Disclaimer- Yeah, unfortunately for me Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowlings. The plot and additional characters are mine. If ever something I use isn't mine, it will be mentioned either in the beginning or the end of the chapter. This goes for all my chapters.
Authors note: Hewo! This is the first time I've ever written a fan-fiction(actually first story too).What can I say? I've read so many fantastic stories that I thought I could possibly write one myself. So if it sucks, I apologise. If you think it's good, I love you, have a cookie. If you think it could be improved, I'm completely open to advice from people I'm sure are much more experienced than me. Thanks guys. Now without furthur ado...I present to you(hey i just realized that rhymes, sorry). drumroll
p.s. Ok, I sort of just found out we aren't allowed to have lyrics in our fics, therefore, whenever I want to use a song, I'll 'refer' you to the song and singer, and hope you check it out.This chapters song is Welcome to my life- Simple plan from which I got the title of my fic.
Welcome to my life
Chapter 1:- Saying Goodbye
Goodbye is the saddest word in the world. The petite red-haired girl thought morosely as she painstakingly dragged her trunk along the corridor. Blinking back the tears stinging at the corner of her eyes she glanced up, trying to see if there were any empty compartments. They'd arrived a bit late - unsurprisingly, since her dad was involved – and she could hear a constant rumble of conversations lightened with occasional laughter filtering through most of the partly closed doors. Heading for one that seemed unoccupied near the end, she tentatively peeked inside, relaxing the moment she saw it was empty. Flicking her eyes up, she thought Thank you God! And quickly tugged her trunk in.
After settling in, she looked out the window and started scanning through the swarms of families, friends and general well-wishers still waiting at the platform. Here and there she spotted the occasional unlucky mummy's pet, who stood impatiently as teary mothers once again brushed non-existence dust off their shoulders and adjusted already straightened robes. Smiling slightly in sympathy she continued searching for the two faces she wanted to see. Finally, Lily's intense green eyes landed on a couple standing a short distance away from the crowd. Almost immediately after that a set of aqua-blue eyes locked onto hers, and her mother smiled as she turned and said something to the tall commandeering man beside her while discreetly pointing in Lily's direction. Steely gray eyes rested on her and nodded even as her mother waved. Enthusiastically she smiled and waved back, the frowned slightly as her mother mouthed two words to her……take……care…… Smiling again she nodded and mouthed back …you…too…just as the whistle blew. She watched as they waved in reply and was lifting her hand for one last wave when suddenly the door was pushed open and two girls wandered in and sat down. Ignoring Lily they put their things away, all the while maintaining a constant conversation about…robes?
"I'm serious Linda! They're like so long and booorriinng ! And like we have to wear them until seventh year, well except weekends or something. But like, the people who designed them had no fashion sense at all!"
Cringing a bit as 'Linda' replied, "I know! It like totally sucks!" in what had to be the highest voice Lily had ever heard in her extensive eleven-year-long life, she turned back to the window to see her mother dabbing at her eyes, smiling a bit guiltily when she saw Lily frowning at her. Because she promised she wouldn't, Lily thought, although I should have expected it, seeing as how she was bawling her eyes out when petunia went to boarding school. She had been tempted not to go to Hogwarts and stay with her mother instead, but that had only been a thought, immediately discarded by the part of her that wanted this… needed this as an answer and reason to the strange and previously inexplicable yearnings and sense of difference she had suffered before her letter came.
Ah yes… The Letter…
Oops…the train is leaving. Looking up she waved to her parents yet again and only turned away from the window when their faces were too small and blurred to be recognizable among the crowd.
"And I look horrible in black!" 'Linda' whined.
Right. Them. Lily sighed. I suppose I should introduce myself…whenever…IF ever…there's a break in their conversation. But meanwhile, where was I? Oh right. The Letter. It was kind of funny, actually, now that she thought about it. They had been quietly eating breakfast, together - for once, when her father had come across the letter with her name and address neatly printed on the front. She had been happily eating her CocoPops when her father had said in a surprised voice
"Oh, you have a letter, Lily. Is it from school?"
