Author's note

Hi everyone, I'm Amelia ( pleasemakeitcanon on Instagram) This is a Marauder-era story about Lily and the Marauders' first year at Hogwarts. Sorry if the start seems a bit slow, but the first few chapters will just set the tine for the rest of the story. As this is first year, there will not be any romance, although if I carry on until 7th year (which I plan to but it may take a while), it will turn out to be Jily (James/Lily). I plan to update every Friday, but please, bear with me: I am in Year 11 British system) which is the equivalent of OWL year so I've got a ridiculous about of work. I will try to stick to the canon (or what we know of it) as much as I can. It is my first fanfiction, so any comments, reviews or suggestions are truly appreciated. Thank you so much for clicking on this fanfic, it means a lot. Sorry for this ridiculously long note, please don't hate me!

DISCLAIMER

No, I do not have the pleasure of owning any of this. Harry Potter belongs to our beloved Queen; Joanne Kathleen Rowling.

Chapter 1: Freak

"Freak! You're a freak!"

Freak. The word echoed in Lily Evans' brain. She felt tears, warm and salty, rush out if her emerald eyes and down her rosy cheeks. She tucked her wavy red hair behind her ear, then untucked it again, a nervous habit. Tuck. Untuck. It was all her fault. She'd ruined it. Although Lily knew that her beloved older sister hated anything abnormal, she had been overcome by the excitement of what she could do. When Lily concentrated very hard, she could make a flower twirl in her hand, dancing gracefully. Of course, the first thing she though of was to tell Petunia.

Although Petunia loved her sister very much, she simply could not cope with all things weird. And what Lily was doing was definitely supernatural. Petunia felt a pang of guilt overcome her as soon as the words had slipped out of her mouth. Her chocolate eyes widened as she realised what she had done. Until that point, the girls had had a healthy, loving relationship. They always got on well, they were best friends. And now... everything was going to change.

Although both girls were hurt, they were both much too proud to admit they were wrong. Deep down, Lily knew that she should not have shown her sister. And Petunia knew that what she said was mean, and that really, she was not scared of Lily's gift. She was jealous. Not speaking a word to each other, the sisters stormed off the play park and went home. Behind the old willow, a skinny, black-haired boy appeared. He smiled internally. Severus Snape had found another wizard.

Mrs Evans jumped at the sound of a door being slammed. This was a very rare event, as her girls never really were angry at each other. Curious, she walked up the stairs to Petunia and Lily's room. Although there was enough space for them not to share, they had insisted on being together. When she opened the door, she found Lily on the bed, sobbing.

"Lily? Lily-flower what happened?", she asked gently.

"P-Petun-nia s-said I-I was a-a-a... a f-freak", the ten-year old replied, trying very not to break down.

"She what?". Violet Evans was outraged. Lily had always had an inferiority complex, and her sister knew it.

Lily then explained what had happened, and her mother listened, a tad confused. Surely there must be some rational explanation? Flowers don't come to life! She supposed it must have been a trick of the light or there could have been some wind. Violet hugged her daughter tightly, telling her that it was all going to be alright. She then quietly left, and went to get her eldest's side of the story. Surprisingly, it was very similar. Again, Mrs Evans comforted her daughter. As she left the spare bedroom (for that was where Petunia had taken refuge), she shook her head... dancing flowers? What next? Witches?

Meanwhile, Severus Snape was sitting on his bed, grinning. He had found a potential friend with whom he would not have to hide his powers. Would she ever come back to the park? The young boy was daydreaming about his maybe-new friend when he heard loud, malignant steps coming up the staircase to his room. His heart was beating a thousandth miles an hour, and his breath quickened. Tobias Snape was home. What had he done this time? He could not think of anything bad... but then, to his father, anything could be perceived as a bad action. Severus inhaled sharply and faced the door, mustering up all the courage he could.

"Boy! What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Going to the park, are we? Looking for other... for other freaks like you?"

Freak. Severus thought of Lily and her sister, of how similar the two situations were.

"No, sir, sorry. I thought you wanted me out of the house so I left. I'm sorry, I was only doing it to please you".

Tobias scrutinized the child, looking for any flaw in the argument. After what seemed like an eternity, he nodded, and left noisily, his discontent obvious. He had really wanted to beat the boy, to get his frustration out, but he had found no valid reason. Severus, on the other hand, exhaled in relief. No slaps. No punches. And, most importantly, no cane.

The next day, Severus went back to the park, hopeful. Lily was sitting on the swing quietly, gracefully swinging higher and higher. Higher than normal. Looking around, Severus gladly saw that Petunia was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello? Are you alright?", he asked shyly.

"I'm fine. Go away!", Lily replied. She was not in the mood for small talk.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. It was wrong of your sister to say that, and besides, don't be sad. She's just jealous because you're special and she's not."

"Special? I'm a freak, you heard her."

"No, you're not. You're a witch, and she's a muggle."

"That's not a very nice thing to say."

"No, it's good. Have you ever noticed something strange? Something you couldn't explain? You're a witch, Lily. And a fine one from what I've seen. You're definitely magical, and so am I, and when we're eleven we'll get our Hogwarts letter and go to magic school. It's real, I promise. Look."

At this, Severus picked up a dead, brown leaf, for it was autumn and there were plenty on the floor. As it touched him, it turned a lime green, as if by magic. Lily could not believe her eyes. Surely this could not be possible? There must be a rational explanation... magic? Magic is for babies. Lily rubbed her eyes, unsure of what to say. When she thought about it, a lot of weird things happened around her.

"A witch? A real witch? Are you sure?"

"Definitely! Don't worry, I know what it must seem scary."

The two young wizards spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about magic. Severus had a great deal to explain to his new friend. It was now nearing 5 o' clock, and Lily sat up in a hurry (for they had been lying in the grass).

"I'm so sorry! I... I have to go. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure! Bye bye"

They parted ways and headed home.