Disclaimer: Once again, I own what I own (namely Rose and Andrew) JK owns
what she owns (namely Petunia, Lily, any other character like that.) If
you don't recognize something, I probably own it. The End.
Andrew came home from his job as an Auror two years later to see his wife sitting at the table, crying.
"Rose, what's wrong?" he demanded, dropping his cloak and running to her side. He crouched down next to her and took her hand. "What happened? Are Lily and Petunia all right?"
"Lily's fine," Rose said through her tears. "It's Petunia."
"What's wrong with her? Is she hurt? Why didn't you call me?" he asked anxiously. He stood up, still holding his wife's hand. "Where is she? Petunia!"
"She's in her room, taking a nap," Rose explained. "I didn't call you because I didn't want to upset the girls."
"Is Petunia hurt somehow? Did that bully Vernon hit her again?" Andrew asked, mentioning Vernon Dursley, the fat four-year-old boy who lived across the street and loved to torture the Evans girls.
"Petunia's fine, physically," Rose said, adding the last word as an afterthought. "It's just that I think that she's, well, a Squib," she said softly.
Andrew laughed, an expression of immense relief on his face. He ran a hand through his hair. "Is that all?"
"Yes, it is," Rose said, slightly taken aback that he didn't consider this an emergency.
"Are you sure?" Andrew asked, calming down slightly.
"I'm not completely sure," Rose said, starting to cry softly again. "But you know how Lily and Petunia are always asking to play with our wands. They were being really good today, so I let them play with my wand for a little while. Lily was having a blast making things in the garden explode, and when Petunia took it from her, she couldn't make anything happen. Anything at all," she finished, obviously upset.
"Well, maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough," Andrew said soothingly.
Rose, however, refused to be comforted. "What if she was?" she demanded.
"Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll take her with me when I go back to the ministry and I'll have her tested," Andrew promised.
Rose perked up at this. "That's a good idea," she agreed.
"Now, where's my lunch?" Andrew asked, kissing her cheek.
"It's in the kitchen," Rose answered, kissing him back.
Andrew walked into the kitchen, got his lunch out of the refrigerator and sat at the table. Meanwhile, Rose went upstairs and into the bathroom to wash her face.
Andrew was still sitting at the table, eating his lunch, when he heard soft footsteps on the linoleum. He looked up to see three-year-old Lily standing in the doorway, her short red curls messy from her nap.
"Hi, Daddy," Lily said, running over to him, her feet making pitter-patter noises on the floor.
"Hi, sweetie," Andrew replied, scooping her up and setting her on his lap. Lily squirmed, trying to turn so she was facing him. She finally succeeded and started playing with Andrew's hair.
"Daddy," she said finally, staring into his eyes. "Why was Mummy so sad?"
"Mummy was sad for no reason, Lily Rose," Andrew said. He took her chubby hands and made her clap, then cover her eyes, then play with her own hair.
"I love you Daddy," Lily said, leaning forward and giving him kiss. She pulled her hands away from him. "Mummy was crying."
"I know, sweetie," Andrew said. He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. He swallowed, then looked at Lily again, who was watching him with her head tipped to one side. "Mummy was upset, but she's fine now," he said.
"Daddy, Mummy let us play with her wand!" Petunia appeared in the doorway, her blonde hair a mess and clutching a worn-out blanket.
"So I heard, Petty-Pie!" Andrew said, using Petunia's nickname. "Come sit on Daddy's lap with Lily."
"No, I don't like Lily," Petunia said, sticking out her bottom lip.
"I don't like Petty," Lily said, starting to cry.
"Shh, Lily, it's all right," Andrew said. "Petty, why don't you like Lily? Lily, why don't you like Petty?"
"Cause she can make flowers go boom! And I can't," Petunia pouted.
"That's not your fault, sweetie," Andrew said, wondering whether Rose was right and Petunia really was a Squib.
"I don't like Petty 'cause she doesn't like me," Lily said, scrunching up her face. "I used to like her, but she doesn't like me, so I don't like her."
"Girls, there's no reason why you shouldn't like each other," Andrew said. He smiled down at Lily, then beckoned to Petunia to come over to him. She did, and he put his arm around her. "I must be the luckiest daddy alive," he told them.
"Yeah, 'cause you've got us," Lily giggled.
"I like you again, Lily," Petunia said. She started sucking her left thumb and held the blanket tighter with her right hand.
"I like you again, too," Lily said. She reached over and patted her sister on the head.
"Well, I see that you two found Daddy," Rose said, entering the room. She picked Petunia up. "Petty, sweet, you're going to go to work with Daddy for a little bit this afternoon."
"Why, Mummy?" Petunia wanted to know.
"Because Daddy needs you to do something for him," Rose answered. "Come on, let's go brush your hair."
She carried Petunia out of the kitchen and upstairs to the room the girls shared. Andrew sat in the kitchen still, holding Lily on his lap.
