I don't write but this idea has been floating around in my head for a little while now. If there are grammatical errors or spelling ones do let me know, the lack of description regarding the setting is intentional.

This is an AU in which Petunia doesn't tolerate Vernon being abusive to Harry. Dudley stays with Vernon for reasons that I'll get to eventually if I continue this but other than that everything should explain itself?

I don't own anything obviously

-TIOF-

The radio played in the kitchen, the music barely reaching his room. His eyes were locked on something that floated just in front of him.
He sat perfectly still, calmly observing the odd patterns of colour that danced across his vision.
Colours that he knew nobody else saw, colours that twisted and twirled whenever someone spoke or laughed or shouted.

"Harry? Get up, you don't have time to be lazing around," A harsh orange sliced through the colours of the music as Petunia called for him "you have to see Doctor Carr today and I won't be late for another appointment this month. You do know how important this is, don't you?"

His reply had been soft, as it always was when he was made to speak. "Yes Aunt." He stood from his bed and pulled his overly large sleeves up so he could slip his shoes on, the floorboards creaking slightly with his movements.

Petunia stood opposite his door, her face softening as he stepped out of his room and into the corridor. He was a small boy, shorter than the children in his class by a noticeable margin.
She fought down the urge to smile at him, to smile at the small boy with the gentle features and soft voice who had been left in her care almost ten years ago.

"I'll drive us there, shouldn't be much traffic at this time of day. We can go for ice cream afterwards if you'd like?" she offered, hoping he said yes.

Harry looked up at his aunt, at the lady who had tried her hardest to ensure he was happy for as long as he could remember. He smiled for her and nodded slightly.

"I'd like that Aunt, thank you."

Petunia watched as his eyes followed patterns that only he could see, her sister's eyes slowly sweeping back and forth as sounds danced in front of her nephew.
And how odd it was to see those eyes everyday knowing that she had been wrong, that she had let her fear control her decisions and in doing so ruined her relationship with Lily.
Lily who was like the sun, full of passion and joy and heat. Lily who had woven spells, who spoke of flying brooms and werewolves and messy black hair.
Lily who had loved her family so completely that she had died for her child.
Lily who had sent a message in her final moments, talking of love and protection. Of family and forgiveness. Of hope and pride. Of trust.

Harry blinked and she was snapped out of her haze, memories returning to their rightful place.

She turned on her heel and led him to the car, unlocking the doors and waiting for him to get in and put his seat belt on.
The midday sun cast a pleasant warmth through the glass of the windscreen as the radio played in the car.
As she reversed she did her best to ignore the fact that neither of them had turned it on.

-TIOF-

Doctor Carr brushed a strand of brown hair from her face as she observed Harry Potter standing in the doorway of her office. She was sat at her desk in a rather comfortable office chair, across from her was an overly large sofa that was covered in cushions.
The boy was her favourite patient, his view of the world differed vastly from her own and she occasionally found herself wishing to see things as he did.

/

Harry had first been brought to her when he was six, complaining that his head hurt whenever he was in the playground at school. Hearing the child explain that the colours were overwhelming when the other children screamed and laughed had been confusing at first, his condition wasn't very common and was often dismissed as nonsense. But he had insisted that he could see when people spoke. His little hands had balled into fists as he told her that how she spoke in the same green as the grass outside of their practice, that his aunt was a particularly harsh orange that made him confused because she was so kind.

She had listened to him talk of his cousin and uncle who both spoke the same shockingly bright green, a colour he hated almost as much as he hated the individuals who produced it.

/

"Doctor Carr?" Harry's soft voice broke her from her musings and she turned to face him. Blue eyes locked with green, a shiver travelling down her spine as she was struck by how they seemed to glow.

"Hello Harry, come in! How's my favourite ten-year old today? Are you excited for your birthday?" her voice was filled with the joy of someone doing what they loved and the smile was audible.

"I'm fine, Doctor Carr. Aunt Petunia says that she's taking me for ice cream after our appointment and then we're staying up until midnight!" his excitement was easy to hear as he sat down on the sofa and sank backwards into it. "I can't wait to start secondary, hopefully Dudley won't be there."

"And how are things with your cousin?" Doctor Carr already knew what the answer would be, but she still hoped that one day the broken family would find a way to not hate each other.

