Secrets She Kept » Harry Potter

Part 31

Petunia went through many changes with her cancer treatment. It was a secret she spilled to her children in the early days after discussing what medical care she would receive, she would require her children's help around the house more. They were happy to lend a helping hand outside of schooling and their after-school sports. George had taken to driving the twins around, even Petunia at times in the family vehicle as the old runabout he got handed down had finally broken down. It wasn't worth the large cost to get it running again. The teenager didn't mind sharing as Petunia was able to work a schedule with him around her treatments and her son's busy social life.

Beckham had read more about the Australian wizarding school that offered a boarding program, he had a need to attend since he missed his days at Hogwarts. He felt like the tutoring sessions weren't enough of a challenge for the light-haired boy, his craving for education made him turn to his mother begging to go. Although finances would prove difficult for the boy to attend, his smart intellect had already figured out a solution, he would apply for the few scholarships available. One was sitting an academic examination about general wizarding practises, an exam he got top marks and won his cost of tuition.

This left Petunia in the company of her daughter. An opportunity for the pair to bond more when her older brothers were out of the home more. Millie enjoyed the simple pleasures of joining her mother at the markets on a Saturday morning, where Petunia would treat them to ice cream or smoothie from a stall. Or they would spend a Sunday afternoon walking along the beach after spending the morning sharing their interest in sewing. Petunia was teaching Millie how to sew her own clothing, as many of her friends were quite well off and always went on shopping splurges causing her to feel left out. Her mother was determined to prove to her daughter that she could construct her own looks to mimic what was for sale in the stores with ease.

"Why didn't you ever open your own boutique?" A fifteen-year-old Millie would ask her mother.

The answer came with a sigh, Petunia pausing after completing a row of knitting for a beanie she was working on to send back to Harry for the winter holidays in England. "Life got busy." She admitted. She was out working the day she graduated from high school, determined to make something of herself away from the same household as her sister. Lily was special, pretty and perfect in her parent's opinion whereas Petunia was the unkind, plain non-magical daughter. Being young and naive she would fall in love after being introduced to Vernon Dursley and prospects of working further were unheard of after their relationship got serious. Vernon believed it was inappropriate for a woman to make money when he made a good wage. "I was far too busy raising Dudley and Harry after his parents passed away." She gave away more than enough information to her daughter.

"It's never too late." Millie would continue to press her mother. She knew she was capable of creating beautiful pieces of clothing. The teenager was hopeful that her mother's treatment would work, even with the risks laid out by the series of doctors involved. "I'd be your assistant."

Petunia gave her daughter a smile, looking up from the sewing machine. In a perfect world, she would've worked hard in any career before settling down with a husband, and living in a country home with her sister coming to visit her with her own family. Fate didn't have it that way and she made the wrong choices when it came to men, however, they gave her a blessing which was her children. She wouldn't trade them for anything, not even a world-famous seamstress. "I expect any assistant of mine to have at least finished her education." There had been small disagreements when it came to school attendance for Millie.

Millie's cheeks flush with embarrassment. Unlike her twin, school wasn't important to her. Petunia had made an agreement with her daughter to finish her normal high school education, compared to her twin who was completing his magical education. George had gone ahead and graduated while sitting his practical exams ahead of finishing his muggle schooling. He was setting his sights on attending university, setting a trend for his younger siblings.

Noticing the change in emotion in her daughter, Petunia was quick to change the subject.