A/N: Hello fellow fan fiction readers! This is my first fan fic, so be nice. The first chapter may seem a little boring, so bear with me.
Disclaimer: Just about everything in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling. I only own the plot and a couple of characters.
Chapter 1- My life so far
2nd of August, 1977
Hi all! My name is Lily Evans and this is my diary. I feel silly saying 'dear diary,' as talking to things that can't talk back is generally not a good sign. So instead I am going to write in it like I'm explaining my life to a futuristic person or persons. Who knows, maybe the human civilization will be wiped out and my diary will be the only clue some bunch of aliens has to what it was like for us humans.
Ok, time to return to reality. Well, first of all I'm a fourteen year old witch who recently completed her fourth year at Hogwarts. This year I have been made a Prefect. I have long red hair that runs halfway to my waist. It's not frizzy or anything, but it doesn't like being tied up all the same. I have pale skin and green eyes. I am 5 feet 5 inches tall. Oh, and I blush a horrid shade of red when I am angry, nervous, embarrassed or excited. Very annoying.
It is currently the holidays which means I am spending most of my time amongst muggles as most of my family are indeed non magic folk. We live in Putney in London in a nice little house. I've got an older sister, Petunia and then there's my parents. We also have three cats. Rosemary is the oldest. She is mostly black except that her paws are white as well as her stomach and the tip of her tail. The other two cats are her offspring. They were born when I was eight. Petunia took the kitten with long white fur and patches of grey here and there. She called him Mr Cloud, which I thought was a very stupid name for a cat. I took the other kitten which was completely black. I called her Slinky because right from birth she was always turning up in unexpected places, and had been known to trip quite a few people in the middle of the night. It was really quite alarming to bump into what seemed to be a solid lump of darkness on the way to the bathroom.
I don't know exactly why, but Petunia has always hated Slinky. I think it might be something to do with the whole 'black cats are a sign of evil' or something. Then again it could just be because she is my cat. Petunia and I have never gotten along. Our opinions are very different. For one, Petunia can't stand anything odd. She's a very controlling person. She likes to know everything and she doesn't like being surprised. You can guess how she reacted when I got my letter to Hogwarts. I can still remember the look on her face. It was like the sky was falling down.
Mummy went into hysterics. She danced around the kitchen whilst my daddy looked at the kitchen floor like he was trying to figure out why it was a kitchen floor.
As for me, I was completely shocked. I had always known that there was something about my family that I didn't know, but this had never occurred to me. I mean, how would you react if at eleven years old, someone just wrote to let you know that you were a witch and that magic was real and on top of all that, you got to go to a school to learn spells. It was like being told that you were really the princess of some wonderful kingdom. It wasn't until mummy went to call my Aunt Harriet that it all began to fit into place. You see my Aunt was a witch herself. She was the only one in the family (apart from me) but no one talked about it much. I thought my family just thought her strange. She lived alone in a little house in the countryside. I had only been there twice, but I loved it. It was full of odd gadgets and things. She had no electricity, except for the telephone. Instead she had candles scattered throughout each room. I always wondered how she could light them all as some of them were set quite high. But now I knew. She was a real witch. She used magic. And I was going to learn how to as well.
When mummy got off the phone, she said that Aunt Harriet would come over next week to take me to buy my school supplies. School supplies. I picked up my letter. Sure enough there was a list. My mouth fell open as I read it.
Uniform
First-years will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)Please note all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
At this point I was trying to imagine what it would be like to wear a black robe and a pointed hat to school. It seemed so weird.
Set Books
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
A wand, I got a wand! My imagination was having a field day as I thought about what I would do to Petunia.
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE ALSO REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Broomsticks? I think I almost fainted out of surprise and excitement. And I could take a cat. Did that mean that everyone lived at school? Yippee, I would be away from Petunia!
I think I spent the following week floating around like I was in a dream. I do remember a barely stopped smiling. It was quite a contrast to Petunia who had a scowl plastered on her face most of the time. She was furious that our parents were taking it seriously. For the first time in her life, I think Petunia was actually hoping someone would jump out yelling, 'Surprise!' at any moment.
When Aunt Harriet arrived for me the following Tuesday, I felt like I was going to explode from excitement. When I answered to door, she swept me up in a hug.
