On Sunday, April 26th, 2020, at 1 P.M. Hogwarts time, James, Albus, Devon and Lily headed to the Room of Requirement to begin reading their books on the history of the relationship between the Potters and the Dursleys.
The four of them set out for the seventh floor and walked past the wall three times all thinking to themselves, "We need a place to read without being disturbed."
The door to the Room of Requirement appeared. Lily pulled the handle and held the door for James, Albus, and Devon before entering the Room of Requirement herself. As Lily shut the door behind her, they heard that distinct locking sound that meant that they were guaranteed not to be disturbed.
A long white sofa had appeared in the middle of the Room of requirement and James, Albus, Devon, and Lily all sat down on it and made themselves comfortable.
All four of them opened their books to chapter one. This chapter was titled The estrangement of Lily and Petunia Evans.
The text read: Petunia and Lily Evans were sisters born to Thomas and Rebecca Evans. The girls got on fairly well as young children with Lily often calling her sister by the affectionate nickname of Tuney. On Lily's eleventh birthday, the bond between the Evans sisters began to break. Lily, who had shown occasional signs of being a witch since she was five despite coming from a muggle family, received her Hogwarts letter on her eleventh birthday as is typical for Hogwarts invitees. Petunia was very jealous of Lily's magical ability and craved to be magical herself. In fact, Petunia so wanted to be magical that she personally wrote to the headmaster of the time, Professor Dumbledore, and practically begged him to allow her to come to Hogwarts. Though Dumbledore was kindly when he wrote back to Petunia explaining that witches were born and not made, this absolute conformation that she could never be a witch greatly intensified Petunia's jealousy of Lily. Meanwhile, Thomas and Rebecca got very excited when they learned that Lily had been accepted to Hogwarts. Thomas and Rebecca had both expressed great pride in Lily when she got her Hogwarts letter and were thrilled when they saw her off at King's Cross. When Lily would show off her magic when she came home for summers, Thomas and Rebecca became more and more proud of her while Petunia's jealousy eventually turned to resentment and bitterness. Lily was broken hearted over the estrangement with Petunia and to her dying day the loss of a quality relationship with "Tuney" was her greatest lament. The worst sting of all had been when Petunia had not come to Lily's wedding. The very last attempt at correspondence Lily had with Petunia had been to send Petunia a birth announcement telling of Harry's birth, but Petunia had thrown this away after a glance of contempt, by this time having developed a furious hatred of magic. The last "correspondence" Petunia made with Lily had been to send Lily an extremely u*** vase as a Christmas present the Christmas before Lily's tragic death, a gift Lily knew was meant to express disdain for her. Ultimately, and sadly, Petunia's jealousy ruined what had been a good relationship between sisters. While it is not uncommon for muggle children to be jealous of their magical siblings, these feelings rarely lead to falling outs. The estrangement of Lily and Petunia Evans is a sad chapter in the history of Potter-Dursley relations.
After completing the first chapter, James, Albus, Lily and Devon all closed their books.
James, Albus, Devon, and Lily all looked at each other. Devon had silent tears coming down cheeks. All four of them knew these readings were not going to be easy. This was precisely why they had been postponed twice.
"Devon, are you okay?" asked Lily gently.
"It's h-hard," said Devon emotionally, "To learn about the reasons for Petunia's estrangement from her sister Lily. Although I didn't know that the Potters and the Dursleys are related until I learned so from the Room of Requirement last September, I had always known that dad and Petunia had not treated Harry very well when he had lived with them. However, in the case of Petunia, I had always believed that the reason that Petunia was not fond of Harry and had not treated him well was either that she resented having someone who was not family live in her house or that she treated Harry poorly to stay in the good graces of her husband and protect her marriage as Vernon clearly hated Harry."
"The idea that your Grandma Petunia became estranged from her own sister because she was jealous of her sister is really hard for you to take in, isn't it, Devon?" asked James sympathetically.
"That's exactly it," acknowledged Devon, looking down at his feet, "The idea of a jealous Petunia who would allow this jealousy to ruin her relationship with her own sister isn't at all consistent with the Petunia I grew up knowing as Grandma Petunia."
Lily patted Devon on the back in a comforting way and Devon explained further.
"When I was growing up," said Devon matter of factly, "Grandma Petunia was the one who planned all my birthday parties and was always the one to bake my birthday cakes, Grandma Petunia would often come over to my house and read me stories at bedtime and sing me lullabies when I was in preschool and kindergarten. Up until I started at Hogwarts, if I was ever home sick in bed, Grandma Petunia would always come over and stay by my bedside, even at great inconvenience to herself. Most of all, Grandma Petunia was the person who loved me most. I got more hugs and kisses from Grandma Petunia than from anyone else growing up and Grandma Petunia told me she loved me much more often than I heard it from anyone else. She always seemed so genuine too. And to learn that Petunia ruined her own relationship with her own sister because of jealousy issues is really hard to fathom. And it's much harder to take in. "
After this explanation, Devon started sobbing uncontrollably and fell to the floor.