She had shrugged, reaching for it and turning it over to see the wax seal (which should have told her or at least given her a hint that it wasn't a normal letter and would in fact change her life as she knew it). 'Is it from school… ' Lily scoffed in the train, as if I would know, seeing as how I hadn't even seen it much less opened and read it yet. Honestly, parents are so silly sometimes. She had slowly read the letter, and then read it again, and again, only ignoring her parent's questions out of pure shock and disbelief. At first she had thought it a prank played by one of those " good for nothing people who have nothing better to do with their lives", as her Aunt Daisy liked to mumble to herself whenever she got a prank call. Finally Petunia had reached over, snatched it out of her hands, and started reading it out loud.
"Dear Miss Lily Evans, I would like to welcome you to the Hogwarts School of Wizardry……"
Eyes widening, Petunia's words had slowly trailed off as she continued reading, incredulously glancing up at Lily and also ignoring her parent's now irritated demands as to what the letter said.
"You don't believe this do you, Lily?"
Petunia asked, expecting an obvious 'no, of course not' answer. Both parents turned to Lily, and at her silence her mother finally snapped
"Believe what, for heaven's sake?"
Her father's eyebrows went up in agreement, also silently demanding an explanation. Rather than try to grasp words from her floundering mind, Lily had just grabbed her letter back, with a sharp glare at Petunia, and passed it to her mother. She immediately read it out loud, eyebrows rising and creasing as well as she read the letter.
"……Yours sincerely, Professor Albus Dumbledore."
For a while silence reigned at the table before Petunia said primly,
"Well obviously it's just a prank or something. You don't believe it, do you, Mum? Dad?"
Again there was that 'I already know you don't' tone to her voice. But when her mother remained silent, eyes locked with her father's, she asked again, this time an almost desperate hint present in her wavering voice,
"Do you?"
With her eyes focused on Lily, her mother had said softly,
"Your dad and I have to think about this."
Shocked, Petunia had quickly finished breakfast before going up to her bedroom and locking herself inside. Lily had done the same, knowing that in their own room down the hall, her parents were discussing The Letter.
I'm a witch?
Lily thought… It was disconcerting to say the least. She'd been brought up believing that magic, this kind of magic, didn't exist, though sometimes she wished it did jut so she could use it to do her chores or play tricks on Petunia. But she had always known it didn't exist.
Well, obviously I was wrong.
Once she had gotten over the initial disbelief even at the idea, it had sort of made sense, sort of explained a few things. Things she had previously labeled coincidence, or just a figment of her overactive imagination. Like the time with her mother's favourite vase. She could have sworn she heard it breaking, when she had tripped on the edge of the rug and knocked it over. Even as her eyes clenched shut, not wanting to see the damage, she mentally prepared herself for the pieces on the floor, the resulting inevitable scolding and anger and disappointment. Slowly opening her eyes, she had seen it in front of her. Whole. Not broken. Safe. Not broken. She had meticulously checked it for any cracks. But no, it was just…not broken. Confused she had just blamed it on her imagination.
There was also that time with those bullies. Her blood still boiled at the thought. She had been walking back home when she had seen the two boys beating a puppy with a stick, its owner a small girl crying and struggling against another boy holding her back, laughing at her obvious misery. Lily really really hated people like that. She just couldn't understand how anyone would even want to hurt anyone or anything, much less enjoy it. Heartless inhumane gits, she had thought, angrily stomping towards them, intent on stopping the senseless torture. At that time it had never entered her mind about what a ten year old girl could do against three fourteen year old bullies. She had just reacted. But before she had even gotten close the stick had suddenly ripped out of the astonished boy's hands and started hitting them instead. Getting over their shock swiftly they had had ran away screaming in fear and pain. The stick had hovered, and then headed towards the last boy, who had hurriedly released the little girl and scrambled away, his face pale with horror. A bit fearful herself, the girl had nonetheless determinedly crept to the puppy, cautiously eyeing the stick for any sudden movements. When the coast seemed clear she had gingerly hugged her puppy, whereupon the stick promptly dropped to the ground. Just before Lily would have gone to help her, the girl's mother arrived so she had just gone back home and tried to forget the incident. Then there also the time with the shattered window when she had lost her temper at Petunia, or the sand castle the waves couldn't wash away. All the little oddities Lily had pushed to the back of her mind now came to surface as she realized that yes, she had magic.
Wow.
Brilliant.
Lying on her bed Lily smiled in wonder.
I can do magic. I'm a witch.
