A/N: Thank you for new reviews, favs and follows; and also to those who continue to do so. This and the next two or three chapters happen on the same day.
3 - Now what?
When Petunia went to make breakfast the next day she was greeted by the smell of the best breakfast to ever be put on that house's table. Entering the kitchen she saw the table already set up with sausages, streaky bacon, smoked bacon, a stack of plain toasts, butter, jam, honey, a plate of cooked slices of tomato, Harry's homemade sauce they liked to use for breakfast, a jug of orange juice, a plate of fried up mushrooms with onions seasoning, roasted chopped up potatoes... Petunia was speechless and just looked over in the direction of the stove when Harry spoke.
"The beans are almost finished cooking, Aunt Petunia. I was starting with the eggs now." Her nephew was looking at her with an expectant look, probably trying to measure how much trouble he was in for not finishing the breakfast before she came.
"Dear, you didn't have to do all this. It's so much food..." She trailed off looking at the breakfast table again thinking about how anyone could eat that much food only to be brought back to her new reality by her nephew's gasp. She put on a smile, not the best move since her nephew started trembling slightly right after, walked up to him and took the pan he was holding onto for his dear life. She delicately put it away, turned back to the boy cupping his cheek and pulled him into a hug.
"Aunt Petunia?" Harry didn't know how to react to that. He wasn't scolded for not finishing his morning chores; he was scolded for doing too much for breakfast. Thinking again it made sense; Uncle Vernon was not there so he should have done less food. But the hug? Maybe he could get away with some snuggling… Aunt Petunia did give his a goodnight kiss last night after all.
Petunia smiled and hugged her nephew even more strongly when she noticed the snuggle. She kissed him on the head and let go to look right into his beautiful green eyes. "Dear, forget the eggs. There's already enough food on the table. We'll finish the beans since they are mostly ready anyway." Seeing her nephew nod and looking away at the floor, she cupped his face with both hands and met his eyes again. "Dear, thank you for making us breakfast, but from now on you can leave the cooking and cleaning and taking care of the house to me."
Harry watched his aunt a bit warily. If he was to leave the care of the house to his aunt, he wondered what he was supposed to do to pay for his living, surely just mowing the lawn and painting the fence and gardening wouldn't amount to much. "Then what will be my new chores?"
Petunia sighed earning a look from her nephew that she couldn't decipher but surely it wasn't anything good. "You are a child, dear. You shouldn't have all these chores to do, and that includes mowing, painting the fence and gardening." She turned the fire off when the beans made themselves know to be ready and led him to sit at the table. "Your chores will change now. You are to clean up your room and maintain it organised. You have to study this remaining part of summer since your grades were not good at school, but you'll still have time to play." She had her heart on her throat already just from thinking how she had hindered her nephew through the years. It was wrong of her to make him feel bad for getting higher grades than her Dudley. She should have made Dudley study more... Actually, she should have brought her son differently. She had also been a bad mother to him, if one counted how big, the bad kind of big, and how spoiled and how respectful he was.
Dudley entered as Harry was asking about how he would pay for his being with them. She steered him to sit next to Harry and went to sit opposite them after hugging her son. "Dear you don't have to pay for anything. Even if you had, all the work done for the last years would be more than enough compensation. I'll let you help with food if you insisting, but just a little, okay?" she pinned him under a light stare, definitely not a glare, she turned to her son. "Sweetie, I apologised to your cousin yesterday, but I should also have apologised to you. I was an awful mother, for that I am truly sorry." she couldn't contain herself and went over to hug him.
Dudley was shocked. His mother was apologising to him. He turned to his cousin, but he shook his head saying he didn't know what this was about; he seemed as shocked as him. Dudley hugged his mother back and before he could say anything, she continued about the nonsensical apology.
"I should have taught you better, sweetie. Should have protected you." She loosened the hug to look at his eyes. "Look at you now, looking so much like Vernon." there was the slightest flinch from her son that made her try and reassure him. "You're so big... As big as he was. We should at least be thankful that you got your looks from my family. You're such a beautiful child, sweetie. Oh and these clothes... I should have had more sense than dress you up like this. I bet that no kid your age would like to dress this way." She traced a hand on a mostly healed small cut down his cheek thanking all the gods it wouldn't leave a mark. "I should have protected you better from him. From everything he did." She was starting to tear up. Vernon had taught so many bad things to her son, she shouldn't have let him do it.
