Chapter 4
Sibling Rivalry
The three of them moved slowly towards the ruins. Hermione shot a furtive glance at Harry. She couldn't quite decipher the look on his face, but he was very pale. Suddenly, he tripped over something. Ron and Hermione both grabbed him before he fell. Harry picked up a large, lion shaped doorknocker, tarnished and burnt. There was a moment of silence at they stared at it.
"Er…" Ron cleared his throat. "So, what exactly are we looking for?"
"I dunno…" Harry said slowly. "A clue or something…"
They waded into the rubble and began to look. It didn't look like anyone had ever bothered to go through the despair, Harry soon uncovered a frame of what looked like a crib, burnt and actually bloodstained. It gave Hermione the chills as they all looked at it in silent wonder; they all knew it must have been the crib Harry had been laying in that night…
Hermione uncovered a broken picture frame, the picture inside it burnt almost to ash and completely unrecognizable. Several bits of fabric were found, even one that looked like it had snitches embroidered on it. Ron found what might have once been a book. They also found an almost fully intact cauldron, a journal unfortunately too burnt to read. Blood and hair was all spilt among the debris.
Hermione went over to an area none of them had checked yet and began shifting stuff. She saw something glint in the sun and reached for it. Her finger closed around something cool and metal. She pulled on it and the ground collapsed under her and she fell.
Screaming, she landed on the hard ground and rolled over.
"HERMIONE!" she heard both Harry and Ron cry out. Footsteps pounded above her and she saw both their faces peer down at her.
"Are you okay?" Ron gasped.
"I think so," Hermione said, stumbling up and rubbing her aching arm. She looked around. "It looks like a secret passage."
Harry and Ron jumped down, landing on their feet beside her.
Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered "Lumos!"
The room lit up. It was a cavernous hole with earthy walls. Before them lay a dark passage.
"Come on," Harry muttered.
They followed him down the passageway into a large gleaming room, full of cabinets and papers.
"What is this place?" Ron said in a wondering voice.
"I think Hermione's right. It's a secret passage…this must be where my parents kept…I dunno…important stuff."
Their footsteps echoed eerily in the room as they walked though it. Harry pulled some papers from a shelf. He flipped through it.
"Looks like it's written in code…" Harry said.
"Hey, I see your name," Ron said, examining a parchment.
"Where?" Harry looked over Ron's shoulder.
"Here…it's in code too though…Lily…. something something…. Harry…. something something…Voldemort…. some-why are you looking at me like that?" Ron snapped, seeing Harry and Hermione staring at him.
"It's just…that's the first time I've ever heard you say Voldemort," Hermione said.
"What-Blimey, I did!" Ron said looking surprised. "I was just reading and it…."
"Daily Prophet clippings," Harry said suddenly, pulling open a drawer.
"What about?" Hermione said.
"Just about Voldemort and stuff," Harry said rifling through it. He shoved the drawer back in place and looked around again. "We should just take all the papers out of here. That way, we can look over them on our way."
"Good idea," Hermione agreed, grabbing a stack of papers and stuffing them in her bag.
The three of them went around, snatching up as many papers as they could carry. It was Ron who found the Pensieve.
"Bloody hell!" he yelped jumping back to reveal a silver white glow coming from a giant bowl.
"No way," Harry said, his eyes going wide.
"Oh my gosh!" Hermione cried.
They all knelt around the Pensieve, staring down at the pure white liquid wind flowing inside it.
"Er…do either of you know what happens to…the memories inside the Pensieve when the people…die…" Harry said.
"They stay in the same state of suspended animation they were in previously," Hermione answered.
Harry drew out his wand and looked at Ron and Hermione, who nodded. Harry prodded the contents of the Pensieve and they swirled dramatically to reveal a house, pristine with red shutters standing tall on a sunny summers day.
Harry looked at Ron, who said, "We'll never know until we try," and Hermione, who after some thought, nodded reluctantly.
So they both grabbed one of Harry's arms and Harry plunged his head into the Pensieve.
Hermione was falling through darkness, then she landed hard on a sidewalk feet first. She stumbled dangerously, but Ron caught her.
"Where are we?" Harry muttered looking around. They looked to be on a normal street on a sunny day. Suddenly the door to the house in front of them opened and a girl who looked to be around seventeen, wearing a faded tie dyed T-shirt, pink shorts and a flower in her dark red hair, strode out the door. Hermione looked into the girl's eyes and gasped, they were the same shade of creepily bright green as Harry's.
"I'm not doing it," she called back through the door.
"But I really want to," someone's voice whined from inside the house.
"No. I am not going to let you make my sisters collection of stuffed animals come alive," the girl reprimanded, though her eyes were laughing.
