Redemption

In-Laws

Petunia was watching her favorite soap opera when the phone rang. She tried to ignore it. Most phone campaigns would not keep ringing if she didn't answer, yet the ringing persisted. Sighing, she rose form her couch and lifted the handset. "Good morning, Petunia Dursley speaking."

"Oh, good morning. I'm Jenny Parkinson, Pansy's mother. I thought we could get to know each other even before the official meeting. What do you think?"

Petunia didn't need to think it over. "That's fine with me. What did you have in mind?"

"I thought we could meet in London. I know a small Café near Selfridges, which serves delicious little cakes. If you agree, I can meet you there, say... tomorrow morning? We may even go some cloth shopping together."

"Yes, tomorrow is alright. Where exactly is that coffee shop?"

She missed most of that episode, but she didn't mind too much, as that meeting was now her main concern. She checked her wardrobe and frowned at what she saw. Nothing seemed to fit the occasion. Two hours later, after visiting the nearest mall, she had two more suits in her wardrobe and several shirts, blouses and skirts. She spent the afternoon at the hairdresser and in the beauty parlor. She was adamant to make the best impression possible.

She had no difficulty spotting Mrs. Parkinson – she looked like an older version of her daughter and was already seated at a corner table when she arrived. "Have you been waiting long?" she asked.

"I've just arrived about two minutes ago," the elegant woman replied. "Jenny Parkinson, but you may call me Jen."

"Petunia Dursley. My husband sometimes call me Pet, as did my sister when we were very young."

"You have a sister?"

Petunia's face hardened. "She died about seventeen years ago. Killed in a car accident."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." Petunia noticed that Jenny didn't seem surprised. Had Dudley told her about that? What else had he told, she wondered uneasily. "Were you close?"

"We were very close as children, but unfortunately, we drifted apart when she went to a boarding school. She then married and we didn't get a chance to become close again."

Jenny nodded understandingly. "I grew up with two brothers but I've never felt close to any of them. Well growing up in a farm does seem different than growing in a town or a city."

"You grew up in a farm?" Petunia wasn't sure what to make of this new information.

"My parents own a large farm in Canada, where I grew up, and are still living there. I only moved to Britain when Pansy was almost two years old. I still prefer living in the country. Our house is quite far from any urban area and is surrounded by fields and forests, reminding me of my childhood."

"Is your husband from Canada as well?"

"No. He is from an old English family. We met when he spent a vacation in Canada and he then decided to stay and finish his studies there."

Although they refrained from mentioning Magic, each for different reasons, and didn't go too deep into personal matters, Petunia's suspicion was rising. Something about Jenny seemed to suggest magic, just as she felt about Pansy. Living almost a year among magical people made her more attentive to some minor details that could tell them apart. She didn't really resent Magic, as her husband did; she was just extremely jealous of that ability and frustrated at not having it, unlike her sister. Eventually she decided to act on her suspicions without revealing anything, in case she was wrong. "Is Pansy attending a school named Hogwarts?"

Jenny seemed a bit surprised, yet she recovered nicely. "Yes. Have you heard about it?"

Petunia sighed. "Both my sister and my nephew were there," she admitted reluctantly. Then she thought that Dudley had probably told Pansy about his family, so she added, "My sister, Lilly, was married to James Potter. Her son, Harry, stayed with us until last summer."

She watched Jenny as she talked, noticing that Jenny seemed to already know.

"So, you raised Harry Potter, the hero who defeated the Dark Lord?"

Petunia felt quite bad about how her family had treated Harry. "I can't claim any credit for the way he turned to be. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't do much for him since he came to live with us."

Jenny got interested. Pansy and Dudley didn't elaborate about his childhood. Dudley only said that he had not been in good relations with his cousin. Now she thought she could learn some more. "Why?"

Petunia sighed. This could really make a bad impression, but she could no longer hide the truth she had tried to deny even to herself. "I'd been jealous of Lily since we found out her magical ability, and it turned to resentment, which carried on the her son. I'm fascinated by magic and afraid of it. My husband thinks of it as some abnormality, as it actually is, in a way, like all features that only a small minority possesses, only he thinks anything out of normal is freakish. He can't tolerate anything which he considers not normal. His opinion, along with my resentment, caused us to treat Harry badly. Luckily, Dudley had grown up to form his own opinion."

