oooOOOoooOOOooo
Vernon hadn't seen the basket the baby boy had been left in, so he didn't notice it was strange that the basket suddenly had a rather large steamer trunk on top of it. Vernon ignored it all, leaving it in the yard. Some of the more compassionate neighbors carried the trunk and the basket up to the porch and left them there. Vernon didn't care.
Vernon carried the baby upstairs, did his best to change the nappies of both little boys, though he'd never actually changed a nappy in his life. He'd watched Petunia do it once or twice but he'd never done it himself. The new nappies appeared to be mostly secure on the boys' bottoms, so Vernon considered that a win.
He carried the boys down for breakfast. He looked forlornly at the food in the kitchen. None of it was already made and Vernon only knew how to make eggs and cereal, so that's exactly what they'd had. A bottle each and a plate full of finger foods. Vernon didn't eat anything. He just sat. He didn't move.
It wasn't until almost two hours later that Vernon moved again, when Dudley had finished eating everything he could reach and Harry got tired of wallowing in his own uncertainty. Grief hadn't started yet. The baby didn't understand what was happening. He just thought his mummy and daddy were away. He didn't realize yet that they'd never be coming back.
Vernon moved. He wiped the boys down and set them inside the baby box with some toys. Then, Vernon called into work. He said he expected he'd need to take the rest of the week off due to a family emergency. His work had already heard what had happened. One of his coworkers lived on this street. They offered him their condolences and offered to send a fruit basket. Vernon thanked them for their kindness. He went to the sofa and sat down. He didn't move.
When lunch time came around, Dudley let his father know he was both wet and hungry. Vernon changed and fed both boys, eggs and cereal again. Then he sat at the table and he didn't eat. He didn't move.
Around dinner time, the neighbors started showing up. They offered to take the boys for the night but Vernon declined. They needed to be together as a family right now. Vernon was afraid of when he didn't move. He was afraid he'd never move again. He would move for his boys.
Every neighbor brought a quiche or a casserole, a dessert or a bottle of alcohol. Vernon accepted it graciously. He had everyone sign a guest book with the name of their dish so Petunia would know who to thank for each one… Petunia. Vernon sat down and he didn't move.
Night time came and Vernon closed down the house. He shut the curtains and locked the doors. He gave the boys their bath and put them to bed. He went to his own bedroom and sat on Petunia's side of the bed and he didn't move.
Three days later, things were getting dire in the Dursley household. Vernon didn't know how to clean, he didn't know how to cook, he didn't want to know the details of caring of a baby. He was ready to go spare! Not only was grief dogging his every step but he was also unable to upkeep his own household. The sink was full of dishes. The floors were covered in food that the babies had dropped. Vernon was out of casseroles and today was the day they'd be putting Petunia in the ground. Vernon had to move.
He forced himself to stand up and to get moving. Vernon gave the boys a bath. They splashed him and ruined the oil he'd already put on his mustache. He took them to the bedroom to get them dressed. The new boy peed on him. Vernon didn't even notice he hadn't learned the child's name. Vernon huffed at the shower he'd now have to take. Dudley's clothes were much too large for the new boy, who was tall and lanky while Dudley was both tall and big.
Vernon packed the baby bag. He dropped it on his foot. He tried to carry both boys to the car at once only to get there and realize he only had one baby seat. He drove with Harry in his lap and Dudley in the baby seat. He was pulled over by a bobby before he even left the neighborhood. Thankfully the bobby was feeling merciful. He let Vernon go with a warning, in light of his wife's funeral, but he wouldn't let him drive away with the baby in his lap. Half an hour later, another bobby showed up with a spare car seat for the orphan boy. Vernon was tempted to speed to get to the funeral home but he didn't want to chance it. The universe had not been on his side lately.
They arrived at the funeral home and Vernon was thankful that he had a stroller to put Dudley in. The boy was a healthy weight in his father's opinion, perhaps only in his father's opinion, but even Vernon would admit that he got heavy if you were holding him for long.
They went inside with only 30 minutes before guests would start arriving and Vernon found that Petunia was wearing the wrong dress. She was dressed in someone's oversized frumpy, yellow gown that made Petunia look sallow. Vernon had brought Petunia's best green Calvin Klein suit with the padded shoulders and cinched waist. Vernon had yelled until the dress was found and Petunia was changed into it. Vernon felt a little better after yelling at someone. He might need to go back to work, sooner rather than later.
