-1Disclaimer: This disclaimer goes for every chapter! I own nothing, take credit for nothing, and will not plagiarize anything. Other than the plot, and some characters, it all belongs to J.K.
Chapter One: Lily Rochelle Evans
At 6:20 on a Monday morning, a girl sat at the end of her bed, looking out a small window, at yet another cold, rainy April day. She sat on her hard, scratchy bed, trying to remember the last time it hadn't been rainy. She sighed loudly, and pulled the covers back up over her chin, to try and get ten more minutes of sleep before 6:30, at which time she would have to get up to start the day.
Lily Rochelle Evans was a beautiful piece of work. She had bright red waist length locks that lay shiny against her porcelain skin. Her eyes were a bright, shocking emerald, and always stood out in the crowd. However, perfect looks don't always come with a perfect life.
Lily was not very fortunate. She lived in a small cramped building filled with a few hundred girls. The building was in fact, Lady Grey's Orphanage for Girls.
Twelve years ago, in 1938, Lily's parents had died in a tsunami on a business trip in India. Now it was 1950, Lily was seventeen, and she could barley remember them at all. So until her eighteenth birthday, Lily was trapped in this rundown place, where they treated the children like dirt and grime.
Lily was woken up with a loud knock on the door.
"Miss Evans, get your lazy behind out of that godforsaken bed, and get a move on!"
It was six thirty, and as always, Miss Smelding had come to give Lily her rather rude wakeup call.
Oh shut up you old hag, I'm trying to get some beauty sleep. However, although she could think of some other, probably more pleasant things to do, Lily hoisted herself out of bed and began to get ready.
"Hurry it up you lazy cow, I haven't got all day!"
"Coming!"
Lily quickly slid on her shoes, and hurried out the door, only to be grabbed by the collar by Miss Smelding, and pushed down the stairs to the breakfast room.
"Miss Smelding, I know you're rather fond of me, but being this close is slightly uncomfortable." Lily said, smirking. She would not give this witch the pleasure of getting away with this.
"Shut your mouth you blithering idiot, or I'll shut it for you!" She replied angrily.
"Oh will you now?" Lily whispered to herself, rolling her eyes. I've only heard THAT threat a few hundred times.
Miss Smeldings let go of Lily, and walked in the other direction. Lily walked on into the breakfast room. She walked over to a small table in the middle of the room, and sat beside her two best friends, and probably the only good things about the orphanage.
"Morning Lils."
"Morning."
"So, have I missed anything exciting?"
"Nothing other than the sticky buns." Replied Hannah Adams. Hannah was short and thin, with blonde curls, rosy cheeks, and a dimple in her chin.
"Damn, I love sticky buns!" Lily complained with a joking pout.
"Here, have a carrot, they're healthier, and they match your carrot-topped head." Said Ariana Smith, a cute young looking girl with blue eyes and black shimmery hair.
"Oh quiet Ariana, or I'll force feed you this carrot all in one bite."
"Oh dear, I'm terrified. So why on earth were you late this time?" Ariana asked.
"Eh. I slept in and got dragged down here by Miss Smelly."
"Urgh! Sometimes I wish I could throttle her round that fat neck of hers!" Hannah yelled.
"Join the club." Ariana replied dully.
"Yes, well, on a happier note…hmmm, is there a happier note?" Lissi Garner, a quiet girl, with short brown hair and stunning turquoise eyes, continued, looking up in thought.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Everything is a happier note compared to that bitch."
"How true."
They talked a bit more, and in the end, Lily settled on bread and jam. After a few minutes, it was time for Geography.
"Lets head over to geometry, I don't fancy being late." Ariana said.
"Again." Lily, Lissi, and Hannah chorused. They giggled, and began to walk down the hall, quite happily, until Lily saw something rather disturbing coming towards them. Oh no, what does the old nudge want now?
"Hello girls. I see you three little worms are late for class. Again." Miss Smelding said, glaring at the girls.
