Hello, I Love You
Chapter 1: The Letters – Part 1
A loud, girlish scream tore through the house.
If you live with Petunia Evans that's a bit of a usual occurrence.
Fortunately Lily Evans had an aversion to screaming, she felt it made her weak. She hated being weak. She shared this trait with James Potter. Although at this point in time, June 22nd, she had no clue. Nor would she for a few years. Not until November 7th 1976, when Lily and James were in 6th year when she caught him at the top of the astronomy tower, crying his eyes out. As it was, right now she didn't even know what astronomy was. She was 11 for Merlin's sake, who knows what astronomy is when they're 11?
Lily was, as previously mentioned, 11. She was a bit short for her age, but only by about 3 inches. She was pale, with a smattering of light freckles across her nose and cheeks. But these weren't the things that people noticed when they saw Lily. The first was her bright, intelligent, emerald eyes. The kind of eyes that you knew hid both knowledge and an ability to see right through a lie. The second thing was her hair, whilst not a bright fiery red, or a weasley-esque ginger, it was, in its own right, an inferno-like auburn. It looked like it would burn whoever came into contact with it (and not mildly either).
The phenomenon that caused the patented "Petunia Evans scream" was a large Barn Owl. It had flown through the open kitchen window and landed gracefully on the kitchen counter. It had already started nipping at the bacon Mrs. Evans had made for Petunia when Lily entered the kitchen intending to investigate what had scared her beloved sister so much.
Lily didn't scream when she saw the bird.
She actually it was thought kind of funny.
That is why she started laughing at the look on Petunia's face, when she returned to the kitchen with a broom and the Evans elders in tow
"Why is there an owl in my kitchen?" was the first thing out of Mrs. Evans mouth.
"It's obviously out to ruin my life!" Petunia whinged
"Or it's simply here to deliver a letter, I mean really Petunia you can be overdramatic sometimes." Lily remarked quietly
"Letter?" Petunia replied, her interest piqued
Lily then pointed at a white envelope that was tied to the bird's leg. It appeared to be made out of some kind of thick paper and it had writing on the front of it, in green ink of all colours.
"Why does the letter have your name on it honey?" Lily's mother asked
"This all seems rather odd to me! Stay back Lily, I shall investigate this, god knows what it could be!" Lily's grandfather interrupted before Lily had a chance to reply
Lily's grandfather was a member of the armed forces during the Second Worlds War. And had been in the armed force, up until his retirement in '52. After that he joined the police, he was a desk jockey now, five years away from retirement, but he seemed to enjoy it, although he did seem to search for an opportunity to get back into action. Lily loved him for it but it could get annoying sometimes.
This was one of those times.
But she was too polite to say anything.
Lily's grandfather stepped towards the bird, surprisingly stealthily for such an old man, upon noticing the man approaching her, Lily reckoned the owl was a girl; the bird flew off to the top of a cupboard.
"Huh." Grandfather Evans said
"How about I try Granddad? I mean it is just an owl" Lily asked
She could see the worry in her grandfather's eyes, but then he said she could go ahead, so calling the bird down and promising that it wouldn't get harmed, it flew down and landed by the bacon again. Lily walked towards the bird and it held out its leg. Lily reached out and took the letter from the owl's leg and looked at the front:
Miss L. Evans
The Pink bedroom
3, Rowling Row
St. Alban's
Upon delivering its charge, the Barn owl took flight out of the open window it entered through.
"That's creepy. How do they know which room I sleep in?" Lily asked sounding slightly scared
"I don't know what to-" Lily's mother began, but was interrupted by the doorbell.
"I'll get it. All this freakish stuff going on is too weird." Petunia said
She turned around and left the room, then answering the door screamed again.
"What now?" Lily wondered aloud whilst walking to the front door, she passed Petunia in the corridor, she was muttering under her breath about weird old freaks. Lily, suddenly much more interested, walked to the door.
"Good morning Mr..?" Lily asked by way of greeting
"HelloMiss. Evans, I'm Professor Dumbledore. I'm here to tell you about Hogwarts." An old man with long silver hair, a waist length silver beard, who was wearing purple robes that were very simply, and yet ornately, decorated with various moons and stars replied.
"James, would you please make your hair lie flat and get dressed? We're going to a very important ball in an hour, and you still aren't dressed, I bet you haven't even showered." A woman said sternly
"But muuuuuum, I don't wanna go to this stupid ball! It'll be full of boring old people!" James replied in a whiney voice.
"JAMES TRISTAN POTTER!" James' mother shouted, startling James, "ARE YOU CALLING ME OLD?"
"What? No of course not mum, you're only 430 years old, that's young in my book." James replied cheekily, winking at his mother.
A man entered the room before James' mother could retort, attempting to diffuse the situation. Unfortunately seeing as he too had his hair jutting about all over the place and was attempting to tie his tie, and failing admirably, despite having to put one on every day for work, he just further angered James' mother
"YOU!" She yelled, the man paled "TELL YOUR SON TO GET DRESSED." She then turned to James and, putting her face about three inches from his, in a deadly whisper told him "And I'm only 43, so shut it, or I'll personally make sure you never play for Gryffindor quidditch team. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Janet." James' father replied
James just nodded, pale faced.
"Well you heard her lad, stop reading 'Quidditch through the Ages' for the, what is it now, 6th time?" James' father asked
"7th."
"Well stop reading and start getting ready. Come on, Mad-Eye is gonna be at this one."
The young boy's face lit up with excitement "Really?" he asked
"Really."
"Really really?"
"Really really."
"Brilliant. I'll get ready now!" James replied and jumped up, barrelling out of the door and down the hall to the bathroom.
James, like his father, had jet black hair that stuck up in odd places and would only lie flat when soaking wet. He also wore identical glasses to his father, thinking that anything that made him look similar to the Ministry's best and brightest Auror was brilliant. But unlike his father, James was lean and thin and slightly below average height for his age group. Whereas Oliver Marshall Potter, was tall and stocky, having played beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team when he was at HogwartsSchool for Witchcraft and Wizadry.
"Do you think that my Hogwarts letter will come today Dad?" James asked eagerly
"Nah, they don't let kids that don't get ready for Ministry balls go to Hogwarts." Oliver replied masking a grin
"Yeah, sure they don't, that didn't work last month, it isn't gonna work this month." James replied rolling his eyes
"Yes, and we were late for Aunt Agatha's birthday party weren't we? And did it come over the last month James?" James' father asked innocently, still attempting to do his tie while looking in the mirror. In its reflection, he saw James' face drop momentarily.
"It will come…" James muttered
"Of course it will Son, what kind of man would Dumbledore be if he didn't let James Potter into Hogwarts? And we all know what kind of man Albus is don't we?" Oliver asked dropping to a crouch in front of his son
"A batty one?" James said, grinning
"A great one." Oliver replied with a chuckle "Now c'mon, get ready, wouldn't want to wind your mother up any more would we?"
"I 'spose not,"