Petunia's Worst Memories

"She was looking at Harry as she had never looked at him before. And all of a sudden, for the first time in his life, Harry fully appreciated that Aunt Petunia was his mother's sister. He could not say why this hit him so powerfully at this moment. All he knew was that he was not the only person in the room who had an inkling of what Lord Voldemort being back might mean. Aunt Petunia had never in her life looked at him like that before. Her large, pale eyes (so unlike her sister's) were not narrowed in dislike and anger: they were wide and fearful. The furious pretense that Aunt Petunia had maintained all Harry's life - that there was no magic and no world other than the world she inhabited with Uncle Vernon - seemed to have fallen away."

--Order of the Phoenix, American Edition, Page 38

Beside her rose the snores of her exhausted husband. She watched the hairs of his thick mustache shudder as he breathed. Petunia wished she had fallen asleep so easily.

She rolled over on her side and pulled the covers tight around her. A deep breath and the scent of fabric softener calmed her slightly. She half expected another owl to come crashing into her bedroom window, bringing with it another dreadful memory of her dead sister.

No more! No more owls! No more wizards! Petunia shut her eyes fiercely and fell into a fitful sleep.

She couldn't help the flood of dreams that came that night. It seemed all her worst memories came flooding back, breaking the barrier she had kept up for so long.

~*~

Petunia sat outside on a blanket while Lily was a few feet away doing something in the dirt.

Petunia did not like to get dirty. She'd rather play with Susie. She liked to brush her blonde hair, and put her in pretty dresses.

"Lily! Do you like Susie's hair?" Petunia said as she held up her doll.

"Yes! She looks so pretty!" Lily smiled. Her face was smudged with mud.

"You're dirty."

"I know," Lily said, and laughed. "But look how beautifully my flowers are growing!"

Petunia scrunched up her face in thought. "Yes. I suppose they look nice."

Lily chuckled. She scanned her flowers and picked out a bright pink one that Petunia didn't know the name off. She skipped over and plopped herself down next to Petunia.

"Don't get the blanket dirty!" Petunia scooted anxiously away from Lily so she was seated on the very edge.

Lily ignored her and held out the flower.

"Here. You can put this in Susie's hair."

"Thanks."

Petunia daintily took the flower from Lily, but dared not hold it with more than two fingers.

At that moment, a dark brown barn owl swooped down upon the two girls, causing them both to shriek. Petunia dropped the flower, clutched Susie to her, and darted for the house.

The owl landed in front of Lily, and she stood frozen to her spot. She had gone pale, but her freckled face held an expression of curiosity. The owl took a step closer and held out his leg.

Petunia watched from inside the house as Lily bent down towards the wild owl and took something from it. The owl turned away from Lily, spread its wings, and took off.

Lily sprinted towards the house, and began screaming, "Mum!"

Petunia followed Lily. She tried to peek at what was in her hand, as Lily searched the house for their mother.

"Mum!" Lily shouted.

Mrs. Evans was vacuuming upstairs, and stopped as her two girls dashed into the room.

"What is it girls? Lily! No dirt upstairs!"

"Mum! An owl just brought me a letter!"

"What?"

As Lily and their mother poured over the letter, Petunia stood off to the side trying to figure out what was happening.

"Mummy! I'm a witch!"

"Is that a good thing?" piped Petunia.

Mrs. Evans took the letter from the bouncing Lily, and sat down in an old oak rocking chair. Petunia climbed into her lap so she could see the papers.

The first sheet appeared to be an invitation to a school. The school had an ugly name though. Who would name a school after a pig? The second piece of paper had mum and dad's name on it. Mrs. Evans read this one quietly to herself.

Being non-magical parents, I have written this letter to inform you that to have a child with an aptitude for magic is a gift. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is truly one of the finest institutions in the world, and we hope to teach and nurture your child to become a capable and accomplished witch. Should you have any questions or concerns, I encourage you to contact me. We have enclosed a map of the location in London where you may purchase the necessary books and equipment. I hope to see your daughter, Lily, on the first day of term.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster

Petunia looked up at her mother's face. Mrs. Evans did not look unhappy, but rather a hesitant smile was forming as she looked up and saw Lily dancing around the room.

~*~

The first snowflakes flurried outside, but Petunia was too distracted by everything going on indoors. A rosy fire filled the fireplace and its flames cast dancing light on the tinsel that hung around the room. Presents lay under the magnificent tree, and their bright, cheerful wrappings teased Petunia.

