2 November 2 1981
"God morning Vernon, Petunia, Dudley… Oh, who is this little one?"
Jennie smiled as she stopped looked at the little boy in the bay seat. He had a little black hair and green eyes and a funnily shaped scar on his forehead.
"God morning. This my nephew, Harry, my sister sent him," answered the blonde woman shortly, and Jennie saw that she looked tired and unhappy and she hadn't seen Petunia looking like that before.
"Is everything alright?" she dared to ask.
"My sister is… she… car crash," mumbled Petunia and Vernon patted her arm.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry… Is there anything I can do to help?"
Although she didn't particularly like the family, Jennie had been brought up with the knowledge that you always paid people respect if they weren't completely dangerous for you.
"Thank you… I don't know… We have to see the doctor now, Dudley is ill and Harry has been out all night, I found him on the doorstep this morning."
"You didn't?!"
"Yes I did… I might not like my sister, but I don't want her son to be ill, not when she can't take care of him… Well, we have to go, thank you and see you around."
"Petunia, if there's anything I can do, please tell me," Jennie said softly and – acting on pure impulse – gave the other blonde woman a quick hug.
Petunia nodded, Vernon gruffed and then the Durlsey family and little Harry left in the car.
"Who is so stupid that they leave a baby outside?!" snapped Jennie as she made her way back to her car and left for work.
####
It was dark when she returned home and she was tired from running around and getting things for everyone in the office; being an errand girl had its downsides and it made your feet ache.
"Jennie?"
"Fuck!"
Petunia was standing by her door, looking like she had waited for her. Jennie rolled her eyes at her jittery nerves and smiled.
"Hi. Do you like hot chocolate?"
"So you haven't spoken to her for years? Gosh it must make it harder… Don't take me wrong, but would you like something stronger than chocolate? I have a pretty fine whiskey that my dad gave me for my birthday," Jennie said one and a half hour later when she and Petunia sat on the couch, Petunia red eyed and crying, and Jennie feeling helpless and sad.
"Yes please… But not much, I don't mix well with strong alcohol," sniffled the short haired blonde and blew her nose.
Jennie got up, fetched a bottle with amber liquid and two small glasses, and poured a small amount in each.
"I really am sorry Petunia… I don't know what to say to make you feel better," she confessed as she handed her neighbor her glass.
"It's alright; it's nice to talk to someone. Vernon doesn't… I mean we don't… I can't talk to him," Petunia mumbled and looked ashamed.
"Hey it's okay, sometimes you need a girlfriend 'cause your man isn't enough," Jennie said and threw back her glass, emptying it.
"Oh fuck its strong!" she muttered and felt her cheeks growing hot.
"I'll refrain from doing that then," said Petunia with a little smile – the first for the evening – and Jennie felt happy to the smile even though it was brief.
"Can you keep secrets Jennie?" asked Petunia after a few silent minutes.
"Yes."
"My sister isn't – wasn't – normal. She could do things… She was a witch."
Jennie looked at her neighbor for a while and then she slapped her forehead.
"Hell, that's why she wasn't around much, right? She went off to that school… Ah I can't remember the name… I have a cousin who went there…"
"Hogwarts, and yes that's why she wasn't around much," Petunia replied looking a little relieved.
"Huh, strange world… More whiskey?"
"Ah, no thanks…"
"You don't mind if I have another?"
"No of course not, this is your home."
Jennie poured herself a new small amount of amber liquid, but didn't drain it.
"Doesn't this mean that Harry is magical, that he's a wizard?"
"Yes. But I got this letter which told me not to tell him anything until the time is right, which I think will be when he's around ten or eleven, but how will I tell him after lying to him? And how will I be able to look at my sister's son every day and knowing that she is gone?" Petunia rambled, close to tears once more.
"Petunia… I think that if you are to follow what the letter said, it might be good to not let him ask questions, it'll make it easier for the both of you, or you can ignore the letter and tell him when he asks," said Jennie slowly while thinking about other possible options and finding none.
"But either way I'll hurt him!"
"You could give him to someone else if you don't think it'll work."
"Oh but I can't! The man who wrote the letter is a very powerful wizard and he has placed a safety… charm I think… on our house since I'm related to Harry by blood; he'll be safe from evil as long as he stays here…"
"Evil? Petunia, you said your sister… Oh, clever cover story!" Jennie muttered as she realized the plot.
"I know, it was the wizard's idea…"
"I don't give much for him; wizard or not, who the fuck leaves a child outside a whole night?!"
"Harry had to be found by me…" mumbled Petunia and rubbed her hands over her face in frustration.
Jennie felt a tingle of something… Something important, but when she tried to remember it melted away and she glared at the whiskey as if it was the drinks fault.
"I should go… Thank you Jennie, I think I feel a little better."
"Anytime, should you need a minute free, just call and I'll help if I can," Jennie said softly as they made their way to the door.
"Thank you."
Petunia hugged her, smiled sadly and the she was gone.
"Well fuck!" exclaimed Jennie as she locked the door, returned to the couch and sat down, swirled the whiskey in the glass and drained it.