Chapter 1: Once Upon Another Time

Once Upon A Time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a beautiful Princess. She lived in a castle, and her father, the king of her kingdom, taught her everything he knew about being a good ruler.

Okay, so, Lily's father was actually a wizard and Lily was not really a Princess...but sometimes Lily liked to imagine she lived in a fairytale, if only to make the world a little bit more magical. After all, she was a witch and she did live in a castle for quite some time while she went to school. Lily didn't know anything more fairytale or magical than Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When Lily had been a little girl, her current world had seemed like a fairytale itself.

Lily's father wasn't her biological father. Lily's real father died a month before she was born from a car accident, and Lily's mother, Audra, had died of cancer when Lily was only three years old. With no other living members of her family, Lily was put into the system, and by four, Lily started noticing that she was different from the others. She could make things happen that she couldn't explain. Once she'd saved a toad from Billy Brinkers in the cafe by floating the green creature safely out of a pot. Another time, she was pretty sure she'd made boils appear on Sandy Hopkins' skin after Sandy called Lily a freak for waving a stick around like a magic wand.

Those were the loneliest years of Lily's life, but they didn't last for long. Lily's father found her one morning while she sat on the sidewalk making chalk art. He spoke to her kindly and offered to draw with her. He returned again a week later to speak with the headmistress. When Lily asked him years later, her father claimed to have known that Lily was special simply because of the sparkle in her eyes and the way she was able to fly from the play equipment through the air like a bird.

Despite being a steadfast bachelor that had no idea how to raise a little girl (and a budding witch to boot), Lily's father had demanded the orphanage release her under his care.

Lily the orphan became Lily Evans almost overnight, and she put the orphanage and the muggle world behind her. Lily's father was the closest thing to a Prince Charming Lily had ever known at four years old. Lily had no idea what might've become of her had he not stepped in and taken her under his wing. She certainly wouldn't have loved quidditch as much or been so prepared for life at a magical castle in Scotland. She wouldn't have flourished in her classes on magical theory without his unwavering belief in her magic and she probably wouldn't have made so many wonderful friends.

Lily's father raised her right and taught her to have courage even when she was scared. He expected her to treat others as she wished to be treated. After all, Lily's father expected her to always be kind, even when those around her were not. She led by his example and treated everyone she met with a kind smile and an open mind. Lily's father said anything could be fixed with kindness and just a little bit of magic. Lily looked up to her father, who was well liked, not only by his peers, but also by his paying customers.

Her father owned the coolest shop in Diagon Alley called Quality Quidditch Supplies. Lily was raised among quidditch players and wooden broomsticks. There were posters of famous quidditch players on her bedroom wall and laughter came at no additional charge inside their shop.

Being raised by the employees of the esteemed Quality Quidditch Supplies put Lily ahead of her peers in mastering the art of being a cool young witch. She spent time at her father's side in his beloved shop learning the ins and outs of broom care, and Annika Sprout taught her everything she ever needed to know about quidditch. It wasn't until Lily made it to school that she learned not everyone spent their summers out on the English countryside on racing brooms. Lily never felt like she missed out on anything, even if her friends thought she was a bit odd for drooling over broomstick models instead of brewing love potions.

In fact, as far as Lily was concerned, she thought she lived in a fairytale. Of course, as any good dad would, Lily's father still worried that Lily was missing one important thing in her life: a mother.

Despite appreciating her father's attempt to make her life even more perfect...getting a stepmother was exactly the opposite of beneficial to their little family.

Even now, years after her father had married, Lily stared at the framed photograph of her stepmother Lyra with disdain. After all, Lyra's portrait blocked the handwritten sign on the wall her father had painted over twenty years before. Lily knew if she removed the frame she'd find the words 'don't let the fear of losing the snitch, keep you from scoring the quaffle' behind it. Lyra had changed the entire shop, making it more upscale and expensive compared to the family friendly shop it had been as Lily grew up.

