A Lily By Any Other Name

"You're what and I'm what?" Lily Potter exclaimed, as she sat down for breakfast one sunny morning in August.

"We're going to be teachers at Hogwarts, which is the school that you're going to be attending as from September 1st," her father, the famous Harry Potter told her. "I'm going to be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and your mother's going to teach charms."

"Way hey," Lily muttered. It wasn't that she was against going to Hogwarts, it was just that her parents were going to be two of her teachers. And the fact that she was the daughter of the famous Harry Potter. A thought suddenly struck her. "What's happening to Abi?"

Abigail was her younger sister. She wouldn't be going to Hogwarts for another year yet.

"She's going to be staying with nanny and granddad during the term, but she'll come to us at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays," Hermione Potter replied, formerly Hermione Granger, one of the cleverest students Hogwarts had seen.

Lily's face was a picture. "I have to stay at school during the holidays!?" she exclaimed. "Am I not meant to have a life or something?"

"You'll like it," Harry told her. "We'll all go down to Hogsmeade together - which is something that you're not normally allowed to do until Third Year."

"Okay then," Lily began slowly. "I'll go, on two conditions."

"Let's hear them."

"One, I get to bring my broom."

"Fine, but it'll stay with your mother and me, unless you get onto your house Quidditch team."

"Two, I'm not Lily Potter."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.

"I don't want to go there, in the shadow of my parents," she declared. "I want to change my surname while I'm at school."

Harry looked at his wife, who nodded slightly. Sighing, he agreed, and asked her what she wanted to change it to.

"I dunno," was the response. "Something simple."

"How about Black?" Hermione suggested, casting a sly glance at her husband. To his credit, his facial expression never changed.

"Lily Black," her daughter mused. "Yeah, it'll do."

"I'll go and send an owl to Dumbledore," Harry said, getting up from the breakfast bar. "Your mother's got your letter from Hogwarts."

Lily grabbed the thick sheet of parchment that Hermione held out to her, and scanned the green ink.

//"Dear Miss Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have been offered a place at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry..." //

Turning to the next piece of parchment, her face fell slightly when she saw the amount of books she had to take with her - and the large letters saying that as a first year, she wasn't allowed her own broomstick. "Sucks to be me," she muttered, so her mother wouldn't hear her.

"Your father and I have already got most of the books that you need from when we were at school," Hermione told her. "But some of them have newer editions out, so we'll head to Diagon Alley on Saturday, and get them as well as everything else you need."

"Cool," Lily replied. Diagon Alley was the best part of being a witch, she had long decided. **'Quality Quidditch Supplies here' I come** she thought to herself.

There was a bump from above, and a few minutes later, Abigail wandered into the kitchen, still dressed in her nightwear.

"Morning," she muttered, heading straight for the fridge, and pulling out a carton of juice. Turning around, she noticed the parchment still clutched in Lily's hand. "What's that?"

"My acceptance letter to Hogwarts," Lily replied.

"Oh, that," was all Abigail had to say about it, as she continued to make her own breakfast.

"Abi already knows about it, and her arrangement," Hermione explained.

"Why am I always the last one to know?" Lily asked. "That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, dear," Hermione told her oldest, before heading out of the kitchen, leaving the two girls to finish their breakfast.