Snow was quietly falling outside. Winter had finally come. According to the weather forecast, all of southern England would be under several feet of snow by tomorrow. The storm was just beginning. Lily was sitting in her armchair, safe in the comfort and warmth of her apartment. She was reading the last letter her son sent while Hedwig pecked some seeds on the table.
Dear Mom,
Things are getting quite magic in all senses of the term at Hogwarts. You should see the decorations the teachers are beginning to install. Courses are as hard as ever though. Teachers leave us no time to rest in class. Potions have become especially difficult since the dungeons have been transformed into an icehouse. We have to attend the courses with our winter cloaks to get through. There are rumours that a student had to be treated for frostbite. And of course, Snape is his usual self, always finding pretexts to remove points from Gryffindor. Neville especially finds this class unsufferable. But this is only one course, and ever since the Quidditch game, Snape seems to be targeting all people in Gryffindor, not just me. At least, we suffer him all together.
I'm eager to come back home for Christmas, but I would have something to ask you. My friend Ron is planning to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays because his parents are going to Romania to visit his brother who's working with dragons there. I was wondering if I could invite him home for Christmas. Would you mind?
I have to admit I would have liked to see how Hogwarts looks like at Christmas, but I wouldn't miss Christmas with you for all the gold in the world. I'm eager to see you again.
Harry
She finished the letter. Harry had never invited someone home for Christmas. Normally, it was only Lily and her son, and Remus and Sirius who came to spend time with them. She was happy that Harry made friends at Hogwarts, especially when she considered that one of these friends, Hermione, saved him during his first Quidditch game. At the same time, some small part of her wished to keep her son for her and herself alone. It seemed like yesterday when she was changing his diapers, or when she accompanied him to his first day at elementary school. Her son was growing, and he was growing quickly. She had to face it, his world no longer revolved around Lily alone.
She wrote back to him, saying she would be glad to welcome his friend home and that, if his other friend, Hermione, wished to come, she was welcome as well. She also said she was eager to see him and told him she sent a foretaste of the Christmas waiting for him. She gave the letter to Hedwig, along with a bag full of small chocolate balls. She then opened the window to send the owl back to Hogwarts, letting some icy air and snow get inside the apartment. She closed it the moment Hedwig was gone.
Lily had already started preparing for Christmas. This was the biggest holiday in the year for her and Harry. Since Halloween was not really a day to celebrate for them, she worked very hard every year to make Christmas an unforgivable moment. Their freezer was already filled to the brim, as well as the pantry. She had installed some of her decorations and there were others she planned to add. And she was looking for presents for her son and their visitors. Furthermore, she would give a more magical tone to this year's celebrations. She would have to go to Diagon Alley very soon for that. But not today. She was waiting for someone.
Lily looked at her apartment. For eight years, it had been her home. She had known wonderful moments, and others that were sad, but all of them marked her life and turned Harry into the person he had become. But lately, she found little joy in this place. It felt so empty, so dark with the days getting shorter. And since the company for which she worked had closed and Lily lost her job two days ago, it felt even more empty as she had nothing to occupy her days. She didn't tell Harry about her discharge. She didn't want him to worry about her. Anyway, he didn't have to worry much. Lily received an unemployment insurance for now, and she put money aside over the years. She would be good for quite some time. And depending on how today's discussion would end, she may not need anymore money for a very long time.
She verified the content of the freezer. Yes, everything that required to be frozen was there. She would buy the food that only required refrigeration later, to not let it get spoiled before the end of the holidays. She looked through the window outside. Snow continued to fall. A small white blanket now covered the streets and parked cars. For now, there might be only one or two inches of snow on the ground, but it would soon change as snowflakes kept falling down.
Lily went to her son's chamber. If one of his friends came here, she would have to buy another bed, unless she made one appear. She couldn't let Harry's friend sleep in a sleeping bag. After leaving it alone for weeks, Lily had finally made some cleaning in the room, so it wasn't dusty like it used to be following her son's departure. Everything was in order. She had replaced anything that laid on the floor. Everything was at its right place.
She looked at her watch. It wouldn't take long before she arrived. She had spoken about it with Dumbledore, with Sirius, with Remus, even shortly with McGonagall. There was only one person she needed to talk to before she took the decision. While waiting, she decided to take one of her son's books and started reading about the history of great wizards, just to spend time. She was reading about Morgana, a story she heard again and again, when the bell resounded. She left the book on Harry's personal desk and went to open the door.
