Petunia was always the worse sister - not as pretty, not as kind and especially not as magical as Lily. Jealousy and bitterness rule her life, until one fateful encounter changes her destiny ...
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Petunia was always the lesser out of the two Evaness...
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Leaving Aspen behind was harder than Petunia had anticipated, her whole body protesting as she walked down the corridor lit by flickering torchlight, her steps echoing from the curved ceiling. She wanted to turn around, run back to him and take another flight but forced her feet to continue walking towards the noise she could hear, the hum of a hundred voices and steps luring her deeper into the bowels of Hogwarts.
Her path led her to a wider entrance hall dominated by staircases, each of them moving independently, the groan of grinding stones filling her head while her eyes couldn't stop staring at the fantastical display.
"Ms Evans?"
Petunia startled and turned, finding herself facing a tall woman with a stern expression, her dark hair tucked into a tidy bun. Her robes weren't the same black as the ones Petunia had seen on everyone else but a bright, emerald green decorated with celtic patterns.
Suddenly Petunia didn't regret her blazer as much – it was still too mundane, too 'muggle' to fit in with the castle around her, but she wasn't the only one who had opted for a spot of colour.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," the woman spoke again. "I'm Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor House. I was told to receive you here, if you are indeed the new apprentice groundskeeper?"
"Yes, Petunia Evans."
Professor McGonagall tilted her head a bit. "I do see the family resemblance – your sister is a very remarkable witch, Ms Evans, and one of the brightest students I ever had the pleasure of teaching."
Petunia tasted something sour as she forced her next words past her teeth. "Thank you. Our parents are very proud of Lily."
There was a second of silence, the grey eyes behind square glasses considering Petunia with piercing scrutiny. She forced herself to hold the older woman's stare until she finally continued.
"The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly. Proceed into the Great Hall and find yourself a space at the long table at the far end, teachers and staff are seated there. Do you have any questions?"
Petunia shook her head.
"Very well. I will remain here to welcome the unsorted students Hagrid is bringing across the lake. Good evening, Ms Evans."
Petunia swallowed. "Good evening, Professor McGonagall."
Thus dismissed, Petunia made her way through the doorway Professor McGonagall had indicted, her steps echoing across the flagged stone floor, passing through the door where the sound was immediately swallowed by the chatter of a hundred voices.
Petunia felt her mouth turn dry as her eyes wandered over the Great Hall.
She truly was in a magical castle, there was no denying it, not with the moving stairs back in the hall, not with the millions of candles floating above her head right this moment, each a bobbing golden light not fastened to anything she could see, not with the ceiling apparently nonexistent, the darkening sky clearly visible behind the candles, not with the translucent forms she could see whisking through walls and tables further back in the room.
