Petunia and the Little Monster

December 1972

Petunia wormed her way through the crowd, wondering when she had become so accustomed to this place. The high echoing ceiling, the white smoke curling towards it only to disperse into the intangible scent of wood and ash and the washed-out bricks surrounding her on all sides were such a familiar sight she didn't glance twice at anything - not even all the magic. Screeching animals stuffed into too-small cages, luggage that defied the rules of gravity and of course, the flood of children of all ages wearing ridiculous pointy hats, rushing from the train to spend Christmas with their families, nothing warranted more than a glance.

And then there was her, Petunia, a thin, unremarkable girl in the middle of it all despite not having a lick of magic herself. But though she might not have magic, Petunia had a goal, a reason for being here, and it carried her through the mass of students with purpose and well-placed elbows.

Today she would tell Eugene about the newly installed, magical fireplace. And then he would know that there was a way for them to meet up that didn't involve Petunia sitting in a stuffy car for hours or walking through any walls.

Maybe, for once, they would see each other for more than a few minutes.

Despite her determination, Petunia felt her stomach turn with nerves.

What if he has no intention of meeting up? What if he doesn't care that her fireplace is now magical? What if ...

A head of sunshine curls glinted in the mass of pointed black hats, catching Petunia's attention more surely than a lighthouse at night. Eugene.

Her feet carried her forward, her worries for once forgotten. It felt like a long time since she had last seen him and her stomach bubbled not only with nerves, but also excitement.

When she got closer, the crowd parted and Petunia recognized two familiar faces next to Eugene. She still distinctly remembered the red-haired boy, Bilius Weasley, because of the scandal she had believed him to be involved in before realising that Eugene was having her on. His other companion had left less of an impression, though she didn't have any unpleasant feelings towards him.

Still, she would have preferred to find Eugene alone.

"Hello."

Eugene whirled around, his typical, too-wide grin splitting his features. His honey blonde hair was as tousled as always, looking even more untidy because a few strands were noticeably shorter, as if someone had clipped them off at random. "Petals! You're here!"

Petunia only nodded, not sure what she should say. She had only come in the hopes of seeing him? She had missed him?

There was no way she would ever utter those words.

"I remember you," Bilius hummed instead of a greeting. "The penpal, right?"

"Nice to see you again." The third boy smiled, revealing soft dimples and big teeth, and Petunia remembered his name - Frank.

Looking at him she replied: "Likewise."

Bilius crossed his arms behind his head. "Well, this is awkward. We were just talking about Gene's other ten penpals ..."

Eugene huffed an unruly lock out of his face. "Would you stop already?"

"Why don't you understand my disappointment? We were all wondering who was sending you so many letters, there were all kinds of rumours going around," Bilius whined. "Secret fiancee, undercover work - I personally thought you had finally landed yourself in real trouble and were keeping track of whoever you offended, but ..."

Looking Petunia up and down, he sighed.

Some of the bubbles in her stomach popped and Petunia felt the corners of her mouth drop. The fabric of her coat scratched her palms while she clenched its hem in her fists. She was dressed quite nicely today, an outfit she had taken a long time picking out -  a pristine wool dress and her favourite blue scarf, which she had freshly ironed just yesterday.