Chapter Text
Violet and Edmund Evans of number seven Magnolia Street, Cokeworth, had eagerly awaited the arrival of their daughter.
Both of them were high school sweethearts, married straight out of school. Edmund worked in his family logging business twenty minutes from home, while Violet worked as a school district administrator.
When Violet was pregnant, and the doctor confirmed it was a girl, Edmund spared no expense decorating the nursery.
"She wasn't born yet, and you already treat her like a princess." Violet chided gently, but she was as thrilled as Edmund. "She will grow up spoiled."
"The very best for our little princess," Edmund said.
On the thirtieth of January, Violet was rushed to the hospital because her water broke. Strangely enough, she felt calmer than she had ever been.
The hospital was quiet at dawn; nothing really happened in Cokeworth, after all. Violet rarely had to push her babe out, her little girl slipped just as easily.
And then, Petunia Evans was born with a soft gurgling.
The soft sound of her gurgling and giggles carried through the wall, sounding like a wind chime each time. Outside the hospital room, the dawn broke in a soft golden and purplish hue.
"Oh, my," Doctor Jones, who was attending Violet's birth, whispered under her breath.
"What happened, doctor?" Edmund, who was holding Violet's hand, asked. "Is there something wrong with our Petunia?"
Nurse Miller, who had just bathed Petunia, spoke. "She's flawless, Mr. Evans,"
When Nurse Miller placed Petunia on Violet's breast, the air in the room seemed—warm, even though it was still winter. There was also a faint smell of gardenia and honeysuckle.
The whole head of golden blonde hair and cheeks aglow with an adorable rosy hue greeted Violet and Edmund.
"Oh, she's so perfect, Ed," Violet sobbed. "Such a perfect little angel."
"So she was." Edmund softly kissed his daughter's golden hair. "Our perfect Petunia."
Feeling she was called, the babe slowly opened her eyes. The thing that surprised them was Petunia's eyes; it was so blue, like the ocean, you could drown in them.
It was midday before Doctor Jones gave them clearance to leave.
Petunia was safely tucked under the softest blanket her parents had prepared months before, sleeping so soundly.
Before they walked out of the hospital's door, however, Violet felt cramping pain in her stomach; her face paled, and she squeezed Edmund's arm until it bruised, and she was rushed to the ER.
"There was another babe," Doctor Jones told Edmund.
And so, Violet began her labour twice that day. But it lasted for hours this time, and Violet was crying in pain.
Edmund had to give Petunia to the nurses, who were eager to help while he accompanied Violet.
"I have never seen a babe as beautiful as her," Nurse Abernathy, who was carrying Petunia in her arms, told her coworker. "Such a delight in this little town, I told you."
Nurse Miller, who forwent going home, sighed dreamily. "She is such a blessing to her parents."
The nurses sang praise for Petunia, who was cooing gently at the attention.
Seven hours passed before Petunia's sister was born with a loud wailing typical of a babe. Violet had passed from exhaustion before the new babe was placed upon her breast.
"She's healthy," Doctor Jones told him. "What do you wish to name her?"
There was no awe at the birth of the new babe, no warm room, and no faint smell of flowers, but she was hearty and hale.
"Let me discuss this first with my wife," Edmund told the doctor. "Thank you for your help, Doctor Jones."
Doctor Jones then left the room, leaving Edmund and the newborn babe who had suckled from Violet's breast.
The babe had a wisp of dark red hair and freckles littering her body, happily drank milk from Violet, unaware that her father was unsure what to do with her.
(They had never planned for a second daughter so soon.
They were told one daughter and worked around having one daughter only, their perfect little Petunia.
The second biggest room in their house was transformed into Petunia's nursery, and later, it would become Petunia's bedroom.
Violet told him they would try for a second child when they renovated the house to be bigger. It ideally would happen when their first daughter was older.
There was supposed to be one daughter, but Edmund now had two.)
The babe was named Lily. And she had normal green eyes.
Notes:
This story is basically the longer version of of this story, but instead of older sister-younger sister, they were twins.
Role reversal was such a fun concept I couldn't pass. And I tried to make it from other's perspective up until Hogwarts.
On another note, please pray for my country because democracy has fallen, and we take it to the streets.
And happy Eid Mubarak and Eid al-Fitr for those who celebrated.
Tell me what you think, and enjoy reading!
Chapter Text
Lily cried again for the sixth time today.
Edmund had to go to work because of a problem, and Violet had to care for their daughters alone.
Violet Evans knew caring for a child would not be easy. Caring for two, however, was much more demanding than she had ever imagined.
Lily was a fussy child even when there was nothing wrong with her; her nappy was clean, and she had just eaten not even twenty minutes ago. Nothing could soothe her when she started crying.
Violet and Edmund had been losing sleep since they brought Lily home. She was—tired.
And there was Petunia.
Her sweet little angel cooed while looking at the moving clouds mobile above the crib. Never fussy, never demanding.
"Oh, my perfect Petunia," Violet ignored Lily and picked up Petunia, kissing her golden blonde hair gently.
Unlike Lily, Petunia rarely cried; only soft mewling here and there. Even if she did, Violet always felt it before tears touched her cheeks.
Petunia's soft, chubby hands gently touched Violet's cheeks. All of a sudden, a rush of comfort washed over Violet; it felt as though a warm light cocooned her, made her felt so much better already.
"Oh, you wanted comfort Mummy, my sweet girl?" Violet nuzzled her nose to Petunia's and slowly walked out of the nursery, leaving crying Lily behind.
It was a rare sunny day in late May, and it would be a shame not to enjoy it. Quickly, Violet walked down the stairs and took out the picnic mat.
She spread the mat with one hand while holding Petunia securely on her hip. Once the mat was settled nicely on the ground, she returned to the kitchen to prepare a glass of lemonade.
She gently placed Petunia on the mat before settling down and sipping her lemonade. Lily's cries lessened, and Violet thought she had fallen asleep.
Violet glanced at Petunia; her perfect, sweet little angel. The way her blonde hair shimmered under the sun and her rosy cheeks aglow with a rosy hue. Petunia was—gleaming.
Cokeworth was a quaint little town, and news travelled faster than Violet would have liked, but they heard it nonetheless.
Nurse Miller told her husband who worked as a police officer, and he, in turn, told his coworkers. It spread like wildfire; their neighbours came and congratulated Violet and Edmund.
Lily, as usual, was fussy that day. Too much crowd and noise. On the other hand, Petunia enjoyed the attention, young as she was.
Petunia would coo gently at the attention, smiling so sweetly at the neighbours who came her way.
"Such a blessing, this girl," Mrs. Cox, an older woman from three houses down from them, said.
"I agree," the Headmaster's wife from where Violet worked, Elizabeth, added. "Never have I ever seen hair so golden and eyes so blue."
Petunia was in Violet's arms, giggling each time the woman waved a plushie in front of her. Lily was in the bassinet, crying.
"And Lily—" Irene, Edmund's coworker's wife, turns to the other baby. "She's healthy. Isn't that a blessing?"
Yes, Violet shouldn't have asked for more. Her daughters were healthy, and that was all that mattered.
"Muh— muh!"
"Oh, my!" Violet turned and looked at Petunia, who held the mat tightly. "Did you just say mummy?"
Violet knew it was almost impossible, but she entertained the idea anyway. It might've been the wind or something else. Babes usually start speaking around a year old, after all.
Petunia was blowing raspberries, then in a surer voice, she said, "Muhmah!"
Violet was already scooping Petunia into her arms, lifting her high. "You said Mama!"
Petunia giggled; it was so musical, like summer rain. Her chubby hands reached for Violet. "Muhmah!"
Edmund returned home when the sun dipped on the horizon. Violet rushed to her husband, face gleaming with happiness.
"You wouldn't believe what Petunia did today!" She squealed in delight, not giving Edmund a chance to put his bag.
Edmund raised his eyebrows. "Oh? What did our little princess do?"
"She talked, Ed!" Violet said with a wide grin. "She said Mama!"
Edmund and Violet hurried to the nursery, where their daughters were lying in their crib after their evening bath.
"Did you just say Mama today, my little starlight?" Edmund asked, leaning over the crib. Too afraid to touch his daughter's cheeks after a long day at work.
Petunia blinked, looking between Edmund and Violet. "Muhmah! Dadah!"
"Oh, Edmund!" Violet cried, gently scooped Petunia into her bosom. "Look!"
"Please say it again, sweetling," Edmund said, trying to coax Petunia.
Petunia gurgled, her chubby hand pointed at Edmund. "Dadah!"
Something in his heart melted, and Edmund almost choked on his tears. "Oh, sweet Jesus. My brilliant girl, my little Petunia."
(Edmund and Violet didn't realise the room was cocooned in golden light or that the air smelt sweet like roses. No one realised there was a soft light twinkling in the air.
They would when Petunia was older.
But now, they were just adoring their little girl.)
"How about Lily?" Edmund turned to the other girl in the cot.
Violet seemed hesitant. "Lily was—crying."
"Oh," Edmund let out a soft sigh.
As if given a cue, Lily started wailing; loud, explosive, blood-curdling cries.
"Well," Edmund grimaced. "At least she's healthy, our little firecracker."
(Little did they know, it was all Lily would become later.
The healthy and loud one.
There won't be golden light cocooning her, nor sweet smell around her. There won't be magic and wonder awaiting Lily.
But she was healthy, and it was all that mattered.)
Notes:
Taking care of a baby is no joke, guys. Especially the ones who are prone to crying. It was stressful.
The next chapter would be focused on their toddlerhood, finger crossed.
Tell me what you think and enjoy reading!<3
Chapter Text
When Lily was two, she started talking—shouting, really. Everything was either a no or why, all in a shrieking voice.
Lily had always had too many feelings and too few words to express them; most of the time, she was crying, and at other times, she would cling to Violet and never let her do anything.
It drove Violet insane.
"Could you just tell me what you want?" Violet hissed, hands gripping Lily's shoulders, almost shaking her. "Just tell Mummy what you want, Lily, like your sister."
At two, Petunia could already speak complete sentences. Her darling girl could already ask for fruits and songs, dancing around the kitchen in the refrigerator light.
Petunia was never fussy, too. She always spoke softly and played by herself when she saw Violet was doing something.
Lily cried harder.
