The Confessions of Petunia Dursley

Tuney, the reply

Petunia,

It is interesting what death does to us. You wrote the letter thinking I was going to die, but it wasn't until now, that you yourself passed away, that I finally read it. And now I am writing a letter in response, in the hopes that the ghost of you will find it in the tomb. We never reveal our truths while we are living, and by the time Death comes knocking it is too late.

And I am still mad at you, to be honest. You said you worried about me like a mother, but have you ever been like one to me? We all know, what you and your husband did to me- and I won't speak of those now, those are long gone- but harm done is harm done nonetheless. Had I been your own child, would you have tried to 'stamp out the magic' to protect me in a more loving, gentler way? Perhaps your concerns about me and my magical ability were genuine, yet that did not excuse you from what you did, and what you allowed to happen while I was under your care.

But I am tired. I do not like to hold grudges. I refuse to entertain whether your grandiose claims of family and protection were all excuses for your actions, excuses that you believed wholeheartedly, perhaps, to comfort your conscience. Nor will I ponder why you have never given me that letter in the years since the Second Wizarding War has been fought and won, whether it was due to your fear or ambivalence. You are dead. Let the matter settle.

These days I simply wonder if the story could've been happier. Had my grandparents not left you feeling inferior to my mother, had my father been less reckless and had not offended Vernon, had Dudley been also born with magical ability, had the wizarding community been less closed off to muggles- oh, but fate had determined things to be this way, the same way my mother did not choose to be magical, and I the 'Chosen One'. We never reconciled before your death, and that is a fact that I have to accept. And you, as a ghost, if you are reading this, know that I am at peace. You should be, too.

Vernon's pride will likely mean that we will also stay hostile and distant, and I don't imagine him writing a letter anything like yours, which is fine. When I was younger I wanted everything to be my way, now I understand that there are some things in life that you cannot force, not by anger, nor by determination. It is rather nice to re-connect with Dudley though. He turned out to be a nice person, despite all your misgivings as the parent. You were never good at parenting, were you? Not with Dudley, not with me.

I hope you have been relatively happy with your life. You will be buried on a beautiful, chilly and bright morning. Rest well. Maybe we will meet again later. Maybe we can truly start over then. Maybe.

Best,

Harry Potter

12 January, 2018