We all know I'm not J.K. Rowling. I'm a broke Art Major who just REALLY likes HP and has a bank account in the negatives.

Lily has always been in the shadow of her successful family. Her dream life with Scorpius is being lived by her cousin, Rose. She feels lonely, unwanted, and useless. But on her 15th birthday she finds a diary, who happens to have a very tempting offer in exchange for something that only she can provide.

Chapter 1

"I swear if you don't hurry up we won't take her anywhere ever again! Lily Luna Potter, you have ten seconds to get down here!" barked a very upset Ginny Weasley from downstairs, "I'm going to be late, and you will not get a chance to see your cousins before they leave to the States, Merlin knows when we will see them again!"

Meanwhile, her fifteen year old daughter was upstairs still trying to fit in her favorite dress, a simple yellow sundress with a light blue ribbon tied around it. The only problem was that the wretched thing just would not zip! The auburn headed girl tugged at the zipper harder until it forcefully went all the way up, making a few suspicious noises that sounded like the fabric was over stretching. I swear, this summer I will start a diet and a workout routine to burn off this baby fat before I get back to school. Maybe Score will actually KNOW I exist… well as a girl, and not the little sister of his best friend, Thought Lily as she rushed downstairs, her high ponytail bouncing as she rushed into the living room to take the Floo with her parents and her brother Al. Her oldest brother, James, was still in the Auror Academy and would only be able to see them during Christmas and Easter.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting guys..." mumbled Lily looking at her brother as he stepped into the chimney and smiled at her reassuring that it was all okay. He dropped Floo Powder then shouted "the burrow!" their mother did the same, with the exception she gave her a glare and shouted "Ministry of Magic, Department of Law Enforcement." As the flames that engulfed her mother ceased, Lily looked up to her father as she stepped into the chimney and asked,

"Daddy, is she really mad?"

Her father just smiled at her, then said gently, "of course she is not, she just hates being late, and we both know that those ministry people don't like to be kept waiting. Merlin Lily, you are a Ravenclaw you are meant to be the brainy one in this household. Of course when little Rose is not around, she is worse than her mother, and that is saying something." She just forced a smile, which looked more like a grimace, and dropped her floo powder as she said "the Burrow!"

She knew her father meant no harm when he compared her to Rose, but ugh, Rose. She would be at the Burrow, oh and of course, Scorpius would be there as well. He was always there in the family parties, picnics, dinners and every family function where Rose assisted. At first, Uncle Ron was upset about the whole relationship they had going on, but when he saw that he was a good person and his father had actually changed after the war, well… he decided to let them be together. The interesting thing is that Aunt Hermione had gotten a great job offering over there in America as a teacher in the Salem Witches Institute before the school year started, and now they all had to move over there or be without her for pretty much all the school year. So the decision was made and they were all wrapped and ready to go. Well, it wasn't as if she wasn't going to miss them, she would miss them all dearly, it was Rose who she wouldn't miss. Today was supposed to be Lily's birthday party, as well as a farewell party for the Weasleys that were going on their trip the next day. So that meant that it was no attention to Lily, all attention to Rose.

Now, Lily loved her cousin dearly, they were even best friends at one point. Rose had always been her hero and role model when they were young girls, she was the one that Lily had always looked up to and tried to get the approval of. That was the old Rose, but after she started Hogwarts it all changed. The person that came back after that first year was not her beloved cousin. Rose had always been a sweet caring person, but after the first taste of popularity her character changed drastically. She was adored at Hogwarts, every teacher student and member of the staff absolutely adored her. Even the Slytherin's liked her. Strangely enough, after her first year Rose started to develop this strange hatred for Lily. it was not like Rose to be hateful, but that girl was not rose. That girl was downright cruel, when it was just the two of them, but when everyone was around she was a perfect little angel as everyone thought. If they knew who she really was they wouldn't think so. Well, if they knew who she was around Lily, that is…

The party at The Burrow was the same as every party they had, except that there were more guest this time. Not for Lily's birthday, mind you; but for the Weasley-Granger family farewell. There were ministry employees, Hogwarts professors and alumni, friends of both Hugo and Rose, and of course, Score was there as well chatting with Albus. He wished her a happy birthday and then moved along to speak to one of the other Hogwarts students around. Even though he had always been polite to her, it was probably because he was good friends with her older brother Albus. She was even surprised he knew it was her birthday.

After mingling with some of the older guest and saying hello to her family members and professors, Lily moved to the snack table at the end of the room, browsing for something good to snack on. A melodic laugh reached her ears and she turned to see where it was coming from. Oh, Rose was here... She had a plum colored dress and small modest black heels, with small pearl earrings as well. Her dark auburn hair had been put up in a sleek French twist. Lily had no idea how she managed that since her hair had always been as wild as aunt Hermione's. Rose had only minimal make up with the exception of the red lipstick that she was wearing on her full lips. Her cousin could be many things, but she was not ugly. She was actually quite beautiful, even if she was all rotten inside.

Rose looked her way and smirked. She walked Lily's way and stood next to her at the snack table, picking up a small ivory plate with her perfectly manicured hands.