Petunia grew in laughter and sunshine, in lullabies and love; she was a girl out of a fairytale—lovely, softspoken, sweet-smelling and draped in dreams stitched with golden thread.
No one quite believed Petunia was their daughter. Petunia didn't resemble Edmund and Violet or distant relatives they knew of; her hair stayed a peculiar golden hue no one in the family shared—sunlit and soft as dandelion fluff with eyes so blue like an ocean.
But it never mattered. Petunia was their daughter, of their heart and soul.
Her cheerful smile never ceased from her lovely face; every time she smiled, people forgot what they had been worrying about. At three, Petunia was already Cokeworth's golden girl.
She was always the one people talked about; the Evans girl, the golden one, the pretty one.
Lily was always the other daughter.
Lily was young, but she noticed things.
Mummy never spent more than three minutes combing Lily's hair; she said it was too unruly, too frizzy, too stubborn to tame. Mummy would often break Lily's hair than not, hands clenching in frustration.
"How about cut your hair short, honey?" Mummy said after putting down the comb. "It would be easier to comb later."
Lily was young, but she noticed things.
Mummy would always spend at least an hour combing Petunia's hair; she would always apply oil that smelled so good to Petunia's hair, combing it until her curls shone under the light.
Lily wanted to cut her hair, thinking that if she had shorter hair, Mummy would have an easier time combing it, and maybe they would have a longer time together.
Lily cut her hair and their time stayed the same.
"Happy birthday, Lils." Petunia sneaked into Lily's bed on the eve of their birthday, holding a small box.
"It was also your birthday, Tuney," Lily grumbled, but she hugged Petunia nonetheless. "Happy birthday, twinsies."
Lily opened the box from Petunia; it was a bracelet made from fresh flowers—petunias, hyacinths, primroses. It fit perfectly on her wrist.
"Pretty, right?" Petunia lazed around, hair still perfect even when she didn't wear a bonnet. "I made it today."
Lily pursed her lips. "But it will die tomorrow."
"It will not!" Petunia yawned. "I told the flowers not to."
"They won't listen," Lily grumbled, but she pulled out a small hairclip from the nightstand and gave it to Petunia. "For you."
Lily's gift wasn't something fancy or handmade; she didn't have Petunia's dexterity, but she had saved some money to buy the butterfly hairpin from last week's night market.
Petunia grinned and put the hairpin in her hair. "How do I look?"
Always pretty, Lily wanted to say. You are always pretty, even if you wear cheap pins and ragged clothes.
Not that their parents would let Petunia, though. Their parents cared about their appearances more than anything, especially tomorrow; they will celebrate their birthday at Grandma Beatrice's place.
Uncle Anthony would be there, and Uncle Anthony loved Lily; he always brought her cute presents, and Lily loved him dearly.
Their birthday was celebrated at Grandma Beatrice's house. Lily wanted a garden party, but it had been cancelled because of the snow the night before.
Lily sighed as she looked over the window. Petunia was with Grandma Beatrice on the piano; Grandma Beatrice played some songs and taught Petunia how to play.
Uncle Anthony walked and sat beside Lily. "Such a nice bracelet. Petunia give it to you?"
She looked at the flower bracelet; still fresh and sweet-smelling even though Lily had been rough with it since morning. "Yeah."
"Now, now," Uncle Anthony ruffled her hair. "Maybe next year, okay? We will have a balloon arch and so many sweets for both of you."
Lily turned and crossed her arms. Petunia finished playing the piano and twirled to Grandma Beatrice and their parents. The butterfly hairpin looked so good on her golden curls.
Lily hated it.
Seeing that his niece didn't say anything, Uncle Anthony pulled Lily to the side. He had prepared gifts for the twins' birthday, of course. There were two boxes, one bigger than the other; the bigger box was tied with a red ribbon, while the smaller box was thin and only the size of Lily's palm, and it was tied with a blue ribbon.
"You see this, Lils?" Uncle Anthony pointed at the bigger box. "It was for you."
Lily beamed, jumping in excitement. "Really? I got the biggest one?"
"Calm down, now." Uncle Anthony chuckled. "But don't open it in front of Petunia, okay? Don't tell her what you got."
It was the first time Lily had received a better gift. Usually, Petunia received the most birthday presents from the neighbours, their kindergarten friends, the teachers, and their parents.
But Uncle Anthony got Lily a bigger and better gift. She jumped to hug him. "Love you, Uncle Tony!"
Uncle Anthony laughed and kissed her cheeks. "Happy birthday, our little firecracker."
Lily got eight gifts, and Petunia got nine. But it was okay because Lily had the biggest ones in the room.
They blew out the candles and ate the cake.
Then Grandma Beatrice played the piano; Uncle Anthony took Lily for a dance while Daddy and Mummy had already danced. Petunia sat beside Grandma Beatrice on the piano stool, legs dangling because it was too tall.
And then a song was sung.
A hush fell, and Uncle Anthony stopped spinning Lily, listening intently to the song. It was a song Lily had never heard before, and she turned her head to see where the music was coming from.
It was Petunia, mouth singing lyrics that felt foreign in her ears, head bobbing to the piano music, and legs swinging according to the rhythm.
She sang to no one specifically; not to their family or even Lily, but her voice filled the dining room as Petunia closed her eyes, as if she were performing on a stage built only for her.
Petunia's voice was sweet and melodic; it was clear like a bell ringing at dawn, pulling something deep into Lily's chest.
When Petunia finished her song, there was a beat of silence before she sheepishly looked around. "Is it good?"
Mummy, Daddy and Uncle Anthony rushed to Petunia, cooed at her singing and praised their perfect little golden girl.
Lily just stood there, tears falling, without knowing why.
Lily opened the box from Uncle Anthony as soon as she reached her room.
It was a big cream teddy bear with a large red ribbon tied to its neck. Lily loved it dearly.
Lily giggled as she slept with the teddy bear on her side.
She named it Mr. Fluffy.
In the morning, Petunia twirled a new blue dress she got from Grandma Beatrice. It had fluffy sleeves and a big ribbon on the back.
Lily got green jumpers from Grandma Beatrice. The green clashed with her hair, so she put them inside the box under the bed.
When they played in the living room, Lily noticed something sparkled in Petunia's ears.
"What was that?" Lily pointed at the blue stone etched on her twin's ears. "Is that an earring?"
"Yep! It was a gift from Uncle Tony. Look!" Petunia nodded and pulled a necklace with the same stone from under her dress. "It was a matching set, a necklace and earrings."
Petunia kept playing with the dolls from Mrs Cox while Lily felt something stirred inside her.
(Lily was still young, but she noticed things.
Petunia was always the prettier twin; people always gathered around Petunia like bees drawn to blooming flowers.
People turned their heads when Petunia passed; necks craned, shoulders twisted, entire bodies leaned ever so slightly toward her. The adults would stop whatever they were doing just to smile at her and give something into her tiny palms.
And Petunia gave love so easily to everyone, giving people flowers she plucked on the roadside and smiling so freely that people felt better afterwards.
Petunia was made of sugar, spice and everything nice. Lily was made of things that were left out.
Petunia was golden, and Lily was copper.
Always behind, always in shadow.)
Notes:
Bad parents were bad parents, no matter who was the favourite.
Tell me what you think and enjoy reading!<3
Chapter Text
Being the second daughter of the second son wasn't anything special. Good things always happened to her twin, Petunia, while Lily followed her in the shadow.
Petunia was the golden girl, everyone's darling girl; her blonde hair resembled molten gold, her eyes were deep blue like the ocean, and her hair was silky and soft. It was no help that Petunia also had a long, graceful neck with a slim, tall, slender body.
Lily, on the other hand, was petite. She had plain reddish-brown hair, dull green eyes, and a freckled face. She wasn't ugly, but compared to Petunia, she faded into the background.
When they turned seven, Lily knew what people talked about when they thought she couldn't hear; everything that they said was almost too hurtful, but Lily tried to justify it—she heard a pretty child turned into an ugly one when they got older. If Lily weren't as pretty as Petunia, she might grow into a pretty girl.
She studied hard so her grades wouldn't fall behind, and she always helped her parents, hoping it would earn her their love.
But nothing was ever enough. People still turned their heads when Petunia passed; necks craned, shoulders twisted, entire bodies leaned ever so slightly toward her.
Nothing was ever enough. Their parents still cooed over Petunia, calling her their perfect little angel; Mummy would always spend at least an hour combing Petunia's hair every single day.
Lily just wasn't—Petunia.
One afternoon, Violet and Edmund took Lily and Petunia to a newly developed area in Cokeworth; it was a little far from their home, but the air was cleaner, and the roads were tidier.
The house here was much larger than the one in their area, and Edmund led them to the largest house in the midst of reconstruction.
Violet had her hands on Petunia's shoulder while Lily's eyes wandered beside her twin. "Where are we, Daddy?"
"Our new house, Lils." Edmund puffed his chest proudly. "It took longer than I anticipated, but once the house was finished, we could finally move in."
"Did we really?" Petunia looked at him, her face brightened.
Edmund looked over Violet, who chuckled and patted Petunia's head. "Of course, my little angel."
"Oh, speaking of," Violet tutted, pointing at the house. "Here comes Anthony."
Anthony was already there, waving his hand towards them as he passed the construction workers. "Here comes my favourite family,"
"The family you knew of was mine and ours," Edmund had to roll his eyes at his brother's antics.
"Not true," Anthony grinned, ruffling Lily's hair. "I know other families."
Petunia held back a giggle. "The pixies'?"
Anthony wrapped Petunia in a hug and carried her in his arms. "And the Pegasus!"
Lily was sulking, and Edmund decided to carry her too. His other daughter was needy at times, so they had to be mindful of her mood. "Let's see the house, okay?"
The house was beautiful; it was three stories high with a vast backyard overlooking a hillock. From the entryway, on the right, was the living room. It was big enough to host thirteen people at the same time, then a study on the left for Edmund and Violet.
The kitchen was adjacent to the dining room. Before the kitchen was a staircase leading to the second floor and four rooms along the hallway; one master bedroom, two other rooms, and one storage room.
Lily wanted to see other rooms, so Edmund put her down.
"The second floor was nearly complete; it just needed finishing touches," Anthony explained as he stepped inside. "The windows are big enough for you, I reckon, Ed. And the bathroom had enough space for other things."
Edmund and Violet were measuring the window when Lily's voice echoed. "Mum! Dad! I want this room!"
