Chapter 18: Aftermath

Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, England

November 8, 1980

There were not enough tears. She had no way to properly grieve for her sister, no chance to truly mourn for the girl whom had once been so very dear to her. They had been so close when they were young children, sharing sorrows, sharing triumphs, sharing dreams. There were no more chances of sharing dreams again now.

No.

No, that was not true. There was a dream left, one dream that Lily had left with her, had left in her keeping. Her sister had dreamt of raising her son in a loving home. Petunia could do that for Lily. She could see that Lily's final dream was made true and that the boy was raised in love. She did love him. Petunia loved him with a fierce desperation that some might find disturbing considering she had only first laid her eyes upon him eight days ago. She loved him as though she had given birth to him herself. Perhaps it was because she had given birth to her own son, Dudley, just a month before little Harry was born. Perhaps it was because he was Lily's son and now Lily was gone, lost to her forever. Or perhaps it was that the boy was the last of her family. Petunia suspected that all of these reasons combined made her love him more than she loved her own life.

She missed Lily. She missed the closeness they had once shared as children before Lily had discovered that she was a witch. That discovery had rapidly damaged their relationship and torn them apart. Petunia knew that she had been jealous and she had lashed out in her jealousy. She had made the first strikes in their little war. Later, when Petunia was engaged to marry Vernon Dursley, she had reached out to her sister wanting her support. Lily had brought her beau, James Potter, to dinner. The dinner had been a nightmare. James Potter was no muggle-born Wizard who could have blended in with the crowd of muggles. Instead he was an upper crust Pure-blood Wizard who had rarely, if ever, dealt with muggles before. Vernon had taken an instant dislike to him and James had treated Vernon as though he were an amusing pet. Dinner had ended with Vernon storming away and Petunia had said a few harsh words to Lily before following him. Sometimes Petunia felt that following Vernon had been a mistake.

She missed her parents whom had died in a car crash just six months before she gave birth to Dudley. The last time she had talked to her mother, the woman was so excited about becoming a grandmother. It still hurt Petunia that Dudley would never really know his grandparents. She ached with a loneliness inside that she doubted could ever be filled. She might forever feel just that loneliness, that sense that with the death of her parents and the death of Lily the last people to be capable of understanding her had disappeared from the world. It was perhaps selfish to think this way, but then grief in and of itself was for the living and not for the dead. The living, were left behind, after all, while the dead went on to the next great adventure.

A chapter of her life was closed for good and now it was time that she pulled herself together in order to truly appreciate the new chapter of her life.

She glanced up from her cup of tea when Vernon none too gently settled a small stack of pamphlets on the table before her. He was humming a happy tune. She stared at him a bit bemused as he walked to the refrigerator to get himself a cold beverage. Vernon had not been this happy in days, not since Harry had been found on their doorstep. He had raved at her for days about how her freakish nephew would not be allowed to remain in his house. She had stood firm that Harry was her nephew and so he would live with her. Their last fight over Harry was two days ago and Vernon had been giving her the cold shouldered silent treatment ever since. Yet now he seemed so happy. Could it be that he had finally decided that having Harry live with them would not be so terrible after all?

She smiled and slowly picked up the top pamphlet. She had expected to see a vacation pamphlet. Vernon often brought home vacation pamphlet's so they could figure out many months in advance where they would vacation during the summer. She was shocked to see that it was not a pamphlet to some pretty resort. Instead it was a pamphlet about an orphanage.

Frowning she swiftly went through the other pamphlets and to her outrage she found that each one was for an orphanage. "No!" she said sternly, putting force into her voice. It was a force that she was not used to exerting with Vernon. She was usually meek as a mouse with her much larger and stronger husband.

"No what?" Vernon asked as he stood in their kitchen doorway staring at her.

"You could bring home a million of these pamphlet's but I will still refuse," Petunia said sternly. "I will not get rid of Harry!" she said firmly, her voice raising slightly.

