Harry Potter One Shots

Happy Mother's Day

All rights belong to the author, ZangButterfly

Vernon Dursley's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. The burly man made sure that indeed it was a black owl pecking his window noisily. The owl stared back at him and pecked harder. The glass rattled dangerously.

Petunia emerged from the kitchen. "What's that, Vernon?" she asked. Her horse-like face scrunched up, annoyed.

"Look at that, Honey," Vernon pointed his big finger to the source of the noise.

Petunia gasped. "Oh, God, Vernon." She covered her mouth with her thin hand.

Both of them realized that it was not a stray owl. There was a letter on one of its legs. Not wanting to attract their nosy neighbors' attention, Petunia ushered her husband to open the window and let it in. The owl smoothly perched onto the nearest wooden chair's back. It gazed back at them haughtily.

"Does-does it bring a letter for us?" Petunia asked timidly.

"It seems like that," Vernon answered briskly. He threw a look at the owl. Slowly he retrieved the letter, hoping that the creature would stay still. A small part of him was afraid that it would bite him. It's far from nice to be bitten by a huge owl.

Vernon was relieved. Quickly he went back to his wife's side. Petunia looked at the letter, curiosity shown in her eyes. When she read to whom it addressed, she was terrified.

"Why would some freak write to me?" she squeaked. She was shaking like a leaf.

Vernon held the letter in disgust, as if it contained something filthy that could contaminate his blood.

Petunia frowned when Vernon took something out of the envelope. It was a card, a beautiful card with moving pictures of petunia. The flower where she'd got her name from.

"It's magic!" Vernon exclaimed, before clamping his mouth shut. He wanted to groan, realizing he had just said the forbidden word. The 'M' word.

Petunia was secretly mesmerized. No card she'd ever seen was as beautiful as the one in her hands. She opened it.

Dear Petunia Dursley,

Happy Mother's Day.

Sincerely,

Severus Snape

Vernon narrowed his watery eyes. "I thought we already agreed to cut any ties between us and those—those freaks when they took Lily's son from us!" he spat angrily.

"Maybe this is just some joke," Petunia replied, bewildered. "It's just too nice for them to send me a Mother's Day card," she added thoughtfully.

A strong hoot reminded them that they still had a guest in Privet Drive no. 4. The black owl looked at them, big eyes sharp and demanding.

"Do you think we should write a reply?" Vernon asked timidly.

.-.-.

Snape gazed at the sky satisfyingly. At the first time the idea of sending an owl to the Dursleys had sounded ridiculous. But when he had noticed his adoptive young son, Harry, drawing a bunch of lilies and wrote "Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you" he thought sadistically, why not sending a card to the family who had made Harry's life miserable in the boy's short life?

The scary man had bought an exquisite card via owl, then had written a simple happy mother's day and sent it right away.

Snape greatly disliked Petunia. She had expressed her hatred towards magic, him and Lily in the past. She was unpleasant. It's hard to like -or even respect- her. But Snape thought, a mother is always a mother. Reluctantly Snape thanked her for taking Harry when Dumbledore had left the little boy in her doorstep five years ago.

Raven hooted softly and perched himself on Snape's left shoulder. He proudly held out the simple white envelope on his leg.

Snape retrieved the letter and affectionately gave some treat to the owl. Raven was a smart owl, and Snape was proud of him.

Harry was curious when he knew his father's owl sent the man something. "What did you get, Dad?" he asked excitedly.

"Only a boring letter, Harry," Snape answered tersely. He hadn't expected that Lily's sister would reply him.

"Oh."

"What is it, Son?" Snape asked when Harry seemed to contemplate about something.

"Can I send a card to Mum? Can Raven go to heaven?"

Snape was taken aback by the innocent question. "Sure," he said hoarsely.

While Harry dancing around the room, Snape opened the letter. The reply was simple. In Petunia's neat handwriting, it read:

Dear Severus Snape

Thank you for the Mother's Day card.

Petunia Dursley

.-.-.

The End