Chapter 1
"I'm sorry." James's voice was like distant echoes that couldn't reach Petunia's ears. "I'm sorry it had to end this way."
Petunia scoffed. "Sorry is used when you accidentally spill coffee, not when you fucked your girlfriend's sister for months and got her pregnant and planned a wedding to said sister behind your girlfriend's back."
Petunia thought, when was this started? She has been so blind before not to notice it.
"My parents aren't getting any younger and wanted to see their grandkids. And I had a better chance to have magical kids with a witch."
Petunia was not so sure who this person was in front of her anymore. Her James was not like this. Never like this.
"And because I'm a muggle, I'm the odd chance here? You are the one who made a choice, Potter. You could say that before you fucked my sister, or better yet, you could say anything when the first time we met. But did you?" Petunia snapped, feeling the tightness in her chest slowly choking her on.
James stood still.
"Trusting you is my decision, but proving me wrong is solely yours. Get out; I never wanted to see you again."
Petal's Rosy Yarn was relatively slow today. Petunia just had an appointment for knitting classes for one person in five minutes, and Yvonne was ready to work at the register.
"What do you think about this name for our new Aran yarn?" Yvonne asked, holding twisted hanks of deep blue yarn with a hint of silver lining. "The colour is blue, so I think Midnight Lily?"
"No." Petunia furiously arranged the yarn by type and colour. "Anything but that. And we should rename everything that has lily in it."
Petunia never told Yvonne the whole story, but the girl was as intelligent as she was quick. "Okay, that name is tacky anyway. Let me find something more after you finish your lesson."
A small ring from the door made Petunia to look back from the shelves. A tall figure came peeking inside the shop, and Petunia was bedazzled.
"Hi, I'm you four o'clock? For knitting lesson?" The man said, his voice deep and calm.
"Ah, yes." Petunia took the notebook from her apron and flipped through the pages. "Mr Zabini?"
"Please, call me Luca. Mr Zabini is my father." Luca said and flashed a smile in their direction. "I assume you would be my teacher, Miss Evans?"
"That would be me." Petunia turned to Yvonne. "Call me if you need something."
Yvonne smiled sweetly and said, "I won't."
Petunia held the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay, Luca. Let's go to the class in the back, shall we?"
Luca was a delightful companion; Petunia could say that much. He was witty with keen intelligence. When he talked, people automatically stopped to hear what he had to say.
He had a very laid-back, easygoing attitude, taking anything that came his way in his stride. And he was a good listener, never cutting or doing anything when someone talked to him. He was also good with his hand.
"I had a good experience working with staff," Luca said, while his hand moved to knit seamlessly.
"Oh, I know that. I used to fence and work with needles more or less the same. They need concentration so you don't hurt yourself." Petunia nodded. Her hand moved to seal the yarn to make a scarf.
It only took Petunia three classes to leave Luca to his own device; by the fourth class, he already knitted his own mitten.
Luca was a natural. And a charmer.
And after a month and a half, Luca asked Petunia on a date. She said yes.
All of her heartache before meeting Luca seemed like a blur to her now. The invitation to James and Lily's wedding was forgotten on the bottom of her bills before being tossed into the trash bin. Her parents' letters and phone calls have been left unanswered ever since.
Petunia was half in love with Luca three months after officially going out.
"You know," Luca said one night after the first time they had sex. "My parents would adore you. Would you like to meet them once they return from vacation?"
Petunia felt her chest heavy with happiness. "I would love to."
Dominic and Beatrice Zabini were lovely people. They met in a high-end restaurant where they booked a private room.
They dress impeccably, and Petunia almost had a heart attack when they said the Zabini family was a part of the nobility.
"You never told me you were noble, My Lord." Petunia gasped, which made Dominic and Beatrice laugh.
"Dear, if you walked together with Luca, people would assume you were the noble." Beatrice waved her hand.
"I'm afraid our son is half a fish," Dominic added, drinking his wine. "He spent more of his time in the water. But when he is out, he finally finds himself a lovely girl."
"Babbo, must you embarrass me in front of my fiorellino?" Luca asked, feigning hurt.
"Caro, we are your parents." Beatrice looked seriously at Luca; for a second, Petunia was almost convinced she was. "Of course, we will embarrass you for every chance we get."
Petunia laughed and felt happy. Her family was nothing like the Zabinis. They were warm and accepting of Petunia, Beatrice particularly.
"I always wanted a baby girl, but we were only blessed with one boy." Beatrice had said after more wine than Petunia could remember.
Dominic grabs Beatrice's shoulder and gives her a reassuring gesture. "But that's okay. We used to dress up Luca as Lucia before he turned four. You should come and see the photographs on holiday."
Petunia readily accepts the invitation, ignoring Luca's glares at his father.
Petunia didn't remember when they returned to Luca's place, but they snuggled inside the warm quilt, still tipsy from wine.
