Hope of the Phoenix (12/?)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Remus/Petunia (Eventually ... soon)
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling still owns Harry Potter, I'm still poor, I'm still making no money off this... sigh
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews to the previous chapter. Wow. I shall try to make this chapter longer...the last one was suffering from real writers block as a result of my writing it in bits and pieces over a week and a half... but I have 3-11 pm shifts this weekend, which gives me time to write in the mornings. Yeah! Well, back to the fic!
Chapter 12: Many Meetings
The morning of the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas dawned crisp and clear. Despite the bright winter sunshine pouring into the Great Hall, and the excitement in the greater part of the student population that only the last Hogsmeade weekend before the holidays could bring, Harry was decided depressed as he sat at the Gryffindor table. Today was the day he was going to meet with Aunt Petunia, and he wanted very much to be spending it with Ron, Hermione and the others.
"Come on, Harry, it can't be that bad – I mean, you'll be in the wizarding world, your world, after all, so you'll have the advantage. Besides, she sounded really sincere in her letter."
Aunt Petunia had been writing Harry nearly everyday since her owl the previous month. She updated him on the progress of the M.D.A (the meeting with the European Union had gone very well, and the Americans were beginning to express interest in this new terrorist group that had popped up), what was happening at Grimmauld Place (Tonks had broken 17 cups and 14 saucers, 2 bowls and a tray; Dung had been forced to return the shipment of newt livers to the apothecary; Mrs. Weasley had made 13 new jumpers, and Mr. Weasley had broken the electronic car Petunia had bought him for his birthday in order to see if it had batteries), and inquired as to the progress of his studies (Have you learned the Twinkling Lights charm yet? Your mother and I used to have such fun with that one...). She mentioned several times how anxious she was to get to know him, and to "start making up for all the terrible things I've done."
Oh, I know she's sincere, Hermione." Harry replied miserably. "Its just, how do I relate to a friendly Aunt Petunia? Its like I'm meeting a stranger who just happens to look exactly like my Aunt."
Harry was still feeling very nervous as he walked into the Three Broomsticks and looked around for his aunt. He didn't see her. He found that he felt strangely disappointed (Of course, she wasn't serious about getting to know me... this is just an elaborate trick...) But that thought made him uneasy, too. Aunt Petunia didn't have a sense of humour... what if the Death Eaters had got her...
"Harry," a pompous voice cut through his thoughts, and he turned to see Percy Weasley approaching him across the pub. Oh no, he thought, and I thought the day couldn't get worse...
"Harry," Percy said again, as he reached the place where Harry was standing, "Petunia asked me to bring you. She was all set to meet you, and was trying to figure out how to Floo into Hogsmeade, when I informed her that Muggles are unable to enter Hogsmeade. It's all in a History of Hogsmeade Or Muggles, Get Out, of course, but she unfortunately hadn't read it..."
Percy paused, seeing the look on Harry's face. He blushed a furious red, and then said, in the most honest voice that Harry had ever used, one entirely lacking the self-satisfied tone, "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry for that horrible letter I sent Ron, and I'm sorry for what I did at your trial. I was so frightened, and, and so "screwed up" as the twins informed me, that I did things that I'm not very proud of. But I'm sorry."
Harry had found in the past that a sincere apology goes a long way towards forgiveness. He still felt slightly angry with Percy, but the bitterness had gone... after all, Seamus hadn't believed him either, and he'd forgiven him... He nodded, and Percy gave him a shy smile, and then, they prepared to meet his aunt.
He was slightly surprised when they appeared, not at Grimmauld Place, but at the Leaky Cauldron. Tom waved merrily at him from the counter, and Doris Crockford dropped her mug as she rose to come shake his hand. As he looked past her pointed witches hat, he saw a thin, blond woman, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, rose and was coming towards them. It was only when Percy called out "Petunia" in a warm voice, and gave the woman a hug, that Harry realized it was his aunt.
She had gained a fair bit of weight since the previous summer; she was now much closer to a healthy body weight, and she was wearing witches robes, and, and, and SMILING. Harry had never really seen his aunt looking happy. Angry, disappointed, disgusted, simpering, teary... yes; but happy?