Mrs. Evans carried a tray of frothy hot chocolate into the room.

"Who wants to go first?" asked a jolly Mr. Evans.

"Oh! Me! Me!" squealed Petunia as she wiggled and waved her hand in the air.

"She can go first," said Lily. "But only if she opens this one."

Petunia took a very small package from Lily. Her horsey toothed smile faded because she liked to open her biggest present first.

"Don't pout, Petunia! You'll like it. I promise!" Lily leaned forward on her knees and watched as Petunia peeled off the shimmering gold wrappings.

Petunia gave a little gasp. A miniature wooden box lay in her lap. Painted on the top was a tiny seed. As Petunia watched, it appeared as if time sped by. The seed grew and blossomed into an intricately painted flower. There were five large curved petals. The flower was a pale pink but on closer inspection; Petunia could see dark crimson pink veins were carefully painted on the petals.

"Is this a magic box?" Petunia asked softly.

"Well, yes."

Petunia gently traced her fingers over the flower. As she did so the flower shrunk back into a seed and slowly blossomed again before her eyes.

"Is the flower a... Petunia?"

Lily had tried to teach her about gardening, but she had trouble recalling the names of all the flowers.

"Yes! I'm glad you remembered!" Lily beamed and leapt over to her sister and gave her a hug.

"Thank you, Lily," Petunia said as she returned her sister's hug.

"You haven't opened the box though!"

"There's more?" Petunia couldn't help but squeal.

She carefully opened the small gold clasp on the box. Inside were two things. There was a small parcel with a petunia painted on the front, but this flower didn't bloom like the box. She opened the parcel and saw that it was a bag of seeds. The second gift was a necklace. There was a long delicate gold chain with a heart shaped locket on the end.

"Open the locket," Lily whispered.

Petunia fumbled with the tiny locket and managed to open it. Inside was a picture of Lily and Petunia that they'd taken by the ocean that summer. But, to her astonishment, the picture was moving! Lily's hair was blowing in the wind behind her, and she was waving excitedly in the picture. Petunia stood smiling and looking about her. A bird flew in the distance and she could see the waves crashing.

"It's so hard being apart when I'm away at school. I thought this way you won't forget about me."

"Lily, I never forget about you!"

Lily smiled.

Petunia looked down at her magical gifts. She doubted even her largest present could compare to what Lily had given her.

~*~

It was a blisteringly hot summer day. Petunia sat outside, despite the heat. Lily was inside reading one of her textbooks. Even though Petunia sat in the shade, there were beads of sweat forming on the back of her neck, and her hair had gone limp. She'd been outside all week, and had acquired a painful sunburn. Lily and Mrs. Evans did not understand why Petunia insisted on spending the hot August days outdoors. Petunia was too ashamed to tell them.

This was the same time of year that Lily had received her owl when she was eleven. The owl that said she was special and could go to Hogwarts and learn magic. For the past two years, Petunia had anxiously been waiting for this summer.

Today was August 30. Term began September first. Petunia knew that the owl would have to come today, and she was ready. Susie lay forgotten on the blanket as Petunia had her eyes glued to the sky.

Insects buzzed around her head. Still, Petunia sat. The bugs did not even bother her anymore. She spent the first few days swatting at them, but now she just let them buzz and crawl over her skin. She kept her eyes on the sky.

The minutes crept by and the sun climbed higher. Bored, Petunia picked a particularly long blade of grass and began swishing and flicking it like a wand. She muttered nonsense words to herself and pretended she could make colorful sparks fly from the tip. But eventually the blade of grass became limp like her hair and no longer served even as a make-believe wand.

A thick gray cloud crossed the sky and the blinding light of the sun disappeared. Petunia's eyes readjusted and she looked back up to the sky. She spotted a large gray bird flying towards the house. She rose as quickly as she could on her stiff legs. The bird was definitely an owl. Petunia scrambled to gather her things and stood waiting for the owl to swoop down and present his leg to her.

But the owl made a turn that broke Petunia's heart. His bright amber eyes looked deep into her own and then changed his path towards the house. He landed gracefully and began to tap his beak on the window. Lily leapt from her spot inside and let the owl in. The owl nuzzled her neck as she undid the piece of parchment from his leg.

Petunia felt hollow, and light-headed. Her heart ached and tears welled in her eyes. There would be no owl for her.

