As Petunia sits down in an armchair in the living room, Ceeley hands her a cup of tea.
Ceeley, Petunia decided, was a godsend. Especially now that she'd worked out how to glamour her features to appear like a Human Dwarf, and she was able to read a little. Without her the last few months would have pushed her to breaking point. As it was she'd still had so much to do.
The floo technicians wouldn't fit the new Floo because there was nowhere suitable hidden from muggle eyes to place it. So she'd needed to pay someone 15G to inscribe the runes needed to expand the pantry cupboard, she paid them another 10G to also do the same with Harry room, Her room, and the room that she was going to rent out. So what if the neighbours had started complaining about the TV signal being staticky since then, she now had private space to practice.
She then paid for a work-witch to come in and set up the new spaces so that the entry rooms opened up into a room that looked identical to the old rooms dimensions, which necessitated pulling out the original building plans because she hadn't decided to expand those rooms until the Wizard had asked if there was anything else she'd like expanded as she'd already paid for him to come out here. A Fitted wardrobe in each room lead to the door to the rest of the suite, the door in question had a magical lock that require the input of magic to open, which had cost her another 8G from the rune wizard, as he charged extra because she didn't have a floo and it was a muggle area.
Then the Floo people came back and fitted the downstairs floo, and when they found out that she was opening a B&B talked her into adding a Sub-Floo that was linked to the main Floo and could be controlled from the main floo to allow for incoming and/or outgoing calls, and incoming and/or outgoing floo visits. Then then upsold her to a second floo address that could be made public, and made a chime when called, which would cost 1G/month taken out of her business account.
So, then she had to go to the Ministry and register her B&B as a wizarding business in a muggle area. Which then lead to opening a business account at Gringotts and buying an appointment book. Incidentally, she was immediately booked out for then next 2 years by the goblins.
While that was going on she was also getting a handle on her duties as Harry's magical guardian. To which the first thing she found out was that the house Harry was born in had been turned into a National Monument, and that his previous Magical Guardian had had two years to contest it before they took control and cast preservation charms on it. Which then led her to a wild goose chase to locate their personal effects, which she's going to need to collect in a couple of days' time after the received the receipt for paying the 15G fee they demanded for 10 years worth of storage.
Between that she'd been learning how to control her magic, how to hold her magic in a quiescent state. How to teleport, she was now the proud owner of an apparition licence, oh how much time that saved. Though she wasn't going to tell the examiner that she didn't feel a squeezing sensation when she did it. It was also interesting to find out that the goblins couldn't apparate, it was something to do with the way their brains worked that prevented them doing the specific visualisation needed.
Throughout all of this Ceeley did all the cooking and cleaning without complaint, she also did the shopping, and found time to spend with Karen at the library. She'd even managed to buy a new TV and Video/DVD player, which she got delivered. They remained unplugged unless someone was actively using them. Surprisingly, after Karen had recommended that Ceeley watch children's TV like sesame street, it was Ceeley and a gaggle of elflings and young elves and one matriarch with the curtains closed. She wasn't entirely sure how that one had come about, but there we are.
That reminds her, she needs pick up Dudley tomorrow, and now she had the car insured she could drive there.
She summons a notepad and pen and makes a note, before going back to her tea and thinking.
After making the note and thinks back to the fun first visit she'd had with Arthur Weasley when he came around to start giving her lessons on the wizarding world.
Petunia heard the doorbell go, and dried off her hands before going to the door. When she opened it there was no one there, sticking her head out to look around she saw a multicoloured bum sticking up from the other side of the car.
"Hello. Can I help you?"
A man wearing a suit with Bermuda shorts stood up from the other side of the car.
"Good afternoon, I'm Arthur Weasley. Minister Fudge asked me to pop round to bring you up to date on the wizarding world and how to navigate it."
Oh, god, and he came dressed like that? "Well you better come in before you catch a death of cold."
"Why thank you."
"That's a lovely car you've got there. I've got a ford Anglia myself, and I've done a bit of work on it.
"Did you know that it's legal to get certain enchantments put on them as long as you register it as Wizard owned? Things like comfort, minor expansion, and fuel charms."
"Oh, your TV has a new moulded plug that they are trying to introduce, I haven't seen many of those around yet. How do you keep the TV working in a magical house? Oh wait it can't be that magical as we're in a non-magical neighbourhood.
"Is this a microwave, I've always wondered why they're called microwaves, as"
"Can you just stop!"
"Oh sorry, I got carried away."
"Look, if you really want to know about these things I can introduce you to Karen, she works at the library, I can lead you there after we do whatever you're here to do."
"Oh, that would be great."
"Sure, though you'll need to change your clothes."
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Petunia just sighs, "Ceeley."
Ceeley walks in, "Yes Mistress Aunty."
"Would you be able to take some money from the purse and buy a seasonal fashion magazine that has Mens fashion in it please?"
"Yes Mistress." She walks out to the kitchen and there's a quiet pop as she leaves.
"Was your house-elf wearing clothes?"
"Yes, it's necessary to maintain the statute of secrecy, as she passes as a child or a dwarf if someone sees her accidently."