"You take all the fun out of life," said a boy who sauntered through the door behind her. Hermione stared in wonder at the boy, who was almost like a mirror image of Harry, only slightly taller, with a longer nose, no scar and brown eyes.
"But seriously, this place is dead," Harry's dad exclaimed. "It needs some fun."
"Don't insult my hometown, James Potter," Lily said warningly. "Just because you get bored whenever you're not planning some stupid prank doesn't mean I don't enjoy a little quiet."
"If Sirius were here-" James began, but Lily cut him off.
"Thank God Sirius isn't here. Hanging 'round both of you idiots would send Petunia into a cardiac arrest."
"What is it with her anyway?" James said, flopping down on the grass.
"Nothing! She's just…well; she's a bit scared of magic. And…I don't know, Mum and Dad always pay more attention to me and…she tries so hard to please them."
Lily sighed and sat down next to James. "We get along sometimes. When we were little, we were always together…I'd get us on these wacky adventures and she'd always get mixed up in it…but after Hogwarts…things changed."
"I'm glad I'm a only child," James said, tearing up grass.
"I'm not. Maybe if you had a sibling you wouldn't be such a spoiled vain little-Hi Petunia," Lily craned her neck around as a horsy, gangly looking girl opened the door. She wore a pleated skirt and cardigan, though it was hot out and had frazzled wispy blonde hair.
"You're being loud," Petunia pointed out, reminding Hermione irresistibly of Percy. "I can't concentrate."
"Don't you ever stop studying?" James grumbled.
"Don't you ever stop being an idiot?" Petunia snapped. Lily snorted as James scowled.
"You've already gotten into a University, why are you studying?" Lily asked.
"To prepare," Petunia said primly. "I don't want to be behind when I start. Where are you two going anyway, now that you've graduated from Hogwash-"
"Hogwarts," James corrected.
"Whatever."
"We're thinking about being Aurors," Lily told her.
"What's an Auror?"
"They catch Dark Wizards. And there's a big one on the loose right now, they call him Voldemort-"
James raised his eyes skyward but otherwise did not react to the name being uttered.
"And he's gaining a lot of power, so they need all the Aurors they can get."
"And you think you can help?" Petunia said skeptically.
"Lily's really good," James snapped.
"And James got all O's in his NEWT's, as he is constantly reminding me," Lily sighed.
"I can't help being a genius."
"NEWT's are Wizarding Exams," Lily told Petunia who looked confused.
"Oh. Well, I don't see the appeal in that career, but it sounds like something you would do, Lily," Petunia said cuttingly. Then she paused for a second. "How powerful I is /I this Voldemort?"
"It's nothing to worry about-" Lily began but James cut in saying, "We'll be lucky if he doesn't kill us all. He's all kinds of people on his side, plus the Dementors and-"
"What are Dementors?" Petunia asked.
"They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban," James said.
"Voldemort won't affect you, Petunia. It'll be fine," Lily assured her.
"Kids! Dinnertime!" a voice rang out from inside the house. The kids jumped and looked upward at the sky. So did Harry, Ron and Hermione. Unbeknownst to them, while they were talking the sky had faded into the foggy pink of twilight.
"Time flies when you're chatting with Muggles," James yawned.
"You sound like Snape," Lily reprimanded him as they got up.
"I do not! Take that back."
Hermione could see Harry's face darken with anger at the mention of Snape, but they followed the memories into the house.
The three teenagers approached a magnificently set dinner table at which a man and woman awaited. The man was skeletally thin, with dark brown hair, while the woman had wispy blonde hair similar to Petunia's.
"We have roast turkey here, and for dessert we made peanut butter ice cream, Lily, honey, your favorite."
"Er, thanks mum, but Petunia's allergic to peanuts, remember?" Lily said gently.
"Oh…that's right…I forgot…" the woman said, glancing at Petunia. "Well, is it okay for you to skip dessert, Petunia dear?"
Petunia nodded, looking crestfallen.
"Well, dig in!" the father said jovially.
The Evans and James began to eat and the mother asked Lily, "So, tell me what your NEWT scores were again, dear?"
"Mum, I've already told you five times."
"Eight O's and four E's," James answered with his mouth full. "She wa' 'he bes', sides me, Sirius and 'emus."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Potter," Lily said, nudging James playfully.
"Well, we're all very proud of you, Lily dear," Mrs. Evans said warmly. "You're a very talented witch."
"Er…speaking of which, Mum, Dad," Petunia cleared her throat. "I-I got an acceptance letter back from the university a couple of days ago."
There was a silence where her parents stared at her.
"What University?" Her father said in a confused way.
"The…The Branberry University for Young Women. I got a full scholarship. It's…very prestigious…." Petunia trailed off. "Surely, you remember…it's all I've been talking about for the past year…."
"No sorry," Mrs. Evans shook her head.
