Lily giggled, "He wore on your nerves pretty well today."

"He tries to act so mature all the time that I often forget he's still just a insufferable teenager," Petunia exhaled, "He acted like I was going to feed him live worms; such a little boy."

"All boys are picky eaters," Lily said, "That's what mum always says. Dad apparently never ate his vegetables going up unless his mum mashed them up and hid them in the dish."

Petunia groaned, trouncing over to Lily to join her sister in wrapping prosciutto around long carrots for roasting, "Thank goodness daddy met mum and learned to appreciate good cooking."

"So I've got to ask," Lily began, side-eying her sister, "Why the big Italian theme. I know Kingsley's coming over, but…"

"Kingsley was actually born in Italy," Petunia explained, "His family were prominent merchants there. His mother moved with him to England in order for him to attend Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons or Durmstrang."

"Oh," Lily said in surprise, "I never knew that. I just sort of figured the only people who went to Hogwarts came from somewhere around Britain or Scotland."

"Well Simone's originally from France," Petunia pointed out, "So there you go. Kingsley still returned home to Italy with his mother each summer, so he was pretty much raised there. He told me it's not easy to find a good Italian restaurant around Cokeworth that can make food that tastes like home. I guess I sort of felt bad since he's only stuck in this town because he needs to guard us."

Lily smiled, playfully nudging Petunia in the side with her elbow, "And the reason we're making enough to feed an army?"

Petunia chuckled, "You have not seen how much he can pack away. Never gains a pound, the lucky duck. Plus, his boss and Frank are coming; they're technically in charge of watching after our parents and you two. If we're all gathered here, they might as well come in for a bite to eat as thanks."

Lily's eyes went wide, "Mad Eye's coming. He's so…eccentric."

"The word you're looking for is paranoid," Petunia helpfully supplied, "That's the nicest way Kingsley can put it anyway. But he's promised to be on his best behavior…in exchange for a nice bottle of bourbon."

Lily let out a guffaw, "You bribed Moody? Oh that is hysterical."

"What that man won't do for some good liquor," Petunia mused as she switched to adding some pancetta to a pan of chicken and olives.

"You're doing an awful lot for Kingsley," Lily observed, "Making his favorite foods, inviting his coworkers, bribing his boss to behave himself…are you and Kingsley a 'thing' now?"

Petunia didn't answer straight away, mulling it over.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," she confessed eventually, "We're not actually dating or anything, though Kingsley has expressed that he's interested."

Lily placed the took the chicken dish from Petunia and placed it in the oven for her, "So what's the holdup?"

Petunia shrugged, "Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm ready for a relationship. Sure Vernon and I were never actually a couple, but the way we ended things still makes me feel a little bad for breaking his heart."

"Just because he gave you his heart doesn't mean you were obligated to keep it," Lily pointed out, "You can't really hold it against yourself for not returning his feelings."

"I know," Petunia conceded, "But it's clear I meant more to him than I realized. He still writes and calls sometimes, you know. He had himself transferred to a different branch of the company. Got himself a little flat out in the country; somewhere out of his sister's shadow. The fresh air is doing him some good. He's…hoping he meets someone who makes him feel how I made him feel."

Lily eyed her sister as she carried mixing bowls to the sink, "Do you feel guilty about being with someone when he's still hung up on you?"

Petunia shook her head, "Not exactly. Do I feel bad that this is easier on me than it is on him? Of course, but like you said, it isn't on me to stay with him to spare his feelings. And I do like Kingsley, but…"

"But?" Lily prodded.

Petunia looked at her sister, a lopsided frown on her face as she considered how she wanted to word her thoughts, "I'm not sure what it is Kingsley wants, if it's a relationship he's after or not. But for me…I'm actually not sure if I want a relationship."

Lily tilted her head, perplexed, "Because of Vernon?"

Again, Petunia shook her head, "No, that's not it. It's like…for years I set this goal in my life to move out, meet some perfectly normal guy, get married and live the role of pampered housewife. I never actually asked myself if I wanted any of that, I just figured it was the respectable thing to do, because I…"

"Because you were trying to be as normal as possible since you couldn't be magical," Lily surmised.

Petunia nodded, "Yeah…it was sort of how I coped with it, not belonging to your world. I figured, if I could just blend in enough, have the perfect normal life, I'd be happy. But, the more I think of it, I'm not sure I'd ever truly be happy lying to myself. I'd probably just be bitter and in denial."

