"I'm a what?" Harry asked incredulously. "Like, a real wizard? Like Merlin in the King Arthur books? With wands and weird spells and dragons and all that?" At Petunia's resigned nod, he exclaimed, "Wicked!" and turned to Dudley, who's excited grin matched Harry's perfectly.
"Yes, I suppose it is rather 'wicked'," admitted Petunia. "But there are some things you need to know about the Wizarding World and then make a decision. Will you let me explain fully before you ask any questions?" Both of the boys nodded and focused their entire attention on their mother.
Petunia took a deep breath, a long draw of her tea, and another deep breath before speaking. She told them of her sister, and how much they loved each other. Of the "greasy little brat" that lived on Spinner's End, and how he first told Lily of her power and spun a seed of contention between the sister's, at least on Petunia's end. Of the letter coming, and jealousy blooming from that first seed before it flowered into hatred. Years filled with loneliness due to distance, physical and emotional, between the two girls. Finally meeting Vernon, who she thought would make her feel loved because he only focused on her, and realizing that his real loves were football and work. The Potter wedding and it's aftermath. Then, finally, of that dreaded Halloween night almost ten years past. She had told Harry his parents had been killed when he was eight and old enough for such things, but now he heard of the Dark Lord Voldemort and understood the green lights in his dreams. If either boy was shocked at the details they learned, they didn't show it on their focused faces. At the end of her tale, Petunia fixed both of the boys, her boys, with a firm stare. Voice sore from both the length and emotional involvement of the story, she croaked out:
"You two are never. Never. Allowed to hate or be jealous of each other, understand? This will not tear apart another generation in our family."
For the first time, the two showed their confusion. "How could I ever hate Harry, Mum? He's my brother, and I have to protect him." He then turned to the resident wizard. "D'you reckon when you get good enough you could make us magic armor? That would be wicked!".
With that, the boys were lost in conversation of what they could do once Harry could control his magic better and if they could fix it so Harry didn't need dglasses anymore. Exhausted but content, Petunia allowed her eyes to close as she smiled and relaxed back in her chair, listening to her boys talk about trains and owls and wands.
After letting them talk for about half an hour, Petunia decided it was time to continue with the birthday plans. "Alright boys, now you have the rest of your lives to imagine how to make pigs fly, but only one day to celebrate Harry's eleventh birthday, so let's hop to it, shall we?" Harry was confused, as usually all they did to celebrate was the already finished gift and cake breakfast, and turned to Dudley. Said brother was grinning excitedly, having been told the night prior of the plan for the rest of the day.
They made their way to the small, second-hand car Petunia had purchased for Christmas two years prior. Harry tried for the first few minutes of the trip to get the answer of where they were going from Dudley and his mum, but gave up when he was met with nothing but tight-lipped smiles. Upon drawing close to their destination, Dudley placed his hands over Harry's eyes as they drove closer and eventually stopped and got out. When Dudley removed his hands Harry heard a "Surprise!" from his two family members before his eyes readjusted to the sight before him.
They had stopped at his favorite bookstore.
"Dudley and I both saved up so you could select two books of your choice, Harry dear. Anything you'd like," said Petunia, who had a small smile on her face (they were, after all, in public). At this Harry's face lit up brighter than the fires on Guy Fawkes Day and he practically tackled his family into a hug before thanking them profusely and promptly sprinting into the bookstore. Dudley ran after him quickly and Petunia followed at a more sedate pace, knowing they'd be here for hours as Harry grappled with his choices and read as much as possible without being rude.
Although it was Harry's favorite bookstore, and store in general, To The (Book) Barricade (evidently the owner was a fan of Victor Hugo) was not overly large nor expensive. It was, as a matter of fact, a second-hand shop for beloved literature, or so the owner said. Petunia believed him, as every book they had purchased from the small store so far had not been damaged in the slightest beyond the tell-tale marks of a well-read favorite. She had first come to the shop to purchase a book of nursery rhymes and fairy tales for her boys when they were still rather young, and as the books became a favorite so did Tge Barricade. Though it was rare for them to be able to afford new ones, they stopped at least twice a year and each of them picked out a single book per trip. While Dudley enjoyed reading the comics and other things young people are so drawn to, Harry had always alternated between King Arthur and educational books, with the occasional Shakespeare or poetry novel thrown in. Preparing herself for a long wait, Petunia slipped into the section that housed copies of the old penny dreadfuls and slipped into the tales found within.
A/N Please don't kill me. I had a really busy couple weeks with scheduling and tutoring and sports and finals and honestly had no time to write. I also don't have my computer, so this was written on my phone. Please point out any errors, as I cannot be the grammar fanatic i usually am while on mobile haha. I would promise an update by next weekend, but mandatories are starting and Comp is kicking my butt. Stories I can write, but essays? Gross. Anyways, I'll stop rambling. Adios my dears.