~*~

Petunia sat at the table nibbling on toast with her nose stuck in a book for class. Her mother was scurrying around the kitchen while her father sat at the table. His reading glasses slid down his nose as he read the newspaper. It wasn't 'normal people' news though. It was wizard news because the pictures on the front of the paper were moving around. Lily had insisted that their parents get a subscription.

"The Department of Magical Transportation at the Ministry passed a new decree. It states all portkeys used for immigration purposes must be strictly regulated and have proper documentation," Mr. Evans turned and said to his wife as he pushed his spectacles back up his nose.

"That's a good step. They need stricter international traveling regulations and portkeys were open to abuse."

Portkeys? Does that have to do with boats? Why would you need a key?

"What is a portkey, daddy?"

"It's something magic people use to travel."

"Oh."

"I don't know how they could possibly plan to regulate Apparition besides keeping a detailed account of registered users," said Mr. Evans to his wife.

Mr. Evans went back to his paper and turned the page.

Petunia went back to nibbling her toast, and watched her father read the wizard paper. Occasionally, he'd hum to himself and then push his falling glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. A stern faced old witch on the front page glared at her with wrinkled eyes.

"Dear, you must see this," Mr. Evans chuckled to himself. "The Invisibility Task force had quite a job to do this weekend when a Hungarian Horntail wandered through a construction site and managed to get itself stuck in some fresh concrete."

"A Horntail?" Mrs. Evans gasped as she ran over to get a look at the picture her husband was showing her. "They aren't native to England though. Are they?"

"No. An investigation is being ordered by the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau."

"Can I see the picture?" asked Petunia.

"Yes, pumpkin."

Petunia hopped out of her chair and leaned over her father's shoulder. The picture showed a thrashing dragon spitting fire high into the air with cement up to his knees. Several wizards circled the dragon and struggled to calm the scaly beast. A few of them had singed robes. Petunia shuddered.

"You wouldn't want to run into one of those on the playground, would you?" asked Mr. Evans.

"No, thank you!"

"Did the Wimbourne Wasps win their match this weekend?" asked Mrs. Evans as she went back to her dishes.

Mr. Evans began riffling through the paper until he found the sports section.

"Yes! They did! Three hundred sixty to eighty."

"That's wonderful! Petunia, you're going to be late for school."

"Alright, mum."

~*~

Upstairs, Petunia stood in front of the mirror and finished pulling back her hair. She nervously checked her appearance as she heard voices downstairs. She wore a crisp white party dress and white satin ribbon in her hair. With a deep breath, she headed to the top of the stairs.

Petunia could see several girls dressed like her. Lily was flitting from person to person smiling and taking cards and gifts. Her mother was ushering the girls to the back patio. Petunia had helped decorate by hanging streamers and arranging lanterns. Lily had blown up special balloons she'd bought at a wizard shop. They didn't blow away, but if it started to rain they would melt.

But rain would not be a problem today. The sun was beaming over the Evans's carefully manicured lawn. Lily's flowers added a natural beauty to the party decorations as they were in full bloom. Bright red and yellow roses crept around the side of the house, while daisies and lilies filled the borders.

Petunia ventured outside where all of Lily's girl friends were chatting and complimenting Lily on her home. Petunia stood off to the side and eavesdropped.

"Petunia! Come and meet my friends!"

Petunia jumped and gave a weak smile. She didn't think anyone had noticed her.

"This is my sister, Petunia," said Lily proudly. "Petunia, this is Pamela, Marlene, Helen, and Elinor."

Petunia nodded at each in turn and then darted off to the kitchen to see if she could help with the food.

When she got to the hall, there was another knock on the door. Mrs. Evans wiped her hands on her apron as she whisked past Petunia. The door flew open to reveal four boys who stormed into the house. Two dark-haired boys were very loud, and the one with glasses immediately began asking where Lily was. Petunia plugged up her ears as the other dark-haired boy began to sing "Happy Birthday" at the top of his lungs.

"Lily is in the garden, dear," said Mrs. Evans to the boy. "Lily! The boys are here!"

Petunia stood aside as the boys thundered past her. One thin boy with brown hair looked very uncomfortable and anxious. She watched as the last chubbier boy waddled past and then followed her mother to the kitchen.

"Can I help you with anything, mum?"

"No, pumpkin. I'm fine. Here, you can take this cheese platter out and meet some of Lily's friends."

Petunia's shoulders slumped, but she nodded and left the kitchen. She placed the cheese platter on the table with the punch and then began to wring her hands. She was careful to be quiet and not draw attention to herself.

