Author Note: (As of 9/4/2012) A recent reader brought up an issue with the formatting that I had long forgotten to try and fix. I hope that it is fixed now and I would like to thank that reader for reminding me. It was the fault of , I'm afraid.
Butterfly
Chapter 5: Panic, Fear, and Worry
The next morning had gone well, Dudley had already been ready for school and had already gotten Harry up and partially ready before Petunia had awoken from her unusually deep slumber. Usually she would awaken at each small noise that was made during the night, from the small cough coming from either boy's room, to the loud flushing of the toilet when the boys would wake up with a full bladder. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she tiredly went into the kitchen and began a breakfast of pancakes, bacon, peaches, and cranberry juice. The two boys had soon been sent off to school and Petunia was left alone to clean up and get ready for work.
That was when the whole world seemed to come crashing down on the thinly spread woman. No sooner had she gotten to work when she was called off to speak with her boss. Her boss was a severe woman with little patience. Petunia knew that much from the stories that her co-workers had told her of their encounters with her. She was a plain looking woman with tan skin, short brown hair that barely went past her ears in the back, and grey eyes that showed nothing but cold indifference. She wore a woman's suit and was to be found at her large wooden desk tapping what looked to be a highly expensive pen upon the desktop. Petunia had to inwardly shudder and gulp several times before she sat down, fearing what would come next.
"Miss Evans, are you aware that you have missed a grand total of 260 hours this year alone?" the woman asked coldly.
"Yes, I know. I was unable to avoid missing those hours. You see…" Petunia tried to explain.
"Evans, this company does not thrive on truant workers. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to let you go."
"But Ma'am, I need the money… my nephew and son…"
"I have no other choice. I need workers who can guarantee that they will be here. Kindly collect your personal items from your cubicle and report back for your pink slip when you are done."
All through the day, as Petunia walked around town, looking for a new job, dark thoughts crossed her mind. Thanksgiving was just in a few days and not long afterwards, there was Christmas to worry about. Never before had she been unable to buy at least one toy for each of the boys but prospects looked grim this year. She had gone to charities for clothes and food, but toys were another thing. Few charities actually gave out toys at Christmas, and she knew that Dudley and Harry were probably already dreaming of what "Santa" would bring them. If she was even able to get toys for the boys, they'd probably be very cheap ones and definitely not ones the boys would usually ask for. She'd have to keep her unemployment a secret, to keep the boys from becoming stressed out. After all, they had to worry about school, especially Harry since his IEP goals for that year were very far from being accomplished because of all the times Harry had been sick so far that year. Harry was supposed to be reading at the second grade level by summer, but it just wasn't happening. Dudley too, was hard pressed to do better in school. He was supposed to be able to do 100 multiplication problems in only three minutes and had to work on his reading comprehension.
Over and over her mind toyed with the idea of not being able to get a job. Petunia couldn't imagine having to rely on Welfare along with the Social Security Benefits that Harry received. Why was it that every time things started looking just a little better, that they always had to come crashing down not too long later? Petunia decided to stop at a small deli and order a six inch sub with ham and turkey breast. It was there that she bumped into Remus Lupin.
"Oh, hello, Petunia. Fancy meeting you here." He said, shaking her hand.
"Why yes… hello." She replied distractedly, forcing a smile at the man.
"Do you come here often?" Remus asked, pulling a chair out for the woman.
"Not really… I was just hungry and decided to come here instead…" she lied, taking her seat. Remus was silent for a bit as he sat down next to her. The truth was that she came to the deli each and every time she needed to think.
"Is there something wrong?" He asked, looking at her curiously. The fighting spirit that had been in her eyes the night before seemed to have vanished and been replaced with a forlorn emptiness.
"Oh, it's nothing but the occasional obstacle in my path." She replied. She took several bites before Remus broke the silence between them.
"If there's anything you need, all you have to do is come to me or Severus and we can try to help." He said quietly.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Mr. Lupin. Now if you don't mind, I have to go and buy some rolls and other things for supper. Good day." Petunia lied, all too eager to avoid dealing with the Man's questions.
It was cold out and it had begun to rain as Petunia had walked back to her apartment. She was only five blocks away and already soaked. She knew Carla and Dudley would think it odd. She cursed her stupidity for not dressing appropriately for the kind of weather that had been forecast on the radio that morning.
