Warning: Rating has been increased to T because of a potty mouth.
Chapter 8: Mummy
Petunia awkwardly hauled herself off the floor in the sitting room, where she had been playing with Dudley and Harry. The baby was due next week and she was beyond over being pregnant. Although it was her third pregnancy, it was her first where she was caring for other children instead of pampering herself in the final, agonizing weeks. She most assuredly missed the quiet self-care she usually indulged in and wished, not for the first time, that her mother was around to help.
"Come on, boys," she said, a hand on her hip as she attempted to massage out a cramp. Harry was forever the more compliant of the two boys and paused to look up at her from his toys. Dudley continued making vrooooom noises as he sped his toy cars around the carpet.
"Come on, boys, it's snack time!" she tried again, forcing a bit of cheer into her voice. Mentions of food never failed to get the boys going.
This provoked a reaction from Dudley. "Snack time, Mummy? Snack time with pret-zels and yooogurt?"
Harry looked at her hopefully when Dudley made this statement. "Pretzels and carrots?" he inquired with hopeful eyes.
"Yes boys, there will be pretzels, and yogurt, and carrots! Why don't we go into the kitchen?" Both boys scampered past her and into the kitchen. Heaving a sigh, Petunia followed them at a slower pace and doled out the preferred snacks while the boys clamored into their chairs.
"Thank you, Mummy", Dudley proclaimed.
"Thank you, Mummy," Harry mumbled around a mouth full of pretzel.
"You're welcome, you're welcome," Petunia said wearily, slumping down into another chair at the table. She glanced at the clock – three hours till Vernon came home and she had gotten nothing accomplished during the day except making the house more unkempt.
Suddenly her head snapped up. "What did you say, Harry?"
"Thank you?" Harry said timidly, a carrot stick halfway to his lips.
"Oh, I thought…" Petunia trailed off. Now was not the time to interrogate the boy. "Nevermind, sweetie. How are your carrots?"
"They're yummy, Mummy!" Harry exclaimed.
"So are my pretzels, Mummy!" Dudley joined in.
"Harry," Petunia said softly. "I'm not your mummy. I'm your auntie."
Harry shook his head. "But you have to be my mummy. You live with me and give me kisses. Just like Dudley, and you're his mummy."
Tears filled Petunia's eyes. "Oh, Harry," she said. "I'm not your mummy. Your mummy died, protecting you from an evil, evil man."
"So now you're my mummy?" Harry asked hopefully.
"No, darling, I'm your auntie. I'm your mother's big sister."
"Oh," Harry said nodding seriously. "Just like Dudley is my big brother."
Petunia buried her face in her hands. This was going to be a long conversation apparently.
"Hello!" Vernon called out as he came in the front door.
"Hello," called out Petunia as she struggled to her feet again. Merlin, she needed to start playing with the boys from the sofa.
Vernon hurried over to help haul Petunia to her feet. "Are you alright, Pet?"
"Yes, just huge," she grumbled, rubbing a pain out of her lower back. "Cottage pie for dinner, should be ready in…" she paused to check her charm that was on dinner. "Oh, erm, about 7 minutes."
Vernon smiled softly at her. "I'll go get the boys cleaned up for dinner, then. You sit down till dinner's ready."
"Thanks," she sighed.
"Come on, boys!" Vernon said, as Harry and Dudley tackled his knees. "Let's… ooof! Let's get cleaned up for cottage pie!"
"Alright, Daddy," Harry said while Dudley proclaimed, "No! Play trucks, Daddy!"
Vernon spluttered for a moment, before bellowing out, "PET!"
"Which one do you want tonight, Pet?" Vernon asked as the boys jostled elbows at the sink while they brushed their teeth.
"I'll take Dudders," she sighed, reverting back to his baby name. "But we need to have a talk with Harry once they're tucked in."
Vernon nodded seriously.
Dudley chose that moment to pop off his stool in the bathroom and flash a toothy grin at his parents. "Wonderful job, Dudley! Come on, prayers and a kiss!"
Dudley obediently trotted off to his room, while Petunia lumbered behind him. She snuggled his quilts around him, then brushed a tear off her cheek to hear his little voice reciting the Lords prayer. With a last sniff, she placed a kiss on his forehead and charmed his nightlight to the dimmest setting, before softly shutting the door.
