Rating:
PG
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
James Potter Lily Evans
Genres:
Action Romance
Era:
Multiple Eras
Stats:
Published: 06/07/2003
Updated: 01/08/2013
Words: 389,988
Chapters: 59
Hits: 80,010

Lily Evans: A History

Bethany

Story Summary:
A story of Lily's life from pre-Hogwarts to marrying James Potter. How she coped with growing up with Petunia to her friendship with the four boys that would change her life - and eventually the course of history - forever.

Lily Evans 01

Posted:
06/07/2003
Hits:
6,317
Author's Note:
I seen this somewhere on a fic before and thought it was extremely funny. So, in honor of something so funny that I still remember it; here are a few phrases from this chapter that hopefully will catch your interest :)

Chapter 1 - Not a Freak; Just a Witch
The Evans were perfectly normal, they liked to think. Daniel
Evans, a lawyer, and Christine Evans, a home-maker, had a mortgage, a
car, a dog and two daughters, Lily and Petunia. They were a very smart
looking family, fair skin, average intelligence. Just your normal happy
couple, with two kids and a dog.
	However, normal wasn't the word of the household in July of 1971.
Far from it, as a matter of fact.
	This particular evening, Mr. Evans was sitting down to his
evening coffee when his eldest daughter, Petunia - fourteen - came
flying down the stairs, her heavy footfalls loud enough to make one
think the top part of the house was falling through to the bottom.
Breathless, she skidded to a halt in the kitchen doorway, her sharp
eyes wide and her mouth open. "She's doing it again Daddy!" Petunia
shrieked, pointing a rather bony finger towards the stairs behind her.
	Mr. Evans forced his face to stay neutral through this display,
as hard as that was. Petunia did have a way of making the most normal
of conversations bring on headaches with her shrill voice. When she was
shrieking - as she was doing now - it was only a matter of time before
a near-by glass shattered. Drawing a collective breath, Mr. Evans
looked up at his firstborn, looking decidedly puzzled. "Again, Petunia
dear? Who's doing what?"
	Tall and awkward, Petunia came into the kitchen further, her long
face grimacing. "You know! Lily! She's doing it again!"
	It, had yet to be told, but the father of the two young girls
wouldn't be blissfully ignorant for long. Lily, his youngest at eleven,
had slid into the room through the living room doorway opposite of
Petunia, her pretty face hid as she looked down, auburn hair covering
her head and shoulders. It was odd, for sure, that one daughter had
turned out so homely and bony, and the other so soft and pretty. But so
it had happened.
	"Well!" Petunia bellowed, and again Mr. Evans forced himself to
not wince. "Tell him!"
	Lily seemed to shrink as both her sister and father's gaze landed
on her. Which would have been a feat, indeed, since Lily was short for
her age as it was. At that precise moment, Christine Evans came up
behind Lily, a bright smile on her face that faltered the moment she
gazed at the two serious faces, and Lily's, which was brimming in
tears. "What's going on?" she asked in her soft voice, putting a
comforting hand on Lily's shoulder.
	Lily, however, finally made up her mind that she was not going to
disappear, though she certainly would have loved to at that point. So
it was only a matter of moments before she would have to tell her
parents that, once again, she had made something strange happen. And as
a result, the recent peace between her and Petunia was gone, because
her older sister had called her a freak and went storming down the
stairs to tell the entire house as much.
	So upset by this, however, Lily couldn't help but think that
maybe she was a freak. For as long as she could remember, weird
things happened around her. When she was five, she and Petunia had been
playing with Barbies and her older sister had stolen Lily's out of her
hand. The result was that the Barbie reached up and slapped Petunia.
Over the years countless other things of that nature had happened when
Lily got upset or angry. Her second grade teacher's hair had suddenly
turned a violent shade of orange as she was scolding Lily, and the play
ground bully had long left her alone since the last time he came near
her, the back of his pants split wide open.
	But, then again, the kids at school thought she was a freak for
all of that, too. Just like her sister thought it. And, deep down, she
was afraid that her parents would start believing it, too. Lily lifted
her chin, determined to not show how much that latter thought bothered
her. "Petunia grabbed my diary, and when she ran into the hall with it,
the rug pulled, went out from under her and she fell. But I didn't do
it!" she insisted at once, shaking her head. "I wasn't even in the
hallway!"
	"That rug wouldn't have moved by itself!" Petunia shrieked from
the other side of the kitchen. "It's laying on carpet, and it can't
slide! You did it!"
	"Now Petunia, dear, that's a little far fetched, don't you
believe?" Christine asked, squeezing Lily's shoulder. "Lily couldn't
have made that rug move. And you shouldn't have taken her diary,
anyway. Now give it back."
	Petunia stared defiantly at her mother, her mouth open in what
was an amused balance between shock and horror. "But Mum! You know she
did it! She's a freak! Always making--" They never did quite find out
what Lily was always doing, for at that moment Daniel stood up,
pointing a firm finger to the stairs.
	"Petunia, that is the last straw!" he bellowed, anger making his
features contort. "You are grounded until further notice!"
	Petunia seemed unable to draw words, her mouth opening and
closing like a fish out of water, but no sound coming. Her green eyes,
not as bright or piercing as Lily's, seem to flash red with rage.
Without a word she stomped out of the room and up the stairs where she
promptly slammed her bedroom door closed so hard that the chandelier on
the ceiling shuttered in response. Daniel sat down again, picking up
his coffee cup. Christine walked around to the sink, as if such an
occurrence was normal in the household, and began washing up dishes.
Lily stared at her parents, wondering why they believed her. It never
occurred to her that she was youngest, and her parent's favorite. For
that wouldn't have been right, and Lily couldn't bring herself to think
things of that nature.
	Instead, head bowed, she picked up her diary that Petunia had
thrown to the floor, and quietly climbed the steps to her own room. She
laid on her stomach, pulled a pen out and began writing in the diary.

