"I got yeh summat! Every groundskeeper should have one."
Petunia stared at the squirming bundle of black fur and gigantic paws in Hagrid's hands.
"Hagrid." Her voice sounded flat to her own ears. "Is that a puppy?"
"'Course! Look at my Fang, once he's all grown he'll help me around here. An' he needs a companion, righ'? So I got yeh one as well."
That was all nice and well but ... "Why does it have three heads?"
There was a short pause when one of said heads yawned widely, showing a pink tongue and small white teeth.
"All the better, I'd say! One can bark, one can track an' one can bite, all at the same time."
As if it had taken Hagrid's words as an encouragement, the left head stretched up to clamp viciously at the space between Hagrid's thumb and pointer finger, sharp teeth gnawing furiously at the man's thick skin.
"His name is Fluffy."
Of course it is.
❀
It seemed that the mysterious magic that cleaned Petunia's rooms was also capable of restoring things. To date, it had taken care of two gnawed-on bed posts, a shattered mirror and too many ripped-up cushions to count.
"You're a proper hellion," Petunia scolded the perpetrator, knowing it was useless. Only one head was paying her even the slightest attention, the other two were busy nipping at each other.
"If you continue like this, I'm going to cut our walk short today."
At the word 'walk' all heads lifted, black eyes gleaming with interest.
Petunia huffed. This devil incarnate didn't deserve her mirth – Hagrid had said all heads would be useful for something, but all they did until now was growling and biting, either at each other, her or innocent furniture.
Why or how he had found this creature instead of a normal dog remained a mystery until yesterday when Hagrid confessed during their shared breakfast that he might have been drunk when a fellow sold it to him at the pub.
Clipping a sturdy leather leash, ringed with pale teeth indentations, onto the collar of the middle head, Petunia led Fluffy from her rooms, making her way down the terrifying staircases that always seemed to move at the most inconvenient moments.
Or leave her stranded.
"This castle has to be one giant joke," she told Fluffy while watching the connecting staircase she had intended to take float away from her. His only answer was a renewed effort to chew through his leash.
And then, as if the universe was playing an even greater trick on her, she watched as another stairway docked onto her platform – leading directly to the person she had done her best to avoid.
James Potter, skewered glasses and tousled hair making him unmistakable. As well as the lopsided grin that stretched his mouth when he spotted her and ambled over, taking two steps in one.
"Fancy meeting you here. Where's the blood leaking bucket? Though I see you brought the next best thing to horrify students."
Fluffy let up from his leash to show six rows of gleaming teeth to the wizard walking up to them.
"Why don't you try petting him?" Petunia actually wished he would be foolish enough to take her up on it. As if sharing her hope, Fluffy strained against the leash but didn't bark or growl.
Maybe wanting to see the boy lose a finger was a bit bloodthirsty but something about him just rubbed her the wrong way. It wasn't so much the fact that he was the last in a long line of Lily's admirers – but it was in part the fact that he hid his suspicion behind a facade of camaraderie, easy smiles and pointed jokes.
If Petunia had been naive or desperate enough she might have actually believed his renewed approach was an offer of friendship.
"I don't think it likes me much," James said easily, glancing at the three-headed beast and the thin lines of spittle dripping from his maws.
"Appearances can be deceiving."
"On that I agree! Imagine my surprise when I found out ... Petunia – Petunia Evans, was it?"
Petunia stiffened. Fluffy finally did growl.
"I knew there was something going on with you and Evans but I never would have guessed! Cousins, maybe, or coincidentally identical last names ... not sisters."
Petunia steeled her spine and forced herself to keep her face blank.
What did it matter? It would have come to light sooner or later. She had never put any effort into keeping it a secret. Why should she? It wasn't something to be ashamed of.
So why did she feel like she had been caught?
"But honestly, can you blame me? It's just a bit strange ... Evans never talked about a sister and now that you're here you don't even give her the time of day. It's enough to make anyone question all this."
"I don't understand why you think you're in any position to question me, James Potter. My and Lily's matters have nothing to do with you. Or have your delusions overtaken any common sense you've had left?"
He grinned. "Common sense is no fun at all."
Petunia swallowed, forcing her retort down her dry throat.
This was another reason Petunia had done her best to avoid James Potter.
His messy hair, his untidy clothes, his gleaming brown eyes and the constant teasing note in his voice – it was too similar. So similar that a stab of familiarity pierced her gut when he said something like this, followed by a toxic swirl of confusion, longing and anger that almost made her sick.
Of course she was aware of the differences. Where Eugene's jokes and throwaway comments were good-natured, James' held a note of mocking and superiority. But whenever she tried to convince herself that she was overthinking it, a very small voice in the back of her head piped up, telling her that Eugene would have treated her just like this, if he had fancied Lily.
James Potter was the dark mirror image of the boy she missed.
And she hated it.
"What do you want?"
"Just some clarity. You are Evans' older sister, right? Why does no-one talk about it? And why are you avoiding her?"
"Why don't you ask Lily?"
He took a second too long to answer even though Petunia already knew his reasoning. Too nervous, too afraid of annoying Lily or wanting to appear aloof and unconcerned with Lily's matters – whatever it was, she honestly couldn't care less about what his lovesick brain had cooked up.
"Well, you're much more interesting, aren't you? The new girl, mysterious, suddenly appearing without any warning ..."
I think you're much more interesting, Petals.
She was going to be sick.
"What now? Surely you know that you're not exactly inconspicuous – the only questions remaining are why you're here now, not as a student, and why you haven't joined Evan's gaggle of girlfriends ... I can only guess that it's because of your sharp tongue but I find that –"
"Shut up," Petunia hissed, hoping the venom in her voice would actually be enough to stop him, no matter how unrealistic. Fluffy had started growling, straining against his leash. "Leave me alone, I am thoroughly sick of you and your pathetic little crush on my sister!"
"So she is your sister, thanks for confirming that. Now ..."
This time it was Fluffy who interrupted him with a ferocious bark, jumping up so suddenly his leash almost ripped from her grip. James took a step back, seemingly without thinking about it.
Something cruel clawed out of the confusion and helpless anger rotting her insides, relishing the way his eyes had widened.
"You better run," Petunia whispered. "I feel like his leash is especially slippery today."
Instead of running he laughed.
And Petunia's fingers actually loosened for just a second before she reigned herself in.
"I'm going to say it one last time: Stop bothering me."
With that she tugged Fluffy back and shouldered James aside, going down the stairway he had ascended to pester her. No matter where it led she would somehow find her way outside – and even if not, wandering through the castle with a three-headed dog sounded better than continuing to stay here with him.
When he answered, Petunia suddenly wished that the blood rushing in her ears had been just a bit louder, a bit more deafening.
"But bothering you is so much fun, Petunia Evans."
❀
The Ceberus sketch is by Akreon, it was so cute I had to include it!