Prologue

Lily grinned happily as she barged through the doors of the Hall, her stomach full with the delicious food of the first feast of the year. First years ran excitedly either side of her, giggling and talking with their newly appointed house peers. It seemed just days ago when Lily had been in their shoes, but of course it wasn't – this was her seventh and last year at Hogwarts, something she didn't like to think about. Because, as much as Hogwarts was a place where she was tested and pushed, it would always be her home. The very first place she had ever been truly accepted as who she really was – a witch.

"Lily!" A familiar voice shouted behind her, and immediately she swung her body around to see who spoke, knocking over a few second years as she did. The skinny and slightly greasy haired figure soon came into view, donned with the Slytherin green he adored so. Severus Snape, the first wizard she had ever known, and one of her closest friends. She took him in her arms as they were swarmed by the passing students, moving down the corridors to their houses.

"I didn't see you on the platform, Sev," Lily shouted over the rabble of the children, adjusting his skinny tie as she released him from her grasp. He shrugged his shoulders, looking sheepish, and Lily recognised the familiar flicker of guilt behind his dark eyes. "Oh. You were with your friends."

He nodded his head, averting his glance as the Slytherins broke away from the rest of the horde to their dorms. "Look, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow, Lily. I have to go." He patted her arm gently, before taking flight and soon disappearing in the crowd.

Despite being engulfed in a bath of people, Lily felt entirely alone once more as she walked to the common room. The changes she had noticed in Severus had been steady in their pace, but behind her back she heard him mutter "mudblood" to those who irritated him, just as his fellow Slytherins did. Since joining with his new group of friends he had darkened in his mood, and Lily felt as if the old Severus who had comforted her when she was sad and smiled whenever she did something as simple as say his name was lost somewhere beneath the dark sea of hatred that had been planted in him. For that moment, her feet clapping the stone floor without much thought, she was happy to indulge herself in the memories of her and Severus, but soon her mind was averted.

"Evans!" James Potter yelled, scaring a group of smaller children as he bounded for her. Immediately, she cursed her bright hair and was just picking up her pace to try and hide from the cocky boy, when her legs were swooped upwards from the ground and a firm arm was behind her back. Carrying her as if she was a baby, James grinned down at her, his eyes maddeningly ecstatic behind his glasses. "How was your summer? I missed you – I know you missed me too, of course – who doesn't miss me?"

Lily squirmed in his grip, trying to release herself as a group of Ravenclaws turned to stare. Soon enough, his cronies joined him at his side, smiling down at her as if it was completely ordainary for their best friend to pick up girls as they innocently tried to make their way to their common room. "Hello, Lily," Remus Lupin said, with a small incline of his head – both of his hands wrapped around a book. Sirius Black tilted his face so his was level with hers and winked, clapping James on the shoulder.

"You know, when I said try to catch her attention – I didn't mean literally catch her." Sirius mumbled, rolling his eyes and then smirking – causing a group of girls to giggle melodramatically. Peter Pettigrew stood behind him, quivering like a leaf in the wind. He had always been shy, and she always felt a strange pity for him whenever their eyes locked. His Gryffindor courage was buried deep inside, somewhere so well hidden even he didn't know where it was. But the Sorting Hat never lied.

"Let me go, Potter," Lily spat, narrowing her green eyes venomously at the boy who was holding her, "I am very tired, but not tired enough to use magic." Her hand lowered cautiously to her wand, which was being held in the pocket of her school skirt. But, before she could even touch the wood it had been whipped from her pocket by the pale hand of Sirius. Those two were like partners in crime, and even more so, when they laughed loudly together in unison. Finally, resigned to the fact she was at the boy's mercy, Lily lay still and closed her eyes, becoming unresponsive as James tried to taunt her into speaking.

Soon, the door to the common room was in sight, and she heard Peter call the password in his squeaky voice, and then she was shoved through the hole upon James' lap. His arm now only loosely latched around her waist, she took the opportunity to dive for freedom. Her knees met the warm, homely carpet of the Gryffindor's territory, and she swung herself to her feet just as the four of them came into the room.

"Sirius – my wand." She demanded, holding out her upturned palm to accept what was rightfully hers. But, just as the boy stretched forward to give it to her, James snatched it from his grip and twirled it around on his fingers. "Potter! Give me it!"

"Oh, I'll give you it-"Lily's lungs deflated with relief, and she neared him with her hand still held out to him, "- if you give me a kiss!" And with that he took Lily's small hand, twirling her towards his chest in a swirl of school uniform and auburn hair. He clamped her thin frame against his, smirking down at her before lowering his lips to her shocked face.

Finally, she snatched her wand from him as his eyes shut, and turned the point of her wand to his nose which was completely at his mercy. With a quick cry of "Petrificus totalus" and a sudden flash of light, James clamped his limbs together as if frozen and fell backwards as if made of stone. His eyes were wide, and his glasses had flown from his face into a crumpled pile by his head. The common room erupted with laughter – including his friends.

"You were asking for that one, Prongs," Sirius laughed, bending down to pick up his fallen friend with the help of Peter. The four of them trudged off, leaving nothing behind but an apologetic smile from Remus and the ghost of laughter which still took over the room.

Lily stormed to her dorm; her face reddened with rage, and whipped back the curtain of her bed. She was prepared to just flop against the covers and give into the strange set of feelings already floating around in her head, but instead she was stopped by a thick letter with purple inked writing she didn't recognise.

Little did she know it would change the course of her fate forever.