A/N: I kept my copy of Sorcerer's Stone close to me this chapter. I wanted
to make sure everything was as accurate as possible.
PETUNIA: CHAPTER TWO: UNBELIEVABLE
Petunia was shaken from a catnap as the underground car lurched to a start. She and her family were headed for Diagon Alley to pick up Lily's school things. Petunia didn't want to go. She didn't want to have anything to do with magic if it would have nothing to do with her. But her parents had insisted and she was forced to go.
When the ride was over and they ascended Mrs. Evans hustled her family along many streets and finally stopped. "It should be around here somewhere. Lily dear, do you see a pub?" Lily scanned the strip several times before her eyes paused and focused on something Petunia couldn't see. But suddenly she saw a grubby pub before her where it had not appeared before. "That's it!" Mrs. Evans cried. Petunia followed her family into the pub.
It was full of strange looking people, dressed in robes and funny hats. She watched as her father asked a grizzled looking man where the entrance to Diagon Alley was. He pointed to a wall and said "three up...two across...tap it three times" Petunia had no idea what the man meant but it seemed to make perfect sense to her father. He made a bee line for the wall and began counting bricks. Mrs. Evans came up behind him and handed him a wand. "I borrowed it upfront" she said. Mr. Evans tapped a brick three times and a hole grew in it and expanded until there was an arch where the wall had been.
As Petunia and Lily stared in wonder Mrs. Evans returned the wand and they proceeded through the arch. Petunia couldn't believe her eyes. There were tons of people, dressed just as oddly as those in the pub, many of them were carrying shopping bags and baskets and talking excitedly amongst themselves. She followed her parents and found herself entering a shop called Ollivanders. Boxes upon boxes were stacked along the walls; an old man with wide pale eyes greeted them. "Good afternoon. One wand or two?" he asked staring at Petunia and Lily. Petunia shrank back, she didn't like this man.
"Just the one. For Lily.", replied Mr. Evans indicating his youngest daughter. The man pulled out a tape measure and said "Hold out your wand arm." Lily looked confused. "Your right one, dear.", encouraged Mrs. Evans. She stuck out her right arm and the man began to measure her. Petunia was surprised to see that the man was not touching the tape measure at all and that it was taking the measurements on its own. She somehow felt disconcerted.
The man handed Lily many wands, snatching them quickly away. It seemed ages before the man let her hold a wand without taking it from her. She raised it above her head and blue-green sparks shot out of the end. The man took the wand from her and replaced it in its box. "Willow, ten and a quarter inches, swishy, good for charms work." He muttered. He presented the box to Lily and they went back out onto the crowded street.
Next they went to get Lily her robes. Wearing them she seemed even more alien to Petunia. She looked like all the rest of the "weirdoes" outside. After that they got her a cauldron, glass phials, a telescope, scales, and text books. It seemed they went to an endless succession of various shops. Finally they returned to the pub and had dinner.
............................................................................................................
September the first had arrived. The Evans family went to King's Cross Station to see Lily off. They had told friends and neighbors that Lily was going to attend a school for the gifted. They readily accepted it as the truth, it was not hard to believe, Lily was highly intelligent. Petunia despised this explanation; now everyone knew Lily was smarter than her.
"What platform is it again?" she asked her sister.
"Nine and three-quarters" she said as if their was no problem with the number.
"But that can't be!" Petunia scoffed.
Lily looked unsure. "That's what it says." She stopped and stared at the barrier between platforms nine and ten and looked back at her letter.
"I told you so!" Petunia gloated.
"Nonsense" said Mrs. Evans "it's right here." She pointed at the barrier.
"But..."
"I remember when my brother used to do it" she cut her daughter off "he'd run at it and go right through the barrier. Go ahead and try honey, we'll come through behind you." Lily braced her self and charged her trolley at the barrier. Petunia blinked as Lily disappeared into it. She stepped up to the barrier and touched it; it felt solid. "You have to believe it's there honey." Her mother said. She tried to will herself to believe it but she just couldn't. The idea was silly.
Her father offered to stay with her while Mrs. Evans went through to say goodbye but Petunia insisted that he go through too. She watched again as her parents disappeared into the barrier. She was going crazy that was the only explanation. She stared blankly at the barrier and watched as other people went through as well. Finally her parents appeared out of the barrier and they went home.
