Petunia walked along the quiet streets of Cokeworth, Enhanced Perception active. Every faint shimmer of energy, every subtle pulse in the air, was visible to her trained senses. She had spent the morning in the garden with Lily, but the system nudged her toward a new mission:
[MISSION DETECTED: "Assess magical children nearby; identify potential threats/allies."
Reward: 20 SYSTEM CREDITS (SC)]
Ahead, a small boy stood near a narrow alley, dark hair falling across pale skin. His sharp grey eyes scanned the street nervously. Even from a distance, Petunia could see the faint shimmer of an unusual aura—cautious, controlled, wary.
Her chest tightened. The boy seemed small, frightened, and alone. Something tugged at her protective instincts—the same way she had felt for Lily. She wanted to approach carefully, to show him he wasn't alone, without alarming him.
[SYSTEM: Magical anomaly detected. Aura signature: innate, trained/untrained hybrid. Target: Severus Snape, age 5.]
Petunia adjusted her approach. She lowered her shoulders, softened her gaze, and let her steps slow. Every movement was meant to convey safety, not threat.
[SYSTEM: Deploying items and abilities for mission assistance.]
[Friendship Aura (My Little Pony) – gently nudges trust and social bonds without being manipulative.
Memory Journal (Labyrinth) – compact notebook placed in system inventory to track observations and system data.]
She crouched down to a comfortable height, keeping her tone soft and light. "Hello… I'm Petunia," she said, smiling gently. "I saw something wonderful just now, and I wanted to tell you—my little sister… she does things like that too."
The boy stiffened, eyes narrowing, as if measuring her carefully. He said nothing, but the tension in his aura gave slight way—a flicker of curiosity.
Petunia continued softly, careful not to push. "It's really… amazing what you can do. I don't see it happen every day." Her smile was warm, but restrained, letting the Friendship Aura nudge trust subtly.
The boy's fingers twitched, and a faint shimmer of energy sparked briefly above a crack in the alley wall. He glanced at it, then back at her, still wary but intrigued.
Petunia kept her voice gentle. "I like seeing it… and I like how careful you are with it." She paused, letting her words settle. She could feel the system recording his reactions: curiosity mingled with caution, a desire to be understood without fear of exposure.
[SYSTEM NOTE: User influence partially successful. Target receptive to cautious guidance and observation.]
Petunia's lips curved into a quiet smile. "Maybe you could come play with my little sister and I sometime."
She didn't push him to speak. This child carried pain, secrecy, and brilliance—even a gentle word now could ripple across his life.
He gave a tiny nod before running away.
[MISSION COMPLETE. SC AWARDED: 20]
As Petunia walked away, she felt the weight of responsibility settle over her shoulders.
Canonically, Severus would face hardships and make choices that hurt himself and others—but here, in this AU, she could offer gentle guidance early, building trust and quiet support before mistakes hardened into pain.
[MISSION NODE ACTIVE: Monitor Unknown Child. Influence and protect. Track magical development.]
Her protection circle had widened but Petunia didn't regret it for one moment.