Disclaimer: The link to the Parkinson family and Black family was inspired by the 'Perfectly Normal' series by BrilliantLady, starting with 'The Definition of Normal', and the family tree is used with that author's permission.
Petunia's 11th Birthday!
You are invited!
Dear _ Sev _
When: Saturday, September 13th 1969
Where: 10 River Street Cokeworth
Time: 1 pm to 3 pm
Rsvp: 6th September to Mrs Hyacinth Evans 020 7323 8000
Severus looked flabbergasted at the invitation in his hand. During the previous parties, he had noticed the huge similarities between Petunia and himself and she had thawed a little towards him at the twin's party but this was still the one invitation that he never thought he would receive.
On Petunia's 11th birthday Severus arrived early and knocked on the door of the Evans' house at seven in the morning since he wasn't sure when the teacher from Hogwarts was going to arrive.
'Thank goodness you're here' Petunia gushed as she pulled Severus into a quick embrace. 'I've been awake since five o'clock this morning. Hogwarts and magic are real, aren't they? It's not a joke is it?' Severus could practically see the anxious anticipation pouring off Petunia.
Severus placed his hands on her upper arms as he soothed her, 'It'll be alright Petunia. Hogwarts and magic are definitely real.' The worry still shimmered in her clear blue eyes.
Severus gathered Petunia into his arms in a reassuring embrace and was surprised to find they were roughly the same height despite Petunia being a year older.
'You've got loads of magic' Severus reassured
'Who was at the door Princess?' Mr Evans' voice called from the kitchen
Petunia squeaked in surprise and jumped away from him, her cheeks stained red as she blushed in embarrassment
'It's just Severus, Daddy' Petunia called turning and leading him down the corridor towards the kitchen
'Hello Severus dear, good morning. Come and have some breakfast.' Mrs Evans beamed when he walked through the door. Mrs Evans got up from the table, walked over to the bench and started to fill up a plate for him, piling it high with beans, 3 sausages, 2 slices of bacon, a handful of mushrooms that were halved, 2 slices of toast, 2 fried eggs and a small tomato cut in half served with a glass of fresh orange juice.
Severus' eyebrows rose in astonishment at the amount of food that Mrs Evans had gathered for him to eat. As she gestured for him to sit at the table and placed the plate in front of him Severus hoped that Mrs Evans wouldn't be too disappointed when he couldn't finish off the entire thing. Nevertheless, he bent his face over his plate after a quick thanks.
Every single bite was delicious, just as he had expected to find from Mrs Evans' cooking and before he knew it he had cleaned almost the entire plate and his stomach felt like it was going to burst. Wiping his mouth her looked up to find the girls all looking at him anxiously
'Why don't you five go and wait in the sitting room for the Hogwarts teacher.' Mr Evans suggested.
The girls bolted out of the room but Severus felt uncomfortable leaving a mess behind for others to clear up. He had gotten no further than picking up his plate when he heard Mrs Evans say
'No need to worry about your plate dear.'
'I can help' Severus protested
'That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's dull work.' Mrs Evans assured shooing him out of the room.
As Severus joined the girls in the living room he could see the excitement and nervousness bubbling within them like a volatile potion about to boil over
Sensing that it would be futile to try and distract the girls, Severus just sat on the couch with them, feeling the tense energy bubble up within him.
He knew the girls had magic and had seen their magic with his own eyes, but for someone who had experienced one disappointment after another, it was very difficult to expect a happy outcome.
Mr and Mrs Evans walked into the sitting room arm in arm looking like they enjoyed each other's company which was the polar opposite of how his own parents acted, snuggling up on the couch facing Severus and the girls in the sitting room they made small talk while waiting for the teacher to arrive. The ornate clock sitting atop the mantelpiece had just chimed ten o'clock when the doorbell rang.
The girls all bounced to their feet when Mrs Evans waived them all to sit down again
'I'll get the door, goodness knows the poor teacher doesn't need a stampede, I'm sure they get enough of that at school.'
Mrs Evans walked out of the room Severus heard her walk the short distance to the door and open it. A strong feminine voice introduced herself.
``Good afternoon Mrs Evans, I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, I was hoping to talk to your family about your daughter Petunia attending our school.'
'Yes, do come in' Mrs Evans said the door shut and two pairs of feet walked back to the siding room and there next to Mrs Evans stood a tall, black-haired woman in a tartan blazer and a long skirt. She sat primly on the couch with Mr and Mrs Evans, she had a stern face and Severus' first thought was that this was not someone to cross.
'Please have a seat, would you like a cup of tea?' Mr Evans asked
'That would be lovely, milk with one cube of sugar please.'
Mr Evans went about expertly making a cup of tea for Professor McGonagall and despite having large hands he didn't do one bit of damage to the small and delicate-looking tea cups.
'Is there any way we could have this meeting with just you, your husband and your eldest daughter? The information I have to share about the school is quite sensitive,' Professor McGonagall said, eyeing Severus and three of the girls shrewdly.
'Wait, you can't kick us out! You're from Hogwarts aren't you?' Lily burst out not wanting to be kicked out of the room. Professor McGonagall nodded, her brow furrowed in confusion, Severus guessed it had something to do with how the supposedly non-magical children knew about Hogwarts.
'We all have magic! Sev saw us practising and explained everything!' Severus winced when Lily's hand almost smacked him in the face in her exuberance.
Professor McGonagall levelled her eyes upon him.
'Do you mean to say…?' Professor McGonagall said coldly, peering sternly over her glasses at Severus while he tried to make himself a smaller target. '...That you have known about magic for some time? And that Mr …?' Professor McGonagall paused there questionably, Severus swallowed nervously feeling like he had a lump in his throat.
'Snape, Severus Snape. I live just up the road Ma'am. My mother was known as Eileen Prince when she went to Hogwarts.' Severus supplied.
'Yes, of course, I can see the family resemblance now. Eileen Prince was a shy little girl who kept mostly to herself but I do believe she became the president of the Hogwarts Gobstone Club. We have, however, gotten off topic, Mr Snape.
'While I do not approve of you telling muggle-born students about Hogwarts before a teacher has had the chance to, I will not admonish you for your actions considering we have had hundreds of students from all magical families that tell their younger siblings about the school.
'Mr and Mrs Evans since your daughters and Mr Snape have cast the first spell so to speak. I am pleased to inform you that your daughters have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Since Term has already started for this year, Petunia will be starting school next year.' Professor McGonagall explained handing over a yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Ms P. Evans, The Second Bedroom, 10 River Street, Cokeworth
Petunia pulled out the letter and they all huddled around and read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Evans,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress.
'All your supplies can be found in Diagon Alley, which is hidden behind a magical wall at the back of a pub called the Leaky Cauldron which is located at 48 Charing Cross Rd, London. Two weeks before school starts, I stay at the Leaky Cauldron, to act as a guide leading the
Muggle-born students and their parents through Diagon Alley, I prioritise going to Gringotts first, where you can exchange your Muggle money for Knuts, Sickles and Galleons, which is what Wizards and Witches use. There is a list in your letter of all of the equipment you will need for Hogwarts for the next school year.' Professor McGonagall continued
Petunia pulled out the second piece of parchment that they hadn't noticed before and it read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM:
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. Three plain white buttoned shirts
3. Thick knitted V-neck jumper (grey)
4. Three grey trousers (for males) or grey pleated skirts (for females)
5. Three thick white tights (for females) or black socks (for males)
6. Two winter cloaks (black, silver fastenings)
7. One plain pointed hat (black) for daywear
8. One plain tie
9. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
10. Plain black shoes/boots
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags
COURSEBOOKS:
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT:
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set of glass or crystal phials
1 telescope set
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.
'Now do you have any questions that Mr Snape hasn't been able to answer?' Professor McGonagall asked.
'How does the Ministry know when you've done magic?' Tansy asked curiously
'There is a Trace placed on all wands sold from Ollivanders. The Trace detects magical activity around underage witches and wizards, the Improper Use of Magic Office within the Ministry of Magic is alerted to the spell that was used, and to the location of the caster and the time it was cast so the Ministry of Magic knows when underage magic is performed. It breaks automatically upon reaching adulthood at the age of 17. Students are reminded not to use magic over the holidays.' Professor McGonagall explained. 'Mr and Mrs Evans, you don't look very surprised about all of this I have to ask, did Mr Snape tell you about magic as well?'
Severus was about to open his mouth to protest when he was interrupted by Mr Evans,
'Severus didn't need to tell us anything.' Mr Evans said. 'My mother is what you call a squib. Before she married, my mother's name was Marigold Parkinson.'
Severus jolted with surprise and could see Professor McGonagall knew the name. The Parkinson's were part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
Mr Evans continued 'ah I see you recognise the family. My mother doesn't like talking about her family, but the little she has said is that they were furious when she didn't display magic. Things got worse when she didn't receive her Hogwarts letter. Her house-elf Pippi had overheard her parents wanting to hurt her, Pippi was old and frail and used the last of her strength to rescue my mother from her family and take her to an orphanage. Besides the rough start, she has had a very happy life with my father Dudley Evans. It was only after I married Hyacinth that I discovered she had a connection to the magical world.'
