Fic: I'm through with the past (but the past isn't through with me) February 3.0
Title: I'm through with the past (but the past isn't through with me)
Summary: Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
Characters/Pairings: Petunia Dursley, Harry Potter, minor parts by Luna Lovegood and Vernon Dursley, hint of Harry/Luna
Genre: General
Beta: Nope
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Fanfiction
Word Count: 1190
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: sure
If yes, your Tumblr username: tiramisu-misu
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. While it might seem underwhelming to youngsters who had no idea what real life would be about, they both were proud of their normalcy and of how average their lives had been (for the most part).
However, Mrs. Dursley had brought abnormality into their lives, and though Vernon would never begrudge her for it, or had long stopped begrudging her for it. She wondered if he would still feel this way after their guests had arrived.
The doorbell rung, and Vernon got up, muttering in his moustache about people who bothered other people for no reason. She outrun him to the door, and told him simply:
"Please, let it be."
And she opened the door, revealing her nephew Harry, and his girlfriend, Luna Lovegood.
She barely recognized the boy or man before her, and knew she hadn't been paying him enough attention those years he was living them. She knew though in her heart she would never change what she had done, and the way she had been. She knew who she was, and she knew who he was, and nothing could change things.
It had come as a shock, when she had received a letter from her nephew, almost a month ago. He had graduated from that weird school of his, a year late too, something Petunia hadn't been surprised with. He had learnt things about his mother, her sister, and though he knew she probably didn't care, he had written, he would be willing to share what he had learnt with her.
She had mulled over this letter for days and days, never telling Vernon about it, and she could tell from the way he was swearing that she should have told him about her decision, but it had been a whim, something she had no control over, the very essence of a whim, thus very normal.
She had written back that she wanted to know.
Her actual phrasing had been something about the lines of being willing to listen, but the more she had thought about what he had been offering, the more she had wanted it, the same way Dudley would crave for any new toy he would see or hear of.
It was her sister after all, and no matter how much she had despised her, or badmouthed her over the years, Lily would always be Petunia's sister.
Maybe it was age, or maybe she had been mollified over the years, being forced to cope with the same weirdness that her nephew was a part of, but she had thought of Lily, even when she hadn't wanted to. Cutting her from her life, refusing to listen to what she had to say, to stories she wanted to tell had been easy, as Petunia had always had a strong temper, but at some point in those past years, sometimes after she had received that second howler, after Harry had saved her son, Petunia had thought about blood and water and which ran thinner or whatever the saying was.
"Harry," Petunia said, standing up so straight she felt like she might break any moment, or go off as an arrow.
"Aunt Petunia," He said. "This is Luna Lovegood, my girlfriend," he said, with a smile for the weird looking girl next to him, and Petunia wanted to roll her eyes at him.
Of course the weird little girl was his girlfriend, of course she belonged in that world of his. Of course.
"Luna, this is my aunt, on my mother's side, Petunia Dursley and her husband Vernon."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Dursley" the girl said in a voice that seemed too melodic to be real.
Petunia noticed Vernon was still muttering, she thought it had been a good decision on Harry's part not to create a situation where he would have had to interact with him right away.
"Why don't you go in the living room? Vernon and I will fix tea."
"Thank you."
They both entered and Harry asked, before she could grab Vernon's hand and bring him with her into the kitchen:
"Do you mind if I show my bedrooms to Luna? She wondered…"
As Vernon was on the verge of exploding, Petunia nodded, and with her husband in tow, she went to fix the tea.
"Petunia, what is this nonsense?" Vernon exploded.
"Tea, Earl Grey or otherwise, is the cornerstone of our civilization," she found herself answering.
She heard the door of the cupboard under the stairs be open, and she suddenly felt something that was too close to shame to her taste. The boy had mentioned his "bedrooms", she should have known the cupboard would be part of the tour.
"Petunia!" Vernon exclaimed again.
"Just fix the tea, Vernon, while I explain."
"Me, fix the tea, for those freaks?" He asked, as if it was even more surreal than their guests were.
"Yes, you, fix the tea. For your bloody wife, and her nephew. For once in your life, it won't kill you."
He had done nothing wrong, she reasoned, yet she couldn't bring herself to apologize as he went about to do as she had told, seemingly hurt by the words she had spoken.
In a low voice, she told him about the letter, and about her not so sudden interest in her sister. He was baffled, and screamed, which was his default position when in doubt, but she didn't let him make her rethink things.
"Please, do this for me, Vernon," she said, and she found that her voice sounded too much like she was pleading with him, and she did not like being the kind of person who pleaded.
He looked at her, and she looked at him. After all those years together, he was still the one who knew most of her secrets. He was still the one who could tell when she wanted something, or when she was pretending to. He could see she wanted to see their nephew.
She wanted to hear about that sister she had lost almost two decades ago, and she was only now rediscovering, allowing her back into her life, if only for an afternoon.
He nodded, and they brought the tea in the sitting room, where Harry and Luna were waiting.
"So," Petunia said," tell me."
"Tell you what, Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked, as if testing the waters.
She supposed he wanted to know if she would dare say the word, if she would still own up to what she had asked, now that he was here and it was not a piece of paper she was interacting with.
"Tell me about you. Tell me about Lily."
Luna grabbed Harry's hand, as he nodded solemnly and started telling her about her sister, and that weird little boy who used to follow them around with his weird nose and his slick black hair, and the things she had lived for and died for. For the first time in over 40 years, Petunia allowed Lily back into her life.
