Petunia and the Little Monster

December, 1971 - Christmas

"What do you know?" A small smile grazed Petunia's lips and she scratched behind Aspen's ears in satisfaction. "They don't know what to do without their special magic."

❀

Swishing the curtain aside on Christmas morning Petunia wasn't greeted with the sight of snowflakes she had been hoping for. Instead, four owls glared at her with jewel-bright eyes, trying to find enough space on her little window-sill to sit without falling off. The great horned owl with the crooked beak was taking up the most space - and managed to look unapologetic about it, as far as owls were able to have expressions.

Lily stepped up behind Petunia and let out a delighted gasp. "These must be Christmas wishes! I didn't expect ..."

Petunia ignored her sister and opened the window latch, her actions being greeted with a lot of wing rustling and a few floating feathers. A surge of December air washed over her skin, the clean smell of frost invading her nose and chasing away any lingering sleep. Krampus clicked his mangled beak at her before hopping closer, holding out his clawed foot, on which dangled not only a letter but also a square package.

Petunia saw Lily's finger reach for the packet and plucked it away before her sister could touch it.

"Tuney ..."

"It's for me."

Lily blinked her big, green eyes. "Really? I didn't know ..."

Petunia briefly showed the letter which was addressed to her - Eugene had thankfully refrained from writing her stupid nickname on the envelope - before hiding it again. She didn't want her sister anywhere close to it.

"Someone sent you an owl? Who? Do I know them?"

Petunia kept her answer short. "No."

"Are they at Hogwarts? How come you've never talked about it?"

Petunia shrugged and hid both the letter and the packet underneath her pillow. She would open it later, once Lily was no longer there to witness it.

Thankfully Lily was distracted by her own presents. She fed the owls a few of the snacks Petunia had left next to the window for Krampus' regular visits while reading the names on her cards. "Amelia, Edgar and Alice ... they all thought of me! What should I do, I only prepared some snacks for them ... What do you think, Tuney, should I ask Mum to go shopping? Do you want to come?"

"No."

Lily seemed to deflate a little, but Petunia ignored her antics. Did she want to drag not only Petunia but also their mother to that blasted magical street again? Did she not realise that the both of them weren't welcome there, not being Lily's kind?

And how did she imagine they'd even get there, without Mrs Snape to help?

Lily might not care as long as she got some cute presents for her new friends.

After carefully unpacking her Christmas gifts - Lily got a quill, a red-yellow striped scarf and some chocolate - she finally went downstairs to help their mother with breakfast, and probably plead for a shopping trip. Petunia watched her sister go before lifting her pillow and dragging her own packet out, something the wrinkles out of the brown parchment it was packaged in. It wasn't much bigger than the letter attached to it but weighed a good amount.

Petunia carefully unfolded the crinkling paper, revealing a hard-backed book decorated with gold leaf. It smelled like fresh ink and leather and the careful illustrations on the cover, depicting scales and feathers and claws, caught the early morning light, shimmering beautifully. They almost seemed to move when Petunia trailed her finger across them, feeling the softness of the material beneath her skin.