Hope of the Phoenix (6/?)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Eventually Remus/ Petunia
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still do not own Harry Potter. Sigh. I could use the money. Oh well, if wishes were horses! J. K. Rowling still owns HP, and I am still not making any money off this story.
A/N: Again, a really big thank-you to all my reviewers! It means so much to get all your reviews! I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the story so far! I have altered chapter 4, as my sister pointed out that Petunia's laughing on the stairs was a trifle out of character. Please check out the changes in chapter 4: they don't really affect the plot much, but I think they shed more light on Petunia's character. Anyway, here's chapter 6!
Chapter 6: Settling In (Or, Farewell, Mrs. Black!)
Petunia found that being the housekeeper in a wizarding household was a bit more difficult than she had anticipated. For one thing, Grimmauld Place did not have an electric stove, and Molly's instructions to "just tap it with your wand, dear" did really help all the much. There didn't seem to be a refridgerator, either. Molly explained that this was because it was much simpler to use an Eternal Freshness Charm, because then you didn't have to worry if the power went off. However, after Mr. Weasley had been able to get her a few electric appliances from work, (he'd only had to remove a couple hexes, should work as good as new), she was able to revel in being in charge of her kitchen once more.
That opened the way for a new problem, however. Grimmauld Place wasn't just a house, it was the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. That meant that people were coming in at all hours of the day, and seldom had scheduled meal times. It was a bit like working in a restaurant, Petunia thought, as she made yet another pot of tea, and started another round of breakfast for those who had missed the first three rounds she'd made that morning.
Despite the hard work and endless cleaning, Petunia found that she was enjoying herself. She'd always found that she was happiness when she was cooking and looking after a house, and that was what this was, on a much larger scale than she'd ever experienced before.
She was also getting to know the Order members. She found that they weren't as bad as she had anticipated. Molly was turning out to be a very good friend, and Petunia found herself really enjoying the time they spent together. With her friend Yvonne, the conversation had amounted to little more than malicious gossip about the neighbours, and boasts about how much their husbands made, and whose son was more popular at school. With Molly, they talked about recipes and cleaning, of course. But the conversation turned into much more, as they found they had things in common: politics, and child-rearing (of course), the Order, old school experiences.
She liked Mr. Weasley as well, but his never-ending enthusiasm made her a bit nervous. He had a tendency to hover around her when she was working, asking how the refrigerator worked, and why the oven worked on ekeltricity instead of batteries. He had a very large collection of batteries, and plugs.
She liked their children too. Well, she liked Bill and Charlie. And Bill's girlfriend Fleur seemed nice, even if she was French. Fred and George weren't too bad either. She even laughed at some of their pranks, when they weren't on her. She wasn't too sure about the younger ones. Harry had been studiously avoiding her, accept for meals, and the younger Weasleys, along with their friends Hermione and Neville, who had come to stay for the rest of the summer, tended to avoid her too.
Tonks also made her nervous, but for a different reason than Mr. Weasley. The girl had smashed a ceramic platter, ruined her beautiful violet pudding, and spilled countless jugs of juice before Petunia decided not to let her help with the meals anymore. Still, despite her clumsiness, and her atrocious pink hair, Petunia found herself liking Tonks too. She was rather amazed at herself, she hadn't liked this many people in years.
She didn't like Moody or Hagrid, though. She still hadn't forgiven Hagrid for giving her Dudley a pigs' tail, and Moody was just too creepy to be entirely trustworthy. He scared her, with his strange revolving eye, and his serious expression. And Hagrid was just too big, really someone that size shouldn't be allowed.
She didn't like Snape, but that was okay because he didn't like her either. He would glare at her, with his cold eyes. She had a feeling that he didn't like Muggles all that much either. It made sense that he was the one who was pretending to be a Death Eater.
She felt she might have liked McGonagall, if they had met under different circumstances. The dark-haired witch seemed to often be angry around Petunia, with her thin lips pursed. But then, if she remembered Dumbledore's letter correctly, McGonagall was one of the ones who had brought Harry to her. Maybe she didn't like the way she and Vernon had treated him.
She really didn't like Mundungus Fletcher. He was dirty, and a thief, and a lay-about, and, well, she was sure that Vernon would have found a lot more descriptors for him. At least Molly agreed with her about him, she had someone to complain to when he hid stolen Filibusters Fireworks in her stove, and she didn't find out till she had preheated it for the cookies...
And Remus was still ignoring her.
Yes, she disliked many of the order members, but the only person that she really, really, really hated wasn't even a person. It was a painting. Namely, it was the painting of Mrs. Black, which was hanging on the wall in the front hall. Every time someone went by, Mrs. Black would start screaming about Mudbloods, Muggles, half-breeds, and blood traitors. She would rail against the fall of her house, and cheer about the glorious work that the Dark Lord was doing.
