No I haven't forgotten this fic! And here is the long-awaited eighth chapter ^^
Thank you all very much for the reviews, I'm always happy to know people share my love of the Severus/Petunia pairing. I hope you will continue reading and not despair over the long waits in-between chapters!
She was nervous. It wasn't fearful stress but rather a type of happy nervousness. The kind that made you walk incessantly around, an added spring in your step, as if using as much energy as you could would make time flow faster. Petunia was nervously excited. Yes, that's what it was. Excitement that made her tremble and wish two o' clock would come more quickly. Usually she greeted the idea of a day out with friends with a dull interest. A day out in Diagon Alley usually made her irritable and short-tempered. But today she was not going with her family to Diagon Alley and the friend she was going with was different from any other. Severus Snape brought out a side of her that no one else ever saw. She rather liked it.
At last two o' clock came and she found herself standing next to the dark haired boy in a dark street.
"We're going by bus." he had told her a few minutes before making sure there was no one around.
He stuck his hand in the air in a way someone would hail a taxi. Except there were no taxis around. In fact there was nothing around, not even a stray cat.
Petunia's thoughts were soon contradicted by the arrival of a three decker bus who came to an abrupt halt in front of them, its tyres screeching atrociously.
"The Knight bus." muttered Severus for her benefit.
She followed him cautiously up the steps and waited while Severus suffered through the conductor's speech. Once Severus had concluded the conversation by telling the man their destination rather snappishly, the two teenagers went to sit. Following Severus' instructions, Petunia grabbed her seat as the bus lurched forward. She soon understood why. The bus was driving at top speed, swerving at corners making her stomach flip uncomfortably. She stopped looking out of the windows as soon as she understood that they were taking routes that were not meant for buses of any kind. She preferred not to know how they did it.
She met Severus' concerned look and gave him a small smile in reassurance but it promptly left her lips as the bus swerved once more.
She was glad when the bus came to a sudden halt and the conductor announced they were in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Whatever that was. She lost no time in getting out of the bus and inhale a lungful of fresh air as her feet touched the ground.
Severus lifted an eyebrow at her. His way of asking her how she felt? She gave him a smile to show she was fine and they entered the Leaky Cauldron, which happened to be a pub. It was only when she stepped inside that Petunia remembered the place. She had come through the pub before with her parents and Lily. They had a sort of gateway in the backyard which opened in Diagon Alley. Sure enough, Severus led her straight to the back door and into the tiny courtyard. He took out his wand and tapped a series of brick before stepping back.
Under the girl's amazed eyes the bricks started rearranging themselves to create an archway, opening on a busy wizarding street: Diagon Alley.
"The bank is this way." said Severus jerking his chin towards a tall building in the distance.
She felt his tension and placed her hand on his arm briefly, with a reassuring nod of her head. He gave her a grateful look which conveyed everything he would rather die than say aloud and they were off. Petunia had worried a little that she would stand out in the crowd of wizards and witches but no one looked her way and if they did they didn't appear surprised. She supposed it wasn't uncommon for Muggle-borns like Lily to come here. They probably thought she was one too.
It didn't take them long to reach the impressive wizarding bank, Gringotts. As soon as they entered, Petunia inched closer to the dark haired boy. She didn't consider herself racist, and with a witch for a sister she had to expand the number of…beings she had to consider normal, but the goblins unsettled her. It wasn't just because they were ugly. They were. But it was their calculating gazes which really bothered her. It felt like all their beady eyes had turned to her and Severus when they stepped in and wouldn't leave them. Of course, she knew it was stupid. There were many other people in the bank and there was no way all the goblins would have taken a sudden interest in two children, but she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
They walked up to a counter and Severus addressed the goblin sitting there.
"I would like to know about my mother's vault and will." stated the boy firmly, though underneath all the sharpness and pomp, Petunia knew the boy was nervous.
He was just very good at hiding it.
"Key please." said the goblin with a voice that sounded like a chair screeching against the floor.
Severus handed him a small golden key and the goblin examined it.
"Ah, yes." it said. "Severus Snape, son of Eileen Prince."
Severus nodded curtly.
"Very well, follow me please."
The little creature jumped from its high stool and led them to the side. They went through some corridors before entering a small room with a desk. They sat around it and the goblin took out a roll of parchment and a pair of binoculars which he placed on his nose.
"It states here that all of your mother's vaults are to be passed on to you." announced the goblin. "The main vault will only be available to you when you come of age but another vault was set up in order to take care of your expenses until you reach that age."
Followed a long list of conditions, numbers and items which Petunia promptly tuned out. She glanced at Severus and felt warmth spread inside her. Things were going to be fine. She was sure of it.