Author Notes: So, I've never done this before. Therefore, reviews would be really awesome. I hope you all like it. Arctic Monkeys served as my inspiration.

Disclamer: The characters all belong to JK Rowling. She is god.

Bloody fucking hell. Lily took a long drag on her cigarette, staring down at her letter, not bothering to hide her displeasure. Of fucking course she was Head Girl. Bloody brilliant. But, unfortunately, it made sense. Because Lily of three months ago was the obvious choice for the coveted position. That Lily was kind and studious, a good prefect and an even better friend. However, the Lily who stood at her kitchen counter watching the smoke rise to the ceiling, still hungover and sore from last night's escapades, had little in common with the Lily of three months ago. Because Head Girls did not drink themselves to oblivion. Head Girls did not go through at least a pack of cigs a day. Head Girls did not stay out all night, every night. Head Girls were not complete and utter slags. Head Girls did not experiment with various drugs. That simply was not appropriate Head Girl behavior. But, that was Lily behavior. Or, it had been since the second week of summer break.

Because, to many people, it would seem as if Lily Evans was simply going through a phase. They would sigh and shake their heads, reminiscing about how they did the exact same thing at about the same age. And to those people, Lily said fuck off. Because to her, this was certainly not a phase. Phases where when you liked a horribly bad song, or only wore the color blue. Phases were temporary. Phases had to end. And Lily had no intention of ending this. No, this was not a phase. This was a lifestyle change. A lifestyle change that certainly did not merit her appointment of Head Girl. She neither desired nor deserved the position any more. Sure, at the end if last term it had been her goal. But things had clearly changed since then, and she no longer cared about school. Or anything, for that matter. It's funny what grief can do to a person.

It was grief that changed her. Changed Lily Evans from the sweet, rule abiding prefect to a girl with a little too much rebellion for her own good. Because a week after the term ended, Lily's father was murdered. And that broke her. As much as she wanted to be okay and said she was perfectly fine, Lily was far from fine.

It started out as a fairly basic summer day in the Evans' household. One of those days that seems unimportant in the grand scheme of things. A day that appeared easily forgettable, but in reality was far from it.

Even after a week of summer vacation, the wonder of sleeping in still had not faded. It was impossible not to wake up in a good mood when, if you wanted to, you had the power to sleep the day away. No classes to attend, no homework to complete, no prefect responsibilities. So, when Lily rolled out of bed at ten forty three, she could not help but grin. Life was good.

Lily yawned deeply, stretching her arms above her head, before she made her way to the kitchen, a slight spring in her step. Lily didn't know why, but she had a feeling that today would be a good day, and it was still to early for her to know that her feeling was entirely wrong. She greeted her mother with a grin, "Hello, Mum," she said cheerfully, opening the fridge and pouring herself a glass of orange juice. A quick glance around informed her that her older sister was no where in sight. It was a good day. "Where's Tuney?" Lily hoped she sounded nonchalant. She knew how much it hurt her mother when her two daughters fought. Which they did constantly.

Of course, Amelia Evans saw right through her daughter's facade. She looked up from her book and placed it on the table, sighing and shaking her head lightly, "Honestly, Lily, can't you and your sister simply get along? You spend more than half the year at Hogwarts, and when you come back, you two won't stop bickering." Amelia looked up at her daughter pensively, "What happened? You two used to be so close."

Lily began to change her mind about today being a good day. Of course, this was nothing compared to what this day had in store. But Lily didn't know that yet. Not in the mood for this conversation, Lily simply shrugged, "I don't know." And she really didn't. Lily had never understood why her sister hated her so much. She understood a certain level of resentment, for being a witch, and leaving her for most of the year. But Lily felt as if Tuney's feelings for her went beyond that. There was something more to it. Something that Lily had never been able to understand.

Amelia Evans clearly was not impressed by her daughter's response, but, surprisingly, she let it drop. Lily had no idea why, but had no intentions of pressing her luck. So, instead, she opened the fridge once more and grabbed the milk. Shuffling about the kitchen, she grabbed the cereal and a bowl as well, and poured. Sitting down at the table, she looked up at her mother as she chewed. "Dad's already at work?"

Nodding glumly, Amelia sighed, "His last story has caused quite the commotion. He's been in at the offices so often lately. I am hardly ever awake when he leaves, and he so rarely makes it home for dinner."

Despite the somberness of her mother's statement, Lily Evans couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. Paul Evans was a journalist. And a damn good one in his daughter's opinion. Paul always went a little further with his articles, found extra details, uncovered long hidden truths.. But, of course, that sort of thing was bound to, on occasion, get him in trouble. As was the case now. A recent article about gang involvement in the government had certainly angered a lot of people. And Paul was refusing to retract his statements. But why should he? They were one hundred percent truthful. Lily thought her father was a hero. So, still unaware of what was yet to come, Lily simply nodded and continued eating her cereal.

When Lily finished her breakfast, she put the bowl in the sink, and took the stairs two at a time, making her way to the bathroom. Quickly shrugging of her pajamas, Lily turned the water on, and stepped into the shower. Steam filled her lungs, the hot water pulsing against her back. Nothing was as relaxing as a hot shower. The familiar and comforting scent of green apple filling her nose as she worked the shampoo into a lather. Her mind began to wander as she stood under the hot water, and soon, she was far away from her own bathroom. Lily had always been a bit of a daydreamer. She did her best to control it when at school, but during the summer, she had no reason to attempt to prevent her daydreaming ways.

And she was flying in the rain. There was no broom, or any sort of magical object keeping her suspended. Lily was simply flying. The wind was blowing her wet hair every which direction, fat raindrops landing on her nose. Despite the rain, the sky was a clear blue, and Lily could vividly see the rolling hills below her. She was free.

It really was a lovely day dream. Such a shame it was broken by a piercing scream.

Lily nearly slipped as she frantically scrambled from the shower. Without the pounding of the shower in her ears, Lily could hear racking sobs. Quickly wrapping herself in a towel, Lily ran from the bathroom and back downstairs to the kitchen. Lying in a heap on the tilled floor was her mother, her body convulsing with the force of her tears. A phone lay in her hand, and Lily cautiously picked it up, wondering if someone was still there. "Hello?" She inquired, afraid of what she might hear.

"Hello," a deep voice answered. The kind of voice that was supposed to be comforting. The kind of voice that should make you feel safe and protected. Lily, however, just felt slightly sick. "Who is this?"

"Lily Evans," she responded quickly, not wanting to draw out whatever the man had to say. Whatever clearly had her mother in such hysterics.

Lily didn't know this, of course, but the man paled slightly, "Paul Evans' kid, right?" Not waiting for a response, the deep voiced man gave her the news. "I'm very sorry to have to inform you of this, Miss. Your father's dead. Murdered, actually."

And with that, Lily sunk to the floor next to her mother, crying just as violently.