Magical

Petunia grinned happily as she made her way down the stairs. Today was her birthday, her special day, and Lily couldn't ruin it. Today, mum and dad would fawn over her, and tell her how proud they were of her, and how she was growing up to be a wonderful young woman. And today, mum and dad would love Petunia Evans, and maybe, just maybe, Lily would let her be loved on her special day.

Today, mum would make chocolate chip pancakes for her like she did on Lily's birthday and dad would play football with her again, and Lily wouldn't be able to choose what she wanted to watch on TV, because surely her parents would let Petunia choose on her birthday. And then they would give her presents for being a wonderful daughter, and have a huge surprise party which Petunia had carefully practiced her face for.

But when she reached the kitchen, her mum, dad, and Lily were sitting at the table, staring in shock at a heavy piece of paper. And when they told her the good news, that her perfect, beautiful sister was a witch of all things, Petunia just stared at them in shock. Lily was looking smug, and her parents were beaming at Lily. And then mum got up and she felt hopeful that her mum finally remembered when mum squealed, "Oh, I'll make all of your favorites, Lily, imagine, we have a witch in the family!"

And Petunia was left there while her mum and dad chattered on and on about Lily, and Lily basked in the attention she was getting. And suddenly Petunia knew.

She knew that her parents remembered her birthday, but had ignored it on purpose because of Lily. She knew that her parents were disappointed in her. She knew that when they asked her if she was proud of her little sister, they were asking why she wasn't as pretty, or popular, or as magic as her little sister.

And then she knew that Lily would go to this school, and she would have every guy at her feet. And Petunia knew that Lily would fall in love at that school. And she knew that they would have a wonderful little child. And then she knew that Lily would feed her friends lies about herself, and that they would curse, or hex, or do whatever to her, and then she knew something that made her stomach twist and her throat constrict and her eyes water.

Petunia Evans knew that her parents wouldn't care.

And that's when Petunia started hating Lily, not for being a freak, but for being everything Petunia was not.

Pretty, popular, and most of all . . . magical.

And that was when Petunia started hating magic.


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: This came about when I was having a little bit of a spat, yes, let's call it a spat, with my brother. And then I saw how horrible Petunia was treated in tons of fanfics. And I felt really sorry for her, and I decided that Lily could be taken down from her pedestal just this once to Petunia could have her chance.