and nothing but the truth
chapter one
The girl, 18, hates the fall. The fall means bitter wind against her skin and droopy leaves beneath her feet - essentially, the awkward stage between summer and winter, neither pleasantly warm nor icily beautiful. The teenage stage of the Year.
She traipses through the courtyard on this particularly chilly day, red hair down beneath her soft felt cap, breath clouding the air.
"It's a good day to stay inside," someone comments as she passes, surely heading for shelter themselves. She just nods. A good day indeed, but it is November 10. A very important November 10.
In fact, it is November 10, 1978, and it is the second anniversary of her father's death, which means that the girl, normally the type to stay inside, reading over hot chocolate or listening to the wireless, is now looking for a park bench. The park bench.
The park bench where, in fact, her father had first met her mother. Where, on every important anniversary or holiday, she will soon find herself, studying. Not crying, not talking - just studying. Being where he's been is enough.
The girl's name is Lily Evans, a name that she can't really confess to liking. It is too short, too simple. The last name is sharp and plain, and the first name always has boys giving her lilies, which she detests. Her middle name - Emily - isn't much better. Common. Bread-and-butter.
The park bench is in a courtyard just in front of the main building where, as of that August, she goes to school - Cardiff University in Wales. It is a really beautiful college, looking almost like a castle with its statues, belfry, and majestic columns. In the spring, Cardiff's trees blossom into beauties of pink and green, and students sprawl on the lawns with their books. It'd been Lily's dream since childhood to attend here.
Settled on her bench, she can make out the figures of several other students who opted for fresh air, mostly draped in leather jackets, the women wearing pants instead of skirts, the men pretending not to be cold.
One such person is a lone figure walking the perimeter of the lawn. His dog follows him, only breaking away to sniff the occasional tree.
Lily smiles a bit. She doesn't know the student, but she knows the dog; his name is Blackie, and he is infamous among the Cardiff girls. A friendly fellow, he'd taken to wandering the campus while his owner was, presumably, in classes. Girls began to feed him sandwiches or bring dog cookies from home, and, although his collar holds no identification tag, his name is known to be "Blackie" because it's all he responds to.
Truthfully, no one notices the owner, though he is very happy to let people pet, feed, and otherwise harass his dog, and that's enough.
Lily glances down at the book in her lap. She is a Journalism student, and she has a lot of homework to do... but... in the back of her mind, she feels it isn't even necessary.
Because she's already graduated another school with flying colors.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Lily, the average freshman college student, with an average background and average family, making average income and aspiring to be an average person, isn't average at all. She is a witch, and a very good one at that.
She'd attended the school for magical children from the age of eleven, dropping out of her then-primary school to live at the boarding school in Scotland. Still, her parents hadn't hesitated to push "Muggle" - that is, nonmagical - education as well. So she pursued that in the summer, getting as much finished as possible, stuck between two completely different cultures.
Now that she is a fully licensed, adult witch, Lily has turned to qualifications in her first world, fulfilling the dream of having a college degree.
It is certainly worth the effort, and the money is really a side thought for the well-to-do (yet strangely frugal) Evans family.
The pair is approaching her study place now, and as they pass she offers up an obligatory smile; he tips his hat and says, "Wotcher." And Blackie just laughs.
Author's Note: This is just a taste of what's to come after We All Fall In Love Sometimes. I hope you enjoy the little "sneak peek" I have here (the whole first chapter, hmm). I will probably start actively updating this after I finish WAFILS. (Waffles, hehe...)