30 July 1971

Dear Diary,

Well, I did it again. This time it was the rug in the hallway. When
Petunia grabbed up my diary and ran out of the room with it, it pulled
out from under her and she fell. Mum and Dad believed I didn't do it,
but I feel guilty, because I did do it. At least, I think I did. The
rug was flying in the air next to my door like magic as I came out.

Like magic. Funny how things happen like that. I once read about magic
in the library, but it wasn't helpful. The simple theory of witches,
wizards and magic has been smoked out for ages. Maybe Petunia's right,
I'm just a freak since there is no such things as witches. Would I want
to be a witch, anyway? I'm probably the only one, and then everyone
would make fun of me still. Sad way to start your life, you know?

I'm going to go to bed now, I believe. At least in my dreams, I'm not a
freak. Good night.

Love,
Lily

	Lily stuffed her pen and diary under her mattress and changed
into a gown. She looked around her room to make sure everything was in
order and climbed under the sheets, fighting off tears as she fell
asleep.

	The next morning was Saturday. It meant she could sleep late, eat
when she pleased, and not get dressed until she took the notion. Her
father worked only during the week, which meant that her parents slept
in on the weekends, as well. Drearily Lily noted the calendar as she
laid awake in bed, thinking she wasn't quite ready to get up. It was
four weeks until school started, which meant another year of listening
to people whisper everywhere you went, the flames of gossip fueled by
her past happenings, as well as her sister. At roughly nine thirty,
Lily rolled out of the bed as the smell of eggs and bacon drifted up
the stairs and into her room.
	As she entered the kitchen, she found her father sitting at the
same place he had sat last night at the table, opening the morning
paper. She sat next to him, watching her mother finish cooking.
Petunia, still in bad temper, came down the stairs not too long
afterwards, sitting at the opposite end of the table and staring at the
polish wood surface.
	The distinct sound of the mail slot being pushed open came to
their ears. And Lily would have ignored it for a moment or so, except
it was soon followed by the door bell ringing. Lily looked at her
parents and sister, but none made a move for the door. Getting up, she
sleepily walked towards the living room and grabbed the mail off the
floor before pulling open the front door.
	For a second, Lily was confused. There was no one at the door.
She took a step out, looking both ways, but still nothing. Shrugging,
she stepped back in and was about to close the door when a large brown
barn owl swept into the house, landing on the banister and looked at
her. Lily and the owl stared at each other for a long moment, before
Lily finally found her voice and did the only thing an eleven-year-old
female would do. Screamed.
	Mr. Evans came running down the hall almost instantly, followed
by his wife and lastly, Petunia. Lily backed up against the opposite
wall, and the owl, looking rather put out, stayed put. Vaguely Lily
wondered if an owl could look put out when her father seen it.
Behind him, her mother gasped. He tried to shoo it away, but the owl
remained put, staring at Lily. And that's when Lily noticed for the
first time it's claws were clamped onto an envelope.
	Curiously, Lily stepped forward. "Daddy, wait, it's holding
something," she nearly whispered, advancing on the owl despite the pull
of fear in her stomach. Her parents seemed to be crossed between
grabbing Lily and running and letting her near the creature. Before
they had decided, however, Lily was close enough to read the address
written in emerald green.