Apparently, her parents had agreed and later that day told her that she could attend Hogwarts. At first they were also a bit confused and unbelieving, but gradually as they followed the instructions in the letter and bought the books and robes from Diagon Alley (In London! Right under their noses!) and realized that it was all very real and not at all a prank or scam, they had slowly gotten more excited about it. Lily had too. Especially when she bought her wand. 10 1/4 inches. Silver with a slight green tinge. Unicorn hair and Golden willow.
"And," Ollivander had said with a mysterious and proud look in his eyes," not just any Golden willow tree. It's from The Golden Willow, one of the First trees, one that a dryad changed into."
All of which meant absolutely nothing to Lily. But it was obviously important so she just nodded, made the appropriate sounds of awe, and tried to look like she understood. This obviously wasn't good enough, as Ollivander had taken one look at her and said, a knowing twinkle in his eyes,
"It's excellent for charms, dear. Quite powerful, considering the tiny thing you are."
Decidedly ignoring the latter, which she deemed unworthy of comment, she thought…yes…charms. Good for charms……whatever that was. There were so many new things and ideas now open to her, a completely new and different world. Yet she was hesitant to step into it. She didn't mind change, really. But to do this she had to leave everything behind, everything she held dear, her friends (the few she had), her home, her family(yes even Petunia, who really wasn't the best sister in the world). I have to leave everything I know, and come to a new world knowing absolutely nothing. And I bet everyone will know that. Well, I suppose it can't be as bad as before. And her eyes darkened as she thought about it. And then noticed that it was awfully quiet in the compartment. Yanking away from her thoughts, she noticed that the two girls were staring curiously at her. Oops…sigh…here we go… Introductions…
"Hi, I'm Lily," she shyly offered.
"I'm Anabelle," one of the girls said, her voice slightly cool, like the pale icy blue of her eyes. Tossing her straight blond hair slightly in the other girl's direction she said
"That's Linda."
Giggling, the brown-eyed girl did a strange wave thing with her hand and tossed her light brown hair as well, before saying,
"Hi! I like can't believe you're already wearing your robes. I'm only gonna put them on right before we get there. They're so ugly!"
Good grief. Is she still on about that? Ah well, better play along. It probably isn't the best idea to offend the first people I meet. Quick! What to say….? I hate making conversation. I suck at this…
Which is why you had no friends in school. A little voice inside her sniped.
Shut up. I did too. There was Angela … and Gladys … and um…
Denise doesn't count.
Why not?
Because she was only pretending to be your friend. She didn't really like you. Which kind of goes for all the other girls as well. You weren't really friends with them. You're just pretended you were.
Shut up! Lily then proceeded to ignore the voice and said to Linda.
"I know. But I sort of had to. My parents told me to," Silently apologizing to her parents who had actually left the decision to her.
"Oh, are you one of those goody-two-shoes?" Anabelle said mockingly, one of her eyebrows raised in scorn.
"No, I just figured that I might as well oblige them this once since they wouldn't be able to order me around for a long time after that," Lily shrugged, once again inwardly wincing at the lie necessary to prevent social suicide. And this is why I hate conversations. At least I know even across worlds some things remain the same.
Mildly pacified, Anabelle said "Oh, well then I suppose that's alright. Since they're not here, why don't you take it off? It really does nothing for your pale skin, darling."
Shudder I don't think I could take much more of this, but maybe I'll just be quiet for now, Lily thought as she shrugged out of her robes. And here I was hoping I'd fit in better. Although being at home with Petunia isn't really much better, since she would be busy criticizing the way I dress too. I'm always not modest enough or my skirts are too short or something. Lisa and Linda seem to be on one side of the spectrum and Petunia on the other. And naturally I'm in the middle. As usual. I'm always too conservative or too immodest, or too carefree or too serious. I studied too much for some people and not enough for others. Honestly couldn't they make up their own minds? I bet it'll be the same here too Lily thought sullenly before a soft voice said don't judge everyone by the first two people you meet. She sighed. True. Well maybe she'd be able to find somewhere to belong in this new world. Maybe she could start anew and leave behind the old her and be better, more popular. After all they wouldn't know the old her and expect her to be the same. so she could be anything she wanted to be, without having to worry about anyone calling her a fake or something. Well, here we go. Goodbye old me. Goodbye old world. Hello new and improved Lily. Hello Hogwarts.