Evans Family Ⅱ

Lost in her own thoughts, Rowan did not hear Petunia Evan's approach.

"Hey freak," an unpleasant voice from behind her said.

Rowan turns around to face the sour-faced Petunia, who had light hair and pale eyes and was far from being ugly, but Petunia's sour disposition did her no favors. Frowning, Rowan arched her brow rather pointedly at the other girl. She had forgotten how irksome Lily's sister could be.

Petunia's pale eyes widen upon recognizing Rowan. "Sorry, that wasn't intended for you to hear," she hastily apologized.

"Even if that was meant for Lily that is rather ill-mannered on your part, Petunia," Rowan vehemently chided the girl causing Petunia to blush in humiliation.

"Well, she deserves it," Petunia grumbled and folded her arms over her chest rather defensively.

"Does Lily have tentacles?" Rowan swiftly countered, taking Petunia completely off guard.

"What ick, no!"

"How about a tail?"

"Of course not!"

"Turns into a man every third Wednesday of the month?"

".... No and that is strangely specific."

"What about any other supernatural anomalies?"

"No."

"Then Lily is most certainly not a freak. According to the dictionary, a freak applies only to someone who behaves or is behaving in a wild and irrational manner, typically due to extreme emotion, mental illness, or drugs. And since Lily isn't any of those things or a supernatural being that we know of, the word is therefore inappropriate to be used to describe Lily," Rowan steadfastly declared without hesitation.

"As such, Lily might be a bit weird even strange, I grant you, but most certainly not a freak. Might I suggest the term oddball which is a much more appropriate term to use."

Petunia gapes like a fish for a moment unable to speak. "You're still the same as I remember, Rowan Snape," she irritably huffed, "a know it all."

"Ah, but you forget, I also happen to have a rather violent streak," Rowan said as she pointedly took a step toward Petunia, who instantly took a step back. "And I'm Rowan Prince now, I would hate to have to remind you again."

"You used to get into fights with the older boys," Petunia curled her lip in a sneer trying to hide her wariness.

"Yes, well, they used to try to mess with Severus," Rowan shrugged. "I couldn't very well allow them to touch a single hair on Severus' head."

Petunia snorts and relaxes a tad bit at the acute response. "So, are you going to that fre-, that magical school too?"

"Yes, as is Severus."

"Oh, I knew that fre-, that terror would get in too."

"There's no reason to be jealous, Petunia," Rowan callously responded causing Petunia to turn purple in rage and embarrassment.

I'm not!" Petunia loudly sputtered. "You couldn't pay me to go to that freakish school!"

"Mm, that's not what you wrote to Dumbledore," Rowan retorted causing Petunia to abruptly turn pale.

"How, how do you know that?" Petunia stammered with fear and disbelief in her voice.

"I suppose a freaky talent of mine as you would so incorrectly put it," Rowan murmured as she glanced at her nails. "However, that being the case, I don't understand why you care so much. It's not as though it is all that it appears cut out to be."

"Of course, you would say that," Petunia snapped as she waved her arm angrily in the air. "Name one thing that goes wrong in your fairytale world."

"The wizarding world through progressive in some ways is very much antiquated in other ways," Rowan grumbled in sincere annoyance. "Many wizards and witches still dress like it is still the Victorian era."

"Really? What else?" Petunia curiously asked with narrowed eyes that are full of misgivings.

"A friend of mine during our second year was written to and informed via letter that her parents had signed a marriage contract on her behalf that would take into effect upon her graduating Hogwarts. How is that for being too young to be engaged?" Rowan drily said upon thinking of Tiffany's painful situation.

"Isn't that illegal!?" Petunia bellowed in utter horror.

"Not in the Victorian era, it does not," Rowan wryly muttered. "And since the wizarding world has yet to step out of that era, it clearly shows that magic does not solve everything. And besides I would think that you would be much more enthusiastic about the era you are living in, Petunia. I don't mean to sound a bit of a Feminist, but this is an era, where women can be anything they want from a CEO to an airplane pilot, a doctor, etc. The question is what do you want to be?

