Chapter Thirty Five: "Friends."
Mum picked us all up outside the Leaky Cauldron and took us back home.
"Lily? Petunia has to come home for the last few days of the holiday! Can you clear out her room?" Mum called up the stairs after me.
I rolled my eyes and turned to my friends. "Please will you help me?" I made my eyes large and watery.
"Yeah." Belle shrugged.
"We get to see Petty's room?" Cassie asked dubiously.
"Yep. In all it's frilly pink entirety. How wonderful." I sighed.
James had slept in the guest room, whilst Sirius had slept in Petunia's room. It was surprisingly tidy. I opened the curtains, plumped up the pillows, straightened a few things and turned to head back out.
We took Sirius' stuff to the guest room and put it with James'. Standing on tip-toe, I reached down the spare bedding. We made Sirius and Remus makeshift beds on the floor in the guest room and made Cassie and Bella beds in my room.
My room. How can I describe it?
Well, the walls are forest green, with woodland-dwelling beings painted everywhere. I painted unicorns and fairies on the walls myself, with Mum's help.
"This is even more beautiful than I remember!" Belle gasped.
"Yeah, I added more fairies and a unicorn foal by my bed." I replied, flopping down on said bed.
"Have you worked on our painting?" Cassie asked suddenly.
"Oh, yeah. Come see." I led them to the guest bedroom and pulled the white sheet off the easel I was painting on that morning. It was a picture very much like my room, with trees and a waterfall, spilling down into a pool. There in the pool stood a fox, a unicorn and a black cat. Me, Cassie and Bella.
We were Animagus. Illegal of course. That was what made it exciting.
I heard the front door open and slam shut.
"Mother! I'm home!" Petunia's shrill voice echoed through the small house. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed.
All three of us looked at each other and ran down the stairs.
"What's wrong Petty?" I asked, my voice full of worry. Even if she didn't like me, I still loved her. She was my sister after all.
"Strangers… couch… our TV… were watching…" She gasped. I led her into the kitchen and sat her on a chair, handing her a glass of water.
"Calm down dear." Mum swept in calmly.
I stalked into the living room and glared at the boys. "What did you do?" I asked, my voice dangerously low.
"Nothing." Remus replied sincerely.
Just then, Petunia appeared in the doorway. "Why do I have to deal with six freaks? One is bad enough!" Then she caught sight of me. "You and you're freakish friends! You're an outcast Lily! I hate you and I don't want you as my sister! Do you know how embarrassing it is, having a freak in the family? I had to tell my friends that you're in boarding school in Switzerland!" She shrieked.
I took a step back, my mouth hanging open. She hated me!
Calmly, I walked past her into the kitchen. "Takes a freak to know a freak, Petty." I emphasized her pet name. "That's what you are. Incredibly, uncomprehendably petty. You're just jealous. Ever since Lydia got her Hogwarts letter. Your own best friend was a witch and you're not. Does it hurt you to know that you'll never see her again? It hurts me to know that my sister, my own flesh and blood hates my guts. If you hate me forever, I'll still love you. You're my sister Petunia. Nothing can change that. Although, sometimes I wish I could." I snarled. Mum stood next to me, her eyes wide.
"Petunia! Lily!" She gasped.
"Yes Mum?" I asked.
Bella and Cassie stalked past Petunia, throwing her dirty looks. They joined me at my side. The boys got up and stood next to me and my friends.
"Mum!" Petunia wailed suddenly. "You love me, don't you? You can't possibly love her!" Petunia spat that last word as if it were poison. "She's a dirty little freak!"
Mum raised her eyebrows. "Petunia, you are grounded till next summer for those hurtful words. No going out, especially not with Vernon. No phone calls and no having friends over. You'll see them at school. If I find out you've disobeyed me, I'll ground your ass for so long, you won't remember what Vernon looks like!" Mum's voice had risen throughout this speech.
"Mum, shall I start the tea?" I asked calmly.
"Yes Lily. Put the salad leaves out. Get the chicken breasts out of the fridge and put them under the grill. How about white wine and garlic sauce?" Mum smiled wearily. Then I realised how tired she looked. She moved towards the stove, but I caught her arm.
"Sit down. I'll do the tea. You put your feet up and have a rest." I patted her shoulder and kissed her cheek.
She smiled again and went into the lounge and sat in Dad's favourite chair. When Dad died of cancer, Mum didn't allow us to sit in that chair for three months. After Dad passed on, we had to move from our large house and grounds in the country and come to live here. We had to sell all Dad's horses and most of our stuff. We only kept one horse. Sorrow, the only horse Dad hadn't managed to break in. Last summer, I had broken him in and we sold him for £15,000 exactly. He went on to win the Royal Ascot with his female jockey, Kelli Danberg.
I pulled the bottle of white wine from the wine rack and poured it into a pan. Then in went cream, to thicken it, and 2 cloves of garlic. The chicken went under the grill and the leaves were arranged nicely on the plates by Belle and Cassie.
"Tea's ready!" I called loudly. The three boys bounded to their seats and sat expectantly.
Mum came next, lowering herself into the chair at the head of the table. The Belle and Cassie went in, then me, balancing eight plates in my hands and on my arms.
"Petunia!" I hollered.
"What do you want, freak?" She yelled back.
"I'll leave your dinner on the side, shall I?"
"No. She's going to eat it with the family." Mum cut in.
Petunia flounced down the stairs, huffing as she came. She flopped down at the opposite end of the table and glared at her plate. "I don't like salad." She said stiffly.
"You'll eat what you're given." Mum replied sharply.
"I don't want it." She pushed her plate away. Inwardly, I was strangling her. Outwardly, I smiled.
"Fine. There's a tin of spaghetti in the cupboard. Go eat that." My sugary sweet voice never failed to aggravate her.
"No Lily. Your sister will eat her salad. You spent your time on that and she will eat it." Mum said forcefully.
"I don't want it. You can't make me eat it!" Petunia cried shrilly.
I had had enough. I picked up the plate, took off the chicken and poured the leaves and sauce over Petunia's head. "She won't eat it, fine. She'll wear it." I grinned triumphantly. "Anyone for more chicken? Petty didn't touch it."
Sirius waved his empty plate under my nose and I placed the chicken on it. "Enjoy." I smiled warmly.
We all burst out laughing. Even Mum had a smile quirking at the corners of her lips.
Petunia flounced out of the room, still wearing her salad leaf hat.
"Lily dear, if you want, I'll take you all to the station on the 1st. I'm going into London to do some shopping. You want a new pair of jeans? You can use your old ones for painting." Mum smiled warmly.
"Yes please Mum." I smiled back. My mum, the absolute best person in the whole world.
Later, after our eventful meal, James caught my arm before I headed upstairs.
"Listen, Lily, I know you don't want to go out with me and everything, but do you think we could be friends?"
"Yes, I think I can handle that."
"Friends?" He held out his hand.
"Friends." I beamed, shaking his hand.
~~~***~~~
I want to say thank you to the following people:
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Hello()
You are all awesome!!!!!!!
And if I spelt anyone's name wrong, I deeply apologise.
And I would like to say this to yes():
Why did you review my story if you thought it sucked? As I recall, you reviewed after the 18th chapter, so you must have read up to there. I'm all for constructive criticism, but that was just wrong. If you can't be bothered to write your own story, don't go dissing someone else's! And another thing, you are the one who sucks!
Sorry, had to get that out of my system.
Lots of Love and Hugs and Kisses for next chapter,
M
xxx