Chapter Five
A DREAM AND ACTUALITY
When Margaret heard the front door opening, she expected to see Lily very depressed and Peter very tired. She had passed the whole afternoon cooking Lily's favourite meal and a big chocolate cake. Instead, when the two entered the house, Lily run inside shouting,
"Mum! Mum! It was all true!!! It was TRUE!!!!!!!" She ran around the kitchen under the disbelieving look of her mother. When Peter got in the room, he had a strange smile on his face.
"Peter, what?"
"It was all true, Marge. Come, sit down." They seated on the sofa in the sitting room.
"What... what does it mean 'It was true'? I, I mean..."
"Look" Peter showed her a journal he had bought at Diagon Alley. The pictures were moving.
Margaret watched the sheet, astonished.
"It... can't be... what kind of a joke is this, Peter?! I assure you it's not amusing!!" the woman got up from the sofa, shouting her disbelief on her husband's face.
"Margaret, calm down. Let me tell you the whole story." Peter took his wife's hand and forced her to sit down again. Then, he told their whole journey. Sometimes, Lily added something or showed magical things she had bought. At the end of the story she stood there, without knowning what to say. The front door opened again, and Petunia entered the room, looking at her family.
"What's up?"
"We have a witch in our family," said Margaret
* * *
The question IF Lily should really go to a wizards' school was never under discussion. It couldn't have: Lily would have never forgiven her parents if they had only said there might be the possibility she did not go. And Grandma, too. She came for lunch the day after their trip to London, asking for everything to be told and re-told several times. She was very proud of her little granddaughter, and her parents as well. The only one who didn't look so happy was Petunia.
"Petunia, dear, what's wrong?" asked Margaret, after awhile that she was looking at her daughter.
"It's nothing."
"A bit envious?" said Grandma with a laugh.
"I don't see WHY I should be envious of someone going to a stupid little school for conjurers!!! And stop talking to me as if I were unworthy just because I don't share your stupid little dream!!!!!"
"Petunia!" shouted Margaret, but the girl was already running up to her room.
A heavy silence came down on the table.
"Please, forgive her, mum. She's a bit... you know... I think she really is envious. We just let her stay alone for awhile," said Peter
"I know, dear, I know. Maybe I've been a little too ironic this time" No one knew what to say. Then, Lily had an idea.
"Grandma, why don't you come to Diagon Alley with us next Saturday?" she asked.
"Oh! Well..." a big smile spread on grandma's face. Lily smiled, too.
"I don't think I should; it's better if you go with your parents" said Grandma, not sounding very plausible.
"Ooooh, grandma, why?" cried Lily "I thought it was the thing you wanted the most in your life!! Why don't you come?"
"Yes, mum, why not come with us? You're most certainly welcome!" added Peter.
"You said it right, darling" said Grandma, addressing Lily, "it's the thing I desired the most in my life. That's why I cannot come."
"But... but..." Lily was close to cry, seeing the sad look of her favourite relative. Grandma gently caressed her hand.
"Don't worry, dear. You'll be a great witch, and every time you'll come here, you'll show me what you learned." Grandma smiled, and Lily smiled back. Then the old woman got up.
"I think it's time that I go. Thanks for the lunch, dear. It was wonderful, as always," she said to Margaret.
"But Mum, wait. If it's for what Petunia said, I'll..." began Peter
"It's not that dear. Really. I have to go, but I'll accept another invitation here before Lily leaves to Hogwarts," said Grandma, giving an assuring smile to her granddaughter.
She took her coat and, after putting two kisses on Lily's cheeks, left.
"I don't really get my mother sometimes. She raised me with wizards' stories and now that she can really SEE their world, she just gives up! I don't get it!" moaned Peter
"I think I do" said Margaret. Peter looked at her, questioning. "I think that, when you spend your whole life following a dream, it becomes a part of yourself, somehow. If she had seen how wizards' world really is, well, that could have never been HER wizards' world. That's why she gave up." Margaret smiled at Peter, stroking Lily's head "Dreams are always better than reality, I guess"
A DREAM AND ACTUALITY
When Margaret heard the front door opening, she expected to see Lily very depressed and Peter very tired. She had passed the whole afternoon cooking Lily's favourite meal and a big chocolate cake. Instead, when the two entered the house, Lily run inside shouting,
"Mum! Mum! It was all true!!! It was TRUE!!!!!!!" She ran around the kitchen under the disbelieving look of her mother. When Peter got in the room, he had a strange smile on his face.
