On December Something

The Morning After

Dursley's Home
Harry's Second Year At Hogwarts

Petunia sighed heavily. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. She would glance up periodically from her garden and see the bars on the windows only to get mad again. She threw her shovel in the dirt and kicked over a pot she had been working on.

The only peace and solitude she found during the day was the silence that came with Vernon being at work and Dudley being at school. She could plant all day, she could clean the house, she could attempt to cook, she could drink as many cups of ghastly tea as she wanted to with them gone. She could breathe. There was one thing she loved to do more than all of those combined.

She turned towards the house and marched over to her wild rose bushes. She pushed them aside, ignoring their tantalizing pricks, and stared at the cellar doors that were closed with a rusty padlock. She had told Vernon that this was where she hid all of her gardening supplies so he wouldn't go looking there. Of course, that's not what it was at all. She pulled the gold key from her necklace and gently took it off to open the cellar. Inside, the stairs led down to what was a mini living room with a desk that held all of her letters, an owl that her sister had given her, an big chair with many pillows, and a lamp that only worked off of kerosene. It reminded her of that flat she had in London that she sold when she was married off.

She closed the doors and locked it from the inside. She had letters to read from Remus and Dumbledore. They kept her informed of things going on and she even had a daily prophet from when her sister was killed. Vernon would go mad if he knew she had all of this. He might even try to fill it with cement.

She looked around a smiled contently. This is what she had imagined her life to be like but without magic. Well, somewhat without magic. She sat at her desk and thumbed through all of  the letters she had received previously and sorted out the ones she had already read through. Remus kept her up to date on Sirius and when the letters became more frequent she had to move them to a more secure place. Now she had a place that was just for her. While going through the letters she came upon one that was in a bright blue envelope and her smiles ceased. She had read this letter too many times to count but she always wanted to read it over and over again.

He had written it to her. It was the first letter she ever received from him. It made her heart ache with anticipation as if she had never read it before. Truth was that she could recite it. She folded back the bent lip of the letter and pulled out the faded yellow paper. Her hands were anxiously shaking as she unfolded the contents.

Here goes nothing.

-XOX-

December 26th
The Morning After

The breakfast table was quiet. Really quiet. Lily and James looked at them curiously but didn't ask any questions. Petunia refused to look at Sirius but Sirius refused to look away.

"Is everyone alright?" Lily asked gently.

"Yes," Petunia said shortly.

Sirius didn't answer but instead focused on Petunia. She could feel the heat from his gaze but she couldn't give into it. She wanted to but she couldn't. She was too embarrassed.

"Thank you for a wonderful Christmas, Petunia," James said warmly.

"Yes, Tuney, it was wonderful!" Lily added emphatically.

"Of course. You're welcome anytime. Should I expect you in the spring?" Petunia questioned, the question was directed at Lily but she expected to see the others as well.

"Maybe. It depends on how our lessons go," she answered with a smile.

Petunia nodded with a forced smile. She was trying her absolute best to keep them from wandering over to the mysterious man at the end of the table. The mysterious man who had turned her down. The wound was still fresh and she felt the twist of the imaginary knife. Her anger boiled up once more and then subsided before being flooded with a deep depression. Lily could sense her demeanor change and looked over at Sirius furiously.