Secrets & Dreams: A Lily Evans and a James Potter Story

Where Lily and James receives their Owls...and where family and friends situations arise...

CHAPTER ONE:

OWL POST

Lily Evans brushed out her long, curly auburn hair. Why can't I have straight hair like Petunia?, she thought wistfully, and when she pulled out the brush, accompanying it was a ball of her hair. She tried it again, but was followed with the same result. Distressed, Lily threw her brush down on her dressing table. Sure, she was eleven years old, but she still knew how important it was to look pretty.

"Hey, can I come in?" Petunia asked, while she knocked on Lily's door. Lily smiled to her self; she was glad Petunia was her sister, because they get on so well with each other. They were like best friends, instead of sisters. "Yeah, sure."

Her fourteen year old sister entered the room, a brilliant smile glowing instead of her usual pallid face. "Why are you so happy, Petunia?"

Petunia embraced her self, happiness shining in her pale blue eyes. "He asked me out, he asked me out!"

The smile slowly fell from Lily's face, though she tried to hide her worry. "Who asked you out?"

"Vernon Dursley!" she squealed, and gave Lily a bear hug. So it was true. As stupid as it sounded, Petunia and Lily had a promise: never get a boy friend without consulting the other sister.

She let Lily go, tears of delight filling in her eyes. "Oh Lily, I'm so happy!"

As the rest of the day passed by, Lily became really bored. Petunia had gone out with Vernon, and left Lily with her parents: Henrietta Evans and George Evans in the living room.

Lily had inherited her auburn hair from George, while Petunia got her blonde hair from Henrietta.

They were discussing Lily's secondary school, Heydron High, which made Lily's stomach go into knots. She was afraid of going to secondary school, incase the students teased and bullied her, like they did in primary school.

Henrietta jumped up, and told them she would make a cup of tea.

When she went to the kitchen, George asked Lily in a low voice; "Are you scared, Lily?"

Lily cringed, was her façade that transparent?

"Y-yes, Daddy."

George observed his daughter, with a pitying expression. He was like her at that age, always the one who got picked and teased on.

"Oh Lily, everything will soon turn - "

But before he could continue, an earth-shattering scream rose into the air. They both jumped up from the sofa and ran into the kitchen, and what Lily saw made her heart freeze.

There, on the windowsill, was a large tawny owl. It was the first owl Lily had ever seen, except in picture books, of course.

"Oh...my..." breathed Henrietta, her face shocked. The front door opened, and in came Petunia.

"Hello!" she sang, and when she entered the kitchen, Petunia's face showed her horror. It mirrored her Mother's expression, and Lily felt sick to the stomach.

Then the owl jumped off the windowsill, and landed neatly on the small table next to Lily. The owl stuck its foot out to her, and Lily spotted an envelope attached to it.

Her breath turning ragged, Lily untied the string that held the envelope to the owl's leg, and what she saw made her whiten:

Miss L .Evans

The kitchen

4 Privet Drive

Little Winging

Surrey

"What does it say, Lily?" ordered George, his hands shaking. Henrietta looked like she was about to faint, and Petunia's eyes had widened with disbelief.

"It's...addressed to me," whispered Lily, and that's when Petunia snapped. She snatched the envelope out of Lily's hands. Petunia's jaw slackened.

"I don't believe it!"

She threw the envelope back to Lily. Like George, Lily seemed to have caught the Hand Shaking Fever. She hastily ripped the envelope open, and in a shaky voice she read out the amazing letter:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

She didn't dare meet her sister's astonished stare. "Witchcraft?" echoed Henrietta, faintly.

Out fell the books and equipment list. Also with it, failed to be mentioned in the letter, was a map.

Lily unrolled it from its roll, and gazed at the title: Diagon Alley. There was an added note on the bottom:

You can exchange your Muggle money to Galleons, Nuts and Knuts. There will be a shop to exchange your money to Wizardry in Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley is in London.

If you do wish to go to Hogwarts, go to platform nine and three quarters on September the first.

"It...can't be true," hissed Petunia, and she turned to glare at Lily.

"It mustn't," Lily agreed, to everyone's surprise. She's the most gullible, meaning she usually believed anything.

George took the map out of Lily's hands, and examined it. He then looked at the letter, and frowned.

"What is it, honey?" said Henrietta, in a wobbly voice.

