Disclaimer-Don't own
Shout-outs:
JeanMarie-I am so happy you like it! Though I warn you, there are very deep Hermione/Harry and Ron/Luna angles to this fic and I know you do not support them. I hope you will continue reading it, though!
Mikee-I prefer "…Daniel Potter" to "…James Potter", just as I like "…Emma Granger" and "…Rupert Weasley" over "…Jane Granger" and "…Bilius Weasley."
Letting Go, Holding On
"When are your freak friends coming, boy?"
Harry looked up from his spot on the couch where he had been intently studying the carving on his trunk. His aunt sat primly beside him, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
"Relatively soon," Harry said. "No clue on the particular time, though."
"Hmph," was the reply. Harry expected nothing else. With a small, evil grin, he picked up his wand and dangled it from his fingers, allowing it to swing like a pendulum.
"PUT THAT AWAY!"
"You're not my uncle anymore, Mr. Dursely," Harry said, in an aggravatingly cheerful voice. "You can't tell me what to do."
"THIS IS STILL MY HOUSE!" Vernon lunged at Harry, his face turning an ugly shade of purple.
"You will not touch Harry."
The deadly calm of Petunia's voice managed to stop Vernon in his tracks, something she had never been able to do before or during their marriage.
"Harry is my nephew and as much as I despised his mother, he is my ward and you have no authority over him."
"It's you who have no authority here, you disgusting freak-hugger!" Vernon yelled at her.
She visibly flinched but retained her calm. "I am not a freak-hugger, and the only one disgusting here is you."
"You…"
DING-DONG.
"That would be them," Harry said, jumping up. "Excuse me while I interrogate them." He sprinted for the door and yanked it open.
"Hello, Harry."
"Professor Lupin!" Harry exclaimed, smiling. "And…Snape." His smile dropped. The sight of Snape's condescending face somehow soured this grand occasion for Harry. "Why is Snape here?" he asked Remus directly, not caring to keep his voice below earshot.
"Spy mission," Remus answered carefully.
"Oh." Harry chewed his tongue. "Well, I'm really sorry, but I'm gonna ask you both questions. Professor Lupin, which passageway in the school is closed off?"
"The one on the fourth floor behind the mirror."
"And Snape…excuse me, Professor Snape," he said sardonically. He thought for a moment. "What did you find by the Whomping Willow at the end of my third year?"
"Your accursed Invisibility Cloak, which I WILL confiscate from you, Potter."
"I'm satisfied," Harry said, brushing off Snape's comments. "Hey, Hedwig."
Vernon roared in rage as Hedwig pushed open the unlocked cage door and flew to Harry's shoulder. Harry grinned again. It was always fun to put one over on Vernon.
"Good girl. So, how are we getting to You-Know-Where?"
"Muggle way. Car. You and your aunt can't Apparate, it's too bright for brooms, I don't want to set up an illegal Portkey, and I think we'd all prefer to avoid the Knight Bus." He grimaced a little. "Cars are less suspicious, at any rate."
"Whatever; it's all good." He turned and went for his trunk.
"Right, well, 'bye," Harry said, glancing shortly and contemptuously at his ex-uncle and cousin as he dragged his trunk across the floor. "Try not to sit on any cats, will you two?"
"You little freak of nature…"
Remus raised his wand. "You were saying?"
Vernon snorted roughly but shrank back. Snape couldn't help but let a chuckle escape. What a fat oaf.
"Shrink your luggage and put it in the trunk, Harry," Remus said as Harry walked past him.
"Sure thing, Professor!" Harry called back. They heard the unmistakable thump of the trunk opening, and then the Shrinking Spell. A month ago Petunia would have shrieked at the thought of Harry uttering a spell in public. Now, it didn't bring quite such a calamity upon her.
"If you'll abide with us for a few minutes, Mr. Dursely," Remus said. "Ms. Evans, may I speak to you for a moment?"
Petunia nearly jumped. No one had called her by her maiden name in years. She ran her fingers through her hair as if it would clear the sudden clouds in her mind and stepped towards Remus.
"You're Remus Lupin, aren't you?" Petunia said.
"Did Lily speak about me?" Remus asked, slightly taken aback.
"She'd show me pictures sometimes when I was particularly bored," Petunia answered.
"Well, yes, I am. Remus John Lupin. Do you mind if I call you "Petunia"? I had gotten used to Lily calling you by your given name. It was strange for me to call you "Ms. Evans"."
"I honestly don't care," Petunia said. "What is it, Remus?"
"About Harry." Remus's face darkened. "Has he been suffering from anything? Insomnia? Anorexia? Anything at all; I want to know."
Petunia's thoughts grazed back to all the nights she had checked in on Harry to find him tossing and muttering in his sleep. Something about Cedric and Sirius and a Veil. Things she didn't understand.
"Nightmares," she said shortly. "Just nightmares."
"Nightmares?" A cloud passed over Remus's face. "Does he ever mention…" He glanced around the room, and lowered his voice. "Voldemort?"