"Well, that's nice dear," Mr. Evans said indulgently. "Lily, do you want more turkey?"
"D-don't you even care?" Petunia seemed on the verge of tears.
"Perhaps some diced carrots?" Mr. Evans was still talking to Lily.
"DON'T YOU EVEN CARE?" Petunia screamed, jumping up.
"Petunia, what on earth-?" Mrs. Evans gasped.
"What job do I want?" Petunia asked her mother, breathing heavily.
"A maid?"
"WHAT?"
"You're so good at cleaning…"
"I want to be a doctor, mother! How many times have I said that? HOW MANY TIMES? Who's my boyfriend?"
"You have a boyfriend?"
"VERNON DURSLEY! HE'S BEEN OVER HERE TWICE! YOU IGNORED HIM BOTH TIMES!"
"Vernon DURSLEY is your boyfriend? That arsehole?" Lily said in disgust.
"Shut up, Lily!"
"Petunia, that wasn't nice! Apologize to your sister!"
"YOUR SISTER YOUR SISTER YOUR SISTER! THAT'S ALL I EVER HEAR! WHY CAN'T YOU BE MORE LIKE YOUR SISTER! THAT'S ALL I HEAR! PERFECT LILY! SHE'S A FREAK! WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE TO SEE THAT?"
"Petunia Evans! You apologize to you sister and her friend and march right up to your room and stay there for the rest of the night!" snapped Mrs. Evans.
"No," Petunia said.
"What?"
"NO! I'M LEAVING AND I'M NEVER LISTENING TO YOU AGAIN! GOODBYE!"
And with that, Petunia turned on her heel and stormed up the steps. Lily jumped up and ran after her, and James cried "Lily" and bounded up the stairs too. The three of them followed.
They found Petunia throwing clothes into a suitcase and dialing in a telephone at the same time.
"Vernon?" she cried, propping the phone on her shoulder. "Get over here! Now! Stop stammering like that, you idiot, just drive!"
She threw the phone down, threw several dresses in the suitcase and forced it closed.
"What are you doing?" Lily cried.
"I'm leaving with Vernon," Petunia snarled, pushing past Lily and trundling down the stairs.
"You can't just leave!"
"Why not? I doubt anyone will notice the difference."
She stormed past her parents out the front door, Lily and James hurrying after her.
"Look, if you want to leave, you can come stay with us, we've got a room at the Leaky Cauldron all set up, but don't go off with Dursley, you could get-"
"Don't you get it, Lily?" Petunia shrieked, spinning on her heel. "I want to GET AWAY from you! I'm tired of all this magic and freak stuff! I'm tired of you and your scruffy boyfriend and perfect Lily! Vernon loves me, Vernon is sane, Vernon is NORMAL!"
"Dursley? Normal? Ha, if being clinically insane and close-minded in normal, I guess you're right!" Lily snapped.
Petunia slapped Lily. Hard across the face. The sound echoed into the night and Hermione heard Harry and Ron gasp beside her.
"OY!" James said angrily, starting towards Petunia, but Lily had already pulled out her wand.
"Go ahead, curse me, you freak!" Petunia taunted, tears streaming madly down her face.
"I was only trying to help!" Lily screamed, her face screwed up in anger.
"I don't want your help!"
"Stop calling me a freak!"
"YOU ARE A FREAK! AND SO IS YOUR GODDAMN MORON BOYFRIEND!"
"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT JAMES!"
"YOU INSULTED VERNON!
A car pulled up and a young man with slicked up black hair, wearing a suit, stepped out.
"Vernon!" Petunia cried. She hugged him.
"You're making a mistake!" Lily cried.
"Is this your freaky sister?" Vernon snorted. "Why is she waving a bloody stick arou-ARRRGH!" Vernon shot through the air and down, bouncing on the sidewalk as sparks showered out of Lily's wand. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT ARE YOU, SOME KIND OF WITCH? STOP!"
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Petunia threw herself at her sister, scratching and kicking. James stepped forward to help, but Lily cried "Get out of it Potter!" and Petunia was blasted in the air with a flash of yellow light. She landed on the sidewalk, scrambled up, grabbed Vernon by the arm and screamed "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! I HATE YOU!"
"THE FEELING IS MUTUAL!" Lily screamed back.
With that, Petunia shoved Vernon into the car and said, "You know what? I'm NOT going to be a doctor. I only did it for them, anyway. Maybe I will be a maid."
And she slammed the car door and they sped away, leaving Lily and James standing there.
"Lily…" James said weakly.
"We're leaving," Lily said shortly and she stalked into the house, leaving a very confused James in her wake.
"There are secrets everywhere. I think everyone's parents have secrets. You just have to know where to look for them."-Quigley Quagmire, The Slippery Slope, a Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket