Author's note:
Dear readers,
another chapter for you to enjoy. I'm deeply sorry for the long hiatus but study papers, presentations and reading for University, tragic stuff in RL and a severe case of writer's block kept me away from my story. I hope that I will be able to update once every second week from now on, but I can't promise anything, because I have to write four study papers till the end of September. Thanks for reading, following and/or favoriting my story! Your comments are as always appreciated.
Have a nice day,
Vani12
Chapter 36 – Shocking your family half to death, II!
Petunia's backyard, Willow Lane, Cokeworth, July 1978
Petunia looked shocked at the prone form of her sister. She still felt energy buzzing through her body and heard a loud tone ringing in her ears. She didn't hear Severus calm words, although she felt him embracing her in a fierce hug, caressing her waist and kissing her temple reassuringly. Albeit she felt safe in his arms, she panicked inside her mind. "What the fuck have I done? I have hurt my baby sister with some strange energy and protected Severus from her attack. It almost seems like I deflected her hex with my thoughts and volleyed it back at her. But that is impossible. I don't possess magical powers! I'm Petunia Evans, the plain elder Evans sister who is focused on being the perfect daughter and excelling in her finances studies. I don't have a magical bone in my body! Somehow, I must have absorbed Severus magical energy. Silly me, it was surely his protective charm that shielded Lily's attack and volleyed it back at her. That's the only possible explanation. But why didn't I feel his magical signature tickling down my spine? I fear I'm going nuts and my parents will force me to go in a mental health facility soon," a scared voice raced through her mind.
"Lily will never forgive me now. I will seem like a freak to her, someone who can't control their body and emotions. Merlin, I fucked everything up by hurting her. Why couldn't she be happy about my romance with Severus? Why did she have to accuse Severus of seducing me with evil spells and attack him? God, why doesn't she get into her thick skull that Severus isn't the devil James fucking Potter and his misfits portray him as? Sure, he struggled with his personal darkness, the murder of his beloved mum by his abusive father's hands and the feeling of being an unloved, bullied boy, but he has promised me to not join this gang of Muggle-hating lunatics and to show me the Magical world. He loves me and desires to build up a beautiful future for us. A true Deatheater would never love a Muggle or introduce her to the wonders of the Magical world. Why couldn't other humans see that Severus was like a rough diamond who would shine with the support, love, and trust of his loved ones," Petunia asked herself in an enraged voice. She felt angry at Lily for being such a single-minded, naïve girl whose world only existed in the colors black and white.
Petunia glared murderously at the closed emerald eyes of her baby sister, her perfect porcelain skin and her beautiful red curls that were spread out around her fallen body like a fiery flame. She realized that she should feel sorry for hurting her sister. For god's sake, if she was totally honest she regretted putting Lily in this slumber-like state for twenty percent. She was her little sister, her first friend, and closest ally in her childhood, after all. But the other eighty percent of her heart didn't regret her miraculous defense of her boyfriend. She had somehow knocked Lily out in self-defense, for she wanted to hex her beloved into next week and call the Wizarding police on him for befuddling the mind and heart of her big Muggle sister with some potions and spells. For Petunia was sure that Lily would not have shied away from knocking her former best friend out, calling her cruel, arrogant lover for help and dragging him in front of this Magical Police, the Aurors.
If Petunia knew anything about James fucking Potter, it was that he loathed Severus with a fiery passion and his wealthy family had connections to the most powerful people in the Wizarding world. He boasted about his luxurious manor, old money and life in the high society every time he graced their parents humble evening dinners with his presence. And Petunis fought against throwing up every time he listed the art masterpieces hanging in his living area or bragged about how expensive his new high-class racing broomstick was. God, sometimes she guessed that he needed to make up for his small manhood with all his talks about "my house, my boat, and my money". And the size of the diamond of Lily's engagement ring only emphasized her suspicion that he needed to compensate something and regarded Lily more like stunning arm candy than an equal partner.
Petunia was startled from her rambling thoughts by her boyfriend who was caressing her blonde locks lovely. She concentrated on his soothing touches and breathed in deeply. "I need to stop driving myself crazy with thoughts on Lily's childish fiancé, Lily's cruel judgment about my romance with Severus and how the hell I managed to knock her out. I have a loving boyfriend who will always be there for me and help me to deal with these new strange energies. Thus, I only need to calm down," Petunia closed her eyes and focused on her surroundings. She could hear Severus mumbling into her ear, "Everything is going to be alright, my love. You only meant to defend me from Lily's attack. We will figure out how the hell you managed to block her attack. But stay assured that I love you to the moon and back and will help you to deal with your magical powers." Although Petunia felt like she had traveled into an insane second dimension where her whole world was turned upside down, she basked into his warmth and calmed down her escalating heartbeat. With his love and support, she would even cope with being a Muggle-turned-witch in her late teenage years.
God, how much she had wished when Lily's Hogwarts letter had arrived that she would wake up one day with magical powers and an owl caring her Hogwarts letter sitting on their porch? She couldn't quite fathom how she was able to defend herself against Lily's magic. Dumbledore had regretfully written in his letter that her name wasn't written down in the Book of Admittance and that she didn't possess magic inside of her veins. How the hell had she then be able to knock Lily out? Was she a magical abnormality that could defend herself against magic but couldn't cast spells on her own? Was she like a superhuman shield against magical attacks that could defend her loved ones by throwing herself in the path of a spell? Or had her magical energies only been triggered by her acceptance of the Magical world and her love for a wizard? She really hoped that Severus could help her figure out her unknown magical status. Thus, she turned around in his arms and kissed him gently on the lips. Feeling his soft lips caressing her dry ones, she gathered some new hope and energy to deal with her new chaotic life.
She clung on his shirt as if Severus was her lifeline and breathed in his ear, "Thanks for always being there for me. Although I'm frightened out of my mind and can't comprehend how I managed to knock Lily out cold, I know that I can battle anything with you by my side. I just needed to defend you against her cruel accusations. Come on, has this arrogant toerag really brainwashed her daily with his rubbish that she believes that you would put me under a Love Potion and seduce me against my will? You know I always had my issues with Lily and her dark-white-outlook on life, but I would have never guessed that she could have such a low opinion of us. You don't deserve her hatred and dark accusations, my love." Severus kissed her gently on her nose and expressed in a sweet voice, "Thank you for always believing and defending me, my love. With you by my side, I know that I will always have a good chance of winning a fight. Although I must confess that your kicking defense powers nearly floored me. Damn, you are a strong force, Nia. And I trust that we will figure out your magical powers in no time."
"So, this warm energy that burst through my body is magic? How come that I have only displayed some of these power now? Dumbledore wrote to me that I'm one-hundred percent a non-magical person. And don't your magical powers normally manifest themselves in your childhood? When this strict looking woman visited our home to talk with us about Lily's magic and the Magical world, she illuminated us that Lily's jumping through the air, summoning flowers or levitating her favorite Barbies were outbursts of her accidental magic. McGonagall explained that these outbursts were totally ordinary for magical children and that they learned to control their magical talent at Hogwarts. So, did Dumbledore lie to me or am I some magical abnormality?" Petunia asked in a concerned voice.
Severus tipped her chin gently, leveled her sapphire eyes to his obsidian ones and stated in a somber tone, "Never call yourself an abnormality in my presence again, Nia. You are a unique, strong and beautiful young woman with an extraordinary gift, not some kind of freakshow. You know that I love you regardless of your ability to transfigure a frog into a couch or clean your kitchen with a flick of your wand. I can only speculate that you are some kind of magical late bloomer. Perhaps, your loathing for everything magic and disdain of anything extraordinary until recently combined with your desire to be the perfect, ordinary girl, detained your magical powers and blocked them inside of your body. My mum told me some tales about adult women who had been able to apparate safely home when they were attacked by some criminals. She called them "late witches" for their magical powers only activated themselves in an absolute emergency moment and late in their lives. She explained to me that some humans closed their eyes in confrontation with the Magical world and denied their extraordinary powers so that they never manifest themselves until they are ready to accept them and be who they are meant to be.
"I can only speculate that your dormant magical powers were awoken by your new outlook on magic. Hell, you have fallen head over heels in love with a wizard, helped him brew and drink a Laughing Potion, watched with awe how he fixed his broken-down house with magic and agreed to go on magical adventures with him. You have even admitted of envying Lily for her magic and expressed your desire to be a part of the Magical world. This must have aligned your sleeping magical energies with your heart and brain, hence you could defend me against Lily. And judging by the blue force that knocked Lily out, I have myself gotten some powerful firecracker witch as a girlfriend," Severus chuckled in a deep rumble and kissed the cheek of a flabbergasted Petunia. "Don't look so shocked, Nia. I will be the best magical tutor and teach you everything I know about the Magical world. You will outperform me in no time. And I guess our adventure trips into the Magical community will be now turned into practical lessons part-time. Aren't you happy that your wish of being a witch came true after all? Who knows perhaps you might even have some magical ancestors on your mum's or dad's side that would explain two Muggle-born sisters in one generation! I bet we could check this out with some ancestry research."