That evening she felt even more tired and stretched than she had when she first brought the boys to the United States. That first year had been exhausting but at least she had the boys safe from her ex-husband's clutches. That had been the most warming thought that entire year. Now she feared being unable to clothe and feed the two boys.
She was terrified of what might happen to what was left of their small, broken family. Before getting to the door of their apartment, she took a deep breath and collected herself. She would not let on that anything was the matter.
Back at their motel room, Remus Lupin told Snape of his encounter with Miss Evans. Snape agreed that there was probably something major going on and that it would probably be good if they were to have their next visit a bit sooner than planned.
Dumbledore was soon contacted via owl and he had immediately alerted Minerva McGonagall to his departure and portkeyed to the motel room where Snape and Remus stayed at.
"What is the emergency, m'boys?" Dumbledore asked as soon as he had collected himself.
"Headmaster, Lupin here thinks that something serious has happened since our visit yesterday evening." Snape reported immediately.
"Remus, do you care to explain?" Dumbledore looked at the younger man in concern.
"As we told you in our letter, It seems that Saturdays are Petunia's only days off. Only a few hours ago, I saw her at a deli looking rather worried about something. I'd say it probably has to do with money, after all, the only real decorative things at her apartment are the things that Harry and her son have made in school and a few photos of the three of them. I've never seen anyone so worried, not even Lily when they had to go into hiding from… Voldemort." Remus said quickly, forcing the last word from his tongue.
"Well then, we shall see what this is all about. Severus, are you going to join us?"
"Actually, Headmaster, I think I shall stay here and see if I can find anything that may prove useful to help remedy young Potter's condition." Severus replied, a book on Mental Health in the Wizarding Community already open in his lap.
"Well then, Remus, I guess we'd best be off. I suppose we shall walk to this place?" Dumbledore suggested, clapping a hand on Remus' shoulder as they made for the door.
Back at the Evans residence, Petunia was trying to make the best out of the meager amount of food they had left in the fridge. Petunia sighed, reminding herself to go to the nearby church where they handed out food and clothing almost every day. Tonight they were forced to eat leftovers. She had cut the left over Pizza into small square pieces, gotten out some Pizza Sauce that was in the cupboards, waiting for the next time that she would make breadsticks. She had opened a can of corn, heated that up, and buttered some slices of bread. It would have to do for that night.
This time, Harry had behaved quite admirably, outdoing even Dudley in the manners department. Dudley had groaned about having sliced bread instead of the sweet rolls that Petunia usually bought for dinner.
All too soon, Harry and Dudley had taken their dishes to the sink and gone off to wash up for bed and Petunia was left alone with her thoughts. It wasn't until after she had read a bedtime story to Harry and tucked both boys in, that her thoughts were disturbed by a knock at the door. She peered through the peephole to see who was there, wary of someone that could possibly want to hurt her and the boys. She eventually realized that her late night visitors were none other than Remus Lupin and a man who she guessed to be Albus Dumbledore. She sighed, remembering how Remus had questioned her at the deli, and opened the door.
"Please, come in." she said, opening the door wide to let the two men through. "Where is Mr. Snape?" she asked curiously as she closed the door.
"He's at the motel room doing some reading." Remus replied as he and Dumbledore sat down.
"Oh, very well. I'm really sorry that I don't have any tea ready. I've only just put the dishes in to wash and I don't have any Tea left." Petunia replied, trying to explain in a way that might keep the men from becoming suspicious. As much as she and the boys could use the help, she didn't want to rely on anyone other than those she already did.
"That's perfectly fine, Miss… Evans?" Dumbledore replied, gently smiling at the woman.
"Now, what brings you two here so late? I was just about to turn in for the night." Petunia asked, wondering if her suspicions were correct.
"Petunia, please be honest with us. What exactly was it that was bothering you earlier today?" Remus asked, gazing directly into her eyes. Petunia deeply sighed, knowing that she couldn't get out of explaining what was going on.
"Okay, I suppose I can tell you. I just lost my job today and I don't know what I'm going to do for the next month or so, let alone Christmas. I don't want the boys to know, they're already under enough stress at school. Harry's so far behind in his IEP goals that I don't think he'll get too far with them this year. Dudley has to work on his reading comprehension and times tables… I don't know how things are going to work out." She explained tears of panic welling up in her eyes. She forced herself not to let a single one fall. She would not show that much weakness.