Vernon's mouth twisted into a sneer and he glared at her. She wondered in that moment why she had ever married him? Had she been that desperate for someone to notice her, think her beautiful, think her special that she had fallen for the first man whom had said all the right words? Apparently yes, she decided as she listened to the vitriol coming from Vernon's mouth.

"Your freaky nephew will not stay here and contaminate my son!" he declared. "It's a good thing you kept away from your freaky sister or you would have caught whatever it was that she had that made her a freak. I won't have it Petunia! The boy goes. I did you the courtesy of bringing home options for you to choose from but that is it. The boy goes!"

Petunia felt herself trembling all over as she asked suddenly in a soft voice, "Vernon, what if Dudley were a Wizard?"

His anger was apparent as he began to turn purple with rage. "No son of mine is a freak!" he exclaimed.

"It runs in families Vernon, so what if Dudley were a Wizard like Harry?" she persisted.

Vernon sneered at her. "It's as I said Petunia, no son of mine is a freak," he said. "If he shows any sign of that contamination, I'll take the right measures to beat it out of him."

With that horrifying final statement Vernon left the room. A few moments later she heard the Telly turn on and the news broadcaster's voice could be heard babbling about problems in the Middle-East. Petunia wiped at her eyes as tears began to flow down her cheeks. It was worse than she had thought. Far worse. She had hoped that Vernon would come around but deep down she knew that he would never do so. Harry would never really be safe in a house that had Vernon Dursley in it. Dudley would not either. There was no way that she could think of Vernon as a good father for Dudley after what he had just said. Oh, in her distaste for Lily's magic, her jealousy, she had said terrible things. She had called her sister a freak, but she had never hit Lily. She had never thought that beating Lily would somehow make the magic stop. She had known that Lily was born with it. She was special in that regard. She was extraordinary.

She could not stay with Vernon. She'd have to divorce him. Then she felt panic settle in. Where would she go? What would she do? She had gone to college to become a secretary. She knew she could try to find work in an office, but who would take care of Dudley and Harry during the daytime while she was at work?

She wiped furiously at her eyes and left the pamphlet's on the table. She swiftly left the kitchen and went up the stairs to the nursery where Dudley and Harry shared a cot. She looked down on both infants and sighed. She didn't know what to do. Perhaps tomorrow she would see things clearer. If not, then perhaps she could get into contact with Albus Dumbledore, the man whom had left Harry on her doorstep in the first place. She would still like to give him a piece of her mind about leaving an infant out in the cold. What if someone had just come along and stolen Harry away?

She shook her head and slowly laid herself down on the small cot that she had been sleeping on in the nursery. It was the better to be near Dudley and Harry and also to keep herself safe from Vernon while they were fighting. Vernon would not dare go into the nursery. He did not know what to do with an infant. Even now, six months after Dudley was born, she could not get him to hold Dudley. For tonight they would be safe. She was sure of it.


Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Scotland

November 8, 1980

Albus Dumbledore sat at the Head Table of Hogwarts with the rest of his staff as they read the morning paper. He sipped his morning tea and smiled a self-satisfied smile as he looked around the hall at the happy children. He had plenty of reason to express joy. Voldemort, though not dead, was at least temporarily vanquished. Little Harry Potter was now hailed as "The Boy Who Lived" and he had been placed with his Muggle Aunt Petunia by Dumbledore himself. Dumbledore was convinced that this placement was for the best. The boy would only become conceited and full of his own self-importance if he remained in the eye of Wizarding Society. It was best for him to not have to live under such scrutiny. There were also the Death Eaters whom had not been sent to Azkaban to consider. They would have surely tried to find a way to strike out at the child whom had harmed their master if the boy were kept in such a public light. It was much better for the child to be kept hidden away with his muggle Aunt. Lily's sacrifice ensured that he was able to tie Blood Wards around Harry, Petunia, and her son thus tying Harry's safety to his Aunt and Cousin.