James, Albus, and Lily gave Devon his space and left him alone to let him cry for ten minutes. They knew that Devon needed to be able to release this emotion before they could continue.
Finally, Devon picked himself up off the floor and faced James, Albus, and Lily. James, Albus, and Lily each took a turn giving Devon a big hug. This made Devon feel better and Lily placed her arm around Devon's back.
"Devon," said Lily in a gentle and supportive voice, "I know this is difficult. One of the most difficult things that a person will have to face in his or her life is discovering that someone who he or she loved and/or looked up to is far more flawed than they would have ever guessed and it can be very hard to face the reality that someone you loved so dearly is more flawed than you ever thought before. Reality can really slap people in the face sometimes."
Devon's black eyes looked into Lily's brown eyes. He could tell that Lily understood how he was feeling.
"Devon," said Lily seriously, "Look, being flawed does not make the love your Grandma Petunia had for you any less real or any less genuine. A person can be a very complex and many layered thing. I suppose learning this about your Grandma Petunia after she has died probably makes it that much harder."
"There's a certain degree of truth to that but learning about Grandma Petunia's jealous formative years was going to very hard on me in any case. It's a very unpleasant bombshell I've just had dropped on me." answered Devon heavily.
"Devon, I know it's a very emotional thing that you've just had to take in," said James supportively, "But Petunia does not bare all the blame for her estrangement with Lily. Some of the blame lies with our great grandparents. Thomas and Rebecca exaggerated the problem by favoring Lily over Petunia. Seeing as Petunia was already naturally jealous of Lily's magical abilities, Thomas and Rebecca made Petunia feel inadequate with the way they favored Lily and that further magnified Petunia's jealousy."
"James is right about that," agreed Albus, "Thomas and Rebecca could have and should have shown more love for Petunia. I do think it a good thing that they were proud of Lily and expressed this to her. By the same token, they really should have told Petunia that she was their daughter too and that they loved her just as much."
"Furthermore," added James, "They should have encouraged Petunia to try to find her own special talent, her own niche that she could be proud of. For Lily it was magic. Petunia might have been able to find a talent or niche of her own that was unique to her, thereby eliminating or at least reducing her jealousy of Lily's magical ability, if Thomas and Rebecca would have done more to encourage her and been more supportive of her as opposed to favoring Lily."
"That's true," said Devon slowly, "Thomas and Rebecca didn't help Petunia's relationship with or attitude towards her sister with the favoritism they showed Lily. I suppose Petunia could have been the bigger person and been happy for and proud of Lily. But if we try to see things at that time from Petunia's POV, her feelings do become more understandable."
"She was human, just like all people," said James matter of factly.
"Lily Evans was the only person in that household not at fault for her estrangement from Petunia," said Devon weakly.
"Actually," said Lily, getting the words out with difficulty, "Even Lily bares a part of the responsibility for the Lily-Petunia estrangement."
"How?" asked Devon.
"First of all," said Lily clearly, "Lily soaked up Thomas's and Rebecca's favoritism of her. No, she does not seem to have asked for it, but she does seem to have gloried in it and embraced it. Lily could have talked to Thomas and Rebecca about the favoritism they had showed her and how Petunia was getting shunned. She could have explained that she appreciated how proud they were of her, but that Petunia needed love and support too. She also had bouts of showing off her magic, even in front of Petunia. Lily knew that Petunia was jealous of her magic. She could have shelved the displays of magic in front of Petunia. She also could have talked to Petunia and herself encouraged her to try to find a talent of her own. She could have told Petunia that she understood that Petunia was jealous of her magical ability, but that Petunia could find her own niche. She should have encouraged Petunia to find such a niche. And she should have helped Petunia see her own worthiness."
"But," said Devon in a confused voice, "Lily was away at Hogwarts for most of the year during their middle school/high school years. How was she supposed to have done that?"
"That's just the thing though," said Lily, "When Lily did come home for summer, she really should at the very least have held off on the showing off of her magic. By lapping up Thomas's and Rebecca's attention towards her, Lily only further fueled Petunia's jealousy. Instead of showing off her magic and lapping up Thomas's and Rebecca's attention, Lily should have sat down with Petunia and acknowledged that she understood that Petunia was jealous of her magic but also tried to show her that she with was worthy in her own way. Lily should have encouraged Petunia to try to find her own niche, her own talent she could have called her own. Lily also should have talked to Thomas and Rebecca and encouraged them to show just as much love for Petunia as they did for her."