"Everything's too detailed to be a prank," George answered, "I mean, did it really need to mention who the Headmaster is? Or: the Headmistress? And look at the map, it must've taken years to do!"

Petunia felt angry tears pricking her eyes. "She can't be a witch, Daddy! Otherwise, she's a freak!"

Lily wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. George glared at Petunia, and she fell silent. But it was too late. Lily felt betrayed.

"But...but Daddy, if Lily got the letter about being a witch, shouldn't I, too?"

"I don't know, but for now, I think we should believe it's true."

Later on in the day, Lily scribbled on the back of the Hogwarts letter: Please save me a space, love Lily Evans.

oooo

James Potter ran around the room, shouting: "I've got the letter! It finally came!"

His Mother and Father, Helen and Patrick, laughed.

"I've been waiting eleven years for this!"

In his excitement, he tore the envelope open, and when he read the letter, his face crumbled.

"What is it, son?" Patrick demanded, in a worried tone. He didn't like how James' hazel eyes sparkled with sadness.

"I...I don't have a place at Hogwarts."

"What?!" exclaimed Helen and Patrick, together. They both went to Hogwarts, and they were so sure James would get in, too.

"Let me see the letter, James."

James passed the letter to Patrick, and he beamed. "Hey you little ragamuffin! You do have a place!"

Helen breathed a sigh of relief. "Honestly James, you're as bad as Patrick when I met him!"

The next day after the letter arrival, James couldn't contain his excitement. He walked around his room in a dream-state way, and he even treated Bliss, the family's house-elf, better.

Helen was astounded with his behaviour. She consulted Patrick about her worries, especially her biggest worry of all.

"Patrick, I hope...I hope Hogwarts is up to James' expectations."

Helen bit her thumbnail, annoyed that Patrick let out a burst of laughter. "I'm serious, Patrick!"

When Patrick's laughter died down, Helen went on: "I'm afraid...that James is going to be disappointed."

That night, James lay down on his four-poster bed, staring without blinking at his large ceiling.

He was thinking about Hogwarts, everything from subjects to pupils. From Patrick, James knew that there were secret passages. Before he went to sleep, James promised himself he'd find every secret passage in Hogwarts.

0000

Lily was miserable. Since they had received the letter, Petunia had been horrible to her. George thought she might have be jealous, but Lily knew differently. Petunia thought she was a freak.

Lily couldn't help feeling miserable when her own sister was condemning her a freak.

"Don't think about it, Lily," her best friend, Anne France said, as she braided her long, dark hair. She referred to how Petunia acted towards Lily, earlier on in the week.

Lily felt as if she was lying to Anne, because she hadn't told her that she was a witch.

Lily gazed sadly at her best friend's floor. Suddenly, she remembered the promise she made with Anne a few months ago. Lily hated to break promises.

"Oh and Anne, I won't be able to go with you to Palphates Girls, this year."

Her smiling face transformed into a whiney, disappointed frown. Just then, it hit Lily hard how demanding Anne was.

"But...you must, Lily!"

"I can't, Anne. I'm going to Hogwarts." Lily didn't add: 'school for Witchcraft And Wizardry'. For some reason, Lily believed Anne wouldn't take it too well.

"We made a promise Lily, a promise!"

"Which we made months ago," Lily pointed out, coldly. Anne's silly frown deepened.

"Come on Lily, you're being selfish."

"I'm being selfish?" Lily repeated, incredulously.

"Yes."

Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. First Petunia, and now Anne?

Lily got up neatly from Anne's sea-blue bed. "If you think I'm being selfish, I'll leave."

"Be my guest," Anne quipped back, and Lily ran out of her house in tears.

0000

Of course, James had loads of friends, but no special friends, whom he could tell all his darkest secrets to.

James blamed his parents for this, because they were popular Aurors.

That's why he was so excited about Hogwarts. He vowed that he would become the most popular boy there, and everyone would want to be his friend, whether his parents were Aurors or not.

When James went to sleep, he dreamed about a girl with long, red hair, and astonishingly bright green eyes.

A/N: I bet you all can guess who she is! (Though literally he hasn't met her yet!) I'm confident about this story, feel free to give me any: tips/ideas/praise/criticism, in a...REVIEW!!! (I'll update more if I get some.)