"My word!" came the declaration of Pomona Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff House and Professor of Herbology. "I don't think I have ever heard of anything like this."

Albus furrowed his brow in confusion as he listened to Pomona speak with Minerva beside her. He watched as Minerva leaned over to be closer to her friend and fellow Professor and see just what it was that Pomona was talking about.

After a moment of staring at the Daily Prophet which Pomona had open in front of her, Minerva nodded her head in agreement with Pomona's statement. "It is a very strange occurrence is it not?" she asked of her friend.

She agreed with Minerva, "Oh yes. To think that Little Lord Nott would be placed in the permanent care of his God-father Lucius Malfoy on the condition that he will have visits with his other God-father Andreas Spinks."

Albus frowned as he took in this particular bit of news. With the swift conviction of Orran Nott, his only son and heir Theodore had been hailed as the new Lord Nott. However, due to his obvious youth he needed a guardian to raise him and to look over his estates for him. It had been Albus's hope that Theodore's mother's relatives would have taken him in and taken control of the Nott estate. While Dumbledore did not exactly favor the Greengrass family, he did appreciate the fact that they were not a truly Dark family like the Malfoy's and the Black's.

Dumbledore now had more to worry about. With the Malfoy's having control of the young Lord Nott, it gave them more power in the Wizengamot, at least temporarily while the youth was underage. Abraxas Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy were political creatures by nature. Crafty and talented politicians. They would not hesitate to use this to their advantage and push through laws that Dumbledore felt were counter-productive to their society.

"And did you read about little Susan Bones?" asked Minerva to Pomona, once more drawing in Dumbledore's attention.

"Oh yes," Pomona said sadly. It was well known that the last five members of the Bones family to attend Hogwarts had been members of her house, Hufflepuff. "I was so grieved when Lionel died. He was such a nice boy when he attended here," she said praising Susan's father. "I felt so terrible for Hilary. Then there was what happened when she was pregnant with Susan and if it had not been for Orion Black she and Susan would have followed Lionel to the grave."

"And now this," Minerva said with a sad tone of voice. "Hilary has joined Lionel and Susan remains. She was instated as Lady Bones and her aunt Amelia Bones is now her Regent."

Albus frowned as he thought of that. He had to admit he had been impressed with how swiftly Amelia Bones had acted. While he had been procuring the "Boy Who Lived" and placing him with his Muggle Aunt, Amelia Bones had been legally procuring custody and jurisdiction over her niece. She had beaten the Turpin family to the punch in regards of gaining custody of the young heiress, a move that had disgruntled the grieving Turpin family.

Albus applauded Amelia's efforts. The Bones family was a Light sided family and he would far prefer to see Susan in the hands of her Light-sided Aunt than with her Turpin relatives whose loyalties Dumbledore had never been able to determine.

"How is Augusta fairing with the tragedy?" Pomona asked Minerva gently. It was well known that Augusta Longbottom and Minerva McGonagall were friends. Augusta and Minerva had both been classmates in Gryffindor together while Pomona had been a Hufflepuff during the same year.

Minerva sighed sadly, "She is devastated about Frank's condition. The healers have told her that he will never recover. Due to that young Neville is being instated as the Lord Longbottom."

"Oh dear. What about Alice?" Pomona asked of her friend.

"The healers say that her condition is as bad as her husbands. They do not believe she shall ever recover," she said and then took a fortifying drink of her tea. "Poor Augusta."

Pomona nodded. "Shall Augusta be acting as Regent for young Neville?"

It was a question that Dumbledore himself wished to know. He was fond of Augusta Longbottom. She was one of his staunchest more outspoken supporters. He was sure that she would be a perfect Regent for the young Lord Longbottom.

"No," Minerva said making Albus frown. "Lady Callidora Longbottom is still alive and of sound mind. She was Frank's choice for Regent should he die before Neville was of age."