			   Miss L. Evans
			  9 Hollis Drive
			  Little Whinging
				Surrey

	"It's for me!" she exclaimed, causing the owl to jump slightly.
As a result, Lily jumped, too. Suddenly the bird lifted it's wings,
hovered for a moment in the air, and dropped the letter right into
Lily's grasp. Almost instantly Lily backed away from the bird, staring
at the strange letter in her hand.
	"Well, who is it from?" Petunia snarled hatefully. Lily ignored
her, however, turning the envelope over in her hands to stare at the
red wax seal on the back. It was in the shape of a crest with a snake,
a lion, eagle and badger around a capital H. Slowly Lily opened the
envelope, pulling out what looked to be a piece of parchment, and read
aloud:

				      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 been accepted at Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find an enclosed list of
necessary books and equipment.

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

Your sincerely,
Rowena Walsh
Deputy Headmistress

	Lily stared at the letter, re-reading it several times before
looking up at her parents. "We await your owl? What does that mean?"
she asked dumbly, taking out a second piece of parchment. Not knowing
what to do next, she began reading the second page.

First Year Students will require:

3 sets of plain work robes (black)
1 plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
1 pair protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
1 winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)

Course Books:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment:

1 Wand
1 Cauldron
1 Telescope
1 Set glass or crystal phials
1 Set brass scales

You may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

	Puzzled, Lily once more glanced up at the owl, then at the
letter, and finally her parents. "This is mad!" she declared, stuffing
the parchment back into the envelope. "This has to be some kind of
trick, right Mum? Dad?"
	Her father was shaking his head, as if indeed, he thought it was
a joke. Her mother was not. Petunia's mouth was hanging open in
disbelief that mirrored what Lily felt, but she couldn't think about
anything but the look on her mother's face. She swallowed hard, putting
a shaking hand out towards her mother. "Mum?"
	"Daniel... we...." a smile rose to her lips as she stepped back,
leaning against the wall. "Lily is... Lily is a witch!" Her eyes closed
and for a moment, Lily felt rather light headed. Christine once more
opened her eyes, staring at her daughter intently. "We have a witch in
the family, at long last!"
	With that, Lily promptly fainted.

	When Lily awoke, she was laying on the couch. Her vision blurred
momentarily as she stared at the ceiling, trying to remember what had
happened. An owl, she recalled, had brought her a letter. The letter
said she had been accepted at a school for... witches and wizards? No
wonder her head hurt, she thought as she sat up, after a nightmare like
that! Standing on shaking legs, she wondered towards the kitchen, where
she could hear her mother and father arguing. Strange, she thought, my
parents usually never fight.
	But as she walked into the kitchen, her parents were indeed
fighting. Petunia was sitting at the table, watching her mother and
father with a look of fascination on her face. Daniel Evans was holding
two pieces of old parchment in his hands, waving them frantically in
the air as he spoke to his wife. "Chris, you could have told me that
your great-grandmother was a... a witch! That there was the slightest
chance one of our daughters could be one, too!"
	"I'm sorry Daniel!" Christine replied hotly, not at all in her
normal soft voice. "We haven't had a witch in the family since! How was
I suppose to know that suddenly a letter would come for Lily?"
	Lily felt about two inches high, standing in the doorway while
her parents fought over her. And the oddest thing; her great-great
grandmother was a witch? Then it wasn't a dream! The parchment in her
father's hand and the argument taking place was evidence of that. She
was a witch? For some reason, the longer the thought spun around in her
head, the more sense it made.
	She wasn't really a freak, as Petunia had claimed for years. She
was a witch. And she had an acceptance letter to go to what sounded
like a very nice wizardry school. And maybe, just maybe, she could find
friends there. She wouldn't be an outcast, but just like everyone else.
The thought brought a slight smile to her face.
	"Mum? Dad?" she whispered, coming further in the room. Both her
parents stopped dead, turning hazel and green eyes to their youngest.
Lily gulped, noting Petunia's sour look out of the corner of her eye.
"Do you think it would be ok, I mean to say--if I went to this school?"
	Christine smiled brightly, leaving Daniel standing in the middle
of the room as she put her arms quickly around her daughter. "Of course
you can! Oh, Granny would be so proud to know that you're a witch," she
sighed.
	Mr. Evans, however, was reading over the letter again. Petunia
looked outraged. "Lily," her father began slowly, walking around the
table towards his daughter. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
	Lily nodded her head firmly, her heart beating faster than
normal. "Yes Daddy," she replied. "I really want to go. I just know
that I could find friends there," she finished, almost wistfully. Any
further arguments her father may have had vanished at the sound of
Lily's voice. He then added his nod of approval and Lily jumped up,
wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you Daddy!" she squealed,
excitement running through every inch of her body.
	Petunia stood up, her eyes wider than Lily thought humanly
possible. "Oh, of course you'll let her go," she snarled. Her hands
were fists at her side. "Anything for perfect Lily, even if she is
nothing but a freak! Go on, then!" she shouted over Daniel's cry of
outrage. "Go be with the rest of them!" And before anyone could say or
do anything, Petunia ran out of the room and up the stairs.