Mrs Evans smiled up at her husband and laced her fingers with his.
'My father is Marius Black, another name I'm sure you recognize, and a far more dangerous family to be associated with. He was disowned and thrown out of the Black's ancestral home when his Hogwarts letter didn't arrive, luckily he was found by a policeman. From what he has told me non-magical records had to be made for him because he technically didn't exist in the Muggle world. He married my mother Violet Smith and they decided to start a new family tradition of naming daughters after flowers.' Mrs Evans said
Mr Evans smiled at her and continued once again. 'Both of us decided to continue with the tradition of naming daughters after flowers. I would have had no idea what to name a boy if we had one.'
'Please don't advertise the fact that we have magical relatives, we have no idea what they would do if they found the "stain on their bloodline" as my father was called so eloquently by the rest of his family.' Mrs Evans explained
Professor McGonagall looked shocked at all the information she had received, Severus knew how she felt he certainly had no idea the girls were connected to two of the wizarding world's most powerful families.
'I can see your point about not letting those particular families know about your existence, while a lot of families would be happy to discover new members of their lineage, I do believe the Parkinson's and the Black's would not take kindly to knowing their Squib children have had offspring. You have my word that I will not mention your connection to those two families to anyone, not even Headmaster Dumbledore. Merlin knows that man likes to gossip.' Professor McGonagall reassured.
Professor McGonagall placed her cup and saucer onto the coffee table and pulled out a pocket watch from her jacket, looking at the time
'Oh, dear is that the time? I must be getting back to Hogwarts. I look forward to seeing you next year, Petunia.' Professor McGonagall said with a small smile. Standing up, she shook everyone's hand and let herself out of the house.
Severus looked over at the mantel clock and saw that it was a quarter past eleven. He was surprised at how quickly the time had seemed to disappear, especially since he had been so blindsided by the girl's link to the Wizarding World, this must have been the reason their mother had warned them not to practice magic outside.
We might as well have a little lunch in the kitchen before your party, Petunia. Why don't I make up some toasted cheese sandwiches, While Petunia you can look through the paper and pick out a movie as a special treat for getting into Hogwarts.'
Petunia beamed at her mother, her smile was like a sudden beam of sunlight illuminating the darkest corners of the room.
'Thank you, mother.' Petunia gushed, collecting The Yorkshire Post from where Mr Evans had left it on the table.
Petunia and her sisters ripped through the paper and poured over the advertising section looking for a movie to watch.
Severus knew better than to hope that he would be invited to go along, he knew the Evans' liked him or at least tolerated him for the information he provided but he certainly didn't expect to be allowed to go on a family outing especially if it involved spending money on him.
'I picked a movie mother.' Petunia announced
'Just in time for lunch. There you go dear, careful it's hot.' Mrs Evans warned as she placed a golden-brown sandwich filled with steaming cheese that oozed out of the bread when Severus cut into it. A glass of apple juice was placed beside his plate by Mr Evans.
Wanting to allow his toasted cheese sandwich to cool down to where he could eat it without burning his mouth and not having had apple juice before Severus took a tentative sip of the drink, as the apple juice flowed over his taste buds he felt astonishment at just how good it tasted, he craved another sip.
The melted cheese sandwich was just as delicious. Although by now he really shouldn't have been surprised at how great a cook Mrs Evans was, the girls too looked to be enjoying their lunch, Petunia like him was primly slicing her sandwich into bite-sized pieces, allowing them to cool before consuming them. Lily nibbled on hers as a whole sandwich, taking sips in between her bites to cool down her mouth. Rose cut hers into squares, lined them up next to each other and ate them one square at a time, and Tansy for some reason cut all the crust off hers, then sliced them into triangles and finally ate them from one point of the triangle to the others.
A knock sounded at the door and Severus jerked in surprise, he had a vague thought of wondering if Professor McGonagall had left something in the morning when Lily's excited yell reminded Severus about what else was happening today.
'It's the party guests!'
Petunia's party, in sharp contrast to her sisters', was quite relaxing for Severus. It turned out Severus was the only boy she allowed at her party, and he found that to be a significant improvement, not having to deal with arrogant little male troglodytes.
