Story Title: Petunia the Petulant

Chapter Title: The Mirror

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews as always! If you've been following this story, you've probably noticed I'm churning out the chapters pretty quickly now. The story continues...


The Mirror

It did not happen right away, but eventually Petunia's magic was fully restored and she was back to progressing in her lessons with Snape. Because Snape had already summoned a conclave of wizards and witches to view his "findings" in the spring, time was short. It was necessary to bring in a few more people on the project, much as she knew he did not want to.

It ended up that Professor Lupin, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, and Hagrid became part of the inner circle of trust – Hagrid only after agreeing to being spelled with a Confundus charm that would take effect if ever he tried to speak about their work. When Petunia asked why Hagrid had been included, Snape admitted that Hagrid was good at taking care of "broken creatures."

"Perhaps he'll have some insights that could help you with your delicate mental state, he'd said practically. Petunia was too eager for this all to be over with and to be practicing magic again to be offended.

With Lupin, Hermione, and Hagrid, Petunia found herself disclosing secret feelings and parts of her past that she would rather have forgotten, but everyone agreed this was necessary to get to the bottom of her worst fear if she were to recover her magic. One evening, at Snape's direction, Lupin and Hermione took her to view the Mirror of Erised. Petunia had been told what it was, and she was very reluctant to look into it, especially with others present, but Snape had insisted that she should not go alone.

The quiet gloominess of the room where it was kept locked in the dungeons added to her sense of dread. Hermione and Lupin had given her a respectful amount of space, hanging back towards the entrance so they would not be peering over her shoulder. Petunia approached the mirror, her heels clicking softly on the stone floor. The shape of a woman's body began to be visible in the darkness of the room when Petunia gazed into the mirror. The woman, she realized, was herself, but not at all as she was now, or had ever been. She was attractive, all her curves more filled out, like the kind of woman on the cover of a magazine. Long waves of blonde, fine hair shaped her face while she beamed from the mirror, her pale, bluish eyes bright and alive. The woman's contented smile had created a nonexistent dimple to her face, adding to the impression of overall beauty. It was as if Lily's physical characteristics had become her own.

As her eyes roved over this perfect version of herself, she noticed a man's arm circling the woman's waist. The long-fingered hand clasped her tightly and intimately against whomever he was. Petunia had been so taken with seeing herself with such drastic changes to her physique, she had not yet noticed the shadowy, male figure framed with her image. As her eyes followed the familiar black buttoned suit upward, she turned suddenly away before she could see the man's face. She knew without looking whose face it was.

To her great relief, Hermione and Lupin had not seen her reflected desires, and after gently questioning her, let the matter of the vision drop and asked her how she was feeling. It was unsettling, she'd admitted, but she was all right. So that she would not have to ever talk about it again, she gave them a vague description of what she'd seen: herself happy, beautiful and a witch like her sister had been, and with a man. She would never tell anyone that the man whose arms embraced her was almost certainly Severus Snape.

The vision in the mirror rattled her almost as much as the boggart. But somehow, it was this revelation of her secret desires as the mirror interpreted them that finally unlocked her magic. It lit a fire under her, re-igniting a powerful desire to prove herself. She did not want to acknowledge that vision but decided that what it revealed was useful. If that's what the mirror had seen, it was telling her she a long way yet to go, if she wanted to be free from her miserable past. It told her that her deepest desire was to be something other than herself – a copy of Lily, and to win the love of the man who had been hopelessly in love with her. Petunia ached to be released from the many years of defining herself as everything opposite her sister. Unpleasant as it was, the mirror's image turned out to be the perfect motivation to concentrate on regaining her magical ability, no matter how difficult it seemed.

Although she entrusted this information to no one, it was clear to everyone that Petunia was finally breaking through her block. Little by little, her magic began to rematerialize. It felt like starting over, but this time she was progressing much more quickly. By the time of the conclave, she was on course to have completed studies equivalent to the entire first year curriculum and a quarter of the second. She knew they still wondered what she'd seen in Erised but they did not press her, and Snape never asked even once. She was grateful for that. What did it matter what she'd seen, as long as it worked?

The months passed and spring approached with whispered breezes in the trees and across the blades of grass that were now reaching for the sun. Even with all of the many places to explore within Hogwarts, Petunia felt that the time had gone very quickly. Now they were hurtling toward the finish line, the moment she would be formally introduced to the wizarding world. She found herself avoiding Professor Snape as much as she could outside of lessons. She was aware of an unpleasant fluttering sensation in her stomach and a tingling of her skin whenever he was near, and the closer he was in proximity, the worse it felt.