	Despite Petunia's sour attitude about it, Lily did indeed send
her response back by the owl sitting on the stair case banister. She
watched it fly off to the north with a happy smile on her face.
	That night Christine invited a friend of her grandmother's over
for dinner to discuss Lily's upcoming first year at Hogwarts. Anna,
Lily found out, knew all about the wizarding world since her late
husband was a wizard. She promised to show the Evans how to get into
Diagon Alley, where Lily could buy all the things she needed for
school.
	That very next weekend, Lily, Daniel and Christine got in the car
and headed towards London with Anna. Petunia had stayed at home,
refusing to have anything to do with Lily's weirdness, as she had put
it. It didn't bother Lily as much as it should have, however, she was
far too excited to let her older sister's opinions dwell in her mind.
	The four of them walked down a street crowded with people going
to and fro. Anna stopped in front of a ratted looking building that had
a wooden sign hanging from a rusted pole that said The Leaky
Cauldron. As they walked in, Lily had the impression that no one
else on the street could see the sign, or the building. Pushing that
thought aside, she followed the grown-ups into what looked like a
restaurant for the weird. Inside was full of grown men and woman in
what looked suspiciously like robes. A man came at them as soon as they
entered and Lily drew back before he bestowed on her a friendly, though
nearly toothless, smile. "Hi Anna! Long time no see! Who's this ya got
with ya?"
	Anna smiled back. "Hi Tom. This here is Mr. and Mrs. Evans, and
their daughter Lily. She's just been accepted to Hogwarts," she added
proudly.
	"Ah," Tom said, giving Lily another look over. "Gots the makings
of a good witch, she does. Going to the best school of Witchcraft and
Wizardry, too. Did you know Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster now,
Anna? He'll do good things for that school, he will."
	"Albus Dumbledore, eh?" Anna replied. "I recall he was the
Transfiguration teacher when Violet's boy graduated. I reckon he'll be
as good as Headmaster Dippet, if not better," she added. "I say, Tom, I
don't have my husband's wand with me today. Could you let us through so
as to buy young Lily's school supplies?"
	"Sure thing!" Tom said, turning around to walk to the back of the
pub. The four of them followed, Lily looking around interestedly at the
people who were sitting around. They came out the back to face a brick
wall. Taking out what Lily presumed to be a wand, though it looked like
a highly polished piece of wood to her, Tom counted the bricks, then
tapped on them.
	Before her very astonished eyes, the bricks started moving apart
until they revealed an archway. Beyond was a very crowded street, full
of men, women and children in robes. Lily's mouth fell open as Anna
walked through the passage, then turned to beckon them to follow her.
	"This is Diagon Alley," she said to Lily, her hand gesturing to
the cobble stone street lined with shops. "Everything you'll ever need
can be found around here, I'd say. Now, first thing we'll need to do is
head to Gringotts, to get you some money."
	"We have money," Daniel answered, puzzled.
	Anna laughed heartily, her old face even more full of wrinkles
when she did so. "No, no, dear boy. You can't buy anything with pounds,
here. You'll have to exchange it for Galleons, Knuts and Sickles --
wizarding money." Lily couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.

