The Hidden Snake of the Lions (Harry Potter SI): Chapter 4

It was a quiet morning in the Dursley household, just like always.

Petunia worked in the kitchen, preparing the food for the occupants of the house while her husband read the newspaper.

Soon, the soft footfalls alerted her that her son had come down for breakfast.

Turning with a smile, she greeted the boy.

“Good Morning, Dudley.”

“Morning, Mum.”

The soft-spoken boy whispered before settling down on his seat.

At his actions, Petunia felt her heart break a little, longing to see the boisterous boy that she had given birth to. However, she did not reveal her worry, just like her husband, who continued to read the newspaper but was giving worried looks at his son.

Suddenly, the kitchen was filled with an oppressive feeling, making the Muggels feel like they were being stared at by a predator.

Knowing instantly that their charge had arrived in the kitchen, the older woman started speeding up, trying to finish cooking as quickly as possible while Vernon Dursley nervously put down the newspaper.

The worst reaction was given by none other than the ten-year-old boy called Dudley Dursley, as he froze up in pure terror and did not even dare breathe loudly.

Petunia tried to put on a smile, but it appeared as something worse than a crying face.

“G-Good morning, Harry.”

“And you too, Aunt Petunia. I hope the food is ready?”

“O-of course!”

Petunia hastily put the food on the table and excused herself from the kitchen, speed walking towards the restroom.

All the while, the Serpent in human form did not avert his gaze from her.

It was only when she found herself in the safety of the restroom that she broke down and choked back a sob, not daring to release any noise lest she suffer the consequences.

Just like her poor boy had suffered a year ago.

To this day, Petunia regretted not teaching her son and husband not to mess with the monsters that live in their secret world.

When her nephew was dropped at her doorstep by those monsters all those years ago, her emotions were all over the place.

She loved Harry. How could she not when he so resembled her sister? The one that she loved the most in her family until that accursed magic drove a wedge between them.

She also hated Harry. How could she not when he represented everything that went wrong in her life, especially when he was the spitting image of a man belonging to that side of the world, the one that stole her sister from her?

She also pitied Harry. How could she not when she saw his circumstances?

It was this concoction of conflicting emotions that created a toxic situation that she did not realize until a year ago.

It was only in hindsight that she realized how badly Harry had been treated in her home.

Her loving husband, who always took her problems as his own, saw Harry as a plague. A blemish that ruined her mental health. To rectify this, he was especially hard on Harry for even the smallest of things and spoiled Dudley to make the boy feel jealous.

She too went along with his behavior because she too wanted to make the boy realize what his parents had missed by getting involved with those hidden monsters.

It was only now that she realized how stupid those actions were.

How would a child who was orphaned as a one-year-old know anything about that world? What was she trying to prove by tormenting an innocent child?

Till this day, she did not know if she had gone crazy in those times or if that was just her nature, to be a cruel monster.

She still did not know which option was worse.

What she does know is that Harry is not normal.

It was clear as day from the moment they took the boy in.

He was extremely mature even as a child. His cold eyes spoke of intelligence and wisdom as his power that he wielded with proficiently that she had only ever seen from her sister when she would return from her school.

Harry was also extremely self-sufficient and terrifyingly cunning.

There was a time when she and Vernon had tried to make Harry out to be an unruly and spoiled child in front of the neighborhood, only to have the tables turned on them by the child.

Long story short, they are now viewed as monsters that hit children. The only reason why they were not behind bars right now was because of their relatively high position in their society and their status.

This kind of back-and-forth incident had been normal between them since the boy arrived in their lives.

Until everything came to a head on Dudley’s birthday last year.

To this day, Petunia does not know what happened.

One moment, Dudley was trying to bully Harry as usual, speaking about this and that. Then, all of a sudden, Dudley did something.

And Harry went ballistic.

On that day, the neighborhood was hit with a powerful earthquake, the epicenter of which was none other than Harry.

The boy used his powers to destroy everything that the Dursleys held dear.

Precious vases, paintings, sentimental objects- nothing was spared.

Not even their precious son.

She still remembers his emerald green eyes that shone with the same kind of light as her sister’s did as he muttered words that resounded in their ears.

“You love to laugh at me, don’t you? Then laugh! Laugh to your death.”

“Rictusempra!”

And laugh they did. They laughed and laughed as tears streamed down their faces with pain, all the while, her precious son watched with horror as his parents were toyed with.

“You love to try and make me dance to your tune, to your hared, don’t you? Then dance! Dance till your feet bleed! After that? Keep dancing!”

“Tarantallegra!”

Just like the boy said, they danced, danced until their feet bled, and they kept dancing.

On that day, they came so close to death that Petunia felt the grim reaper’s breath on her shoulder.

It was day of terror for the Dursley household, a living nightmare.

It was only because of mercy on her Nephew’s part that they were allowed to live since he had stopped whatever magic he used to attack them.

From that day on, the power dynamic of the house had changed drastically.

“How long are you going to hide in there? Do you wish for me to be late for school?”

The hauntingly calm voice of her tormentor arrived within the restroom from the outside, making her stiffen up in terror before she shouted out shakily.

“I-I’ll be right there!”

Looking into the mirror and fixing her terrible and pathetic appearance, Petunia thought back to a time in the past.

Back when Harry was just taken in by them, Vernon had been insistent that the boy would never be allowed to interact with anything that had to do with the hidden world. A thought that she had agreed with wholeheartedly back then.

Now? now she can’t wait for the day when he is spirited away by those monsters, giving her family at least a few months of peace, away from the monster in human form.

And so, Petunia Dursley, the Aunt of the Boy Who Lived, resigned herself to her fate for the foreseeable future and stepped out of the restroom.

After all, just like Harry said, it would not do for her to make him late for school and darken the already abysmal reputation of her family even further.

Most importantly, it was not worth it to invoke the boy’s annoyance in any way just to have a few minutes away from him.