"Oh, hello there, dear cousin! Enjoying MY party?" mocked Rose as she put a small slice of cake on her plate and pushed the thick layer of frosting into Lily's plate, "you know, I don't know why you even BOTHER to come at all anymore. You should just hang out in the kitchen. I mean, why not, you're hanging around the food already, might as well get it while it's still hot."

"Why are you always like this, Rose? We used to be such good friends…" frowned Lily as she looked at Rose, who ate small bites of her vanilla cake and kept her smile on, not wanting to drop her façade when there were so many eyes on her.

"Well, that was before you decided to start liking my boyfriend Lillian. I can see what you do when he's around. Flaunting yourself, wearing clothes that are way too tight for a girl of your… shape." Hissed Rose as she looked at Lily up and down, a light sneer gracing her face. "If you had some self respect you would not have worn that hideously skimpy dress today. Stick to jumpers and sweat pants dear, they are better for a girl of your weight."

With that said Rose walked off and left Lily with her thoughts. She took a big slice of chocolate cake and decided to sit in the corner of the room by herself. Maybe she would be able to be in peace there, without Rose's harsh words, or anyone else's judgment for that matter.

Just as she went to sit down in the small chair, she heard a loud ripping sound followed by a loud mocking laugh coming from Rose. Lily's tears were falling down her face as she ran up the crooked stairs of the Burrow. She could still hear Rose's laugh in her mind as she ran into her mother's old room. She slammed the door close and locked it.

Rose was right, she should have not out on this dress… she should have put on something else. She was not as pretty or as well shaped as Rose; she would never be. She should just have stayed home.

After crying for a couple of minutes Lily got up and tried to find some of her mother's old clothes that might fit her. She looked through her closet and found a loose jumper that might have belonged to one of her many uncles at some point. She stepped out of her ripped dress and put on the old jumper, thinking that it was better than a ripped up dress. Now all she needed were some jeans or shorts, but she wasn't sure if any of her mother's old clothes would actually fit her.

She looked and looked everywhere in the old room until she saw a pair on the top shelf of the small closet. It looked as if someone had hidden it behind shoeboxes and old junk. Her hand reached for it but only her fingertips touched the rough material. Lily stretched as much as she could until she had a firm grasp on the jeans, she yanked it hard and felt a small object hit her on top of the head. Lily cursed aloud as she rubbed the spot where the thing hit her as she bent down to pick it up.

It was a small worn out leather book; it had burn marks all over it, as if it had survived a fire or small explosion. In the back, there was some writing, but it was completely unreadable. On the inside, the parchment pages were old and fragile looking, but they looked as if the fire had not affected them at all. Another thing that Lily found odd about the book is that all of the pages were blank; there were no dates or ink stains. She kept on looking through the pages of the odd book, and accidentally got a paper cut on her index finger, leaving a small smudge of blood on the fragile edge of the book. Other than that, the book was empty and pretty much useless, unless a person liked writing.

Maybe it used to be my mother's diary and it survived that fire from all those years ago…

Lily put the small book on the bed and didn't think about it anymore; after all, it was just an old diary. She unfolded the denim jeans and tried them on. They were a little too snug for her taste and rather shapeless, but it was that or the ripped up dress. She then went and picked up her torn dress from the floor, tossing it on the bed along with her small purse as she decided that she had been hiding enough.

"Keanty!" said Lily.

With a loud crack, the family house elf appeared in front of her. Keanty was their new house elf, a friend of the deceased Dobby as a matter of a fact; she was a free elf and the Potter family took her in and paid her two galleons a month (she refused to take anymore than that.) Keanty was short and had big hazel eyes, her bat-like ears stuck up and she had a long turned up nose. She kind of looked like a little Chihuahua puppy.

"Yes, Miss Lily!" squeaked the elf bowing, her large ears twitching slightly as she jumped in excitement. They didn't really have much use for an elf in the family, but they liked helping this elf who found so much enjoyment in working. So whenever one of them asked Keanty to do something for them, she would be more excited than a five year old in Christmas morning.

"Could you please take my stuff back to my room back at Potter Cottage? It's all of that stuff on the bed." Asked Lily politely, giving the young elf a kind smile.

"Of course Miss Lily!" said Keanty eagerly, "and I hope Miss is having a good day and is enjoying her birthday. Keanty will make Miss Lily a special cake for tonight!"

"Yes, I am Keanty, thank you. I really appreciate it." Smiled Lily, finding it almost funny how their house elf was the only one who seemed genuine when wishing her a happy birthday, "I will be going back to the party now, you should take the day off Keanty, maybe go and visit your mother; I'm sure she misses you."

"Oh, thank you so much Miss Lily, you are so kind to Keanty! I will finish with Miss Lily's cake and I will visit my mother then." Then the elf bowed and picked up everything in the bed and disappeared with a crack to Potter Cottage.

Lily regretted going back down to the party at all. Gods, it was awful. Everyone seemed to be engaged in some sort of conversation of sorts, and Rose was doing mean little remarks every time she was close enough for her to hear. So when her father said that it was finally time to go home Lily was very relieved. She said goodbye to her relatives, and gave long hugs to her aunt Hermione, uncle Ron, cousin Hugo and an awkward half hug to Rose.