Petunia shook her head in disbelief and let out a little laugh, "Well, I can certainly believe that you are going to be the best magical tutor one can wish for. And we could have so much fun exploring the Magical world and testing some new spells. But I somehow can't believe that I'm a "late witch" who has blocked her magical core till now with her loathing of everything magical and disdain for the Magical community. Why didn't my core activate itself when I wrote this pathetic letter to Dumbledore? Sure, I only wanted to join Lily in Hogwarts because our parents gushed about their perfect special little Lily all day and I wanted to see with my own eyes that elves, dragons, and unicorns existed, but my hidden magical powers would have surely felt my desire to be a witch and manifested themselves then. I don't get why they should have expressed themselves now. Hell, I know that I only accepted my envy of Lily and longing to be a true member of the Magical community now and my love for you as well as your magical powers might have opened up my eyes more for the miracles of everything magic, but I'm still in awe that I have some magic of my own.
"If I'm totally honest, I'm scared as shit and happy as hell that I seem to be a witch. But how am I going to handle my magic? I mean, tutoring sessions with my own personal magical boyfriend/tutor sound like fun, but I fear that my accidental magic will wreak havoc in my life. Let's get real: you can't be around me 24/7 because you need to look out for a Potions apprenticeship and I need to be back in the lecture hall at University. Besides that, we don't even live together and I fear that I won't be able to deal with my magical energies when my emotions overwhelm me. I know that you will most likely teach me in our first lessons calming down techniques to control my temper and techniques to channel my energies back into my magical core, but I'm nonetheless scared by the possibility of hurting someone or setting my apartment on fire unintentionally. I desire to explore my magical powers like a sweets-obsessed girl in a candy store, but the fact that I knocked my baby sister out without intention puts me on the edge of turning into a nervous wreck. What I'm I going to do?" Petunia asked in a scared, barely audible voice.
Severus kissed her gently on her cheek, rubbed her hand in soothing motions and expressed in an encouraging voice, "Nia, you don't have to be scared of your magical powers. You are a level-headed, self-confident young woman who learns quickly and excels in everything you burn for. I trust that you will have a strong grip on your emotions and magical energies because you have discovered your true self and feel beautiful in your own skin. I promise to be there for you on every step of your new path in the Magical world and support you in every decision you are going to make. Salazar, I know that it won't be unicorns and candy trees from now on for us and that you will most likely struggle with living a life in the Magical and Muggle world, but I believe in you and your desire to live a happy, fulfilled and magical life with me.
"We will apparate into Diagon Alley after we have explained everything to your family and buy you your wand first thing tomorrow. Your wand will help you to channel your magical energies and keep them under control. After a tour through Diagon Alley where we will visit Gringotts to put up a magical bank account for you, buy you some beautiful robes as well as an owl and venture through candy, potions and flower shops, we will plan our tutor time table. Luckily for us, we have two months before your new term at University and my possible Potions apprenticeship starts. Enough time to turn you into a powerful badass witch and explore our romance."
Petunia giggled happily at Severus visions. Being a powerful witch and enjoying her life in both worlds in the loving embrace of her boyfriend sounded like a lot of fun and happiness. She hugged him tightly around his waist and replied in an excited voice, "You are right, my dark prince. We will conquer the Wizarding world together and I can't wait to hold my own wand in my hands. I bet it will have a high compatibility with your wand, for I always feel warm and calm when your magical energies grace my skin. Thanks for always believing in me, being my anchor in a world of utter chaos and loving me. I thank my lucky stars that I got the chance to fell in love with your darkly handsome, sarcastic and brilliant person." She raised her head to peck her boyfriend lightly on the lips. She felt that she could master everything with his love and support, even turning into a witch overnight.
Their blissful kiss was interrupted by a high-pitched scream and an angry shout, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY FIANCÈE, SNIVELUS!". Oh, Lord. Her mum and this lunatic Potter stood suddenly in their winter garden, looking white as a ghost or in the case of Potter angry as a wild bull and rushing to the prone form of Lily in high-speed. The toerag raised his wand threateningly at Severus and screamed in an enraged bellow, "I WILL THROW YOUR SORRY GREASY ASS IN AZKABAN FOR HURTING LILY, YOU SLIMEBALL. STEP BACK FROM LILY'S SISTER! YOU MUST HAVE PUT HER UNDER A LOVE POTION TO GET HER TO KISS YOUR UGLY VISAGE. YOUR DARK GAME IS UP!". After checking that his lover was only stunned, he raced to the loved-up couple and pointed his wand at Severus' face. "Get your dirty hands off Tuney! You will receive the Dementor's Kiss for putting a muggle under a Dark Potion, seducing and raping her. I can't wait to see the Dementor suck out your dark soul," he hissed aggressively in his nemesis face. Petunia who had turned her head around to see what the hell was going on could feel his spittle hitting her face and see his veins nearly bulging out of his neck. Well, it seems like this family reunion will be a hell of a ride!