Goodness, I hate it when she stares at me like that! Who does she think she is?!
"Hello Smeldings. I see something's crawled up your arse and died. Again." Lily blurted out, before she could stop herself.
"Oh!" Lissi and Ariana gasped. Hannah rolled her eyes.
"Hmmm…I think, Miss Evans, it's time you met a little friend of mine." Miss Smeldings said, sounding furious, but smirking nonetheless.
"And who might that be? The ants that infest your bedroom?" Lily back-talked. I have nothing to lose anyway.
"Come! Now!" Miss Smeldings yelled, grabbing Lily by the ear.
"Oi gerroff, that's fragile!"
"Not as fragile as you'll be when I'm through with you, you filthy maggot!"
Miss Smeldings dragged Lily down the corridor, past her geometry class, and into her small disgustingly neat office.
"Have a seat Miss Evans."
Lily sat on a tall hard stool across from Miss Smeldings.
"Now Miss Evans, I am sure you are aware of the consequences that face this sort of disgraceful behavior, are you not?"
"Quite aware Miss Smeldings." Lily replied with a bored yawn. Can't let her think I'm nervous. "I believe the punishment for my accurate retort is a spanking, Miss Smeldings?"
"Ah, yes. I suppose in a way this is a spanking. But a much more unpleasant one, as you will shortly see." Miss Smeldings cackled. She then pulled out a long stick, but unlike the usual cane, it had long metal links at the end of the stick.
"Er…I suppose this is the cane?" Lily asked, raising a neat, very light brown, eyebrow.
"Oh no Miss Evans, this is your worst enemy. Now put out your hands."
Lily hesitated for a moment. Wait, I will not let this monstrous pig have the satisfaction of thinking I'm scared. Lily put out her hands for Miss Smeldings. And without another word, Miss Smeldings whacked her with all her might, right across her soft dainty palms. The metal wrapped itself around her hands and…
First came the sound. Whack. Then a light sting. And finally, the pain. Lily had never felt this much pain in her life. Her hands seared with uncontrollable pain, stinging her wrists, her palms, her arms. She fought the urge to shriek and beg for mercy.
The metal hit her again. Harder and harder. Lily opened her eyes and saw her hands, bloody and ripped. Her once silky fingers were covered in red sticky blood.
"This is what happens to naughty girls like you Miss Evans. You may leave." Miss Smeldings sneered. Lily could not remember ever finding anyone so repulsive in her life.
Lily stood up slowly. She felt dizzy and blinded. She was about ready to faint right then and there, but she ran out of the room before she had the chance.
Not knowing where to go, she ran up the five flights of stairs. Up, up, up, until she reached her small crowded room.
The moment she opened the door, she collapsed on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't understand. How could her parents have had no plan for her at all? Nothing for her to do if this happened? How could they have sent her here? More and more questions came flooding into her brain. How could Ms. Smeldings be so cruel? Who on earth was this horrible and disgusting? Lily didn't know the answers to any of these, but she did know one the was for sure. She had to get out.
Lily stood up and looked out her window. The night air was cold and damp, but she didn't care. The outside world looked more beautiful then it ever had before. Lily's dream had always been to wander the streets and find another life. Now she knew it was what she was going to do.
She slowly, but not hesitantly, put one leg out the window, then slowly, one whole side of her body. She grabbed hold to the large pine tree outside her window, ignoring the extreme pain it caused her hands, and leapt out the window, now completely clinging on to the tree.
It was then that Lily realized ho high she was, how unstable the tree was, and how dizzy she still was, the height only adding to the dizziness. However, she new she must reach the bottom.
Ok Lils you can do it. You're not afraid of heights. You love clinging onto prickly trees with injured hands in damp cold air. You are not afraid. Not afraid. She began lowering herself down the tree, towards the ground. That's it. Good. Hey look, I'm actually doing it. I'm not dead. It would help if I wasn't wearing this damn skirt.
