Chapter Seven
Molly offered to watch the boys again after the service, but I declined. Not only because both boys were tired and grouchy, but because I needed them with me. We all went back to my parents' house, those of us who'd been staying there, and we sort of fell into a sleepy pile on all of the sofas. The boys, the older ones, of course, levitated them all so they were next to each other, then a bit of magical manipulation made it possible for us all to collapse together into a bit of a puppy heap. Lottie blindly summoned all the blankets in the house, followed by all the pillows, and Nic may have been in the way of the first ones arriving. He was knocked over by the first heavy quilt, making Harry and Dudley laugh for the first time that day. Which made the rest of us smile, as well.
We spent the rest of the day on the couch, dozing and playing with the boys and just generally enjoying one another's company. Stories were shared, and tears were shed, but some of those tears were happy ones. And it just felt so nice to be with my closest friends, who loved me and were there for me when I needed them most.
Even dinner was eaten on the sofas, though I wasn't sure just how the others had convinced me on that. The boys, the little ones, dropped off shortly after we ate, and it was with great reluctance that I agreed to put them back in their beds. Or rather, agreed to let Nic and Danae put them in their beds. But only because they promised to bring firewhiskey back with them, and I didn't want to drink around the boys.
Tina and Lottie found some wine, though I had no idea where, and Sirius brought over glasses for all of us. And we just talked about those we had lost, Lily and James, but also Marly and Max, and Gid and Fab. We even talked about my mum and dad, and Remus's mum's illness, and Tina's dad leaving her mum. Nic let slip that his father and brother had been killed by Aurors, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. Lottie hadn't heard from her parents since they'd moved to America, and she didn't even know for sure that they had made it. Some of the Aurors had told Sirius that his little brother had been killed, though no one really knew how it had happened. But through it all, we were there for each other, supporting and loving and reminding one another that we weren't alone.
…
I woke the next morning to giggling, far louder than what I was used to hearing from the boys. My eyes rebelled at the idea of opening, but I finally managed it. Only to see a tangle of arms, legs, and bedhead all around me. It took far too long to remember falling asleep on the couches with everyone else.
Giggling broke through my sleepy (and slightly hungover) state. "Shh, you'll wake Pet," Tina whispered, very loudly.
"Too late," I moaned, forcing myself to sit up. I may have accidentally shoved my hand into Sirius's stomach, but he only let out a snort and rolled over.
Once upright, I saw Lottie, Tina, and Danae standing at the edge of the sofas, wearing identical expressions of triumphant success, with a smidge of guilty discomfort. "What did you do?" I demanded. That look couldn't possibly mean anything good.
"We stole your car back," Tina sang, holding up my car keys with a grin.
"I'm not sober enough for this conversation," I sighed, after staring at them for too long.
"We got sobering potions, too!" Lottie added with a giggle.
"How long have you been gone?" I asked them. My jaw may have been hanging open by that point.
"Better question, what time is it now?" Remus asked, from somewhere around my knees. He didn't sound any more capable of dealing with them than I felt.
"Nine-thirty," Danae answered. She must have seen the stricken look on my face because she quickly added, "Nic is looking after the boys. He said he wanted time with his nephews."
A faint mewling sound preceded a small furry body jumping up onto the sofa. A cat nuzzled my neck, bringing tears to my eyes. "Elaine?" I gasped, petting her fur. She simply nuzzled in further, a faint purr beginning to rumble. "How?" I asked, looking up at my friends.
Lottie picked something up from the ground, and my heart leapt again. Morgana hooted wearily at me, then slumped against Lottie. "I think Morgana was trying to find you," she said, stroking the bird carefully, even in her slightly-still-inebriated state. "I'm guessing she took Elaine to your- to the other house, but she's not the youngest bird anymore, so carrying Elaine would have taken a bit longer. And when we got to- to the other house, she seemed so happy to see us!"
Thankfully, the others didn't seem to mind the noisy tears I burst into. In fact, Sirius woke enough to wrap me in a hug, though he did fall back asleep at that point. Elaine just snuggled into my arms contentedly, keeping her head on my shoulder and purring lightly in my ear. I couldn't stop crying, until Morgana hopped onto the back of the sofa and hooted, somewhat indignantly. And then I laughed, enough that Sirius woke up again.
Nic came down with both boys, who were each overjoyed to see the animals. Morgana and Elaine each smothered the boys in their own way; Morgana groomed the boys' hair, while Elaine licked their faces. The boys loved each second of it, giggling the whole time.
During breakfast, but after the sobering potions, the whole story came out. Lottie, Tina, and Danae had decided after the funeral that I needed my car back, so they agreed that they would get it for me. And when they woke earlier than the rest of us, still somewhat tipsy from the night before, they decided that there was no time like the present. "An' Tina summoned the keys from inside the house," Lottie giggled, "so there might be a key-shaped hole in the door now."