"I just knew it!" Aunt Harriet said as she gave me an enthusiastic hug. Aunt Harriet is a middle aged woman of medium hight. Her pinkish face is always lit up by a smile. Her hair is shoulder length and slightly wavy. I can never decide whether her hair is blond or brown, so lets say it's somewhere in between. She has watery blue eyes and usually wears similar shades of blue, with the exception of her jackets which always look like they have been made out of assorted quilts.
My mother gave Aunt Harriet the money for my school supplies then kissed me goodbye.
"If I didn't have to buy Petunia's uniform, I would come. Just make sure to tell me about everything when you get home."
Aunt Harriet and I waved goodbye as we drove off in her little old car. Aunt Harriet drove right into the heart of London. But we didn't stop there. We passed the shopping malls and the big corporate buildings as I began to wonder exactly where I was going to find a cauldron or a pointed hat. A costume shop was one of the places I considered, but it didn't seem likely.
At last Aunt Harriet parked the car in a supermarket car park. By this time I was thoroughly lost. The only thing I could tell about the area was that it was one of the older parts of London. Aunt Harriet took my hand and lead me along street after street until I began to wonder if we were lost. There isn't a lot of parking in this part of London. After all, wizards don't drive cars.
"They use broomsticks, right?" I said as much to myself as to Aunt Harriet.
"Amongst other things." She replied.
I was busy trying to figure out what else wizards might use to get from one place to another when Aunt Harriet stopped in front of an old inn. The sign read 'The Leaky Cauldron.'
"We're going to find my school supplies in an inn?" I asked Aunt Harriet.
"No silly. We're going to get them in Diagon Alley. The entrance is through The Leaky Cauldron."
"Oh." I said a she opened the door for me. The interior was dark and dingy. People wearing odd clothes sat at tables, murmuring quietly to one another. A few people looked at us briefly, the bartender even nodded at Aunt Harriet who returned the nod. I stared at the man. He was the most normal looking person in the room, except that his apron had various sorts of odd hats printed on it. I blinked trying to see the pattern better. They looked like they were moving. Not moving, dancing. I didn't get a chance to ask about this as Aunt Harriet pulled me through another door into a small courtyard. This confused me even more, especially when Aunt Harriet pulled a long thin piece of wood out of a pocket in her jacket.
"This," she explained, "is a wand. You will get one of your own. Every magical place has spells on it to hide it, and to protect it. This is so that only a person who wants to find the place can do so. After all, we couldn't have muggles just strolling in, they would be horribly confused."
"What are muggles?" I asked.
"Those without magic. Like your parents or your sister. Most people don't know about the magical world, and it's best kept that way. Imagine how jealous muggles would get. Besides, it would take a lot of work convincing them." Aunt Harriet beamed. "Ready then?"
I nodded.
"Off we go then." Aunt Harriet tapped one of the bricks with the point of her wand three times. I looked at her, waiting for some instruction on what to do next. She simply winked at me and pointed to the wall. There was a hole in the brick she had just tapped. A moment later the hole was a big as a window. A second later it had become an archway. What lay beyond the archway made me feel like fainting.
Aunt Harriet laughed at the expression on my face. "Well don't just stand there silly." She said as she walked through the archway and into the street that had just been revealed.
As I followed her a gawped at the shops on each side of the street, or more correctly, alley. I didn't get much of a chance to look though, as Aunt Harriet was making a bee line for the biggest building. It seemed to tower over the other shops. IT was made out of some kind of white stone. Carved into the stone was the word 'Gringotts.'
"Let me warn you." Said Aunt Harriet as they walked up the steps. "Gringotts is the wizarding bank, and one of the safest places for keeping anything valuable, remember that. The creature who run it are Goblins. I'm telling you this because they can look quite, err, well unfriendly. But don't worry, they won't hurt you.
Indeed the Goblins did look rather alarming. I tried not to stare, but they were so fascinating. Aunt Harriet went to one of the many counters and took out the money my mother had given her.
"I would like to make an exchange." She said to the Goblin.
"How much?" asked the Goblin in a voice that sounded to me like a plastic bottle being squashed. Ok, maybe not quite.
"Two-hundred muggle pounds." Aunt Harriet replied, handing over the money.
The Goblin inspected the noted briefly before taking out some coins that I did not recognise. This biggest were gold and looked to be worth more than any coin I had seen before. There was also slightly smaller silver coins and even smaller bronze ones. The Goblin counted them out then handed them over to Aunt Harriet.
