"MUM!"

Charlotte Evans put the dish she was washing back in the sink and hurried out of the kitchen. Her oldest daughter, Petunia, was running down the stairs; her long blond hair flying behind her. She stood before her mother and crossed her arms; her round hazel eyes were glowing in fury. Charlotte cleared her throat.

"Erm, do I want to know?"

"I don't think so Mummy," Her other daughter, Lily, replied slowly climbing down the stairs. Her green oval eyes were cast down, and she looked incredibly guilty about something. A shadow moved from behind Lily and Charlotte knew that Lily's friend, Severus Snape, was still at the top of the staircase debating whether to come down.

"Well, I guess it's my job to know, so I'll go ahead and ask," Charlotte said with a sigh. "What happened this time?"

"It was that Snape boy again, Mum!" Petunia complained pointing an accusing finger towards the staircase. Severus slowly walked down the stairs, his dark eyes perfectly matching the guilty look that Lily's eyes had. Petunia glowered at the boy with his greasy black hair and his secondhand clothes as he stood beside Lily.

"What did you do this time Severus?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"Go on, tell her!" Petunia snarled at him. "Tell her what you did to my brand new designer coat!" Severus blushed and muttered something that Charlotte didn't catch.

"Say that again, dear?" Charlotte asked.

"He poured milk on it!" Petunia exclaimed. "That dratted friend of your daughters spilt milk all over my coat! It's ruined Mum! There's no way we can get the stain out!"

"I'm sorry Mum," Lily said quietly. "It was my fault; I accidently pushed Sev and he spilt some milk on Petunia."

"ALL OVER MY NEW COAT!"

"Yes, Tuney, I get it," Charlotte replied calmly, rubbing her temple. She could feel a headache coming on fast.

"I should make you buy me a new coat," Petunia snarled at Severus. "If you weren't so poor and helpless I would make you buy me a new coat!" Severus' eyes grew huge at the insult; if Lily hadn't grabbed his arm he probably would have slugged the older girl.

Charlotte gasped, "Petunia! That's a horrible thing to say! Apologize to Severus right now! "

"But Mum, it's all his fault! Ever since Lily met him stuff happens to me! He tells Lily all kinds of lies, and she believes him too!" Charlotte put her hand up before Petunia could say anymore.

"I've had enough, Petunia Evans. Go to your room and I don't want to hear another peep out of you for the rest of the day." Petunia glared at her mother and did what she was told. Charlotte waited until the door slammed shut before she turned to the two 11-year-olds.

"How about a cup of tea?" She offered. "Then you can tell me the whole story." Lily and Severus both nodded and followed Charlotte into the kitchen.

"We were running out of my room," Lily explained as they sat around the table. "Sev stopped short when he saw Tuney walking towards us and I ran into him."

"Knocking me into Petunia," Severus added. "I dropped my milk and some of it landed on Petunia's coat, but it's not as bad as she made it out to be. There are only a few spots; I'm really sorry Mrs. Evans. If you want, I can take it to my Mum; she can get the stains off." Charlotte smiled at the small boy.

"There's no need for that, and don't feel bad about the coat; accidents happen, and I think we can all agree that Petunia tends to be on the dramatic side of everything." Severus and Lily grinned, both feeling better about the situation.

"Why don't you two go outside and play while I have a quick chat with Petunia?" Charlotte suggested. Wasting no time, the two children jumped up and ran out the door.

"Wow that was close," Lily muttered.

"Tell me about it," Severus agreed as they made their way towards the small thicket that separated her house from his. It was their favorite getaway spot. Petunia had stopped following them into the thicket ever since the time Severus made the tree branch break on her. At first, Lily had been furious with Severus for trying to hurt her sister, but now she was glad that he had; they could now talk freely there without worrying about nosey Petunia trying to listen in.

"Sev?" Lily asked as soon as they were at a far range from the house.