Harry grimaced as he thought of his aunt's son, of his cousin, of the boy who tripped him in the hallway and laughed at him. "I don't hate him but he hates me, Vernon hates me and Dudley hates me because of him and it isn't fair. He still tries to bully me but everyone has been paying more attention since that happened," Here he rubbed at his sleeve covered arms and she felt a pain in her chest. "I think he's spending more time with his friends now that it's summer because I don't see him at the park as often which is lovely. It's nice without him their."

Her pen gliding across the page as she took notes, Doctor Carr motioned for Harry to continue.

"I've been really good recently and I've been using the red marker you suggested! Aunt Petunia sits with me when I do it, she says it's so I know I'm not alone and that she loves me. I really appreciate how much she does for me..." Harry once again rubbed awkwardly at his arms and she felt the pain in her chest again.

"That is absolutely wonderful Harry! I'm very proud of you. Do you think you'll be able to handle seeing me less often?" At the boy's slightly hesitant nod she elaborated for him. "You've been doing amazingly well Harry and I think you'll be able to stop seeing me entirely by the time you're twelve."

"Really? Could I still come and see you if things got worse?" his voice seemed even softer than usual and she could tell that he was nervous about taking the next step in his recovery.

"Harry, you've come very far from where you were when I first met you. Your Aunt has kept you away from that man, and while there's nothing we can do about his son you seem to be handling yourself very well. And there are less incidents now, aren't there?" She once again watched him rub his arms and wondered if he would ever be free of the nervous habit, or if she would ever be free of the tightening in her chest whenever he did so.

"Yes Doctor Carr, it's been more than two weeks since the last one."

"I'll still be here when you need me Harry but you don't need me as often now." An alarm beeped from somewhere and she sighed. That's the end of today's session Harry, I've already booked your next one for the twenty-second of December, Petunia assured me that she'd bring you. I look forward to seeing you even healthier then, take care Harry."

Harry rose from his chair and smiled at Doctor Carr, he very rarely had people believing in him and it made his heart soar. "I'll see you in December then Doctor Carr. Take care." He opened the door to her office and stepped out into the corridor, shutting it gently behind him. Aunt Petunia was sitting in a chair waiting for him, humming gently to herself and filling the corridor in her orange.

-TIOF-

Petunia stared at the mail the next morning, knowing what was coming. It had happened with Lily too and she had no intention of interfering with the wizards. Harry would attend Hogwarts, he would be a great wizard, he would make her proud; he would make Lily proud.
She collected the envelope that would change everything then strolled into the kitchen, dropping the letter onto the table she got to work cooking breakfast for her family. Eggs and bacon for her, no bacon for him but an extra slice of toast in addition to a cup of milk for Harry and the coffee that she thrived on.
The floorboards creaked as the object of her thoughts made his way down the stairs of their home, his steps were as gentle as his voice and she found herself picturing him as a kitten, all white fur and green eyes. The laugh that followed filled the house with the sounds of joy.
Harry reached the bottom of the stairs and was treated to something his aunt rarely let him see; she was laughing. Not the laughter she used when Vernon was present in the past, but real laughter filled with joy and humour and life. The harsh orange danced again but it was tinged with a red he had come to associate with the panicked words of his mother that haunted him in his dreams. This was family, loving each other despite their differences.

"Morning Aunt, is it today?" Soft but excited, speaking a touch faster than usual.

"Good morning Harry," the laughter was still evident in her voice as was the smile on her face. "the letters arrived just this morning but you'll not be opening them until after breakfast."

They sat and ate in the comfortable silence of a family, Petunia humming along to the radio that always played when Harry was home while she ate. Her humming stopped as Harry finished up the last of his milk and reached excitedly for his letter.
He knew what it said word for word, it was the exact same as his mother's only with his name and address instead of hers. His heart soared at the prospect of doing what she had done, of weaving spells and making potions and learning to fly and of magic! He glanced up from the letter to look pleadingly at his aunt.

"Can we go today?" his eyes wide in anticipation.

"I've already taken the day off work Harry, we can do anything you want to do today." The smile that filled his face was returned by one of her own.

"I'll get ready quickly Aunt! Can we get extra books while we're there? I've read through all of the ones that were left." Harry was already washing his dishes by the time he'd finished asking for more books, excitement filling the air with a dusting of his magic. The air seemed to shimmer with floating gold as he rinsed off his dishes.

Petunia cleared her throat gently to remind him that magic wasn't to be used or let free while they were at home. The gold faded immediately and she heard Harry mutter an apology as he raced upstairs to get ready for their trip to London.