Petunia flushes and weakly glances away. "I'm not much good at anything beyond becoming a housewife."

"There's nothing wrong with becoming a housewife if that's what you truly want. But why not try to become a pastry chef? I've heard from Lily that your pudding is most excellent and that she genuinely envies your talent as she can't even make anything beyond scrambled eggs and toast," Rowan not so subtly suggested.

"Really?" Petunia seemed intrigued at the idea that Lily might be jealous of her over something so trivial.

"I swear on Scout's honor," Rowan said as she held her hand up in the scout's pledge. Not that it would do Petunia any good as Rowan wasn't a scout to begin with.

Before Petunia can say anything else the phone begins to ring. It is quickly answered, before Mrs. Evans shouts from downstairs, "Petunia, one of your friends is on the phone."

"I'll see you later," Petunia said as she rushed over to her room and jumped on her bed. On her bed, there was a bright pink cord phone connected to the pink phone receiver. "Hello?"

Rowan didn't hear the rest of the conversation as she headed downstairs and only heard vague ramblings from the teenage girl. Mrs. Evans was in the kitchen preparing a light meal, when Rowan entered the living room. Rowan paused in front of the bookcase and leaned forward to read the titles.

"Feel free to have a seat dear, and watch some Telly if you would like," Mrs. Evans idly remarked as she battered some dough on the counter that would be used to cover the potpie she'd be serving for dinner.

"Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Evans will be happy to watch a bit of Doctor Who later when it is on," Rowan paused to reply, "In the meantime, I think I'll read for a bit." On that note, the fourth Doctor should be on right now. The first three were alright, but the fourth Doctor was rather interesting to watch as he was the longest-running doctor until 1978.

Standing before the bookshelf Rowan skimmed through the titles before finding one of her favorite fantasy series. Taking the hardback book, she scooted into an armchair and began to read. "In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort-."

Soon Rowan was lost on Bilbo's journey until Mrs. Evans said, "Lunch time!" The sound of a door slamming could clearly be heard from Petunia in response.

Glancing around Rowan asks, "Where's Lily and Severus?" Before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"They went outside," Mrs. Evans swiftly replied as she placed a neat plate of sandwiches before her with a bowl of crisps and cut-up fruit. Grabbing the pitcher of ice-cold lemonade off the counter, she pours Rowan a cup, before placing the pitcher on the kitchen table.

"Aren't you going to have a bite, Mrs. Evans?" Rowan asked as she took a mouthful of her sandwich.

"I already ate a sandwich, dear," Mrs. Evans said as she wiped her hands on her apron. Heading out of the kitchen, Mrs. Evans opens the door and shouts, "Lily and Severus, lunch is ready!"

Mrs. Evans closes the door lest the cool air escape, but not long after the two flushing figures can be seen running inside. "Now have a bite to eat dears, or you won't be allowed outside until you do."

"Mum!" Lily said in embarrassment as she glanced at her mother.

Mrs. Evans ignored her daughter's embarrassed look and placed two kitchen plates on the table. "Now at least eat something and drink plenty of Lemonade! Or else, the both of you might faint from this infernal heat."

"Yes, Mrs. Evans," Severus dutifully said as he sat down and grabbed a sandwich. Lily was too embarrassed to say anything as she sulkily grabbed a sandwich and began to slowly chew.

Mrs. Evans returned to check on the Fruit Fool. She opened the fridge to check on the simple dessert made up of custard, whipped cream, and fruit. It would do quite nicely after a long day of work and is not a heavy dessert on the stomach after dinner. A cool desert to enjoy during hot weather. With a smile on her face, she went back to rolling the dough one last time, before placing it on the chicken pot pie and into the oven it went. It felt quite good to be a housewife at times like these. And that was something to be rightly proud of.