Jenny nodded understandingly. "So, how do you feel about Pansy?"

Petunia smiled now. "I like her, although I suspected she was magical for quite some time. I think she has good influence on Dudley and they really love each other. I only dread Vernon's reaction when he finds out."

"Maybe we should make sure he doesn't find out?"

Petunia shook her head. "He will, eventually. Some guests at the wedding, your house, the grandchildren, when they'll come – something will make him notice, and then hell will break loose. We must think of a way to make him learn about it without exploding."

Jenny thought for a moment. "I don't have any idea right now, but I'll give it some thought, as I'm sure you will. We still have time before they set the date and we don't need an official meeting of the two families before that. Let's hope we can find a solution before the time comes."

Both women felt better with the secrets revealed. Jenny didn't seem to mind that Petunia was muggle, and Petunia felt relieved for not being judged for her past. Yet Petunia had another question nagging in her mind. It wasn't very polite, but she felt she needed to know. She still tried to phrase it as politely as possible. "I've heard that most magical families are not very welcoming to people without magic. Yet Dudley seems to have felt no opposition to his relations with Pansy. Is that normal now?"

"Unfortunately, you are right. Prejudice against anybody who is different is more evident in the British magical circles than in most other places. My husband really comes from an old conservative family, yet my mother is like your sister in that – she is a first generation witch. Her parents were muggles – people who possess no magic. It took my husband some time to readjust his views after he met my family, but he now understands how wrong his ideas at that time were."

Both felt they were coming closer. They now had a common goal – to make the young couple happy.

Jenny called Petunia a few days later. "I thought about how to handle your husband. Based on what you told me and what I learned from Dudley and Pansy, I don't think that a gradual disclosure would work. I think that having him confront all of it at once has better chances. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure. Vernon has a problem with blood pressure and is also taking some medicines for the heart. Being overweight tasks his health quite a bit, yet he refuses to eat healthier or exercise. I'm afraid such a surprise may be too much for him."

Jenny thought for a moment. "My husband also used to be quite fat. His time on the run and the time spent at my parents' farm did wonders to his health, and he's now exercising daily. We could convince Vernon to join, I believe."

This made Petunia smile. "It just may work. Can we meet somewhere and discuss it?"

"I can come to your house in a few minutes, if you like," Jenny offered.

"Fine, just make sure nobody notices you appearing 'out of the blue'. People may become suspicious."

"I know. I'll use a taxi."

Petunia was quite sure that her house would seem lowly to the rich lady, yet she knew it was clean and tidy. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She just changed to a more elegant dress, yet something still suitable for home. She barely finished re-applying her makeup when the doorbell rang.

Jenny surprised Petunia by being clad in only a jeans suit and a simple blouse. Her hair was let down and tied in a loose pony-tail. She looked almost as young as her daughter.

"So, this is where Harry Potter grew up," Jenny said, almost against her better judgment.

"Not exactly," Petunia replied. "Our house was burned completely during the war and was then magically restored, yet not perfectly. Some of the minor details were not restored, but it didn't really matter. Vernon didn't seem to notice and he wouldn't even listen when we were told about this. He chose to believe that it stayed intact."

"It is a rather nice house for a small family," Jenny commented, "and you seem to keep it in tight control."

"I had to," Petunia smiled. "How else could I live with two young boys?"

Jenny decided not to comment. She had already learned how different the two boys had been treated, yet it was too early in this developing relationship to tackle problematic issues, except the one they planned to discuss.

Petunia offered to sit in the living room, but Jenny suggested the kitchen, preferring the less formal setting. With tea and biscuits, they first chatted idly, before reaching the main topic.

"Albert was quite athletic when I first met him, but once we returned to England, he started handling his business, which means he was sitting most of the time. Yet he kept eating just like before. Luckily, he's a tall man, so he didn't seem too fat, but three years ago, after hearing that The Dark Lord returned, he became a compulsive eater. That's much better than a compulsive drinker, but it manifested in his waistline becoming way too big. He lost most of it when he ran away to join me in Canada, and living in the farm since helped him regain an athletic shape, not as slim as when he was younger. Back in England, he is determined to keep in shape. He's subscribed to a health club and trains at least twice a week. He also started planning to build an exercise room at home."