With a quick touch up to her hair and makeup, Vernon very carefully placed her most favorite pearl and emerald necklace that brought out the color of her eyes. Her beautiful eyes that he would never see again. He looked down at the boy in his arms and smiled. Maybe not never. He'd see her beautiful eyes every time he looked into her nephew's. Pet had adored her little sister. She always said so. She always said how sad she was that she never got to see her sister since her sister's husband, the lord, had taken her away to live in a castle in Scotland. They wrote regular letters to one another that Petunia loved to read aloud to the neighborhood women in the play park. Now the Potters were dead, too, Vernon thought grimly.
While he waited for the procession to begin, his thoughts turned to the letter he had found in the boy's basket. It was ripped. It must have been torn straight from his Petunia's hands when she threw the basket. The news that her dear sister was dead must have been what made her so distraught that she'd run into traffic.
Vernon remembered what was left of the letter.
"The Loch Beannach School for the Gifted
Dear Petunia Dursley, nee' Evans,
I regret to inform you that your sister and her husband passed away on the night of October 31, 1981 at approximately 3:33am. Unfortunately, they were targeted by a madman who … zarding … Your nephew … was the only surviving member of the family. I leave him now in your care.
… accept him into your home, … you accept him in, you must accept him. His mother sacrificed her life for him. Living with a close blood relative of his mother will provide a significant … protection to him and all within your household, if he is allowed … until his 17th birthday.
… deposit of 1000 galleons or 5000 pounds will be deposited into an account … care and upkeep monthly. The account information can be found in the trunk with his other things.
My condolences,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Headmaster of …."
Vernon snorted. He didn't think much of this Dumbledore fellow for leaving a baby on a porch in November but he guessed he and Petunia were deep sleepers. Still, the man seemed too irresponsible to be in charge of children. Vernon resolved to look through the boy's trunk when they got home. He sighed when he thought that the boy probably had clothes of his own in the trunk. Clothes that fit.
The processional line began making their way through the room, each person stopping to pay their respects to Petunia before moving on to give their respects to Vernon and the children. The story of how Petunia saved her nephew's life, sacrificing her own in the process, had already made the rounds. No one questioned the extra boy.
Magic noticed that Petunia had sacrificed her life for Harry, too. Three adults in as many days dying for him had strengthened his protections to such a degree that it affected the boy's magic, not that Vernon noticed. So what if the boy woke up after a fussy night with black goo on his forehead? Vernon was more concerned with how smokey the room was. He opened the window and let the dissipating smoke out. If the boy's scar was less red and healed better after that night, well, Vernon was too lost in the mire of his grief and the uncertainty of how to take care of anything in his life beyond his job and his finances to care.
Vernon had smiled, said gracious words, and accepted enough back slaps and hugs to do him a lifetime. With each new positive story shared by another polite person, Vernon's myth of Saint Petunia grew. By the time the line started to wind down, Vernon was certain that Petunia was the Madonna reincarnate. As he looked at her horse face and sallow, sunken cheeks, he knew that she was also the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
He sniffled once and let one manly tear streak down his cheek after everyone had gone. He looked at his beautiful wife for the last time in this lifetime and kissed her forehead. He let Dudley say goodbye. Dudley screamed and cried for his mother while Harry just looked scared. Vernon let Dudley throw a fit for a few minutes before he wheeled him out of the room. His cries echoed as they headed to the limousine that would take them to the graveyard.
They arrived at the graveside. The two little boys and the lonely, rotund man were the only people left in the family. They were the only people left to say goodbye to Petunia Dursley. At least they were at first.
After Petunia had been lowered into the ground and each boy and the man had placed a handful of dirt on top of the beautiful cherry wood casket, a woman approached. She was older than Vernon by a good two decades, he expected. She looked a little funny, even if Vernon couldn't put his finger on why.
"Vernon Dursley?" the woman asked.
"Yes?" he asked, suspiciously.
"I wanted to introduce myself. My name is being Betsy. I am a … servant … from the Potter household. I is being coming to introduce myself to you, in case you need someone to help you with Master Harry? And with your other baby? I understand his mummy is being gone like Harry's mummy and daddy is being gone," Betsy said, hopefully.