Violet raised her eyebrow and looked at Anthony. He grimaced. "I suppose she saw the second-biggest room."
Edmund nearly slapped his forehead. He had forgotten that among the remaining rooms on the second floor, Petunia's would be the largest; her little flower owned so many dresses that they almost filled her room in the old house.
Quickly, Edmund rushed towards the room and saw Lily standing proudly in the centre, hands on her hips. "I want this room, Daddy."
Violet grimaced behind him. "Lils, how about the other room? You are messy, darling, and a bigger room means you have to clean longer."
Lily was already sulking, lips pursed and hands crossed across her chest. "No! I want this room!"
"Lily!" Violet almost shouted. "If you take this room, I won't clean your bedroom anymore!"
"I still want this room, Mummy!" Lily stomped on the floor. "Why can't I have it!?"
"Do you like this room that much?" Petunia asked, still clinging to Anthony's shirt.
"I want it!" Lily shouted, face almost redder than her hair. "I want it, Mummy, Daddy!"
"Less of the cheek, you." Edmund sighed as he rubbed his forehead before turning to Petunia. His little angel just nodded her head. "How about you, sweetling?"
Petunia blinked and pointed upstairs. "Uncle Tony said this house had an attic. Can I have it?"
Petunia requested to be taken upstairs, leading them toward the attic via the narrow wooden stairs. The attic was larger than the rooms on the second floor, occupying nearly half of that level. However, the ceilings were low, and they had to crouch down as they entered.
The attic wasn't finished; only the foundation was set in place, the roof hadn't been put on, and the floor was creaking.
"Are you sure you want this place, Pet?" Anthony asked.
"Yup!" She popped the P. "It's perfect!"
After dinner and the twins were already in bed, Anthony came to him in the living room while Violet was washing dishes.
"The attic wasn't ideal," he started. "The ceiling was too low, and Petunia could hurt herself."
Edmund sighed, taking two cups and pouring whisky into them. "I will try to talk Petunia out, but I don't think she would listen. The girls could be stubborn when they wanted to."
Anthony took his cup and sipped it. "Or we can redo the attic. The workers hadn't finished their work yet, so we can make the ceiling higher and use better flooring."
Edmund suckled his lips. "My savings had already been spent on the house; I couldn't spare any more."
"We will use my money," Anthony offered, and before Edmund could reject him, he flicked Edmund's forehead. "What's money between brothers? Besides, I don't have children to spoil, and Petunia had always wanted to be a princess; let me build her a kingdom of her own."
Edmund slouched on the sofa. "I owe you one, okay?"
Anthony waved his hand dismissively. "Anything for my favourite niece."
Anthony and Edmund have been close since their childhood; their father died young, and his brother had to take care of Edmund and their mother.
Anthony then pursued a major in architecture and worked as an architect after graduating, while Edmund took over the family business.
Anthony never married nor fathered a child. But he had loved Petunia when Edmund and Violet brought the twins to their mother's house.
So when Anthony told Edmund to relax and let him do all the work, Edmund let him. He knew his brother would never do something that could potentially hurt Petunia.
On the moving day, Edmund could see that the attic was definitely higher than before. Petunia and Lily couldn't hold their excitement, running as soon as the car stopped at the house.
Anthony welcomed them at the porch, having helped them move their furniture a week before. They had to sleep at mother's house for days.
"Where's mother?" Anthony asked. Edmund took a box from the car.
"Beatrice was tired," Violet explained, opening the door. "She will come tonight, you know, to bless the house."
The house was set in perfect motion; carpeted floors in the living room and the study and marble tiles in the kitchen and dining room.
Edmund pulled Anthony close, almost hissing. "It was over budget, Tony."
"Do you want another flick?" Anthony admonished him before freeing himself from his side and ushering Violet and the twins towards the second floor.
Their beds were already placed in each room, and Lily squealed when she saw her room. New covers, new duvets, and a tall closet. "Love you, Nuncle!"
Anthony clapped his hands. "Now, how about we see the attic?"
Petunia beamed as she ran up the stairs that had been widened to be sturdy and fit more people. On top of the stairs at the landing stood a door.
The door matched the doors below, but it was painted a cream colour. Petunia opened the door, and a vast, bright room came into view.
The attic was converted into a flat with a high ceiling and soft, plush carpet. Petunia's bed stood at the end of the attic, flanked by two large windows on each side. Half walls separated the bed area and the rest of the room.
On the left side of the door, there was a built-in closet connected to a bathroom, while on the right side, a sliding door led to a balcony. In the centre was a low table with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on the left and a black upright piano on the right.
"Oh, this place is so nice!" Violet whispered softly.
Edmund turned to Anthony—as if it wasn't enough to transform the attic into this fantastic place, he had to add a piano on top of that?
"The piano was from Mummy if you wanted to object." Anthony puffed his chest proudly. "Mummy said Petunia had a talent. Who knew, she might be a pianist in the future."
Edmund wanted to object, but Petunia's thrilled expression washed down his worry. She tugged his sleeves and pointed at the piano. "Could I play it, Daddy?"
Sighing softly, Edmund looked at Anthony, almost raising his brows. "Of course, sweetling."
His daughter was making her way towards the piano and started to play once she was seated. Slowly, the melody filled the room. Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins, if Edmund recalled correctly.
Petunia was obsessed with the film when it first aired and couldn't stop singing every song every chance she got.
Violet hummed the melody before sounding out, and then Anthony followed suit. Both of them sang cheerfully, and they urged him to join.
Edmund couldn't sing, but how could he refuse when his little girl played so gracefully like this?
So Edmund sang.
(No one realised the heavy thuds of Lily's footsteps echoing on the staircase behind them. No one realised she had a sour face since Petunia opened the door to the attic.
Lily asked for the biggest room on the floor below because she knew her parents would give it to Petunia and placed Lily in the smaller one.
Lily just wanted better things for once; Petunia already had a bigger room in their old house, so in this house, she wanted it to be hers.
She was ecstatic when Petunia chose the attic. It was cramped and narrow. For the first time, Lily felt she had won.
Then Uncle Anthony made the attic better—far better than Lily had, just like everything; Petunia always had better things—books, dresses, dolls.
So Lily ran to her room and screamed into the pillow.)
Petunia always loved the sunny days in Cokeworth. It was rare, so it was much more precious when she could spend the day with Lily on such a nice day.
Lily had been withdrawn from her, and she blamed herself; Petunia had been too busy with school, and her new friends—Bethany, Sarah, Mia, Grace, Evie, and Zara— didn't really let Petunia leave to go to Lily's class.
Petunia was a bad sister. They were twins; Lily and Petunia were supposed to always be together, but in school, they were placed in different classes.
"Come, Lils!" Petunia called from under the stairs, already wearing the blue dress she got from Mrs Addams down the street because she had helped sit on her dog. "I want to show you something!"
Mummy and Daddy were working, and they could play outside whenever they wanted as long as they returned home before five; Petunia had worked hard to prepare a surprise for Lily.
Lily sulked as she walked downstairs. She had cut her hair again, and it hadn't been growing too well, uneven on each side. Petunia should find something to help Lily's hair grow longer.
"What?" Lily crossed her arms, but Petunia was too excited, and she led Lily towards the backyard and to an abandoned house atop the hillock.
"Mummy said not to come here," Lily hissed, looking around. "She said this house was dangerous."
"It was not!" Petunia pouted, opening the squeaking door. "This house has character."
Lily trailed behind her inside the house as Petunia made her way to the kitchen. The kitchen was already rundown; peeling wallpaper clung desperately to the walls, and the air carried a musty scent. The cabinets were cluttered with dried, withered plants.
The only sign of life was a small patch of flowers in the sink.
"Do you want to turn this place into your own private tea house?" Lily snorted. "Daddy might be able, though. Uncle Anthony, too; he did everything you asked for."
Petunia felt the snippy tone from Lily, but she brushed it off. Her twin had been a little sensitive lately, but it might have been from all the studying. Lily had been studying so hard lately.
"I'm not here to show you the house," Petunia huffed and turned to the cabinet. "Just see."
Slowly, Petunia's fingers hovered over the dying branch on the cabinet, trembling slightly; she inhaled once, twice. The moment stretched, quiet and slow. The air stilled, and Lily tapped her shoes on the broken tiles beside her.
Then, very softly, the dying branch unfolded; the brown edges began to fade—the stem straightened slowly, spreading from the cabinet towards the cracked pot on the windowsill.
A bud—tiny, pale, alive—unfurling from the centre alongside its slender stem. By the time Petunia finished, the dying plants had bloomed into a small garden of flowers with numerous colours.
She retracted her hands and turned to Lily. "Look!"
Lily gawked, brushed her eyes four times before touching the flowers. "How?"
"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders. "Last month, I just wished for the flowers in Grandma's garden to bloom more beautifully, and they did!"
Lily caressed the flowers tenderly, and Petunia pointed towards the small patch of flowers in the sink. "I then thought, what if I wasn't hallucinating about it, so I tried to make flowers bloom again. I came here two days ago, and I put Mummy's seeds into the dirt on the sink and wish they would grow."
Lily finally turned to her. "Did they?"
"They did!" She nodded. "Just yesterday."
Lily took her hand and squeezed it. "Do you think I can do that too?"
Petunia wasn't sure. It wasn't something she thought was possible. She just wished, and they followed her wish. "We are twins, so it must be, right?"
Her twin's face brightened, finally smiling for the first time in months. "Can I come with you here, then?"
Petunia grinned. "Of course. It would be our secret, okay?"
(Little did Petunia know, the blooming flowers in her Grandmother's garden weren't the first time she wished for something, and it answered her.
It was just the first time she wished for herself—most of the time, it was for her family; for Lily not to get hurt when she fell, for Mummy's headache to be gone, for Daddy's safety, for Nuncle Tony's projects, for Grandma's knees to be healed.
The world always heard what she had to say; Petunia just didn't realise it yet.)
(A little illustration of Petunia's bedroom. Made using some 3D software and I added some descriptions.)
Notes:
They were doomed by the narratives 🥺🥺🥺
In the Next chapter, they will be older, and Lily's hatred will have taken root because Petunia will have a magical friend
coughseveruscoughin the future.Tell me what you think and enjoy reading!❤️
Chapter Text
It had been almost two weeks, and the seed Lily planted had yet to bloom.
