The Life of a Lily
Chapter 1 – It Begins with a Bloom
Lily Evans was an astonishing girl; she was kind, mature and although she did not know it, she was also very pretty. It was Frinday the 29th of January, 1971 and Lily and her older sister, Petunia, were having a snow-ball fight in their rather large backyard, their parents Kaye and Harold watching from the large window of the fire-warmed living room. Kaye walked away from the window to begin supper for her girls as she knew a hot meal would certainly be appreciated in the harsh cold that whipped at the girls faces as they laughed, covered in snow.
The Evans' home, situated in a small town named Cokeworth, was a rather large home, two stories of solid brick and in the field behind, there was a large tree shading a river. In the spring, the banks would be lined with daisies and waterlilies would cover the surface, but in the harsh winter that was currently clouding over Cokeworth, all fauna was nonexistent, the tree covered in icicles and the river frozen over.
As the sun began to set and the snowflakes started falling heavier and heavier, the girls brushed off what snow that remained on their clothes and walked inside to their warm home, the alluring smell of their supper wafting throughout the house. The girls smiled and walked into the kitchen together, grabbing a snack before dinner. They laughed with their mother in the kitchen, their father joining in after hearing so much happiness. A while later, the family sat down to their supper and enjoyed a meal together, little did they know it was going to be the last family dinner where the girls could laugh and joke together.
"...And then, Tuney threw a snowball at me, right Tuney? And it was coming straight for me, but it sort of... Stopped in midair, right before it was going to hit. It was so cool!" Lily said excitedly. Petunia smiled uncomfortably, the twelve-year-old knew that Lily was strange. Today's events weren't the only time something strange had happened, there was a few other times, one that stood out was the time that Snape boy was spying on us.
Earlier, in the spring of 1970, Petunia and Lily had been at the park, a little while down the road. Lily had been swinging higher and she had let go and leapt from her swing and soared for a little too long and landed far too lightly. She had then skipped from the swings to a flower bush near-by and picked one of the flowers off of it and called Petunia over. The flower had floated slightly above her hand, opening and closing its petals.
"Look, Tuney! Look what I can do!" Lily had smiled, eager to show her sister her talent.
Petunia slapped the flower away. "Stop it! It's not... It's not normal!"
"It's not hurting you, Tuney." A slight crease had appeared between Lily's eyes.
A rustling sound came from the bush Lily had plucked the flower from and a scraggly boy who looked about the same age as Lily stumbled from behind the bush.
"I know what you are." He panted.
Lily frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I've been watching you, you're a – a witch." Stammered the boy.
Lily's frown increased. "Well that's not a very nice thing to say."
"No! I didn't mean – My mum's one too. I'm a wizard."
Petunia scoffed. "I know who you are... you're that Snape boy from Spinners End."
"I wouldn't watch you anyway, you're a muggle." Snape replied.
Petunia frowned. "Come on Lily, we're leaving."
The girls had walked off, Lily looking back at the Snape boy.
Little did Petunia know, Lily had befriended Severus Snape without her knowing and had learnt about Hogwarts and magic. She knew she was special, but she wasn't entirely convinced.
Petunia looked at her younger sister across the table, babbling happily about the snowball fight and her birthday.
"So, Lily, eleven-years-old tomorrow! Excited for another birthday?" Harold asked his youngest daughter.
Lily giggled. "You bet! I'm going to wake everyone up at midnight tonight!"
Kaye laughed. "You'll do no such thing; you can wait until tomorrow morning!"
Lily groaned. "I won't be able to wait that long though, mum!"
Harold smiled. "Well you'll just have to leave some patience, Lily."
"I have to as well on my birthday too Lil, don't worry you aren't the only one who has to suffer." Petunia said, jokingly.
That night, when the girls went to bed, Lily was sitting on the window seat next to her large window in her room, unable to sleep. She loved her birthday, she didn't know why; it just excited her and made her restless. She looked at her clock on the wall; it told her that the time was 11:52 at night.
"Blimey!" Lily whispered to herself. She walked to her mirror, grabbing a hair-tie from on top of her dresser and tied her long, red hair up into a loose bun on the top of her head, and lay down in bed. She stared at the ceiling and smiled, falling into an unsettled sleep.
At precisely 12 in the morning, a letter flew through the Evans' mail slot in their front door. The address on the front was most peculiar, written in emerald green ink, was:
To Miss Lily Evans
The Second Bedroom, Second Floor
Cokeworth, England
The next morning, Lily woke up early and tiptoed downstairs to the front door to check for mail, checking if Severus had told the truth, she wanted to believe him, but until she got her letter, she wouldn't. When she reached the front door, she saw the lonely letter addressed to her and smiled, Severus had been honest the whole time, which meant that someone from the school would later visit to explain to her parents. But that could wait... It was time for presents!
