AN: Just realized I've been using American spellings. Blame it on my spell-checker. I'm too lazy to change it. I might go back and fix it someday, but I'm rather busy now so I hope no one minds.
Petunia Dursley sat at the desk in the room her and her husband shared and set about writing a letter to Albus Dumbledore informing him of the return of her magic, she had no idea if learning to control your magic was some sort of medical necessity and didn't want to see unexpected complications in her next check-up. As any rational adult, this is a very reasonable concern. She also made sure to assure him that Harry would be attending Hogwarts so that they didn't see the need to send a large bearded man to give her son a pig's tail this time around (she shudders at the rather traumatic memory).
From what Petunia remembered hearing of Harry's life, which was admittedly very little, the child of her sister clearly hadn't had it easy, even before the Wizarding World had broken into all out war. She refused for her family to be targets now that she had the opportunity to change things and she realized that, if it meant the power to defend her husband and son, she would be more than willing to be a freak.
With a draft finished and sent via post, Petunia decided it was time to make some dinner, silently reminding herself to make a good-sized portion for Harry. It wouldn't do for family to be so lanky, that it was partially her fault notwithstanding. It really did horrify the woman how horribly she had treated and neglected her very own kin, the last remnant of a sister she'd never seen again. A mistake to rectify, to be sure.
-HPatMMA-
Vernon wasn't so sure about all this "magic" business, but only a foolish man defied his wife, so he decided to trust her just this once. It was especially alarming to hear that Petunia herself had had magic for a while, but couldn't use it up until now. It still felt like there was something she wasn't telling her, but Vernon was sure she'd open up to him in due time.
Now, there was the issue of the Potter brat. He didn't much care for the kid, but after being thoroughly chewed out by Petunia, he did feel rather guilty about how he'd treated the kid. It didn't help that she reminded him how abnormal their treatment of Harry and their coddling of Dudley was. Now magic was one thing, but raising your children poorly? That was something that no self-respecting Dursley ever did. That he'd just thought of Harry as one of his "children" hadn't even crossed his mind in the moment.
-HPatMMA-
And thus, I am born anew,
As a Phoenix I have risen,
Strong and youthful glory,
To Burn Evermore.
When Aunt Petunia told Harry that they were to move out of their Cupboard and into Dudley's second bedroom, they were more than pleased. Dudley, predictably, threw a fit until Petunia had reminded him that he hadn't even entered the room in two years. That shut him up pretty fast and Harry had to admit that it was rather nice to see their Aunt cracking down on Dudley's more… irritating behaviors.
It had taken the whole day for Harry to clear out the bedroom of Dudley's old toys and a good number of comics and books which Harry had promptly stashed for reading later. The remaining that Dudley wanted to keep for some reason or the other were either taken back to his own bedroom or (ironically) promptly shoved into the Cupboard under the Stairs.
Harry settled into their new room with a sense of uneasiness. After not having much for so long and finally getting some semblance of comfort, there was this lingering fear that it could disappear. That Aunt Petunia would all of a sudden decide that Harry was worthless and toss them out. That they'd wake up tomorrow in their Cupboard again, realizing it was all some fever dream.
Harry plopped down onto their new bed, the springs creaked from the sudden use after years of being ignored. They laid their head on the pillow and stared up at the off-white ceiling, thinking about all that had happened in the space of a day. It was fitting that it was their birthday.
They began to mull over what Aunt Petunia had told them about their parents. Murdered by a bad wizard? Harry could understand where their Aunt's aversion to magic came from if magic had killed a member of her family. A world with super-powered killers didn't seem all that safe, in Harry's opinion. Did Harry even want to learn magic, in that case?
Of course. It wasn't even a question. Harry's heart leapt at the chance to become closer to their parents, to follow in their parent's footsteps. It wouldn't hurt that getting extra powers would most definitely aid Harry in the quest for becoming great. One could not master the world without first learning about it, and there was a whole dimension of reality that Harry had never even known about up until now.
The time passed and Harry failed to even notice it, but soon enough they could smell the strong scent of garlic and tomatoes coming from downstairs. It smelled like Aunt Petunia was making pasta this evening.
-HPatMMA-
Dinner was a silent affair. Everyone kept glancing at each other, unsure of what to say. Dudley wasn't so much unsure as he was wolfing down the spaghetti on his plate like a hungry… wolf. He smacked his lips upon finishing and broke the awkward silence the only way he knew how.
"Mum, what's for dessert?" Petunia almost laughed aloud at the simple request. After the mess of day she'd had involving time travel and becoming a witch, it seemed almost absurd how normal Dudley was in the face of this, how well he took it. Children were rather fickle like that, it was a welcome change from the craziness.
"I got some chocolate ice cream from the supermarket yesterday, if that's fine with you?" She addressed both the children with that question and Harry looked up, then shrugged. Dudley answered affirmatively, like most his age, he was hardly one to turn down a good bowl of chocolate ice cream.