She had been coming with Petunia every day for a week to plant new seeds—lilac, camilla, marigolds—but only Petunia's bloomed.
Lily did everything right according to the gardening book she had borrowed from the library—loosen the soil and the works, even as far as mixing compost with it.
"Maybe it needs more time?" Petunia murmured as she cut the stems of the orchids she planted yesterday.
Lily almost threw the watering can in frustration. She was sure Petunia did something to her seeds—it was the only logical reason she could think of.
Petunia was always the last one to leave the house, and she had been here longer than Lily. It would be possible for her to hide something that could kill plants.
Lily knew Petunia had done something; she just couldn't prove it yet.
They were twins; they were supposed to have the same abilities. It wouldn't be fair for Petunia to hog all the good qualities for herself and leave Lily with dirt.
When her parents and Petunia fell asleep, Lily snuck out to the abandoned house alone. A sack of crocus seeds was in her hand, and when she arrived at the house, Lily quickly went to the kitchen and opened the cabinet beneath the sink.
Petunia had never opened this cabinet, so this place would be safe from her hands. Quickly, Lily went towards the backyard and shoved dirt into the gardening spade she borrowed from Mummy.
Lily knelt, filled the cabinet with dirt, and sowed the seeds, lightly covering them with the remaining soil. With trembling hands, Lily copied what Petunia had done countless times; she hovered her hands above the dirt and wished.
Let the seeds take root, and let the crocus bloom beautifully, much more beautiful than whatever Petunia sowed before.
Today was the last day of term, and she had followed Petunia's side since morning, even in school. She was beaming when Lily took her hands as they walked to school, smiling so brightly that Lily almost snapped.
Petunia's friends glared at her, and Lily ignored them; she didn't exactly have friends—everyone in school treated Petunia like a queen and only talked to Lily if her twin was involved.
After school, Petunia was held by her friends; they wanted to talk about something, she said. "I will meet you later, okay?"
Whatever, Lily thought as her little feet ran towards the abandoned house. Petunia wouldn't come here until she finished with her friends, and Lily could finally have proof that she had sabotaged Lily's seeds.
When Lily dashed as she made her way to the house, she almost tripped once she was near the kitchen. She inhaled deeply twice and rubbed her hands together before opening the cabinet, heart filled with excitement.
That heart shattered into tiny little pieces as Lily saw that the dirt was in the same condition she had left it the night before.
Lily screamed. She let out a blood-curdling scream so hard that her throat hurt and trashed everything; the pot on the windowsill, the flowers that had just bloomed, the vines that crept up the cabinet, everything.
Lily didn't return to the house, not even when Petunia begged her to come with her, not even when Petunia waited for hours in front of her door.
Petunia stopped begging her to come on the third day.
Petunia joined Girl Guides shortly after that.
Lily drifted from her again, and Petunia didn't know why; she had tried anything to get Lily to talk, but she had always brushed Petunia off and gone to her room.
Petunia was crying in her room, then she decided to apply to the Girl Guides the next day. It helped to distract her mind by doing all the fun activities with her new friends. She attended a camp by the lake with other Brownies, where they collected flowers, learned how to make scrapbooks, and practised Morse code. In the evenings, they shared scary stories around the campfire.
Then, Petunia was elected to be her group leader.
She had become busier, of course, but it was fun. The first year Petunia joined, her group raised the most funds for the playground renovation between Spinner's End and Magnolia Street.
Petunia knew all the people who lived on Magnolia Street and a few blocks across it, so knocking on doors was easy enough for her group. Then, for the people on the Spinner's End, Petunia suggested they lend their hand to renovating the playground instead of money. Most of them agreed to help, and she rotated the shifts between them.
The renovation would be finished in a few days, and they had added new swings and benches for people to sit on. Her group created handwritten cards to thank all the people who participated, regardless of the size of their contributions.
"Hmm," Petunia pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "It felt lacking."
Amanda, who had written her lines on the card, looked up. "What is, Pet?"
Her group had gathered inside her room to work on the handwritten cards—her room was the largest and unofficially served as the base camp for their group. Each of them had one line to write on the cards, and Petunia had finished all of her cards.
"I don't know." Petunia sprawled on the carpeted floor.
On her side, Maureen hummed. "You are right. It was cool when you told us your vision, but writing it like this feels lacking."
Petunia lay on her side, hand supporting her cheek, thinking. "Oh! How about we add pressed flowers or a bookmark?"
"That was a good idea!" Joanne flopped beside Amanda. "Pressed flowers on the cover would be great."
Leslie, who monopolised the study desk and piano, nodded. "And you know all of their names; wouldn't it be great to write their name personally?"
"But how about the flowers?" Janice, who sat near the piano, added. "We would need so many flowers, and the renovation would be finished soon."
"And we haven't finished the cards yet." Amanda quailed. "If only we could write as fast as you, Pet."
Joanne laughed. "Fast and neat. If it were me, no one could read what I had written on the card."
"Oh!" Petunia sat up. "I will collect the flowers tomorrow so that we can press them together here. How about that?"
"Can you do that, though?" Leslie asked. "It would be lots of flowers, Pet. I don't think we could pick the wisteria from your walls, though."
She had sown some seeds from the Mummy's shed in the small garden on the balcony, unsure what it was. Turned out it was wisteria; in a month, the wisteria had covered the walls outside of her room.
Mummy was wondering how the wisteria could grow this fast, while Daddy shrugged his shoulders. Lily didn't meet her eyes.
Petunia puffed her chest, then raised her right hand, with three fingers held up and the thumb holding down the little finger. "Leave it to me! Sixer's pride!"
Her group copied her movements and cheered. "Our pack's pride, Petunia Evans!"
In the morning, Petunia had already been busy dragging a large blanket towards the abandoned house—she had named the house Sunny Garden because all the seeds she sowed always bloomed so beautifully, no matter the seed type.
"Morning, Sunny!" She greeted as soon as the door opened. No one greeted her back, but Petunia hummed cheerfully as she entered and climbed the second floor.
Every corner of the house was covered in flowers, even the handrail. All the abandoned rooms on the second floor had turned into a garden of seasonal flowers; the winter garden, the autumn garden, the summer garden, and the spring garden.
"Oh my!" Petunia knelt as soon as she reached the autumn garden. The asters and helenium had bloomed so magnificently. "You grew so well!"
Petunia laid out the blanket on the floor and then plucked the asters and helenium, placing them gently on the blanket. She spent almost thirty minutes just gathering the flowers from the other rooms; peonies, irises, marigolds, zinnias, camellias, calendulas, petunias, and some yarrows.
When she put the last flowers on the blanket, it felt so tiny that Petunia couldn't be sure the flowers would fit the blanket.
"I'm too excited," Petunia chirped as she tied the ends of the blanket. "I'm sorry, Sunny. I will bring other friends for you tomorrow, okay?"
The broken tile in the autumn garden shifted slightly. Petunia knew it was probably the wind, but she liked to assume it was Sunny giving her permission.
When she reached her home, Petunia quickly went to her room. She moved the table near the bed and opened the blanket. The flowers tumbled softly onto the carpet.
Around noon, her group had arrived.
"Wow, you really went on your way to collect this many flowers, huh?" Leslie let out a laugh.
"Well, Sunny helped me," she tittered, and they nodded in acknowledgement.
"Well, thanks to Sunny, we got to do our work now," Amanda rolled up her sleeves. "Now, let's get to work!"
Petunia knew many people in Cokeworth, so they just assumed Sunny was just another friendly neighbour. She didn't correct them; Sunny was a secret between her and Lily only.
They worked on the pressed flowers for days, and on the night before the ceremony, after the last cards had been named, her group slept in Petunia's room, clutching the leftover dried flowers in their hands.
The opening ceremony was fantastic. Girl Guides pack's leader, Brown Owl Miss Heather, was the librarian in Cokeworth. She gave a speech on the importance of renovating the town's playground and asked Petunia to come to the podium after she finished.
Petunia took a deep breath before she stepped up on the podium; she had prepared this since Miss Heather told her to prepare her own speech a week before, but it was the first time she had talked to a large audience. She had memorised the speech for days.
"Good morning, good people of Cokeworth," she started. Ugh, her palms felt sweaty. "I want to thank each and every one of you for the contributions you put into renovating this playground. I know this journey has been challenging, and we remember your kindness in believing in Girl Guides to make this playground more accessible for everyone. We have prepared a small gift in appreciation of your contributions; please come to the podium when your name is called."
They only prepared the cards and bookmarks, but their parents also prepared other thank-you gifts; handmade cookies and jams, tote bags and seed packets tied with yellow ribbons. It was six gifts for each one of them.
Petunia began calling out their names, and they shook hands with her group as each person received their gifts one by one. There were so many contributors that it took her an hour to call all their names.
Her parents, Lily, Uncle Tony, and Grandma attended the ceremony, watching Petunia as she handed out the cards and called the next ones.
When the playground had cleared, Uncle Tony offered to take all the Guide Girls and Miss Heather to a restaurant.
The only one rejected was Lily.
"I had homework," Lily told her, loud enough for the other people to hear. "Not everyone had enough free time like you to do this kind of thing."
Behind her, Petunia could feel Janice thumping her shoes on the ground. "Do you want something from the restaurant? I will tell Uncle Tony."
"No need." Lily harrumphed, then she turned and walked away.
Janice took her hands and squeezed them. "You okay?"
Petunia didn't feel okay, but she just nodded. "It's okay; Lily was more studious than I. It was understandable."
Something was aching in her chest, but Petunia held it down; she had been for months.
The meal was excellent. Uncle Tony booked the restaurants for all of them. Leslie ate her steak happily, and Petunia laughed so hard when Maureen had ice cream on her nose, but ignored it for another serving.
It was a great night.
"Oh, Nuncle," Petunia turned to her left, where her families were seated. Uncle Tony looked up from his wine. "Can we order takeout for Lily? She must be hungry."
Uncle Tony inclined his head. "Of course, darling. Order what you want, okay?"
Petunia walked to the waiter waiting for them and ordered another steak and salad. This place was good; maybe Petunia should ask her parents to go here again with Lily.
It was their first birthday celebration in the new house, and there had been no snowfall for days. Mummy and Daddy invited everyone they knew to have a garden party.
Their friends from school, the kids around the block, the Girl Guides, even people from their old neighbourhood. Both she and Lily wore pink twin dresses for their ninth birthday, and Mrs Addams offered to bake the cake; a three-tiered cake with a candle on each side for them to blow.