"The gold ones are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles. There are seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, and twenty-nine bronze Knuts to a Sickle." I just nodded, trying to get my head around it all.
I can't remember a lot after leaving Gringotts. I remember that we bought my books first, then it was off to Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. I tried not to stare at the other children of around my age. I kept wondering if they were any different, because they had lived in the magical world all of their lives. Did they think I was a freak? Suddenly Hogwarts seemed much scarier than before. Hundreds of questions flew through my head. They were still with me as I purchased the rest of my equipment except for my wand. When I did reach Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C., I was just about ready to tell Aunt Harriet that a really didn't want to be a witch anymore and if I could just go home. But Mr Ollivander fixed me with his silvery eyes and began to explain to me about what made a wand. A was so fascinated about it that I clean forgot to ask to go home. I tried a few different wands, eager to find my wand, as Mr Ollivander put it. After a couple of minutes a knew I had found the right one. It was Ten and a quarter inches and made of willow. When I picked it up, it fitted into my hand like it was made for me. Almost immediately the wand grew warm beneath my fingers. A gave it a wave, and to my great pleasure it left a trail of green and gold stars.
"Wonderful." cried Mr Ollivander, looking pleased. "Nice for Charm work." He said as he placed it in it's box.
Aunt Harriet payed for the wand and handed it over to me. I fell asleep in the car on the way home, still clutching the box.
~*~
Well, now you know the start. I have to go to bed now. Petunia and I share a room and she can't sleep with my lamp on. Or so she says.
5th of August, 1977
Just so you know, I won't write in this every day. Mummy keeps finding new things for us to clean so I'll probably be too tired to write most of the time. Honestly, you would think she saves up all the cleaning until the summer holidays.
Anyway, introducing…
My first year at Hogwarts!
Well, not really. Just the important bits.
Most of my summer was spent reading. Yes, I admit that I am a bookworm. I read my school books about twice, as well as some other books I picked up at the local library. I found my school books fascinated. Aunt Harriet had stayed late into the night, answering my questions. She explained about Quidditch and about the four houses of Hogwarts. She even showed me some spells, after explaining that it would take years of practice before I could do anything big. The restrictions on magic outside of school dampened my spirits very slightly. But, I have my whole life to prank Petunia, waiting a few years won't matter.
Eventually September the 1st arrived. A letter had arrived the previous week, explaining how to get onto platform 9 ¾ and at what time the train left (11am). It also contained my ticket. My mother drove me to the station. My father had said goodbye to me earlier that morning as he had to rush off to work. Petunia had been forced to come. The idea of walking through a brick barrier; to get onto a platform, seemed like utter lunacy to her. She even tried to suggest that it was a trick and that Hogwarts didn't really exist. When I pointed out that the pranker must have millions to go to the trouble of setting up Diagon Alley, she gave up. Instead she tutted at regular intervals, much to my amusement.
Mother looked quite frightened when we reached the barrier between platform nine and platform ten. I decided to go first. It was already 10:30 and I wanted to be on the train early, just in case. I walked up to the barrier and touched it. It looked solid enough, but the tip of my finger disappeared into it when I prodded it. I smiled at mummy and Petunia and leant against the barrier. As I passed through, I pulled my trolley with my trunk on it through. The platform on the other side was indeed platform 9 ¾. A sign read 'Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock.' I looked back at the barrier as mummy and Petunia came through. Petunia looked as though someone had just dumped a bucket of slime on her head. My mother looked quite relieved as she inspected the platform, pretending walking through walls came naturally to her. A number of families already stood on the platform, talking to their children. Those obviously older than me looked excited and not at all nervous. This made me feel much better. Most of the families looked to be wizards as their muggle clothes looked a little mismatched. I decided to stay on the platform and talk to my mother a bit. I hadn't been away from my parents for more than two weeks before. We talked for a while, all the while Petunia make impatient noises. The platform gradually got more crowded and people began to put their trunks in the compartments.
"You better go dear. I imagine the compartments are filling up fast." She hugged me fiercely. "Let us know if anything is wrong, or if you have forgotten anything."
"I will, but it will have to be by owl." I replied, trying to keep my voice from cracking on me.
"You're not sending a dirty great owl to us just because you forgot a pair of socks!" Petunia said, glaring at me.