Before she knew it, Lily was on the ground. Bruised, hurt, and with a major headache, but still on the ground. And then she realized.
"I'm free. I've escaped. I'm absolutely, completely free!" Lily yelled out into the night. She ran down the street, whooping and laughing, running faster and faster, ignoring the pain in her legs.
Soon, Lily had run very far. She no longer new where she was. Her head was aching, her legs were sore and she was just realizing how much her hands really hurt. She turned around. Then she saw something large, something beautiful.
Lily was standing before an enormous mansion, larger than she'd ever seen. It was white with stone pillars, and you could tell some wealthy lord lived in it.
Probably some old geezer who owns an oil company.
She walked to the gates of the house, and before she had a chance to realize what she was doing, she had climbed over it.
It would be nice just to see the garden. Then I'll leave immediately.
She was over the tall fence now, and was walking towards the yard. When she reached the garden she stopped and looked it over.
It was a pretty garden with flowers and a fountain. Nicer than any Lily had ever seen. She knew it must bee only one small section of the family's land, but it was all she needed to see. She was even happier when she saw a bench near a patch of marigolds. She walked over to the bench and sat down.
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Inside the mansion a young man about seventeen was sitting around a large table, filled with guests and important people. All of whom he hated deeply, with a few exceptions.
On one side on him was his young looking mother, and on the other another tall handsome young man, more mysterious and dark looking than he. He looked to his right and whispered to his mother.
"Mother, this dinner has been going on for two hours now, how much longer will I have to wait?"
"Honestly James, you wine more than a three year old. It will be a few more hours until you may be excused. We have yet to hear the muggle Prime Minister make his speech. If you're bored, try and socialize with the young ladies a bit. How about that pretty one over there?" His mother pointed at a curvy blonde Barbie sitting a few seats away.
James Potter rolled his eyes. His mother had been trying to marry him off for a year now. She simply did not understand that James was not turned on by these rich, snobby excuses for women.
James quickly announced to the people closest to him that he had to use the lavatory. The young man on James' left, Sirius Black, sniggered at the knowledge of where James was actually going. James glared at Sirius, and put his hand over his wand that was currently hiding in his pocket, causing Sirius to make a look of sarcastic, very fake fear. James rolled his eyes again, now slightly grinning at his friend, and left the table.
He ran up the marble staircase, and towards the door that led outside. James, of course, was not going to the lavatory, but to the small garden outside, where he liked to wait for these silly dinners to end. Damn dinners. They get longer every week.
He reached the large wooden doors that led to the porch on the small garden. Finally.
"Why was this place built with so many steps?" James thought out loud.
He pushed open the doors and stepped outside into the cool night air. James took in the scent of wet leaves and the aroma of the flowers, wondering why there weren't any perfumes that smelt like this. Perhaps if the blonde girl had been wearing that he would've tried her out. James snorted at the idea.
He took a quick look around at the scene before him. Everything was just as it should be. Then, James saw her.
At first, James thought he was dreaming. Before him, sitting on the bench, was a picture of unrealistic perfection. Before him sat a young lady with flawless porcelain skin and auburn hair the color of a beautiful autumn leaf. Her figure was slim and dainty, causing her to look petite and pretty. If only he could see her face! But then James saw something that brought him to the realization that he was not in fact dreaming.
The girl was shivering and shaking. She looked hurt and depressed, hunched over and a bit scratched. James took a step towards her when all of a sudden the girl fell from the chair and onto the hard ground, unconscious.
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(Lily POV)
Although she had found a nice place to sit and rest, Lily was starting to feel worse and worse.
Maybe this wasn't the right thing to do. Maybe I should've waited.
Soon, Lily couldn't even think. She was shaking with cold. She wanted desperately to be back in her nice warm, roach infested cupboard of a room, and yet, it was the last thing on earth that she wanted.
And then, before she could do anything about it, she began to see blackness. She fell off the chair backwards, going unconscious. The last thing she saw before she hit the ground was a handsome young man, running towards her.