Lily was sulking each time the bows on her dress were askew, and Petunia fixed them without Lily asking for it. They were still twins, and Lily didn't pull her hand when Petunia took it. It was good.
They made their wishes—Petunia wished for Lily to be close to her again and then blew the candle.
People kept coming; some brought gifts, and others brought snacks for everyone to enjoy.
"Oh, such a lovely day," Nurse Miller, who helped deliver Petunia, caressed her cheeks. "It felt like just yesterday, Emilia and I helped your mother in the delivery room. But it had already been nine years!"
Doctor Emilia Jones nodded in agreement. "Time flies, doesn't it? Petunia had always been such a beautiful babe, and she turned out to be a more beautiful girl."
Petunia grinned. The nurses who helped her were there, even when some of them were already retired; Nurse Abernathy was chatting with Mrs Cox and Grandma.
Her friends made a flower crown for her to wear. It sat nicely on top of her head. Petunia felt like a princess.
She laughed and played with the other kids, sometimes keeping an eye on Lily. Lily was talking with two boys, and she pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and laughed.
When it was nightfall and people had already gone home, Uncle Tony helped Petunia bring her gifts to her room while Daddy helped Lily. Mummy and Grandma made tea in the kitchen, eating some leftover cake.
"Alright," Uncle Tony put down the last boxes on the piano. "That was the last one; all a hundred and two birthday gifts."
Petunia giggled. "You count them all?"
"Of course," He crouched down and patted Petunia's head. "It was easy to count when the boxes had your name on them."
The gifts had names written on them; Petunia didn't know why, but Mummy said it was so their gifts wouldn't get mixed up. It wouldn't be so bad to have their gifts mixed up, though, they were twins, and they could share them.
"Oh, speaking of." Uncle Tony straightened his back and rummaged through his pocket, and took out a small box. "This is for you."
Petunia raised his brow. "You already gave me something, though."
Uncle Tony grinned, all teeth and gums. "This is from Andrew."
That made Petunia gasped. "Really? Is it from Andrew?"
"I wouldn't lie to you, Princess," he chuckled. "He sent his best wishes to you, and he's sorry because he couldn't come."
"It's okay, I know it would be hard for you too, Nuncle." Petunia fiddled with her fingers. "But can we have lunch sometime with Andrew?"
"Of course, sweet thing." Uncle Tony nodded. "But Lily couldn't come, you know that, right?"
Petunia felt bad for Lily, but she might not understand Uncle Tony and Andrew's relationship. "Okay, promise?"
"Pinky promise."
Petunia spent all night unboxing her gifts; new books, new bags, new dolls, scented candles, quad roller skates, new seeds, new dresses—there was so much that Petunia almost had her hands cramped.
When she unboxed a gift from Andrew, Petunia almost screamed.
It was a bracelet Petunia had been eyeing when she, Uncle Tony and Andrew had lunch in London; a white gold bracelet with blue and green pendants.
Andrew was Uncle Tony's boyfriend—well, they told her to refer to them as business partners when they were outside, but Petunia liked to think of Andrew as her other uncle.
They had been partners long before Petunia was born, so it was the same as marriage, right? Uncle Tony just suddenly introduced them one afternoon, the day when Lily rejected Uncle Tony's invitation because she had to study again.
Andrew was handsome, and he was so smart—well, he was a lawyer, so he must be smart, no? Giddily, she put on the bracelet. It fitted so snugly on her wrist. Oh, Petunia had to write to Andrew to thank him.
Petunia was sleepy, but a thank-you letter had to be written as soon as possible. She didn't want to be rude, after all.
(A little drawing I did for Petunia. Petunia with her flower crown. I love her so much😭😭😭)
Notes:
Girl Guides was the equivalent of Girl Scouts, so I think Petunia would love it if she joined them. I can picture her wearing the uniforms and knocking on doors to ask for donations or selling cookies.
This chapter mostly focused on Petunia, but the next chapter might be a mix between Lily and Petunia.
Tell me what you think and enjoy!
Chapter Text
There was a new boy in Lily's class.
A thin, sallow-faced boy named Severus Snape. He was wearing shabby, old, mismatched, too big of a clothes on his body; he looked like he would rather be anywhere else but in the classroom.
He sat on a seat beside Lily, and she almost scrunched up her nose because he reeked of mothballs. Lily had to pretend to lift her glasses to cover up her nose for even a second.
"Hi, Severus! I'm Lily Evans." Lily introduced herself at lunch. He looked smart, and honestly, Lily could use another study partner; the last ones only went to her house to talk to Petunia.
What a bollocks.
"I'm not interested. Don't talk to me." The boy didn't even look up from his book.
Cheeky fucker.
Lily made her way to Mummy's office to retrieve the house key; her mother would be working late, and Petunia was doing god knew what. Rehearsing lines for the upcoming school play would be most likely.
It wasn't that they talked much these days. Lily was always in her room, and Petunia was always busy being the brightest golden girl Cokeworth had ever seen.
("Miss Seaborn picked me to play Cinderella for Empire Day!" Petunia giggled as she bit into her roast beef at last month's dinner.
"Oh, that was wonderful, sweetling!" Mummy clapped her hands.
"Our little Princess got to play a Princess, huh?" Daddy chuckled, hand resting on Petunia's head.
Lily clenched her fist, trying not to yell.
"Don't you have something to say to your sister, Lils?" Daddy turned to her, brow half-raised.
"Congrats, Tuney. I know you could do it." Lily gave her a tight smile. Petunia beamed. How Lily hated it. She wanted to hurt her. "But well, you are blonde, so it was a fixed role."
Across from her, Petunia blinked. "What?"
Lily leaned back in the chair, hand lightly stabbing at her meal. "Cinderella was blonde with blue eyes, you were blonde with blue eyes. You do the math, twinsies—unless your math grade was from cheating, of course, I would do the math for you."
"Lily!" Daddy shouted. She flinched.
"I just tell the truth!" Lily crossed her arms. "Even if Petunia did badly, people would forgive her because she was pretty."
"I'm going to my room first." Petunia's voice quivered. "Thank you for the meal, Mum."
Petunia dashed down the hallway and raced towards the attic.
Mummy turned to Lily in disbelief. "How could you say that to your sister? I never raised you like that, young lady!"
"How could you accuse Petunia of cheating?" Daddy raised his voice. He never did that before. "Your sister studied hard even with all those after-school clubs. You know that."
Lily knew. Petunia participated in many things; Girl Guides, gymnastics, book club and choir. She also knew Petunia still visited the abandoned house every day.
It just wasn't fair that Petunia's grades were far better than Lily's. Lily studied harder than anyone; she even needed glasses because of all the reading, and she had nosebleeds more than once.
It just wasn't fair that Lily had to work hard while Petunia did everything so easily.
So she ran to her room. Daddy yelled from the dining room to apologise to Petunia.
Lily never did.
And Petunia greeted her in the morning like everything was fine.)
"Oh, you are here." Mummy looked up from her desk and handed Lily the key. "Speaking of, your class had a new student, right? Severus Snape?"
"What of it?" She put the key in her pocket.
"Don't get too close to him, okay?" Mummy sighed, shaking her head. "They just moved to Spinner's End—his dad was a drunk, from what I heard. Not a good lot."
Ugh. Lily almost befriended that boy.
Good riddance.
"—and cut!" Miss Seaborn clapped her hands loudly. "Emily, that was good improvisation; keep that okay?"
It was already evening, and Mummy had already gone home. Petunia was still busy reciting lines in the gymnasium. It was the longest practice they had done. Well, not that she could blame Miss Seaborn, though. All of them were excited.
"And Petunia," Miss Seaborn called to her. She looked up from the script. "You improved from last time, but can you go deep into the disappointment when Cinderella couldn't go to the party?"
Petunia drew a deep breath. She had never known the disappointment of being left out, but she had to try. "Of course, Miss Seaborn."
"Great! Let's end the practice here, okay?" Miss Seaborn looked around. "Be safe on your way home, and don't forget tomorrow's practice, okay?"
Miss Seaborn walked out of the gymnasium while Petunia lay on her back on the floor, too tired to move.
"You going, Pet?" Emily, who played the evil stepmother, asked.
"Do you want me to carry you?" Noah, who played the prince charming, offered. "I can totally carry you home."
Petunia guffawed. "It's okay, you all can go. I want to lie for a few more minutes."
Her friends offered to wait and walk home with her, but Petunia rejected. It was already late, and she wanted to play in the playground. In the end, her friends went first and left Petunia.
Nearly ten minutes passed before she stood up and grabbed her bag. The road was empty at this time; the wind felt chilly, and people preferred to stay indoors.
Petunia ran toward the playground; it was a twenty-minute walk from school, but if she ran, Petunia could reach it in six minutes. No one was at the playground, of course, so Petunia put her bag on the ground and looked around.
The ones that accompanied her were birds—three robins perched on the bench and two blackbirds on the merry-go-round. Petunia squinted her eyes; the robins were smaller and had muted colours, while the blackbirds had yellowish-brown beaks.
"Good evening, ladies." She curtsied slightly before sitting on the swing. "What a nice day it was."
They chirped before taking a flight. Petunia was left alone. "Rude."
Petunia planned to play in the playground for a while; she still had to do her homework and recite the lines again, but watching the birds fly made her envious of them.
How nice it was to fly.
So Petunia tried. She held onto the chain tightly and leaned back before letting her body move in motion; the swing was slow because no one to push her. Lily used to be the one to push her, but Petunia was still cross with her.
She pushed off harder, legs pumping higher and higher and higher and higher until the tips of her shoes brushed the sky, and there it was—that feeling.
The wind struck her face and lifted the hair from her neck, and Petunia laughed—hard, unburdened, freely. For a moment, she wasn't a girl who didn't want to go home; she felt like a bird.
Golden pheasant, perhaps, or kingfisher. The Night Parrot or Rainbow Lorikeet would be nice, too. Honestly, Petunia wouldn't mind being a robin as long as she could reach for the clouds, being a part of the sky.
The trees blurred. The clouds spun. The sun looked so magnificent with the soft glow of orange and pink hues. It was so beautiful Petunia wanted to press it gently against her ribs, like a secret only she could feel.
Without realising it, she let go of the chain and reached for the sun. Her chest filled with joy so big it almost hurt.
