Secrets She Kept » Harry Potter

Part 50

When the time came, humans must depart from their aging bodies to leave earth. It was a difficult decision for them; they knew that leaving behind their physical forms would be painful and frightening. But their emotional attachment to planet Earth made it impossible for them to continue living here as disembodied spirits. That led them to the space between the living and the dead, an area of the universe where Petunia's soul had been trapped all these years.

On her first day in this world, she found herself on a vast plain. This flat expanse stretched out before her so far that she could not see its end. The horizon disappeared over the distant mountains, which rose up like a wall at her back. In front of her lay a deep valley, lush with trees and grasses. She stood there for some time, staring into the distance, trying to take in what it meant to be alive again after so many decades.

Then she heard footsteps behind her. Petunia turned around to find a small child, no more than six or seven years old, standing next to her. He was dressed in casual clothing, dark jeans and a light-washed sweater. His blonde hair was cut short but held a slight curl as it blew in the wind. Her heart began to beat faster when she saw him; there was something about this boy that reminded her of someone ... but who?

"A...are you lost, child?" Petunia asked, she wished she had been accompanied by Snape or Lily on her venture. They were both much better at dealing with people than she was. "Do you need help finding your way home?"

The boy looked puzzled. "Yes," he replied, "I'm looking for my parents." His brown eyes glanced around the vast field that he had landed in, Petunia noticed he was missing shoes on his bare feet.

She felt bad for him, wondering what must have happened to his family. "Your parents are probably searching for you right now," she said gently. With a kind smile present on her face, she held her hand out for the small boy. He looked afraid, he was unsure where he was.

"What's your name, child?" she asked him.

He shook his head, unable to speak.

"It's okay," Petunia reassured him. "You don't have to tell me if you're not ready." The boy nodded.

Petunia accompanied the boy back to the thickness of the forest. As they walked along the path through the woods, he told her how he had fallen asleep in a park one night and ended up being carried away by a strange man. When he awoke, he found himself in this unfamiliar place, a place that seemed so familiar to him, like he had seen it in a dream.

The sun streamed through the trees as o the r souls looked curiously at the small boy that had suddenly arrived. His appearance caught their attention; he was very pale and looked thin, almost emaciated. His clothes were shabby and dirty, and he looked frightened. None of the other spirits recognized him, though. So they left him alone, wandering the forest, trying to figure out how to get home. Petunia had brushed off the dark thoughts that plagued her mind on how the child had ended up in this place. The boy was just lost, she decided. Usually, the souls chose not to disclose on the terms that met their end of life.

They walked through the trees, stopping every now and then to look at the ground. There were small flowers growing wild and tall, they glowed in the sunlight. Petunia wondered why such things should exist in a world that was devoid of life.

"Where are my mummy and daddy?" He asked as the wind blew through the trees.

"I'm sure they'll come soon," Petunia tried to reassure him.

But the boy didn't believe her. Through the silence, Severus made an appearance from the shadows of the forest. Petunia suspected he was hiding in the shadows, waiting for Petunia to return. He had been worried as Petunia had been missing for hours in the void.