Secrets She Kept » Harry Potter

Part 4

"So looking at your recent blood test results, I'm happy to confirm you are pregnant Mrs Dursley." The doctor informs Petunia that she quickly uses the computer to put it into her medical records. He could tell from her face that the child was a surprise, or perhaps not wanted. "I suppose this child has come as a surprise."

Petunia shakes her head, she is glad she had come alone. She knew her husband would demand the results to be redone, it wouldn't be the best news for him to hear in the present. Also, she was glad she didn't have to mind two young boys who got bored quickly. The stress would get too much for the woman, she knew stress was a killer for fetuses in the early stages of development.

The doctor calls in a kind nurse to ask Petunia more questions surrounding the conception of her unborn child, due to her reaction to the news. The nurse's voice was calm, as she asked the series of required questions. "Mrs Dursely, were you coerced into sexual acts by your husband or another party without your permission?"

Tears threatened to spill from her blue eyes, but she kept a calm demeanour. "N..no." She stutters as the nurse writes down a series of notes. "I'm just shocked with the news, my husband wasn't expecting another child in our household."

That statement captures the nurse's attention, she knew the sign of abuse in relationships. "Has your husband ever hurt you?" She asks seriously. "Verbally or physically?"

Different memories flash through her mind regarding her husband. The drunken nights when Petunia refused to engage in sexual acts before they had conceived Dudley was born to the slaps she received when things weren't up to his high expectations in the household. Not to mention the usual beatings her nephew suffers from his hand. These were only a glimpse into what occurs below closed doors in her household. It was either Vernon's way or you will be punished for going against his wishes.

"My husband has a particular way on how he would like our household run." She states, trying to push the negative emotions away. The nurse asks Petunia to elaborate on the expectations she is given. "Meals prepared to his standard, a tidy household and my nephew of out of his line of sight when he gets home from work."

The nurse saw this as an abuse of power. It seemed her husband still had a view of women that was fast becoming outdated. Although Petunia became harsh about her husband surrounding the affairs in her home, the nurse directs the questions down another course. Making sure she was in the right headspace to carry her child without risking her own health or her unborn child. "Are you sure you want to go through this pregnancy, there are many options available?"

It was a question that the woman never thought she would have to answer.

She was nervous to ask, she was afraid of the reaction from her husband once he was told the news. "I do, I have dreamed about having a large family." She states the nurse saw right through the facade she was presenting in public. She had been taught well by her mother to contain her emotions to not make a public display of weakness. "I'm unsure of how my husband will react to the news, this child wasn't planned."

The nurse nodded. There wasn't much she could do in trying to gather information to make a case of abuse against Petunia, since she didn't want to explain what was truly going on. "I will give you a telephone number for a local clinic that I would like you to call and I will be sending someone just to make sure you are safe within your household."

Petunia gulped, she knew she had exposed something and would be in trouble when he husband answered the door to officials coming to investigate their home. "When can I expect this to take place?" Petunia asks as she is given the number and a prescription for the required vitamins for her fetus's development.

"In the next week." She answers the nurse will be putting a case together. She was concerned for the safety of Petunia and would fast-track the information to the authorities.