	After exchanging their money, Anna asked Lily for her supply
list. Lily pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to Anna, noting
how the creases were sharp since she had re-opened it many times in the
past week, so that she nearly had the list memorized. Anna consulted
the list, handed it back to Lily and said: "Right, then. First place
we'll need to go is Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions."
	They came to a shop that had different colored robes hanging in
the window, and stepped in. There was several students standing on
stools in front of mirrors, being measured, and a couple of more
looking at the robes hanging on racks. A short, plump witch came over
to them as they entered, looking at Lily as if already sizing her
without a measure. "Hogwarts?"
	Lily nodded and the woman ushered her off to stand on stool to be
measured. Next to her a boy was also standing on a stool. When he seen
Lily he smiled slightly. "Hello," Lily said, figuring if she was going
to make friends, she might as well start now.
	The boy was small for his age, so small he looked slightly sick,
and had light brown hair that fell over his forehead. His eyes were an
odd color, a mix between silver and blue, and there was dark circles
under them, but when he smiled, Lily felt relaxed. "Hello," he said
back almost shyly.
	"You're going to Hogwarts, then?" Lily said as she looked down at
the pile of tattered books laying on the floor beside him. On top was a
book entitled Hogwarts, A History.
	His gaze followed hers and he seemed to blush slightly. "Y-Yes, I
am. My Mum bought me that book, so I could learn about the school."
	"Really?" Lily asked, intrigued. "My parents don't do magic, so I
would like to learn about the school. Perhaps I shall buy it."
	"It's a very good read," the boy continued, looking more relaxed.
	The same witch from earlier came bustling over, measured Lily
from head to toe, and everywhere in between, before standing back.
"I'll have you done in a quick," she told Lily. Before she walked away,
she turned to the boy standing beside Lily. "I'll have yours in just a
second, Mr. Lupin," she added before hurrying off.
	Lupin was looking in the direction of Lily's parents. "So, you're
Muggle born?" he asked, and immediately blushed.
	Lily, however, gave him a politely puzzled look. "Excuse me?"
	Lupin nodded, as if confirming his suspicions. "Muggles are non-
magic people," he provided and Lily nodded almost uncertainly. Would
that make her different here, as well? Lupin seemed to have read her
mind, because he smiled at her. "It's not bad. Most witches and wizards
now a days are at least half and half. If we hadn't married Muggles, we
would have surely died out. You must have had magic in your family
history, to be a witch yourself."
	Lily felt her heart calm down some as she nodded. "My great-great
grand mum was a witch, my Mum said."
	"Neat," Lupin replied. Then, as an after thought, he said: "By
the way, my name's Remus Lupin. What's yours?"
	"Lily Evans," Lily responded immediately, hesitantly reaching out
to shake the hand Remus offered. "Nice to meet you."
	"You, too," Remus said, giving her a lopsided smile. "Maybe we'll
be in the same house, you think?"
	Before Lily could ask what he meant by houses, however, the witch
came back and handed Remus a stack of black robes. He picked up his
books, his robes under one arm, and started for the door. "See you,
Lily!"
	"Bye Remus!" Lily called back, waving. If this was any
indication, she would have friends at this school. The thought made her
smile widely.