"Petunia, don't be rude. You won't see your sister until Christmas. Won't you miss her?"
Petunia and I glared at each other, making it clear we wouldn't miss each other the slightest.
My mother gave us an exasperated look before giving me a last hug and a kiss. "Good luck sweetie, make us proud." And with that she was gone.
Trying to swallow the apricot sized lump in my throat, I wheeled my trolley over to the train. I seized the handles and tried to lift the trunk, but it was way too heavy. Just then, a girl came to the door that I was trying to shove my trunk through. She had black hair even longer than mine. Her skin had an olive tinge to it. He eyes looked as grey as stone. The thing that most stood out though was how tall she was. Well, she wasn't that much taller than me. I think it was something to do with how she held herself. I guess I'll never know.
"Do you need help with your trunk?" She smiled kindly.
"Yes." I simply said. I was feeling a bit bewildered.
She stepped off the train with perfect grace and stood on the opposite side of the trunk. Between us we managed to store the trunk in the compartment she was sitting in. I carefully put the cage containing Slinky on one of the seats and sat next it.
There was a moment of silence whilst I gathered the courage to talk to this older girl.
"What year are you in?" I managed to stutter.
"First." She replied, to my amazement. "You too?" she asked.
I nodded.
"My name's Emmeline Moon." She said, holding out her hand.
I shook it. "Lily Evans." I replied.
Just then the train started to move. I felt my stomach jolt. It was really happening. I was going to Hogwarts.
I tried to find something else to say, to get my mind off of Hogwarts. "Do you mind if I let my cat out?" I asked.
"No, of course not." Emmeline replied. "I love cats."
I took Slinky out and place her on my lap. She stretched elegantly before jumping off my lap to inspect Emmeline. "Her name's Slinky. But I call her Slink most of the time."
"She's beautiful."
Slinky remained the main topic of conversation for most of the trip out of London. After a while, I decided to go and explore the train. Emmeline said she would prefer to read. She said she could watch Slink too.
I made my way up the train, every now and then stopping to regain my balance. I passed several people, but most were too busy chasing someone else to take any notice of me. I could hear laughter coming from a compartment door which had been left open. Curious, I peeked inside. Four girls sat in the apartment, talking to each other.
One of them noticed her. "Hey, are you in First year?" she enquired.
"Yeah." I replied, trying to sound casual.
"So are we. Come and join our group." She smiled a very toothy smile at me.
I walked over cautiously and took a seat.
"My name is Clare and these are my friends Sarah, Ammedy and Jennih." Clare flicked her blonde hair over shoulder.
"My name is Lily." I answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable. They were all staring at me with polite interest.
"It's nice to meet you Lily. Just call me Am." Said Ammedy. She had black wavy hair and very dark skin. Her eyes were almost as dark as her hair.
"Do you know what house you're going to be in?" asked Jennih. Her hair was brown with blonde streaks in it. I noticed, to my annoyance, that she was wearing rather a lot of make-up.
"No." I said, a bit panicky. Aunt Harriet had explained about the sorting ceremony, but what if they had changed the rules since her school days? What if a letter had been sent, informing me, except I hadn't got it? With considerable effort I pushed back these thoughts and focused on what Ammedy was saying.
-"My mother thinks I should be in Slytherin. She says there's honour in being in such a pure house." She announced proudly.
Just then there was a knock on the door. An old lady had appeared in the doorway, with a lunch trolley.
"I should get back to my compartment." I said to the four girls, glad of an excuse to leave. I made a mental note to myself to try not to be in the same house as them.
Emmeline was still engrossed in her book when I got back to our compartment. Slink was asleep beside her.
"The lunch trolley is coming." I told her.
Emmeline smiled, put her book away and stretched, a perfect imitation of a cat. "Find anything interesting?" she asked.
"Nothing except a group of girls. The way they were talking, I bet they end up in Slytherin." I added.
"Most of my family ended up in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. But I would hate to be in Slytherin myself." She explained.
"All of my family are muggles, except for my Aunt Harriet. She was in Hufflepuff." I was suddenly feeling very conscious of my non-magic family.
Emmeline smiled. "I've never known anyone who was muggle born. You can teach me all about them!"
~*~
An hour later there was a knock on our compartment door. "Come in." I called.
