Petunia stepped into Number 4 Privet Drive, son, nephew, and groceries in tow. It had been a year since she had stepped outside to leave the milk bottles and found, to her surprise, a baby with nothing but a blanket and a letter to his name.
~November 1st the previous year~
She grabbed the small child and hurried him inside to Dudley's crib, checking for frostbite, before opening the letter. When she did so, a vaguely familiar thin, slanted cursive greeted her with news of the murders of her sister and brother-in-law. It then told her of protection from the perpetrator if only she took in her nephew as her own. Petunia was stunned by the news of her sister's death, to say the least. She reread the letter as calmly as possible before her emotions, as blocked against as they were, welled up inside her. Sadness, yes, but more so fury and hatred. Hatred for the world that had claimed her young sister's life, a small child's parents, and hatred for the monster that was named in the letter as Lord Voldemort. Her hatred consumed her until she was jumping up from the chair she had reflexively sank into. Rage was in her eyes, and she tore at the paper until it was entirely shredded. Petunia started toward the door of her son's nursery, prepared to march straight to wherever Dumbledore was, done with his vague letters and apologies. She had gone through enough when he rejected her as a child, but this pushed her over the edge. Just as
she reached the door, a small cry from behind made her pause. When turned she saw her nephew stirring slightly, having fallen back asleep before Petunia had closed the door on her way in. He blinked sleepily, and Petunia froze. His eyes. They were her eyes. Petunia broke down, her hate and anger turned to despair at the sight of the bright, green spheres she'd thought she would never see again. At this Harry awoke fully, confused. He was in a crib that wasn't his with someone else in it, and a woman he'd never seen before was crying in the doorway of a room that wasn't his. He began to cry, knowing that his Mama or Dada, or maybe Unca Pafoo' or Unca Moony would come and everything would be alright. When only the unknown woman came to his aid, Harry cried out for his family, even Unca Wormy, but no one came. Petunia picked Harry up, cradling him in her chest and sobbing silently, so as not to distress Harry further or wake Dudley. She sat back down in the rocking chair and rocked Harry until the crying ceased and he fell back asleep. She held him for another minute, quietly gazing upon the small, curled up child in her arms. She vowed to herself that she would never let Lily's- her- little boy feel unloved.
~Present Day~
"Mummy, can I have my chocolate now?" whined Dudley, tugging on Petunia's right hand. Harry, holding onto her left hand, nodded eagerly. He and Dudley always split a Mars Bar when they got home from the store if they'd behaved.
Petunia sighed slightly. "Yes, boys, you may have the chocolate. Wait until I set down the groceries and find it." The two let out a little cheer and ran to the kitchen to wait for their treat. Petunia smiled slightly at her boys, exhausted but happy that the cousins saw themselves as brothers. She grabbed the chocolate, split the bar in half, and gave a half to each two-year-old. Then she began to put away groceries, noting that, as usual, Harry was eating his chocolate slowly and carefully, whereas Dudley had stuffed most of his portion into his mouth. She chuckled under her breath before reminding her son to chew before swallowing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An hour later dinner was almost finished, Dudley and Harry were playing in their bedroom, and Petunia had just finished primping herself up for Vernon, who wanted his wife to always look good and his son and nephew to be quiet and well behaved. If Harry or Dudley happened to begin crying randomly, as young children often do, they were both sent to the small cupboard under the stairs and screamed at by Vernon for interrupting ruining his night. If Petunia wasn't in one of the outfits that Vernon had picked out for her to be wearing that night he screamed at her and took his dinner in front if the television. The slightest provocation set off his horrible temper, and Petunia had just about had enough of it. The only thing keeping her with Vernon was her want of status. He was the manager of a large drill company, and was therefore fairly well off and respected. She couldn't
quite bring herself to return to near poverty again, especially now that she had two boys to raise. That was, until Vernon did something unforgivable.
A/N I'm so sorry, I meant to update earlier but couldn't think of how to end this chapter. I'll try to update more often. Reviews and comments are appreciated as always!