Then, her stomach lurched into her throat when Petunia realised that she was in the air—no weight, no motion, no safety of the rope, just silence, hand still reaching for the sun.
Heartbeat drumming wild in her ears, and Petunia braced herself for the impact—yet it never came.
"What—" Petunia stammered, lips trembling as she opened her eyes and realised she had been suspended mid-air. "Am I dead?"
It was the only logical thing she could think of. No human could float in the air. Petunia wasn't Mary Poppins or Alice in Wonderland; she was just a normal girl in a normal town with normal friends.
It wasn't supposed to happen.
Petunia tried to twist her body, gazing down at the merry-go-round, seesaws and the swings. There was a faint smell of gardenia and honeysuckle filled the air as she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
"It's okay, you are not hurt, Petunia Evans." She let out a shaky breath, hand clutching her skirt. "Cheshire Cat said, we're all mad here, so maybe I'm mad. What do mad people do when they are floating in the air?"
So Petunia decided to approach her madness in a different way; she tucked her head slightly, her arms extended overhead, and dove down. Her hair lifted slightly, tickling her cheeks—there was no wind, no whoosh of air rushing past her ears, but Petunia felt like she was underwater.
It took her minutes until her fingertips touched the grass, and her body finally found the ground—softly, like a feather.
Petunia scanned the playground, just to make sure that no one was around; she couldn't imagine what would happen if someone saw her madness—hands trembling at her sides as she dug her nails into the grass, trying to do something that felt real.
She tried to do the breathing exercise, counting in her head; one, two, three, four, until she reached one hundred and felt her hand stop shaking. Quickly, Petunia snatched her bag and ran to her home.
It had been days since she floated on the playground, and Petunia tried to forget it ever happened. It wasn't normal, and she might be the most normal girl in Cokeworth.
And it was almost Empire Day, and she had no time to dilly-dally. Petunia had too much on her plate right now; between reciting lines, gymnastics, and choir every Sunday, she was also juggling book club meetings twice a week and Girl Guides. On top of that, Miss Johnson had requested that Petunia create a study group at least once a week.
Petunia did like how her day was organised, though; she knew what to do and how long it would take to do that. Her only respite was her visit to Sunny.
She usually spent an hour tending to the flowers, but today, Petunia noticed a new one had bloomed in the autumn garden; it looked like daisies but bigger, and it had drooping petals. It had bright, golden-yellow petals surrounding the central cone.
Petunia had never seen this kind of flower before, but she could find something in the library tomorrow.
She can't wait to go to school!
Severus had been watching Petunia Evans for days.
He wasn't stalking her, of course. He was just—curious. It started when they passed each other in the school hallway; it was too crowded, and Severus noticed her laugh first.
It was the kind of laugh that made people stop in their tracks, forgetting what they were doing, like wind chimes caught in a breeze. Then Severus looked at her face and realised he was a goner.
He didn't dare to introduce himself, so he eavesdropped. Severus took all the information about her like a fish to water. Her name was Petunia Evans; she was a member of the Girl Guides, among other things. She was kind, she was so popular that the whole town knew her, and she lived twenty minutes from Spinner's End.
Petunia also had a twin sister in his class, Lily Evans. Severus remembered her, an ugly girl with big glasses who wanted to befriend him on his first day, only to avoid him like a plague the next day.
Severus was confused. Petunia was so pretty, like an angel; how could she have a twin sister who resembled an ugly duckling?
Petunia shone like the sun.
And the cherry on top was that she had magic.
Petunia was a witch.
It was by accident that Severus saw that she did magic. He had been looking out for her because she had always returned home late because of school plays. Severus would wait for her outside the gymnasium and walk thirty steps behind her.
She was alone that day and went to the playground, where she played on the swings. It was such a great scene, watching her playing alone.
Then she swung higher and higher and higher, and she was thrown into the air. Severus almost screamed and ran to catch her—then she floated.
Severus could only hide behind the tree, gaping as she made her way to the ground.
Severus could only hide behind the tree, gaping as she stayed on the ground, trying to gather herself.
He stood there even when she had run home, feeling a thousand fireflies dancing under his skin.
Empire Day came with fanfare; they sang, did flag-raising ceremonies, and then the school play was held in the school hall.
Petunia was nervous, but Miss Seaborn assured her that her Cinderella was perfect. They prayed before the play started, and her friends gave her good luck.
She wasn't that confident with her acting, but Petunia would do her best.
The curtains were drawn, and the act had started; then Petunia did her part.
She had become Cinderella; she mopped the floor, talked to paper mice, sang with the paper birds, and cried when she was forbidden to attend the party by the evil stepmother. Then, when the fairy godmother came, she changed into a shiny blue dress.
She danced with Prince Charming, laughing as she sang a song. Then, the clock rang at midnight, and she ran away, leaving her shoe behind. Prince Charming came to find her, and then they lived happily ever after.
Everything was a blur, and by the time Petunia realised it, a thunderous applause filled the school hall.
Petunia looked around at her friends; their faces were flushed, and sweat dripped from their hair. Tired but undoubtedly proud, they knew the claps made all those practices worth it.
Petunia could hear her parents and Uncle Tony cheering from the back. It was difficult to see when everyone stood up, but she offered them the best smile she could muster.
Her friends held Petunia's hands on each side, and they bowed as the curtain descended on the stage.
Notes:
Severus had never had a problem dissing Petunia's appearance in the book, so he would do the same to Lily in this story.
And Petunia was a nosy woman in canon; she knew where Severus lived when she was young, so I think this was because of her mother. I imagine Lily would also be nosy; living with a nosy mother tends to make a nosy child.
Additionally, since it was a role reversal, I want to highlight the differences between how Lily and Petunia approached magic. In the book, Lily was ecstatic when she could float, but I think Petunia would be too surprised and feel she had gone crazy.
Making flowers bloom and floating in the air were two different things for her.
Tell me what you think and enjoy!
Chapter Text
Petunia Evans spared him a glance one afternoon when they bumped each other in the hallway just after lunch. His books were scattered on the floor, and he fell on the floor.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Petunia was flustered, and she quickly knelt to pick up his books—hand-me-downs that were too old and full of scribbles. "Are you okay?"
Severus didn't expect her to, not really; not when others orbited her like planets drawn to a brilliant sun. It would make more sense for her to be arrogant, to be nasty towards him, to be like her sister—he knew his standing in this town, his dad was a drunk, and his mother never did anything to defend him.
But Petunia wasn't Lily Evans; she was kind, she was genuine, and she helped Severus to get on his feet.
"I'm okay," Severus mumbled as he took his books from her hands. People in his class passed by and looked at him, and her friends behind her looked at him, then at each other.
"Thank God you are okay," she sighed, hand over her heart. "Well, I will leave you to it, Severus. Bye!"
It was Severus's first conversation with Petunia; he was unsure how she knew his name—it might have been from her friend who followed her, Dorothy, who sat at the front of his class.
There was a faint smell of gardenia when she left, and Severus took a hard whiff, trying to burn her smell inside his mind.
Petunia was rarely alone.
Severus had been following her for almost a week, and while Petunia's schedules were pretty straightforward—every day was the same as yesterday, and always with someone.
If it wasn't her classmate, it was the Girl Guides, or even her book club, and friends from church on Sunday.
So Severus gathered up courage to talk to her on Friday after school.
"Okay, my friends were far enough." She took a sidelong glance at her friends at the back. "What do you want to talk about, Severus?"
It was strange; he knew that. Severus stopped her from going home and asked if they could talk. Petunia probably thought he was still upset from when she bumped into him.
"I saw you that day," he murmured, low enough for Petunia to hear. He couldn't risk muggles discovering their secret. "On the playground, flying."
"I-I'm not—" Her body stiffened, hand clasped tightly until it turned white. She bit her lips. "Can we talk about it tomorrow? Just two of us?"
Severus almost bounced on his feet. "Of course. On the playground again?"
"It's, um, it's too risky." Petunia quickly shook her head. "How about we meet on the playground and we go to someplace else?"
Severus knew her address already, but he didn't want to come across as a stalker, so he agreed. "Sounds great."
They agreed to meet after three on Saturday, and Severus had waited for her for an hour before the time. Petunia was always on time, and he couldn't risk her thinking Severus was a tardy boy; it was better to wait than make someone wait for him.
So, when Petunia came to the playground towards the tree under which Severus was sitting, still wearing her Girl Guides uniform, he smiled. "We could meet when you had free time, you know."
With hands on her knees, Petunia tried to catch her breath. "My schedule was full until Christmas, I'm afraid."
Severus rose and walked closer to her. "So, where do you want to talk?"
Petunia fanned her face and turned to him. "Around ten minutes from here, is it okay?"
And they walked, taking another route to her house and towards the hillock behind it. Severus had looked at her home a dozen times, and still, he was in awe.
(Her house was big, clean, and much better than Severus' house in Spinner's End.
But he thought it suited Petunia; she wasn't meant for hardship—she would wilt if she lived the way he did. She was meant for all the nice things the world could offer.)
Petunia entered the abandoned house atop the hillock like it was her personal garden; many flowers were growing on the rotting wood—on the floor, ceiling, and railing.
"So—um," they were in the kitchen when she turned to Severus, fidgeting with her fingers. "I believe what you saw that day was a mistake."
"A mistake?" Severus tilted his head.
"Because a normal human couldn't just fly, you know—sure, there were planes and all, but I'm just a normal girl, and there was no such thing as ma—" Petunia stopped herself, drew a breath, held it.
Severus knew it must be too much for Petunia; she grew up thinking she was a normal girl, and the concept of magic was something she felt of as a fantasy—despite liking a movie where magic was involved, or even playing Cinderella in school play, Petunia thought it was all that, a fantasy.
The silence spoke more than she could, and Severus bent his knees to pick one of the flowers on the floor.
"Magic is real, Petunia." He started, feeling the soft petal on his palm. "And both you and I are one."
The flower floated from his hand. There were tiny sparks as it jumped into the air, creating waves before it settled slowly into Petunia's open palms.
Severus expected her startled expression, maybe even rejection—he wasn't prepared when she was holding the flower delicately, like it was made of glass, as she trailed her fingers across the petals.
"Is this real?" Petunia blinked slowly, as if the world had tilted and she was trying to catch up.
"It is," Severus stated, walking closer to her. "All of it."