Lrya and Lily's father knew each other in school, and they'd reconnected one night while Lily was away studying at Hogwarts. Lily came home on Christmas Holidays to her father and Lyra waiting at the train station. Lyra was standoffish towards Lily from the moment they'd met, but Lily hoped for the best. Unfortunately for Lily, neither Lyra nor her daughter (and Lily's new stepsister) Petunia ever warmed up to her. Lyra kept Petunia well away from Lily, and Lily's father tried desperately to bring them all together.

When Lily's father passed away suddenly from dragon pox a year after their marriage, Lyra inherited everything Lily's father had ever owned, including fifteen year old Lily, much to Lyra's disappointment. Lily assumed Lyra didn't like Lily because Lily's father clearly favored Lily over Petunia. Though Lily had always wanted a sister, Petunia was not what Lily wished for. Lily had thought sisters were kind, funny, and giving. Petunia was the opposite of all those characteristics because she took after her mother who, quite literally, lived to make Lily miserable.

Nothing had gotten better since Lily graduated from school. She worked under Lyra's watchful eyes at her father's shop, trying her best to break through the quidditch circuit. Meanwhile, Petunia didn't have a job and spent most of her days reading in the garden or in her room. Lily couldn't help but be jealous - Petunia was spoiled by Lyra, coddled even. Lyra never had Petunia go to Hogwarts-instead Petunia was homeschooled. When Lily would come home from school, Petunia would be sitting by a crackling fire surrounded by books. They hardly spoke to each other as Petunia was very, very cold. Lily could never get more than two words from the girl anytime they were in the same room.

Eventually, Lily stopped trying to connect with Petunia and instead spent her time simply trying to make it through a day without running into Lyra. Staying out of Lyra's way was easier than Lily originally thought, if only because her childhood home provided so many escapes. Lily's favorite spot was the balcony that connected to the attic. She'd spend hours up on the balcony in the fresh air going through her fathers things, which had been moved to the attic when he'd died. The only thing that kept Lily around after she turned seventeen and graduated from Hogwarts was her home and the shop, the last bits of her father.

Lily's literal home, including the shop where she'd grown up, was in the hands of the woman who cared about it least. The only thing that kept Lily sane during the long days working in her father's shop was remembering how much her father had loved it. She was determined to save enough money and get enough of a reputation on the Quidditch field to buy her father's shop from Lyra who always threatened to sell it if it stopped making money.

"Afternoon, Lily."

Lily looked up Lyra's framed portrait, hanging in her father's shop like a reminder, just as an older witch with peachy colored waves and brown eyes entered the shop.. The witch wore a simple set of purple robes adorned with the golden logo of the quidditch shop. Her skin was flushed from the warm August air and her smile was wider than Lily had seen in a while.

"Is it afternoon already?" Lily was always excited to see Anni, the shop manager, since she was the only remaining staff left over from her father's days.

"Time flies when you're having fun." Anni placed her cloak on the counter before considering Lily. "Aren't you supposed to be off today for a quidditch game?"

"Lyra wanted to make Mark work," Lily explained. "And he had to take care of his kid, so I took the morning shift so Lyra wouldn't fire him."

Anni sadly shook her head. "That woman irks me."

Lily's father had made Anni manager long before he'd passed away, but once Lyra had taken over, Anni no longer held any control over the shop or its employees. Anni and Lyra often butted heads, but Lyra couldn't fire Anni since Anni was the only one who knew the ins and outs of the shop besides Lily. That, and Lily was pretty sure Anni intimidated Lyra.

Anni was 5'1, weighed about one hundred and fifteen pounds soaking wet, and had enough grace to make a ballerina cry. Lily had never seen someone more adapted to play a seeker than Anni, who was as quick witted on the field as she was off. She'd come to work for Lily's father after a few broken bones rendered playing quidditch professionally impossible. Lily's father always told Anni she would have made one hell of a commentator with her mouth.

Anni helped herself to a mint from the tray on the counter. "So will you miss the game?"

"No, as long as I don't have to work tonight." Lily said. "Game doesn't start until four."

"Alright," Anni said, "well, I'm here now so you can at least grab some lunch."

"Lyra said no lunches if we work half shifts."

"Lyra can go to Hell."

Lily laughed loudly as Anni pushed her out the door with a well aimed smack to Lily's arse.

