"I should charge these people!" Vernon Dursley exclaimed loudly as he looked around his living room, inspecting every square inch of the space. "Look at my carpet! It's filthy! And the wallpaper is ripped beyond repair! It'll need to be stripped off and redone. Do they think I have nothing better to do than to go around and clean up after them?"

"Vernon, dear, your blood pressure," Petunia Dursley warned.

"We abide by their absurd rules and leave our home, and these crackpots can't even have the decency to not destroy my house!" Vernon continued to fume. "There's a hole in the kitchen wall for crying out loud! And do we get a pound for compensation? No, sir!"

"They saved our lives," Dudley mumbled darkly.

"And that will be enough from you," Vernon snapped at his son. "Nasty attitude you've developed since we've left."

Dudley opened his mouth to argue, but Petunia quickly put her hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you go up to bed, Diddy, darling?" she said. "Get a good night's sleep back in your own room."

"If these nutters haven't done off with your bed," Vernon scoffed as Dudley trudged upstairs. "Probably sold half the furniture! And the windows are all cracked!"

"Well they did say those…Death Eaters…would come to search here," Petunia reminded her husband. "For Harry."

"That boy still manages to find a way to ruin me even when he doesn't live under my roof," Vernon said, shaking his head. "Or what's left of my roof, that is."

Petunia didn't reply.

"What happened to the boy anyway," Vernon said offhandedly as he bent down to examine the baseboards.

"You heard them when they brought us back here," Petunia answered. "He lived. They said-They said the wizard who was behind everything was killed."

"That Voldy-Pot fellow?" Vernon asked. "The one who killed his parents?"

My sister, Petunia silently added. "Yes," she said simply. "Yes, him."

"So our obligation to him is done then?" Vernon said. "He's not going to be showing up at my doorstep demanding university money or such? Because the deal was we take him until he was of age! And since that government is stupid enough to recognize a seventeen-year old as a legal adult, that means we are done with him!"

"Yes," Petunia said, looking away. "I suppose it does."

"Right then," Vernon nodded. "That's that. We can get on with our lives then, soon as the house is repaired, of course."

"Yes," Petunia said again. She pursed her lips. "I'm going to bed."

"I'll be up soon," Vernon said. "Soon as I'm done documenting exactly how much damage was done to the house! I plan on drafting up a nice bill for these people!"

Petunia said nothing as she turned on her heel and headed up the stairs. On her way to her bedroom, she passed the smallest room; Harry's old room. She stopped and stood in the doorway for a moment. It was empty, save for the bed and the desk. You'd never have known anybody had ever inhabited it.

All traces of Harry truly had been erased from the house.

"Mum?"

Petunia spun around and saw Dudley standing behind her.

"What is it dear?" Petunia asked. "Is your room alright?"

"They said Harry was okay, right?" Dudley said, ignoring his mother's question. "His-His side won?"

"Yes, that-that's what they said," Petunia nodded.

"Well is Harry going to come back here?" Dudley asked. "Ever?"

"I wouldn't imagine so," Petunia replied. "He was only to live with us until he was seventeen."

"Well where does he go now?" Dudley asked. "Does he have anywhere to stay in his world?"

"I-I think so," Petunia nodded, though truthfully she hadn't a clue. "Don't you worry about that now. Just go ahead back to bed and-"

"He saved us!" Dudley said loudly, causing Petunia to step back. "Do you people not realize that? All dad cares about is complaining about a little damage to the house and you…you don't care either, do you?"

His words hit Petunia square in the chest.

"You never cared about Harry…did you?" Dudley said. "He was always, what was it that dad said, an obligation? He was your nephew…your sister's son! And you treated him like-like he wasn't even human. You didn't even give him a bedroom until he was eleven! All these years he lived here you all hardly acknowledged him...yet he still saved us."

"Dudley, that's quite enough-"

"And the worst part is," Dudley said softly. "I was no better…because of you two."

…

That night, Petunia took far longer than usual to fall asleep. She kept tossing and turning, Dudley's words echoing inside her head.

"You never cared about him…your sister's son."

She must have finally drifted off at some point, though, because the next thing she knew she was standing in what appeared to be a never-ending room that was all white. She was clearly in the middle of a dream, but it was unlike any she had ever had before.

She looked around, trying to figure out where exactly she was, and what she was supposed to be doing.

"Tuny."

Petunia spun around and froze.

Standing just a few steps away from her was Lily.

She looked just as Petunia remembered from the last time she had seen her, years ago. Her dark, red hair was flowing behind her and her emerald eyes sparkled as they met her own.

"L-Lily," Petunia whispered. "What are you-But you're-"

"I'm dead," Lily nodded simply. "Yes. I still am."

"But-But why are you here?" Petunia asked, confused.

"You wanted me to be here," Lily answered. "So I am."

Petunia was silent, still shocked at the image of her sister before her.

"You never forgave me, did you?" Lily said softly. "I know you didn't."

"Forgave you?" Petunia repeated.

"I was a witch and…you wanted to be one too," Lily nodded.