Petunia's smile dawning like sunrise—slow, unstoppable, filling every corner of Severus' heart.
There were so many strange things that happened to her; her pink dress turned blue just as she put it on, the way the ceiling glinted like stars at night, even when Petunia was sure she could hear animals talk.
Petunia thought she had gone mental before Severus came into her life and turned it around.
Magic.
What a simple way to describe it.
"So I'm a witch?" She asked as they counted the flowers in the autumn garden.
Severus laughed at her. "You are. And I'm a wizard."
Petunia pursed her lips. "It still didn't feel real the first time, and it didn't feel real now."
"It was normal, I think. You grew up hearing nothing about magic; you're bound to doubt it." Severus murmured, then gestured toward the flowers. "But you're still doing magic even when you don't have a name for it."
Petunia did feel it was weird the flowers could grow up that fast, but she just thought it was because she had green fingers. Grandma told her so.
Silence followed them as Severus kept poking at the heleniums. "Do you think Lily could be a witch too? We are twins, after all."
Severus glanced at her, shifted his legs. "I'm not sure. We could only know when we received our letters."
She huffed. "It was still ages away."
"We will turn ten in a few months, though." he shrugged his shoulders. "It would come in a blink."
That was true. Ever since they became friends and Severus helped her tend Sunny, time has flown by so quickly. It was almost Christmas, and Petunia still hadn't made anything for Severus for Christmas, much less for his birthday.
"It was torture." She whined. "It was great news to hear I'm a witch, and there was a school waiting for me once I turned eleven, but I couldn't even tell Lily about it."
Severus turned his eyes upward, but he didn't ask her; Petunia was grateful, of course. She couldn't tell her parents about it because they would worry, and Petunia wouldn't tell her friends because they didn't hold Lily in high regard.
Petunia only had Severus to ramble. "She was cross with me, you know."
"She was always cross with you." Severus almost threw his head back. "You didn't even do anything, Pet."
Petunia knew she hadn't done anything, and Lily hadn't told her anything for so long that Petunia didn't know what to do. Just last week, Lily sent her a nasty look when Petunia won a gold medal for a math competition in their region—one that Lily had failed to qualify for. "I just don't know what to do, Sev. I can't even talk to her because she always avoids me."
She reconsidered returning the gold medal, but it was a result of her hard work. Petunia didn't even know Lily wanted to participate, and the school was thrilled when they finally won a gold medal; returning it would mean betraying them, betraying her friends who had supported her.
It felt vile to do that to them.
"Most people would already have given up. She was too conceited—you are chosen for a reason, Pet. No need to feel bad." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed hard. "Honestly, I can't understand what you see in her."
"It wasn't nice to talk about her like that, Sev." Petunia folded her arms. "She was still my sister."
He blinked once, twice, before nibbling on his lips. "I'm sorry."
"I know she was difficult at times," she whispered, just barely above breath. "But if Lily was a witch too, the three of us would go to Hogwarts; I don't want us to fight."
"You are right," Severus fiddled with aster, not meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry."
Lily Evans was not known for her kindness, or her beautiful face, or whether she knew every person in Cokeworth.
Her teachers knew Lily as an ambitious girl, bordering on competitive. She wasn't the most brilliant student in school, nor was she the most brilliant in her class. Lily was an ordinary girl, to say the least.
However, she tried her best every day. She got better grades than everyone in school—everyone but Petunia.
("It was the district's decision, Miss Evans." Her teacher assured Lily when she was ineligible to enter the math competition. "You are smart, you will get somewhere."
Not the same place as Petunia, Lily wanted to scream. She wanted to be better than her twin—just once. Once was enough.
"Some people are just born—special," she knew her teacher wanted to say Petunia's name. "You don't need to compare yourself with anyone else."
It was easy for her to say; Lily's teacher was an only child—she didn't have a twin who took up too much space in her home, in school, or in town.
Lily felt like she was standing in the shade of a tree that never stopped growing—its branches always wider, its leaves always greener, and she was suffocating.)
Everyone congratulated Petunia once again because she was selected to lead the carol for Christmas. Lily was just there, ten steps behind her twins, feeling more like a shadow than a sister.
Lily stared at her sister's back as she walked ahead, all grace and confidence, and felt something tight and ugly rise in her throat. Petunia was still a human, and humans get hurt when they fall.
She didn't want to hurt Petunia, but for once, she wanted to see her twin fall from grace. So Lily snuck out behind her when Petunia and her friends were. A little stumble would not hurt Lily, and Petunia would only scratch her body.
As Lily got closer, she quickened her pace. It would only be a slight bump, and Petunia would fall from the stairs. Petunia might hold on to the railings; she would be fine.
But when Lily was behind one of Petunia's friends, it happened in a blink.
Her foot snagged on the loop of her own shoe, and for a split second her body launched forward without a warning—it felt like someone was pushing Lily from behind, but no one was there, and she fell on her face, hard. There was no stumble, no chance to brace.
Pain exploded behind her eyes, bright and blinding. Lily heard someone scream for help, but there was something wrong. Blood rushed out of her nose, thick and warm, spilling past her lips.
Lily's vision was blurred, and she could taste blood. It felt nauseating.
Lily was rushed to the hospital, face bleeding like she had been whacked by a hammer. She was in pain the entire time, and she just heard that her nasal bone was displaced because of the fall.
The doctor did something to her, Lily was sure, but she was in too much pain to think clearly.
When she was awake, Lily had bandages on her face.
They had to do surgery because Lily lost too much blood.
It took Lily two weeks to heal. Petunia was always in the hospital accompanying her.
On the last day, the doctor removed the bandage.
Mother winced when she saw Lily's face, but it might be because she still had bruises. She had to do a check-up in a week.
Her parents treated Lily like a glass; while it was irritating, Lily loved the gesture.
Then she went to her room and saw her reflection in the mirror.
Her nose was no longer straight as it once had been. It leaned slightly to the right, just enough to catch the light differently.
Lily screamed.
Notes:
Do you know who "pushed" Lily?👀👀👀
Tell me what you think and enjoy!
Chapter Text
The house felt bleak.
It had been since Lily came home from the hospital; she refused to leave the house because the doctor said fixing her nose would be hard, and even if they tried, it might leave a scar.
Petunia had been losing sleep, too, thinking about Lily and her cries; the image of Lily bathed in a pool of her own blood was hard to erase, no matter what Petunia did.
The only good thing about this was that Lily had become dependent on her—asking Petunia to bring the warm milk and bake treacle tart; she would feed Lily slowly and read her some books. Then, Lily would scooch over on the bed and Petunia would sleep beside her.
Petunia loved this moment, truly. Not that she was happy Lily getting hurt, but her twin was back as she once had been.
Lily was snoring softly beside her, and Petunia wrapped her arms around her. When they go to Hogwarts, Petunia would find a way to fix Lily's nose.
"It was a year away," Petunia whispered. "Hold it for a year, okay, twinsies?"
Spinner's End was not really a good place to live, Tobias had to admit; the stench was unbearable most days, but it was better here than Boscombe. Not that he had many choices either.
Boscombe was a good place to live until it wasn't. Junkie started to fill the street, and Tobias had no choice but to move his family away.
It was the beginning of his misfortunes; jobs could not last long, and before he knew it, Tobias had spent the little savings they had for Severus' school on drinks.
Cokeworth was supposed to be salvation for his family, it was anything but. Smaller paying job, dirty house—everything was too much.
And Tobias turned back to drink again. It was nine in the morning, and three bottles of alcohol were securely in the paper bag, bought with his daily wage at the factory.
He planned to drink away again until his shift started again tonight.
"Ah!" A girlish voice called from behind him as Tobias turned to the alleyway. "Mr Snape!"
Tobias turned to see the Evans girl—Petunia, if he remembered right. One of the Girl Guides who visited his factory last month.
"What do you want, girl?" He asked, and he wrapped the paper bag tightly. God, this little girl looked like one of Santa's helpers, all dressed in warm clothes.
Tobias couldn't even remember whether he washed himself last night, and this little girl smelled like fresh-baked cookies and flowers.
"Is Severus home?" she asked, pacing her little feet beside him. "Do you mind if I borrow him for today?"
"Whatever for?"
"It was for his birthday, of course!" She grinned. "I prepared something for him—just a little cake I baked and some flowers. If you don't mind, of course! I know you might have something prepared for him—it's just I haven't seen him the whole break and—"
"Severus' birthday?"
She paused and looked at his face. "Yes, it's today. Ninth of January?"
Something churned inside his stomach. Gods, how old was Severus again? When was the last time the three of them celebrated his birthday?
Tobias couldn't remember.
He felt sick.
"Are you okay?" the girl panicked, looking for something on her dress. She took out a candy. "Here, it will make you feel better, Mr Snape!"
"I'm not a kid," Tobias grumbled, straightening his back; he didn't even remember being hunched.
"It's made from mint and wild ginger," she huffed and gave the candy to Tobias anyway. "My grandma said it was good for your health—she felt better when she ate one."
His hand trembled. The candy felt warm on his palm, and he didn't know how, but his mind felt clear for the first time in years.
Severus' tenth birthday was as dull as it had always been.
He woke up to the sound of his mother making tea with the old kettle they had used for years. His birthday was just a usual morning; his father was nowhere to be found, and his mother was preparing breakfast.
He changed into clean clothes from last year. It was old, but it was the cleanest he had. It was his birthday, and Severus wished to wear something nice for once.
Severus no longer had hopes in his parents, truthfully. Mother might have given him extra bacon on his meal, but that was it. She sat before him and ate in silence.
No well wishes, not even a pat on his head.
He wished to spend his birthday with Petunia, but she had been busy since Lily Evans had broken her nose. He knew Petunia's sister was hurt, but he couldn't help but sulk.
It was the last week of winter break, and he could see Petunia on Monday. Severus could hold for another day. Maybe. He hadn't seen her for the whole break; from what he heard, Petunia and her family went to London to see a good doctor for Lily Evans.
Thinking about Lily Evans stirred an ugly feeling within him. Dislike was not a strong enough word for what he felt towards Petunia's sister.
Severus was there when it had happened—he saw how Lily Evans had her hands out behind Petunia, who was about to step down the stairs. She failed, of course; Petunia wouldn't even be hurt by falling down the stairs because magic would protect her.
