The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

Petunia Says Please

A week into holiday, and already Lily was quite bored without James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter about to be pulling pranks and cracking jokes. She missed Ali, Frank, Marlene, and the others also. It was just so quiet and boring being back in her muggle home, and it was abysmally lonely, too. It had been over a year – very nearly two now – since her dad had been killed and it was still odd feeling being in the house without him there, as though he'd just run down to the market and would be back any time.

It seemed this feeling was mutual among the remaining Evans – coping was not the strongest trait in the family. Mrs. Evans constantly needed to be busy or else she sat staring out the window at nothing as though watching for her husband's return, and so she spent a good deal of time cooking so many dishes that she had to give them away to the neighbors to keep them from stacking up in the kitchen. If she wasn't baking, she was in the yard, gardening, and the backyard looked akin to the Royal Gardens.

Petunia, meanwhile, seemed to be coping by replacing Mr. Evans with her boyfriend – Vernon Dursley. Although it was quite a poor replacement, as there was nobody less like Mr. Evans than Vernon.

Lily was laying on a reclined lawn chair in the back yard of the Evans house, reading a book, surrounded by buzzing bees and the sweet smell of her mother's garden flowers. It was sunny, and she had on her bathing suit and was soaking up some of the sun, hoping to get rid of some of the pasty white skin. She imagined seeing James Potter again in a month at the disapparation classes, pale as milk, while he stood there all bronze and beautiful, fresh from Costa Rica. She had to do anything she could to at least get a faint glow before that day.

Suddenly a shadow passed over her and she rolled, squinting to look up, and found Petunia standing over her, clutching a towel and wearing a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses. "You're in my chair," Petunia grumbled.

Lily said, "You weren't using it."

"Well I want to now."

"Sorry, occupied," Lily answered, turning back to her book.

Petunia's voice became whiney, "I'll tell mum."

"Go ahead," Lily replied. "She'll tell you to share." She kept her eyes on the text.

Petunia clearly knew Lily was right, for she didn't go to fetch Mrs. Evans. Instead, she petulantly kicked her foot against the earth, like a small child not getting their way. "Give me back my chair."

Lily murmured, "You can have it when I'm done with it."

"I need it now," Petunia said. "I need to sit in the sun."

"There'll be sun later," Lily said.

"But I'll be out with Vernon later, and I need to tan a bit before I go." Petunia looked at a clock on a chain about her neck, then looked back at Lily. "You're the one that can use it later. It isn't like you've got anywhere to go."

"Perhaps I do," Lily replied, even though she didn't. She still didn't look up from her book.

"Don't be ridiculous," Petunia hissed, "Of course you haven't got anywhere to go. You haven't left the house since you got back from that stupid school of yours. Scared off all your mates, did you? Even that filthy haired boyfriend you had?"

"You're quite welcomed to leave Severus Snape out of this," Lily replied. "And besides, he doesn't even go to my school any longer."

Petunia looked interested in this. "He doesn't? Why not?"

"He goes to a different school," Lily replied flatly.

"A different school? There's more than one?" Petunia's voice lifted – if Lily didn't know better, she would almost think that Petunia was interested in the subject.