She wore a raincoat covered with snow. She must not have had her winter coats ready by now. Lily let her come in right away.
"Hello, Tuney," Lily welcomed her sister as she helped her remove her coat.
"Vernon doesn't know I'm here. I must be back home before he returns from work," Petunia said.
"I get it. I can prepare you some tea if you want."
"Yes, please."
Lily went into the kitchen to make preparations while Petunia removed her boots. Her sister then took place at the table in the living room.
"This is a nice place you have," Petunia commented.
"In part thanks to you. You helped me find it, remember?" Lily told her sister with a timid smile.
Petunia made a slight nod. She hadn't smiled since she arrived, but this was nothing new for Lily. It had been years since Tuney sincerely smiled at her. She brought two cups of fuming tea and offered one to her sister.
"Thank you," Petunia said.
"How is Dudley?" Lily asked. If there was one thing Petunia never minded talking about, it was her son. Despite this, her sister didn't turn up any smile as she began talking about him.
"He's at Smeltings Academy. He sleeps in their dormitory during the week, but he comes home for the weekend. I worry if he gets to eat as he pleases there, whether his blankets are comfortable enough, if he's happy where he is. I guess he is. He's always eager to go back there on Sunday night, many of his friends from elementary school have followed him there. He seems quite occupied. Sometimes, I call him in the evening, and he says he doesn't have time to talk to me. He's got so many friends and work he doesn't have the time to call me himself."
Lily could see the sadness behind her sister's voice and on her face. She could relate to that. Personally, she found that Petunia cherished and spoiled her son way too much, fulfilling each and every of his desires, but she remained silent on that. As a mother who also let her son go after taking care of him for years, she could understand how her sister felt alone and worried all the time about him. Especially at Smeltings, considering students were expected to hit themselves with canes whenever teachers were not looking. Her boy could really get into trouble there.
"What about yours, Lily? He went... well, to that school." Like before, Petunia couldn't get herself to say words related to the magic world, especially not Hogwarts since the day Dumbledore refused to let her accompany Lily there.
"Yes. It's been four months now. The apartment feels empty. I've gone to see him twice so far. They don't usually allow for parents to visit their children during the term. They made an exception so we could to Godric's Hollow at Halloween, and to let me... attend to his first game."
She looked at Petunia to make her understand what sport she was talking about. "Quidditch, that's it?" Lily was almost surprised Petunia remembered pronouncing the name correctly. "I heard you both talk about it one day."
Lily didn't have to ask who she talked about. Petunia was spying on her conversations with Snape back then. Back when he was her friend and Lily didn't know yet who he truly was. "Yes. He's quite good at it."
"Good for him." There wasn't any sharpness in her voice or her eyes. She seemed sincere. "So, why did you want to talk with me, and not on the phone?" she finally asked Lily.
Lily had called Tuney a few days ago, in the middle of the day to make sure her husband had no chance to take the call, and told her they needed to speak in person. She then let a moment of silence go, and before she could offer to come to Petunia's house, her sister told her she would come to her apartment today. The sisters may have a complicated relationship, but they remained sisters and were there for each other in the moments that mattered.
Lily averted her sister's gaze. "I'm thinking of leaving. Of going back."
She waited for her sister's reaction. She didn't know what she was expecting or hoping from Petunia, but when it came, her sister only replied on a tired and resigned tone. "I was expecting that to happen one day. Why now?"
"Harry is gone. He is... in this world now. It wouldn't make any sense to bring him here for the holidays and summer vacations. He's made friends there, and he has none here. I lost my job. I feel... there's nothing left tying me here. Unless..."
She looked at her sister, trying to convey what she meant. Tuney remained unmoved. Her face didn't change. The only thing Lily might have noticed that betrayed any single emotion was the pupil of her eyes. Lily knew her sister enough to see through it, and she could see she was affected. But that wasn't what Petunia was trying to show.
"Your son... Harry... He's happy there... at Hogwarts?" Tuney asked. Lily found it a miracle her sister said so many words related to the magical world within a single conversation.
"Yes, he is." Despite the accidents with the trolls, despite the mad broom during Quidditch, despite Snape, he was happy. Lily even wondered if he had a girlfriend there. She supposed he wouldn't want to tell her immediately if that was the case.