While he was staring, Harry realized that Percy had said a few words in his aunt's ear, given her a good-bye hug, and then turned to say farewell to him, too. Harry had the sudden urge to beg him to stay. He didn't really like Percy, but he was something familiar at least. But no, Percy had said his good-byes, and was gone, leaving him alone with his aunt, who seemed to be just as nervous as he was.
"I thought, Harry, that we could have lunch, and talk for a bit, if you're willing. I've reserved a private room here at the Cauldron..." Harry nodded, he felt very unsure of himself. It was even difficult to be angry with his aunt. She almost was a different woman: mannerisms, style, even her appearance; they were all different. When they were seated in their private room, and eating the great food that Tom always had prepared, Harry quickly found that his aunt was a great conversationalist. He was rather startled. Around him, she had always been silently angry, glaring. Even when she wasn't angry, Uncle Vernon had done most of the talking for the family. Perhaps Aunt Petunia too, had found it hard to get a word in edgewise through his rants. She really knew how to tell a story, and Harry found himself living life in Grimmauld Place, or attending the meetings with foreign dignitaries. After dessert, she took him back to his youth, and he finally got to know his mum. He had never really known her, mostly Sirius and Professor Lupin had talked about his dad, Snape too only ever gave him information about his dad...
As Harry listened to his aunt's fond reminiscences, he suddenly had the fleeting image of his aunt's angry rant about her sister, back on the hut on the rock, and he found that he was jarred back into the present.
"Aunt Petunia," he interrupted, suddenly, "you sound now like you loved my mum, but you hated her, because she was a witch, you hated her."
Aunt Petunia looked at her hands, and for a minute Harry was afraid that he had offended her. When she looked up, she had tears in her eyes. "I did hate her, Harry, when I said those things. I hated her because she was a witch, and I blamed the magical world for everything that had gone wrong in my life. I didn't always hate her, we were very close growing up... but then, - I don't know if anyone told you this, but our parents were killed by Voldemort, two more of the many Muggles that were killed during his rise to power – I didn't know how to handle that, so I blamed magic; I turned from Lily and James, and Remus, and anything to do with the wizarding world, I hated all of it. I hated Lily and I hated James, and I hated you, because you reminded me of them. But now, I don't know, I've found that once I stopped hating things, and started liking people, all the past hatreds just, evaporated. It's too late to get your parents back, but I hope its not to late to get to know you. Please Harry, I want to know my nephew."
And Harry found himself confiding in her, telling her about all that had gone on in his life over the past few years, his likes and dislikes. She was a very good audience, and gasped in all the right places. When he got to the part when he had discovered Sirius' innocence, and had learned of Peter's guilt, she turned very pale, and her eyes flashed.
"That...that rat! I can't believe I used to bake him cookies! Framing Sirius like that..." She looked very fierce for a few minutes; then asked him to continue.
When he got to Cedric's death, and his own torture by the Death Eaters, and seeing his parents come out of Voldemort's wand, Aunt Petunia gave a choked cry, and did something she had never done before, she crossed over the bench and hugged him; she had never hugged him before, she had never even hugged Dudley; but as she held him, he saw that, though her pale eyes were different from his mum's, something in her face was like his mum's; he felt almost as if he had a family again. Finally, for the first time since Sirius died, he felt that he had someone like a parent; someone who he could really, really talk to.
By the time Percy had arrived to see Harry back to Hogwarts, he had told her everything, and they had cried together about Sirius. She had told him of her memories of Sirius, and how, if it hadn't been for her hatred of the wizarding world, she would have had difficulty in believing all the things that Dumbledore said about Sirius in the letter.
"I'm glad to know it wasn't him," she said quietly, "I always liked him, when Lily brought him home."
