AN: While I try to make Petunia as sympathetic as possible, she's still the same woman who willingly married Vernon Dursley and avoided emotional honesty with Harry, so don't expect her to be very nice all of a sudden.

Eat me, consume me,

Rip me to shreds.

Piece me together,

Then kill me again.

Ever since Petunia Evans was young, she had always wanted to fit in. It was rather understandable considering her history of getting bullied for being ugly or wearing the wrong clothes or scoring marks a little higher than most. So when Petunia Evans started noticing strange things happening around her, and that they were often related to her emotions and thoughts, she did everything she could to prevent it from happening.

When Petunia's little sister had started showing similar abilities and the resulting oddities around her, the Evans were overjoyed to find that their little baby girl was so special. Petunia tried desperately to do the same things, remembering when she was quite young that she could. By then, though, it was too late. Petunia Evans had already developed an Obscurus, and nothing could be done to reverse such an unfortunate thing.

When Lily befriended a boy named Snape who knew all about this "magic", Petunia wasn't very happy. Petunia knew that she could've been special, but she wasn't, and that killed her. When Lily received a letter to a school called Hogwarts, Petunia saw her chance. Maybe someone there could reveal why her magic wasn't working!

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, sat at his desk reading over the letter from one "Petunia Evans" with a mixture of concern and surprise. From the way she had described her plight, she was most definitely an Obscurial who had suppressed her magic out of the misguided Muggle desire to be normal. Muggles were rather silly in that sense.

Albus Dumbledore, while a kind soul at heart, wasn't the best at actually telling people things, so he did what he did best and concealed the truth as he tried to fix things as well as he could. First, he set about developing a complex set of charms with the aid of Filius Flitwick (whom Dumbledore had asked several questions about Charms theory without explaining why) that would lock an Obscurus to prevent it from consuming the Obscurial and going on a rampage like what Dumbledore had been aware had happened a few decades back. After applying them to a return letter explaining there was (sadly) nothing he could do to help her (which he really was upset about, it was very depressing to see a child cut off from their magic when magic was such an integral part of their nature), he sent a return owl off to the home of the Evans sisters.

When Petunia read the rather kind response from Albus Dumbledore, it would be an understatement to say that she was upset. Even Lily was upset at the prospect of being separated from her sister for ten whole months. Now that Petunia knew there was no chance she could ever use magic again, she resigned herself to being as NORMALTM as possible. This set off a chain of events culminating in her marrying a rather dashing, yet absolutely, positively boring and dull man named Vernon Dursley. And that was that.

-HPatTTMA-

Everything hurt. Painpainpainpainpain. Why didn't she say anything? OH GOD WHY DIDN'T SHE SAY ANYTHING?! Lily's son. The last link to her dead sister. Everything gone. Nothing meant anything anymore. She was a right bitch of an aunt and Lils would be so ashamed. That is, if she were still alive. Why did things have to end this way? Whywhywhywhywhywhy? It hurts so bad. Head hurts. Chest hurts. Whole body hurts and hurts and hurts like an ingrown toenail.

Anger, sadness, regret, it all bubbled up inside of her. Swelling. Consuming her with only one thought: "You must make things right." But it was too late, wasn't it.

Distracted by her pain and regret, she didn't notice a wall of protective charms shattering inside her and the first ever Obscurus to have a lifespan almost four decades exploded from its host and everything went white for Petunia.

-HPatTTMA-

The last thing Petunia Dursley could remember was saying goodbye to her nephew (as far as Petunia knows, Harry is a boy) . Now she was in the kitchen of number four, Privet Drive. What had happened? Almost as if on cue, a voice in her head spoke back to her.

"You can use magic now."

Petunia stopped in her tracks. It wasn't really a voice, more of a realization, but it was like she could feel the years of magic trapped inside of her, yearning to be used. Slowly, she brought her hand up and willed something "magical" to happen. Magic, being rather intelligent, decided the best way t demonstrate itself to Petunia was by levitating a wooden spoon. Shocked, Petunia dropped her hand and the spoon clattered to the ground. It was back! After all these years, her magic was back!

All of a sudden, she realized where exactly she was when she caught sight of an eleven year old Dudley sitting across from a Vernon with years off his face reading the paper. That wasn't right, Dudley was seventeen. What the bloody hell was going on?

What came to mind was that rather interesting novella that she had read years ago for the book club she attended once a week while Vernon and Dudley were out at work and school, respectively. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Having been turned away from magic, Petunia had become rather fascinated with science-fiction as a way of dreaming of one day being capable of doing the wondrous and terrifying things those magical people could do.

"Aunt Petunia?!" The voice of a prepubescent Harry Potter brought Petunia Dursley back to the land of the living. Sighing, she went over to the door to see whatever the child wanted.

A sharp intake of breath and her face loses all color. Today was the day that Harry's Hogwarts letter came. Harry said something else but she couldn't hear it, her mind was too busy racing as tears filled up her eyes.

"H-Harry..." Harry becomes even more enraged and shouts about wanting to know what happened to Lily and her husband.

"I'm so sorry." It would never make up for the years she had failed to be what Harry needed, but it was a start.

"Your parents, they were murdered," Harry watches intently, at this point just wanting any answer at all, "They were murdered by a Wizard. You were left on that doorstep the night they died with a letter telling us to take you in."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Harry whispers harshly, broken by this newfound information.

"I could scarcely believe she was dead. My only sister, dead, and I was told in a letter. Then I needed to take in her child. It's no excuse for being so horrible to you, I know." Harry nods, they had read in books that people process grief in strange ways. It was no excuse, but they could understand it.

"So what now?" Harry decides to try to move forward, greatness does not come from holding grudges.

"Come inside, we need to discuss with Vernon. I know he won't understand, I'll make him understand." Harry nods obediently and comes inside, holding the mail in his frail right hand. Petunia leads them over to the living room where Vernon sat across from Dudley, reading the paper. Vernon looks up from the section of politics to see Harry holding a letter. He knows immediately what it is and heat comes to his face. Vernon always did look rather silly when he got mad.

"Vernon, we need to talk. There are some things I need to tell you. Harry, stay here. Dudley, be nice to your cousin." Dudley immediately looks up from the riveting activity of twiddling his Smeltings stick in shock. He'd never been told to be nice to Harry before.

Petunia practically drags Vernon into a room to explain some things before he goes full tea kettle.

-HPatTTMA-

Dudley Dursley looks over at his cousin, unsure of how to react to what's going on.

"So… what do you think they're talking about?" Harry is rather surprised at the attempt at civil conversation from their lug of a cousin. Now, Harry Hunting they could understand, but actually talking? This was even harder for the two eleven year olds.

"Probably this." Harry holds up the piece of paper in their hand and shows it to Dudley. Dudley eagerly snatches it from his cousin's hand and reads it before saying.

"So magic is real?" Simply and succinctly, Dudley seems to have summed up Harry's entire morning. A feat worthy of medals, really.

"Pretty much. Also turns out my mum and dad were murdered by some evil wizard and not killed in a drunk driving accident."

"Bloody hell, mate." Harry nods, and their awkward silence continues.

AN: So more about Petunia is revealed, as well as the explanation of the title of this fic. Dudley will try to put in the effort to be nice because he's never faced disappointment from his mother before and he doesn't want to start now. This chapter is rather dialogue-heavy, but it is necessary. Please leave reviews so I can incorporate any feedback I receive into the story.