"Of-Of course I wanted to be one," Petunia said. "You-You got to go off to a special school to learn things that-that I'd never understand. And then you'd come home and you were-you were the 'special one'."

"That didn't mean you had to push me away," Lily said. "Just because we were different. We were still sisters. But you never treated me the same once I came back from Hogwarts. No matter how hard I tried…you never let me in again."

"No," Petunia said in a barely audible voice. "I didn't."

"Why?" Lily asked softly. "We were best friends once."

"I was jealous," Petunia said weakly. "And…And I always was. And soon, when being jealous of you became too hard I-I made myself h-hate you."

Lily nodded. "I wish you hadn't," she said.

"I wish I hadn't either," Petunia admitted for the first time in her life, feeling tears welling up inside her eyes.

"But my son, Petunia," Lily said, and for the first time during their interaction, her own voice cracked.

"I'm sorry, Lily," Petunia said. "I-"

"You were his only family," Lily said, standing up straight. "You were all he had left. I didn't get to raise my son, Petunia, and-and I knew shortly after he was born that that may be the case. But you could've."

Petunia said nothing.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was," Lily continued, her voice like ice. "For me to watch you ignore Harry every time he would beg for just a small amount of your affection. For me to watch you scold him after his first words, for you to push him away after he took his first steps towards you, for you to pretend that he didn't exist?"

"Vernon wouldn't have any of it," Petunia said quickly. "He didn't want the boy to begin with. If I had ever-"

"You never said a word," Lily said. "You let Harry become neglected and ignored in your home. You never even told him about me or James…He went so long not knowing who he was. You knew you couldn't stop his magic…"

"I did," Petunia nodded slowly. "I-I knew Vernon's attempts to stomp it out of him were in vain-"

"And still," Lily said. "You said nothing."

"I wanted to," Petunia said, a tear falling down her cheek. "I wanted to tell him about you so many times. Especially when he would look up at me…he-he has your eyes, you know."

Lily gave a small smile. "I know."

"I'm sorry, Lily," Petunia whispered. "I'm sorry."

"You took him in," Lily said. "For sixteen years…And for that, I will always be grateful. But you never cared…"

"I regret it," Petunia said shakily. "If I could go back-"

"But you can't," Lily said gently. "You can't change the past, Tuny."

"I know," Petunia said softly. "I should've been like his mother…but because of me he didn't have anyone like-like that."

"He did," Lily said, smiling. "Someone who had no obligation to do so has become, and will be, like a mother to him, even though she has always been far too overworked and has been through more than you could ever imagine…I only hope I can repay the favor to her now…"

"What are you-"

"You wouldn't understand," Lily said, shaking her head.

"If there was something I could do now, I-I would do it, Lily," Petunia said. "You must believe me."

"Petunia, you are still living," Lily said, her eyes shining. "Of course you can still do something."

"But-How?" Petunia frowned. "Harry…Well, you-you know how I've treated him. He won't want anything to do with me."

"Harry grew up," Lily said. "Never receiving an ounce of affection from the people he was forced to call his family. Yet somehow…he has always been full of love. He sacrificed himself in ways you would never understand to protect those that he loved…as well as those who were considered to be his enemies. You haven't lost your chance, Petunia."

And with that, Lily turned and began walking away towards the distance.

"Lily!" Petunia called after her sister.

Lily slowly stopped and looked over her shoulder. A thousand things left to be said stood at the tip of Petunia's tongue, but in the end, she could only ask: "Was this real? Me talking to you…Was it really real?"

Lily smiled. "Of course it was, Tuny. It happened in your head."

…

Petunia awoke before the sun had risen the next morning. Ignoring Vernon's thundering snores next to her, Petunia got out of bed and picked up her handbag from its hook by the dresser and began rummaging through it.

"Petunia?" Vernon grunted as he slowly sat up in bed, apparently woken up by her movements. "What on earth are you doing up at this blasted hour?"

"Looking for something," Petunia replied shortly. She pulled a small slip of parchment from her bag. "Here it is."

"Here what is?" Vernon demanded.

"When those ministry officials brought us back home yesterday, they gave me this address," Petunia said. "To use if…if we ever wanted to reach Harry."

"Ah-ha!" Vernon roared, now wide awake. "Wonderful! I'll send my bill straight to the boy and he can see that our damages our paid for! I've done the calculations and those fools owe us-"

"No," Petunia said firmly, closing her bag and turning to face her husband.

"No?" Vernon sputtered. "What are you talking about, Petunia? The boy owes us-"

"Nothing," Petunia finished for him. "Harry owes us nothing."

"Owes us-Are you forgetting the fact that we put a roof over that boy's head for sixteen years?" Vernon snapped. "Just as were told! Shouldn't have even done that if you ask me, but you-"

"He was my sister's son!" Petunia shot back fiercely. "Not an obligation for us!"

Vernon stepped back. "Petunia," he said, clearly trying to remain calm. "Come now, you're still rattled by the state of the house. Come back to bed and-"

"No," Petunia said. She turned and headed for the bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" Vernon called after her. "Petunia!"

"I'm going to try to do something I should've done sixteen years ago," Petunia said. "Care."