Sisters

Sisters

Author's Note: The idea of this story came to me as I reflected on my own relationship with my sister. While I'm sure this story has already been done, I hope that I can add something slight different or new. I have made every effort to stay true to cannon.

"Sisters are connected throughout their lives by a special bond... whether they try to ignore it or not. For better or for worse, sisters remain sisters, until death do them part."

--Brigid McConville

Petunia Evans bounded down the stairs on her way to breakfast. She was actually in an up mood. She needed to talk to her mother about getting new skirts for the upcoming term, which would mean a trip to town and more importantly a chance to see Gregory.

She froze when she heard shouts from the sitting room. 'What on earth?' she wondered as she raced downstairs. She reached the door when her father threw the door open.

"Petunia, sweetheart, there you are!" he cried, smiling from ear to ear. "Come in, come in. Hear the good news!"

"Good news?" Petunia echoed.

Her mother was wiping away tears as she and Lily exchanged stupid grins. She suddenly seemed aware of the presence of her elder daughter. "Yes, Petunia, wonderful news. Lily's a witch."

"What!" Everyone was taken aback by her shout.

"I'm a witch, Petunia! I'm really a witch!" The sunlight was gleaming off her auburn hair. That angered Petunia even more.

"I always thought of you more as a brat."

"Petunia!" their mother scolded as Lily's face fell slightly.

"Your sister has been accepted at a special school," their father said. "On the first of September, she will leave for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"We have a witch in the family," their mother cooed. "Oh, Lily, we're so proud."

Petunia's stomach dropped. She immediately thought about her acceptance to secondary school. There hadn't been this much excitement over the unexpected opportunity of Miss Grodin's Academy for Accomplished Girls.

But then again, she wasn't pretty, perfect Lily.

"Congratulations," she spat, ignoring the calls of her parents as she stormed out of the house.

* * * * *

The summer brought Lily home with stories of her magical school and her classmates. She had grown a few itches over the term and was beginning to fill out. Petunia only came home with a horrible case of spots.

"Oh, Petunia, come see what your sister can do!" one of their parents would say as Lily would levitate a teacup or a book around the room.

'Freak,' Petunia thought with revulsion. 'My sister has become a freak.'

And no one seemed to care.

Petunia spent as much time away from home as possible. She would meet up with Vicki and some of her old grammar school friends in the village. They exchanged gossip and complained about their siblings, though Petunia kept her details to a minimum.

But teenagers could be cruel, even to friends. If they sensed a weakness, they pounced. And Vicki was no exception.

"What school did your sister get into, Petunia?" she pressed when Petunia had once again been evasive about Lily's recent whereabouts.

"St. Henrietta's School for Girls," she quickly answered, hoping to commit the lie to memory.

"I never heard of it," Vicki said. "Where is it?"

"Somewhere in the north," Petunia answered, trying to feign indifference to the whole topic. "Scotland, I think. It's an old, rundown place. Lily's been complaining about the damp and drafts."

"Just what she deserves, if you ask me," Cass threw in. "Your sister could use being knocked down a peg or two."

"I couldn't agree more," Petunia said. "Now, what were you all about, flirting with Dylan Murphy?"

Cass immediately flushed as she stammered for a decent answer. The rest of the girls laughed as Cass grew even redder. Petunia was grateful that a new topic of conversation had been found.

* * * * *

Petunia disliked James Potter as soon as she met him. His hair was longer and kept falling into his eyes. She supposed he thought he looked dashing, but she thought he looked like a criminal.

She squeezed her hands together as she watched her parents greet him warmly. Everything had to be perfect. Pretty, prefect Lily had brought home a boy.

The good china and silver were set out for dinner, which her mother and Lily had slaved over for days. The guest room was spotless. Everything was done to make James to feel welcome.

Her Vernon had not warranted such effort when Petunia brought him home last Easter. Her parents and Lily had been cordial when he had visited. But everyone was gushing over James.