Taking out a large metal spoon, Petunia scooped one scoop of chocolate ice cream each into two white, ceramic bowls. She put a spoon in each of them and then put one in front of Dudley, and the other in front of Harry. Vernon Dursley's face went a little red and his expression grew strained at this gesture, but he said nothing, rationally fearing the wrath of his wife.
Harry looked uneasy, staring at the bowl like some sort of strange object, which it might as well be. Tentatively, they grasped the spoon in their right hand and brought a spoonful of ice cream to their lips and then cleaned the utensil of it. A tension that Harry didn't even realize was there suddenly broke and Petunia and Vernon began discussing the news. Dudley, as expected, was inhaling his ice cream and paying no attention to what was going on around him.
Now that everyone had finished their meals, Vernon thought that, as the man of the house, it was his duty to address the elephant in the room.
"Ahem," Vernon cleared his throat and brought three pairs of eyes on him, "Some big changes are going to be happening in this family. For one, the bo- Harry is, as I have been informed, 'a member of the family and should be treated like one.' We, like any family, will support your education to suit your strengths, no matter what those strengths may be. It is all of our jobs to make Harry feel as welcomed as possible." It was clear to all, except maybe Dudley, that the burly man had been cowed into this rather official-sounding speech by his wife, but Harry appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Petunia nodded approvingly at her husband's words.
Suddenly, breaking any semblance of normalcy, a large brown owl flew up to the window of the kitchen and started rapping its talons upon the glass. Upon closer inspection, the family (including Harry) could see that it had an envelope tied to its left leg emblazoned with a large, golden cursive "M". Petunia gets up and opens the window. The bird just sits there, waiting for the letter to be opened.
Mrs Dursley unties the fancy envelope from the owl and looks at the owl strangely. "I never did understand how those magic folk trained these damn birds," she mutters under her breath as she opens the letter with ginger hands. She reads aloud:
Dear Mrs Dursley,
We have received intelligence that a case of accidental magic was recorded at your place of residence this morning at thirty minutes past eight. Upon deliberation with other officials in the Improper Use of Magic Department of the Ministry of Magic, we have determined that it is necessary for you to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry alongside your ward, Mx Harry Potter. This is to ensure your health in such an unusual case of a "late bloomer witch". According to the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy as well as the Compulsory Magical Education of 1856 passed by Queen Victoria, it has been deemed that you are to receive a standard seven-year magical education. You are also expected for a check-up at St. Mungo's Hospital sometime before September 1st so as to ensure you body is properly handling magic at such a late stage in human development.
We thank you for your time,
Secretary Mafalda Hopkirk
Improper Use of Magic
As Petunia read the later, she became progressively more and more befuddled at what was happening. She was to attend school with a bunch of teenagers. She was in her thirties for God's sake! It was also curious the way the letter had addressed her nephew – what on Earth was a "Mx"?
"So I guess we'll be classmates, Aunt Petunia." Harry looks strangely at their aunt. Vernon seemed just as confused as well. The letter even managed to give Dudley pause, a rather amazing feat.
"But mum, aren't you a bit old to be going to school?" Dudley asks, perplexed at the situation that has come to the top of an ever-growing tower of odd occurrences throughout the day. Petunia's little boy always was rather thick.
-HPatMMA-
Professor Snape cursed Albus Dumbledore with all that he could. Of all the things the older man could have asked the Head of Slytherin, why did he have to be the one to go and fetch the Potter brat? Apparently, a "situation" had arisen in regards to Lily's sister that made the whole matter very delicate, protests that he and Petunia had never gotten along notwithstanding. The Headmaster said that he had needed someone familiar to deal with it.
This was why Severus Tobias Snape found himself on the welcome mat of number four, Privet Drive, knocking on the wooden door in exasperation at his lot in life. He heard a clamor of heavy footsteps before the sight of a large man with a bushy mustache greeted him when the door opened. He took one glance at Snape before calling out behind him:
"Petunia, B-Harry! One of them is here for you." The way that the man had emphasized "them" was not lost on the potions professor. Muggles always were a narrow-minded lot.
A tall woman with black hair and a short child with black hair came up to the door as the large man moved out of the way to make room for the too. As soon as the woman catches sight of Snape, she sputter.
"Severus Snape?" Petunia had realized immediately who the robed man at the door was. Snape's features were unmistakable, even after so many years.
"Petunia…" He pauses, realizes he doesn't actually know her last name now that she is evidently married. Seeming to catch on, Petunia fills in the blanks.
"It's Dursley now. Come in, how do you take your tea?" The woman leads him inside and Snape gets a better look at the quiet child trailing alongside her. That hair could only mean one thing.
"Harry Potter, I presume?" The face that Snape has hated for so many years looks up at him curiously.
"And what of it?"
Just wonderful. A moment he'd been dreading since Dumbledore had first assigned him to this task. It was so much worse now that he'd actually met them in person. That cheek – so reminiscent of the Potter that came before. He was disgruntled, yet unsurprised at the way the child had acted (Snape had been expecting an arrogant, spoiled, cheeky brat, after all). About to make one of his famous biting retorts, Severus made the mistake of looking into Harry's eyes. They were Lily's.