	After purchasing her robes, they went into another shop to buy
ink, parchment and brass scales. They then bought her glass phials and
a cauldron in The Cauldron Shoppe.
	"What's next?" Anna asked and Lily once more pulled out of her
list of supplies.
	"I'll need to get my books, I suppose," Lily replied.
	They then set off to Flourish and Blotts to buy all the books she
needed. As they walked down the sidewalk, they passed a shop called 
Quality Quidditch Supplies. Standing at the window a small group of
children were all talking excitedly and pointing to a broom set up in
the window. Beside it the sign said Nimbus One Thousand.
	"It's the best racing broom to date!" a small boy was saying as
he pressed his face against the glass. "Probably what they'll use in
the World Cup, my Dad said!"
	They walked on past, Lily still looking backwards at the shop.
"Anna," she said as they entered the book shop. "What's Quidditch?"
	"It's the wizarding sport, my dear. You'll learn all about it, I
wager. It's played on broomsticks is all I know."
	"Wow," Lily whispered, taking her first good look inside the shop
they had entered. It was huge, about ten times larger than the school
library, and books were covering every inch of possible shelf, and even
the floor. As they passed, Lily spotted the book that Remus had. "Mum?
Can we get this?" she asked, holding the book up for her parents to
see. "Remus, the boy I was talking to in the robe shop, said it tells
all about Hogwarts!"
	"Ok, dear," Christine answered promptly, looking as happy as Lily
felt.
	"It's a good read," a man said and Lily whipped around to see a
tall wizard with a balding head and horn rimmed glasses. "You'll be
needing the rest of the Hogwarts books, I presume?"
	"Yes sir," Lily answered, following the man to another part of
the shop. There he gathered her school books one by one, placing them
in her cauldron. "There you go, pay up front."
	"Thank you," Anna replied, steering them towards the front of the
shop. Lily caught names of books as she passed like Weezes Guide to
Household Pests and One Minute Feasts -- It's Magic!
	Just before she got to the counter, Lily spotted another book she
wanted called Quidditch Through the Ages that she also added to
the pile of books at her mother's smile and nod.
	"Now, all we have left is your wand," Anna said as they exited
the book shop, her voice pumping with the same excitement Lily felt.
They came to the front of an old store, probably the oldest on the
street by the looks of it, that had large peeling letters that read 
Ollivanders - Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
	Lily pushed the door open hesitantly, peering inside before she
actually stepped foot in. She had a strange sensation when she opened
the door, almost as if there was magic lingering in the dusty air.
There was a young boy standing at the counter paying for a wand the
shop keeper was placing in a box. "That'll be eight galleons." The boy
paid him quickly just as the door behind them jingled and another boy
came in.
	The boy at the counter took his belongings and left, giving Lily
a rather haulty look as he passed. Before Lily could try to think about
why the stranger had looked so mean, the boy that had came in the door
behind them came up to her side, smiling slightly. "Don't worry about
it," he said, as if he could read her mind. "Ole' Snape isn't nice to
anyone, don't take it personally."
	Lily nodded, smiling slightly in response. The boy standing next
to her was tall, taller than most eleven year olds, but skinny. He had
messy black hair that stuck up and round glasses that he kept pushing
up his nose. His brown eyes were friendly, though, when he smiled at
her. Before she could reply, however, the man behind the counter came
around, smiling at them both.
	"Mr. James Potter, I wondered when you'd make your way in here,"
he greeted. His silver gray eyes then turned to Lily and he seemed to
be sizing her up. "What would your name be, my dear?"
	"Lily Evans," Lily replied firmly, hoping that James couldn't see
the fright she felt suddenly. What if she couldn't get a wand? Anna had
told her that the wand picks the witch, not the other way around. What
if one didn't want to belong to her? What if she wasn't really a witch,
but a freak like Petunia said?
	"Evans, hmm," Mr. Ollivander said, thinking. "Rona Evans?" he
asked of her parents.
	Christine Evans nodded. "She's Lily's great-great grandmother."
	"Ah, of course," he said, turning back to Lily. "Willow and
Phoenix Feather, Nine Inches."
	Lily and James both gave him a quizzing look. "I remember every
wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter - Miss Evans. No two Ollivander Wands
are alike, and as such you'll not find a better wand in England." He
said this proudly as he walked away, pulling out a long tape measure.
"Which is your wand hand?" he asked Lily, who had no idea what he
meant.
	"It's the hand you write with," James supplied, his eyes
twinkling with laughter. Lily felt herself blush as she held up her
right hand.
	Mr. Ollivander measured her arm from shoulder to finger, from
elbow to wrist, from wrist to finger tips, and then measured her
forehead, the distance from her nose to the tip of her finger and then
her mouth as James laughed beside her. Then he walked over to the shelf
and pulled out a thin black box from the shelf that homed thousands of
the same. "Here, Miss Evans, try this one. Willow and Dragon heart
String, nine and half inches."
	Lily took the wand gingerly, holding it as if she were afraid it
would break. Mr. Ollivander looked impatient. "Give it a wave, then,"
he said and Lily jumped slightly before waving the wand. Nothing
happened.
	"Hmmm," Mr. Ollivander said, taking the wand and placing it back
in the box. He again went to the shelf and pulled another box out. "Try
this," he said, handing her another wand. "Unicorn hair and willow, ten
and a quarter inches, swishy. Great for charms work."
	Lily took the wand and instantly a warm sensation shot up her
arm. As she watched, a shower of blue sparks shot out the end.
Expectantly she looked up at Mr. Ollivander. "That would be a match,"
he confirmed, smiling toothlessly at her. Lily's heart jumped in her
chest.
	Instead of ringing her up right away, Mr. Ollivander began
pulling out wands for James. After about four tries, they found a wand
that made James yelp from the heat in his hand. "Mahogany, phoenix
feather, eleven inches. Excellent for Transfiguration."
	They paid for their wands and exited the shop. James walked
alongside Lily, examining her wand before handing it back to her.
"Nice, eh? I can't wait to learn spells."
	"Me, neither," Lily admitted.
	"Oy! Potter! It's about time I found you!" another boy yelled,