She wandered Diagon Alley, a few loose sickles in her pocket. The market was busy, filled with kids hurrying to go back to school. Owls fluttered up and down the streets begging for food from passersby. A screech owl with a lavender colored band kept trying to land on her shoulder as she looked over a cart filled with baked goods. Lily finally settled on a small sandwich stuffed with meat and cheese. She unwrapped it and walked slowly up the road, savoring each bite.

Lily took her time getting back to the shop, only to find the store packed when she returned. Anni was doing fine-ringing up a few thirteen year old witches carrying broomstick care kits. Lily left Anni at the front counter and instead made her way to the back of the shop to chastise a group of boys swapping all the racks just for the hell of it. As quickly as the store filled, it soon emptied. The store was often a rise and fall and a methodic steady pace Lily liked to follow. Some days, Lily would never get the chance to sit down, some days she fell asleep against the clothes piles in the back of the shop and some days she was simply somewhere in the middle.

Twenty minutes to the end of Lily's shift, she busied herself by cleaning up cobwebs near the broom displays. Halfway done with the Cleansweep Seven models, Lily was about to suggest that Anni turn on some radio music when a tall blonde woman with a very pointed nose entered the shop looking quite as if someone had blown up a dungbomb.

Lily's stepmom Lyra was reasonably pretty on the outside. Lily credited her looks for snagging Lily's father's attention because Lyra had a sickly sweet smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. She had long silvery hair that fell in ringlets around her sharp face which only made her look more regal and most of her jewelry was black stones set in gold. She looked expensive and she acted like she was made of the gold she adorned herself with.

"Lily." Lyra's voice was cutting and pointed. "I've left you in charge of this store to teach you responsibility, and Shauna at Puffs Potions was just telling me that she saw you galavanting about the market earlier?"

Lily raised her eyebrows. "I was getting something to eat."

"I had the store under control." Anni offered from the counter. "I told Lily to leave."

"Are you the owner of this store?" Lyra asked Anni who shared a look with Lily.

"No." Anni said grumpily, looking very much like she wanted to wipe the sneer off Lyra's face.

"Then refrain from acting as if you are." Lyra snapped at Anni before considering Lily once more. "I need you to work late today."

"I've already worked seven days in a row." Lily said, shoulders dropping. "And I've got a quidditch game tonight."

"Listen, Lily." Lyra put a hand on her hip. "You work in a shop dedicated to quidditch, you have no need to watch a bloody game. Stay here, close up shop, and when you get back to the house tonight make sure not to disturb Petunia like you did last night with your music. She needs peace and quiet and cannot get it with you blasting your muggle music."

Lyra turned and walked out of the shop without another word. Lily's fists were curled and Anni slammed her hand on the counter like she wished it was slamming across Lyra's face. Lily slumped against one of the shelves covered in Chudley Cannons merchandise and was tempted to just slide onto the floor.

"What are you still doing here?" Anni asked her.

Lily shot her old friend a look. "She's probably going to come back and make sure I'm here."

"I don't care, " Anni snapped. "She's got you up at the crack of down and working until this place is dark. Your dad would want you living your life."

"But—"

"No more buts." Anni shook her finger at Lily. "Go to the quidditch game, I'll deal with Lyra if she comes back." Anni made a signal for Lily to skip out. "Bye."

Anni, as always, had Lily's back.

Before she left, Lily leaned over the counter to kiss Anni's cheek. Making her way out to the cobblestone streets, Lily pulled her wand from her pocket and tucked it into her tight red bun for safekeeping. The sun was lowering in the sky as Lily maneuvered through witches and wizards shopping for trinkets like dragon scales and cauldron feet. The purple robes Lyra made shop employees wear were eye-catching and people stared as Lily passed. Lily was thankful for having the sense to wear her muggle clothes under the robes. Once Lily caught the Knight Bus to the game, she pulled off her robes for a more favorable pair of jeans matched with a loose white shirt.

