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