What a delightful story, with a fresh, amused, oblique, and slightly daft style, much like Hestia herself. Petunia's change of heart -- or rather, her discovery of love -- is poignant, and I was absolutely seduced by Hestia's unbiased view of her attenuated charms, mannerisms, canon snobbishness, and unexpected appeal. Their courtship skips along with lovely, witty sharpness, and such unpredictable flair that I scrambled to keep up -- no dawdling! Petunia's practice with the wand and the way she behaves when her hopes are dashed is so very in character; how depressing it must have been to be the unspecial child, the unmagical sister. But the attraction between the two women, persisting despite the ignorance on both sides, has the breathless sweetness of adolescent discovery -- like the swinging-open of a cell door, if only Petunia's brave enough to step out of her old life and shed her old skin.
Hestia's slightly muddled, comic viewpoint is a treat throughout. What a slyboots. She's fabulous company. I'm glad Petunia eventually saw sense, with regard to Vernon, magic, and Hestia in particular. Thank you for this charming fic and the marvelous voice you've created for it.