Chapter 25: Her New World
"What's up with her?"
"I dunno. Is she alive?"
They were looking down at a girl lying there in the dust. Her face was scraped and dirty; her hair hung down lankly and looked grimy and dusty. The girl seemed to be wearing black robes of some sort, and they too were torn and filthy.
Petunia was barely aware of the voices muttering just above her face. People seemed to be leaning over her, but Petunia couldn't even tell how many. Her vision was blurry from exhaustion and thirst.
A foot nudged her side.
"Hello?"
Looking up, Petunia was able to distinguish two figures. A girl and a boy, apparently.
"Come on, Amy, let's go," the boy muttered.
"No way! We can't just leave her here. Help me pick her up," the girl commanded.
"Fine, fine," grumbled the boy.
He reached hesitantly down to Petunia, helping the girl lift her. Too weak to protest, Petunia let them pick her up and carry her away from what appeared to be an old warehouse. Good. Leaving that place, she was leaving behind unpleasant memories.
Memories of Voldemort, battle, betrayal... magic.
After Voldemort, the Death Eaters and Dumbledore and the Order had all been long gone, Petunia had managed to crawl out of the unplottable room. In his haste to flee, Malfoy's spell to bind her where she was must have been cast weakly without conviction. It had worn off after merely a few days.
But that was all in the past now. Petunia resolved to never think of it again. Not only this she would no longer think of though; she was also giving up her only happiness, her first and only friends. Her one true love.
"I think she's moving!"
The shrill voice of the girl supporting her head and shoulders reminded Petunia painfully of her current situation.
She looked up at the girl who had just spoken. The girl (had the boy called her Amy?) was rather plump with bobbed, white blond hair wearing a shortish, salmon-colored dress.
Holding her feet up, Petunia could see was a fat, pink boy. His thick, straw-colored hair was plastered to his rather square, sweaty face.
"Let's take her to my place, Vernon," said Amy.
The pink boy, Vernon, nodded his consent.
Soon the two teens supporting Petunia had reached a long street. It looked very respectable, the houses and lawns on either side were well kept and orderly.
Vernon was looking around furtively.
"Come on, hurry up, Amy. The neighbors will see us!" Vernon whined.
"So?" Amy replied.
"So we're carrying a filthy... I dunno... tramp, possibly, down the street. What will the neighbors think?" Vernon responded in a pained voice.
Finally, the odd group reached the front door of a light yellow house. It had a freshly painted look about it. Amy stepped forward and pushed open the crisp white door with her shoulder.
"Mum!" she called.
"Yes dear? What is it? Mrs. Dursley and I were just wondering where you two had... who is that?"
While the first part of the statement had sounded motherly, slightly worried and definitely like this woman had been very conditioned by society, the last three words came out as a sort of shriek.
"Sorry, mum. We found her, and we couldn't just leave her to die! We'll try to wake her up. Then, after she washes up, she can explain everything, okay?" Amy asked.
Petunia had the impression Amy could get her mother to say yes to anything she wanted. And she seemed to be right.
Amy's mother nodded, still looking slightly shocked, and Petunia saw her returning to a tea table on a patio outside in the back of the house, where Petunia distinctly heard her sigh: "brought her back, I daresay, the sweet girl that my Amy is, just couldn't leave her, I suppose."
Petunia couldn't hear anymore, however, since she suddenly found herself in what had to be Amy's bedroom. She lay on a luxurious, queen sized bed. Next to the bed was a vanity on which lay a every imaginable hair accessory.
"So... how do we wake her?" Vernon was asking.
"Let me."
Amy slapped Petunia. Hard.
Petunia winced.
"Ow. I... I'm awake... I... water...?" Petunia managed.
Until she had been slapped, this was about what she had wanted to say, but she had found her mouth unwilling to speak.
"Go and get her some water!" Amy ordered Vernon.
It looked like this girl always got her way, for Vernon scurried off and returned barely a minute later with a glass full of water. Distilled, Petunia was sure.
"Thanks," Petunia croaked, greedily gulping down the water as fast as she could. Merlin, did it feel good on her parched throat and lips.
Amy smiled.
"Well, what's your name?" she asked, sounding politely inquisitive.
"Petunia."
"Alright, Petunia. You can go in the bathroom and wash up. Take a shower, okay? And wash your hair. And you can borrow my hairbrush. And some of my clothes. You'll see the shampoo and conditioner and soaps and stuff in the shower."
With this, Petunia found herself unceremoniously pushed into an adjoining bathroom.
It's floor and walls were tiled with pink tiles. Everything was spotless.
Petunia smiled to herself. She, too, was a big fan of cleanliness. It was a small bit of satisfaction, but satisfaction nonetheless to see that these people kept an immaculate household.
Hesitantly, Petunia stepped out of her filthy clothes. She did feel odd about taking a shower in the home of a perfect stranger, but what choice did she have, really?
Besides, Petunia was feeling a great need to wash herself. She had been laying in the dust for days.
An hour and a half later, Petunia was all washed up. The transformation was amazing in the eyes of Amy and Vernon.
Petunia had washed, conditioned, dried with a hair-dryer and brushed her hair, so it no longer fell limply over her shoulders but hung in nearly graceful waves, smelling of fresh strawberries.
Her face and body were scrubbed clean of all dirt, and she had on one of Amy's dresses. It did hang rather loosely, as Petunia was rather slimmer than Amy, but looked much better than her raggedy robes all the same.
"You look great, Petunia," Amy gushed when Petunia finally showed herself.
"Now let's go and introduce you to my mum."
A very awkward conversation with Amy and Vernon and their mothers later, it had been decided that Petunia would be allowed to attend St. Elizabeths, the private girls boarding school that Amy went to, as a charity case. Petunia would work after school, and one day would repay Vernon's family, who would take over her (minimal) fees.
During the summer break, she would stay with Amy.
Most of this had been decided by Amy herself, to whom, as Petunia had correctly assumed, the others were putty in hot hands.
That evening, Amy and Petunia were in Amy's room, where Petunia would be living until school started up again.
"This is going to be fun. Like having a sister! I've always wanted a sister," Amy exclaimed excitedly, fishing out her oldest nightie for Petunia to sleep in.
"Did you have any siblings? Before they... died?"<
Petunia had told Amy and the others that her entire family had died, and she had not been questioned any more about them until now.
Well, almost the truth. Lily was as good as dead to her now. So was everyone from the magical world.
"No. I didn't."
What did Amy know about sisters. She had no idea how lucky she was. Petunia wished she had never had a sister. Then she would still be at Hogwarts, she thought. With James. Who would still love her.
"Oh, me neither. I always wanted a sister about my age. You too?"
Petunia just nodded. Better keep this girl in a good mood. And not asking too many questions. After all, she didn't have anywhere else to go. The magical world held no meaning for her anymore. Petunia was no longer part of it. She would never, ever perform magic again. Even if it meant living with this girl forever.