Chapter 1 – She Will Be Loved

Author: Silvestra

Rating: Eventually R

Genre: Romance/Angst

Summary: Lily Evans Potter's story – what if you loved your husband's best friend?

Ships: Lily/James and others that are just mentioned. More ships will be revealed as the story proceeds.

Disclaimer: The usual – our lovely JKR. I created some characters, like Lily and Petunia's parents and some of Lily's class mates.

*~*~*~*

Surrey, Thursday 3rd of June, 1971

A small red-haired girl lay on the grass, a book open in front of her. She was reading greedily the pages of the book, not letting her eyes look anywhere else. She was reading The Hobbit, one of those children's books where anything is possible.

"Oh no, Bilbo, watch out," she said eagerly when the hobbit in the book entered a cave.

"Lily! Breakfast!" Rose Evans' voice called. Lily lifted her gaze from the book and saw her mother standing on the front porch, wearing a blue dress and a white apron.

Rose's red hair, like Lily's, was flowing a bit in the wind. Lily sighed, put a bookmark on the page she was reading, took the book and rose from the ground.

She walked to the house and entered. She smelled the bacon and eggs and she entered the kitchen where her sister, Petunia, was eating. Petunia was two years older than her and tended to be a bit annoying sometimes.

"Happy birthday, Lily," Petunia said, smiling, and gave Lily a small package wrapped in red paper. Lily blushed.

"Thank you, Petunia," she replied and started to open the package. Her eyes widened up when she saw what Petunia had given her. "Oh, Petunia! Thank you so much!" she said excitedly and opened the brand new edition of Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Petunia grinned and continued to eat her bacon.

"Happy eleventh birthday, dear Lily," her mother said, giving her a kiss.

After a moment Lily's father, a man in his late thirties, stepped to the room. He embraced his daughter tightly and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. Lily laughed and received a brand new ten-pound note from his father.

"I am so sorry, darling, but I have to go to work now," George Evans said. "But when I come home, I'll take you to do some shopping, what do you say?" George smiled widely and Lily giggled in awe.

"Thanks, Daddy!" she said and smiled happily and stood on her tiptoes to give her father a kiss.

"I am leaving now, Rose," George said and gave his wife a kiss. "See you later." He put on his jacket and was ready to leave when he noticed that the mail had arrived. "Lily! A letter for you," he said in disbelief. "Must be a birthday card from your grandmother," he added when Lily took the yellowish envelope, her name written on it with green ink.

Lily went back to the kitchen, sat down and started to open the letter.

"Who is it from?" Rose asked curiously, approaching an amazed Lily. Lily couldn't say anything; her mouth was open and her eyes wide. She handed the letter to her mother, who read it out loud:

"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 Wednesday, September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress"

Lily's mother, father and Petunia were just as amazed as Lily herself was. Lily was – a witch?

"And there is more," Rose said, taking two pieces of parchment from the envelope.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Evans,

as your daughter has been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she must buy supplies for education. As you are probably not aware of the magical part of London, our Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid will be taking your daughter and either of you to buy the supplies. He will also guide you in anything you have to ask about.

Hagrid will be meeting you at the King's Cross Train Station on 31st of July at 12:00 pm.

Albus Dumbledore,

headmaster"

"And then there is a list of books and other things – cauldron, robes, a wand – is this some sort of prank?" George Evans asked, raising an eyebrow. Rose shook her head.

"There is only one way of finding out," she said. "We'll go to London that day stated in the letter." Rose folded the letter and put it back to the envelope. George looked at his watch.

"Why did they deliver it this early, though, that's what I'm wondering," he said. "They don't usually deliver mail before nine a.m., do they?" he asked, scratching his head. Rose shook her head.

"Not indeed," she said.

Whether the letter was actual or just a prank, Lily was still excited.

*~*~*~*

As June went on, Lily became more and more excited.

Petunia, however, was very bitter, though she didn't show it in Lily's or their parents' presence. If Lily was a witch, shouldn't she be too?

Petunia sank into her thoughts. She was now thirteen. Had she been a witch, she would have received the letter two years ago.

"It's not true," she said to herself. "It's a joke. Lily can't be a witch." And this thought in her head, she fell asleep.

*~*~*~*

No matter how hard Petunia tried to convince herself that it was just a big joke, she couldn't.

First, Lily was beaming with all the witch-things and the fact that she was going to a real school teaching magic!

Second, her parents were praising "how wonderful it was to have a witch in family". They seemed to have forgotten Petunia.

"Mommy, am I going to learn to do magic like Merlin in Arthur's tales?" Lily asked her mother eagerly. Petunia groaned to herself.

"I don't know, dear," Rose said, washing dishes as she spoke. Lily was sitting in the kitchen, eating an apple.

"Are you going to visit me there?"

"If it's allowed, of course we will," Rose said with a soft voice. "And Petunia will be coming too, aren't you?" Rose asked, not looking at Petunia.


"Yes, Mother," Petunia said with a dull voice. After the world ends, she thought bitterly.

*~*~*~*

"Daddy!" Lily cried on the morning of July fourteenth, when she received another letter written in green ink on yellowish parchment. "Daddy, look!" Lily handed the letter to his father, who eyed it before opening it.

"Another letter from that school of yours," George said brightly. He read the letter, frowning.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Evans

here is Lily's ticket to Hogwarts. The train will leave from King's Cross Station, Platform 9 ¾ on 1st of September at 11:00 am sharp.

Please remember that first-years are not allowed to bring a broomstick with them.

Sincerely yours,

Minerva McGonagall"

"Platform 9 ¾? How is that possible?" George thought out loud.

"What's that, dear?" Rose asked, raising her gaze from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which she was now reading for the ninth time.

"They – sent Lily's ticket," George said. "It's only that the train leaves from Platform 9 ¾." Rose blinked a couple of times.

"But there is no such thing, is there?" she asked suspiciously. "9 and ¾..." she shook her head and continued reading.

*~*~*~*

"Dear diary," Petunia wrote the same evening. "I hate this. Mum and Dad are just all "Lily's a witch how wonderful" and I can't stand it! They are completely neglecting me."

Petunia put the pen down and heaved a deep sigh. She ran her fingers through her thick, dark brown hair and yawned.

"Vernon keeps teasing me," she continued. "I might tell him that my sister's a witch and maybe he'll leave me alone." Petunia giggled at the thought of a horrified Vernon.

"I might just well tell him that." Petunia closed her diary and sighed.

*~*~*~*

On the evening of July 30th, Lily and her father were talking about the London trip.

"What if we took Petunia and your mother with us? They could go to London to do some of their shopping while we are buying your supplies," George suggested.

"I'm not coming," Petunia said immediately. "I don't want to." George looked at his wife with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I thought of staying at home, too," Rose said. "I have some paperwork to do and I haven't even started with them yet. You go with Lily, we're staying home. Right, Petunia dear?" Rose looked at her first daughter.

"Yes, mum," Petunia murmured, not lifting her gaze from the magazine she was reading.

George looked at the clock on the wall.

"Well, Lily, isn't it time for you to go to bed?" he asked softly. Lily yawned and nodded.

"Good night, Dad," she said and gave her father a kiss. "Good night, Mum. Good night, Petunia," she said, giving them big hugs. Then she ran upstairs to her room and changed her pyjamas on. After a moment she heard her mother coming.

Rose walked to her and made sure she was warm under the blankets.

Just like before.

*~*~*~*

To be Continued...