Two boys entered, both sporting huge grins. The two boys appeared to be the same age as me. They could have easily been mistaken for brothers as they both had jet black hair and were about the same height. Though one of them was wearing glasses and had gold-brown eyes whilst the other had blue eyes.
The one with blue eyes bowed to me and Emmeline. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Sirius Black and my friend here is James Potter."
James Potter also bowed. "And who might you fine ladies be?" he asked, trying to sound pompous.
I glanced over at Emmeline, quite amused by the boys. Emmeline however had her nose buried in her book once more, avoiding their eyes.
"I'm Lily Evans." I replied. "And this is Emmeline Moon." I looked over at Emmeline, but she was still ignoring the two boys.
"Well, it's an honour to meet you both." James Potter grinned. "Now if you will excuse us, we have plenty of people to meet still."
Emmeline watched the two boys leave over the top of her book. "Sorry, I'm not very confident around boys." She explained.
I nodded. I had never had this problem, in fact I often preferred talking to boys than girls. They didn't gossip for one thing, or wear large amounts of make-up.
Soon it was time to change into out school robes. Then, before I knew it, I was stepping out onto the cold station platform. By this time my nerves had returned at full strength. I could feel my cheeks burning. I think Emmeline had to practically drag me over to the boats that awaited the first years.
When Hogwarts came into view, there was a collective gasp. The castle stood in all it's glory, many of it's windows twinkling with candle light. The groundskeeper, Hagrid, guided the boats under the castle and along a dark tunnel. There we saw a small cave like a harbour. The boats pulled up to the rocky shore and we all clambered out. I was glad to see that I was not the only one who felt nervous. Emmeline had clutching a fistful of the sleeve of my uniform.
The groundskeeper led us to the huge oak front door. A stern woman in her late forties opened the door. She led us inside whilst explaining to us that we were to wait until the other students were seated in the great hall before entering. She also said that her name was Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall returned only minutes later to guide us into the Great Hall. As we walked between the tables, I felt the eyes of the older students. The silence was eerie and certainly didn't help my nerves.
I can't remember the song the sorting hat sung, my nerves seemed to have taken over my senses by that point. I watched as people were sorted. Sirius Black was put into Gryffindor. All too soon it was my turn.
"Evans, Lily." Professor McGonagall called out.
I walked up to the stool and sat down. I shoved the hat on my head, willing it to place me quickly. I was quite shocked when I heard the hat mumbling to itself. The hat was over my eyes, so I couldn't see if anyone could hear the voice.
"Hmm." Said the hat. "Interesting…"
I was about to ask what was so interesting when the hat spoke.
"Gryffindor!" it announced.
I pulled the hat off my hat and ran over to the Gryffindor table. Polite clapping greeted me as I sat down.
To my relief, Clare and Jennih were placed in Ravenclaw. Sarah and Ammedy were put in Slytherin.
I was also very happy when Emmeline was made a Gryffindor. I moved over so that she could sit next to me. James Potter was also made a Gryffindor. Sirius Black gave him a hearty clap on the back as he took his seat.
By the time the puddings were being served, I was just about asleep. I can't even remember my first glimpse of the common room or my dormitory. All I saw was my pillow.
~*~
Well, thus end the telling of my first day at Hogwarts. James Potter and Sirius Black became the biggest prankers I have ever met. Somehow they managed to drag one Remus Lupin and a Peter Pettigrew into their games. Usually I wouldn't have minded their pranks, but they had a habit of dumping a dung bomb in the common room right whilst I was trying to do my homework. This and their constant assault of the unsuspecting (often Slytherins), led me to launch an attack on the four 'Marauders' as they called themselves. I could often be seen yelling at the four whenever I caught them at their tricks. It didn't help that they found it amusing to see me red faced, telling them to grow up.
So that's how I have spent the last four years. Scolding the Marauders, Doing homework and enjoying my friend's company. The other two girls in my dormitory are Jess and Annie. They were cousins, but the resemblance in character, if not looks was uncanny. They were extremely energetic, which can be a pain at six o'clock in the morning. They provide a source of constant amusement as they are always having fights about nothing in particular. But, they always make it up in a day or two.
Well, that's my story so far. Petunia was been throwing various soft toys at me for the past fifteen minutes. I'm guessing she wants me to turn my light off. Goodnight!
A/N: Questions, comments, constructive criticism? Review and make my day.