'He's just as big a freak as she is,' Petunia thought as she watched him discuss some made-up sport with her father. 'They're both freaks.'

Lily joined her sister in her quiet corner. She watched her sister as Petunia watched her boyfriend. "What do you think of him?" she whispered, leaning her head close.

"I think he needs a haircut."

Lily frowned, although pout may have been a better word. "Is that all you have to say about him, Petunia?"

"What do you want me to say?" she asked, her tone neutral.

"That you like him," Lily replied. "Or at least find him passable enough. I like him a lot, Petunia. I want you to like him, too."

"I think you two are well-deserved of each other." With that, Petunia rose and went into the kitchen. Pretty, perfect Lily was left wondering why the statement had sounded so mean coming from her sister.

* * * * *

Petunia had forbid Lily from bringing James to the wedding. It was her day and she meant to enjoy it. She warned Lily that she would not tolerate any shenanigans.

"Oh, Petunia, please," Lily sighed. "It's not like I'm going to turn the wine glasses into mice or vanish the vicar's robes."

"And there will be no talk of....of any of that business!" Petunia gave her sister a meaningful glance. "I won't have you ruining my day!"

"Petunia, I would never do that," Lily insisted. "You're my sister. I want everything to be perfect for you. You deserve it."

"Do you mean that?" And Petunia immediately hated how weak and hopeful she sounded.

"Of course, I do. Why wouldn't I?"

"Thank you."

Lily nodded. "I just wish you would have allowed James to come. He's never been to a Muggle wedding."

Petunia's heart immediately hardened. "I think you should finish getting ready. The ceremony will be starting soon."

Lily was stunned by the suddenly cold tone. "What happened? What did I do?"

"Nothing," Petunia replied, already turning back to the mirror to check her dress.

"When did you come to hate me, Petunia?"

The older woman stiffened. She was so sure that no one had noticed the twisted love she held in her heart for her sister. She suddenly felt very petty and small.

"Lily," she said, turning around.

But her sister was already gone.

* * * * *

Petunia Dursley held tightly to Vernon's hand as they crossed the frozen grounds of the cemetery. She kept her eyes on her destination, the twin black coffins holding the remains of her parents. She didn't even notice the tears running down her cheeks.

They said that it had been quick. Her parents would have only known for a few moments that something was wrong. Black ice. A random accident. No one's fault.

Petunia could hear Lily as she walked behind her. Rage entered her veins, warming her blood. It was Lily's fault. It was always Lily's fault.

Their parents had been on their way to see Lily, who had become Mrs. James Potter not too long ago. The scruffy man was nowhere in sight, Petunia noted, showing how faithless he truly was.

'Just what she deserves,' she thought, wrapping the anger and bitterness around her heart. 'They're both freaks. Nothing of this would happen if it wasn't for them.'

Lily stood beside her sister as they returned their parents to the earth. She hadn't dared speak to her sister. Petunia was extremely grateful for her silence.

At the end of the day, as the last of the mourners drifted away, Petunia was finally alone. Lily approached her sister. "It was a wonderful service, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"I think Mum would have loved all the flowers. She always did love flowers."

"Yes, she did."

"Petunia, I think it's times like this that show family is important. I know you and I don't get along, and part of that is my fault."

She paused, allowing the rest of the sentence to linger in the air. She sighed when Petunia made no effort to reply. "I just hope you and I could come to some kind of understanding. I don't want us to be estranged forever. You're my sister."

Lily sighed, briefly looking heavenward. "I wanted to wait until after the service to tell you this. The reason Mum and Dad were coming to visit me and James is that we had some exciting news. I just found out I'm pregnant."

"What?" Petunia said, a hand reflexively coming to her own swollen belly.

"I'm pregnant."

"Is it Potter's child?"

"Of course it is," Lily said, color suddenly flaring in her cheeks. "What kind of question is that?"