"I'm not sure if marriage is what I want someday," Petunia confided, "Or just something I convinced myself I wanted in order to blend in with everything un-extraordinary. Perhaps I like being single. Maybe I want something casual or uncommitted. I guess I'm still trying to figure out where I stand on the whole relationship thing before I pursue anything with Kingsley."

"Are you attracted to him?" Lily inquired.

"God yes," Petunia groaned, dropping her head, "Have you seen how tall he is? I want to climb him like a tree!"

Lily snorted, fighting to hold in her laughter, "Well at least we know you're not oppose to something physical with him."

Petunia clasped her hands to her face, cheeks flushed with mortification, "Oh my goodness, can you imagine? It's one thing if I find out I'm content to be a spinster or something, but just…fooling around with a guy? Without a wedding ring? What would people think of me?"

"People can piss off," Lily said sharply, "It's not like it's anyone's business what you do."

Lily nudged Petunia again, "It's the seventies, Tuney. Women are doing more than settling down or raising children now. You don't have to be some prudish, chaste maiden for society. There's nothing wrong with doing what you want."

"I suppose," Petunia said hesitantly.

"So what is it that you want?" Lily questioned encouragingly.

"To travel, I guess," Petunia said carefully, face screwed up in thought, "I know I always pictured myself as a housewife with kids, but a career sounds so appealing to me. I always wondered what it would be like to go to school to be a chef, to have my own restaurant. I mean, how amazing would that be? Me, a five stare chef!"

Lily smiled, "That would be pretty incredible."

"Maybe I am interested in Kingsley, but I don't intend to be anyone's little housewife," Petunia stated, "There's nothing wrong with it, mind you, but the more I think of it, the less it is for me."

"And that's fine," Lily assured, "You know I'll support anything you choose to do. Our parents and Severus will too."

"Not sure if mom would actually approve of me not giving her grandkids," Petunia snorted, "But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Speaking of Severus, what is it you two want for your future?"

"U-us?" Lily squeaked, "Um…I don't know. We haven't really talked that much about our future. Maybe some traveling, I suppose, but we've sort of avoided the whole 'starting a family' conversation, what with the war an all."

"But do you want kids?" Petunia questioned.

Lily thought about it. Did she want kids? She always got along so well with small children, but that was for babysitting or entertaining a young cousin at family gatherings. Did she actually see herself having a few of her own.

She pictured a little girl with raven black hair and big green eyes, maybe smiling at her with a gap between her teeth. She imagined an infant blinking up owlishly in her arms from under a mop of frizzy red curls.

She thought of Severus, reading a bedtime story, his deep voice resonating up and down the halls of a quaint little cottage by a lake, gently lulling a dark haired child to sleep.

"Yes," Lily admitted, a soft smile sliding onto her face, "I think I do."

Petunia hummed, "And does Severus?"

Lily paused; did he? Lily used to talk about children often when they were younger, about how cute babies were and how she couldn't wait to have one of her own. Sure, it had been little more than the typical talk of many little girls after years of playing house and baby dolls, but Severus never actually objected to the idea. He just sort of listened quietly with a smile on his face. Lily couldn't be certain if that had been because he was for the idea or just happy to be in her company, now that she thought about it.

Lily had brought up the thought of children in more recent years, mostly during the time she and Severus were just friends and normally circulating around the tirade of "I hope my kids never grow up to be as spoiled as James Toerag Potter." Still Severus, while pleased with her dislike of James, hadn't exactly jumped into those conversations with gusto.

Lily knew Severus homelife had probably done a number on his understanding of family and parents. The thought of being a father surely brought up some unpleasant memories of how his own father had been.

She thought of the last time she ever mentioned children, back during one particularly heated snogging session in their spot by the river. Conversation had turned towards the war and Lily's hopeful optimism that it would end soon. She'd wanted a hopeful future for everyone, for children for years to come. Sure, she hadn't actually said she meant her children, but the stiffening of Severus shoulders have made it pretty clear that he'd come to that conclusion.

He hadn't objected, but he hadn't actually contributed much to the discussion either.

"I'm not sure," Lily confessed, "He's never said he doesn't want them, but then again he hasn't said he wants them either. He always gets so…awkward about it. I know he wants to marry me, he probably has since we were nine, but kids…that not something I've managed to get an answer out of him for…not that I've outright asked."