The boy with glasses was standing very close to Lily and listening as she talked about her garden. The other dark haired boy was telling a very animated story to three of the girls and the plump boy. A strong looking blonde girl and the scrawny brown-haired boy were talking and sipping punch.

"Oy! Who are you?"

Petunia nearly snapped her own fingers off when she saw the dark haired boy was looking at her with a handsome devilish grin.

"I'm Lily's sister, Petunia," she said inaudibly.

"What?" the boy asked again.

"Sirius, that's Lily's sister, Petunia," said one of the girls.

"She's not a witch," another girl added.

"Really?" The boy's eyes began to twinkle.

Petunia took a step back. She bumped into one of the balloons and flinched.

"Petunia!" Lily came running over and put her arm around Petunia's shoulder. "Let me introduce you to the boys."

The boy with the dark hair and glasses smiled and said, "James Potter."

"And I'm Sirius Black," said the striking dark haired boy with a small bow.

"And that is Remus Lupin," said Lily indicating the pale, brown-haired boy. "Over there by the cheese is Peter Pettigrew."

Petunia gave another feeble smile at the group.

"Let's play a game!" shouted Sirius as he waved his arms to gather everyone together.

"What do you want to play?" asked James.

"Azkaban."

"Wizard prison?" Lily said with a confused expression.

"I'll explain how to play. Petunia, you can play too," said Sirius with a smirk.

"Oh! I remember how to play!" said the chubby boy named Peter excitedly.

"The boys will be the Dementors."

"What are Dementors?" Lily whispered to James.

"They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban," James explained.

"The girls, will run away and try not to get caught and taken to wizard prison. What happens is that if you get caught, you get taken to wizard prison and your soul gets sucked out."

"You mean a kiss, Sirius?" said the brown-haired boy, Remus curiously.

The girls blushed. Lily huffed.

"We aren't going to play that, Sirius!" Lily said frowning.

"Why not? It's just like tag." Sirius began breathing heavily and circling the small group of girls.

He stopped at Petunia and made a terrifying face over her shoulder. He took in hoarse raspy breaths and then blew hot air on her neck.

Petunia screamed and fled for the house.

~*~

Moonlight fell across Petunia's immaculate bedroom. A purple quilt lay neatly folded at the foot of the bed where she lay drifting off to sleep. Her breathing was slow and peaceful when a crack resounded outside the small Evans house.

Petunia's eyes flew open and she went to her window. Oddly, she could not see anything outside on account of every single street lamp being out. She wondered if the lamps going out had been the source of the noise when all of a sudden she saw several orbs of light float back to their places. Petunia rubbed her eyes, and wondered if she was still dreaming when she heard voices downstairs.

Petunia took the quilt off the end of her bed, wrapped it around her and crept out of her room. She perched herself at the top of the stairs and could see her parents by the front door greeting a very odd old man.

By odd, she meant Lily's type. He wore a long purple cloak and had a long white beard. As the man followed her parents into the living room, he looked up at Petunia and his blue eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles.

What was this old man doing here? Lily didn't live here anymore. She had graduated from that stupid school.

Mrs. Evans shut the door to the hall, so Petunia tiptoed closer to hear their whispers through the door.

"Have a seat, Professor Dumbledore," said the voice of Petunia's father.

"Please, just Albus!" said Dumbledore with a chuckle. "Neither of you were ever my students."

"Can I get you something to drink, Albus?" asked Mrs. Evans

"Some tea with honey would be most refreshing, thank you."

Petunia heard her mother walk towards the door. She darted behind a plant as her mother turned the doorknob and left the room. Petunia exhaled as her mother's shadow disappeared into the kitchen.

"How is Lily doing?" asked Mr. Evans.

"Marvelous! She is such a talented, well-rounded young lady. She exceeded my expectations as Head Girl last year. You must be very proud of her."

"We are."

Mrs. Evans returned to the parlor with a tray of tea, and a small glass jar of honey. She carefully shut the door of the living room behind her.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me this evening," said Dumbledore over the clinking of teacups. "I have some very serious matters to discuss."

There was silence behind the door as Dumbledore took a breath and began to speak.

"I've been told that Lily encouraged both of you to take a subscription to The Daily Prophet. I think it is always a wise idea for non-magic parents to learn all they can about the wizarding world. It not only helps the child but it helps the parents adjust. However, I'm sure that you both have been disturbed by recent news and events. Particularly those concerning Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Petunia heard a choked gasp from her mother, and her father cleared his throat.