From the looks that would appear on everyone's faces when she started, no one else liked it much either. But no one seemed willing to take down the painting, so Petunia gritted her teeth, and decided that she would just have to bear it too.
It was in late August that the affairs with Mrs. Black reached their boiling point. Everyone had been up very late the night before, as they had received their Hogwarts letters the previous afternoon, and Ron had been made the captain of the Griffindor team. Mrs. Weasley had thrown them a party. The next day, the others had gone to a meeting with Minister Fudge, to discuss whatever had happened in the Department of Mysteries the previous year. Petunia was alone in the house with Mrs. Black.
The morning started off fairly calmly: Petunia cleaned the upstairs, dusted the living room, and was heading down the hallway for the kitchen when she accidentally brushed against Mrs. Black's curtain. And the screaming began.
That did it! Petunia, whose nerves were already frayed from the late night, and being alone in a house full of dark magic, couldn't take it any more. She stalked into the kitchen, pulled out the most powerful cleaning chemicals she had –she'd had Molly take her shopping to get some proper cleaning supplies- and marched over to the painting.
"Shut Up!" she snapped at the painting, and, reaching behind it with a cloth, which had been doused in her chemical solution, started washing between the wall and the painting. It was stuck on much harder than she thought. Petunia focused all of her energy on the back of the painting, ignoring Mrs. Black as she boasted about the sophistication of the Permanent Sticking Charm that she'd used.
"AND NO AMOUNT OF MAGIC THAT THOSE FILTHY BLOOD TRAITORS CAN USE WILL EVER REMOVE THIS PAINTING! THIS CHARM IS INVINCIBLE! IT WILL NEVER COME OFF!..."
"Got it" Petunia crowed in triumph, as the last of the backing was removed. She smirked at the pole-axed look which had appeared on Mrs. Black's face as Petunia took the painting off the wall.
She took the painting up to the attic. Mrs. Black screamed at her all the way, but she'd dealt with Dudley as a baby. After Dudley, a screaming painting was a breeze, at least it didn't kick.
The look on the faces of the Order Members when they came home was priceless. They demanded to know how she'd done it, they'd tried every charm, every magical solution that was available. Petunia told them simply that Muggle cleaning supplies were obviously superior, and left them to go make the supper. Oh yes, she was beginning to like it here.
"'Mrs. Black's in the attic, and all is right in the world'" she quoted, as she cut the potatoes for stew.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Eventually Remus/ Petunia
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still do not own Harry Potter. Sigh. I could use the money. Oh well, if wishes were horses! J. K. Rowling still owns HP, and I am still not making any money off this story.
A/N: Again, a really big thank-you to all my reviewers! It means so much to get all your reviews! I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the story so far! I have altered chapter 4, as my sister pointed out that Petunia's laughing on the stairs was a trifle out of character. Please check out the changes in chapter 4: they don't really affect the plot much, but I think they shed more light on Petunia's character. Anyway, here's chapter 6!
Chapter 6: Settling In (Or, Farewell, Mrs. Black!)
Petunia found that being the housekeeper in a wizarding household was a bit more difficult than she had anticipated. For one thing, Grimmauld Place did not have an electric stove, and Molly's instructions to "just tap it with your wand, dear" did really help all the much. There didn't seem to be a refridgerator, either. Molly explained that this was because it was much simpler to use an Eternal Freshness Charm, because then you didn't have to worry if the power went off. However, after Mr. Weasley had been able to get her a few electric appliances from work, (he'd only had to remove a couple hexes, should work as good as new), she was able to revel in being in charge of her kitchen once more.
That opened the way for a new problem, however. Grimmauld Place wasn't just a house, it was the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. That meant that people were coming in at all hours of the day, and seldom had scheduled meal times. It was a bit like working in a restaurant, Petunia thought, as she made yet another pot of tea, and started another round of breakfast for those who had missed the first three rounds she'd made that morning.
Despite the hard work and endless cleaning, Petunia found that she was enjoying herself. She'd always found that she was happiness when she was cooking and looking after a house, and that was what this was, on a much larger scale than she'd ever experienced before.
She was also getting to know the Order members. She found that they weren't as bad as she had anticipated. Molly was turning out to be a very good friend, and Petunia found herself really enjoying the time they spent together. With her friend Yvonne, the conversation had amounted to little more than malicious gossip about the neighbours, and boasts about how much their husbands made, and whose son was more popular at school. With Molly, they talked about recipes and cleaning, of course. But the conversation turned into much more, as they found they had things in common: politics, and child-rearing (of course), the Order, old school experiences.
She liked Mr. Weasley as well, but his never-ending enthusiasm made her a bit nervous. He had a tendency to hover around her when she was working, asking how the refrigerator worked, and why the oven worked on ekeltricity instead of batteries. He had a very large collection of batteries, and plugs.