The quidditch match was on the outskirts of Lancashire, being hosted by the Lancashire Lions themselves. Lily had her notebook and her quill ready as she settled into her seat at the base of the field. She'd only had enough money for piss poor seats and spent most of the match squinting up into the sky, but either way, she enjoyed the game. She made little notes about the game, like her father used to, and focused on the movements of the players. When the game was over, she clapped as loudly as any of the other fans and sported a great wide smile as the Lions did a victory lap around the field.

After parties were always the best parts of a quidditch game, besides the game, of course. Players laughed and mingled with fans on the field while people placed bets on future games with bottles of firewhiskey in hand. Lily spotted lots of her old friends from school and happily spent most of the party in the company of Marlene McKinnon. Marlene was one of Lily's closest friends and the pair drank and chatted apart from most of the others under the harsh glare of the field lights. The girls stood together on the grass, bodies relaxed and laughter loud.

"And then, the bloke manages to break the lead so we had a ten meter dragon flying about Surry!"

Marlene was working for the Ministry of Magic's magical creatures department. Her blue eyes lit up as she described spending a week chasing a runaway dragon in Surry, making Lily laugh so hard that tears ran in her eyes.

Marlene's skin was tanned and flushed as she continued. "It took ten of us to bring that dragon down, and we almost lost her in the muggle suburbs."

Lily grinned. "Sounds like an adventure."

"You'd love it Lily," Marlene gushed. "You really ought to come work for the Ministry. We get so many opportunities and meet so many amazing people."

Lily shook her head quickly. "No, I could never work behind a desk."

"I don't work behind a desk!" Marlene argued. "Well, not all the time at least."

"I still want to write for Quidditch magazines, Marles. I can't just take a random job at the Ministry."

Marlene placed a firm hand on Lily's shoulder. "The Ministry has an entire department dedicated to magical sports."

Lily laughed and half hugged Marlene. "Stop trying to turn me into a Ministry girl!"

"But you're always working in that shop," Marlene complained, pouting as Lily frowned. "We all hardly ever get to see you."

"Sorry, Marley. I don't try to be so out of the loop."

"I know."

Lily sobered as she caught the implications behind Marlene's words. When Lily first graduated, she'd been invited out with her friends all the time. Of course, now that she had free time outside of school, Lyra worked Lily to the bone, and when Lily wasn't working, she was struggling to upkeep her childhood home since Lyra and Petunia barely maintained the gardens out back. After declining almost every offer from her friends to hang out, most of them had given up on inviting her places.

Lily and Marlene stayed quiet as they watched the party die down. In the middle of the field, a gaggle of girls were hanging on the arms of some of the players standing around. One of the girls was recognizable, easily, for her pretty russet hair and golden skin. Lily knew her from school. Sophie Turner, a pureblood with money in her family name, Sophie had never had to worry about a thing in her entire life. Everything was handed to the pretty girl on a silver platter.

"I guess Sophie returned from modeling in Paris with a new boyfriend." Marlene said grumpily, eyes trapped on the way Sophie became wrapped up in the arms of a broad shouldered boy with thick black hair.

Lily's eyes traced Sophie's golden colored robes with a twinge of jealousy. "I love her robes."

"She's changed since she got the modeling job with witch weekly." Marlene gossiped. "She was so sweet in school."

Lily replied saucily. "When I said hello to her earlier, she barely registered me."

"To be fair," Marlene nudged Lily, "you are wearing muggle clothes. She probably didn't recognize you outside of school robes."

"Excuses." Lily rolled her eyes. "I look the same in muggle clothes as I do in my robes."

"You look amazing in muggle clothes." Marlene emphasized with a waggle of her eyebrows. "Those curves."

Lily laughed and squeezed her friend. "I've missed you."

"Let's not go so long between visits, then." Marlene said while Lily ruffled her hair, her eyes stuck on the crowd again.

Lily stopped ruffling Marlene's hair when curious eyes fell on them. Sophie had turned away from the boy she'd been leaning on to talk with a friend, leaving the man in a comfortable position behind her, hands in his pockets as he smiled at Lily and Marley. Lily's eyes looked the man up and down for some sort of register, but found none. Nothing about his thick square frames were recognizable and no form of his red mouth sparked a memory for Lily to place. He wore very nice customized robes that barely skimmed his fancy tan shoes, an outfit that screamed old money. Every strand of his black hair stood up around and over his head, creating a windswept look that made it appear as if he'd played in the quidditch game.