"That's his name?" Vernon asked, unsure of how to respond.
"Yes. Charlus Jameson Potter V. He will be being Lord Potter when he turns 15 years old," Betsy expounded.
"So, Pet's sister's husband really was a lord, eh?"
"He was being. As his guardian, you can be using his London house, if you be liking. I can show it to you, if you want," Betsy offered. Betsy was somewhat wary of the man. Her mistress Lily had often spoken of her nasty sister, 'Tuni, who hated her because she was magical. This man, 'Tuni's husband, didn't seem so bad but Betsy could still tell he was all muggle. She wouldn't be revealing she was really a house elf wearing a glamor necklace that her mistress Lily had made for her. It was charmed to make Betsy look like a 40 something year old woman who had looked after James when he was a baby. It was true, it just wasn't true that Betsy was a human woman.
"A lord's London house, eh? I saw that we… I will be receiving 5000 pounds per month to care for the boy, too. That should be plenty enough to care for both boys. If I can cut my housing expenses as well and start investing…." Vernon's greed started to grow. It wasn't Vernon's best quality but making money was in his blood. He did it hand over fist for other people right now. He'd love to try his hand at making money for himself but it took money to make money, that was for sure.
"Yes, it is being a lord's London house. You cannot be staying in Potter Hall because it will not be open to Harry until after his 17th birthday. You can be staying in the Potter London House for the rest of your life, if you be liking. Harry's guardian is to be being awarded a life estate," Betsy said. She knew that the Potter's had authorized the house to be used by Harry's guardian. They'd left a life estate for them which meant that they could live in the house as long as they were alive, but the house couldn't be inherited by anyone else, except Harry.
Vernon perked up at the option. He was no fool. He also wasn't sure if he could stand to look at the spot where Petunia died every day for the rest of his life. She would have wanted to move into the lord's London House if she'd been alive. Vernon wouldn't disappoint her by depriving Dudley now.
"What other properties does Harry have?" Vernon asked.
"He has a summer house in Majorca and a house in the south of France near Nice," Betsy answered immediately. "He also owns a house in the highlands of Scotland but we cannot be accessing that house either," Betsy said. She didn't say why they couldn't access it. Hogsmeade was beyond Vernon's reach, after all.
"I think I'd like to see this London house. Can we go there tomorrow?" Vernon asked. He still had the wake to attend. Everyone would be at the Dursley house within the hour. Vernon had the caterers arriving any minute. Harry and Dudley started to fuss. He could feel that Harry was wet. Dudley must be too. He was making his hungry noises and Vernon just did not have time.
"Do you have any references?" Vernon asked, upset that the children were getting upset.
She handed over her handwritten references from Master James and Mistress Lily. They had created them in case Harry was placed in the muggle world. He wasn't supposed to be placed with the Dursleys but, still, it could have happened.
Vernon read them over. They were stellar to say the least.
"This is the last family you worked for?" Vernon asked, demanding answers.
"Yes, sir," Betsy replied.
"What are your terms?" Vernon asked. Betsy took a deep breath. Master James had always told her she should demand her worth when she was working for people other than him.
"I demand to be paid what I'm worth," said Betsy, primly. Vernon gave her a shrewd look. He was receiving 5000 pounds per month to care for the boy. What was 1000 pounds of that?
"I'll give you 1000 pounds per month. You can live with us and receive room and board as part of your payment. I'll even add you to our health plan," Vernon said, wheedlingly. "In return, you'll care for the boys, cook, and clean. You'll also manage any other staff we need, like a gardener," Vernon said.
"You will not be needing a gardener if you stay at Potter House. It has house staff that takes care of the cooking, cleaning, and yard work. I will just be taking care of the babies and you," said Betsy. "I accept."
Vernon gave her shark-like grin. "We'll sign a contract tomorrow. Can you start right away?"
Just then, Dudley lashed out and kicked his father in the knee. Vernon grunted in pain and almost dropped little Harry. Betsy reached out and steadied him. She took Harry and changed him almost in mid-air. She did the same to Dudley but one-handed. Vernon's mouth dropped open. She pulled sippy cups with strange orange juice from inside her purse. She gave the boys the juice and a handful of digestive biscuits each. In less than five minutes, both boys were once more content to let the situation ride out. Vernon grinned. He'd gotten a bargain.
oooOOOoooOOOooo