She liked their children too. Well, she liked Bill and Charlie. And Bill's girlfriend Fleur seemed nice, even if she was French. Fred and George weren't too bad either. She even laughed at some of their pranks, when they weren't on her. She wasn't too sure about the younger ones. Harry had been studiously avoiding her, accept for meals, and the younger Weasleys, along with their friends Hermione and Neville, who had come to stay for the rest of the summer, tended to avoid her too.
Tonks also made her nervous, but for a different reason than Mr. Weasley. The girl had smashed a ceramic platter, ruined her beautiful violet pudding, and spilled countless jugs of juice before Petunia decided not to let her help with the meals anymore. Still, despite her clumsiness, and her atrocious pink hair, Petunia found herself liking Tonks too. She was rather amazed at herself, she hadn't liked this many people in years.
She didn't like Moody or Hagrid, though. She still hadn't forgiven Hagrid for giving her Dudley a pigs' tail, and Moody was just too creepy to be entirely trustworthy. He scared her, with his strange revolving eye, and his serious expression. And Hagrid was just too big, really someone that size shouldn't be allowed.
She didn't like Snape, but that was okay because he didn't like her either. He would glare at her, with his cold eyes. She had a feeling that he didn't like Muggles all that much either. It made sense that he was the one who was pretending to be a Death Eater.
She felt she might have liked McGonagall, if they had met under different circumstances. The dark-haired witch seemed to often be angry around Petunia, with her thin lips pursed. But then, if she remembered Dumbledore's letter correctly, McGonagall was one of the ones who had brought Harry to her. Maybe she didn't like the way she and Vernon had treated him.
She really didn't like Mundungus Fletcher. He was dirty, and a thief, and a lay-about, and, well, she was sure that Vernon would have found a lot more descriptors for him. At least Molly agreed with her about him, she had someone to complain to when he hid stolen Filibusters Fireworks in her stove, and she didn't find out till she had preheated it for the cookies...
And Remus was still ignoring her.
Yes, she disliked many of the order members, but the only person that she really, really, really hated wasn't even a person. It was a painting. Namely, it was the painting of Mrs. Black, which was hanging on the wall in the front hall. Every time someone went by, Mrs. Black would start screaming about Mudbloods, Muggles, half-breeds, and blood traitors. She would rail against the fall of her house, and cheer about the glorious work that the Dark Lord was doing.
From the looks that would appear on everyone's faces when she started, no one else liked it much either. But no one seemed willing to take down the painting, so Petunia gritted her teeth, and decided that she would just have to bear it too.
It was in late August that the affairs with Mrs. Black reached their boiling point. Everyone had been up very late the night before, as they had received their Hogwarts letters the previous afternoon, and Ron had been made the captain of the Griffindor team. Mrs. Weasley had thrown them a party. The next day, the others had gone to a meeting with Minister Fudge, to discuss whatever had happened in the Department of Mysteries the previous year. Petunia was alone in the house with Mrs. Black.
The morning started off fairly calmly: Petunia cleaned the upstairs, dusted the living room, and was heading down the hallway for the kitchen when she accidentally brushed against Mrs. Black's curtain. And the screaming began.
That did it! Petunia, whose nerves were already frayed from the late night, and being alone in a house full of dark magic, couldn't take it any more. She stalked into the kitchen, pulled out the most powerful cleaning chemicals she had –she'd had Molly take her shopping to get some proper cleaning supplies- and marched over to the painting.
"Shut Up!" she snapped at the painting, and, reaching behind it with a cloth, which had been doused in her chemical solution, started washing between the wall and the painting. It was stuck on much harder than she thought. Petunia focused all of her energy on the back of the painting, ignoring Mrs. Black as she boasted about the sophistication of the Permanent Sticking Charm that she'd used.
"AND NO AMOUNT OF MAGIC THAT THOSE FILTHY BLOOD TRAITORS CAN USE WILL EVER REMOVE THIS PAINTING! THIS CHARM IS INVINCIBLE! IT WILL NEVER COME OFF!..."
"Got it" Petunia crowed in triumph, as the last of the backing was removed. She smirked at the pole-axed look which had appeared on Mrs. Black's face as Petunia took the painting off the wall.
She took the painting up to the attic. Mrs. Black screamed at her all the way, but she'd dealt with Dudley as a baby. After Dudley, a screaming painting was a breeze, at least it didn't kick.
The look on the faces of the Order Members when they came home was priceless. They demanded to know how she'd done it, they'd tried every charm, every magical solution that was available. Petunia told them simply that Muggle cleaning supplies were obviously superior, and left them to go make the supper. Oh yes, she was beginning to like it here.
"'Mrs. Black's in the attic, and all is right in the world'" she quoted, as she cut the potatoes for stew.