Alllll right, enough self-congrats
and upward and onward...the usual disclaimers that characters that avid
HP readers and movie-watchers recognize don't belong to the current author;
they all belong to JK Rowlings. Thanks, JK, esp. for creating the
wonderful Lily and her enchanting son! So, now begins Lily
and her friends' fourth year where they'll enter adolescence and puberty,
become aware of the good, the beautiful and the bad and ugly in the world...
The Transition: Year Four at Hogwarts
By: CNJ
PG-13
1: Exchanges
"Lily's thinking of becoming either a psychologist or a barrister when she grows up," Mum told her friend Olivia Roy on a warm afternoon in mid-July. They were in the kitchen talking and I was out in the backyard lying on the grass. I was completing my last summer homework assignment.
"Good thing, since she's what...almost fourteen?" Olivia responded. "She's always struck me as a very together young girl...now if my own fifteen-year old had such clear plans..."
I smiled softly as I listened on and off to my mum and her friend talk about us kids. Olivia has a daughter who's fifteen. I myself will be fourteen in two months and will start my fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sound like a strange name? Well, not to most magical people, but to most non-magic people, also known as muggles, it sounds unusual.
I've been a Hogwarts student since I was eleven. The school runs seven years. Some witches and wizards like my friend, Zara Vinn, come from families that are all magical, while others, like my other friend, Amelia Kovacs, come from families that are a fine mix of muggles and magical. Still others like myself come from all muggle families.
I finished the assignment, closed my books and sat back, letting out my breath in relief. It was a very hot day...in the eighties at least, which is unusual for London, England. I think I dozed off there on the grass because the next thing I knew, Mum was calling me to help her set the table for dinner. I gathered my books and went in.
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"...so can Amelia and Zara sleep over tomorrow night?" I asked Mum and Dad at dinner.
"Sure..." They nodded.
"Thanks." I'd owl them after dinner and invite them over. Just then, my older sister, Petunia came barreling in with her boyfriend, Vernon in tow.
"Hey, you started without me?" she whined.
"You know we eat at six-thirty," Mum told her firmly. Petunia heaved a gusty sigh and sat, moving Vernon in as if he'd been invited to dinner.
"Hello, Vernon..." Dad said. "We still have some asparagus and rice if you want to help yourself to some of that." Vernon pulled one of the living room chairs and sat and nearly emptied out the rice dish into his plate. Petunia whispered something and Vernon then snickered with a mouthful of food.
"Petunia...no whispering at the table," Mum told her.
"Can't I even have some privacy around here with my boyfriend with my freak of a sister listening in?" Petunia complained, fanning herself with a pile of napkins.
"Not at the dinner table and especially not if you call your sister names," Dad stated. I mainly tried to ignore Petunia and Vernon and just kept eating, even though my stomach had tightened. Petunia's nineteen and the biggest pain in the arse. Vernon's even worse. It'd be nice if she moved out, so I wouldn't have to dread holidays, but so far she hasn't shown any sign of it, even though she dropped out of school at sixteen and still doesn't have a job yet. I just hope my parents don't let her mooch off them indefinitely and certainly hope they don't let Vernon move in here. Several times this summer, Petunia's brought Vernon over without consulting my parents.
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"What do you mean, Vernon can't stay over this weekend?!" I could hear my sister bellowing the next morning. It was Friday morning and tonight my friends would be here.
"First of all, Vernon dropped in again without our consent and secondly, Lily's having her friends over this weekend," Mum told her.
"That little abnormality ruins everything for me!" Petunia threw something across the room. I could hear a smash of a dish or cup. "You let her freaky, abnormal friends here at all hours, yet you don't let my normal boyfriend over for even a day!!"
"That's enough out of you!" Dad told her. "Go upstairs right this minute, tell Vernon that he has to leave, that other company's coming, and you might want to stay up there for the rest of the morning and think over how selfishly you've been acting."
"Go!" Mum added after a pause in which I knew Petunia was giving my parents nasty looks. Petunia stormed up the stairs and I could hear the door to her room slam. I heard Vernon and Petunia's low voices complaining, then Vernon barreling down the stairs and out of the house, banging the door. I turned over in my bed and let out my breath in relief.
I think now my parents are less tolerant of Petunia's nonsense. I'm glad they stood up to her tantrum today. Once I was sure Petunia was going to stay in her room at least for the morning, I got up, got dressed and headed down for something to eat.
"Good morning, dear," Mum greeted. "There's some tea in the pot if you want some."
"Morning...thanks," I poured myself some.
"Hey, hope we didn't wake you..." Dad rinsed out his tea cup and plate.
"I was already awake," I
made myself a toast with apple butter and sat. My parents looked
at each other in worry and I knew they still wanted to talk about what
was going on with Petunia, but were reluctant to do it in front of me.
I myself try not to let my parents know how much Petunia still often bothers
me. I guess I don't want to trouble them even more than they are
already by Petunia's behavior. It's something that I haven't even
told my friends much about. They have an idea; they've been
over here before and have seen Petunia's nasty attitude, so they know what
she's like. But I don't think they or my parents know the full extent
of Petunia's bullying...of me and her bullying of others that I've witnessed.
More later!