He was so attractive that Lily continued staring at him even when he turned away from her prying eyes.

"Who is that?" Lily asked Marlene dumbly.

"Who?"

"The one with the hair." Lily pointed the bloke out, "And the black robes?"

Marlene's fingernails were digging into Lily's arm in disbelief. "Lily, that's Minister Potter's son."

"Potter?" Lily tore her eyes away from the man to stare at Marlene. "As in the current Minister of Magic?"

Marlene nodded. "I saw a picture of him in Wizard Wonders magazine just last month!"

"Why was he in Wizard Wonders?" Lily questioned, knowing the magazine was all about up-and-coming wizards and witches in the magical fields.

"He's a curse breaker."

"Well, shit." Lily blew hair from her eyes, impressed, "A Curse Breaker and a looker? Nice going, Sophie."

Curse-Breakers were witches and wizards who remove, counter or break curses placed on objects or places for a living. They got paid a shit ton of money by private collectors and big corporations who (stupidly) built on sacred lands. Curse Breakers were smart and quick-witted. They had to be, thanks to their fast paced and always changing jobs.

"I didn't know that Minister Potter had a son." Lily said, once again looking the unsuspecting bloke up and down.

"That's because he went to Durmstrang." Marlene hissed. "His mum's old money from Saudi Arabia and they all go to Drumstrang."

"How do you even know all that?"

"It said so in the article."

Based on the tan skin and white smile, Potter seemed to take after his mum's side of the family. The strong jaw set as he spoke to a boy with a diamond earring before stalking off the field, hands still shoved in his pockets. He passed by Lily and Marlene on the bench but didn't even glance their way, seemingly interested in the color of the grass.

"Doesn't even know we exist." Lily muttered to Marlene who sniggered.

"James!"

That made him turn back to the field, stopping just beyond Lily and Marlene. Sophie Turner laughed drunkenly as she caught up to him.

Sophie flipped her hair over her shoulder, "Are you leaving already?"

Lily watched James Potter closely, his eyes were dark as he considered Sophie. "I've got to meet my dad for dinner, remember?"

"I only remember you promising me a good time." Sophie teased, her red lips curved up impishly.

"This hasn't been a good time?"

James seemed to be in a hurry to leave and Sophie seemed desperate to keep James from his family because her fingers looped around his neck.

"Clearly you need a reminder of what 'a good time' includes Mr. Potter, and it's not quidditch."

Marlene shared a look with Lily. "She's a bit forward."

"I would be too, he's cute." Lily muttered back.

"Lily Evans, you like him." Marlene grinned, pinching Lily's arm.

Lily laughed out loud and then abruptly stopped, realizing what she'd done. Lily's heart thumped when his eyes glanced lazily past Sophie for a moment at Marlene and Lily. Not knowing how else to react, Lily offered Potter a smile and a partial wave as Marley covered her mouth with her hand so he wouldn't catch her smile.

"Sophie, I think this conversation is best had someplace else." He spoke with the posh voice of a aristocrat, and his eyes left Lily as swiftly as they had looked.

Sophie glanced over her shoulder and seemed not the least embarrassed that Lily and Marlene had overheard their attempts to shag each other before dinner with his family. James ran his fingers through his already messy hair and offered Sophie a polite hand. Sophie beamed as she took his hand and he led her off the field. Lily and Marlene watched them go, their silhouettes in the light making Lily slightly sick to her stomach.

"And you thought he didn't know we exist." Marlene winked and Lily's response was to kick her feet out at her friend, making Marlene spill the last of her butterbeer with a laugh.

When the night finally drew to a close and Lily could no longer avoid home any longer, Marlene and Lily parted with hugs and promises to hang out sooner, rather than later. Lily made her way home to northwestern London slowly, not bothering to rush. Her father's old townhouse sat adjacent to a muggle neighborhood and was unplottable so that no muggles could see the caramel colored wooden door or wrought iron covered windows. Lily admired the house by herself as she climbed the steps and opened up the door that led into her childhood home. Inside had been taken over by Lyra and Petunia. Portraits of Petunia covered the walls and one would've assumed Lily was just some random roommate since she appeared in so few photos.