She could not deny that she was attracted to him on some level, this man whom she had thought she loathed. But she ignored these feelings that threatened her, telling herself that it was just a fascination with someone who had worshipped her sister as much as she had been jealous of her. She told herself that it was his approval that she craved, because she'd made his devotion to Lily a measure of her own worth as a woman and a witch. Perhaps there was some truth to this, but it wasn't the whole truth. Something had shifted.

If Severus picked up on any of this, he showed no sign of it. They were spending less and less time together, as she needed less supervision over her instruction. His interactions with her were all business, and the closer they came to their deadline, the more he preoccupied he became.

Petunia took this opportunity to spend more time outdoors, as the landscape of Hogwarts nestled in the mountains was increasingly captivating. Flowers were springing up in gardens and along the banks of the Great Lake, and the Forbidden Forest was turning ever greener. She took every opportunity to find new things to occupy her imagination.

It partly worked. It was hard not to be taken in by all the beauty around her, and the strange and wonderful forms of life in this magical, hidden place. She'd finally grown more comfortable with Hagrid – and he with her – and enjoyed at least some of the creatures he introduced her to, although she was not very fond of the thestrals. She loved to help him groom the hippogriffs, and once, she clapped her hands delightedly when he showed her where she could watch a colony of fairies.

That was her favorite, and she went to the edge of the forest frequently to lay beneath the trees and watch the strangely beautiful creatures. Sometimes she brought gifts for them of food or drink, things that she remembered from folktales told by some of her country relatives. Not being naturally trusting, the fairies seemed to tolerate her presence, and she took this as a great honor. One day, she conjured soft flute music into the air around her and began to dance. She looked down to see a circle of brownies surrounding her, joining in her dance. Of all the wonderful things she experienced at Hogwarts, this was one of the moments she would most treasure.

Some of the seventh years, including Hermione Granger, had also introduced her to Hogsmeade, where she kept a low profile at Snape's request. As the weather grew warmer, she realized she had little in her wardrobe to wear and was sorely in need of some clothes. Having only Muggle currency, Petunia was grateful when they helped her exchange it for actual gold, which was apparently what they used for money. She went to a clothier and bought some new skirts, dresses and blouses. And for the first time in she could not remember how long, she started to indulge in a bit of vanity about her appearance, wearing "tasteful" jewelry and hair clips, now and then.

She had allowed her hair to grow a little longer, mainly because she did not have time or inclination to go back to Little Whinging to see her regular hairdresser. Now she experimented with plaiting it neatly back, leaving a few girlish tendrils around her face. (Of course, she was completely oblivious to the effect this was having on Severus Snape, who had been admiring her surreptitiously for some time now.) She secretly hoped that he would notice of course, despite her resolve to be indifferent.

One afternoon, she found Hermione, Lupin, and Draco waiting with Professor Snape for her in the Room of Requirement. It had no design at the moment and merely appeared as a typical room in the castle. Snape was frowning, and it looked to her like they had just been arguing about something before she arrived.

"What is it?" she asked, looking at each of them.

"We were just discussing the actual format of Professor Snape's presentation for the conclave, where you are concerned. Speaking to the conclave is no issue, but we're wondering how we're going to show what you can do," Lupin explained.

"I suggested to the Headmaster that perhaps he should consider adding some 'bells and whistles;' you know, a little bit of theater, for effect," Hermione continued. Petunia knew right away this was the cause of Professor Snape's apparent displeasure.

"Bells and whistles?" Petunia repeated, trying to imagine what they might have in mind.

"I agree with Hermione that a little flair would be good for the presentation, given that the discovery is so special. But I'm not very keen on presenting you as a Muggle magic trick or a circus pony," Snape complained. "I'm not at all interested in turning into a showman. This should be taken very seriously."

"Where do you fall on all this, Draco?" Petunia asked, as he had been standing rather quietly.

"I'm…not sure. I think they both have a point," Draco Malfoy answered. Petunia generally observed that he was hesitant to say anything contrary to Snape.

"It's a delicate balance we need to strike," said Lupin. "It's not as if we have a template or precedent to build upon."

"Well," Petunia said thoughtfully, chewing her bottom lip, "It's been a long, long time, but I do have my stage training from ballet. Perhaps I could insert a little choreography?" She hoped Snape would see she was trying to be helpful and not take sides. His frown deepened and he glowered at no one in particular.

"That's exactly what concerns me," he muttered unhappily. "I can't imagine anything that wouldn't be completely inappropriate for this occasion, if we were to try to dramatize it."

"But you're not a choreographer," Petunia laughed, a little nervously. "It wouldn't be your job to come up with it. Let me try. You give me the parameters, the overall feel that you want. Make a list of the spells you wish me to display. I'll come up with a way to present it that is both visually interesting and appropriate. It couldn't hurt to try." All faces turned to Snape at this, who made noncommittal sound between a snort and a "heh."