"Hm?" He replied looking at her. The sun was making her bright red hair shimmer, almost as if it were on fire. Severus had always admired that about Lily. It was her red hair that had caught his attention 4 years ago; when they both discovered that Lily was a witch. Since then the two had practically become inseparable. Severus knew all about the Magic world since his mother was a witch; Lily loved to sit and hear his stories.

"Summer is almost over," Lily said as they entered the thicket. "Shouldn't we be getting our letters soon?"

"Yeah, Mum said that they should arrive any day now."

"Who do you think will come to my house?" Lily asked curiously. Severus shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe Dumbledore?" Lily's eyes grew huge.

"The man you're always talking about?" Severus grinned.

"That's the one. Imagine getting to meet him, the most powerful Wizard in the world!"

They came to the small river at the center of the thicket. Lily sat at the bank to take off her shoes and put her feet in the cool water; Severus sat beside her. Suddenly Lily turned and her piercing eyes met his.

"Sev, what if I'm not really a witch? What if I don't get a letter and I never get to go to Hogwarts?" Her voice was full of worry. Severus grinned at her in amusement. Lily asked him that same question almost every day. No matter how many times he assured her that she was a witch, the small redhead always doubted herself.

"You're definitely a witch," He assured her. "And from what I've witnessed you're a powerful one. Now stop worrying. Someone is going to come to your house any day now and give you the letter, and before you know it we'll be on the train to Hogwarts. I have complete confidence that you'll be a great witch, Lily." Her dark green eyes lit up at his compliment and she gave him a huge grin before stretching out on the grass. Severus followed her lead, and the two stayed there for several hours chatting excitedly about what they would do once they finally went to Hogwarts.

Severus had been right; just two days after their chat in the forest, Professor Minerva McGonagall was standing on the Evans' front porch. Lily had seen the Professor climb out of a cab and watched curiously as she briskly walked to the door.

Lily knew immediately that this woman had to be from the Magic world; her clothes were terribly tacky. The Professor had a bright yellow blouse and a red, knee length skirt. She had a black cloak and a pair of ugly brown shoes that were terribly out of style. Her brown hair was up in a tight bun and she wore a small pair of glasses.

A loud knock on the door took Lily away from her thoughts, and she quietly ran out of her room, almost knocking into Petunia.

"Watch it!" Petunia hissed. Lily didn't reply and the two sisters crept to the staircase, quietly listening in as their father, Isaac Evans, opened the door.

"Good evening, you're Mr. Evans I presume?" Lily and Petunia climbed down the stairs to get a better look.

Isaac stared at the woman in complete shock; her strange wardrobe choice had apparently caught him off guard and left him speechless.

"Isaac, who's at the door?" Charlotte asked walking out of the Living room. She stopped short and frowned in confusion when she saw McGonagall, but unlike her husband who just stared dumbly ahead, she quickly recovered and stood beside Isaac.

"Hello, pardon my husband's manors. May we help you ma`am?"

"She's probably looking for directions to the mall," Petunia muttered. "Heaven knows she needs a new look."

"Shhhhhhh!" Lily hissed, putting her hand up. They fell silent once more as Charlotte let the Professor inside. Isaac had finally recovered from his shock and followed his wife as she led everyone into the Living room.

They passed the stairs where Lily and Petunia were sitting. McGonagall glanced up and locked eyes with Lily; a shiver of excitement ran down her spine when the Professor gave her a tiny smile and a quick wink. She did it so fast that after a second, Lily wasn't sure if it had really happened.

When the adults were in the living room; the girls quickly slipped the rest of the way downstairs and ran into the kitchen to hear the conversation in the next room.

"So what is this about, Mrs. McGonagall?" Isaac asked offering her a seat.

"Professor McGonagall," She corrected as she sat down.

"Right sorry," Isaac replied. "What's this school called again?"

"Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry," McGonagall repeated. Petunia and Lily let out involuntary gasps. Lily's hands were shaking with excitement; Severus' stories had been true after all! She eagerly put her ear to the wall.

Charlotte was staring at McGonagall intently, waiting for the woman to start laughing and tell them it was just a joke. However Minerva McGonagall's face was dead serious as she went on to explain that the school had taken an interest in Lily and wished for her to attend this fall. Petunia snorted in disgust.

"She's a looney." Lily ignored her comment and strained to hear more. Petunia had lost interest and decided to get a drink.

It was several long minutes before McGonagall finally managed to convince the Evans that this was indeed, not a joke and magic really was real. Even then, they were not completely convinced, and as a final resort the Professor pulled out her wand and summoned a glass from the kitchen, which just happened to be the glass that Petunia was about to drink from. She let out a shout of surprise as her glass suddenly left her hands and flew into the Living room.

"Mum!" She shouted chasing after her glass. Lily took this as her cue to join the adults as well.

"Ah, there you are Lily," McGonagall said cheerfully when she caught sight of Lily walking up. The small redhead stood at the entrance wondering if she should go in or not.

"Please have a seat. I was just discussing with your parents about a school opportunity for you." Lily smiled at the Professor shyly and took a seat between her Mother and Petunia. McGonagall pulled out a letter and handed it to her.

Lily's heart pounded as she opened the letter that was addressed to her. Inside she found a piece of parchment that had a list of school supplies and a letter that read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme
Mugwump, International Confed. 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 an enclosed list of
necessary books and equipment.

Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Your sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

This was the letter that Severus had told her about! She looked excitedly at her parents and grinned at their tense faces. She really was a witch and she was going to the best Magic school in the world. What could be greater?

Charlotte cleared her throat uncertainly.

"Er, what do you think Sweetie? Is this something you'd like to do?" Lily nodded vigorously, too excited to talk. Isaac had picked up the list of school supplies and frowned.

"Where are we going to get this stuff? I don't know of a store that sells wands or cauldrons."

"Diagon Alley in London will have everything you need," McGonagall explained calmly. Charlotte made a face.

"Diagon Alley? I've never heard of such a place." Lily's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Severus told me about that place! He says that it's where witches and wizards shop at. It's located near somewhere called the Leaky Cauldron, or something like that." Four heads whipped around in unison and stared at Lily in shock. She looked confused for a second before she realized what she'd said. Her family didn't know that Severus and his mother were from the Magic world, and no one other than Petunia knew about Lily and Severus' chats.

"Severus?" Charlotte asked in confusion. "Your friend Severus Snape? He's a wizard too?"

"See Mum?" Petunia said triumphantly. "I knew there was something strange about that kid!"

"Enough Petunia!" Charlotte snapped; she really wasn't in the mood to listen to her daughter's ranting at the moment. McGonagall raised her eyebrows curiously.

"Severus Snape, Madam Prince's son?"

"Yes," Charlotte said. "The Snapes live down the road from us. Lily and Severus like to play together." McGonagall was very interested about this news, but she quickly shrugged it off. It was her job to get students to school, not to get caught up in their personal lives. She stood and shook everyone's hands.

"I'm afraid I must be leaving now. I've got two more houses to visit today. Here's your ticket to board the train on September 1st. Like I said, you will find everything you need at Diagon Alley; if you have any questions just send us an owl." With that, she promptly left. As she shut the door, Isaac turned to his wife.

"Darling, how on Earth are we going to send an owl?" Charlotte shrugged, still trying to digest everything she'd just learned.

"I haven't the slightest idea, Dear."

*********Author's Note*********

Ok, this is my first time posting a fanfic. I hope you liked chapter 1; it's a bit short, but chapter 2 is a little longer. I've decided to wait a little while before posting the next chapter. Have any comments? Noticed any spelling or grammar errors? Write me a review and let me know your opinion; I'm open for suggestions!

Thanks,

Anna :D