"I'm here to tell you that Lily and her husband, James, are very much involved in the fight against Voldemort. While they are both talented and bright, they are very much at risk."

"How at risk?" said Mrs. Evans. Her voice was shaking slightly.

"I have an organized band of witches and wizards who have made it their personal duty to battle Voldemort. This group is composed of a wide variety of people who I know are loyal to me and to our cause. Lily and James came to me and asked to become members."

"And I assume you accepted them," said Mr. Evans grimly.

"Yes, I did. And, up until recently, I was not as concerned with their safety as I am now. That is why I have come to you. In the beginnings of their membership, I had them working at headquarters. They dealt mostly with paperwork, gathering reports from active wizards and going over detailed spy accounts. Interesting and important work, but James was growing restless," Dumbledore said calmly, but upon these last few words, his eyes stopped twinkling and his face appeared old. "So I set both him and Lily on what I thought to be a menial and uncomplicated task. However, I was gravely wrong. On their mission, James and Lily's group encountered Voldemort himself. They not only escaped safely, but defied the Dark Lord and managed to upset one of his plans."

"So what does this mean?" asked Mrs. Evans softly.

"To defy Voldemort, to escape him unharmed, is a guarantee that you will be put on his death list. Lily and James are now clear targets for future attacks. This is something I had hoped to avoid."

"Why did you let them join? That could have avoided this! You knew it was dangerous! They are so young! They didn't understand the consequences!" Mrs. Evans began to scream hysterically, and a shuffling could be heard behind the door.

"Sit down, dear. Please," begged Mr. Evans. "It's not Dumbledore's fault. Please, calm down. Let's listen to what else he has to say."

She heard her mother sniffle, and when silence returned to the room, Dumbledore continued.

"There are many things we can do to protect them. They are both very intelligent and bright. Voldemort has a very wide and varied agenda. They are not his main target, but sadly they are no longer faceless or nameless wizards."

A moment of silence gave Petunia time to think. This sounded serious. What had Lily got herself into? Who was Voldemort?

"Also, part of my reason for coming here tonight is to make you aware of how the situation affects you. I'm afraid your entire family could be in danger as well as Lily and James."

Another moment of silence, and a lump formed in Petunia's throat.

~*~

"Mum! Dad! I'm home!" Petunia called.

She smelled food so she dropped her school books in the hall and headed for the kitchen.

Her father was sitting at the table leaning over the wizard newspaper. His brow was furrowed and his jaw was clamped shut a little too tightly due to nerves. Her mother was standing next to him also reading, with her hand on his shoulder as if looking for support.

"Is something wrong?" Petunia asked and then bit her lip nervously.

Both her parents looked up as if coming out of a daze.

"Oh. You're home," said Mrs. Evans.

Her mother began to wander around the kitchen and fidgeting with dish towels. Mr. Evans just went back to reading the paper.

Petunia's normally pale gaunt cheeks turned a flaming red. Her fists clenched. She could not take this anymore.

"I know I'm not a witch like Lily, but I'm still part of this family! I want to know what's going on! If you can understand and you aren't magic, then surely I can!"

Petunia hadn't meant to shout so loudly, but it got her parent's attention. They both turned to her. Mrs. Evans's eyes glistened with tears. She ran over and put her arms around Petunia while Mr. Evans calmly put down his paper.

"I suppose it is time we had a talk." Petunia's father gestured for her to have a seat.

Petunia pulled herself from her mother's grasp and sat down at the kitchen table.

"What I'm going to tell you is not something you should repeat. None of your friends would understand, but it may in time affect them."

Petunia gave her father a wide-eyed nod, and Mrs. Evans joined them at the table.

"Pumpkin, there are good magic people, and there are bad magic people," explained Petunia's mother.

"Yes, and one particularly bad wizard has become very powerful and is causing many problems for both the wizard world and our world."

"Voldemort," piped Petunia.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans both gasped.

"Umm, yes dear. But most normal people call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," clarified Mrs. Evans.

"Yes," agreed Petunia's father. "Now, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named does not like people who are not wizards. He even doesn't like people like Lily, who is a witch, but came from a muggle family."

"What's a muggle?" asked Petunia.

"A person who cannot do magic," said Petunia's mother gently.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has found lots of other wizards who are as wicked as him and share his views. These people follow him and do whatever he tells them to do. They are called Death Eaters."