"I don't want to waste any more time. But – perhaps it couldn't hurt, as you suggested," Snape admitted, in one of his rare moments of flexibility. "Merlin knows I have no better ideas at the moment."

"Professor Snape…did you just admit…to not knowing everything?" Petunia joked, and everyone else looked stunned. No one since Albus Dumbledore dared to make fun of Snape, even in a friendly way.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I know everything," He said without missing a beat. "All right. Well, we might as well get to it. Come to my office after supper, and I'll have the parameters written out for you." He nodded to her absentmindedly and brushed past her, causing her to stifle an excited shiver as he touched her. Petunia hoped no one could see what she was feeling, but everyone was much more interested in talking about what had just occurred between she and Snape.

"I can't believe," said Draco, "you actually got away with saying that."

"What?" She asked innocently.

"You know?! About Snape? Not knowing everything?" His voice was ever more incredulous.

"Oh, that old man knows better than to take everything I say seriously," she said. "He's much more likely to explode when I make a mistake then if I just say something foolish." It was true; they had developed a kind of rhythm, working together. There was mutual respect between them.

Still, Draco, Hermione and Lupin were astounded and kept talking about it for the rest of the day. As they left the room, however, Draco stayed back.

"I need to talk to you," he said quietly, when the others had left. "Professor Snape wants me to help you learn everything there is to know about Slytherin."

Petunia was surprised at how serious he sounded. It was an odd focus of study, but she did not bother herself with a lot of questions about what Snape wanted her to learn at any given time.

"All right. Why are you talking like it's a secret?"

"Because it is," he said. "I don't know anything more than that. But Snape made it clear to me that this was to be between the three of us. He wants you to move into Slytherin house, also," he added. "The house elves have already prepared a spare room in the dungeon for you. It's actually very nice, they went all out on it," he said reassuringly.

"When you're ready, you're to go to this place." He handed her a small, scrawled note of directions with a bit of a map. "And this is the password to the house," he said, and leaned in to whisper it into her ear. "You've got to remember it, and of course you know you can't share it with anyone else who isn't from the house. Best not to share it at all, since it might not be easy to tell."

"All…right," she said slowly, taking the paper and looking at it. The instructions seemed clear enough, and she was familiar enough with the dungeon area classrooms that she thought she could find it. "I'll start moving in this evening." She pocketed the note in her robe and thanked Draco as he left her standing in the middle of the Room of Requirement. She had been intending to do some dancing, but now she was completely distracted by this news. After a moment she shook her head as if to clear it and returned to her room behind the kitchens to gather her things.

Draco had been more right than she could have imagined. They really did go all out, she thought, as she stood in the middle of the room with her trunk in her arms. The room was further away from any of the classrooms she had been, and at the end of a T-shaped hallway. She knew it was on the opposite side of the building as the Slytherin dormitory. Of course. That was good.

Whatever it had been used for before, it was now transformed into a luxurious bedroom suite fit for one of the most expensive hotels. A marvelous silver, green and black oriental rug covered the open area just within. To the left of the entryway, a fire hummed and crackled in a large, gated fireplace. On either side of it was a sort of parlor area, created by two overstuffed chairs, each with a little round table next to it.

On the other side of the room was an armoire, and a door that seemed to lead to a private bath. In the middle of the room was a bed that could have fit twelve Petunias in it. It was draped with green, silk curtains, and covered with a quilt that became animated when she examined the pictures. The effect was mesmerizing. Enormous, fluffy green and black pillows decorated the headboard, which had a night table area and shelf attached to each side of the bed. Someone – she could not possibly imagine who – had placed a stuffed coiled snake on the bed, which looked at her stupidly, its cloth tongue hanging out of its mouth. She found it utterly cute and grabbed it immediately.

Opposite the bathroom side the wall opened into a small nook, which had been made into a study space. There was a desk and a number of bookshelves, and then a cabinet that she figured must have some basic supplies. She noticed that almost all of the books had something to do with the history of Slytherin house and the individuals who were connected to it. Interesting. The entire décor of the room consisted of carved, filigree snake-like designs. Several pictures hung on the wall, including the one she had loved in her previous room. Thankfully, she noticed, none of them featured people or was a moving portrait.

Petunia collapsed onto the bed and drank in her new surroundings, which smelled faintly of some lingering sweet incense. The doves, she realized, would have to be moved outside. She did not think they would be very happy in an underground chamber where they could not see the sun. She would ask Hagrid later. She drifted off to sleep for a little while, hugging the absurdly adorable snake to her chest, and did not awake until the anniversary clock on the fireplace mantle softly chimed, reminding her that she had an appointment with Snape. Tomorrow, she would get to work brainstorming some theatrics to brush up the conclave performance. And she would have no time to think about that awful mirror.