She went alone and late at night, hoping it would be empty. Children would already be in bed and their parents turned in for the night. She'd told her husband she was going to the pub with friends for Halloween. He had believed her, and not one bone in her body felt bad for lying. Things were complicated enough, and the last thing she wanted was him sticking his nose in her business. Sometimes, she needed to be alone with her thoughts.
Pulling her coat around her, she shivered at the chill that blew through the air. She could hear her footsteps as she made her way towards the statue she had only heard about from whispers. She knew she wasn't supposed to see it because she was a Muggle. But, she had heard enough from Lily over the years that she could navigate her way well enough through the Wizarding world. Brushing her hand against the stone, Petunia swallowed hard. It resembled her sister more than she thought. For the first time since the funeral, she looked into the eyes of her sister, albeit they weren't real. Petunia had stripped her house of all photos, both out of anger and out of sadness. Her stomach lurched as she ran her hand further down the statue, stopping on the head of the baby whom was now in her care. She sneered. Lily would forever be known as the loving mother, and she the Muggle who raised the famous wizard, but was left out of the story. So much like their childhood, she thought. Lily getting the credit and the fame. It was why she made no effort to try with Harry. He would live to
Tearing herself away from the statue, Petunia began towards the graveyard, but stopped abruptly when she noticed a figure hunched over Lily and James's graves. The man was on his knees and as she crept slowly closer, Petunia could hear sobs emitting from him. The graveyard was almost pitch black, but the street lights gave off enough light that she could see a long-forgotten matt of black hair hanging down his back.
Severus Snape. Petunia shuddered at the memories that flooded back to her as she stared intensely at the sobbing man. She had always hated him. He was the reason Lily had become the prize she was. He was the reason she went to Hogwarts. His introduction of Lily to the Wizarding world was the reason her relationship with her sister had been strained, at best, by the end. Yet, no matter how much she had hated Snape over the years, she knew he had cared for her sister. That much had always been clear, even when they were young. As an adult, Petunia knew some of her attitude as a child had come from jealousy that a boy was paying attention to Lily and not to her. Snape's helping Lily discover magic had only taken that jealousy and intensified it.
Petunia always wondered what happened to their friendship. One summer, Severus was at their house every day and the next, he was nowhere to be found. Lily had always made excuses- that he was staying at Hogwarts over the summer, that he was working, but there had always been sadness in her voice when he was brought up. After a while, the subject was dropped all together.
Careful not to get too close as to be noticed, Petunia crept behind a mausoleum and heard Snape struggling to breathe. She wanted to visit her sister's grave, but the last person she had expected to run into was Snape. She couldn't go to the grave while he was there. How the hell would that encounter go? What would she say to him?
A pop came from a few feet away, and Petunia saw a smaller figure appear out of mid-air. It was clearly a woman; she had dark robes pulled around her and was slowly walking towards Snape. She touched Snape's back who jumped in surprise. The woman put two arms out, and he fell into them. Petunia couldn't remember ever seeing Snape look so vulnerable, not even as a little boy. The two sat there for a long time, Petunia feeling awkward watching. She couldn't make out what the two were saying, but she could tell the woman was speaking to him in a soothing voice. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why. Petunia had only met a handful of witches in her lifetime, so there couldn't be too many options. They were all a blur.
After what felt like forever, the two stood, Snape looking like he could barely walk as he leaned against the woman. His sobs had subsided, or at least quieted. As they made their way away, Petunia crept out from behind the mausoleum so she could take her place at her sister's grave for a few moments. The pair was almost out of sight, and as Petunia took one last look at him, she felt a tinge of happiness for the petulant man. Whoever the woman was with him, she clearly cared about him. With Lily dead and, from what Petunia remembered, an abusive family, she couldn't help but think he deserved one ally. Even Snape deserved some sort of happiness. For a long time, Lily had thought he was worthwhile.
Petunia bent down in front of Lily's grave, trying to bite back the mix of emotions she was feeling. She didn't have much to say; there was, all at once, too much and too little to say after everything the sisters had been through, and after how they had left off before Lily died. Awkwardly moving the flowers around that sat on the ground, Petunia sighed. She had never been good at confronting her emotions or her complicated relationship with her sister. Even a year after her death, she couldn't bring herself to face it. Standing from the headstone, Petunia bit her lip. Visiting would have to be enough until next year. Surely, Lily would understand.