"Well, Vernon was never slim. Even before our wedding he was quite wide, yet tall enough not to seem fat. He keeps asking for food like a growing teenager and Dudley was also eating too much at times. Dudley was forced to lose weight at school, and he also started exercising. He's not slim, you know, but now most of the fat was replaced by muscles. I'd like Vernon to do the same."

Jenny thought for a moment. "We can't force him, but we may set a meeting at some restaurant. Albert is one of the shareholders of Grunning, so Vernon will probably accept the offer to exercise with him. By the time we decide to tell him the truth, at least his body will be ready."

Their plan worked nicely. Vernon didn't dare to order more food than Albert, not wanting to seem gluttonous, and was very impressed when invited to join Albert in his training. By mid winter, they were becoming quite good friends.

"Why don't you come to spend Christmas with us? Although the children are not married yet, we are practically family now," Jenny asked.

They were meeting in another restaurant now. Vernon had reluctantly left half of every serving on his plate. He liked his new physique but he still loved food just the same. His wife seemed also pleased, giving him smaller portions at home as well, although still much larger than she ate.

"You need to give us your address," Vernon said.

"Just let Dudley drive. He's already visited a few times and he certainly knows how to drive, after driving long distance in Canada," Albert suggested.

Vernon seemed a bit upset at the idea, but said nothing. He was really proud of his son now. Dudley was studying very seriously, getting much better grades than before, maybe even good enough to attend university.

Vernon understood why he couldn't get the address as they approached their destination. The country road didn't seem to have a name. Every few miles there was a narrower road connecting to it, probably just the access way to a farm, a manor or a castle, most of them unidentified. When Dudley turned left into one of these roads, Vernon looked forward, noticing the large bronze gate. He saw no surveillance camera nor any intercom nearby, yet the gate opened as they approached and closed behind them, once they passed it. Looking forward again, Vernon needed to breath deeply. The building they were approaching was much larger than the whole Privet Drive. At that moment, it looked like a palace to him, decorated with blinking lights and other Christmas ornaments.

The Parkinson family came out to greet the guests. Pansy ran immediately into Dudley's arms. The adults exchanged greetings before Albert invited them all in.

Albert and Vernon walked first, followed by their wives, with Dudley and Pansy following a few steps behind. They didn't expect any problem in the entrance lobby, as it was devoid of any magical paintings and the light came from a few frosted-glass lamps, obscuring the candles burning inside. Vernon was still very impressed by the size and elegance of the place.

As they reached the main hall, things changed. There were many paintings on the walls, most of them magical, and the big chandelier clearly held many burning candles. Nobody could mistake them for incandescent bulbs. Petunia gasped at the view. It was as if she was stepping into a fairy tale. Vernon frowned.

"Why don't you use electric lighting?" he asked.

"No electricity reaches here. We've been considering buying a generator for some time, but just as my ancestors did quite well without it, we're also accustomed to it by now. We may still need it if we want computers or television, which we currently don't own."

Vernon seemed to accept the explanation. Looking around, he saw the many paintings adorning the walls, yet he didn't seem to pay attention to details, completely missing the fact that most paintings were moving. As agreed before, Albert started showing the paintings. "Most of these pictures are my ancestors. My family can be traced back for more than eight hundred years. This is a painting of the first known Parkinson, back in the twelfth century. It was done several years after his death, so it may not be a good representation of him."

He moved to another painting, where a mustached man seemed to follow the visitors with his eyes. "This one lived in the thirteenth century and was renowned as a charmer, having more illegitimate children than all the kings of England put together, yet he was also a very good business man who helped raise the status of the Parkinson house."

Vernon couldn't dismiss the fact that the portrait seemed to ogle the women. "It moves!" he blurted.

"Of course it moves. He could never stand still when a lady was around, and we have three with us."

Albert continued the tour, making Vernon more and more agitated, as some portraits blinked, some winked at one of the women or at him and one even waved a hand. Still, he didn't say a word.

"This portrait is about two centuries old. As you can see, my ancestor served as an officer in HM army in India. He actually lived in India most of his life, building a nice fortune which is still in our vaults, and making some business connections we're still using."

The uniformed man, sitting at a table, looked interestedly at the guests. He then stood up and saluted. "Lord Durley, welcome to my humble house. Your great-great uncle used to be my superior. He was a very talented wizard."