"Maybe you should," Petunia advised, "It might be good to know if you two are on the same page before going too far with each other." She fixed Lily with a meaningful look.

Lily covered her face with her hands, "Oh Merlin, you know?"

"I get up for a glass of water most nights," Petunia said with a raised brow, "and the walls aren't as thick as you think."

Lily groaned, "Oh god…"

Petunia raised her hands, "Hey, I'm not judging. You're two healthy teenagers in love. If it were anyone else with you, I'd be worried they'd use you and run, but we both know Severus worships the ground you walk on."

"But it does bring me back to my first point," Petunia went on, "Before you go too far, you might want find out if your dreams for the future are actually compatible. If you both want vastly different things, love might not be enough to make it work."

"I hadn't thought of that," Lily said worriedly.

Petunia placed a hand on Lily's shoulder, "I'm only saying this because I care about you. Neither of you should have to give up what makes you happy just to appease the other. So the sooner you hash things out, the better."

"For the record, I think Severus would make a decent father," Petunia admitted, "He's knowledgeable, so he'd probably memorize every baby and child care book before you had a kid so he'd be a pro. He's been working on his attitude and temper so his patience is improving. And frankly, I think the desire to not be like his father would keep him pretty tender and caring with your kids. He knows everything that hurt him growing up; he'd do his best to make sure any child of his never felt the same way."

"He's always been pretty patient with little kids at the playground," Lily revealed with a soft smile, "I know he talks about kids being dunderheads, but he tends to have a soft spot for the ones who ask a lot of questions."

Petunia grinned, "Because he likes to lecture and share what he knows. Perfect for being a dad."

"I suppose I will need to talk to him," Lily conceded, "Knowing him, he might be keeping his thoughts to himself just to make me happy. I don't want him to feel obligated to just do what I want."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Petunia agreed, "He's always keeping his opinions to himself if it will make you happy."

She glared out the kitchen door, "Wish he could give me that same courtesy. Just smile politely and try my food, you little cretin!" she said the last part loudly.

"Make me!" Severus yelled back from somewhere down the hall.

Lily laughed, watching Petunia's face purse in a comical fashion.

Petunia stormed to the door, leaning out into the hall.

"If I have to, I'll put a funnel in your mouth and shovel it in!" she threatened menacingly, "We have company coming so you better be on your best behavior or I'll hand you over to Moody for target practice."

"He'd have to catch me first," Severus countered, "It's my two good legs against his one!"

Petunia looked about ready to make good on her threat so, laughing, Lily placed a hand on Petunia's clenched fist.

"How about I get him out of your hair while the remainder of everything finishes cooking?" she offered helpfully, "I'll take him on a walk or something."

"You make me sound like I'm a rambunctious Labrador," Severus scoffed from the hallway.

"Trust me, a Labrador is cuter," Petunia snapped, before turning to Lily with a softened expression, "By all means, take him. Otherwise I might bake him into a pie."

"I'd taste better than what you're making with that fish…" Severus muttered from his hiding place.

Lily took that as the sign to leave, "Okay! Let's get going, Sev."

She sent her sister an apologetic smile as she rounded the corner into the hall.

"He'll eat lunch," she promised, "he just likes to get your goat."

Petunia sighed, "He always has. Old habits die hard, I guess."

Lily left, the sound of hissed scolding and muted whispers carrying down the hall.

Petunia had to laugh as she heard her sister say with rebuke, "No, Sev, we're not going to grab a sandwich while we're out!"

So short chapter here. A low key event seemed like the ideal time to have Lily give some thought to her relationship with Sev and just where she hopes it heads. Didn't seem like the sort of topic to splice into a more active or action packed scene, so festive lunch it is!

I've often wondered if the only reason Petunia wanted the nuclear family with the picket fence, stay at home housewife role in the flowered dress with the string of pearls was only because she thought it was all she had to strive for. She didn't feel she could be extraordinary like Lily so she settled for being so normal, she was literally living the 'dream life' of tv housewives like the mom from Leave it to Beaver, a cushy life in a lavish or moderately upscale home, doting upon a little crotch spawn as she has tea and gossips with (and about) other neighbor's wives while her husband earns the money she spends on good china and Ming vases for her gossipy friends to ooh and ahh over.

I can't help but wonder if Petunia would have been more career oriented or independent if she had thought she had more worth or options.

Review please :)