30 January 1970
The dull, grey winter sunrise was something that had always appealed to him. The freezing weather made the town of Cokeworth seem like a barren, empty wasteland, and the blustering winds had just a perfect amount of bite.
Mother was still sleeping, and Father had left last night (again), without saying where he was going. It would be a few days before he came back, as usual.
Severus' black cloak made a trail behind him as he left Spinner's End and turned the corner into Lily's do-well neighborhood.
He stood across from the two-story brick house, complete with a picket fence. The drapes were closed, but he could see shadows through them; the shadows of Petunia and Lily. He could tell the difference between them. Petunia was thin and still, and a little taller than her younger sister. Lily was shorter, squirmier, and more excited - it was her tenth birthday today, she had reason to be excited. Severus watched her run back and forth, jumping a few times, with a balloon trailing her. He knew she would be up this early. Six in the morning was not unusual for Lily Evans.
Lily couldn't stay still. Today was her tenth birthday! She was two numbers old now. She tried to make herself stay still. Mummy and Dad got mad when she woke up the whole house so early. Her wall clock said it was 5:45 am. All she had to do was wait until six…
Petunia was still fast asleep in her bed across the room. She never woke up early anymore. Lily crept out of her bed, as quiet as could be. She crossed the bedroom and sat on the edge, breathing a heavy sigh of relief when the floor did not creak.
However, the bed dipped and Tuney must have felt it, because she jumped and pushed herself away from her younger sister.
"Lily, get out of my bed."
"It's my birthday!"
"Yes," her sister said sleepily, and rolled over.
Lily frowned at the lack of enthusiasm at her sister. When it was Tuney's birthday two months ago, Lily planned a whole birthday party all by herself!
She gripped her sister's arm and tugged. "Come on, Tuney! I can't wait any longer! Today's my birthday. I'm ten."
"I know. Leave me alone."
"It's not that early. You're just being lazy."
"It's not even six o'clock yet!" snapped Petunia, and gave her sister a light shrug. "Now stuff it, or Mum and Dad are going to wake up!"
Lily frowned. Honestly! Mum said Petunia was being so grumpy lately because she was a "growing girl," but so was Lily, and she wasn't acting so miserable!
Lily huffed and tiptoed back to her own bed, where she laid on top of her quilt and stared at the ceiling, counting the minutes as they passed by.
It was twenty minutes later when she just couldn't stand it anymore; she had to celebrate!
She hopped out of bed, not at all concerned with being quiet - Tuney went to bed early last night, anyway, and who needs sleep, anyway? That had always been something she had never understood.
It took her four big steps to get to her parent's bedroom, and when she did, she cracked the door open before stepping in.
"Mum! Mum, Dad," Lily said in a hushed whisper, jumping up and down with excitement. "It's my birthday!"
They didn't stir.
Lily repeated herself, louder.
Her mother groaned and sighed, sitting up and smiling weakly at her daughter. "Morning, honey. Why don't you go wait in your room quietly for a bit while I try to wake your father up? It's awfully early, Lily, but I'll forgive you. Just today."
"Okay, Mummy, but does that mean I can wake Tuney up?"
"Oh no, let your sister lie in for a bit. It's still dark out."
"I know, but today's a party day! Cake and everything!"
"Go, dear."
Lily skipped out of the room, and bypassed hers on her way down the stairs to their main floor. She closed the drapes at the front of the house and turned on the gas light in their living room, rocking back and forth.
She wondered if she would get her special breakfast on her birthday.
Thinking about a special breakfast.. three weeks ago exactly, when it was Severus's tenth birthday, she had asked Mum if he could have a special birthday breakfast, too, because he was her best friend in the whole wide world and everyone deserved a nice, warm meal on the morning of their birthday.
But Mum had said no, and she'd best stay away from that Spinner's End boy, too, because boys from their spell nothing but trouble. Mum was being stupid, she thought.
Lily felt guilty for even thinking that about her mother in her head and shook the thought.
Tuney came down the stairs, her long nightgown wrinkled and her hair in complete disarray.
"Need a hairbrush?" Lily chirped.
Petunia looked miserable. "Leave me alone. Happy birthday and whatnot, but it's still much too early for you to go waking the entire house up." They stood and stared at each other in front of the window for a moment, before Petunia sat on the couch and closed her eyes.
Nothing, not even Petunia in the morning, could bring down Lily on such a wonderful day. She was not a mere nine year old, she was ten! There was a large difference between having a one digit age compared to having a two digit age.
Lily opened the curtains, feeling wholly happy. There was a fair, even layer of snow covering the rooftops and across the ground, matching the light grey of the sky. Lily marveled at how soft and smooth the snow looked - there was only one imperfection, a pair of faded tracks in the snow leading around the corner of her street.
a/n - it is June, and I miss the snow. Why?
For Puddles, Captain, using the character Lily Evans, pre-Hogwarts.