"So, it is likely that this child will be a . . ." Petunia managed to stop the word "freak" from leaving her mouth. No matter how many times she thought it, she had never addressed her sister with it.

"That our child will have magic?" Lily asked. "Yes, most likely. There hasn't been a Squib in either side of James's family for over ten generations."

Petunia didn't understand what "squib" meant and didn't care to find out. "And you'll continue with your foolishness."

"Not foolishness, magic, Petunia," Lily cried, throwing her hands into the air. "Why can't you even say the word?"

"Because it is unnatural, what you, that Potter fellow, and the rest of your lot do!"

"His name is James! James! And there is nothing unnatural about magic!"

"As long as you continue it, I will have nothing to do with you!"

Lily gasped as she stared at her sister. New tears formed in her red-rimmed eyes. "What?" she whispered.

"You heard me." She was afraid that if she said more she would take it all back.

"You mean it?"

Petunia nodded.

"I don't believe this," Lily said, wiping at her cheeks. She took a deep breath, which seemed to compose her. "I will do my best to abide by your wishes then. Is there anything else you wish to say, Petunia?"

The older woman just shook her head.

"Then this is good-bye. I only wish you and Vernon well."

A part of Petunia was screaming to apologize as she watched her sister walk away. Lily's hair seemed to shine even in the gray light of the winter day. As she reached a copse of trees, she appeared to vanish into thin air.

Petunia was still standing there, face streak with silent tears and staring at the trees, when Vernon found her much later.

* * * * *

Petunia was using the rare opportunity of Dudley's nap to go through the post. There were the usual bills and advertisements. Underneath was an unusual envelope.

It was addressed to her in a scrawling script. There was no return address. There was also no postage.

Her hands shook slightly as she turned it over. The envelope tore unevenly as she forced her finger under the flap. Inside was a single sheet of paper.

It was a letter from Potter, informing his sister-in-law that she was an aunt. Lily had wanted to keep with her sister's wishes and not contact the Dursleys. However, Potter felt that this news had to be shared.

She read and reread the short letter again and again. They had had a son who they were going to name Harry. Lily had gone through the delivery well. She was already contemplating a return to her full activities.

Petunia thought about Dudley asleep in his basinet. She hadn't even bothered to inform Lily of his birth. 'Let her think what she wants,' she had said when Vernon had broached the subject.

She suddenly felt ashamed. Lily had never asked to be a witch. She had never gone out of her way to hurt her sister.

But she hadn't run from it either. She had embraced her weird new life whole-heartedly. Once she had been accepted to that school, she had never looked back.

She quickly crumpled the letter with its envelope and tossed both into the fire.

* * * * *

Petunia clutched her dressing gown around her as she hurried towards the door. Vernon had given a surprised shout and then had gone silent. A hundred horrible possibilities were racing through her head as she continued to call his name.

She quickly joined him on the front step. Her eyes fell to the letter in his hands and then to the basket at his feet. She quickly realized that there was a baby inside.

"Get it inside, Vernon," she hissed, stepping back to open the door wider.

"What?" he asked, looking up from the letter.

"Get it inside before the neighbor see."

Vernon merely blinked at her. Frustrated, she snatched the basket up and carried it into the sitting room. She hoped her husband was bright enough to close the door and come inside.

A few moments later, he joined her. He wordlessly handed her the letter as he sat beside her in front of the baby. He stared at it while his wife read.

"What do we do?" he finally asked.

She dropped the letter into her lap and stared at the baby. Her mind was reeling. Lily and her husband were dead, murdered by some evil freak of their world. Her nephew Harry was now orphaned. He was currently sitting on her table sound asleep.

"What do we do, Petunia?"

The baby opened his eyes and stared at them. There was no denying who he was. He had Potter's unmanageable black hair. His green eyes were the exact copy of Lily's.

Lily. Pretty, prefect Lily. The sister she had loved and hated and loved was gone.

"We keep him, Vernon."