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...
The next day it took Petunia a little longer to find the little monster, but thankfully it was still in the forest.
She had gotten up bright and early, packed a modest picnic basket and set out from her garden towards the forest between the hills. The Evanesses family house was on the outskirts of Cokeworth, a small industrial town most well known for the big cotton mill that employed most of the residents. The southern edge of town bordered quite a few farmsteads who took advantage of the acres of lush grass to breed and take care of livestock, and it was right here where the Evanesses little home had claimed a space for itself - a street leading into town at the front, and an endless expanse of fields and nature at the back of the house.
The two girls had loved playing in their extended garden much more than they ever fancied the public playground on their way to school. But the last time they had chosen to play there, Lily riding the swings and her hair flying behind her like a war banner, the wretched boy had shown himself.
Usually memories of the past, when Lily had just been prettier and more well-liked, not magically adept as well, would have soured Petunia's mood, but today for once she didn't care to linger on them. For now, all her thoughts belonged to the little monster, her sleep held at bay by it all night.
Yesterday she hadn't really wanted to leave for fear of never seeing it again. But in the end she had simply grabbed Lily and went home for supper. When she approached it, she would certainly not allow Lily or the wretched boy to witness anything, lest they tried to claim it for themselves.
The little monster belonged to Petunia.
For now, she had decided to lure it with food. She didn't know a lot about taking care of animals, never owning a pet, but from what she gathered, food seemed to be a surefire way to go about it. And the little monster had looked skinny, Petunia had been able to count the ridges of its spine, so it was probably hungry.
She didn't know what the little monster would like to eat, so she had brought some apples, sandwiches and a pudding. Sour, salty and sweet, there was quite a variety to choose from, Petunia had thought of everything.
She finally found the little monster in a small clearing, once again pawing the dirt and using its long head to overturn a crumbling log. Maybe it was searching for something, though all it found was rotten wood and a slow snail.
Petunia watched it in silence for a while, the handle of her picnic basket impressed into her sweaty palm because she was clutching it too hard. When her breath finally felt like it reached her lungs again, she slowly approached the little monster, moss cushioning her careful steps. When she deemed herself close enough, Petunia crouched down and picked an apple from her basket and rolled it towards the little monster.
Its ears twitched and it stopped its pawing to sniff the apple, but didn't open its terrifying maw to try and eat it.
Petunia nodded to herself, not discouraged yet. Two sandwiches were thrown next, one of her favourites - cucumber with cream cheese - and one with ham. The little monster ignored the cucumber one but the one with ham caught its attention, its jaw gaping open wide enough that its sharp teeth could tug at the soft bread and the meat within, the sandwich disappearing in a bite. The creature threw its head back, a visible lump sliding down its thin and long throat.
Petunia smiled despite the off-putting visual, and allowed herself to carefully sit on a tree stump, the coarse surface catching a few threads of her skirt. The little monster's pupil-less eyes seemed to watch her for a moment, but when she didn't come any closer it ignored her again, nosing the dirt.
Petunia would have liked to spend more time in the forest, but she had plans for today.
The list of material Lily had to purchase for her special, secret school was to be ticked off today. To make matters as complicated as possible, the things listed couldn't be bought in normal stores but were only found in a 'magical street' located somewhere in London where normal people would never find it.
The wretched boy, enamoured with Lily as he was, had of course offered to take her with him when he would go to buy his own supplies.
Before yesterday, Petunia had had no intentions of coming along - why would she voluntarily give others a chance to mock her? Why would she torture herself with things she would never have? But now she had something to accomplish. The little monster was obviously somehow magical, being invisible to everyone else except her, and Petunia wanted to learn more about it. What better place to do that than a street full of magic?
And this was her only chance to come into contact with something related to the little monster. She could only tag along with her sister ... because no one would let a 'muggle' like herself enter otherwise.
Swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth, Petunia collected her picnic basket and gave the little monster a last glance. The next time she saw it she would hopefully know more about it.
And why it had chosen her.
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