Petunia learned very quickly that the system did not sleep.
It waited.
That night, after Lily had cried herself into exhaustion, she kept crying that she almost killed Petunia no matter how many times Petunia tried to reassure her she was ok. Lily instinctively knew something had changed.
The Evans parents had finally settled her into bed with murmured reassurances and whispered promises of "everything will be fine".
Petunia lay awake in her own room, staring at the faint glow of the streetlamp outside her window.
Her body was small. Too small. The mattress felt too firm, the blankets too heavy. Her thoughts, however, were not eight years old.
She reached inward.
The response was immediate.
The ledger, the system interface, unfurled in her mind.
A structured space: tabs, categories, neatly stacked tiers that radiated restraint rather than temptation.
[Infinite Inventory: Empty]
[Active Abilities: Emotional Regulation I, Trauma Resistance I]
[System Credits: 1,996,800]
Petunia exhaled slowly.
She scrolled through the system store.
Doctor Who items branched endlessly — technology that bent time, biology that rewrote species, devices that could level civilizations if misused. Star Wars abilities gleamed with raw power. Marvel enhancements promised strength, resilience, longevity. Steven Universe offerings leaned softer, focused on emotional stability and healing rather than dominance. And more from her favorite fandoms from her life as Fiona Bay.
It would have been easy.
Too easy.
She could feel the danger in it immediately — the subtle pull of 'just one more purchase', the illusion of control through accumulation. Fiona Bay had known that trap well. Money solved many problems, but it also created carelessness.
This system was not a game shop.
It was a survival mechanism.
And she was a squib in a magical world.
Petunia closed several tiers without buying anything.
"I don't need to be strong," she whispered into the dark. "I need to be stable."
The system responded without commentary.
She paused, then selected one item — practical, boring, and vital.
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED]
[Enhanced Immune System (Marvel Cinematic Universe — Lite Integration)
Cost: 1,500 SC
Effect: Elevated resistance to illness, accelerated recovery, baseline health optimization.]
[SC Remaining: 1,995,300]
The integration was subtle. No pain. No rush of power. Just a gentle recalibration — her breathing evened, a lingering ache behind her eyes faded. Her body felt… sturdier. Less fragile.
Good.
She dismissed the ledger and rolled onto her side.
From the hallway came quiet sounds — the creak of floorboards, a soft murmur of voices.
Petunia listened.
"I didn't mean to," Lily whispered again, voice hoarse from crying.
"I know, sweetheart," Mrs. Evans soothed. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Petunia closed her eyes.
She wasn't jealous. Not exactly. But she noted it — the way concern flowed instinctively toward Lily, the way the household revolved around her orbit. It wasn't cruelty. It was gravity.
The system chimed softly in her awareness.
[MISSION ACTIVE: STABILIZE HOST MENTAL STATE
Objective: Avoid emotional spiral for 72 hours
Status: IN PROGRESS]
She almost laughed.
'You and I agree on something,' she thought dryly.
---
The next day unfolded quietly.
Lily clung closer than usual, shadowing Petunia through the house, fingers twisting into her sleeve whenever something startled her. Petunia let her. She offered calm where she could, reassurance when Lily's fear crept back in.
Severus appeared in the afternoon, lingering at the edge of the garden fence like he wasn't sure he was welcome. Lily spotted him first.
"Sev!" she called, brightening.
He came closer only after Petunia nodded once.
They sat in the grass — Lily between them — and Petunia watched without intruding as something small and important took shape. Lily talked, hands animated, carefully avoiding the subject of floating. Severus listened, serious and intent, offering quiet comments that made Lily smile.
Petunia cataloged their interactions, the way she did everything now: early attachment, shared secret, mutual reassurance. This bond would matter later. She didn't know how yet — only that it would.
That night, as the third day ended without panic or collapse, the system acknowledged her restraint.
[MISSION COMPLETE: STABILIZE HOST MENTAL STATE
Reward: +1,500 SC]
[SC Total: 1,996,800]
Petunia lay back against her pillow, hands folded over her stomach, feeling the faint hum of the system settle into dormancy.
She would not rush. She would not overbuy. She would not become something monstrous in the name of survival.
This world already had enough of those.
Petunia closed her eyes.
Stability first.
Everything else could wait.