Very little happens in Cokeworth. At least, nothing ever happened in Cokeworth when Lily was around. It seemed as if time stood perfectly still during the summer months, and moved impossibly fast the rest of the year. Summer vacation has come and gone, yet Lily felt as though she'd spent a lifetime watching the clouds roll by.
Lily contemplated this as she sat on the porch step of her childhood home sipping her too-hot cup of tea. The sun beat down on her shoulders, reminding her that her choice of beverage was not weather-appropriate, but even though it burned her throat and flushed her skin she sipped it pensively. Nothing happens in Cokeworth, except each time Lily returns she finds it unrecognisable.
"Lily, are you ready to leave?" Her father nudged her as he passed, dragging her luggage to the car.
Am I? Lily wondered absently.
"Be right there!" She called out to her father, grimacing as she swiftly finished her tea. Her mother swept the cup from her hands as she made her way into the kitchen.
"I've got that," her mother smiled, "you're going to be late."
Lily hugged her mother tightly. "I'll miss you."
Her mother squeezed her a little tighter. "And I, you, my Lily-flower. Now don't keep your father waiting." Lily released her mother and glanced to the stairs where Petunia stood haughtily.
"I'll see you at Christmas, Tunie." Lily said awkwardly.
"So soon?" Petunia scrunched her nose and walked back up the stairs.
Lily couldn't help but compare this departure to her first time leaving for Hogwarts; Her mother cried, her father carried her luggage all the way to the train, and Petunia clung to her at the station, begging her not to leave. How had time changed them so completely? Luckily, Lily's burgeoning melancholy was quickly interrupted by the loud honking of a car in the driveway.
"That's your father, dear, you better get going." Her mother kissed her hurriedly on the top of the head and all but pushed her out the front door. "Don't forget to write!"
Lily waved to her mother as she jogged to the car where her father waited. He honked merrily as they peeled out of the driveway, making Lily laugh.
"The neighbours are going to think you've gone mad," she said.
Her father grinned down at her. "Perhaps I have."
King's Cross Station looked the same as it always did. Bright and bustling, the sounds of feet shuffling and trains blowing their horns nearly drown out the low chatter of the crowd. Lily elbowed her way through until she managed to find an unoccupied bench not too far from Platform 9 ¾. Today was September 1st, and for the past six years Lily had eagerly awaited the train right on the platform, accompanied by her parents and her sister. This year, however, Petunia had an oh so urgent appointment she needed her mother to drive her to, and her father was running late to a meeting, so instead she sat on a bench and she observed the muggles going about their business.
She winced in sympathy when a man dropped his briefcase painfully on his toe, and nearly laughed out loud when a doting grandmother pinched her granddaughter's cheeks a little too enthusiastically. She watched a girl her age tearfully saying goodbye to her parents. Her uniform and luggage tag indicated she too was headed off to boarding school. Lily stares after them for a long while, wondering how her life would have been if she hadn't been born a witch. Maybe her family would have come this year, too.
Lily wiped an errant tear away from her face and stood up quite suddenly. Enough feeling sorry for yourself, Lily. Some moody monster had grabbed control of her, apparently. Lily made her way quickly now to the platform where the Hogwarts Express waiting patiently for its passengers.
"Lily!" A familiar voice called out to her the second she stepped within view of the platform. Lily took a deep breath, and reminded herself that she was happy to be here.
"Marlene! It's been ages!" Lily hugged Marlene tightly. Marlene grabbed Lily's luggage and headed towards the train.
"You sure waited until the last minute; Mary and I have been here since ten!" Marlene said.
"You saved me a spot anyway, didn't you?" Lily teased.
"You know me, ever forgiving." Marlene stuck her tongue out at Lily as they boarded. "You should see Emmaline's new haircut, it looks amazing." Marlene was right, Lily noted, as they approached the compartment her friends had snagged near the front of the train. Emmaline's long dark locks had been cut to a neat bob that curled around her cheeks.
The girls all squealed and said their hellos when Lily and Marlene entered the compartment. Each girl had grown up a little over the summer, Lily noted absentmindedly. They were all legal adults in the wizarding world now, but Lily still felt like a child. Dorcas had lost her father this summer, Lily knew, so she held onto her just a little longer than the others. After a short period of gossip and catching up, Lily excused herself to head to the prefects' meeting, which she would be heading alongside the Head Boy.
Apparently the universe had a sense of humour, because she bumped into him quite literally on her way to the very front of the train.
"E-Evans!" Potter straightened his glasses, which she had knocked askew. "I don't know if you heard-"
"You're Head Boy, yes I know. Remus owled me." Lily said, kneeling to pick up her notes for the meeting. "Merlin knows what Dumbledore was thinking." Potter ran his fingers nervously through his hair.
"Yeah, well, it came as a surprise to me too. Mum cried when she saw the letter." Lily looked up at him.
"Well I certainly hope you'll take it seriously, because I do." Lily stood and handed him a the notes she had made for him. Potter opened his mouth to speak, but Lily interrupted him. "I'll lead this first meeting, since you weren't a prefect and haven't been to one yet, but I'll expect you to put forward equal effort in the future." Potter nodded slowly, eyes scanning her notes. She walked past him into the Prefects' compartment without another word.
It's going to be a long year.