Proving Me Wrong

PROVING ME WRONG

CHAPTER 1

"Back To School"

Lily Evans's trembling hands slid open the door to the Heads' compartment. The floor gave a judder as the Hogwarts Express began to chug slowly out of Kings Cross Station. It took Lily an immense effort to drag her battered trunk in behind her, as her body was completely drained of energy. Although she would have refused, Lily was still silently fuming that no one had offered to help.

After all, she was Head Girl, couldn't people see the badge? But apart from a few gobsmacked first years who had innocently gawped as she struggled past them up the train, no one else had even glanced at her.

Her face was red with exertion, and due to the searing heat she felt from her back. Lily gladly released her hold on her luggage, heaving a great sigh, and surveyed the carriage with an appraising glint in her tired green eyes. She was impressed. The dusty sunlight filtering through the window fell upon the Hogwarts crest sewn into the purple carpet on the floor. There were leather seats on either side of the compartment, of a rich chocolate brown colour, with a long diamond finish desk fixed to the floor in front of one.

Lily slumped down onto the nearest seat, careful not to sit back, and thankful that she was alone for now. She closed her eyes and laid her head against the leather, breathing slowly, deeply. Even as she tried to pause for moment, to impede the barrage of thoughts in her mind for just an instant, she couldn't help praying that the new Head Boy wasn't from Slytherin house. This was basically because all of the Slytherin prefects (from whom the Head Boy would most likely have been chosen) treated her like scum. She wasn't a Muggleborn, but a Mudblood to them.

Giving up her attempt to switch off, Lily moved on to consider the other possible candidates; Remus Lupin wouldn't be too bad as Head Boy, she thought. But those blasted friends of his...

This year Lily was determined not to take anymore of their rubbish. If Potter or Black tried to pull anything, anything, she would hex them into next month. Well, at least when no one is looking, she added silently, remembering the HG badge pinned to her chest. Lily had put up with James Potter and Sirius Black's pranks and taunting for the past six years, vainly hoping they'd soon leave her alone and forget she even existed. However to no avail, the Marauders- (What does that mean anyway? She thought angrily, it's the stupidest name I've ever heard!)

Frowning crossly, she continued thinking. The Marauders had always found time to make her feel dreadfully embarrassed on a daily basis. However, Lily's regular humiliation did not diminish her pride. Despite some of the absolutely horrendous things they had done to her (For a month in third year she couldn't pick up a quill without scribbling 'POTTER RULES' all over herself) she had never cried in front of any of the boys. And she vowed that she never would.

Lily suddenly realised that she had never cried in front of anyone outside her own family, if you could call them family. As her thoughts turned to her parents and only sister, she lifted her hand and lightly touched the area on her lower back.

Lily hissed in pain- her back was still extremely tender and stung so much her eyes began to water. She wiped them quickly on the back of her hand and sat stiffer in her seat, even though she was still alone in the carriage. But if the Marauders caught her blubbering, they'd have a field day and she would never live it down.

Lily showed as little skin as possible during the month of September. It happened every year, like some pre-destined event on a calendar. Her dad would go out happy, and come home furious. There was always some horrible mistake to be made on the 31^st August, whether it was back talking, leaving a 'mess' in the kitchen, or "just being ignorant", as her father put it.

She use to believe that he loved her, and that she must had done something wrong, terribly wrong to deserve it. Lily felt an uncharacteristic sneer cross her features at the thought. What an idiotic child she used to be. But that was ancient history now, she had wised up by 5^th year, after she had stayed in her room all day to stop him getting angry...and had then been dragged out of bed by her hair at three in the morning.

In her head she heard Petunia's screams, "Stop Dad! STOP!"

Lily shivered and clasped her hands tightly together, scrunching her eyes to block out the thoughts, so tightly that she could see little fireworks exploding behind her eyelids. A pained expression appeared on her face, it was no use; she couldn't ignore it.

"Stop Dad! STOP!"

It would take at least a week for the throbbing in her back to subside, and another three weeks to heal. Lily was excellent at Potions, and normally she would brew something for the pain. But Slughorn's private stores had been broken into in February last year (by Potter and Black, no doubt) and since then he had moved all his ingredients to his chambers. Meaning that this year, Lily would just have to keep her head down and suffer the pain.

"Get down these stairs now, young lady!"

Lily walked halfway down the stairs and stopped, preferring to keep the distance between her and the man at the bottom.

"Yes, Dad?" she replied meekly, bitterly wondering what excuse he would have this time. She would have no qualms about snapping back at her dad, but knew that now was not a time for heroics. 'Just do whatever he says,' she told herself. 'Get it over with.'

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he slurred, holding onto the banister for support.

The teenage girl lifted her gaze to her father, her bright green eyes betraying her fear.

"What's that it there?" he asked coldly, pointing into the living room. Lily leaned over and looked. Petunia's oaf of a boyfriend had eaten his tea on the sofa and hadn't cleaned it up.

Lily glanced at her dad, who was staring blankly at her through unfocused eyes, waiting for an answer.

"It's Vernon's tea, Dad."

"What's it doing there?" he said in a frighteningly calm voice.

"Petunia mustn't have cle- "

"DON'T BLAME SOMEONE ELSE FOR YOUR MISTAKES, MISS!" he barked, and Lily jumped.

Lily allowed her temper to get the best of her again. "It isn't my responsibility to run after Petty's boyfriends like a servant, Dad!"

Her father's face held an ugly expression he roared, "AND I SUPPOSE IT ISN'T YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ANSWER THE PHONE? I TOLD YOU BEFORE I LEFT TO TAKE A MESSAGE FOR ME!"

She panicked and gasped, "I'm sorry, Dad. I must have forgo-," she was cut off as her father advanced up the stairs and gripped her brutally by the arm. He hauled her down, and thrust her into the living room. She stumbled and fell onto the carpet. She tried to get up but he shoved her back to the ground.

"Dad, sorry! Please- PLEASE- PLEASE DON'T!" She was kicked onto her stomach, and after the whisper of the belt, and a whistle through the air, it struck like a lighting bolt on her back. The silver buckle caught on her skin through her nightdress, and tugged.

She screamed.

And caught, and tugged again, slowly ripping her delicate skin. Her shrieks pierced the still summer air, travelling out the window and down the garden path onto the street, where people were wending the way home from a night out. They ignored the unerring sounds, covering the uneasiness with a raucous song, and the next-door neighbours simply turned up the volume on their televisions.

It suddenly stopped and the belt was dropped beside Lily's head. Her father staggered silently to the kitchen and Lily bit her lip, waiting. But he didn't return.

She whimpered as she pushed herself off the floor, and had to pause for a moment until her head stopped spinning. It didn't stop.

She stumbled to the bottom of the stairs, sobbing as she went, and had to climb up to get to her bedroom.

The next morning she found her dad asleep at the kitchen table.

She left without looking back.

Lily loved returning to Hogwarts after the summer, it had become her second home a long time ago because she felt safe there. She knew that this year wouldn't be so bad as she would never have to go back to Surrey ever again, and this lifted her spirits. In June, Lily was hoping to take part in auror-training in Kent, and live in the wizarding world for the rest of her life.

This year would be her best at Hogwarts, definitely.

As if in reply to this thought, 4 teenage boys tumbled into the compartment all laughing and joking with one another. When they noticed the red head sitting in the corner, their faces broke into four identical wicked grins.

The tall young man with the messy black hair and glasses spoke first, "Well, well, well. If it isn't little Lily Evans..."