"I had to concentrate really hard," Tina defended, though she laughed, too. "And anyway, Dursley's a git, so he deserves to have a hole in the door."
"Yes, he does," Danae agreed with a huge grin. "But, anyway, it's a good thing Lottie knows how to drive, since Tina and I don't, but before we could drive off, here comes Morgana hooting up a storm, and Elaine was meowing so much, and we hadn't even realised they were there, but we scooped them into the car and here we all are!"
…
I loved my friends, and I was truly grateful for the girls getting the car, but it brought back the reminder that I still needed to deal with divorcing Vernon. With Remus and Lottie's help, I found a solicitor, and Mr. Saunders was wonderful to work with. Even if I did confuse him a bit when I told him that I didn't want anything from Vernon, other than full custody of Dudley. "Are you sure, Petunia?" he asked, bushy grey eyebrows lowering in concern. "You'll have both boys to look after-"
"I know," I rushed to assure him. "But I have the house and some money from my parents, and I'll be fine for a bit until I can find a job." Not to mention, I was really hoping my friends would all stay in the house with me.
"Well, if you're sure, this shouldn't be problematic at all. I'll contact Vernon's solicitor, and we should hopefully have everything wrapped up by the New Year," Mr. Saunders told me with a warm smile.
But the next time I met with him, he was even more confused. "I met with Vernon's solicitor yesterday, and he said that Vernon is insisting on giving you half of everything. He'll give you half the value of the house, all the furniture, and all the accounts, and full custody of Dudley."
I stared at him. For a very long time. "Are you sure you met with the right person?" I asked, completely dumfounded. "That doesn't sound like Vernon at all."
"Mr. Wallace was also surprised, but he assured me that Vernon wants this," Mr. Saunders told me.
All that was left to do was to meet in front of a judge to make it official. When that day came, Nic and Sirius insisted on coming with me, and I wasn't about to turn aside their support. We unfortunately arrived at the same time that Vernon and his solicitor did, and I nearly vomited from nerves right then and there. I couldn't help but fear that Vernon would suddenly change his mind and try to take Dudley away from me. Even for the fear and anxiety swirling through me, I couldn't miss the sudden start he made when he caught sight of my friends on either side of me. I didn't know what to make of that.
The meeting with the judge went quickly, since there wasn't anything in dispute, and he declared me no longer married. Instantly, I felt lighter, almost like someone had put a feather-weight charm on me, and I couldn't help the tears that slipped from my eyes.
"Petal, are you alright?" Sirius asked lowly, concerned.
"I'm free," I whispered, so happy at that moment that I couldn't contain myself. I laughed and threw my arms around him. He responded with wrapping his around me, too.
"I'm so happy for you," he whispered in my ear.
Mr. Saunders cleared his throat, then gestured for us to clear the courtroom. "Congratulations, Miss Evans," he said outside the doors, emphasizing the "Miss". "You are no longer tied to that man."
"Thank you, so much, for all your help," I told him, shaking his hand vigorously. If I had thought for a second that he would accept a hug, I would have had my arms around him in a heartbeat.
"It was my pleasure," he assured with his signature warm smile. "Now, go be happy."
Nic hugged me, too, picking me up off the ground, then guided me to the exit.
It just so happened that we made it to the door at the same time as Vernon and his solicitor. Vernon jerked to a halt, eyes wide. He didn't move his feet, but he pressed back away from the three of us with the rest of his body. Nic simply pulled me through the door at a slightly faster clip than before.
And when we all piled back into the car, both boys burst into laughter. And everything clicked for me. "What did you do to him?" I tried to sound stern, but the love for them, and the amusement I was feeling at Vernon's discomfort, counteracted that.
"We just visited and reminded him that we all care very much for your well-being," Nic said, still chortling.
"And all three of us may or may not have had our wands out," Sirius finished, grinning as he kissed my cheek. "We wanted to make sure you don't have to worry about anything, Petal."
I shook my head, feeling happier than I had in a long time, as I began the drive home. "I love you all. I should have known, though, that Remus would be involved in whatever shenanigans you'd cooked up."
"Isn't he always?" Sirius asked, making us laugh again.
AN: She's free! And with her freedom, we won't be seeing much more of any of the Dursleys, but Aunt Marge will still blow up, don't you worry! I won't promise when the next chapter will be updated, but I do promise to finish the story. And in case anyone's confused that I'm only seven chapters in but I've been working on this story since 2015, I did start writing this story at the same time as What Might Have Been, but I only got two chapters in What Now Is before realizing that I was going to be giving spoilers away. So I stopped working on this one until I was done with the other. Hopefully, that cleared everything up for you all! Thanks for reading, and a big thanks for those of you who take the time to review. It makes my little writer heart so happy!