Waking Up in Petunia - Worlds Collide
Veronica—Petunia—was trying to settle into this strange new life. The house was warm, the days were slow, and Lily’s presence seemed to pull her in every direction, like some invisible magnet of chaos and wonder. At the moment, Lily was sitting across from her at the breakfast table, lost in her own world, her little fingers tracing patterns in the air, something that Veronica could only describe as accidental magic. It looked like a shimmering kaleidoscope, like a force field, flickering and pulsing every time Lily got emotional—excited, frustrated, or even just thoughtful.
Lily had always been different. Even in this mundane, 1960s world, there was something about her sister that felt extraordinary. Veronica had always known there was something special about Lily. But now she was seeing it firsthand.
She couldn’t help but wonder if that little glowing shield meant Lily was already exhibiting magic, already on her way to Hogwarts. Would Lily’s life be anything like the one she had imagined for herself in her old world, a life filled with wonder and mystery? Or would it be harder, full of secrets and dangers she couldn’t yet comprehend?
And then there were the Snape family.
Veronica had always had complicated feelings about them. She remembered everything from the books, and her memories about Severus Snape—both the teenager she’d read about, and the adult who would play such a pivotal role in the war against Voldemort—made her heart heavy. She knew, even in this world, that Severus Snape had become something far different from what anyone would have expected from a young, promising wizard. But it wasn’t just Severus. It was his whole family, the tragedy of them.
The father, Tobias Snape, worked at a nearby factory. He was gruff and often distant, spending the majority of his wages on alcohol and bitter frustration. Veronica could already feel the tension in their house, even though she barely knew them. Tobias had no understanding of magic and never would, and that gap—between the Muggle and magical worlds—had only served to build walls between him and his wife, Eileen Prince.
Eileen...
Veronica remembered her story well: A witch from a prestigious pureblood family who had run away to escape an arranged marriage that she didn’t want. She’d married Tobias in secret, hiding her magic and her past, hoping to build a normal life. But she had been forced to hide her true self, and when she had children, she had to wrestle with the same dilemma: how to protect them while keeping her secret safe from a world that couldn’t possibly understand.
Veronica knew how things would turn out for Severus, too. A child caught between two worlds, unable to escape the tension of his father’s drunken rages and his mother’s stifled magic. The damage that would be done to him over the years—by his father’s abuse and his own growing sense of alienation—would eventually drive him to seek out darker paths. And she knew, with cold certainty, that he would fall into the arms of people like Voldemort.
She had seen the books. She knew how it all played out. How Severus would betray his friends, even Lily—his childhood friend—becoming one of the Dark Lord's followers. How he would be the one to deliver the prophecy to Voldemort, setting in motion the chain of events that would ultimately endanger Lily and her unborn son. She could already see the path stretching ahead of them.
And then, Severus’s desperate plea to Dumbledore. The one that would lead him to beg for Lily’s life in exchange for his own—his future, his soul, tied forever to the old man’s service. She could almost hear the words he would say. I’ll do anything. Just make sure she and the child are safe.
Veronica didn’t know what she felt about it all. There was pity, certainly, for Severus Snape, for the way his life would spiral out of control. There was anger, too. Anger at Tobias, for being so blind, for letting his son grow up in such a broken, abusive environment. But above all, there was a deep sadness, a kind of resigned inevitability. Severus was a product of his circumstances, and in a world like the one they lived in, there was no easy way out.
She was standing at the window one afternoon when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Mrs. Evans coming toward her with a cup of tea.
“Petunia,” Mrs. Evans said, her tone gentle, “I know you’ve been a bit quiet lately. Is everything all right, dear?”
Veronica hesitated, unsure how to answer. How could she explain the storm of thoughts running through her head? How could she articulate the confusion of being a grown woman stuck in the body of a little girl, the weight of all the knowledge she had from her past life?
“I’m fine,” Veronica—Petunia—lied. “Just thinking about school. You know, the usual.”
Mrs. Evans smiled, clearly relieved, and handed her the tea. “I understand, dear. You’ll be starting soon, right? We’ll have to go shopping for your supplies next week.”
It was always going to be the same, wasn’t it? Another round of school supplies, another round of expectations. It all felt so small—so mundane—but Veronica couldn’t let herself be distracted. She had to pay attention to everything. To Lily’s magic. To the Snape family. To her own future.
But more than anything, she had to focus on the one thing she couldn’t escape: the timeline.
It was starting to become clear. She was Petunia now, stuck in a moment in time, knowing what would happen next but unable to change it. She couldn’t stop Lily from going to Hogwarts. She couldn’t stop Severus from joining Voldemort’s side. And she couldn’t undo the tragedy that would follow in their wake.
As much as she wished she could simply escape it, she knew there was no way out. She had to live in this world, witness everything unfold, and somehow... survive.
Later that evening, as Veronica lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, she thought about the Snape family again. Tobias, Eileen, Severus. The tangled web of relationships, of violence, betrayal, and unspoken pain. She couldn’t help but feel the weight of the choices they would make. Severus would grow up in a world that would tear him apart. He would end up a spy, serving both Dumbledore and Voldemort, sacrificing everything for a love he would never fully understand.
She didn’t know if she could change any of it. But what she did know, more than anything, was that her survival depended on how well she could navigate these relationships. The Snape family, Lily’s magic, and her own tangled existence as Petunia Dursley—it would all converge into a future she couldn’t control. But she could watch it unfold.
And maybe, just maybe, find a way to carve out a life for herself in a world where magic was no longer a fantasy but a living, breathing reality.
But for now, there was only one thing she could focus on. Surviving.
And blending in.
Trying not to be seen.