Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry… or Snape… or Remus… or… Any of them… but I don't… so don't sue me. They belong to JKR.
Summary: We see some of Harry's and Petunia's reaction.
Warning: There may be some "coarse language" but not much… Oh, and there will be the use of alcoholic beverages.
AN: As before, sorry if my spelling/grammar/typing is atrocious. I have a spell check, but as you know it doesn't always catch grammatical errors and such.
'thoughts'
"speech"
Harry hit the pause button on the VCR. He couldn't watch any more. Not right now. He needed a break. It was all a little too much. He stood up. His legs were shaking and he felt light headed. Turning to his aunt, Harry noticed that she was crying. For the first time, he realized that he too was crying. Hastily he wiped away the tears on his face lest his Aunt Petunia see them. Not sure of what he should do, he stood there and fidgeted. Soon enough, however, Petunia stood as well. She wiped her eyes and needlessly smoothed her cloths and hair.
"I don't know about you boy, but I could use a good stiff drink before we watch any more." With out saying any more she turned and walked into the kitchen leaving Harry gaping at her. "Are you coming or do you need help finding the way?" She questioned from the next room over. This snapped Harry out of his surprised trance. Once he was in the kitchen, he watched as his aunt pulled a hidden bottle of Vodka out of one of the cupboard. Setting the bottle on the counter, she turned to grab two small glass cups. After pouring a generous amount in each glass, she handed one to Harry. Awkwardly he accepted it. For a few moments he merely looked at it and swirled the glass. Tentatively he took a sip. It burned his throat and made him sputter. Petunia smirked and knocked back the entire cup in one go. Harry arched one eyebrow and tried to do the same. He made it about half way through before slightly gagging. Both set there cups down on the counter top and took a seat on the tall bar stools around the small island.
Petunia was looking down at her hand that was tracing the outside rim of her glass. She looked lost in thought. A warm buzz of her alcohol settled over her. 'Dear lord. It was just an average day for her. Lily had that kind of life every day. She was so happy. They loved each other so much, she and James. And they both loved Harry so much. Harry was their pride and joy. And what do I do? I make his life miserable and treat him like a pest that doesn't deserve the cloths on his back.' She snickered a little out loud. 'Then I get him partially intoxicated.' Sighing she poured another generous amount of Vodka in her cup. 'Wouldn't Lily just love me now?'
Harry watched in aunt as she poured herself more vodka. 'She looks so sad. I wonder if she misses my mum. I know that they didn't like each other but… still.' With same effort he finally finished his drink. He set it down with out thinking. 'Mum, dad, me. We all looked so happy. What would have happened if they hadn't been killed?' Tear began to slowly leak form his eyes but he didn't notice. 'Would I have grown up famous? Probably not. I'd just be normal. I wouldn't have to live in this damn place. I wouldn't have Death Eaters trying to kill me. My life wouldn't be this fucked up mess. It would be perfect. I would just be normal!' Unknowingly, a soft sob escaped his throat.
After a few minutes of mostly silent weeping, he dried his eyes, finally realizing that he had in fact been crying. Petunia was staring at him in and odd soft way. It was as if she had noticed that he was human for the first time. Harry saw that at some point she had refilled his glass. He downed it all like Petunia had done the first time. He could still taste the strong bitter flavor, but now he was used it. For a few minutes neither did anything but sit silently and exchange glances. Eventually Petunia stood, albeit a bit awkwardly, and put the bottle of liquor back in its hiding spot.
As is they had a silent agreement, both walked back to there original spot in the TV room. Taking a deep breath Harry turned to his aunt.
"Ready?" He asked. Petunia simply nodded. Harry let out his deep breath he had been holding. "Ok. Let's do this." He pushed play.
TBC DarkLuminance
AN: Ok… I got a few things to say.
First: I'm not dead. Sorry I took so long to update again. I have no excuse. Lord knows I had plenty of chances to write this, I just haven't had the motivation.
Second: sigh I know I said in the last chapter this would be about Remus and Sirius coming to visit, but I thought that it was important to see how Harry and Petunia were at this point.
Third: DON'T EAT ME ALIVE. I know I made Harry say a naughty word and that they are drinking, but hey… That's just the way I would picture Petunia handling stress. She seems like the type that has a hidden bottle of booze in the house…
Fourth: Sorry for the shortness. My friend told me that each chapter I've written seems like it was done by a different author. I can kinda see what she means. Sorry if that weirded any of you out. All I can say is that I wrote the first one while I was sad and angry, the second while I was worried and tired, and the third while I'm in a good mood and wired. Odd.
Thanks for reading. And BTW, the reviews really help. Special thanks to all of you who fed the author!
Next chapter: Remus and Sirius come to visit. (for real this time.)
