Petunia and the Little Monster

April, 1972

Something strange was going on. Something that Severus had seen so many times, he couldn't ignore it any longer.

Today once more, Severus watched as Lily's sister disappeared into the small garden shed, not paying either him or Lily any attention.

"What is she doing in there?"

Lily looked up from the wreath of daisies she was braiding, small white petals and yellow dust clinging to the green fabric of her dress. She smelled fresh and floral and pure. Severus knew that he himself smelled like mothballs and unwashed hair and slowly inched a bit farther away. He didn't want Lily to notice.

"She usually spends some time in there every day," Lily said. "I don't know why, it's empty. Mum told me she thinks it's my sister's hide-out."

Hide-out? Why would Lily's sister need a hide-out? She had a big, bright house and a perfect family. There was always fresh food on the table and she never needed to soak stale bread in water to make it soft enough to swallow.

"Do you like it?"

Severus startled and turned his head to see the daisy crown Lily proudly held up. Some of the blossoms looked a bit worse for wear but it was a pretty picture nonetheless; Lily's hair glowed like embers in the spring sun and the soft light made her dimpled smile look ethereal.

"It's pretty."

Severus tried to suppress his flinch when Lily quickly leaned towards him and deposited the braided daisies on his head. Did she notice his greasy hair? Had she touched it? Shame and nerves clamped around his throat and he hastily swallowed to ease it before it could tighten.

Lily's bell-like laugh tinkled through the warm air. "It suits you, Sev! Do you want me to show you how to make one?"

Severus nodded, never one to deny anything Lily asked. She started plucking flowers for the second crown when Severus noticed the door of the garden shed opening. Lily's sister left the shed with a swish of her white skirt, acting like she could see neither Lily nor him. Her blond hair was pulled back tightly but ... her usually pinched expression looked different. Not relaxed really, but softer nonetheless.

Severus blinked. What was in that shed?

She disappeared into the house and Severus wasn't the only one watching the door close behind her.

"Tuney was the one to teach me how to do this, back when ..." Lily took a deep breath, her green eyes wandering to the grass at her feet. "Back when she didn't hate me."

Annoyance crawled up his back. Lily's sister was jealous and stupid. Why did she continue to punish Lily for something that Lily couldn't change? It was her sister's bad luck to be born a muggle, no one else's. She should be happy for Lily, instead of making her feel bad about it.

Lily gave him a small smile, but it looked fragile. "I hope I can explain it as well as she did. I remember I had a lot of fun that day. Let me get some more flowers, I already picked all the good ones here."

Severus watched as she got up, small petals raining from her clothes and swirling in the breeze that teased her long, red hair. She hurried down the hill to the next patch of flowers and Severus didn't stop her. Lily got like this sometimes, when she thought about that harpy of an older sister and Severus was never good at comforting her. If he followed his impulse and insulted her sister, Lily just got even more sad. So he had learned to leave her alone.

His eyes wandered from Lily's small back to the shed. What was the harpy doing in there anyway? His instincts were telling him that she was hiding something.

Standing up, he carefully adjusted the flowers tickling the skin on his forehead while approaching the shed. It didn't look like anything special, square, wooden and a bit run-down. The door had been left ajar and Severus nudged it open, entering the cooler air. A rake and lawn-mower were pushed against one of the walls, spiderwebs fluttering from the ceiling. A heap of tarps was haphazardly bunched into a corner of the shed and Severus could see a toolbox and a ladder behind it.