"Petunia, sweetheart. You need to wake up." A soft voice murmured into her ear. She slowly opened her eyes to the smoky fog that wouldn't clear. She blinked sluggishly; there, in the midst of the fog was her sister, looking almost angelic with a glow that seemed to flow from her very core.

"Lily." She intoned. She knew this place. It had been many years since she had visited it, but the memory had been stuck in the deep recesses of her mind. "The place between worlds, dear sister?"

"Yes," Lily replied, a small, bittersweet smile gracing her face. Nobody knew what happened to those amid the veils of the world, until they met Death's firm embrace. Even after returning to their rightful world, whether life or death, the place between worlds was a mere whisper. "It is not known how long you shall be here, or how long you have been here, but you must be fully intent on returning; it is not your time. I know it has been hard for you, but if you do not do it for our sweet children, or me, then for Severus."

Petunia glared. "Where is this 'wisdom' coming from, Lily-flower? I shall fight to my very last breath. Clearly you have been spending too much time beyond your veil with your blessed husband, if you think I would ever give in that easily." Talking seemed to use her energy up rapidly, she blinked sleepily as she watched the form of her sister approach.

"Sleep now, Tuney. Until we meet again."

"She'll be alright, won't she, si-Severus?" Harry asked worriedly, eyes darting between the ghostly pale form of his aunt on the bed and the mournful man sitting opposite him.

"Of course she will, Petunia is more stubborn than an old mule. If you ask me that question one more time, I'll have to refresh my memory on potions that use the tongues of little dunderheads." Severus snapped, but he couldn't muster the energy to smirk at the loud gulp he was rewarded with.

"Harry," Minerva called from the door, a quiet Dudley beside her. "It's time to go." She shot a glare at Severus while Harry said goodbye to his aunt. When he reached her, she placed her hands on the shoulders of the boys, steering them away.

Severus waved his hand and the door swung closed. He turned to face Petunia and took her almost-cold hand in his. He blinked back those damnable tears that threatened to break through.

"Tuney," he choked out. "You've got to wake up. Please." He begged. Without Tuney he was a broken man, he couldn't lose her now that she was back in his life again. The only reason he'd survived the last twenty years without her was by burying his emotions and locking them up tight. Now, however, the floodgates were open; he was lost.

"Wake up, will you? Wake up and tell me to stop wallowing, to wash my hair and stop torturing little children. Please, I need you, Tuney." His prayers went unheard, she remained sleeping.

"Lily," he whispered. "If you are listening, please, Don't take her with you."

Minutes staring at his beloved blurred into hours, until he fell into the arms of Morpheus; his dreams taunting him with memories of Petunia, marred with the sickening sight of her lying still on the floor, blood pooling around her, just like after the attack.

Days passed with frequent visits from Harry, Dudley and Minerva. All of them were losing hope of her recovering. Severus remained at her bedside, determined not to leave her.

He was staring blankly at the hand in his when he heard it.

"Severus."

His head shot up. What? He blinked.

"Severus," she rasped weakly.

He blinked again, before it hit him. "Tuney!" He quickly pulled his hand away from hers.

"Water," she croaked.

"Right, water." He turned to the cabinet beside her bed and filled the glass sitting on it. He conjured a straw, and lowered it to her mouth. Once she was done, he placed it back on the cabinet.

Petunia slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. She smiled slightly when Severus rushed to help, placing pillows behind her back. "How long?" She asked.

"Eight days. Eight days, woman." He replied.

Petunia scanned his face, frowning at the dark circles under his eyes. "You haven't left here since I was admitted, have you?" She knew it was pointless to ask, but she did nevertheless.

"No." He gave into the urge he felt and took her hand back into his, squeezing it lightly.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"I..." Oh, he thought. Even as weak as she is, I'm in trouble. "I don't know."

Petunia glared at him. "For Merlin's sake, Sev. Why? You're going to make yourself ill." He looked worse than he did when Lily had been murdered. It had taken weeks of him staying in her home, under her tender care until he no longer resembled a ghost. "You stupid man, I won't have you ill because of me." She berated him. She smirked as he swallowed visibly.

"I couldn't, I couldn't leave you."

"Why ever not, I would have been in the same state if you'd gone home to bed. You know I would have wanted you to." She knew the answer to this, but she knew he wouldn't say the words until she pushed. She wasn't waiting years again to hear him say it; they weren't teenagers anymore and it certainly wasn't the time for dallying about.

"I..." Severus floundered, he just could not answer that question. He'd known for more than twenty years how he'd felt about Petunia, and had recognised it as long ago; it just wasn't in him to declare it so, not even to himself.

"Severus." Her eyes pleaded with him, her face solemn. Damn it all. He knew she wasn't playing with him any longer. Now was the time. He had to do it before he lost her again; if he didn't do it now she would never let him.

"Because," he sharply took in a breath, trying to push the words out.

"Because?"

"Because I... I love you." Silence greeted him, and he took his hand away from hers again. Merlin, he felt so humiliated, clearly she didn't feel-

"Severus," she interrupted him as his thoughts berated him. "I love you too."

He released the breath he was holding, while Petunia's breath was taken away by the wide smile that broke out onto his face.