Petunia was always the worse sister - not as pretty, not as kind and especially not as magical as Lily. Jealousy and bitterness rule her life, until one fateful encounter changes her destiny ...
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Petunia was always the lesser out of the two Evaness...
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When Petunia thought of the magical train station images of a teeming mass of people would be conjured, loud, animated, excited and scurrying like a small shoebox overfilled with mice. Everyone with somewhere to be, a destination in mind that was invisible to the eye, their thoughts already filled with magical castles or the embrace of their parents.
But, just as Diagon Alley had felt changed, so did the station. The faded bricks leading to a curved ceiling were the same, just like the red-lacquered train spitting smoke like a metallic dragon and the carts filled with luggage and animals remained unchanged.
What had changed were the people. Instead of conversing with each other in practised ease, the parents were tense, their eyes picking across the crowd in an almost desperate bid to spot their offspring as soon as possible. The children as well, instead of lingering with their friends and exchanging jokes and plans for the upcoming holiday, were quick to find refuge among the adults, almost looking relieved to leave the reminder of their school year behind - at least for the time being.
Instead of loud chaos, an oppressive fog hovered around every interaction, every furtive glance speaking of a barely leashed apprehension.
War, Petunia thought and wondered how she would have interpreted the scene if she had never come upon that little tidbit of information about the wizarding world.
Lily, as always, stood out from the crowd. She wasn't necessarily cheerful, but when Petunia spotted her sister, she couldn't help but notice the circle of friends that lingered around her, one island of calm in the steady stream of hastened steps. The students surrounding Lily looked reluctant to see her go, reluctant enough that they risked the spiked displeasure of their anxious guardians.
How does she do it?, Petunia wondered, not for the first time but maybe with less rancour than usual. Her envy felt less important compared to the other issues on her mind. But still she couldn't deny the small worming feeling of decided unhappiness upon the reality of Lily's magnetism.
Even now, simply dressed in her school uniform, her long fiery hair bundled in a careless braid and her face practically naked, just a smudge of dark on her usually fair lashes, she was drawing people in like a candle would moths, without any visible effort.
And where there was a candle there would be a dedicated shadow, desperate to bask in it but always banished towards the hidden corner, the darkness.
Petunia only noticed him for his stillness. The wretched boy hovered around Lily's group, not close enough to be considered part of it but lingering around the edges, long hair hiding his greedy eyes. If possible he was even more skeletal than usual, his uniform baggy on his tall frame, his cheekbones more pronounced for the hollows underneath them.
And Lily ... Lily didn't acknowledge him. Maybe she'd grown so used to his sneaky presence, it didn't even register to her anymore. Maybe she didn't know how to include him where he clearly didn't belong.