Albus frowned at the choice. Why would Frank have chosen his grandmother, Callidora when his mother would seem the better choice? Callidora was born of the House of Black, a Dark House. Frank had been a Gryffindor. Surely he had distrusted the Black's and the Slytherin's as much as any Gryffindor did. Yet looking back he realized that he had no recollection of Frank teasing the Slytherin's or showing any disdain for them. In fact, he could recall seeing and having heard of Frank Longbottom standing up to the Marauders for their delinquent behavior against Slytherin House. He had spent far too much time cultivating James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin to have paid much attention to the quieter and more mild-mannered Frank Longbottom. Albus feared he would now rue that mistake.

"I am sure that Augusta was livid about that," Pomona declared.

Minerva grinned, "That is putting it lightly. She despises her mother-in-law and has always hated that Frank adored the woman."

Dumbledore mulled over what he had learned. It would seem that he needed to prepare himself for the Malfoy's to have more power than he would wish. He also now had to worry about the votes coming from the Longbottom seat on the Wizengamot since there would be no way that Dumbledore could persuade Callidora to vote in his favor. She was not a woman who trusted easily, as he had learned when she had become Frank's Regent. He had approached her then and tried to convince her to vote in his favor. After all, she had married a Light Wizard, Harfang Longbottom, so surely she was one of the examples of a Dark Witch converted to the Light. She had proven him wrong in that respect by voting in ways that he felt were clearly wrong for their world.

At least Albus felt secure in the knowledge that he would be allowed to act as the voting Proxy for House Potter in the Wizengamot. There was no way that Petunia could do so, despite her being the legal guardian of the young Lord Potter, she was a Muggle and as such had no voice in the magical world. He frowned in thought. Holding the Potter vote did help him but not enough. It was aggravating that Lord Malfoy had gained the vote of House Nott and that he had no way to sway House Longbottom.

'I will have to talk with Augusta soon and see if there is some way that we might gain some power over Callidora,' Albus thought as he made his way out of the Great Hall along with other students and Professors as another day of education began at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England

November 8, 1980

Narcissa smiled a sad little smile as she gently brushed her hand over the blond hair of her new charge, Theodore. The young Lord Nott had been kept from them for several days pending the reading of the Will of Orran Nott's deceased wife Helena Nott. With Orran Nott now imprisoned for his attack upon the Malfoy family and for his admittance in court of being a proud follower of the Dark Lord Voldemort he had been stripped of his rights as the Lord of the House of Nott. He had no rights to young Theodore and no say over his placement. Since Orran and Theodore were the last of the blooded Nott family, the courts had chosen to look to the wishes of Theodore's mother. Helena's will did clearly state that she wished for Theodore to live with his God-Father Lucius Malfoy with Andreas Spinks, Theodore's second God-Father, being granted visitation with the boy. Just yesterday, at long last did the Wizengamot grant Lucius the right to take Theodore home to Malfoy Manor.

Her eyes took in the baby boy's features. He had little of the look of Orran to him. She felt that would be a blessing. Orran had not been a very handsome man but for all that he had been a striking one. He had a presence that one did not forget. Theodore seemed to take more after his mother's side of the family. The Greengrass's were blessed with exceptional good looks. Theodore looked as though he would take after them more than the Nott's. She could only hope that with them to guide him that he would not end up like his father.

Orran's betrayal had been hard on Abraxas. She had been vaguely surprised that he had taken much of the fault upon his own shoulders. Abraxas believed that as Orran's Ardenvraar he should have seen that Orran was going down a dangerous path and he should have somehow pulled him back from that darkness. Narcissa believed that he took too much upon his shoulders, but then she did not understand the depths of the bond between the two men, much like she could not understand the depths of the bond between Lucius and Severus. She had no Ardenvraar of her own.

It had surprised her how Abraxas had insisted and pushed for Theodore to be given to them as soon as possible. She had honestly thought that Abraxas would not be able to stand the idea of Orran's son living under his roof. Abraxas had welcomed the infant into their home by cradling him close and kissing his brow. He had breathed soft promises to the child that Narcissa had not been able to listen to without tears. He promised that Theodore would be loved and sheltered in Malfoy Manor, and that their family would love and nurture him.

