Dursleys Tale of Moons and Maps {1}

Before She Slipped Through

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Petunia and Vernon Dursley were exhausted. Not only did they managed to have a second child but they had to take care of a surplus one due to Petunia's late sister having no other living relatives to take care of a young Harry. Luckily he didn't inconvenience them that much, the young child was preoccupied taking care of the newest member of the nuclear family. A tuft of strawberry curls sat atop the youngest Dursley's newborn forehead, her grey eyes were starting to show flecks of bright green and hazel- Petunia shuddered, shaking the feeling of both grief and overwhelming love for her daughter. Dudley was crying incessantly, most likely wanting to be fed again and demanding that Petunia would give him one of the many prepped baby formulas she had for his sister. It was a late October evening a week or so after the birth of their daughter as they drove from the city to the never changing suburbia that was Little Whinging. Rain droplets pounded against the clear glass of the car windows, Vernon ever focused on his driving and allowing no distractions from Harry provoking Dudley in some conceivable manner and the radio, which was never allowed on while he drove. Petunia sometimes wished she could turn the radio on, listen to ABBA or sing along to Elton John, it reminded her of a time in her youth before the heavy clouds of adulthood and grief overtook her being. She turned to her daughter, who stared at her with an unknowing knowingness of the world she had been brought into, smiling and pushing her dummy back into her mouth before it fell out. Harry held her tiny hand and Petunia felt like she should take his hand away, but what harm could a child do. Especially now that they had raised him normal, not like her sister who would've raised him with foolish ideas like magic and wands and all other manner of silliness.

Pulling into their drive, Vernon pulled up the handbrake turning to his lean and beautiful wife smiling beneath the beginnings of a heavy moustache. "Right. Let's get the children in- I'm sure you're very tired dear" Vernon stated, Petunia nodded in agreement but sometimes wanted to disagree once or twice, cause a ruckus. But her life was perfect. She didn't need to cause any kind of chaos, Harry would soon do that enough for them; she was sure of it. Vernon pulled Harry out and lifted Dudley from his seat, both boys had recently begun walking so given the opportunity they would make Harry learn quick so they wouldn't need to be around him as much. Petunia reached into the baby car seat to grab her daughter. Vernon was already entering their home when their radio just came to life. Slipping through my fingers was playing on the radio, Petunia put it down to a fault in the car; it couldn't have been- no, it wouldn't be her family. Not her perfect family.

Many years had passed Dudley had grown into, what was Petunia's idea of a lovely boy. So similar to his father it filled her with hope for a happy normal life with her eldest. Harry, ever the problem within the perfect Dursley life, caused them many a problem as she had predicted many years prior when they'd first been sentenced with caring for their orphaned nephew. On their daughters birthday, Marge ordered her favourite dog Ripper, to chase Harry around the garden after he'd stupidly dropped a drink over her and as guessed, Harry mysteriously found himself on the garage roof. How he could ruin their lives with every abnormal moment he spent with them but the youngest Dursley insisted on bringing her cousin with her everywhere, like a bodyguard. Petunia often wondered why her daughter and nephew had such a close bond, in many ways it reminded her of her relationship with Lily before she was taken from her by magical nonsense. Vernon begrudgingly gave in to their daughters wishes, but constantly attempted to remove their nephew from every situation. But that could not be. Petunia knew that some mysterious things would happen when they weren't together, such as the freak weather when Harry was put in the cupboard under the stairs for making Vernon's coffee wrong. Petunia suspected her nephew was exhibiting magical ability but quickly realised it would stop when he was near their fiery blonde baby girl. Maybe that was the key to making him normal.