Chapter Text
July 1976:
“I shouldn’t. It is too much money,” Mum said.
The three of us were standing around our kitchen, after having just got back from school. Tobias was still at work, thankfully. Sev had offered to use some of his start-up loan from Lucius Malfoy to pay for Mum to get a divorce.
“It isn’t,” Sev insisted. “Please do this for us, for me. I’ve seen what staying with him will do to you. You didn’t live nearly as long as you should have, you were miserable, we both were. I didn’t understand back then what you were going through, all I knew was that you never protected me. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties, and felt that same depression myself, that I understood that it wasn’t your fault. By then it was too late, and you were gone. Please,” he said, taking her hands in his, “I don’t want to lose you again. If you stay here, I will. I asked Lucius for more than enough money to do this.”
I had only seen him beg like this twice before, in The Prince’s Tale when he begged Lily not to leave him, and when he begged Dumbledore to save her. If Mum actually said no, then I could not even begin to imagine how he would react.
“What about where we will live?” Mum asked. “You two still have one more summer before you’re of age. I might not be able to keep custody of you.”
“The Evanses have agreed to let us live with them. We already spend more time there than not anyways. With Petunia away at university it won’t be that bad. Besides, Harry has even agreed to let you have his room during the school year, if you need it. Please, let us help you.”
Mum was silent for a long time. I was holding my breath.
“I suppose that we should start packing then.” Sev and I both smiled brightly at that. “However, I will be paying you back once I am financially stable. I insist.”
With all three of us all using magic, and Sev and myself not unpacking from school, it didn’t take long to get all of our belongings packed. We were gone before Tobias even came home, the only thing left behind was a letter telling him to expect divorce papers.
October 1980:
“So how does it feel to be supervising Hogsmeade weekend, Professor Snape?” Harry asked me as we walked down the streets.
“Honestly, it feels weirder to be in Hogsmeade without stopping by the shop. I feel like I should be playing with Liz, or helping brew potions, not walking up and down the streets.”
“You are allowed in the shops, you know.”
“Yah, but they are probably busy.”
Just then we saw a fourth year girl talking to an adult.
“Professor Evans, Professor Snape,” she said, waving us over once she noticed us. “I want you to meet my Aunt Violet, Auntie Vi, this is Professor Evans and his sister Professor Snape.”
“Sister-in-law technically. How did you know that?” Harry asked.
“A few of the older students went to school with you.”
“You teach your former classmates?” Violet asked.
“I taught them when I was still a student too. I used to tutor the N.E.W.T. students before I even took my O.W.L.s,” Harry bragged.
I rolled my eyes at his ego. We had agreed to let him tutor the N.E.W.T. students before taking his O.W.L.s, based on the work he did with the D.A. in the first timeline.
“That’s quite impressive,” Violet remarked. “What class do you teach?”
“Defence Against the Dark Arts,” Harry said too casually.
“Even more impressive.”
It took me nearly eight months to realise that they liked each other. In my defence, I am autistic and asexual. It usually takes me several months, or even years depending on how subtle they are, to know when two people like one another. I felt like eight months was a new personal best, considering Violet was being incredibly reluctant to pursue a relationship back then.
1 September 1982:
“How much longer?” Liz asked impatiently.
“We don’t know,” Sev said. “Mum, why don’t you and Lizzy go for a walk? I’m sure that some fresh air will do her some good.”
Mum looked worried at that suggestion. It was understandable, she had been on a plane back to Scotland at the time Liz was born, she clearly did not want to miss another grandchild being born, especially two.
“I’ll take her,” I offered.
“But I want to be here when the babies are born,” Liz protested.
“If you stay here,” Harry began, “then you won’t get Honeydukes.”
Suddenly Liz shot up from her seat and raced towards the door.
“Not too many sweets,” Sev said sternly. “We don’t want her appetite ruined.”
December 1984:
We were all spending Christmas with Petunia that year. It was her first Christmas with Nate, and our first Christmas with Jackson.
“This next one is for Nate,” Liz said, reading the card.
Nate was given the present, and tore into the coloured paper with enthusiasm.
“What does it say?” Lily asked as Nate pulled out pyjamas and tossed it aside, it was clearly less interesting than the new toys.
“Liz, do you want to read it?” Violet asked.
Liz snatched the discarded pyjamas from the floor and held it out. “BIG BROTHER!” She shouted.
“Shh, not so loud,” Violet said.
“You two are having another baby?” I asked.
“Yup,” Vi answered. “I’m about three months now.”
“Congratulations,” Petunia said.
“So, which will be harder,” Barty asked, “taking care of hundreds of students or two babies?”
“Considering that the babies stay put in their rooms overnight and don’t sneak off to midnight competitions on the sports field, I’d choose the babies.”
A few days before term ended, the Slytherin and Gryffindor seekers had decided to prove their skills in a ‘secret’ seeker competition. Thankfully nobody was hurt. He did, however, have to remain secretive about the nature of the sport since, this time around, Petunia understood more about the International Statute of Secrecy, and therefore did not tell her husband about magic.
“Then perhaps you should take the midnight changings, while I lecture the students,” Violet teased.
“I know that I wouldn’t give up my time with the boys for anything.”
Barty was a far more progressive man than most in the twentieth century.
Like last time, Petunia met her husband after setting off to find work. However, since she did not overvalue normality this time, Petunia was impressed with Barty instead. He was kind and helpful and cared a great deal for others.
His father suffered an injury that made it impossible for him to find work, leaving his mother to do the earning, and his father to raise the children. This resulted in him seeing stay-at-home fathers differently than most. When Petunia got pregnant, he offered to be a stay-at-home dad, so that she could keep her career. It was harder for Petunia to get promotions, being a woman in the eighties, so they were not as well off as she was in the previous timeline, no potential vacation homes in Majorca this time, yet they had enough.
Petunia was still jealous of Lily. Lily got married when both their parents were alive, Mrs. Evans lived long enough to know about Lily’s pregnancy, Lily started her own business as a teenager. Even without Mr. and Mrs. Evans praising Lily for overachieving, Petunia was still constantly comparing herself to Lily. Sometimes I wondered if she chose to spend most holidays with her in-laws just to get away from Lily’s success.