HP ficlet: Normal, Petunia-centric

[lunabee34]

This is a little gen ficlet (377 words, unbeta'ed and hopefully not too terribly factually inaccurate) in which Petunia thinks about her sister.

Normal

Petunia Dursley looked down at her nephew tucked sleeping inside the large bottom drawer of a Victorian highboy. It’s a funny thing, a mother’s love she thought, glancing over at Dudley in his cradle, his cheeks round to bursting, his baby mouth wide in a yawn. It gobbles one up and sweeps the crumbs tidily into the bin.

She wondered what Lily would say about the direction her life had taken. Petunia had chosen to marry the most odious and close minded man, particularly because he was so. Because he was normal, disgustingly and nauseatingly, normal. She had married him under the severely arched windows of an almost empty church in a dress so blindingly white and starched that the cuffs scratched her wrists until she bled into her bouquet. She kept her house clean, perfectly and obsessively clean, because that, too, was normal as was doting on her child, even if his pudgy hands squished around a zwieback vaguely sickened her.

She thought she knew what Lily would say, the same thing she’d said years ago when they were children, when a kindly man with a white beard and glasses and long flowing robes had popped down their chimney. “Well, come on then, Petunia. What are you waiting for? You can’t polish silver forever; there’s more to life than that. More to us than that.”

Two days ago, when this baby, this Harry, had appeared on her doorstep, Petunia had finally felt that she’d decided wisely when she’d continued rubbing Mother’s olive forks up and down, up and down on the cloth instead of stepping with Lily into the fire, when she’d irrevocably chosen the role of Martha over Mary.

But she couldn’t help remembering being Lily’s sister—making tea for their dolls in Mother’s finest Wedgwood and how Lily took the blame when the sugar bowl shattered; braiding each other’s hair with thick, grosgrain ribbons; and the sweet, secret ache that started in her fingers and shot down her arm to her elbow when she sneaked into Lily’s room one summer to hold her wand—and so she would put Harry where she kept those memories, in the cold and the dark under the stairs of her mind, with just enough bread to live on.

Comments

[executrix.livejournal.com]

Just...wow. Spare, brilliantly imagined, something we haven't seen before. And "olive forks" is such a great detail.

Hmmm...does Santa Claus have floo powder?

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, Exec. *blushes*

I think Santa does. In fact, check out the very short Arctic Fires (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1930001/1/).

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

I LOVED this.

She had married him under the severely arched windows of an almost empty church in a dress so blindingly white and starched that the cuffs scratched her wrists until she bled into her bouquet. Gorgeous detail.

Oh, the Martha/Mary comparison took my breath away, and the image of Petunia stoically polishing those forks...this was wonderful. I've read very little HP fic, and absolutely no character study fic. You've done some great things here.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. Thanks, Sue. I never expected such an enthusiastic response to this first effort. Yay!

[tabaqui]

Oh, that's an achingly sad and horrible little piece, isn't it? She's an odd woman, Petunia, and this makes her....
Shivery-awful and so pathetic.
Gah.
:)

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Tabi. I really appreciate the kind words.

*hug*

:)

[phenway.livejournal.com]

ooh. OOH. what a fascinating way to think about Petunia.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Sarah.

:)

Are we dragging ya over into the crazy world of fanfic?

[phenway.livejournal.com]

well, I got sucked in by The Office fanfic a few months ago, but I am nowhere near trying my own hand at it. I'm just enjoying others' efforts right now.

[trekgirl55.livejournal.com]

She had married him under the severely arched windows of an almost empty church in a dress so blindingly white and starched that the cuffs scratched her wrists until she bled into her bouquet

*hearts this image* I think you captured the character very well my dear. This is so achingly sadly. It almost makes me feel sorry for Petunia. The "normal" life she sacrificed so much to attain is sterile cold and painfully devoid of happiness. No wonder she is so bitter.

I especially like the implication that Petunia could have went to Hogwarts too, but instead chose to stay in the muggle world. Such a defining moment seems well within the realm of canon and would go a long way in explaining Petunia's attitude towards the magical world.

A great insight into the character. :)

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Trekgirl. I kept wondering as I was reading the books what made Petunia such an awful, awful woman and what made her not realize very obvoius things--such as Dudley is a disgusting nitwit. And in the last books there are hints that there's more to Petunia that meets the eye. so I wondered, what if she does know how horrible she and her family are, and then all that came from this. I think JKR has said that Petunia will not be magical, but who knows if she's telling the truth.

[shannon730.livejournal.com]

This was great Lorraine. So sad, but still really in character I think. It's one of the things I love about writing HP, since the books have such a limited Prespective, there's a lot of leeway in the characters, adults especially.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Shannon. I'm so pleased you like it. :)

I was wondering if you know of an HP comm that I might post this to.

[shannon730.livejournal.com]

I'll look into it when I get home (I'm supposed to working on my photoshop class right now. I'm sure there's one, but HP is a very shippy fandom so you have to look harder for non shippy stuff.