Lyra had an obsession for old family portraits and many long gone members of the Malfoy and Evans family lined the walls. Lily hadn't met much of her father's family seeing as most of them had died before she was adopted so she didn't recognize any of the well tanned faces that smiled down from their portraits. Lyra's family was another story, Lily had met them one too many times when Lyra invited them over for tea. Lily avoided Lyra's side of the family more than she cared to admit; they weren't fans of Lily's guessed heritage. Not everyone in the wizarding world welcomed muggle borns into the society of magical beings.

To some, Lily was a waste of magic…Lyra's family certainly believed that. They called her a 'charity case' and often told Lyra she was 'too kind' for letting Lily stay in the house...even though Lily had lived there a lot longer than Lyra and Petunia.

Sneaking past the sitting room where Lyra snored loudly with a book on her lap, Lily made her way up a tall staircase to the second floor. Petunia's bedroom door was open to the hallway and the young witch sat at a desk studying a book as per usual. Petunia's dull eyes only left the book to stare as Lily snuck into her room across the hall. Once inside of her room, Lily finally felt at home.

It was the only space untouched after her father died. Pictures of Lily and her father lined the yellowing walls. A large Gryffindor banner was hung haphazardly off the side of Lily's desk. Lily's owl, Scarlet, a gift from her father, hooted softly from atop many discarded quidditch notes when Lily closed the door behind her and locked it. Lily cooed at her barn owl gently, going over to the desk where Scarlet stretched out her neck for attention. Lily let her fingers sink into the feather atop Scarlet's head and Scarlet closed her eyes as Lily comforted her.

"How are you girl?" Lily asked the owl softly. "Want to hunt?"

Lily stopped petting Scarlet to lean over the bird and desk, her fingertips catching the edge of her window. Lily's window was the only one in the townhouse without wrought iron bars, allowing her owl to fly in and out at night. Scarlet nipped Lily's arm affectionately before soaring out into the night sky. Lily sighed as she leaned against her desk and put her elbow on the windowsill to prop her head up. For once, it was a clear night and Lily could see the stars twinkling against the navy colored backdrop.

Somewhere up there, her father was staring down at her.

"I miss you."

Another sigh slipped through her lips and she pulled away from the window to fall back into the mattress on the other side of her desk. She pulled her notebook from her bag and flipped through the notes she'd made that night. She ripped the last page out and placed it on her desk with all the other notes she'd made. It seemed silly to write down her thoughts on the quidditch matches she attended like she was a reporter, especially when she had yet to send any of her articles out to magazines...but Lily stayed hopeful that one day someone would want to read what she'd written. Lily hoped that one day, someone would see her worth and potential.

One day, Lily was going to be the most respected sports reporter on the Quidditch circuit. One day, Lily wouldn't have to share the remainder of her father's legacy with her step mother. One day, Lily was going to own her fathers shop. Someday, she didn't know when, but someday soon, Lily would finally dream a dream that was sure to come true.

Next Time:

The broom spun out of the control and she tried to keep her eyes open as she tightened her legs around the shaft and barrel rolled off to the left. Breathing heavily, she managed to pull the broom to a stop and she looked around her for the culprit, expecting some sort of wild animal.

Instead, it was a man with messy black hair and quidditch goggles covering his eyes. He was grinning impishly at her from his own broom, hovering just above the branch. Even though she couldn't see his face she thought he was handsome, he had a nice strong jawline she admired while he (in turn) admired her broomstick.

"That's a wicked broom." he stared at the bristles along the edge and he leaned casually into his broom as if he hadn't just run into Lily, "Is it the newest Silver Star model?"

Welcome to my newest Disney AU! I've loved Cinderella since I was a girl and I have tried writing this jily AU so many times and scrapped idea after idea...until now. I'm so excited for you guys to fall in love with Lily and James all over again. I can't wait for you guys to want to watch Cinderella over and over. I can't wait until you all remember that-with a little magic-anything's possible.

See you guys for the next chapter

xxx

Petals