The boys were starting to understand what she meant; she was blaming herself for what happened. Dudley felt his cousin's hand on his shoulder. Just a few months ago he would have swatted it away and called him a freak, but after his father- No. He promised himself he wouldn't think about that again, at least for now. He had to let go, he was taken by the police. He shook his head to relieve himself from those thoughts and to concentrate on his mother. His mum was the best in the whole world, and when he saw her eyes starting to tear up he froze. "It's, it's not your fault." he told her. He wanted to say so much, but that was the only thing coming out, so he repeated it over and over again hoping he could convince his mum.
Petunia scooped her nephew into the hug she was already giving her son and stayed like that for a few more minutes while she said she was sorry over and over again and her children answered with a mantra of 'It's not your fault'. It felt good to know they didn't blame her, even if she knew that wasn't true. She knew she had it coming, but for now that nightmare was over and done, she would let it go. She beckoned the boys to eat up and went back to started with breakfast herself. Her son seemed pleased with the feast and her nephew seemed pleased they were both pleased. "Thank Harry for breakfast, sweetie. He was the one to make this feast for us. Let's us all use this to celebrate the first day of our new life." She smiled at them, chuckled at their astonished faces and started eating. Her nephew was a bloody good cook and she would be damned if she wouldn't enjoy his cooking every now and then, she just had to make sure he was comfortable with cooking and not slaved like he was before. He seemed to be enjoying himself today after all.
Harry was enjoying being able to eat at the table like he was part of the family. He was putting a bit of aunt Petunia's favourite jam on a toast for him when a thought came to him and he let it fall on his plate. "How are we going to pay for school?" His cousin was looking at him like he had four heads and then gasped understanding it. His aunt still looked confused, so he went on. "I mean, we have to pay for tuition and books and the school stuff that were on the list. And the food? How do we pay for the food? Do we have to get a job?"
Petunia widened her eyes. Right, money. Vernon was the provider of the house; he brought the money in. Harry was only worried about school and food, but he didn't know better. Petunia knew: being alive costed money. She thought a little about what to do. "No, dear. You don't have to get a job. Either of you. I on the other hand have, but that's for later. For now, we still have some money to go on. There's also our savings in the bank. We thought Dudley was going to Smeltings and that a bit of an expensive school so we saved a little to help with that. The rest of the savings were going to the vacation of the family. That is cancelled for now, if we have enough money we'll go one next summer. I have a few jewels that could be sold as well. So for this summer and the school stuff, we have enough money. I'll find something after you both go to school.
"Now, we still need to go to the bank and see how much we really have and plan how to best use it. We also need to find the place to buy your school's books and the rest... Maybe we should try to find your mother's friend, Harry. He could help was, at the very least he knows where the place is. He used to live near us, let's hope he's still there." We should also buy a few normal clothes to you both. She didn't voice her last thought, though, and sent them away to go change while she cleaned up the table. There was not much to clean up since they ate almost everything. With such a big breakfast they could afford a late lunch that day, the bank would most likely take a lot of their time. Maybe they should go shopping first, then the bank, lunch and the hunting for Lily's friend.
when the boys came back she had to take Harry up again and they went through a few of Dudley's old clothes that would fit her nephew better, and that didn't look like they were old at all - there were quite a few that didn't look old. On the way back down, she took two of Dudley's backpack and handed one to each boy. "We're going to buy clothes first. Not many, but you both need a few normal clothes. Now, you're both big boys so you'll help carry your own things. And behave, understood?"
"Yes, mum." Finally! No more ridiculous babyish clothes.
"Yes, Aunt Petunia." I get my own clothes?
She looked the boys over, nodded and stirred them to the car. She didn't know how to do much outside housework, but at least she knew how to drive. And there they went on to London, hoping for clothes, enough money for summer and maybe a cake for his birthday.