"I like your parents," Petunia mumbled, her eyes hazy, but so did Luca. "They treat me like a daughter more than my own parents."
While Petunia can't say that her parents treated her cruelly, sometimes Petunia felt she was a stranger to Evans. Petunia knew from a young age that favouritism laced the house, especially for Lily.
Lily liked her doll, so she should part with it.
Lily can't be admitted to an excellent school a town over like her sister. So Petunia should return to the old school to accompany her.
Lily needed more expensive books and new robes, so Petunia hung her swords because their parents were tight on money.
Sometimes, Petunia dreamt about a beautiful castle with a maze that led to a blue rose garden and a large pool inside. In the dream, Petunia would dip her legs inside the water and fall asleep, surrounded by the sweet scent of roses and little giggles from fairies. Everything was bright and sweet, and happy.
When she had those dreams, Petunia felt light. Like she could soar to the highest sky and never return. Then she would wake up feeling tired and fuzzy.
Today is not the day.
Today, she woke up and felt amazing. She felt like she finally woke up from the long sleep plaguing her life. Everything was bright, and she felt content for the first time in a long time.
Petunia stretches her hands and found Luca sitting on a vanity chair, looking grim.
"What's wrong?" Petunia asked, taken aback. The sound coming out of her mouth was soft, like summer rain. It's not what she remembered her voice to be.
Suddenly, Luca waved his hand and conjured a hand mirror, then handed it to Petunia. "You should see it for yourself, love."
There was so much Petunia wanted to talk about, but she almost fainted when she saw herself in a mirror.
Petunia saw a woman with hair in the colour of deep and radiant gold, shot with silver and eyes so blue with glowing faces looking back at her.
"Now, I think it is a good time to tell you I'm a wizard. And we need to see my nonna. And while you are at it, love, I think it's better to tie your hair first."
At Luca's suggestion, Petunia realised that her hair had grown overnight, pooling at her feet down to under the bed.
Yep. She needed hair ties, lots of them.
Sirius Black had just come back from his adventures around the world when he heard from Remus that James had married.
To say he was shocked was an understatement.
"They get married without saying anything to me?" While James would be the type, Sirius knew James and Petunia would never get married without him present.
"Eh— they need to get married fast, so the bride's stomach would not be too noticeable." Peter shrugged his shoulders while Remus looked like he wanted to flee.
But it clicked in Sirius' brain. Of course, they would want to get married before Petunia's stomach would be too noticeable.
"But they should have told me. I expect Petal would be the voice of reason." Sirius huffed as he dropped to the sofa, legs crossed.
"One more thing," Peter added, unsure. Looking between Remus and Sirius. "James didn't marry Petunia."
That made Sirius jolted. "What? How? When? HOW?"
Peter hesitated, looking at Remus with pleading eyes.
"Because James fucked his girlfriend's sister behind her back, that's why," Remus answered with a spat. "He fucked Lily until she got pregnant and had the audacity to break up with Petunia while searching for a cake for his wedding."
Sirius was dumbstruck. That wasn't felt right. James couldn't— He would never—
"If you just wanted to prank me, it was very well done. But please pick a story that would be believable. James would never do that; he worshipped the ground Petal walked on." Sirius laughed. Same as me, left unsaid .
Remus and Peter looked like they could cry or punch a guy.
"We had hoped it was an elaborate prank, Pads. But whoever that man who wearing James' face and declaring his undying love to Lily, it was not our Prongs."
James was having a bad day. It's not enough to suffer desk duty and then get called when DMLE when they are short-staffed.
But getting hexed before inhaling poisonous smoke and waking up with the worst headache in his life was the next level of a bad day.
He ended up in St. Mungo's and got a worried look from Mary MacDonald, who worked as a healer.
"You're lucky it's not fatal. Honestly, to think you would be more mature after graduating." Mary shooked her head while looking at his chart.
James found himself smirking. "Pet's said I had trouble growing up."
Confused, Mary smacked her lips. "Right, I already purge all of the toxins in your body. The smoke would not cause severe effects other than the urge to vomit, but we have found something in your body—unidentified materials. It had been in your body for more than a year, and you consume it regularly, so there's a high chance of it being addictive."
"What? A year? But I don't remember consuming something out of the ordinary—"
"It's not my place to say this, James, but you should ask your wife about this."
Wife ? James almost asked in confusion. When had he married Petunia? Why he can't remember it?
"And there's a high chance your son might have it too. You should bring him to be examined."
Son?
"What are you talking about? I have a son with Petunia?" James almost bolted. "Mary, what are you talking about?"
Mary blinked before inhaling sharply.
"Bloody Merlin. Lily, what have you done?"
And as in cue, there were commotions in the hall, and someone burst in. There he saw Lily, wearing a ring that he prepared for Petunia, hugging a toddler that looked so much like him with green eyes.
A realisation quickly set in; James felt his back drenched in sweat and a voice screaming in his head repeatedly, "What have you done, James Potter."