Lucius had told her that Abraxas knew that there was nothing he could do for Orran now, but he felt he could ensure that Theodore was raised happy and healthy for Orran's sake. She could well imagine Severus doing the same should the worst happen to Lucius and her. He would take Draco and he would raise him to the best of his abilities. Considering the hidden depths of Severus Snape, she had no doubt that he would excel.

"So this is where you have been hiding?" came the voice of Avice Parkinson.

Narcissa turned to the doorway and her lips curved into a smile of greeting to the unmarried witch. Avice was five years older than her and was officially considered an "Old Maid" by Wizarding High Society since Avice had declared that she would never marry. This declaration had followed soon on the heels of her broken betrothal in which Arthur Weasley eloped with Molly Prewett. Narcissa had no idea if the broken betrothal had truly upset Avice or if the woman had felt relief to not have to marry a man who so clearly loved another woman. There were times that she had longed to ask, but her friendship with Avice was not deep enough for such intimate queries.

"Welcome Avice, and I am hardly hiding," she chided even as she moved toward the blond haired woman with the round face and blue eyes. "And how is Lady Pansy?" she asked gently as she looked upon the baby girl that was staring up at her from Avice's arms. Within another moment Narcissa had plucked Pansy Parkinson, the only child of Caius Parkinson the Lord of House Parkinson, from her aunt's arms and was swaying back and forth with the child.

"Then it is as I feared," Avice said in a teasing tone of voice as she watched Narcissa. "When Draco was born you barely left his side. Lucius finally weened you from watching his every move and now here you are with young Theodore and you are doing the same thing."

A blush suffused Narcissa's cheeks. Avice was correct of course. She was spending a great deal of time watching both Theodore and Draco, though mostly Theodore since she felt he needed her more.

"I did the same with Pansy if it makes you feel any better," Avice admitted.

"It does a little, a very little," she said with a soft smile as she stared at Pansy. "She's beautiful. I am sure she'll be the image of Laurel when she grows."

"I think that she will favor Laurel more than Caius," Avice readily agreed. She looked away toward the crib that contained Theodore before she looked back to Narcissa. "I would speak with you on a matter of some importance. It is a matter that I require your help with."

Narcissa was swift to note the serious tone and the nervousness that lay beneath it and she nodded her consent. "Of course. Let us retire to the Parlor." She then led the way away from the boy's nursery to the sitting parlor just down the hall. She settled onto a sofa with Pansy still in her arms and watched as Avice chose the seat directly across from her.

After a moment's hesitation, Avice began to speak, "Caius is even now in Lucius's study speaking to him about the possibility of a Betrothal between Draco and Pansy. He thinks he can push an advantage because Lucius did not name him as a God-Parent."

Narcissa frowned from where she was idly caressing Pansy's blond curls. "It was a deal he struck with Abraxas. You know how Caius rubs Abraxas the wrong way."

Avice made a sound of agreement and then proceeded, "It is my hope that you will refuse to cooperate with the betrothal of Pansy to Draco."

Narcissa frowned at that. She could actually see great advantage to Draco becoming betrothed to Pansy. The largest such advantage was the assimilation of the Parkinson estates and vaults into the Malfoy family. "Should I feel slighted on behalf of my Draco?" she asked in a deceptively mild tone of voice.

"I would never slight any child of yours," Avice rushed to reassure Narcissa. "It is just that Caius knows he will never marry again. He was deeply in love with Laurel and the idea of any other woman being his wife and Lady Parkinson makes him ill. He will not have it. So Pansy is all there is and if she were to wed Draco then he would be the higher ranked individual. She would lose her birthright."