Petunia softly walked into Harry's room just as Harry and Vernon finished reciting the Lords prayer. "Now Harry," Vernon began gently. "I'm not your daddy. You visit your daddy at St. Mungos, remember?"
Harry frowned. "Well, yeah," he said. "But he doesn't live with me and give me kisses like you do."
A sob caught in Petunia's throat. "Harry," Petunia started in a tremulous voice, "Vernon and I… we're your uncle and auntie. Not your mommy and daddy. Your mommy and daddy lost everything keeping you safe and now we take care of you because they can't. But we're not your parents."
Tears glistened in Harry's eyes. "You won't keep me safe?" he choked out.
"Of course we will!" Vernon said in a ragged voice, as he hugged Harry tightly. "We will always keep you safe. Never doubt that!"
"Then why won't you be my mommy and daddy!" Harry cried, clinging to Vernon.
Petunia looked over at Vernon, sobs caught in her throat. "We'll discuss this tomorrow, alright, Harry? We love you dearly… now sleep tight."
Vernon murmured his good nights to Harry, before gently disentangling himself from Harry's grip and crept out to the hallway with Petunia.
"We need to tell James," he said bleakly.
"Petunia! Vernon!" James called out brightly from the end of the ward. "Positively smashing to see you! Where are the boys?"
"Hullo, James," Petunia called out as she waddled down to meet James and give him a hug. "We're here to discuss Harry, actually, so the boys are staying with Alice."
"Is everything alright?" James asked, looking startled. "Did he scare your cat off permanently?"
"Let's just sit down," Petunia suggested, as Vernon cried out, "But we don't even have a cat!" Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a packet of tea. "I brought English Breakfast if you're alright with that."
"Anything beats the damned value brand the kitchen stocks," James grumbled. "But surely you didn't come out here to drink tea."
Petunia sat down at the rickety little table in James' cubical and began preparing a pot of tea.
"Petunia… you're worrying me. I don't like this," James said with an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.
"Your bloody son called me daddy!" Vernon burst out.
James looked incredibly sad and hurt. "I… I suppose that's not unexpected," he said as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm a bloody awful father, aren't I? I can't…" he stopped, swallowing hard. "I can't even take care of my own son, can I now?"
Petunia leaned forward and caught James in a tight hug. "Don't you ever say that, James. You saved his life. There is… there is nothing worse than knowing you failed your child so fundamentally," she added on, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
"Fuck… Alice… I forgot, I'm so sorry, Petunia." James looked crushed, but the tears stopped running down his cheeks.
"Now, now, Pet, it's alright," Vernon crooned, placing an arm protectively around her shoulders.
James took a deep, shuddering breath. "I think… I think I'm alright with him calling you his parents," he admitted, wiping a tear from his eye. "I hate the situation we're in… and I expect him to keep calling me Daddy… but you two have done a marvelous job stepping in where Lils and I couldn't."
"We will never try to replace you and Lily," Petunia whispered fiercely.
"Don't you see?" James sobbed. "You already have. You had little choice in the matter… and you're bringing Harry up to be a fine boy, which is all I can ask. I imagine… I imagine Harry calling you his mum and dad will make him feel less of an outcast, which I can't deny him."
The trio finished up their tea in a somber silence.
"I'll bring the boys by tomorrow," Petunia promised James as she embraced him in a tight hug.
"It will be the highlight of my day," James said solemnly.
Author's Note:
OK, OK, I'm sorry for leaving anyone hanging for so long! Quite a lot has happened since I started this story - I started a serious relationship mid-way through my last round of updates, got a new, better job, and then proceeded to get married. I currently have two little munchkins under the age of three, and while I love them dearly, they don't leave me much time to do anything else. I've also had to confront my health issues head on and recently was forced to go part time because I'm too disabled to handle kids, working full time, and my numerous health issues at this point. Because of all this, I can't promise regular updates... I'm sorry! But please know that I have never forgotten this story and will probably have sporadic updates when I get the change to write.
Many thanks to anyone who has actually stuck with this story for *gulp* 5 years.