"That's ingenious, how did you persuade her to accept them?"
"We're getting off topic again. Why exactly are you here?"
"I've been asked to give you a rundown of the wizarding world, important customs, and laws that you need to be aware of."
"OK and you couldn't have called ahead why?"
"You're not on the floo?"
"I'll show you how to use a telephone before we go out, and while we're out I'll show you how to use a payphone. If you need to go to a muggle residence in future you should use one to call ahead."
She did arrange to have the car enchanted with comfort and fuel runes, as she figured they'd be discrete enough to pass an MOT.
She sat back again and continued to reflect on the things she'd done. Floo check, Apparition licence check, B&B check, Potter family property check, meditation check. Oh Karen's coming over for dinner.
She gets up to cook dinner for the first time in a while.
"Mistress should not be cooking, it's Ceeley's job"
"My job" Petunia corrects absently as she summons some carrots from the pantry.
"My job. Mistress should still not be cooking."
"Ceeley, I like to cook, it's something that helps me relax. We've had this conversation before. You are most welcome to help me if you want, I'm making a shepherds pie so that we can just stick it in the oven when we want dinner."
"Yes Mistress, I'll do the meat."
"Ceeley, would you like to come with me to get Dudley tomorrow, I'm taking the car?"
"Ceeley would like to do that."
"I would like to do that."
"I would like to do that."
"Thank you, I'd like you to look after Nixie while we're travelling then, so that she doesn't accidently distract me on the way down."
They settled into cooking together, although Ceeley still managed to do the lions share of the work.
Once Karen arrived they got chatting and caught up on the day. They then moved into the living room and put on the TV to something mindless to pass the time.
It was at around half eight when Petunia's world tipped on it's side again.
"I want to try meditating through The Dream again, and if I can maybe hold a bit of a conversation. Would you mind staying and keeping an eye on me?"
"Sure, as long as I can borrow a bed."
Petunia laughs, "Sure, if nothing else Cee can conjure you one for the night."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
"Think nothing of it, with how often you've been round here over the last few months you might as well move in" Petunia joked.
"Only if you're serious about that."
"Well, it's nice to have you around at night, as it helps me not dwell on that. But what about your flat, and won't it cause problems with your boyfriend?"
"I rent the flat, so it would only take a couple of weeks notice. And I don't have a boyfriend."
"Why not, a lovely girl like you, I can't believe that you're not beating them off."
Karen looks uncomfortable as if she's expecting something bad to happen "I don't have a boyfriend because I'm a Lesbian."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a while as Petunia processed that.
"You know, I think I'm supposed to be uncomfortable or disgusted or something by that, but at the moment it's not the most surprising thing that I've found out in the last 6 months. Merlin, my nephew is also my niece, and I've got magic. Hell I still don't understand how you can bear to be friends with me."
"That's because you're a lovely woman, the fact that you're stunning is just the icing on the cake."
"I'm, I'm flattered that you think so, but at the moment I'm still healing, so even if this is something I wanted, I'm not ready for any relationships yet."
"I'm not friends with you to get into your pants, I like who you are."
Petunia gestures to all the photo's on the wall, "But I'm a terrible person, look at those photo's, there's not one that has Harry in them, and even now I've still not got any pictures of him? Her? Them. I've not got any pictures of them. I could have got a camera while we were at Diagon, or at Halloween, and got a few pictures. But I didn't."
"Before Halloween, what do you think would have happened if you did get a camera? I'll tell you what, your Ex would have taken it from you and then beaten you for even thinking about having photos of them. And Halloween? Christ woman, if you weren't magical you'd have been in hospital for months, and in physical therapy for months after that.
"Do you know what I see? I see a strong woman who turned bitter because of the circumstances she had been forced into. Never in that time did she give up and stop trying to protect one of her wards. As soon as the opportunity arose she bounced right out and tried to get as much freedom as she could. She put her own life at risk to try and pull her ward out of a dangerous situation and was rewarded for that with the ability to use magic. Yes, she still has doubts, but that's because she's still healing, and will probably still be healing for years to come.
"You're beautiful, kind, loving, hard working, intelligent, and my friend."
Every point that Karen made felt like a hammer blow to Petunia, as she was absolutely certain she was talking about someone else. It felt like something broke under those blows and she just broke down crying. She felt Karen kneel down in front of her and draw her into a hug and she clung on for dear life as she cried, cried for the life that she'd lost, cried for the things she'd been done, and cried because she didn't think she deserved the things that Karen had said about her.
Karen just held her until she was cried out, and softly called for Ceeley and asked for a damp cloth and a glass of water, and then do food.
It was around halfway through the dream, and Karen was sitting cross legged opposite Petunia in her suite of rooms. Petunia opened her eyes and looked Karen in they eyes before she clearly but softly said "When would you like to move in?"
"Tonight?" she whispered back, almost afraid that she imagined it.
"OK, ask Ceeley to help you get your stuff in the morning and we can work out where you'll sleep once I get back with Dudley. Make that ask Ceeley to help in the afternoon, or when you get home from work as she's coming with me. Of course home is now here. I'll leave you my key when I go."