CHAPTER ONE

Lily Evans ran down her street and up the path to her front door. Hands shaking slightly, she pulled her key out of her pocket and let herself in.

"Lily? Petunia? Is that you?" a voice called.

"It's me," Lily called back, walking into the living room with her hands clasped in front of her. Her mother smiled at her from the couch where she was sitting.

"Hello, Lily. Where's your sister? Did you have a good time at the playground?"

Lily swallowed. "I think she's on her way back, but it happened again, Mum."

"What happened?" a deep voice asked from behind Lily. Turning, she saw her father standing in the doorway, looking mildly curious. He walked further in the room, dropping a kiss on Lily's dark red hair as he passed. Lily swallowed again, her throat dry and her heart pounding. Would her parents be angry with her for what she'd done. Her mother had expressly told her not to do it while she and her sister were at the playground. "What happened, Lily?" her father asked gently, his green eyes searching hers.

"We were on the swings," Lily began in a small voice. "And I wanted to go higher. So I let go and I, I flew." She watched her parents with wide, frightened eyes. Lily's mother let out a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.

"You flew?" her father questioned, eyebrows raised. Lily nodded.

"Tuney got angry. And then I saw a flower and made its petals move and turn different colors. Tuney shouted at me that I was weird and different, so I left." Lily looked down at the ground, ashamed.

Her mother sighed quietly. "How do you do it, Lily?" she asked.

"Do what?" Lily looked up.

"Fly, make flowers turn different colors, and everything else."

"I don't know, Mum. Am I a freak?"

"Of course you're not, dear," her father answered. "You're special. There's nothing wrong with that, it just takes people by surprise."

Before Lily could answer, the door opened and Petunia stalked in.

"Tuney," their mother began, but Petunia had already headed up to her room. Lily's mother sighed. "She'll calm down later."

As Mrs. Evans was heading into the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Frowning, she headed for the door and opened it. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked, then faltered when she saw the man on her doorstep.

Lily, who had come up behind her mother, gasped and put a hand to her mouth.

The man standing there was tall and thin. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. He wore a rather flamboyant suit as well. "Good afternoon," he said pleasantly. "I am looking for miss Lily Evans."

"Me?" squeaked Lily.

The man smiled at her. "Ah, so you are Lily. My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore." He held his hand out to her. Uncertainly, she took it, eyes wide.

"What do you want with Lily?" demanded Mr. Evans, coming up behind Lily and glaring suspiciously at the man in his doorway.

Calmly, Dumbledore withdrew an envelope from his pocket. The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.

Lily gasped. The letter was addressed to her! Without thinking, she reached out and snatched it from Dumbledore's hand.

"Lily!" warned her father, but she ignored him. Turning the envelope over with shaking hands, she saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms, a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.

"What is this?" demanded Mrs. Evans, who was looking over Lily's shoulder.

"May I come in?" asked Dumbledore. Slowly, Mrs. Evans stepped aside, drawing Lily with her, and allowed the stranger to enter the hallway.

"What's this about?" demanded Mr. Evans.

"I have come to offer Lily a place at my school," Professor Dumbledore explained.

"What school? Where is it? Why Lily?" Mrs. Evans asked in a rush.

"It is called Hogwarts, and it is located in Scotland. We believe Lily has the qualities we value in our students."

"What kind of school is it?" pressed Mr. Evans.

"It is a school of magic."

Lily stopped dead. Her mouth fell open, and she thought her eyes would fall out they were so wide. "Magic?" she breathed. "Is that what it is, the things I can do? It's magic?"

"What sort of things?" inquired Dumbledore.

"I can make things fly and turn different colors. When I get angry, strange stuff happens to whoever is bothering me. Once, I ended up on the roof," she finished uncertainly, knowing how odd this all must sound.

Dumbledore smiled gently at her. "Then it is magic, what you can do."

"Magic doesn't exist," snapped Mrs. Evans, putting a protective arm around Lily.

Eyes twinkling over his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore withdrew a thin stick of wood from the pocket of his suit. Lily presumed it was a wand. Raising it, he gave it a flick. A lump of wood appeared in the hall. With another flick of the wand, the wood transformed into a small dog, which barked indignantly and spun around to stare straight at Lily. Lily stared back, too shocked to scream. Mr. and Mrs. Evans seemed to be experiencing the same dilemma. With a final flick of the wand, the dog vanished.

Lily stumbled back and leaned against the wall. "Wow," she breathed. "So magic is actually real."

Suddenly, a door slammed open and Petunia appeared at the top of the stairs, looking as if she was going to demand what all the noise was about. As soon as she spotted Dumbledore, she rushed back into her room, banging the door shut behind her. Lily couldn't help but smile at her sister's reaction.

"So, all this really is magic," muttered Mr. Evans, looking like he couldn't believe what was happening.

Dumbledore nodded.

"We have a witch in the family," murmured Mrs. Evans, her expression mirroring her husbands.

"Please, may I go?" pleaded Lily. "I will learn how to use magic at this Hogwarts, won't I?" she asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, you will. Hogwarts is the best school of magic anywhere. You will meet many other young witches and wizards there as well."

"I could have friends," Lily whispered wonderingly. Her parents expressions softened at the look of awe on their daughter's face.

"Well," Mr. Evans began slowly, "If you really want to go, Lily, and if it will help you, I suppose."

"Thank you!" cried Lily, jumping with excitement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"If you would like, I can help you find all the supplies you will need," Dumbledore offered.

After exchanging an uncertain look, Mr. and Mrs. Evans nodded. "Thank you," said Mrs. Evans. "This is all so extraordinary. We are very grateful to you." After arranging where and when to meet, Dumbledore gave a smile and a bow, then turned on the spot and disappeared.

For several moments, no one knew what to say. Then Lily let out a shout of delighted laughter. She threw her arms around her mother, then ran to hug her father. He lifted her high in the air, smiling exuberantly as he spun her around in a circle.

"I'm a witch! I'm a witch! I'm a witch!" she shouted as he set her down. Finally, she tore open her letter and pulled out a piece of parchment.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sore., Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation 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 enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September first. We await your owl by no later than July thirty-first.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Eyes shining, Lily lowered the letter. She was going to a school for magic. She would learn how to use and control her powers. Maybe, she would even have friends. She was about to enter a whole new world.

Outside a large manor house many miles away, an eleven-year-old boy had just taken an envelope from a brown barn owl. Eyes blazing with excitement, he tore open the envelope and pulled out the enclosed letter. After glancing over it briefly, he let out a shout of delight and ran inside the spacious house. "Mum!" he bellowed, running down the long halls.

"Yes? What is it, James?" A pretty, smiling woman looked up as James rushed into the kitchen.

"Look!" he cried, thrusting the envelope into her hands. "Look, look, look!"

Smiling widely, she examined the letter. "Oh, James, this is wonderful. Your acceptance letter to Hogwarts! Just wait until your father gets home and sees this. We'll have to go to Diagon Alley soon to get your supplies."

James headed for the fireplace in the living room, fully intending to go straight to his father's office and tell him.

"No, James," his mother warned. "You can show him when he gets home."

James sighed impatiently. Then, brightening, he exclaimed, "I'm so glad it finally came! I've been waiting and waiting all summer. Do you think I can bring my broom?"

His mother shook her head indulgently. "First years aren't allowed to bring brooms, dear. Maybe you'll get on the Quidditch team, though," she added to appease him. "And you'll take flying lessons, too. You'll learn all about the different ways to use magic, you're really going to enjoy it."

James nodded, so excited he didn't know what to say or do next. He had heard about Hogwarts all his life, and he wanted to go now!