Tuney looked at her cup of tea. "Your son is what matters. If he's happy in your world, then you better follow him."
"That's all?" Lily asked, uncertain, looking at anything Petunia could say more, or imply.
"That's all."
Tuney was firm, as always. She had always been firm since the day she became an adult, and even before. When Lily came back to the world of Muggles years ago, it was Tuney who helped her. She stood up to her husband and helped Lily find her first apartment, get her first job, even take care of Harry in the first years. She took her distances later, and Lily suspected it was because Vernon had enough of his wife helping her sister. They continued exchanging letters and gifts for Christmas and their respective birthdays and those of her sons. Lily even visited them a few times, but it never really went well. Harry and Dudley didn't get along at all. During a weekend they stayed at Privet Drive, when they were both six-years-old, Dudley had stolen a present Petunia had carefully prepared for Harry, stolen his food during dinner, pinched him throughout the whole weekend, and even pushed him into the mud one morning. Vernon had not been anymore accommodating, first suggesting that Harry sleeps in the cupboard under the stairs. Petunia dared not to say anything. It was only when Lily insisted for Harry to sleep in the spare room with her that Tuney finally told her husband to let it go and let Lily and Harry sleep in the same room, both in a real bed. After that, they sometimes called each other to take news, but even the phone calls became rare with time.
"Look, Lily. Our paths took different ways the day you went to Hogwarts and I couldn't follow you. Perhaps things could have been different, but I got my life now. I have a husband, I have a son, I have a home, and I love my life. You have yours, and it's definitely not here." Petunia looked around at Lily's apartment, as if to emphasize this was only a transition. "Your life is where your son is."
"And so... here it ends," Lily said fatefully.
"Yes. Here it ends."
They remained like that for a very long time. Lily asked some additional questions to Petunia about her life, about Vernon, about Dudley, and her sister did the same for Lily, but it was obvious Tuney was forcing herself to speak like Lily did, just to prolong their last discussion even a little. At one moment though, Petunia looked at her watch.
"I've got to go. I must be at home when Vernon comes back."
Lily knew it was true. She accompanied Petunia to her small hall and helped her get dressed for the outside weather, where snow had accumulated further. There was probably about one feet of snowflakes on the ground now.
"Lily." Petunia was now fully prepared and ready to go, but she looked at her sister before she opened the door. "I'm really sorry for James. I didn't like him, but... I never wanted that to happen. I wish you could have lived happily together."
Lily looked away, tears threatening to break. "We did... for a time. And it was worth it." Petunia nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry, Tuney."
Petunia knew what she was sorry about. Lily could feel it that she understood in this very moment. The two sisters then began to cry together, Lily much more than her elder sister. They hugged for a very long time.
"You'll always be my little sister, Lily, no matter what happens."
"You'll always be my big sister, Tuney."
They remained like that, locked together, for quite some time, but Petunia Dursley left in the end, without a gaze behind, wiping away the tears from her face before she confronted the storm, leaving her little sister to cry behind, as her last link with the world of Muggles faded away in the snow.
Lily Evans Potter remained on her doorsteps, the door open, the cold air entering her home, tears freezing on her cheeks as she recalled the moment when she called Tuney for the first time after her husband's death.
It had been two days since Halloween, and Lily was still recovering in a private section of Hogwarts' hospital wing, being kept away from prying eyes. She managed to conjure a phone and to protect it from magical waves. She placed a call to Little Whinging and luckily fell on her sister when she answered. Lily told her, her voice breaking apart, that her husband was dead, and begged Tuney to come and see her.
"I need my sister," she had told her, water running down all over her face.
A long moment of silence had followed. Then, like a whisper, Petunia asked "Where are you?"
"At Hogwarts."
Another moment of silence had followed, longer than the first. Then... "Tell me what to do. I'm coming right away."
Petunia had left her house on the spot, without giving any explanation to her husband. Dumbledore had transported her just outside the boundaries of Hogwarts through Apparition and led her to the infirmary where Lily and Petunia were reunited. Lily had cried in her sister's arms for hours, Tuney comforting her for the first time in an eternity. Petunia had been the family she needed at the time she needed her the most.
And now she was gone. Lily Evans Potter had nothing left tying her to the world of Muggles.