They said good-bye in the parlour of the Leaky Cauldron; he would be seeing her in a few days anyway, for the Christmas Holidays. Harry wished her luck in her meeting with the American Secretary of State in a few days, and he and Percy were soon whizzing back towards Hogwarts.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Remus/Petunia (Eventually ... soon)
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling still owns Harry Potter, I'm still poor, I'm still making no money off this... sigh
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews to the previous chapter. Wow. I shall try to make this chapter longer...the last one was suffering from real writers block as a result of my writing it in bits and pieces over a week and a half... but I have 3-11 pm shifts this weekend, which gives me time to write in the mornings. Yeah! Well, back to the fic!
Chapter 12: Many Meetings
The morning of the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas dawned crisp and clear. Despite the bright winter sunshine pouring into the Great Hall, and the excitement in the greater part of the student population that only the last Hogsmeade weekend before the holidays could bring, Harry was decided depressed as he sat at the Gryffindor table. Today was the day he was going to meet with Aunt Petunia, and he wanted very much to be spending it with Ron, Hermione and the others.
"Come on, Harry, it can't be that bad – I mean, you'll be in the wizarding world, your world, after all, so you'll have the advantage. Besides, she sounded really sincere in her letter."
Aunt Petunia had been writing Harry nearly everyday since her owl the previous month. She updated him on the progress of the M.D.A (the meeting with the European Union had gone very well, and the Americans were beginning to express interest in this new terrorist group that had popped up), what was happening at Grimmauld Place (Tonks had broken 17 cups and 14 saucers, 2 bowls and a tray; Dung had been forced to return the shipment of newt livers to the apothecary; Mrs. Weasley had made 13 new jumpers, and Mr. Weasley had broken the electronic car Petunia had bought him for his birthday in order to see if it had batteries), and inquired as to the progress of his studies (Have you learned the Twinkling Lights charm yet? Your mother and I used to have such fun with that one...). She mentioned several times how anxious she was to get to know him, and to "start making up for all the terrible things I've done."
Oh, I know she's sincere, Hermione." Harry replied miserably. "Its just, how do I relate to a friendly Aunt Petunia? Its like I'm meeting a stranger who just happens to look exactly like my Aunt."
Harry was still feeling very nervous as he walked into the Three Broomsticks and looked around for his aunt. He didn't see her. He found that he felt strangely disappointed (Of course, she wasn't serious about getting to know me... this is just an elaborate trick...) But that thought made him uneasy, too. Aunt Petunia didn't have a sense of humour... what if the Death Eaters had got her...
"Harry," a pompous voice cut through his thoughts, and he turned to see Percy Weasley approaching him across the pub. Oh no, he thought, and I thought the day couldn't get worse...
"Harry," Percy said again, as he reached the place where Harry was standing, "Petunia asked me to bring you. She was all set to meet you, and was trying to figure out how to Floo into Hogsmeade, when I informed her that Muggles are unable to enter Hogsmeade. It's all in a History of Hogsmeade Or Muggles, Get Out, of course, but she unfortunately hadn't read it..."
Percy paused, seeing the look on Harry's face. He blushed a furious red, and then said, in the most honest voice that Harry had ever used, one entirely lacking the self-satisfied tone, "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry for that horrible letter I sent Ron, and I'm sorry for what I did at your trial. I was so frightened, and, and so "screwed up" as the twins informed me, that I did things that I'm not very proud of. But I'm sorry."
Harry had found in the past that a sincere apology goes a long way towards forgiveness. He still felt slightly angry with Percy, but the bitterness had gone... after all, Seamus hadn't believed him either, and he'd forgiven him... He nodded, and Percy gave him a shy smile, and then, they prepared to meet his aunt.
He was slightly surprised when they appeared, not at Grimmauld Place, but at the Leaky Cauldron. Tom waved merrily at him from the counter, and Doris Crockford dropped her mug as she rose to come shake his hand. As he looked past her pointed witches hat, he saw a thin, blond woman, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, rose and was coming towards them. It was only when Percy called out "Petunia" in a warm voice, and gave the woman a hug, that Harry realized it was his aunt.
She had gained a fair bit of weight since the previous summer; she was now much closer to a healthy body weight, and she was wearing witches robes, and, and, and SMILING. Harry had never really seen his aunt looking happy. Angry, disappointed, disgusted, simpering, teary... yes; but happy?
