Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. Someone brought to my attention an error I made in a previous chapter where I've had the locket of Slytherin destroyed twice. We're just going to say the first locket was a different locket horcrux which was destroyed and that now the true locket has also been destroyed. I didn't mean to do that twice. Please read and review love Hermione xxx
Margaret was nervous as she made her way to Covent Gardens. She was trembling inside. She was a witch and could handle it for sure. She would be fine and she knew it. She would order a simple coffee and a salad or something. She hoped her mother was up to explaining where in the hell she'd been all her life. She entered the building and looked around for the aforementioned coffee shop smiling when she found it. She entered and looked around not seeing anyone who looked like her and grabbed a quiet table. Not two seconds later Petunia came in wearing sunglasses and an angled hat and looked around to be sure she had not seen anyone she knew before removing her so called disguise. It didn't hide her very well but she couldn't risk being seen by someone she knew because then she'd have to explain what she was doing there and she seriously didn't want to have to do that.
Margaret saw her and gasped aloud. It truly was like looking in the mirror and did freak her out. Her salad and coffee order had just been taken as Petunia came over and sat down in front of her not looking at her directly first. Then in a few moments after she'd ordered herself she turned and looked at Margaret tears in her eyes. They didn't fall but they were there none the less. Margaret went first surprising her greatly.
"Finding out that someone knows your real true birth mother is an amazing feat however finding out that this person is none other then Harry Potter and that you are indeed related to him is an honour beyond measure. You may not indeed realise this but in our world he is a hero of epic proportions. He explained to me that you would explain where you have been my whole life and I am rather interested to hear this tale myself. Why were you never there? Why was I not good enough?" she asked now tears in her eyes too.
"Margaret it is a long and complicated story but it is one I will share with you. When I met your real father he was lying to me about his true identity which we now know as Regulus Black. He was pretending to be a muggle to escape from the dark lord whoever that is. I knew him as Brian McGee. He told me that anything we did together would be good and that I would never get into trouble for anything but he lied. I was sixteen and he was twenty one. We went to the party and did it because everyone was and again he had said thins would be fine but they weren't!" she said seriously. At this point their orders arrived and they began to eat.
"Please continue Petunia!" Margaret said listening intently to all her mum was saying.
"When I fell pregnant with you he abandoned me here in my world and went off to your world. When my dad found out he asked me to get rid of you or he'd disown me. I didn't want to do that and mum convinced him to let me go away to visit an aunt up the country for a few months and he agreed. You were born in the convent of Saint Joseph's. I was only ever allowed to name you and requested that they keep the name Margaret Regulus for you. I was told in no uncertain terms that you would be taken from me by the nuns whether I liked it or not after which I could return home to a normal life if I wanted to. I was devastated when they took you away from me without my consent. I wanted to keep you but I couldn't. It was like suffering through a death knowing you'd never see your child again. I always felt like such a failure my whole life. Lily Harry's mother and my sister was told I had an emergency surgery she couldn't know about as a cover up from my father. He was so disgusted with me and to top that off I then lost you. My heart broke that day and never fully healed. I later went on to marry my current husband Vernon and we have a wonderful son Dudley who is thirteen years old. Please tell me about yourself!" she asked as Margaret watched her in awe.
If she'd expected Petunia to tell her anything this was not it. "When you got older you never looked for me and I am so hurt by that you can't imagine it. I understand you had no choice but to give me up now but the fact that you never looked for me tears me apart inside. I wanted you so much. I had so much love to give you. I am nineteen years old and I currently run our Sports and Recreation Department in the Ministry. It is a taxing job but I love it and would not change it for anything. I am currently engaged to be married to my long term boyfriend Sam Dendani. We've been together since we were fifteen. I now have my own home that I rent to buy in our world" she said finishing as Petunia noticed the elaborate ring on her finger. How had she not noticed it before now. Maybe she'd just been so stressed out she hadn't seen it.
"I am delighted beyond measure to hear of your life. I hope this Sam Dendani is a good man and treats you well. I tried to look for you but always with no success so eventually I gave up. To be honest it never occurred to me that you'd be in Lily's world and when it did she had died and we'd been lumbered with Harry Potter to care for. You know Albus Dumbledore left him in our care whether we could afford him or not. We could not afford to keep him but he lived with us none the less. I do not like saying this but I am lucky he was with us as he found you something even I could not accomplish. Oh my beautiful girl I am incredibly sorry!" she said sobbing into her napkin as Margaret looked around in shock.
"For goodness sake we are not alone now pull yourself together before someone sees you and embarrasses me you damn fool!" she snapped at Petunia in much the same way she had snapped at Harry in the past. It was heinous coming from your own daughter and part of her wanted to slap her silly but part of her knew that would be wrong and so she simply sniffled quietly or as quietly as one can until she got herself together once more. When she was at last able to stem her tears she looked up to see that Margaret too was crying but making no noises and doing so into her tissue in such a delicate manner that you'd have only known she was crying by looking directly at her. Eventually the time to pay the bill came and Petunia got both of the meals stating it was the least that she could do.
"Petunia I am sorry that happened to and I am very sorry you could not have been in my life. Here are my contact details to write to me. Harry gave me your address so I can come by one night for dinner if you might like. You would be welcomed at my house too. I am seriously displeased you were not in my life but I can see you had no control over it either. I am very messed up now but trust me I will get over this for sure. Goodbye Petunia!" she said leaning in and hugging the shocked Petunia had not expected such affection from her daughter.
"Thank you Margaret. I have always loved you no matter what happened to me and indeed you. You will always be welcomed to my home with open arms. I understand if it takes you a while to get there but once you are comfortable enough to come and see me then you may do so. I'll always care deeply for you. Goodbye for now sweetheart!" she said as Margaret gave her a sad smile and rounded the corner before aparating away to her apartment where she told Sam all about it. He was most supportive of her and even though he'd been a Ravenclaw and she a Slytherin their relationship worked so very well. He had always supported her in her quest to find her mother and father. She had learned who her father was and indeed that he was dead and felt such extreme loathing towards him. He wasn't even here for her scream at. He'd abandoned her too. It did take two to tango as it were and her mother had not gotten pregnant on her. Unfortunately asking people about Regulus Black and the sort of man he was had not been a good thing as she'd discovered he'd been a death eater who had turned good in the end of his life but only because he'd realised Voldemort was a fake imposter who wasn't a pureblood.
When Harry had mentioned her that day in court she couldn't believe her luck. Her mother was her double but did look well worn by the years. She'd been through a lot that much was true and hearing her tale of how as a sixteen year old she'd been let down by everyone she trusted was very hard indeed. She'd been sixteen once herself and knew how fragile people of this age could be. She was more understanding of her mother even if she seriously disliked the woman right now. This would change eventually and she knew that. She merely needed her own space. As she lay in Sam's embrace with him stroking her hair as she fell asleep she at least felt whole again. The woman hadn't been a complete Umbridge like she'd feared. For now all was good.