"Miss Evans, why didn't you come straight to either Remus or Severus? Your main obstacle is easily fixed. I can arrange the trust fund that was meant to be used while Harry is at Hogwarts to be opened to help take care of expenses. Now as for your nephew's progress in school… at what grade level is he?" Dumbledore said, casting a reassuring glance at her.
"In reading, he's barely starting books that first graders normally read and he struggles a great deal with them. In math, Harry does a bit better, but he can barely keep his mind on it. His attention always wanders. He's still getting speech therapy a couple days a week." Petunia said patiently. Sleep was beginning to lash at her mind. She yawned slightly, blinking away her exhaustion.
"I understand, I'm sure you're very tired, Miss Evans. Perhaps we could speak another time? Perhaps tomorrow morning when you are refreshed?" Albus suggested, making preparations to stand up and leave as soon as the woman answered.
"Please, no. I may be tired but I've too much on my mind to do so. We might as well talk this over now rather than waiting till later." Petunia insisted, a fake smile finding it's way onto her face.
"Of course, dear woman, of course." He replied.
It was then that the creak of the hallway floor boards could be heard, and Harry, clad in bright red pajamas with trains printed on them, found his way into the living room, his face tear streaked and his hair looking like a rat's nest. It was apparent that the child must have awoken from a nightmare or perhaps, if the proper evidence could be found, a bed-wetting episode. Thankfully to the relief of both the boy and his aunt, it was only a nightmare that had awoken the boy. She had pulled him into her arms and whispered soothing things into the boy's ears, eventually calming him down enough to speak.
"A-aunt Pe-t-tunia, wha-what's w-wr-ong?" he asked, looking up at her with those wide, emerald green eyes that shone brightly with innocence and curiosity. She looked into the child's eyes and smiled lightly.
"Nothing, Harry, I'm just worried about all the school you've missed." She half lied. It wasn't as if that particular thing wasn't on her mind. It was, but it only occupied a small bit of thought. Despite his limitations, Harry was bright and could usually figure out what was bothering someone he cared about within a couple of days. He paid a lot of attention to people's faces, tones of voice, and of course, their behavior. It was a gift that had helped him learn when to run, and when to obey someone. Of course, the boy didn't always use that gift. There had been numerous times, much like the night before, when he seemed to forget about such things and would act out, seemingly just for the sake of acting out. Sometimes it was just because he was tired or sick, but then again, Harry was a quirky child.
Albus Dumbledore gazed at the Potter boy, a fond look crossing his ancient features. The child reminded him of a very young James Potter during a time that he had visited the Potter residence. Of course, the green eyes and caring personality were definitely a part of the boy's mother.
"Why, hello!" Dumbledore greeted the boy, his voice full of cheer. The boy tensed for a moment, not making a single sound, but then relaxed as he sensed the good intentions of the newcomer. Still, the child clung to his aunt.
"Harry, this is Mr. Dumbledore. He's going to try to help use figure out some way to help you some more in school." Petunia explained to her nephew who seemed intent on staying in her lap. She put a hand through his dark, tangled hair and hugged him tightly. The child yawned and laid his head on his Aunt's shoulders before sleep finally stole his young mind from the world of consciousness.
Petunia then got up and carried the boy to his room, tucked him in and came back into the living room, an apologetic smile on her face. She sat back down, the lines of worry etched in her forehead even more noticeable than before.
"I suppose it is getting quite late. Perhaps we can talk some more tomorrow afternoon?" Petunia finally said, her exhaustion evident in her voice.
"Yes, splendid idea , child. Well, Mr. Lupin, I believe we had best be off." Dumbledore replied as he stood up, offering a hand up to his friend.
"Yes, I agree. Petunia, take care and don't worry. Things will look up. I promise." Remus looked deep into her eyes, catching a hint of thankfulness for the kind words.
Soon they were walking back to the Motel, both contemplating the nights revelations
"Well, I believe that we have a long road ahead of us. I shall owl Poppy in the morning and ask her if she can give the boy a look over. I'm sure she knows a thing or two about cases of wizarding children with special needs similar to the boy's." Dumbledore muttered, only loud enough for Remus to pick up the words.
"And I hope that Severus has found something in that book of his." Remus whispered back to the old man. Both walked in silence for a long time until they got to the Motel where Snape was still awake, but rather deeply immersed in his text. Dumbledore transfigured the dresser that was in the room into a single bed with a warm feather filled comforter and goose down pillows. Remus fell asleep in his own bed and Dumbledore in the newly transfigured one.