The first game Petunia played was a board game called Mouse Trap, the aim of the game was that Players travel as mice from one end of the board to the other, moving in turn, guided by a six-sided die. Upon landing on a square, they either retrieve a piece of cheese or assemble a part of the Mousetrap contraption. The contraption had gears, a marble that rolls from one end of the game board to the other end down a miniature staircase, ramps, rubber bands, diving men, and ends of course in a mousetrap, specifically a dome-shaped cage which clatters down a toothed pole.
Petunia's cake looked very elaborate. It was covered in smooth strawberry buttercream, with piped rosettes and stars in a crescent moon shape on top of the cake with candles, fresh sliced strawberries decorated the sides sparsely. It rivalled Lily's as the most intricate cake Severus had ever seen.
'Happy birthday Princess' Mr Evans said as he sat the cake down on the coffee table as everyone sang happy birthday to Petunia. She closed her eyes and blew out all the candles in one go. During the round of applause she received, Mr Evans cut the cake into slices and handed them out for everyone to enjoy while Mrs Evans handed out cups of juice.
Petunia was precise and methodical with the way she unwrapped her presents just like Severus had thought she would be, Petunia's presents consisted of various books, puzzles, colouring books, a calligraphy set and the pink diary Severus had gotten her. From her parents, Petunia received an ornate silver wristwatch.
'We also plan to let you get your ears pierced before you go off to school' Mrs Evans explained as she helped Petunia place the watch on her left wrist.
Petunia's last present from her sisters was another jewellery box that contained a silver bangle with four silver animals attached to it
'The silver sphinx is from me' Lily
'The Unicorn is from me.' Rose added
'I got you the dragon!' Tansy said excitedly. 'And we all got you the Silver Phoenix'
'It's lovely.' Petunia exclaimed as Mrs Evans attached it to her right wrist.
'Attention everyone!' Petunia ordered in a loud carrying voice. `We're going to play Musical chairs. If everyone can help set up chairs in two rows back to back with one chair less than the number of players. Mother, if you can please be in charge of the music we should be able to play a few rounds before everybody's parents arrive.'
With all the kids helping, the game got set up. And the kids stood anxiously waiting for Mrs Evans. The music was turned on, and the players walked around the chairs in a circle. Severus thought that this was fairly repetitive and tiresome, but he still couldn't help feeling competitive when he raced to sit in one of the chairs when Mrs Evans stopped the music. Tansy was declared the winner of musical chairs and for someone so small Severus had no idea before now just how ruthless and cunning she could be.
After a few rounds of musical chairs, the first lot of parents started to arrive, one by one the children were going home and finally Petunia was able to relax and talk about magic once the last non-magical child had left.
As Severus made his way to the door to go home he got the shock of his life.
'Where are you going Sev? We still have the movie to go and see.' Petunia asked
'I didn't realise I was invited to see the movie.'
'Of course, you are dear.' Mrs Evans assured.
Half an hour later, Severus, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Evans' van with the girls, on the way to the movies for the first time in his life.
The Movie was called Rascal:
In the summer of 1918 in the little town of Brailsford Junction in central Wisconsin, Willard North takes his son, Sterling out into the woods, where a lynx surprises a family of raccoons, who run away, leaving a young raccoon behind. Sterling brings the raccoon home and names him Rascal. As Willard has to leave for work, his daughter, Theodora (Theo), lines up interviews for a potential live-in housekeeper before returning to her job in Chicago. Willard agrees to meet with Theo's favourite, Mrs Slatterfield, but dismisses her afterwards, deciding that Sterling can take care of himself.
During the summer Rascal starts causing trouble, including trashing up a local store and digging up a neighbour's corn patch. A local constable threatens to hold Sterling responsible for damages unless he keeps Rascal caged up. On his way home, Sterling takes Rascal to a race between a Stanley Steamer and a sulky. Rascal's presence inspires the sulky's horse, Donnybrook, to win the race, changing the town's opinion of him. Theo returns from Chicago, finding the home in a mess. Enraged, Theo confronts Willard, reminding him that Sterling is his son who needs help. Willard vows to become a better father to Sterling.
Later that night, Rascal hears the mating call of a female raccoon through the window and tries to escape through Theo's room, waking her and everyone else. Following a scuffle where Rascal bites his finger, Sterling realizes it is time to let Rascal go. The next day, Sterling sets out in his homemade canoe and returns Rascal to his old stomping grounds, where he quickly locates a female raccoon. But before Sterling leaves, the lynx returns. As he comes to help, Rascal and his new mate outwit the lynx, sending him tumbling into the water. Sterling leaves, knowing that the two will be able to protect each other.