In medieval times, people without magic (more commonly called "Muggles") were particularly afraid of magic. However, Muggles occasionally could actually catch male or female wizards, and in such cases, they often chose to burn them.
But Muggles lacked sufficient understanding of magic, because in most cases, burning had no effect on wizards. When being burned, wizards would often cast a basic Flame-Freezing Charm, enjoying the gentle, tickling sensation produced by the flames while pretending to suffer and scream in pain.
According to Wendelin the Weird's claims, she particularly enjoyed the feeling of being burned. She deliberately allowed herself to be caught forty-seven times in various disguises.
"Uh, the magic to freeze flames is indeed impressive... but this Wendelin sounds like a pervert."
"I have the same feeling."
"Huh, I thought you'd speak up for the wizards?"
"Why would you think that?"
"Because you're also a wizard!"
Harry was doing homework—an essay titled "The Practice of Burning Witches in the Fourteenth Century Was Complete Nonsense." The preceding passage came from "A History of Magic" by Bathilda Bagshot.
Harry's cousin Dudley was unwilling to do his own holiday homework but was quite excited about magical world assignments. So, after hearing the content Harry had just read aloud, they had this conversation.
Compared to last summer, Harry's treatment with the Dursleys had improved once again. With last years' experience, Harry had deliberately brought more delicious, novel, and fun treats for his cousin Dudley when returning from school this time.
Besides the ever-popular Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, there were also Exploding Bonbons, Ice Mice, Pineapple Cubes, Peppermint Toads, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum...
Many of these treats weren't sold on the Hogwarts Express food trolley. But Harry had money. He had asked the Weasley twins to bring him many good things from Hogsmeade village.
After seeing these magical world treats, Dudley was in great spirits and readily shared his Muggle world snacks with Harry, even contributing an entire set of "The Adventures of Tintin."
Seeing the two boys' relationship growing better, and his obese son's figure gradually normalizing under the effect of special diet pills, Aunt Petunia, who had harbored resentment about the past, finally let it go.
She pulled her husband Vernon Dursley to actively approach Harry and opened her heart to tell the story between herself and her sister Lily.
Although Aunt Petunia had previously told this story at Sherlock's request, this time she spoke in much more detail. This also made Harry truly realize for the first time that Petunia, who had always seemed to despise magic, had once been so eager to enter the magical world.
As the elder daughter of the Muggle Evans couple, Petunia and her sister Lily originally had a very good relationship. However, as Lily grew up, she began showing many unusual abilities, such as making flower petals open and close in her palm without touching them.
The Evanses constantly praised Lily for this, which made Petunia, the elder daughter, feel mixed emotions, both jealous and dismissive. But at that time, neither Petunia nor Lily realized this was magic. Although Petunia was unhappy about it, her relationship with her sister hadn't soured.
Later, the sisters met a little boy who had similar abilities to Lily. Severus Snape. This was a boy who also lived in Cokeworth, a neighbor of the Evans family.
Petunia looked down on Snape because she thought this little boy was solitary and gloomy, she thought he was not a good person. But Lily became good friends with Snape because he possessed abilities similar to her own.
Thus, the three children slowly grew up. Petunia and Snape continued to dislike each other, while Lily served as the mediator among the three.
If it had only been this way, it might have been fine. But everything changed the summer Lily turned eleven.
Both Lily and Snape received Hogwarts acceptance letters. Only then did the entire Evans family learn that those incredible abilities Lily possessed were actually magic.
The Evanses were rather open-minded people who didn't reject magic. Not only did they not reject it, but after learning their family had a witch, they felt delighted and paid even more attention to Lily.
Petunia at that time was unwilling to become separated from her sister into two different worlds. So, she wrote a letter to Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore with great hope, asking if she could also attend Hogwarts like her sister and Snape.
Dumbledore replied quite quickly. He told Petunia that he could understand her urgent feelings, but unfortunately, magical talent was determined at birth. In Britain, the moment each magically gifted child is born, Hogwarts' Quill of Acceptance writes their name in the Book of Admittance.
So even though Dumbledore was Hogwarts' headmaster, he had no way to let a Muggle study magic—the key point being they couldn't learn it anyway.
Dumbledore's refusal was very tactfully worded, even telling Petunia about the Quill of Acceptance and Book of Admittance, it could be said to be very sincere.
Unfortunately, women often don't reason logically, especially for Petunia, who was still a young girl then.