"It is true that you can understand how Petunia might have felt if you look at it from her POV. But it's sad that Petunia allowed her jealousy to fester into such resentment and bitterness that her relationship with her sister was ruined." said James quietly.
"Lily might be right, maybe if Lily would have shown more support for Petunia and encouraged Thomas and Rebecca to do the same maybe this jealousy wouldn't have festered into resentment and bitterness. But Petunia does still bear the brunt of the blame. She should have been a bigger person than she was." said Albus uncomfortably
"That's the thing that's so difficult for me to come to terms with," said Devon sadly, "The loving Grandma Petunia I knew never seemed the type who would let jealousy over someone having abilities she didn't fester into resentment and bitterness. And to learn that Petunia became so resentful and bitter over her jealousy of her sister that the sisters fell out is a hard thing to wrap my head around."
"Sometimes part of growing up is having to learn that there is or was more than meets the eye to people who we love," said Lily gently, "And the more one loves or looks up to a person, that more heartbreaking these revelations are. But remember that Lily and Petunia were eleven when they fell out. Had they been older and more mature when Lily went off to Hogwarts..."
"I never fooled myself that Petunia was perfect," said Devon honestly, "But I would have thought based on my experiences with Petunia that she would have had enough love for her own sister to be able to stay on good terms with her even if some jealousy did exist."
"Being flawed is part of being human," said Albus, "We've all got both light and dark inside us. I know it has given you a heavy heart to learn about the more unsavory side of your Grandma Petunia. But my advice to you is to keep the memories of the good times you had with Grandma Petunia close to you. Remember her light side. And remember that what we've talked about how it isn't all on Petunia. Thomas, Rebecca, and Lily also share some of the responsibility for the estrangement of Lily and Petunia Evans."
"Devon?" asked Lily quietly, "How did Petunia react when she learned you are a wizard?"
"Much the same way as dad," said Devon matter of factly, "Grandpa Vernon disowned me when I started showing signs of magic. He said that I was a "freak" and that I was a disgrace to the family name. He also disowned dad and Petunia when they made it clear they were going to stand by me no matter what. Just as dad said I would always be his son and that he would always love me no matter what, so too Petunia said I would always be her grandson and the she would always love me no matter what. In fact, like dad, Petunia was actually very proud of me when I got my Hogwarts letter"
"That shows that Petunia changed and matured, "said Lily firmly. "Eleven year old Petunia was jealous of Lily's magical talents and it led to an estrangement with Lily. But an older Petunia was proud of having a grandson who had abilities she hadn't had. People can change over time. Don't let these revelations tarnish your memory of your loving grandmother."
There was quiet for about ten minutes after this before Devon spoke again.
"You're right, Lily," said Devon slowly, "People can become better people as they grow older. And I'm lucky to have had Grandma Petunia in my life. Even as devastating as her death was, at least she was a part of my life, you three never knew your paternal grandmother at all because Lily died when Harry was only a year old."
"But we can never forget," said Lily, pointing between herself, James, and Albus, "That it is because of Lily that we even exist at all. If it hadn't been for Lily's sacrifice, then dad dies at one year old and James, Albus and I never exist because there is no one to father us without Lily's sacrifice. That's why dad gave me her name."
"As unpleasant as this reading was, I'm glad we did it," said Devon wisely, "I feel as though we ought to know the truth no matter how heavy or unpleasant it may be. But I do also come back to the idea that the Potters and the Dursleys were never supposed to be enemies. Lily and Petunia being sisters made the Potters and the Dursleys related after they each married into the respective families."
"But the Potters and the Dursleys are no longer enemies, said Lily clearly, "Not only am I and James very tight knit with you, but I can honestly say that Dudley treated us very well when we at your house over New Year's."
"He really dud," said James with a smile, "Learning about the past of the Potter-Dursley relationship is something we should do. But should also remember that that past doesn't dictate today."
Still, an aura of uncomfortableness was still in the room.
Suddenly, James found that he had to sneeze. At that nanosecond, James turned to Lily and sneezed in her face on purpose. This caused all four of them to burst into fits of laughter and the tension was broken.
Just before James, Albus, Devon, and Lily left the Room of Requirement, Devon turned to James, Albus, and Lily and said sincerely, "I'd like to thank all three of you for how supportive you all were of me today, not only with your respect and support, but even more so for your patience. I especially appreciate you giving me my space and letting me cry without interfering when I needed to. And your support means everything to me. It will be easier for me to cope with these revelations because of how supportive you three have been."
"We're in this together," said James, Albus, and Lily clearly.
Lily did feel that they should do these readings as she believed in knowing as much truth as possible. But she also knew it was better that they did it together. Devon had clearly needed the support today.
Later that night, Lily fell asleep thinking those exact words: We're in this together.