Harry suppressed a laughed at this and his aunt smiled.
"Harry I know I have never been the kind of aunt you deserved and I'm not proud of the way I treated you. It is now that I realize my faults. You are my nephew, my only sister's son and yet I treat you like some common dog." said Petunia sadly "I never gave you the love that you deserved but never got. You had lost your parents before you even got to know them which is something I can sort of relate to."
"What do you mean?" said Harry he had never seen his aunt be so open with him before and he could swear that she was on the verge of tears.
"My mother was pregnant with twins only years after Lily was born. A girl and a boy. My parents were going to name them after themselves, Helen and Harold. I was so excited about having a new brother and sister in the house. Your mother was driving me bonkers and I really did love babies. But I never got to spend much time with them after they were born for their were many complications and in the end, both children died at only 6 months old."
Petunia was crying now and Harry felt an odd urge to comfort her.
"I'm very sorry about you losing your brother and sister." Said Harry and his aunt nodded.
"Harry, I've been a horrible aunt to you for the past 14 years but that is going to change. I don't know about Vernon and your cousin but I will do everything within my power to make sure that you have a happy time while living with me especially during these dark times." Said Petunia
"Thank you.' said Harry "I really appreciate it." His aunt nodded and stood up.
"Your uncle and cousin should be here soon." Petunia said as she walked towards the door and opened it. "Oh and Harry, though I've never said it, I truly do love you. I just didn't know how to say it when I partly blamed you for taking my sister away. I know it was silly of me and quiet selfish. But whenever I looked at you, I saw your father and then I saw your mother in your eyes. I guess I hated your father because he took Lily away from me, just like God had taken away my brother and sister and sense you look just like your father I sort of hated you too. And I'm pretty sure you hate me."
"No I don't hate you." Said Harry earnestly as he stood up and walked over to her "I just hated they way you treated me, it was like I wasn't even related to you."
"Yes I know and I'm sorry." Said Petunia and she reached over and gave Harry a small and quick hug then said "Goodnight Harry."
"Goodnight Aunt Petunia." Said Harry and his aunt gave him the first true smile he had ever seen on her face than she closed the door.
Harry walked back over to his bed smiling thinking for the first time that he could actually live happily here. Harry looked over at Hedwig's cage and saw Luna's owl Deedee making him remember to send the letter to her.
Harry pulled out a parchment and quill and began to write.
Dear Luna Hello Luna this is Harry and I would love to come to your party. Oh and by the way, I like your owl.
Love,
Harry J.
Harry folded up the letter stuck it in an envelope than let Deedee out of the cage and handed it to her. Harry then crossed over to the window than opened it. "Try to get there as fast as you can." Harry said to her and she hooted than flew out of the window.
Harry closed the window after her and went back to bed.
Harry slept peacefully that night.
The next morning, Harry woke up extra early because he heard some noise coming from downstairs. Harry got up and walked slowly and quietly into the kitchen where he saw his aunt petunia cooking breakfast.
"Good morning Aunt Petunia." Said Harry
"Oh Good morning Harry, did you sleep alright?" she asked
"Yes very nice actually." Said Harry smiling
"That's good." Said Petunia "Sit down, breakfast will be served soon."
Harry nodded than sat down at his usual seat and waited.
"Aunt Petunia?"
"Yes?" she said
"I was wondering if you could tell me about my mother, how her life was away from Hogwarts." Said Harry and Petunia stopped cooking. She was silent for a moment than she spoke.
"Your mother and I were pretty close actually. Sense the death of the twins she and I began to hang out more and she drove me less bonkers than usual. I truly did love your mother very much and she was the only sister I had left. But then after she got accepted to Hogwarts, I hardly saw her and she changed so much. By the time she was 15, she and I barely said a kind word to each other. When I found out that she was marrying that wizard James Potter, I panicked. I knew that if she did marry him, I'd probably never see her again. But instead of making sure that she knew that I did love her and that I wanted to come to the wedding, when she came over to tell mum and dad I called her a freak and that she and her freak husband can go and have freak kids together and that she was no sister of mine. That was the last thing I ever said to your mother and the last time I ever saw her alive." Said Petunia who was crying freely now. Harry stood up, got a napkin from the table and gave it to her.
"Thank you Harry." Said Petunia and she wiped her tears. Just then Uncle Vernon and Cousin Dudley walked in.
"Something the matter Petunia?" said Vernon noticing her tears. Then he looked at Harry "What did he do to you?"
"It wasn't him Vernon, let's just have some breakfast." said Petunia and everyone sat down. Today Petunia had made waffles, eggs and sausages.
"Mum?" said Dudley
"Yes you can have some Dudley." said Petunia and Dudley deg into his food.
After breakfast Harry went up stairs to start packing his things.
He would have told Petunia that he was leaving but his Uncle Vernon and Dudley had walked in. He'd chat with her later.
Harry thought he'd get started on his homework. He had an essay on Morgana and Merlin for Binns. He went to his book shelf and pulled out A History of Magic and the 5th year History book, a piece of parchment and quill than set it down on his desk and began to write.
Harry was halfway through with his essay when he heard some noise coming from downstairs. It sounded like His Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were arguing again but this time, they were arguing at each other.
"Dudley is the way he is because he thinks that we are naïve and clueless which we were for the past few years." Said Petunia
"Dudley is the way he is because of that freak child Harry." Roared Uncle Vernon
"Don't you dare blame Harry for the way Dudley has become. Harry had nothing to do with it." Yelled Petunia "and if you call Harry a freak again I swear…"
"What is wrong with you Petunia, why are you so suddenly nice to Harry?" Vernon demanded
"Because he is my nephew. My last know living relative." Cried Petunia
"You didn't seam to care before." Said Vernon
"That's because I was being stupid. I thought things like normality and standing among people was important but it's not. Family is the most important thing. And family comes first." Said Petunia
"So I'm not family?" Vernon demanded.
"No you are my husband." Said petunia "My naïve, bigoted and fat stupid husband and I wish I never married you."
There was silence. Then Vernon spoke in barely a whisper.