running through the crowds of witches and wizards towards the two. He
was as tall as James, but his black hair was calmer and brushed back.
He had a quirky grin and his blue eyes had a way of looking at you that
made it seem he could see your thoughts. When he caught up, he gave
James a wolfish grin as he eyed Lily. "So that's what's held you up,
eh?"
	James flushed red. "No," he said quickly. "I was getting my
wand."
	"Already got mine," the boy stated proudly. "Dragon heart string
and Mahoney, eleven and a half inches. Swishy, yet very powerful. Hey,
we're suppose to meet Peter up at the ice cream shop, come on!"
	James started ahead, leaving Lily to watch his retreating back
when suddenly he grabbed the other boys shirt to stop him, and turned
around. "Hey Lily, you wanna come?" he called.
	Lily looked up expectantly at her parents, silently pleading with
her eyes. It would be the first time she ever went anywhere with kids
her own age, even if it was only around the corner. Daniel didn't look
convinced, but Christine and Anna were both already nodding their
heads. Daniel, giving up, handed Lily a handful of money. "Go on, then.
We'll be at the Leaky Cauldron."
	"Thank you!" Lily called behind her, already running to catch up
with James. She stopped just beside him, trying to catch her breath.
"Thanks for inviting me," she said shyly, suddenly not knowing what to
say.
	"Sure," James replied, shrugging.
	The boy on the other side of James reached his hand out to shake
Lily's, giving James a sideways glance. "Since James here won't
introduce you, my name is Sirius Black. Didn't pick the name, by the
way."
	Lily laughed slightly, feeling herself relax as she kept in step
with the two other boys. "Lily Evans, and I don't think your name is so
bad."
	"Try living with it," Sirius quipped, but laughed all the same.
They walked into an ice cream parlor and took seat with a small cubby
boy with thin blonde hair and small eyes. He looked uncomfortable
sitting by himself until James and Sirius came up to the table. He
smiled quickly, throwing a questioning glance at Lily and then Sirius.
	"This is Lily Evans," Sirius introduced as Lily shook Peter's
hand. "James picked her up at the wand shop. ("Did not!" James
retorted, blushing.) Lily, this is Peter Pettigrew."
	"Nice to meet you," both said at the same time, then laughed.
	Lily sat down at the table between James and Peter, looking
around the shop with interest. A young witch came over to take their
order and returned a few minutes later with a tray full of strawberry
and mint ice cream. Lily dug happily into hers, listening to the boys
talk about Quidditch, the Nimbus One Thousand and which house they
wanted to be sorted into. Lily barely spoke, as she knew nothing of any
subject they had talked of, but she listened carefully. So far she had
learned that all three of them hoped to be in Gryffindor, Slytherin had
put out more dark wizards than any other house, the Chudley Cannons
were in the top of the league and the Nimbus One Thousand was a
favorite for the World Cup.
	"Do you like Quidditch, Lily?" Peter asked when he realized that
the red headed girl had done nothing more than listen attentively as
they spoke.
	Lily felt a blush stain her cheeks. "I-I don't know, I don't know
what it is."
	All three boys, as well as a group of kids at a near-by table,
stopped to stare at her. She felt like sliding down in the chair and
trying to disappear, though she knew from past experiences it would do
no good. Tears built up behind her eyes that she struggled to keep
down. Without warning she stood up, shoved her chair back and ran out
of the shop, nearly knocking down a witch at the door. Tears burned
behind her eyes as she ran down the sidewalk, past three other stores,
before coming to a slow trot, then stopping all together. It was just
as she feared, she wouldn't belong here, either.
	Just behind her she could hear James calling her name, but she
ignored him and started walking again. Easily he caught up to her,
grabbing her arm and spinning her around. "Lily, what--oh," he said
when he seen the tears falling from her piercing green eyes. "Hey, Lil,
don't cry," he said softly, looking awkward, but wanting to help. Lily
barely had time to register what he was saying when Sirius, followed by
an out of breath Peter, also caught up.
	"You're Muggle born, then?" James asked softly, giving Sirius a
knowing look.
	Lily nodded, brushing away her tears. "I'm sorry. I don't really
belong here, I suppose. I just--"
	"Hey now!" Sirius suddenly said, draping an arm over Lily's
shoulders and squeezing a little too tight. "No one said you don't
belong."
	"Right!" Peter piped up, smiling at Lily.
	"We'll explain everything to you, Lily, don't worry," James
assured her, grinning.
	Lily took a deep breath, giving the three a questioning glance.
"Really?"
	"Of course," Sirius said as they started walking again. He still
hadn't taken his arm off her shoulders. "What do you want to know
about?"
	Lily turned over all they had said in her mind while looking
around. Her eyes fell on a shop window with a huge sign advertising Dr.
Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks. "Wh--What's that?"
	James, Sirius and Peter all burst into laughter until Lily, who
couldn't help it, began laughing as well. They went into the shop, 
Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, and Lily found out that the
fireworks were just as they said: fireworks. Only, unlike Muggle
fireworks, these went off for about half and hour and weren't as
dangerous as the fireworks Muggles had.
	After Sirius and James explained about most of the jokes in the
shop, they left and went next door to the candy shop. Lily picked up a
colorful box that read Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and
raised an eyebrow. "Every flavor?"
	"They mean it, too," James said, glancing over from where he was
getting a bag of sugar quills. "There's good flavors, like peanut
butter and chocolate - but then there's also dirt, plastic, lettuce,
squid, rum -- they even have compost flavored ones."
 	"I got a ear waxed flavor one, once," Sirius said, noticing what
they were talking about.
	Lily made a face of disgust, but still put the box in her
shopping basket. In fact, she bought at least one of every candy in the
shop. Just as they were about to leave, they came upon a display of
Chocolate Frogs. There was one in a glass jar at the top, jumping
around. "Are they real?" Lily asked in awe.
	"No, it's just a spell," Peter said, putting six of them in his
basket. "They have collectable wizard cards in the bottom, I have five
hundred and two, myself."
	"Neat," Lily said, grabbing a handful to put in her basket as
well.

