I've been reading this on and off for days, so apologies for the slightly disjointed comment.
Firstly, your characters are a delight. Augusta strikes me as spot on without being overpowering, and Petunia...ah, I love her musings over the box at the beginning.
He had a task for everyone.
Ack, yes. Just yes. (Much as I love Dumbledore.)
"I like for things to be in control. And where I can see them."
This is totally the way I see Petunia. Also, I love the idea of Lily and Alice staying in touch (and hee, I love Petunia's mispronunciations).
I found the system somewhat odd, but I imagine the reverse would be true, as well.
Ha!
I must admit, I've never seen Vernon as actually violent, but Petunia as the downtrodden housewife I can definitely imagine. And while the violent scene is horrible, it's also a plausible extrapolation from canon.
They must have put everything back just as it had been, only somehow they'd broken her.
Ah. Yes. The idea that Petunia might be changed by increased contact with the wizarding world is a very enticing one, given her teenage attempt to attend Hogwarts.
I really love this cast of characters you're gradually throwing into the mix. (Neville is the one who prompted this comment - he's lovely when he takes Petunia away!)
And suddenly I realised where you were going with this, and oh, my god. Oh, Alice! *weeps* Oh, Frank! And yay, Augusta for dealing with stupid people!
"And he evidently is of the opinion that they need to integrate more hu-- more of us
This made me laugh - was she going to say "humans"?
.I'm given to understand being through this sort of attack can leave a person a bit jumpy. and </i> I may have been an idiot, a really big stubborn fool, and I can't get that back; however, I do like to think I'm teachable.</i>
Aw! I love the way you're portraying Percy. The slow build-up in their relationship over the second half of the story is beautifully done. I often skim over sex scenes, but here, I read with a broad smile. This is a fabulous story, and a great way to end the fest!