"How come she gets to go to work and I don't?" Lily asked, pouting. Her green eyes narrowed. "Is Daddy buying Petty candy and not me?" she demanded.
"No, sweetie, Daddy's not," Andrew answered, laughing.
"Okay. I love you, Daddy," Lily said, happy again. She climbed off his lap and followed her mother and sister upstairs.
"Mummy, can I go to work with Daddy too?" she asked, going into the bathroom where Petunia was sitting on the counter having her hair brushed. She sat down on the floor and watched Rose comb Petunia's hair.
"No, sweetie, you're going to stay here and help Mummy," Rose answered. She turned back to Petunia, who had started crying loudly because she had a huge knot in her hair and it hurt to have it combed.
"Mummy, when do me and Petty get to go to magic school?" Lily asked.
"Not for at least seven more years, sweet," Rose answered, smiling because her three year old wanted to go to school already.
"But I wanna go now," Petunia whined. "I wanna go to the castle now!" She started crying again.
"You aren't old enough, dear," Rose consoled her. "But we can go visit sometime, maybe," she added.
"Yay!" Lily started jumping up and down. "We getta go to the castle, we getta go to the castle," she started singing.
"Not right now, we don't," Rose said. She finished brushing Petunia's hair and picked her up again. "Are you ready to go with Daddy?"
"Yes," Petunia answered promptly. She squirmed and Rose set her down. "Can I take my blankie?"
"No, sweetie, blankie's going to stay here," Rose answered, prying it away from her. Petunia started crying again.
"But I wanna take it," she wailed.
"No, sweetie, you can't. Blankie's scared of going outside," Rose said, desperately trying to think of some way to get Petunia to leave the blanket. Thankfully, Lily came up with an idea.
"I'll watch blankie for you, Petty," she volunteered. "I'll take goooood care of him," she promised.
Petunia eyed her suspiciously. "You sure you won't hurt him?" she demanded.
"I won't hurt him," Lily said. She inched closer to her sister, finally getting close enough to grab the blanket. Petunia let go of it reluctantly.
"Okay," she said in an annoyed tone. She trotted out of the bathroom and almost fell down the stairs, but survived. She ran into the kitchen. "Let's go Daddy!"
"All right, all right," Andrew said, laughing at his little girl's impatience. "Rose, I'm leaving!"
"Have you got Petunia with you?" Rose called from upstairs.
"Yes, we're leaving!" He picked Petunia up, grabbed his briefcase and cloak, and walked out the door.
Andrew came home from his job as an Auror two years later to see his wife sitting at the table, crying.
"Rose, what's wrong?" he demanded, dropping his cloak and running to her side. He crouched down next to her and took her hand. "What happened? Are Lily and Petunia all right?"
"Lily's fine," Rose said through her tears. "It's Petunia."
"What's wrong with her? Is she hurt? Why didn't you call me?" he asked anxiously. He stood up, still holding his wife's hand. "Where is she? Petunia!"
"She's in her room, taking a nap," Rose explained. "I didn't call you because I didn't want to upset the girls."
"Is Petunia hurt somehow? Did that bully Vernon hit her again?" Andrew asked, mentioning Vernon Dursley, the fat four-year-old boy who lived across the street and loved to torture the Evans girls.
"Petunia's fine, physically," Rose said, adding the last word as an afterthought. "It's just that I think that she's, well, a Squib," she said softly.
Andrew laughed, an expression of immense relief on his face. He ran a hand through his hair. "Is that all?"
"Yes, it is," Rose said, slightly taken aback that he didn't consider this an emergency.
"Are you sure?" Andrew asked, calming down slightly.
"I'm not completely sure," Rose said, starting to cry softly again. "But you know how Lily and Petunia are always asking to play with our wands. They were being really good today, so I let them play with my wand for a little while. Lily was having a blast making things in the garden explode, and when Petunia took it from her, she couldn't make anything happen. Anything at all," she finished, obviously upset.
"Well, maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough," Andrew said soothingly.
Rose, however, refused to be comforted. "What if she was?" she demanded.
"Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll take her with me when I go back to the ministry and I'll have her tested," Andrew promised.
Rose perked up at this. "That's a good idea," she agreed.
"Now, where's my lunch?" Andrew asked, kissing her cheek.
"It's in the kitchen," Rose answered, kissing him back.
Andrew walked into the kitchen, got his lunch out of the refrigerator and sat at the table. Meanwhile, Rose went upstairs and into the bathroom to wash her face.
Andrew was still sitting at the table, eating his lunch, when he heard soft footsteps on the linoleum. He looked up to see three-year-old Lily standing in the doorway, her short red curls messy from her nap.
"Hi, Daddy," Lily said, running over to him, her feet making pitter-patter noises on the floor.
