Morning settled into a trembling quiet.
Petunia washed applesauce off the floor with fast, sharp movements, hands shaking only once—when she reached the spot where Harry's magic had flared. The tile still felt faintly warm.
Dudley babbled happily. Harry watched her with wide, worried eyes.
"It's all right, sweetheart," she said again, trying to make her voice gentle. "I'm not angry with you."
A flutter-light pulse in her chest answered her reassurance.
The bond.
--
When both boys were settled with battered toys in the sitting room, Petunia sank into the kitchen chair, breath finally catching up with her.
That was when the System chimed.
A soft, crystalline tone.
Not intrusive. Not alarming.
Like a bell rung across a snowfield.
[System Reflection Available]
[Reviewing Guardian Response Event: "Vernon's Rage Encounter"]
[Emotional resonance detected.]
[Analyze?]
Petunia swallowed hard. "Yes."
The world didn't shift—she did.
A thin, translucent panel formed in the air, visible only to her: simple, silver-edged, utterly out of place in a suburban kitchen that smelled of baby food and floor cleaner.
[Event Analysis: COMPLETE]
[Threat Level: Moderate – Mundane Aggression]
[Target: Harry Potter]
[Guardian Response: Immediate Shielding; Full-body Interception; No Retreat.]
[Magic Interaction:
Harry Potter: Spontaneous Protective Barrier (Instinctual)
Guardian Petunia: Emotional Surge (Maternal Core) triggered synergy]
[Bond Stability Increase: +10%]
[System Judgment:]
[PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS: OPTIMAL]
[HUMAN CONSTRAINTS: SUBOPTIMAL]
[RECOMMENDATION: Prepare for escalation.]
Petunia's fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
"Escalation?" she whispered.
The System responded with the calm of something older than fear:
[Projected Pattern Recognition]
[Subject: Vernon Dursley
Observed Behavior:
• Resents deviation from routine
• Displays escalating control impulses
• Target focus shifting toward Harry Potter
• Newly aroused suspicion of Guardian confidence
Projected Outcome:
Vernon Dursley will attempt to reassert dominance within 24–48 hours.]
[System Recommendation:
Issue pre-emptive warning. Establish boundaries. Prepare fallback plan.]
Petunia closed her eyes.
She, or the old version of her, had survived years of Vernon's bluster. His tantrums. His control.
But this morning—
This was the first time Petunia had ever seen him afraid.
And she didn't feel triumphant.
She felt… awake.
Wide awake.
Harry let out a small whine from the next room.
Petunia rose instantly.
He had crawled halfway across the carpet, reaching for the hem of her skirt. His tiny fingers curled around the fabric, seeking comfort. Seeking her.
A wash of emotion passed through the bond—hesitant, trembling.
Fear.
And a question: 'Is he coming back?'
Petunia knelt and lifted him into her arms, holding him against her heart.
"No," she whispered fiercely into his soft hair. "He won't shout at you again. Not like that. Not while I'm here."
Warmth pulsed through her—approval, relief, trust so pure it hurt.
[Anchor Bond Progress Approaching Stage 4]
[Trigger: Guardian Assertion]
[Condition: External Threat Requires Verbal Declaration]
Petunia blinked.
"Verbal declaration… meaning what?"
The System didn't answer in words, but a subtle impression settled over her:
'Say it out loud. Name the rule. Draw the line. The bond strengthens through promise and protection.'
A warning.
A boundary.
Her pulse skittered.
She would have to speak it to Vernon.
A cold, familiar dread tried to rise—but something bright and hot inside her smothered it. Harry's magic. Her own awakening.
She stood, still holding Harry, and walked to the telephone table in the hall.
Her hands were steady.
She didn't know when she would leave Vernon.
But for the first time, she felt she wasn't as powerless as she'd once been.
Not as her from another world, another dimension
Not her as the old Petunia either.
---
Vernon came home for lunch—he always did, because he liked to "supervise."
The moment he stepped inside, she felt Harry stiffen in her arms, the bond tightening like a frightened heartbeat.
Petunia stepped forward.
"Vernon," she said evenly.
He paused, thrown off by her tone.
"I won't tolerate yelling at the children. Not ever again."
His mouth opened—reflex, outrage—but something in her stance, or her eyes, or the lingering echo of Harry's magic, made him falter.
"I—well—it was an accident," he blustered. "The boy—he—"
"No."
A simple word. But it rang like a struck bell.
Vernon blinked.
"You will not shout at him. Or Dudley. Or me," she said. "This is the rule."
Harry pressed closer against her chest.
Vernon huffed, face blotching. "Petunia, I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but—"
"I'm serious."
And she was.
He felt it.
He stared at her another second, jaw working, then turned stiffly into the sitting room.
But something—some primitive survival instinct—kept him quiet.
Petunia exhaled slow.
Harry relaxed against her shoulder.
And the System hummed softly:
[Bond Strength Increased: +8%]
[New Ability Recommended: Emotional Dampening Field — Minor (Star Trek – passive; tempers ambient aggression)]
[New Mission Unlocked: Secure Long-Term Safety
Reward: Defensive Item (Grishaverse)]
Petunia kissed the top of Harry's head.
"We'll be all right, darling," she murmured. "I promise."
And this time—
She believed it.