While he was staring, Harry realized that Percy had said a few words in his aunt's ear, given her a good-bye hug, and then turned to say farewell to him, too. Harry had the sudden urge to beg him to stay. He didn't really like Percy, but he was something familiar at least. But no, Percy had said his good-byes, and was gone, leaving him alone with his aunt, who seemed to be just as nervous as he was.
"I thought, Harry, that we could have lunch, and talk for a bit, if you're willing. I've reserved a private room here at the Cauldron..." Harry nodded, he felt very unsure of himself. It was even difficult to be angry with his aunt. She almost was a different woman: mannerisms, style, even her appearance; they were all different. When they were seated in their private room, and eating the great food that Tom always had prepared, Harry quickly found that his aunt was a great conversationalist. He was rather startled. Around him, she had always been silently angry, glaring. Even when she wasn't angry, Uncle Vernon had done most of the talking for the family. Perhaps Aunt Petunia too, had found it hard to get a word in edgewise through his rants. She really knew how to tell a story, and Harry found himself living life in Grimmauld Place, or attending the meetings with foreign dignitaries. After dessert, she took him back to his youth, and he finally got to know his mum. He had never really known her, mostly Sirius and Professor Lupin had talked about his dad, Snape too only ever gave him information about his dad...
As Harry listened to his aunt's fond reminiscences, he suddenly had the fleeting image of his aunt's angry rant about her sister, back on the hut on the rock, and he found that he was jarred back into the present.
"Aunt Petunia," he interrupted, suddenly, "you sound now like you loved my mum, but you hated her, because she was a witch, you hated her."
Aunt Petunia looked at her hands, and for a minute Harry was afraid that he had offended her. When she looked up, she had tears in her eyes. "I did hate her, Harry, when I said those things. I hated her because she was a witch, and I blamed the magical world for everything that had gone wrong in my life. I didn't always hate her, we were very close growing up... but then, - I don't know if anyone told you this, but our parents were killed by Voldemort, two more of the many Muggles that were killed during his rise to power – I didn't know how to handle that, so I blamed magic; I turned from Lily and James, and Remus, and anything to do with the wizarding world, I hated all of it. I hated Lily and I hated James, and I hated you, because you reminded me of them. But now, I don't know, I've found that once I stopped hating things, and started liking people, all the past hatreds just, evaporated. It's too late to get your parents back, but I hope its not to late to get to know you. Please Harry, I want to know my nephew."
And Harry found himself confiding in her, telling her about all that had gone on in his life over the past few years, his likes and dislikes. She was a very good audience, and gasped in all the right places. When he got to the part when he had discovered Sirius' innocence, and had learned of Peter's guilt, she turned very pale, and her eyes flashed.
"That...that rat! I can't believe I used to bake him cookies! Framing Sirius like that..." She looked very fierce for a few minutes; then asked him to continue.
When he got to Cedric's death, and his own torture by the Death Eaters, and seeing his parents come out of Voldemort's wand, Aunt Petunia gave a choked cry, and did something she had never done before, she crossed over the bench and hugged him; she had never hugged him before, she had never even hugged Dudley; but as she held him, he saw that, though her pale eyes were different from his mum's, something in her face was like his mum's; he felt almost as if he had a family again. Finally, for the first time since Sirius died, he felt that he had someone like a parent; someone who he could really, really talk to.
By the time Percy had arrived to see Harry back to Hogwarts, he had told her everything, and they had cried together about Sirius. She had told him of her memories of Sirius, and how, if it hadn't been for her hatred of the wizarding world, she would have had difficulty in believing all the things that Dumbledore said about Sirius in the letter.
"I'm glad to know it wasn't him," she said quietly, "I always liked him, when Lily brought him home."
They said good-bye in the parlour of the Leaky Cauldron; he would be seeing her in a few days anyway, for the Christmas Holidays. Harry wished her luck in her meeting with the American Secretary of State in a few days, and he and Percy were soon whizzing back towards Hogwarts.