	The next shop they stopped in was Eeylops Owl Emporium. It
was a rather small shop full of animal cages that smelled strongly of
animal droppings. They had every owl you could think of, from the small
to the large, as well as phoenixes, cats, bats, rats, toads, spiders
and the like. James bought a snowy owl and cage. Lily, deciding she
also wanted a pet, bought a small reddish brown minute owl that hooted
happily when she picked it. Carrying almost more than they could carry,
the four stepped back outside into the fading sunlight.
	Lily stared at the sun dropping behind the building and felt her
stomach drop. Surely her parents would be waiting for her, and she
didn't want to make them angry. But she also didn't want to leave her
new friends. The former was nagging at her mind, though, as they walked
down the path.
	"Hey! Let's go in the Quidditch shop!" said James suddenly,
nodding his head towards the large shop in front of them.
	"Oh, guys, I'm sorry," Lily began, and she was very sorry, too.
"But I have to meet my parents."
	"Oh," Sirius said, looking as disappointed as Lily felt. Suddenly
he brightened. "Hey, we'll see you on the Hogwarts Express, though."
	"Yup!" Lily said, walking away from the first three friends she'd
ever had in her life. "See you on September first!"
	"Bye Lil!" James said as Sirius and Peter waved.
	Her heart lighter than she ever thought possible, Lily made her
way back to the Leady Cauldron to meet up with her parents. For once,
she was looking forward to the start of school.

--End Chapter 1.



Da-da! There you have chapter one :) I kept reading these stories of how Lily was abused, and some where she just automatically knew everything about the wizarding world... and so this is my take on what

Read? Like? Hate? Review, because I can't read minds very good!