Petunia and her mother shuddered.

"What does He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named tell them to do?"

"They hurt people and do many things that can help make themselves stronger. And sometimes, they even murder people."

Petunia gulped.

"There are good wizards," reassured Petunia's father. "Lily and James are helping the good wizards fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"Lily fights?"

Mr. Evans chuckled at Petunia's shocked expression.

"Well, I suppose our little girl is braver than we thought."

Petunia paused to absorb this information. Then she caught sight of the newspaper lying on the table. There was a picture on the front page of a burned skeleton of a house. Above the house was a floating sinister skull with a snake extending from its mouth. The color drained from Petunia's face.

"What happened?" Petunia whispered faintly.

"We received a special late edition of the Daily Prophet. There was a large attack by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the Death Eaters."

"Were people killed?" Petunia said as she choked on the words.

"Yes."

~*~

"Mum! Vernon is here!" Petunia called up the stairs as she grabbed her bag.

"Have a good time, pumpkin! Be home by midnight!"

"I will! It's just dinner!" Petunia checked her reflection carefully in the mirror. She pinched her cheeks to add some color to her pale face and headed out the door.

"Good evening, Petunia."

Vernon stood by his Volvo and held the door open for her. Petunia placed a kiss on one of his rather beefy purple cheeks and climbed into the car.

They were going to dinner to celebrate Vernon's new job. He'd applied to a local drill company, and called her that afternoon to tell her the good news. On the way to the restaurant he went over all the details of his new position with her, and she listened attentively, trying not to be distracted by the traces of a mustache he was developing.

They arrived at a nice restaurant and were seated at a small table by the window. Vernon ordered for both of them- oysters, prawn cocktail, fresh grilled salmon, potatoes, and a side dish of asparagus. Petunia felt ready to burst when the waiter took their plates away.

"Would either of you care for dessert?" the waiter asked.

"Yes," Vernon said taking Petunia's hand. "We'd like a piece of your double layer chocolate cake."

Petunia's eyes widened at the prospect of more food but she gave Vernon an appreciative smile. He looked so happy. She liked it when he was like this, despite the fact that his face looked like a giant plum.

After dinner, they walked up and down the main street. Vernon kept telling her how lovely she looked and put his arm around her waist. When Petunia's feet began to hurt, Vernon escorted her back to the car.

She had a strange knot in her stomach, but she dismissed it as too much food.

The drive home was peaceful and quiet. The moon shone its eerie glow over the neighborhood. Vernon was singing to himself and Petunia hummed along softly. When they arrived at her street, Vernon parked the car and turned to her. She smiled playfully and then gave him a long slow kiss before getting out of the car.

Petunia walked leisurely up to the house and turned to watch Vernon drive off. She strolled to the front door and went to turn the doorknob, but it stuck. She rattled the door some more. Nothing happened. She glanced back at the street, but no one was there.

Shivering, she went around to the back of the house. Some of Lily's tulips were trampled and broken. The roses around the back door were shriveled and black.

Petunia's heart began to pound and her hand shook as she went to open the back door. This time, the door didn't stick and it swung open easily. The house was completely dark. When Petunia tried to turn on the lights, nothing happened.

Petunia hesitated. Something was terribly wrong. The house smelled like something was burning but there was no sign of smoke. She didn't know whether she should go any further inside.

What if someone was still there? But who could she get to help her? This didn't look like a normal break in. Another shiver passed through her as it occurred to her that this was probably the work of a wizard. In which case, she couldn't notify the normal police.

Petunia took a deep breath. It sounded like the house was empty. She went to the kitchen to find some sort of light or candle. Two of the chairs at the kitchen table had been knocked over and a glass lay shattered on the floor. Her hand shook as she lit a candle. Petunia's eyes were filling with tears.

The living room looked worse than the kitchen. There were singe marks on the floor and the furniture that would account for the burning smell. The pictures that hung on the wall were broken and shards of glass littered the floor.

Petunia was now shaking uncontrollably, and she wished Vernon was here with her. She followed the singe marks up the stairs. The wavering candlelight finally settled on her mother's shoe.

Petunia gasped and ran to where her mother lay in the doorway of her bedroom. She looked unharmed, but was cold to the touch. Petunia did not have to check if she was breathing to know that she was dead. Her father lay a few feet away. Both of them wore a frightened expression on their faces.

A green glow caught her attention. Inside her parents' bedroom, hovering by the ceiling was a green skull with a snake protruding from its mouth.