Nearly Squib
Magic.
Magic was an excuse used to explain away anything not proved by science.
Magic was pure fantasy, nonfactual, and certainly not at all real.
At least that's what Petunia Evans had thought all her 10 years of life.
Right up till a certain day where her little 9 year old sister Lily displayed something so unexplainable by fact that the only explanation that fit was that Lily did magic.
It was a very little thing. Making flower petals bloom and flit on the palm of her hand.
But it was enough for Petunia to look at her younger sister with new confused eyes.
Everything in that little incident went against facts. And Petunia relied on facts. Facts were real, proven. And what had just happened was real and proven yet illogical and confusing.
It was only a day later that an older man in a suit and top hat came to their home. And it was then that Petunia first heard the term witch used to describe her sister.
Her sister was magical.
Her sister would be able to do many things, good things.
Petunia was happy for her sister and asked the man with the peculiar name if she would be able to do these things too.
To which he had then kindly replied that no, she would not be able to. She was like her parents.
___
After he left, Petunia had gone to her room. A very ugly feeling had risen inside her. A feeling that made her want to glare and say mean things to Lily even though her little sister was doing nothing to her.
And for a month, Petunia could not look at her sister without that ugly feeling rising up inside her again.
And at times, that ugly feeling would become ugly words coming out of her mouth.
It hurt her sister and her parents would get angry with her for doing so. Petunia could only then speak an apology through gritted teeth before running off to cry and be alone.
She was being horrid. She knew that. But at 10 years old and seeing how differently her parents had started to treat Lily from her, Petunia felt like the entire world had turned against her.
And there was no one there to be with her.
___
It wasn't until a month later when the man in the top hat with a strange name came once more, that Petunia once again asked if she could go to the magic school.
"Mr. Dumbledore, I want to come too, I promise I won't make any trouble."
The professor closed his eyes briefly and took a breath before speaking.
"Miss Petunia, it is not a matter of whether you will or will not make trouble, it is a matter on whether you can do magic. Your parents tell me you cannot, therefore Hogwarts is not the place for you. You do however seem to have a good mind on your shoulders, perhaps a gifted school for you instead."
After she heard the refusal, everything else the professor had said turned to mumbled gibberish in her ears, her eyes beginning to water as the professor said a couple more words she didn't hear.
She wasn't good enough was she? Just because she couldn't do magic like Lily?
Petunia burst into tears before getting up and running out the back door, ignoring the calls of her parents to come back.
Making it to the large tree near their backyard, Petunia climbed the trunk as fast as possible, turning a deaf ear to the cries of Lily to come back down.
She knew Lily had a hard time climbing this particular tree. And she did not feel like she could look into her sister's large green eyes without doing something she'd regret.
Settling in the higher branches, she sat and tore little buds off the twigs, willing them to bloom and flap in her palm like Lily did.
Bud after bud fell to the ground far below, all still furled tightly.
Petunia wiped her eyes angrily and kept trying, her sobs getting louder with each unsuccessful attempt.
It wasn't fair!
How could Lily do magic and she couldn't?
What was wrong with her?
Hearing clunking sounds, she looked down to see Lily beginning to climb up the trunk with a determined expression on her face flushed pink with effort.
“Leave me alone, Lily! Go back down!”
Whatever her sister had screamed back up was blown away by the wind. Seeing as she continued to climb, Petunia clenched her teeth in irritation and began to climb higher.
Higher and higher she went, her attention so focused on getting away from Lily that she didn't notice the branches were getting smaller and more fragile.
Not until the one she was on bowed under her weight and snapped.
___
The Professor politely left after a piece of advice or two concerning Petunia, leaving the two parents a little confused and discouraged as to what to do about her.
A while passed and Mr and Mrs. Evans had been sitting inside and pondering how to soothe their child’s feelings when collective screams sounded from outside.
“Luke! The children!”
Mrs. Evans cried out, gathering her skirts in her hands as she bolted out the door, her husband right at her heels.
Instead of a horrifying scene of broken bones and blood meeting their eyes, what they came to was their eldest daughter sitting on the ground with a dazed expression, her hair mussed up and not a scratch on her body.
Their younger daughter dropped the rest of the way to the ground and ran over as fast as her legs could carry her, screaming her sister's name.
Mrs Evans planted her hands on her hips, her cheeks beginning to flush with relief and anger.
“What is the meaning of this? Why did you two scream a ruckus back here?”
Before Petunia could open her mouth, Lily had opened hers.
“Petunia climbed too high and she fell!”
“Which branch?...”
His words trailed off as Mr. Evans spied the conspicuous broken branch high up in the tree. Too high for his daughter to not have any broken bones.
Which she seemed not to have any as she stood up wobbly and dusted herself off.
“Dear?”
“Yes?”
“We might have to send for that professor to come back again.”
“Why?”
Mrs. Evans looked up as her husband turned and walked back into the house, her face paling as she saw the broken branch as well.
“Petunia dearest, are you sure you don't hurt anywhere?”
“I'm sure, Mother.”
Mrs. Evans turned to her younger daughter.
“Lily, are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, mother.”
“Good. Head back in then, I need a moment with your sister.”
Their eldest glanced after Lily's small retreating back then looked up hesitantly, her large pale blue eyes flinching fearfully at her mother’s strange gaze.
“Petunia, you are the eldest. You should know better than to drag your sister into dangerous situations. The two of you could have both been hurt.”
“I understand, Mother.”
“Prepare yourself tomorrow. Mr. Dumbledore will be here again. Do not disappoint me.”
“Yes Mother.”
Petunia stood there with her hands clasped in front of her with head bowed. It wasn't until she saw her mother's shoes turn and walk away that she snuck a look at her mother's retreating back.
The one thing she knew about the strange man is that he showed up for magic. And if her mother was telling her to prepare herself, then her mother must think that she has magic like Lily.
Which in that case…
Petunia immediately thought of the buds that refused to bloom and flit in her hands and her heart sank.
She was going to really disappoint her mother this time. No doubt her father as well.
Then they would truly love and prefer Lily over her.