Chapter 19: Hatching Plans
James and Lily had been talking in hushed tones when they heard someone cry out.
Not thinking, Petunia hurried towards them.
"Look, Lily, we have our differences," she started.
Lily gave a small start, which quickly turned into a dry laugh.
"But we have to put that aside and unite now. Our parents are gone. And I don't know about you, but I can't just stand here waiting for Him to kill again. I don't know if you feel the same, but I loved my parents, and I want, no, need, to avenge them. Even if it's the last thing I do!"
This said, Petunia stood still while the two took in what she had just said. They both spoke in the same instance.
"You'll get hurt!"
"Why are you telling us?"
Petunia looked at James.
"Do you really think so? And Lily." She turned to her sister. "I'm telling you because I realize that I can't do it alone. And I for one am willing to put my pride aside this one time, just so that revenge can be had. Then I promise to never bother you and your slave... boyfriend... again."
Both Lily and James looked quite surprised that the otherwise meek little Petunia could have such a cold voice, and be so commanding.
Finally, James nodded his head.
"I'll help you, but only if you promise to stop being jealous and to just be my friend again. 'Cause I know you miss me, too," he said.
"That's not what it's about. I know you've suffered losses too, James, you don't have to help because of me," she ground out through clenched teeth, "For you this might not be personal, but Voldemort is a murderer, and if you're the Gryffindor you've always claimed, you must want to end his reign. And Lily, they were our parents. So I don't want deals. I want you to agree to help me find him over Christmas and kill him. I'm asking you, James, because you are the only person I have left to help me. And I'm going to kill him because I hate the bloody..."
"Now, now, language," a joking voice said from behind Petunia.
"Oy, Sirius," James called, and sighing inwardly, Petunia turned around.
There stood Sirius, Remus and Peter, all staring wide-eyed at Petunia. They had obviously not expected to see her with James or Lily any time soon.
"What?" Petunia hissed, sounding perhaps more venomous that intended.
"We were just looking for James," Peter squeaked, obviously made nervous by Petunia.
"Well, not now, okay?" Petunia asked them hotly, and wondrously the three boys pulled back far enough that they would not hear what Petunia was about to say. But before she could so much as open her mouth James spoke:
"Sirius was going to stay at my place over vacation. We can't just not tell them."
"Why the hell not?" Petunia demanded.
"Because," James whispered back, trying not to sound as aggravated as he was, "they are my friends. And I will not be disloyal by trying to keep this secret."
"And anyway," Lily added, "they'll get suspicious. They care about us."
At these words, Petunia almost broke down. So the Marauders all cared about Lily, too? Her friends had left her to befriend her slimy sister! Had they ever really liked her, Petunia? Or had they just put up with her while she dated James and then breathed sighs of relief when the two broke up?
But instead of giving in to her tears, Petunia pretended to think it over for a second.
"Fine," she hissed, "tell them. But no one else. Got that?"
James and Lily nodded and James headed over to his best friends, leaving the two Evans sisters standing in icy silence. But, for the first time in her life, Petunia felt as if she was the dominant sister. And she liked the feeling pf control. But not the price.
No, don't think about mum and dad now, she reprimanded herself. Concentrate on avenging them. That's what they would have wanted. After all, mum was a brave and beautiful spy, right?
After a long moment, James walked back towards Lily and Petunia, Sirius, Remus and Peter close behind. Sirius spoke first.
"Petunia, of course we want to help you. Because we care about both of you."
He stressed the word 'both' in a way that made a little bit of the cold inside of Petunia melt away. One chip falling from the ice berg she was determined to replace her heart with.
Remus stepped up to stand next to him.
"Sirius' family is up to their eyes in dark magic. He has reason enough, even without this to want to kill You-Know-Who. And so do I, Petunia. You know, when I first met you, I saw myself. You were studious and quiet, but the moment James saw you, he felt a connection. Obviously a different connection than he felt for me." Remus paused for a second before continuing, "You didn't have friends before us, and it reminded me of myself. And now, your life has been changed, ruined, destroyed by You-Know-Who. And, Petunia, so has mine."
