Making Peace

After the second war had taken place, all of the bodies had been accounted for, except for Severus Snape. He managed to survive his snake bite and Apparate to Spinner's End. He healed himself with Dittany and a lot of firewhiskey. After the wounds healed, he set out for Godric's Hollow. It's here where he runs into someone he met when he lived just down the street from her. She is kneeling beside a grave sobbing uncontrollably. He approaches her quietly and says her name.

"Petunia," he says quietly. She is startled out of her incessant crying. Turning around, she sees the man she knew years ago.

"Mr. Snape, what are you doing here?" She asks.

"I'm here to beg for her forgiveness, just like you," he replies.

Her eyes widen as she snaps, "I have no idea what you are talking about." She gets up and goes to leave and he stops her with his next words.

"You blame yourself for not connecting with her more. You were terrified your husband would find out about your powers."

"What powers? I don't have powers."

"Yours didn't manifest until you were an adult. You were already set in your ways and hid them instead of pursuing them."

"How..?" she asks.

"My uncle and older sister had the same thing," he replied. He walks past her and conjures a wreath of red and gold flowers. Petunia asks him.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I made a fatal mistake when we were in school and it was something that I have regretted ever since. I called her a Mudblood, which is a horrible name for someone who is Muggle-born. After that day, we never spoke again. That's not even the worst of it, though. I am part of the reason that she was killed."

Petunia gasped at this. She was utterly shocked that her sister's best friend in school had a hand in her death.

"I told Dumbledore all of this and his solution was for me to help Harry stay alive and defeat Lord Voldemort. I became a double agent for the Light and I infiltrated the inner circle of his followers quite quickly. No one knew what I had done until I told Harry almost two weeks ago during my trial."

"How did Harry take it?" Petunia asked.

Snape sighed and said, "He kept it together until he got back to his godfather's home. There he let me have it. He yelled and screamed until he was hoarse. I understand completely. I'm surprised that his friends didn't do anything."

"Do you think she can forgive us?" Petunia asked, shyly.

Snape thought for a minute before he said, "Of course she can. She was always a bleeding heart. Especially when it came to you and me. She always called us her works-in-progress."

Petunia watched Snape as he pulled out his rosary.

"Petunia, I never meant to take her away from you. I just saw an opportunity to make a friend. At that point, my father was in the horrible stages of alcoholism and didn't care about me. Once I met Lily, it gave me a reason to go away for a little while. She, ultimately, saved my life that day. Since then, she has been a driving force in everything that I do," Snape said.

Petunia looked at the headstone and asked, "You were in love with her?"

Snape looked at Petunia for a minute before he whispered, "Yes."

Petunia let out a huge sigh of relief and went to leave the cemetery before turning to Snape and saying, "Thank you, Severus."

Hearing his first name, he snapped his head up. He nodded to her saying.

"Always."

They both walked out of the cemetery and never saw the shadow of a man watching them. This man walks over to the headstone, lays down the flowers and says, "I hope you forgive them, Mom, because I have." Harry walks out of the cemetery and back to his house where his family is waiting for dinner.

THE END