I tried to wind some sort of symbolism in here. Not so sure how that went. Anyway...

Title: Never

Challenge: sick-atheartxx's "Never" Challenge.

Rating: K+

Characters/Pairings: Lily, Petunia

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Never

The girls are young- Lily seven, Petunia nine- and they are playing in the back yard, digging in the garden of wildflowers.

They are as friendly as sisters could ever be. Different but the same because they believe the same things, have the same goals.

A white lily, innocent and pure (it seems to be floating upon the sturdy stem) growing next to a petunia, lavender and magenta that seems to soothe the whole garden.

If Petunia is a crisp white apron, Lily is a painting smock covered in yellow splotches. Petunia is the sand-colored headboard on the bed, sturdy and supporting, and Lily is the pink flowered comforter thrown haphazardly overtop.

"We will always be sisters. I will never stop looking out for you." Words vowed as they spit into the soil and hook slender pinkies.

There are fights, pokes in the ribs when Lily forgets to clean their room, name calling when Petunia won't stop talking on the phone, but they're sisters, it's what they do. And it's made up for because they huddle together when Lily is scared of a thunderstorm or Petunia has a bad dream.

They are sisters; they will watch each other's backs. Now it seems easy, because there is proof in the flowers in front of them.

Lily tries not to be jealous when Petunia heads off to middle school, but it's hard and she can't resist playing loud music when she knows Petunia has to do homework, or staying longer in the bathroom when she knows Petunia has to leave for school. It's simple envy, soon to be chalked up to nothing and forgotten, tossed under the bed with the other unpleasant sisterly memories.

Later the petunia veers away from lily (the light has stopped shining there).

But then Lily gets the letter and Petunia doesn't. Everything is different now (simple envy isn't so simple anymore, not when it's over something as big as this).

Petunia is left on her own it seems, she is grappling for the bond she and her sister once shared but now seems to be fading, like the moon when the sun comes up.

It gets worse every day, until it has disintegrated and it is gone and Petunia doesn't even care, because Lily has brought this upon herself.

The lily dies altogether, petals turning brown and crumbling to the ground, fertilizing the dirt.

The baby appears on her porch in the dead of night, and Petunia doesn't want it.

A new garden is planted on Privet Drive, full of wildflowers. In the very middle, a lily next to a petunia. Proof.

But the green eyes remind her of the promise and Petunia keeps her word.

"I will never stop watching out for you."

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Hope you liked it, please review!