"Home sweet home," said Lily as she walked in her room pushed all of the things that were on her bed off and dropped face first on the comfortable pillows, "I hate family reunions."

*hoot* Lily turned and saw her Spectacled Owl sitting on top of her cage, giving her a small glance until she looked down; a small box and a letter were laying on the floor under her.

"Hey Noctuna, I see you made yourself comfortable," muttered Lily as she dragged herself to pick up the dropped mail, "you know, most owls just keep things on them until the rightful owner comes and gets it,"

Noctuna simply gave her a wound up look and put her face under her wing.

"Great, now you're mad at me… You know I would never pick any other owl over you girl; they don't have your spirit." Said Lily as she stroked the dark brown feathers of Noctuna's wing; moving to get some owl treats and leaving some on her small bowl on the side of her cage.

After a somewhat short shower she walked back to her bed with the letter and box. They were from her best friend Aleah Nott. She opened the letter and quickly read it: her friend was in Mexico visiting her mother's parents; they were in a small rural town by the coast of the gulf of Mexico. It was one of the few magical towns in that country, even the Muggles there knew that city as "la ciudad de las brujas." Which meant "city of the witches." The rest of the letter were small details of what she had been up to, and good birthday wishes from all of her family members. After Lily finished reading the letter she opened the box and found a leather necklace, it had a small crystal stone shaped like a pyramid dangling from it. Just as she was about to put it on it slipped from her fingers, falling on the floor and bouncing under the bed.

"ugh, the universe just wants to screw me over today, doesn't it?" she asked to no one in particular as she got on her knees and reached under the bed with one arm trying to get the necklace back. Her hand found the small crystal pyramid and pulled it, but it was stuck on something. Lily pulled harder and bought along the object that the necklace was hooked to.

With a sharp intake of breath she dropped the diary. What was it doing under her bed?

Keanty must have accidentally bought it over here… might as well keep it; I don't think anyone will miss it. She picked it up again and started leafing through the pages again, as if an answer would fall right out of it.

What Lily failed to notice was how the book didn't look as burned as it did before, or how it felt warm in her hands. With her eyes still on the diary, she sat down on her bed and got a pen from the nightstand.

My name is Lily Luna Potter. As soon as the pen stopped moving, the words started to disappear, and in their place new words appeared. Her eyes enlarged in surprise as she saw the words that appeared on the diary.

Hello Lily, my name is Tom Riddle.

As soon as she saw the name on the diary, she dropped it and shifted as far away as she could from the possessed object. There was no way that this was happening, no, this diary was supposed to be long gone. It was supposed to be a myth, a tale; simply a story that her parents would tell her about when she was a child. She couldn't have that vile object in her possession. She had to get rid of it.

"I will burn it." She whispered to herself. She noticed the writing had disappeared again, and it was replaced by the same elegant handwriting.

Please, don't be afraid. I know you must have heard many things about this diary, and about me. I know that many lies fill your brain about the person I supposedly am. Please, give me an opportunity to explain what REALLY happened. I beg you. Haven't you ever wished that someone would listen to you for once in your life? No judgment or doubts. Please, just give me some time and I will show you that I am not the person you think I was. I know that you were told many stories and tales of how evil Voldemort was. I know that thanks to him your family went through great suffering and many lives were lost. But I am not him. I'm Tom. I'm the only innocent part left of him, that's why my soul still lives on. Why would I still be here if I was evil, like the rest of him? I am not the man that murdered your grandparents, I am not the man who killed many for a horrible cause. I have my trust in you, I know that you are a good person, because this diary would have not come back to live for anyone but an innocent soul. Help me get out of this situation, and I will help you get what you want the most. I believe we both know exactly who I'm talking about. I promise you on my magic, that if you help me get out of this diary and start all over again, I will help you get Scorpius Malfoy. You will never be under the shadow of your selfish and self-centered cousin Rose. You will never feel humiliated, ugly, or unwanted ever again. I know many ways of making all of your deepest desires come true. All you need to do is to let me out of here, and you will have everything that your heart desires. Come on Lily, do you want to be the person you are now for the rest of your life? Or do we have a deal?

Lily read the words before her, and closed her eyes. If Tom was lying to her there would be so much hell to pay. She could probably be the one to bring back the Dark Lord from his supposedly eternal slumber. However, he could also be telling the truth. This could be her only chance of getting happiness, and she was throwing it away because she was judging someone before getting to know him. Her thoughts were as chaotic as the ocean during a hurricane, beating her for about three hours while she mulled over her options. She didn't know if she was making the right choice or not for the world, but for her it was the right choice. It was selfish, dangerous, and probably a very despicable thing to do. She was selling her soul to the devil for the price of her happiness, but if there was something the devil would take as well, it would be her peace of mind.

Deal.

Turn your face away from the garish light of day.

Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light,

and listen to the music of the night.

Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams,

purge your thoughts of the life you knew before.

Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar.

And you'll live, as you've never lived before.

The Phantom Of The Opera - Music Of The Night