Ash/Slytherin/ 1190/30 = 40 points (before bonus)
Summary: Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
Characters/Pairings: Petunia Dursley, Harry Potter, minor parts by Luna Lovegood and Vernon Dursley, hint of Harry/Luna
Genre: General
Beta: Nope
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Fanfiction
Word Count: 1190
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: sure
If yes, your Tumblr username: tiramisu-misu
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. While it might seem underwhelming to youngsters who had no idea what real life would be about, they both were proud of their normalcy and of how average their lives had been (for the most part).
However, Mrs. Dursley had brought abnormality into their lives, and though Vernon would never begrudge her for it, or had long stopped begrudging her for it. She wondered if he would still feel this way after their guests had arrived.
The doorbell rung, and Vernon got up, muttering in his moustache about people who bothered other people for no reason. She outrun him to the door, and told him simply:
"Please, let it be."
And she opened the door, revealing her nephew Harry, and his girlfriend, Luna Lovegood.
She barely recognized the boy or man before her, and knew she hadn't been paying him enough attention those years he was living them. She knew though in her heart she would never change what she had done, and the way she had been. She knew who she was, and she knew who he was, and nothing could change things.
It had come as a shock, when she had received a letter from her nephew, almost a month ago. He had graduated from that weird school of his, a year late too, something Petunia hadn't been surprised with. He had learnt things about his mother, her sister, and though he knew she probably didn't care, he had written, he would be willing to share what he had learnt with her.
She had mulled over this letter for days and days, never telling Vernon about it, and she could tell from the way he was swearing that she should have told him about her decision, but it had been a whim, something she had no control over, the very essence of a whim, thus very normal.
She had written back that she wanted to know.
Her actual phrasing had been something about the lines of being willing to listen, but the more she had thought about what he had been offering, the more she had wanted it, the same way Dudley would crave for any new toy he would see or hear of.
It was her sister after all, and no matter how much she had despised her, or badmouthed her over the years, Lily would always be Petunia's sister.
Maybe it was age, or maybe she had been mollified over the years, being forced to cope with the same weirdness that her nephew was a part of, but she had thought of Lily, even when she hadn't wanted to. Cutting her from her life, refusing to listen to what she had to say, to stories she wanted to tell had been easy, as Petunia had always had a strong temper, but at some point in those past years, sometimes after she had received that second howler, after Harry had saved her son, Petunia had thought about blood and water and which ran thinner or whatever the saying was.
"Harry," Petunia said, standing up so straight she felt like she might break any moment, or go off as an arrow.
"Aunt Petunia," He said. "This is Luna Lovegood, my girlfriend," he said, with a smile for the weird looking girl next to him, and Petunia wanted to roll her eyes at him.
Of course the weird little girl was his girlfriend, of course she belonged in that world of his. Of course.
"Luna, this is my aunt, on my mother's side, Petunia Dursley and her husband Vernon."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Dursley" the girl said in a voice that seemed too melodic to be real.
Petunia noticed Vernon was still muttering, she thought it had been a good decision on Harry's part not to create a situation where he would have had to interact with him right away.
"Why don't you go in the living room? Vernon and I will fix tea."
"Thank you."
They both entered and Harry asked, before she could grab Vernon's hand and bring him with her into the kitchen:
"Do you mind if I show my bedrooms to Luna? She wondered…"
As Vernon was on the verge of exploding, Petunia nodded, and with her husband in tow, she went to fix the tea.
"Petunia, what is this nonsense?" Vernon exploded.
"Tea, Earl Grey or otherwise, is the cornerstone of our civilization," she found herself answering.
She heard the door of the cupboard under the stairs be open, and she suddenly felt something that was too close to shame to her taste. The boy had mentioned his "bedrooms", she should have known the cupboard would be part of the tour.
"Petunia!" Vernon exclaimed again.
"Just fix the tea, Vernon, while I explain."
"Me, fix the tea, for those freaks?" He asked, as if it was even more surreal than their guests were.
"Yes, you, fix the tea. For your bloody wife, and her nephew. For once in your life, it won't kill you."
He had done nothing wrong, she reasoned, yet she couldn't bring herself to apologize as he went about to do as she had told, seemingly hurt by the words she had spoken.
In a low voice, she told him about the letter, and about her not so sudden interest in her sister. He was baffled, and screamed, which was his default position when in doubt, but she didn't let him make her rethink things.
"Please, do this for me, Vernon," she said, and she found that her voice sounded too much like she was pleading with him, and she did not like being the kind of person who pleaded.
He looked at her, and she looked at him. After all those years together, he was still the one who knew most of her secrets. He was still the one who could tell when she wanted something, or when she was pretending to. He could see she wanted to see their nephew.
She wanted to hear about that sister she had lost almost two decades ago, and she was only now rediscovering, allowing her back into her life, if only for an afternoon.
He nodded, and they brought the tea in the sitting room, where Harry and Luna were waiting.
"So," Petunia said," tell me."
"Tell you what, Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked, as if testing the waters.
She supposed he wanted to know if she would dare say the word, if she would still own up to what she had asked, now that he was here and it was not a piece of paper she was interacting with.
"Tell me about you. Tell me about Lily."
Luna grabbed Harry's hand, as he nodded solemnly and started telling her about her sister, and that weird little boy who used to follow them around with his weird nose and his slick black hair, and the things she had lived for and died for. For the first time in over 40 years, Petunia allowed Lily back into her life.
Ash/Slytherin/ 1190/30 = 40 points (before bonus)