"Hi, sweetie," Andrew replied, scooping her up and setting her on his lap. Lily squirmed, trying to turn so she was facing him. She finally succeeded and started playing with Andrew's hair.
"Daddy," she said finally, staring into his eyes. "Why was Mummy so sad?"
"Mummy was sad for no reason, Lily Rose," Andrew said. He took her chubby hands and made her clap, then cover her eyes, then play with her own hair.
"I love you Daddy," Lily said, leaning forward and giving him kiss. She pulled her hands away from him. "Mummy was crying."
"I know, sweetie," Andrew said. He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. He swallowed, then looked at Lily again, who was watching him with her head tipped to one side. "Mummy was upset, but she's fine now," he said.
"Daddy, Mummy let us play with her wand!" Petunia appeared in the doorway, her blonde hair a mess and clutching a worn-out blanket.
"So I heard, Petty-Pie!" Andrew said, using Petunia's nickname. "Come sit on Daddy's lap with Lily."
"No, I don't like Lily," Petunia said, sticking out her bottom lip.
"I don't like Petty," Lily said, starting to cry.
"Shh, Lily, it's all right," Andrew said. "Petty, why don't you like Lily? Lily, why don't you like Petty?"
"Cause she can make flowers go boom! And I can't," Petunia pouted.
"That's not your fault, sweetie," Andrew said, wondering whether Rose was right and Petunia really was a Squib.
"I don't like Petty 'cause she doesn't like me," Lily said, scrunching up her face. "I used to like her, but she doesn't like me, so I don't like her."
"Girls, there's no reason why you shouldn't like each other," Andrew said. He smiled down at Lily, then beckoned to Petunia to come over to him. She did, and he put his arm around her. "I must be the luckiest daddy alive," he told them.
"Yeah, 'cause you've got us," Lily giggled.
"I like you again, Lily," Petunia said. She started sucking her left thumb and held the blanket tighter with her right hand.
"I like you again, too," Lily said. She reached over and patted her sister on the head.
"Well, I see that you two found Daddy," Rose said, entering the room. She picked Petunia up. "Petty, sweet, you're going to go to work with Daddy for a little bit this afternoon."
"Why, Mummy?" Petunia wanted to know.
"Because Daddy needs you to do something for him," Rose answered. "Come on, let's go brush your hair."
She carried Petunia out of the kitchen and upstairs to the room the girls shared. Andrew sat in the kitchen still, holding Lily on his lap.
"How come she gets to go to work and I don't?" Lily asked, pouting. Her green eyes narrowed. "Is Daddy buying Petty candy and not me?" she demanded.
"No, sweetie, Daddy's not," Andrew answered, laughing.
"Okay. I love you, Daddy," Lily said, happy again. She climbed off his lap and followed her mother and sister upstairs.
"Mummy, can I go to work with Daddy too?" she asked, going into the bathroom where Petunia was sitting on the counter having her hair brushed. She sat down on the floor and watched Rose comb Petunia's hair.
"No, sweetie, you're going to stay here and help Mummy," Rose answered. She turned back to Petunia, who had started crying loudly because she had a huge knot in her hair and it hurt to have it combed.
"Mummy, when do me and Petty get to go to magic school?" Lily asked.
"Not for at least seven more years, sweet," Rose answered, smiling because her three year old wanted to go to school already.
"But I wanna go now," Petunia whined. "I wanna go to the castle now!" She started crying again.
"You aren't old enough, dear," Rose consoled her. "But we can go visit sometime, maybe," she added.
"Yay!" Lily started jumping up and down. "We getta go to the castle, we getta go to the castle," she started singing.
"Not right now, we don't," Rose said. She finished brushing Petunia's hair and picked her up again. "Are you ready to go with Daddy?"
"Yes," Petunia answered promptly. She squirmed and Rose set her down. "Can I take my blankie?"
"No, sweetie, blankie's going to stay here," Rose answered, prying it away from her. Petunia started crying again.
"But I wanna take it," she wailed.
"No, sweetie, you can't. Blankie's scared of going outside," Rose said, desperately trying to think of some way to get Petunia to leave the blanket. Thankfully, Lily came up with an idea.
"I'll watch blankie for you, Petty," she volunteered. "I'll take goooood care of him," she promised.
Petunia eyed her suspiciously. "You sure you won't hurt him?" she demanded.
"I won't hurt him," Lily said. She inched closer to her sister, finally getting close enough to grab the blanket. Petunia let go of it reluctantly.
"Okay," she said in an annoyed tone. She trotted out of the bathroom and almost fell down the stairs, but survived. She ran into the kitchen. "Let's go Daddy!"
"All right, all right," Andrew said, laughing at his little girl's impatience. "Rose, I'm leaving!"
"Have you got Petunia with you?" Rose called from upstairs.
"Yes, we're leaving!" He picked Petunia up, grabbed his briefcase and cloak, and walked out the door.