16th May 1980- Petunia

'Poor thing… we just found her here, next to the dead muggle…'

'…think her mind's proper gone.'

'…dratted death eaters… it's got Bellatrix Lestrange written all over it!'

'…won't speak, must be in shock, poor girl.'

'Lily Potter's muggle sister, they're saying…'

'Healer said her babe is gone too, poor wee thing.'

'Petunia? It's Lily. I've come to take you home.'

June 1980- Petunia

For weeks, Petunia didn't know where she was, and she didn't care. She thought she heard Lily trying to speak to her at one point, but that couldn't be right; Lily was too busy with her stupid war to even come to their parents' funerals. Why would she come now?

Voices drifted in and out of focus but Petunia preferred to ignore them in favour of the blissful darkness that enveloped her most of the time. Awareness meant remembering that Vernon and their baby were gone, and remembering that meant pain. So, she remained in the quietest, darkest corner of her mind.

Slowly, however, she emerged. Sometimes, she noticed someone spooning a savoury liquid into her mouth. Other times, she felt someone holding her hand and humming the way her mother did when she was little and sick. She became more and more aware of her surroundings. The bed she lay on was soft and comfortable with fluffy pillows and warm blankets. The room was painted a soft yellow and fitted with plain white furniture. Lace curtains fluttered as a cool breeze entered the room through the open windows. Wind chimes tinkled gently and Petunia was lulled into a pleasant daydream of childhood summers. She had loved curling up in the porch swing with books, and listening to the wind chimes that her father had hung outside. A small bookcase held what appeared to be some of her childhood favourites- Enid Blyton, Little House on the Prairie, and even several Agatha Christie novels.

Fuelled by curiosity, Petunia sat up carefully and unsteadily climbed out of bed as she tried to work out where exactly she was. If this was a hospital, it was the absolute fanciest she had ever been to! She remembered her one stay at the local hospital in their village, after she had gotten her tonsils out. That place had been all shiny floors and noisy activity, and had smelt strongly of antiseptic. This well-appointed, peaceful room was more like a posh bed and breakfast and all she could really smell was lavender.

Her feet sank into the thick carpeting that covered the floor as she padded across the room to the window. Expecting to see a street or an alley, she was surprised by the lush forests and expansive grounds that met her eyes. Now properly confused, Petunia decided to explore the room, and perhaps the building some more. She spotted a door on the other side of the room, and behind it found a pretty bathroom complete with a clawfoot tub. With a pang, she remembered how Vernon had promised her one when they moved and 'got rich' as he had liked to say. Shaking it off, she opened a small cabinet and found that it held a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, lotion and several bottles of shampoo and conditioner. They were all the sort that she had used as a teenager; someone had clearly stocked the bathroom and bedroom with things she liked. Suddenly, a pop sounded behind her, and she whirled around to see a small creature with bulging eyes.

'Miss is feeling better! Soosa is pleased! Soosa will call Mistress Lily!' the strange little creature squeaked excitedly.

'What?' gasped Petunia, gaping at the strange little thing, 'What are-.'

Petunia cut herself off. The creature mentioned Lily, so this must be Potter Manor. She didn't recognise it, as she had only seen a small part of it for the wedding so long ago. Besides, she'd meant to ask the creature what it was, and that was probably rude. It had disappeared anyway, so she sat on a comfortable rocking chair to wait for her sister.

'Tuney!'

Petunia turned to see Lily, and felt the familiarity of home wash over her. The sisters embraced and for a moment Petunia felt as though she was in her mother's arms again. The hug was only made slightly awkward by the fact that Lily was almost nine months pregnant.

'Tuney… I'm so sorry,' said Lily softly, grasping Petunia's thin hands, 'I'm so sorry I wasn't there when mum and dad died, and I'm sorry I didn't protect you from this war.'

Petunia opened her mouth to reply, to say all the mundane things one says in response to receiving condolences; she had said them at their parents' funeral easily, but now she couldn't. She wanted to scream at Lily for pulling her into this war that she had nothing to do with, for destroying everything she loved. But she couldn't. She choked on the words as she tried to speak and an unbearable sorrow washed over her. It hurt too much to acknowledge her loss out loud. She wasn't ready for it to be real yet.

'It's alright, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to,' murmured Lily, as she reached to hug Petunia, 'but you must know, you're safe now. I'll keep you safe.'

Despite all that Petunia held her sister responsible for, and all the things she held against her, she knew in that moment that Lily would protect her and she let herself sink into the familiar arms. This might not have been the home that she was used to, or the one that she wanted, but it was a sanctuary.

June 1980- Lily

Lily was relieved that Petunia was awake and recovering somewhat. She felt great guilt at the terrible losses her sister had suffered; after all, if she weren't involved in the war, Petunia would never have been targeted. She should have expected this and protected her but she never thought the death eaters would attempt to attack her magic-hating sister to hurt her. Petunia had hardly even spoken to her in the last year and Lily had barely given her sister a second thought. Now, however, she was determined to keep her sister safe, no matter what.

'Lily, dear! How is your sister?' James' mother, Euphemia, smiled at her warmly, as she entered Lily and James' rooms, 'I hear she is recovering rapidly.'

'Oh yes, she's up and about now,' replied Lily, cautiously. The Potters considered themselves a Light family, and had happily accepted her, a muggle-born witch, into their fold but Lily wasn't sure how they would receive an actual muggle.

'Ah, lovely!' exclaimed the elder Mrs. Potter, 'I'm sure she would like to get back to her life as soon as possible.'

Lily stared at her. 'What? No! She won't be safe… she was targeted because of me, because of what James and I do!'

'Oh my dear, your sister would never be comfortable here,' said Euphemia, her tone growing chilly. 'Muggles simply don't belong in the magical world.'

'She's my sister! I have to keep her safe!' snapped Lily, in an uncharacteristic show of temper. Until now, she had gotten along perfectly well with Euphemia Potter.

Euphemia lost any semblance of warmth. 'Lily, you might be born of muggles, but you are a witch, first and foremost. You cannot exist in two worlds at once. Did you not distance yourself from your parents before they died? You must do the same with your sister.'

Lily gasped in horror at the cold suggestion. Abandon Petunia after all she had been through? Lily couldn't. Lily wouldn't.

'No, I can't do that. I don't care that she's a muggle, she's my sister. If she's not welcome here, then I'll leave and take her somewhere else!' declared Lily hysterically, clutching her belly for comfort.

Euphemia looked at her daughter in law with exasperation, 'Alright dear, alright. Do calm yourself, the stress isn't good for the baby. Your sister can stay, of course. I only worry for you, being saddled with a helpless muggle.'

'Thank you,' replied Lily, calming down, 'I'm sure Petunia won't be much trouble.'

Lily had always suspected that the Potters did not love muggles as much as they led Albus Dumbledore to believe and this confirmed it. But at least Petunia was safe for the time being.

AN: Thank you SO much for the lovely reviews! They really mean a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed this update! xx