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87. Petunia
🕑 Added 2025-04-23 07:34:54 +0000 UTC"Potter and I are no longer married. Mum, dad, and you were right. He was a jerk…a major jerk and I should have never married him." She thought about what James and Sirius had done at Petunia's wedding reception. They thought it would be hilarious to cast a spell on the wedding cake that caused it to explode all over Petunia and Vernon at the first touch of the knife to the cake. "Look, I really am sorry for what Potter and Black did to you at your wedding reception. I did realize it ruined your very special day and they were horrible to do it, but if it's any consolation, Potter and Black did spend the rest of the day hanging upside down courtesy of me."
Severus grinned. He would have to have Lily tell him the entire story when they got back especially the part how she managed to get them to stay hanging upside down indefinitely when they knew the counter to his Levicorpus Jinx. "And I adopted Harry shortly after I brought him his Hogwarts Letter. While he can still have a relationship with Potter if he so desires; Potter no longer has any say in his upbringing."
"Well, I suppose those are something," Petunia said sitting up with Vernon's help. "And I'm sorry I treated Harry so dreadfully, but every time I looked at him I saw Potter's face smirking at me while we stood there covered in wedding cake. I know that doesn't make up for how we behaved and I also know you could call Child Services and have us arrested for our treatment of Harry."
"Pet…" Vernon started to object.
"Do hush, Vernon," she replied sharply. "If Dumbledore had asked us in the first place whether we wanted to raise Harry; I would have told him no and why, but he didn't bother to talk to us or even ring the bell and let us know he'd left your son. I found him the next morning when I put the empty milk bottles out for the milkman."
"And he left us no way to contact anybody in your world," Vernon added. "We could have used some guidance because while Pet had experience with your magic growing up; it's a lot different than having to raise a child who is magical. We knew nothing…certainly not to expect that he would end up on the roof of the school or turn his teacher's hair blue. We couldn't even think of a way to explain the blue hair."
"Vernon was able to convince the principle that a freakishly strong wind must have swept Harry up and deposited him on the roof for the other incident," Petunia explained. "If Harry is willing to come over for Sunday lunch tomorrow; Vernon, Dudders, and I will apologize to him for the horrible way we treated him in person."
"I think that's a start, Petunia, but we're leaving it up to Harry whether he forgives you or even want anything to do with you for that matter," Lily replied. "And we will support whatever choice he makes."
"I understand," Petunia replied, nodding. "And that's only right and fair."
After agreeing to come over at noon the next day, Severus and Lily apparated back to Hogwarts. Neither of them had really wanted to punish Petunia or Vernon by hexing them or calling either the Muggle Child Services or WCS. Severus could tell that Petunia was genuinely sorry for her abuse of Harry and he felt she really did want to make it up to him. Vernon and Dudley would follow Petunia's lead he was sure. He understood too that even though Petunia had been a bitch in the past and treated Harry like crap; she was Lily's only remaining family. He had none either other than the portraits of his grandparents at Witches Moon.
Severus grinned as they sat down for lunch. "So how did you leave Potter and Black hanging by their ankles so long when they knew the counter to Levicorpus?"
Lily smiled and replied, "I simply cast your spell as Levicorpus Extendo instead just Levicorpus so the counter didn't work. They tried it and tried it. Black was yelling the counter and waving his wand at Potter and Potter was doing the same thing. It got quite noisy for awhile until I took their wands away from them."
"Brilliant, Lily!" Severus applauded her. "How did you cancel the spell then?"
"There are two incantations. First you have to cancel the first one by say Levicorpus Extendo Terminatio and then cast the counter, Liberacorpus. I did them non-verbally so they don't know the spell or the counter. They weren't the least bit sorry; they still thought ruining Petunia's wedding reception was the funniest thing since…"
"Hanging me up by my ankles fifth year," Severus finished for her.
"Mum and Dad were furious about what those two morons did! I'm not sure they ever forgave me completely. I should have divorced Potter right then and there!"
Severus sipped his coffee while Lily looked down the table at Dumbledore. "Albus looks kind of lost."
"He no longer has a 'great light mission' to lead so I do not think he is prepared to be just the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"I just hope he doesn't decide in his boredom that some poor student is the next dark lord," she remarked.
"I will have to keep a wary eye on my snakes because they will be the ones he will be focusing on as he still thinks they are all Death Eaters-in-training."
"I think he's going to have a hard time convincing any of the staff that it's so Sev," Lily replied. "Sure Pansy is a spoiled brat and Blaise shows the effects of having had a parade of different stepfathers, but neither of them is evil."