"No. Just things about someone called Cedric Diggory and your friend Sirius Black and some Veil. I don't understand; he doesn't explain them and I've never asked."
"You've never asked?"
"No. Should I have?"
Remus wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Yes, you should have, but there's no time to argue it now. I'll shrink your things and take them to the car."
True to his word, he muttered the Shrinking Spell and pocketed the now minuscule trunks that were Petunia's luggage. Nodding at Vernon and Dudley, he crossed the threshold and went to join Harry in the car.
It was just Petunia, Vernon, Dudley, and Snape in the living room now.
"I'll send the Child Support money as soon as I get a job," Petunia said to Vernon stiffly. He sniffed. She sighed but turned resolutely towards her son. "Dudders, Mummy will write to you as soon as she can, is that all right, popkin?"
Dudley stared at his mother like a deer caught in headlights. She went forward, her arms outstretched to hug him, but he stepped away.
"No!"
Petunia stopped mid-step. "Dudley, let Mummy hug you. I'm moving to London and can't see you for awhile."
"St-stay away from me! You-you freak-lover!"
"It appears, Ms. Evans, that your son lacks manners as well as brains."
Snape swept in, whisking his cloak around him, putting Dudley in the mind of Dracula. The fat boy recoiled in horror at this tall, dark, menacing man who stood over him, sneering contemptuously.
"It seems that all of this generation lack manners, not just the Weasley brats and Potter," Snape mused. "Give your mother a proper good-bye, or would you prefer some horns to match that demonic persona?"
"Don't threaten my so—" Petunia started, put before she could finish her sentence Dudley had wrapped his arms around her waist, hugged her briefly and tightly, and then ran away up the stairs, shrieking.
"Out! Out, now! OUT!" Vernon bellowed like a wounded bear.
"Believe me, I have no desire to remain here. Ms. Evans, if you'd be so gracious, kindly accompany me to that Muggle inconvenience called a car."
"Why did you threaten my son?" Petunia asked as soon as they crossed the threshold and the door was slammed behind them. "What did it matter to you if he said good-bye or not!"
"I simply dislike children with little or no manners, which is why your nephew has been a great trial for me for the past few years."
Petunia snorted sharply. "Well, I'm sorry that he's such a problem at school."
"It matters little whether you apologize or not."
Petunia snorted again and walked ahead. Snape sent a half-curious glance after her. This was the famous Lily Potter's sister. She had the same self-righteous spirit as Lily, but they shared little else. Not even eye color. Petunia's eyes were black like her hair, an unnatural black much like his own.
His eyes had been brown as a fairly young child, he remembered half-consciously. They had turned black after attending Hogwarts and returning home to find a new bruise upon Pearla Snape's body and more Firewhiskey, usually with less food, in the cabinets.
'What could possibly have turned that Muggle's eyes black?' he wondered absent-mindedly.
Harry and Petunia occupied the back seat of the car, Snape had the passenger seat, and Remus was driving. The three passengers stared out the window as they left Surrey.
Conversation was fairly forced. Severus retained his usual silent demeanor. Harry seemed content with the silence, and Petunia felt that she had nothing to say to these people whose entire world was beyond her comprehension. Remus eventually gave up trying to speak and fell into the quiet.
Snape couldn't help but look in the rearview mirror. He first turned his gaze to Harry. His hated student had his eyes squinted shut and was biting his knuckles. Clearly thinking of Sirius and the Veil.
He turned his gaze away from Harry and his eyes rested on Petunia. He was startled to see that she had covered her mouth with her hand as if to still sobs. Her eyes were lightly shut, and he thought he saw a tear escape from the corner of her eye.
"We're here," Remus finally said. They had finally pulled up in font of the sprawling #12 Grimmauld Place mansion. It was the first words spoken in hours. "Petunia, I know you can't see it, so just…"
"What do you mean, I can't see it?" Petunia asked. "As if I can't see that huge thing? Do you think I'm blind?"
"Are you looking at number 12?" Remus asked, furrowing his brow.
"Yeah," Petunia said, sending him a funny look. "What's the problem?"
"The problem is…that this house is invisible to Muggle eyes."
"So, what are you saying?" Harry interjected. "My aunt has magical powers?"
"That's ridiculous," Petunia said sharply. "Why should I have powers now if I didn't when I was 11?"
"I don't know," Remus said slowly.
"And I'm sure I don't care," Snape added. "I want to exit this contraption before it breaks down."
"No, we're going to sit here for another hour. Because all that we do is to annoy you." Petunia ferociously shoved upon her door and stepped out, slamming it behind her.
Remus and Harry sent raised eyebrows at each other in the rearview mirror. Despite the depression of the day and this new question of Petunia's magical ability, it was interesting to see this meek mouse standing up to Severus Snape.
And that Snape had no sarcastic return comment for her.
Honestly, I didn't like this chapter much, but it's necessary, at any rate.