This was the longest speech Petunia had ever heard from Remus, and it was this, more than anything else that made her nod her head. Another chip of ice melting, threatening to break the barrier. But Petunia knew she would stay strong.
"I guess more help couldn't hurt," she said. "But no more other than us."
Everyone nodded.
"So, what's the plan?" Sirius asked.
"Are you mental?" came the reply from Petunia, "we can't discuss this right here in the hall! I don't know what came over me."
"Well, where then?" Peter asked anxiously.
Petunia looked him over. She didn't really want him to be part of this. He wasn't trustworthy. But she couldn't have convinced the other boys of this.
Well, she could have tried, perhaps, but still in a haze of hurt and upset, and finally having plans for revenge, she didn't think of the time she had seen him meeting with those Slytherins. The Marauders probably wouldn't have believed it anyway.
"I know just the place," was all she said, "follow me."
They hurried up stairs and around corners, until Petunia came to a halt in front of a door.
"In here," she said, beckoning them in.
Lily entered first.
"Wait a minute," Peter said uncertainly, his foot already in the threshold, "this is a girls' toilet."
Petunia nodded impatiently and rolled her eyes behind his back.
"Well... I'm not a girl."
"Wow, you caught on fast," Sirius said, rolling his own eyes, "if Petunia says no one will find us in here, she's got to have a reason."
Reluctantly, Peter stepped inside. Everyone else followed and Petunia closed the door behind them.
"So, 'Tunia, why do you think it's safe in here?" James asked.
"Petunia, if you don't mind. This is why. Myrtle! You can come out now," she called, poking her head into a cubicle.
Out flew a ghost of a girl in a Hogwarts uniform with thick glasses, long dark pigtails, a pimply face and a pouting mouth.
"Meet Myrtle," Petunia said dryly.
"I knew it. You aren't as lonely as you made out to be. That's why you stopped visiting so much last year, isn't it? And I thought you came here to see me! How could I have thought you liked me?" Myrtle cried out, flipping over in the air, and diving head first into a toilet, causing water to splash all over the floor.
"Yeah, she gets like that sometimes. You'll have to excuse her," Petunia supplied dryly then continued as if nothing had happened. "Anyway, I thought, over Christmas we could say we're leaving school, but actually go find him. That would give us the two weeks to find him and kill him before anyone notices that we're missing."
"And it's still a month to Christmas break, so that's how long we have to get really good at dueling and think of a way to kill him and find out where we can find him," James added.
"Well, finding him shouldn't be too hard," Sirius said. "My brother's a Death Eater, you know one of his followers, after all."
He tried to sound casual, but Petunia could see the pain in his eyes. Poor Sirius. Petunia could sympathize, for, though her sister wasn't a Death Eater, Lily had always taken up all the time and care of her parents and of everyone else. But thinking of her parents hurt, so Petunia merely nodded briskly.
"So... um... how do you plan to... you know... kill him?" Peter asked anxiously.
Petunia was disgusted at his fear. It wasn't like anyone was forcing him to do this; he should want to kill a man who murdered innocent bystanders, even children. Anyone should want to do that.
"Well, I haven't exactly figured that out yet," Petunia admitted.
"We may have to learn the unforgivables," James said apprehensively.
"But... they're illegal. And they're really dark magic," Lily said uncertainly.
"Yeah," said Sirius, "but there's no other spell that can kill, is there?"
"Don't worry, Lily, you won't have to. I'll learn the spell. I need to be the one to kill him. But he'll have some sort of protection, won't he? I mean, we'll need to get past bodyguards or whatever, so everyone will need to learn lots of defense spells."
"Sure," Sirius agreed, "that's not so hard. But we'll also need to plan based on where he is. So I'll try to figure out where we can find him with the least protection."
Everyone else nodded their assent.
"It's settled then."
Grimly satisfied, the six walked out of the bathroom.