Dumbledore's rejection made her feel hurt. From then on, Petunia was determined to cut all ties with the magical world.
"My sister's abilities could make our parents proud, but I could not..."
When saying this, Petunia seemed somewhat desolate, her body trembling slightly. Vernon beside her immediately reached out, tightly embracing his wife, while glaring harshly at Harry.
Harry: "..."
Although he felt quite innocent, facing Vernon, who had transformed into a wife-protecting maniac, he could only lower his head and avoid eye contact.
With her husband's encouragement, Petunia's state improved somewhat. She softly called out. "Harry..."
Harry looked up with shock. Good heavens, since he could remember, this was the first time Aunt Petunia had called his name—previously it was either "you," "hey," or more often she simply omitted any address and spoke directly.
"Your eyes... really are exactly like Lily's."
At this moment, Petunia's memories went back to that summer decades ago. London, King's Cross Station, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. September 1st, the entire Evans family together saw Lily off to Hogwarts.
As they were about to part, Lily tightly grasped Petunia's wrist, her fingertips trembling slightly.
"Please listen to me, I'm sorry, Petunia, I'm really sorry! Maybe when I get there—no, listen to me, Petunia!" She firmly held onto her sister who was unwilling to speak to her, her voice choked with tears. "Maybe when I get there, I can find Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"
"I don't want to go anyway!" Petunia abruptly shook off Lily's hand, deliberately putting on an uncaring expression. She knew very clearly that no matter how much Lily pleaded with Dumbledore, it would be useless.
"You think I want to go to some ridiculous castle to learn to be a... a..." Petunia hesitated for a long while, finally steeling herself to say a word that would hurt Lily greatly. "You think I want to become a freak?"
"I'm not a freak!" Lily's eyes reddened, her hands clenching tighter into her palms. "That's such an awful thing to say."
"That's where you're going—a school for freaks. You and that Snape boy... freaks, both of you! It's good that they're separating you from normal people—it's for our safety."
Petunia could never forget the sadness in Lily's green eyes after she said those words.
Coming back from the memory, Lily's eyes gradually became Harry's eyes. At this moment, Petunia felt as if she were in another lifetime.
As Lily entered Hogwarts to study, the gap between the sisters grew larger and larger. Every holiday when Lily returned, her pockets would be filled with toad spawn, and sometimes she would turn the family's teacups into mice.
Seeing their younger daughter perform miraculous magic naturally filled the Evanses with surprise and joy, constantly talking about "Lily this, Lily that," which invisibly dealt Petunia a second blow.
"...Later, I left our home in Cokeworth to study typing in London. This skill helped me find a clerical job. There I met Vernon—he was a supervisor at the company then. We dated a few times... later, I accepted his proposal."
At this point, Petunia took a deep breath. "After one date, I gathered courage and told Vernon that Lily was a witch. Although Vernon was very shocked, he still promised me he wouldn't distance himself from me because of this."
She turned to look at her husband. Seeing his wife's gaze, Vernon's heart trembled. At his wife's reminder, he also recalled that scene.
During that date, Vernon had bought Petunia fried sausages. Later they sat in the car, looking at the fish and chips shop where they'd just bought the sausages. It was then that Petunia told him about her sister Lily Evans.
When Vernon learned that Lily was a witch, he was shocked beyond description. However, out of love for Petunia, he solemnly told her that he would never distance himself from her because she had a witch sister.
Hearing Vernon's assurance, Petunia threw herself into his arms with intense gratitude, causing Vernon to drop his fried sausage on the ground.
Coming back from the memory, Vernon looked at Petunia before him and felt as if it were another lifetime. His wife loved him so deeply, yet he had actually doubted her? I'm truly damned!
Thinking this, his arms around Petunia tightened, as if afraid she would leave his embrace.
Harry watched Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia showing their affection before him and didn't know what to say for a moment. Of course, he couldn't accept Petunia calling his mother a freak, but seeing Petunia's current state, she clearly regretted treating her sister that way.
Having spent two years in the magical world, he increasingly understood Muggles' views on magic. Plus, learning from Aunt Petunia's description that his maternal grandparents had doted on their younger daughter while neglecting the elder, Harry found it understandable.
Wasn't Gilderoy Lockhart in the same situation? The difference was that Lockhart's mother was a witch, while his mother and Aunt Petunia were born into a Muggle family.
What Aunt Petunia said next made him even more certain of this point.
You can read more than 40 chapters on:
patreon.com/MikeyMuse