Lily Evans' accident proved that she didn't have magic like Petunia.
Good riddance, Severus thought as he stabbed his bacon. He couldn't even imagine if Lily Evans had magic as well, and they had to go to Hogwarts together.
Severus almost barfed.
Hogwarts would be a place for him and Petunia only.
Mother gave Severus another piece of bacon from her plate when the door burst open and his father stood there, holding a paper bag like a bad omen.
"Your friend waited outside," Father told him, looking at Severus' eyes for the first time in years. "Don't let her wait."
Severus tensed. His breakfast was forgotten as he ran past father, heart pounding. Severus only had one he considered a friend, and the thought of Petunia meeting his father was nauseating.
(The thought that Petunia saw his father and his house was enough to make him hurl his breakfast.
He never wanted Petunia to see his wretched life. Severus knew Petunia must have known his living condition, but she was kind enough to never bring it up; she grew up with love, and Severus had none of it.
Shame burned inside his heart.)
Severus almost dashed as soon as he spotted her waiting at the end of the alley.
"Did something happen to you?" Petunia asked as she grabbed his hands when Severus stood before her. It was cold.
"Nothing." Severus quickly shook his head. "Let's go. It wasn't a good look for you to be here."
Severus looked fidgety, looking behind his back every few steps as he dragged Petunia away from Spinner's End. It was a cold Friday morning, and the snow piled up on the ground; everyone was still huddled inside their homes, warming up from the cold weather. "I have been here a couple of times, Sev. I knew almost all of them, knocking on their door even when we renovated the playground."
"That was before my family had moved in." Severus' grip on her hand tightened. "It had changed now, my father—"
Severus stopped as they approached the playground.
He never talked much about his parents—it made Petunia curious. However, Severus was already brooding when they met, and it was his birthday. Petunia didn't want to ruin it.
Petunia hasn't met Mrs Snape yet, but Mr Snape was agreeable enough. They met at the factory, and he showed the Girl Guides how the milling worked. He even walked with Petunia and asked questions regarding Severus.
Mr Snape was working in the factory, and he might not have enough time to spend with Severus. He was working hard for his family.
"Come," she huffed. Petunia was sure that inside the paper bag was a cake for Severus. "I want to show you something."
Petunia brought Severus to Sunny. She had worked hard to decorate it with flowers and even set up a table for the food she had prepared.
She just needed Severus to be away from the second floor for a minute so Petunia could light the candle and prepare a song.
Sunny was eerily quiet when Petunia opened the door; the air smelled sweet and warm as they walked inside.
Okay, it was now or never.
"Oh, Sev, I forgot." Petunia let go of Severus' hand as they walked upstairs. "Could you help me get a shovel from the kitchen?"
Severus raised his brow. "Which one?"
"The pink one." Petunia almost squealed. "Thank you!"
When Severus turned to the kitchen, Petunia quickly ran to the hallway. A table with an almond blancmange and chocolate cookies was already set, complete with paper plates.
Petunia carefully placed the little candles on the blancmange and lit them with a matchstick. "Please don't melt too quickly."
The flame flicked slightly, but it stayed—the candle didn't even melt. She grinned widely.
Severus was skipping on the stairs, based on the sound, so Petunia readied her throat and sang as soon as Severus showed up in the hallway. "Happy birthday, Severus!"
He just stood there, shovel in hand, mouth agape. Petunia gestured for him to come closer and clapped when Severus sat before her.
"To think you would remember my birthday—" Severus paused, biting his lips. "I—thank you, Pet."
"Of course I remember, silly." Petunia pouted before breaking into a grin. "Now, let's make a wish."
"I'm not even Christian." Severus hesitated, shifting his body slightly. "My father is, though, but he doesn't go to Church anymore."
"How does being a Christian have to do anything with a birthday?" Petunia pushed the blancmange towards Severus. "Priya and Mei Ling aren't even Christian, but they still celebrated their birthday; they still make a wish with cakes."
"Mei Ling?" Severus grumbled, but he put his fingers around the plate anyway."
"Susan Zhang," Petunia prepared the paper plates. "A girl in my class—we were pretty close, her parents own Lucky Star Cleaners on Begonia Street; you might know her."
"Can't recall," Severus shrugged his shoulders, then clasped his hands. "I will make a wish now."
Petunia nodded as Severus closed his eyes; he had a lot of wishes, it seemed—he prayed for so long Petunia worried he might fall asleep. But he opened his eyes eventually and blew out the candles.
"Do you think my wishes would come true?" Severus asked as he cut down the blancmange and put a big portion on Petunia's paper plate.
"It should be," Petunia said, taking a spoonful and eating it. "Birthday wish was sacred, after all. We could only make a wish once a year."
Severus smiled sheepishly. "I hope my wish will come true."
Petunia prayed for that too.
Severus took back what he had said in the morning. His birthday was the coolest and most amazing he had ever had.
He and Petunia spent the entire day together until they had to part ways when the sun was already on the horizon; she even made the blancmange and the cookies herself—the cookies were intended for Christmas, but she had been too busy to give them to any of her friends. Lily Evans ate them all because she was bored, presumably.
So Petunia made a fresh batch last night when they just got back from London—Severus liked to think that he got the very first batch. It was unlikely, of course; Petunia might not remember which one was the first, but let the birthday boy hoped.
She also gave him gifts—yes, he got more than one. A sweater and a scarf. Petunia made them herself because she felt bad that Severus had to comfort her when she bathed in Lily Evans' blood that day.
Whatever, Severus hummed as he walked past the alleyway. Lily Evans could get hurt all she wanted if it meant he could comfort Petunia later.
As he opened the door to his house, Severus noticed it was cleaner.
Well, cleaner was an understatement. It was completely different from what Severus remembered when he left in the morning.
He felt—scared.
"Sev? You home already?"
Severus almost flinched when he heard his father's voice from the kitchen—the kitchen was only on his left, separated by a wall; the light emanating from it was nauseating, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach.
Father never called him Sev for years; it had always been boy—or freak, if he was too intoxicated to shout.
It was a beat too long to pause, so Severus replied, "Yes, Sir."
"Could you come here, sweetling?" Come his Mom's voice.
He almost retched. She had never called Severus that nickname again since they moved from Boscombe—no, it was a little longer than that; his Mom stopped calling Severus sweetling since he played with the older guys at the park.
Severus turned on his heels to the kitchen, tightening his grip on his gifts. Seeing his parents sitting at the dining table together was shocking—but seeing father's clean-shaven face and mother with her wand out in the open was not what Severus expected.
Especially when there was a small cake in the middle of them; ten little candles with his name on green frosting.
Severus never wished for any of this—well, he might have all those years ago; he learned the hard way that wishes were supposed to be simple and easy to grant.
Birthday wishes were supposed to be simple things; hoping he would get a good score on tests, hoping tomorrow would be a sunny day, hoping for new toys, among other things.
Hoping his family would return to the way they were before was not a simple wish, so it had never been granted before, and Severus just stopped having hope.
This year, he just wished for a simple thing—something that maybe could be easier to grant; he wanted to be with Petunia, with no one and nothing ever separating them.
"We wish to talk to you, Sev." His parents began. "If it's okay with you."
It had been years since Severus prayed for a big thing because the higher power never answered him at all—not that it ever did, to be honest.
So why now?
Why did all the wishes he had hoped for before come true now?
Severus didn't know, and he could only cry.
Their tenth birthday was not that fun—well, partially because Lily wished to not celebrate it this year. She didn't want to spend the day with people who would look at her nose and grimace.
So their parents brought them to do something else together.
Their birthday fell on a Friday, and it was the perfect time for a weekend getaway; they went to Dreamland in Kent, visited funfairs in London, and had a picnic at the Zoo.
People still turned their heads when Petunia passed; necks craned, shoulders twisted, entire bodies leaned ever so slightly toward her—but her attention was only on Lily.
Her twin's attention was on her since Lily broke her nose; Petunia didn't even have time to spend time with her friends—she even had to turn down the carol because she refused to leave Lily's side.
It was fun, to be honest. Not that she loved getting hurt—her nose still ached from time to time, but it felt like Petunia was starting to be her sister again, not Cokeworth's golden girl. Lily began to love Petunia again.
Unfortunately, Lily quickly realised everything was never hers to begin with.
"—still, I'm grateful Petunia was looking better," Grandma said in the living room at night when the adults thought Lily and Petunia had already fallen asleep.
They would have, Lily supposed. If not for Petunia, who had drunk all the water in their room, and Lily, who had woken up because she was thirsty.
It was almost midnight, and they had Mass in the morning, so Lily tried to be as fast and as quiet as possible when she passed the living room. Grandma was drinking some wine with Mummy, Daddy, and Nuncle. Lily hid behind the wall.
"True," Daddy sighed. "I'm almost worried she will faint and hurt herself."
"Do you think we should get her something?" Mummy chimmed in. "To thank her for being a good older sister."
"That sounds great," Nuncle added, then he laughed heartily. "I actually was thinking of bringing all of us to Majorca next year for their birthday next year."
"Majorca?" Grandma asked. Lily gripped her nightgown.
"Yeah—" Nuncle paused. "I asked the girls around two years ago if they could have a trip to another country, which one would they pick. Lily chose Italy, and Majorca was Petunia's pick; it was in Spain, mind. Great beaches, I tell you, Ed."
"Oh?" Daddy sounded excited. "Beaches sounds wonderful."
The sound of their excitement was enough for Lily to know she would never amount to anything compared to Petunia.
She was the one who was getting hurt, but her family worried about Petunia. Lily was the one who broke her nose and lost so much blood that she needed surgery. Petunia was just—there. Crying and crying and crying, and she got her dream trip to Majorca to see a beach that she could see in Crawley.
Lily would look like a crab at the beach. Her parents knew it, and still, they chose Petunia over Lily.
Over and over again.
Lily cried as she walked down the hallway—her nose was hurting, and she had a nosebleed even before she reached the room.
She wailed.
Notes:
I wrote two fanfics at different times, and my country experienced mass protests on two separate occasions. I think I've caught the AO3 curse; I'm not even kidding, lol. My Government was afraid of a pirate flag from an anime that was about a corrupt government. Interesting.
On another note, my work has gotten more flexible. I hope to write more this time around. And this chapter was the end of part one of this story, and in the next chapter, we will jump forward to their eleventh birthday.
Tell me what you think and enjoy!<3