She had thought this to be what Avice was worrying about, but she had wanted the older witch to tell her plainly. "I see," Narcissa said as she cuddled the little girl close to her. It was a problem. If Pansy were to wed a man of higher worth than herself then she would of course lose the power that she could have if she had wed a man of lesser position instead. "I will refuse to permit the betrothal," she said to Avice causing great relief to flood the other witch's countenance. "Do you have another groom in mind for Pansy?"

Avice shook her head even as she arose to collect Pansy who was now reaching for her and calling out, "Avi, Avi!" She soon had Pansy settled into her arms and the girl snuggled against her. "No, I have tried to come up with names but I am afraid I have paid little attention to such things, what with the Death Eater scourge out there. Now that they are finally being put on trial I feel more confident in thinking of Pansy's future."

"Then perhaps you will hear my advice," Narcissa began, and at Avice's nod she continued, "You were once betrothed to Arthur of the House of Weasley. He is still making recompense to your house for breaking the betrothal, is he not?"

"He is," Avice said not precisely happy with the reminder of how her once betrothed had jilted her for another woman. Even if she and Arthur had not loved one another, it was still incredibly embarrassing.

"He has several sons. His latest was born this year, in March if I am not mistaken," she informed Avice. "Seek out the Weasley's and betroth the youngest boy to Pansy, then absolve the Weasley's of the rest of the payments of recompense," she said. "Also waive the Bride Price that House Weasley would have to pay in favor of a more stringently binding betrothal contract. Say, a contract that would purge the boy of his magic if he were to break the contract and not marry Pansy."

Avice laughed at that, jostling a dozing Pansy slightly. She took a few moments to shush Pansy and get the child to drift back to sleep and then she smiled at Narcissa. "I like the idea. In its way it will help better that boys lot in life. The Weasley's are not a rich family. I hear rumors that Arthur has to work very hard to provide for his children. He receives little help from his father. They have been estranged ever since Arthur eloped with Molly." She frowned at that. "Perhaps if Arthur could be persuaded to agree to this deal it would ease some of the tension between him and his father."

Narcissa watched the woman closely. "You cared a great deal for him didn't you, Avice?" she asked, unable to hold the question back any longer.

She nodded, "Yes," she said. "I cared for him a great deal. I liked him very much and I thought that I would have a good life with him. Arthur is a good man, for all that he left me as he did. I know that it could not have been an easy decision for him to elope with Molly while he was betrothed to me. I think what must have helped him was his great love for Molly and his great belief that he would make me miserable if we were wed."

"It is a good chance to help redeem the status of House Weasley. They are considered traitors by some due to Arthur's actions and also their lack of Pure-blood values," Narcissa declared. That Narcissa was in fact related to the Weasley's through her first cousin, twice removed Cedrella Weasley nee Black, she chose not to reveal to Avice. Besides, if Avice had studied the Genealogies of the Great families then she would already know that Narcissa's cousin, Cedrella, had married into the Weasley family.

"As soon as Caius has been given the set back of not having Draco for a son in law, then I will run the idea of Arthur's youngest son as a potential groom to Pansy," Avice declared with a happy smile.

Narcissa shared the smile and contemplated a future in which the Weasley children were slightly elevated due to the betrothal of one of their own to Pansy Parkinson the future of House Parkinson.


I apologize that this chapter is not as lengthy as some of the others but I wanted to introduce this universe's rendition of Petunia, show a glimpse of Dumbledore's machinations, and tie up the loose end of what would befall young Theodore since his father had attacked the Malfoy's. I also got to introduce Pansy Parkinson and give some back story as to why the Weasley's are considered "Not Good" in this universe, because really it cannot be the same old, same old "They like Muggles" thing. There are other families who are Muggle friendly who just don't get trashed as much as the Weasley's do so I wanted another reason.

Warning: The next three chapters shall deal with the Custody of Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. After that, there shall be a time leap of say five or six years so that we can see our wonderful little Leonis Regulus Black. So please, bear with me for the next three chapters and then we can see young Leonis. Thanks everyone!