PETUNIA: CHAPTER TWO: UNBELIEVABLE
Petunia was shaken from a catnap as the underground car lurched to a start. She and her family were headed for Diagon Alley to pick up Lily's school things. Petunia didn't want to go. She didn't want to have anything to do with magic if it would have nothing to do with her. But her parents had insisted and she was forced to go.
When the ride was over and they ascended Mrs. Evans hustled her family along many streets and finally stopped. "It should be around here somewhere. Lily dear, do you see a pub?" Lily scanned the strip several times before her eyes paused and focused on something Petunia couldn't see. But suddenly she saw a grubby pub before her where it had not appeared before. "That's it!" Mrs. Evans cried. Petunia followed her family into the pub.
It was full of strange looking people, dressed in robes and funny hats. She watched as her father asked a grizzled looking man where the entrance to Diagon Alley was. He pointed to a wall and said "three up...two across...tap it three times" Petunia had no idea what the man meant but it seemed to make perfect sense to her father. He made a bee line for the wall and began counting bricks. Mrs. Evans came up behind him and handed him a wand. "I borrowed it upfront" she said. Mr. Evans tapped a brick three times and a hole grew in it and expanded until there was an arch where the wall had been.
As Petunia and Lily stared in wonder Mrs. Evans returned the wand and they proceeded through the arch. Petunia couldn't believe her eyes. There were tons of people, dressed just as oddly as those in the pub, many of them were carrying shopping bags and baskets and talking excitedly amongst themselves. She followed her parents and found herself entering a shop called Ollivanders. Boxes upon boxes were stacked along the walls; an old man with wide pale eyes greeted them. "Good afternoon. One wand or two?" he asked staring at Petunia and Lily. Petunia shrank back, she didn't like this man.
"Just the one. For Lily.", replied Mr. Evans indicating his youngest daughter. The man pulled out a tape measure and said "Hold out your wand arm." Lily looked confused. "Your right one, dear.", encouraged Mrs. Evans. She stuck out her right arm and the man began to measure her. Petunia was surprised to see that the man was not touching the tape measure at all and that it was taking the measurements on its own. She somehow felt disconcerted.
The man handed Lily many wands, snatching them quickly away. It seemed ages before the man let her hold a wand without taking it from her. She raised it above her head and blue-green sparks shot out of the end. The man took the wand from her and replaced it in its box. "Willow, ten and a quarter inches, swishy, good for charms work." He muttered. He presented the box to Lily and they went back out onto the crowded street.
Next they went to get Lily her robes. Wearing them she seemed even more alien to Petunia. She looked like all the rest of the "weirdoes" outside. After that they got her a cauldron, glass phials, a telescope, scales, and text books. It seemed they went to an endless succession of various shops. Finally they returned to the pub and had dinner.
............................................................................................................
September the first had arrived. The Evans family went to King's Cross Station to see Lily off. They had told friends and neighbors that Lily was going to attend a school for the gifted. They readily accepted it as the truth, it was not hard to believe, Lily was highly intelligent. Petunia despised this explanation; now everyone knew Lily was smarter than her.
"What platform is it again?" she asked her sister.
"Nine and three-quarters" she said as if their was no problem with the number.
"But that can't be!" Petunia scoffed.
Lily looked unsure. "That's what it says." She stopped and stared at the barrier between platforms nine and ten and looked back at her letter.
"I told you so!" Petunia gloated.
"Nonsense" said Mrs. Evans "it's right here." She pointed at the barrier.
"But..."
"I remember when my brother used to do it" she cut her daughter off "he'd run at it and go right through the barrier. Go ahead and try honey, we'll come through behind you." Lily braced her self and charged her trolley at the barrier. Petunia blinked as Lily disappeared into it. She stepped up to the barrier and touched it; it felt solid. "You have to believe it's there honey." Her mother said. She tried to will herself to believe it but she just couldn't. The idea was silly.
Her father offered to stay with her while Mrs. Evans went through to say goodbye but Petunia insisted that he go through too. She watched again as her parents disappeared into the barrier. She was going crazy that was the only explanation. She stared blankly at the barrier and watched as other people went through as well. Finally her parents appeared out of the barrier and they went home.