Chapter 5: Outbursts By The Seashore
"Well girls, this is your last day with your parents for this year," Mrs. Evans said, sounding rather depressed.
"Your friends will be here soon, Lily," added Mr. Evans.
Petunia sat on the sofa, pretending to read her Potions essay over again. Summer break was almost over, and Petunia couldn't wait to return to Hogwarts. Perhaps she and James would be able to make out. Make up, she corrected herself mentally, giggling in a way that only teenage girls can.
James had not contacted Petunia at all over the vacation. Remus had written a friendly letter once or twice, just asking how she was and what she was up to. In his letters he had hinted heavily she should write to James, because James was too stubborn and proud to write to her first. Well, though she had politely answered Remus’s letters, Petunia refused to write James. She, Petunia Evans, had her own pride to consider.
The doorbell rang, and Lily jumped up to get it. Lily and a few of her friends had organized a camping trip that was to last the remaining week of vacation, as a sort of "back-to-school-get-together". Mr. and Mrs. Evans had convinced Lily to take Petunia along, too, so that they could go on vacation to Mallorca. Therefore, all of the family's suitcases as well as Lily and Petunia's school trunks were packed and standing by the door.
"It's June and Marie!" Lily called from the doorway.
"How many are we waiting for, then?" her father called back.
"Just one more!" was Lily's reply, then "Oh, look, there comes Claire! That's everyone."
Petunia was not really looking forward to going camping with a bunch of hormonal teenage girls - though she was a sharp-minded girl she refused to see any irony in referring to her sister's friends as such. They didn't even want her to be there! But she hadn't wanted to spoil her parents' trip, so she had to go along with Lily and her friends.
The four girls had just come pouring into the living room, much to Petunia's dismay, as she wanted to be alone with her thoughts for the time being.
The living room, however, was no longer a peaceful, sunbathed refuge for Petunia. Lily and her friends were giggling and chattering excitedly.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans were hugging and kissing their daughters good-bye as Claire and Marie, who would be entering her seventh year, and were already 17, shrunk all the baggage, tied it to their brooms, and performed Disillusionment Charms on everyone, as well as the broomsticks and shrunken bags.
"Why don't we just Apparate?" asked Claire exasperatedly as she struggled to perform the Charm correctly.
"Yeah!" exclaimed an equally annoyed Marie, "Claire and I have passed the test! We could side you guys along."
June gave them an understanding look, then nodded towards Petunia.
"Oh! I completely forgot she was coming. Too many people then. This stinks!"
"Come on. Just forget it," said Lily, obviously a bit embarrassed, though Petunia wasn't entirely sure why. It couldn't be because her friends were insulting her sister. That much Petunia was sure of. Lily hadn't stood up for her little sister since before Hogwarts.
"I wish Lily could perform the Disillusionments at least. It's really complicated," Claire complained, and then added, grinning at Lily, "You got the best marks of the year in the O.W.L.s, didn’t you?"
"Her and James," June reminded the group playfully.
"Oh, don't talk to me about that... that... puffed-up PERSON!" Lily intoned meaningfully.
"He is sort of handsome you know," Claire stated, raising her eyebrows.
"His bullying of innocent people for the heck of it helps me to get over that!"
"Next to that sexy Sirius Black, he's nothing, anyway," Marie replied, wisely changing the subject.
June sighed longingly in agreement.
For the whole rest of the flight the girls talked of the Marauders, while Petunia just watched the landscape, feeling awful because she couldn't clear her mind of the fact that she and James were not speaking to one another.
When they finally reached the beach they would be camping at, it was evening.
With the help of magic, the girls pitched their tents and built a fire where they made their food Muggle fashion. Everyone besides the two Evans sisters found this very exciting, though they burned most of their sausages and marshmallows.
That was how the rest of the vacation went, mostly. Lily and her friends went swimming or lay around on the beach, chatting, giggling, and getting tans
Petunia, however, spent most of her time hidden away in a small crevice a quarter of a mile away from camp, trying to read and thinking of James. Why did she still like him?
Then, on the girls' last day by the beach, something happened.
Lily had gone off to walk in the moonlight, alone, and Petunia sat with June, Marie and Claire eating dinner (prepared magically this time). Petunia was musing over James, as usual, and the others were talking about couples.
"Don't you guys think I would fit so well with Sirius?" June was asking for the umpteenth time.
"Sure," replied Marie, as everyone rolled their eyes in unison, "I mean, you're pretty much the hottest girl in school, and he's the sexiest guy, without a doubt."
"Well, Lily is as beautiful as you are, June," supplied Claire.
"But, I mean, Lily and Sirius? That would just not look right," said Marie.
"You know who I think would go great with Lily?" asked Marie, looking around furtively for effect.
"Who? Who?" Came Claire's eager reply.
"Okay, don't tell Lily, but I think..." she paused dramatically.
"Yeah? Go on!"
"James," Marie finished.
At the sound of James' name, Petunia looked up. She hadn't been listening to their conversation before, but now she was.
"You know, I think that's so true," Claire told the other two.
What did she think was true, Petunia wondered. Were they still talking about James? Probably not. She was about to go back to her thoughts, when she heard his name again.
"James and Lily, Lily and James, yeah, it sounds right," June mused, "Just imagine, Lily James Potter. Cool."
Petunia jumped up.
"It is not cool! They would be horrible together!"
"Oh my gosh, I forgot she was here," Marie muttered audibly.
"I didn't think she and Lily were that close, I wouldn't have expected her to stick up for her," June said, as if Petunia couldn’t hear her.
"Not like we were doing anything bad anyway, we just said Lily and James would look cute together," said Claire, sounding apprehensive,
"Enough! They would not look cute together," Petunia shouted, forgetting exactly to whom she was talking, she continued, "James deserves so much better! He deserves someone who loves him, and cares for him. Someone who craves his love and returns it. Not someone like Lily! Someone like m..." she stopped herself just in time.
Petunia had almost confessed her love for James to a group of Lily's friends. Besides, she was mad at James, why was she sticking up for him? Maybe he did deserve someone as shallow as Lily.
Just then Lily returned, asking what was the matter. The other girls shrugged guiltily while Petunia herself crawled into her sleeping bag. Oddly enough she didn't fall asleep thinking about James, but about Lily. And the fact that her friends were keeping secrets, albeit harmless ones, from her. For a few moments, just before nodding off, Petunia missed the relationship she had had with Lily so long ago, before Snape came into their lives. And she fell asleep, not loving James so much as hating Snape.