"Peter, what?"
"It was all true, Marge. Come, sit down." They seated on the sofa in the sitting room.
"What... what does it mean 'It was true'? I, I mean..."
"Look" Peter showed her a journal he had bought at Diagon Alley. The pictures were moving.
Margaret watched the sheet, astonished.
"It... can't be... what kind of a joke is this, Peter?! I assure you it's not amusing!!" the woman got up from the sofa, shouting her disbelief on her husband's face.
"Margaret, calm down. Let me tell you the whole story." Peter took his wife's hand and forced her to sit down again. Then, he told their whole journey. Sometimes, Lily added something or showed magical things she had bought. At the end of the story she stood there, without knowning what to say. The front door opened again, and Petunia entered the room, looking at her family.
"What's up?"
"We have a witch in our family," said Margaret
* * *
The question IF Lily should really go to a wizards' school was never under discussion. It couldn't have: Lily would have never forgiven her parents if they had only said there might be the possibility she did not go. And Grandma, too. She came for lunch the day after their trip to London, asking for everything to be told and re-told several times. She was very proud of her little granddaughter, and her parents as well. The only one who didn't look so happy was Petunia.
"Petunia, dear, what's wrong?" asked Margaret, after awhile that she was looking at her daughter.
"It's nothing."
"A bit envious?" said Grandma with a laugh.
"I don't see WHY I should be envious of someone going to a stupid little school for conjurers!!! And stop talking to me as if I were unworthy just because I don't share your stupid little dream!!!!!"
"Petunia!" shouted Margaret, but the girl was already running up to her room.
A heavy silence came down on the table.
"Please, forgive her, mum. She's a bit... you know... I think she really is envious. We just let her stay alone for awhile," said Peter
"I know, dear, I know. Maybe I've been a little too ironic this time" No one knew what to say. Then, Lily had an idea.
"Grandma, why don't you come to Diagon Alley with us next Saturday?" she asked.
"Oh! Well..." a big smile spread on grandma's face. Lily smiled, too.
"I don't think I should; it's better if you go with your parents" said Grandma, not sounding very plausible.
"Ooooh, grandma, why?" cried Lily "I thought it was the thing you wanted the most in your life!! Why don't you come?"
"Yes, mum, why not come with us? You're most certainly welcome!" added Peter.
"You said it right, darling" said Grandma, addressing Lily, "it's the thing I desired the most in my life. That's why I cannot come."
"But... but..." Lily was close to cry, seeing the sad look of her favourite relative. Grandma gently caressed her hand.
"Don't worry, dear. You'll be a great witch, and every time you'll come here, you'll show me what you learned." Grandma smiled, and Lily smiled back. Then the old woman got up.
"I think it's time that I go. Thanks for the lunch, dear. It was wonderful, as always," she said to Margaret.
"But Mum, wait. If it's for what Petunia said, I'll..." began Peter
"It's not that dear. Really. I have to go, but I'll accept another invitation here before Lily leaves to Hogwarts," said Grandma, giving an assuring smile to her granddaughter.
She took her coat and, after putting two kisses on Lily's cheeks, left.
"I don't really get my mother sometimes. She raised me with wizards' stories and now that she can really SEE their world, she just gives up! I don't get it!" moaned Peter
"I think I do" said Margaret. Peter looked at her, questioning. "I think that, when you spend your whole life following a dream, it becomes a part of yourself, somehow. If she had seen how wizards' world really is, well, that could have never been HER wizards' world. That's why she gave up." Margaret smiled at Peter, stroking Lily's head "Dreams are always better than reality, I guess"