[shannon730.livejournal.com]

accio_fic takes all HP fics.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Brilliant, Shannon. Thank you

[shannon730.livejournal.com]

Happy to help. HP needs more author's that don't make me want to cry. Not kidding here, a beta'd for a girl that repeatedly had Snape using words like "cool" and "awesome".

[kitty-poker1.livejournal.com]

You know I'm not familiar with the fandom, Lorraine, but this is just gorgeous. The imagery and use of words is wonderful. You've packed in so much emotion and melancholy in so few words. Well done, my love.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Kitty. You are such a doll. *squishes you* You know you taught me everything I know, right?

[snowpuppies]

Recced by kitty_poker1.

Very nice little piece.

I love how Petunia at first calls him 'this baby', then restates and calls him 'this Harry' - as if she's taking back the statement that he's a baby, and isn't quite sure what he is.

I love the contrast between Lily's and Petunia's reactions to magic and the way you used the chimney in several ways to represent magic and the change that it brought.

Just Lovely - I look forward to more!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm so excited that you liked this piece and found it insightful. :)

I hope the muse will strike again; everyone's been so supportive and positive. :)

[amejisuto.livejournal.com]

Whoa. That's great darlin! Very sorta sad and pathetic in a way. There was so much potential there for Petunia to be more and she threw it away. Just like she threw Harry away. Well done!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Ame. You are such a sweetheart. *hugs* I'm so glad this worked for you.

[lyr]

The idea that Petunia was a Muggle by choice is both interestingly original and arrestingly sad. This is a lot like that time you made me feel for Regan Tam, you know. This making unsympathetic characters human and pitiable is really becoming an impressive specialty of yours. I love the way you turn the kaleidoscope of canon just so---not enough to distort, but enough to give the blinding sensation of light shining in places that always existed but were too dim to discern properly. Well done!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I think this may be my favorite piece of feedback, ever. LOL You have such a knack for saying the nicest things about a body and making her all blushy.

I think I might have a mom thing. Like, I'm sort of contemplating a Molly Weasley piece now. *grin*

[lyr]

Hey, what use is a knack for words if you can't express appreciation where it's due? And also make your friends all blushy, because that's always fun.

And I think you should totally make a multi-fandom mom series.

[lettered.livejournal.com]

Here via crazydiamondsue

This was beautiful.

This line was magnificent, and provides a (terrible) adult insight to the (terrible) perversity of Harry's youth. :

so she would put Harry where she kept those memories, in the cold and the dark under the stairs of her mind, with just enough bread to live on.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, TKP. I'm so pleased this piece worked for you.

:)

[tiger-lantern.livejournal.com]

Rec'd by Kitty Poker!

I'm new to the HP verse (as in, I haven't even read the books yet) but I found Petunia totally recognisable in your piece even from the brief snatches of her in the movie; and if someone had told me that what you wrote was actually canon and / or detailed in the books, I would have found it far more plausible and poignant than no explanation for her awfulness at all.

Some beautiful moments of darkness in there, pretty much all of which have already been quoted, so I'll add my heartfelt praises for those and also for that last sentence.

I'd be interested to see what you do with Molly Weasley, who strikes me as a real fist-of-steel within wooly handknitted mitten type, well capable of taking down Voldemort with a well-placed rolling pin should the need arise.

All best wishes to you! xxx Tiger

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for such detailed and lovely feedback. It really makes my day to read it. :)

I agree with your assessment of Molly Weasley. She and Joyce would have a lot to talk about.

[tiger-lantern.livejournal.com]

OMG to be a fly on the wall for that conversation! Can't you just see the Summers family location clock (I bet that has a proper name in the books) 'Slaying''School''Magic Box''Being Kidnapped'(Dawn) 'Averting Apocalypse' 'Boffing the Evil Undead''Giles'House''Shoplifting'(Dawn again)...

I love giving feedback. It's the least I can do when I enjoy fanfic so very much and I don't write any, so you're very welcome!

[1-900-mimicry.livejournal.com]

What a heavy, telling piece this is. I'm really intrigued by Petunia's character in the books. At first she comes off as so one dimensional, but then you start peeling back the layers of her life and you find out that she is so much more. Yes, she's bitter, mean, and generally nasty, but she has reasons for being so, and you've brought those reasons to life quite nicely. The metaphors you used were also very well done, and it took a second to realize they were even there, which is how they're done best in my opinion.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad this worked for you.

I think so many of the characters in this series begin as sort of flat and one note and then develop very rich and intriguing back stories, and I wanted Petunia to have one of her own. I mean, nobody's that nasty to start out with, you know.

Thanks again.

[pinkelephant42.livejournal.com]

That's very insightful, and all the details are wonderful.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Many, many thanks.

:)

[soinfectious.livejournal.com]

This seems very true to the relationship. I love the details and the things you threw in like the sugarbowl and ribbons and especially about the wedding. And the ending is splendid. ♥

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the kind words.

:)

[suki-blue.livejournal.com]

and so she would put Harry where she kept those memories, in the cold and the dark under the stairs of her mind, with just enough bread to live on.

Waaaaah!

Brilliant, hon!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

*blushes*

Thank you so much!

*twirls you*