Good night, my dear ones." The mother whispered softly as she smoothed the covers in two cribs side by side. The cribs held two girls remarkably similar with pale hair and pale eyes. One was two or so, and the other was a newborn infant. The father entered and embraced the woman. They admired the children.

"My flowers." The father kissed the children, then the parents turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind them.

A few hours later, when all was still and quiet, a soft hissing was heard. An impossibly thin snake was squeezing through the crack at the corner of the room. As he emerged into the room, he began to swell almost magically until a full-grown man stood between the two cribs looking down on the sleeping children.

"Many years have a searched for a meaning to the prophecy. At last, at last, the workings of my fate have begun. Here lies my future." He began to mutter under his breath:

"Where the two innocent flowers lie side by side,
Evil will appear and then reside
The poisonous will into poison grow
And the harmless into hate will go."

After interminable minutes, he turned to the infant and raised a wand. Suddenly, with terrible force, he uttered some words that made the very air tighten painfully. The room was lit with violently green light and the man's red eyes glowed. The infant whimpered as if in pain, then fell back to sleep. Something about her had changed, but just what it was indistinguishable. She seemed to have an air of power, one that her sister didn't have and never would. The man with the red eyes smiled cruelly, and suddenly disappeared.

Somewhere far away, in the north of England, a quill began scratching on a piece of parchment entitled "Juvenile Witches and Wizards." It hesitated in the alphabetically list between "Danforth, Edward" and "Fielding, Beatrice." The quill glowed and magically shoved both names out of the way and scratched a new name: "Evans, Lily."

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It was the summer before Lily was to start secondary school. Lily and Petunia were sitting at the table, eating the milk and cookies that their mother had prepared as an afternoon snack. Actually, Lily was eating cookies while Petunia watched. There had been five cookies. As Lily had eaten the first four, Petunia reached for the last one. Suddenly, she drew her hand back as if she had been burned. Lily, smiling cheerfully, grabbed the last cookie and bit into it. Petunia sighed. It had always been like this. Lily, the perfect child, had always gotten everything she wanted. Petunia, on the other hand, got all the blame.

"Lily!" called their mother. "You have mail, dear."

"Thank you, Mama! Oh, look! I've been accepted to a secondary school."

"But we already know where you're going, you're going to Petunia's..." As Lily gave her mother a piercing stare, her voice trailed off. "But let's see. Oh, a magical school. How distinguished. Of course you can go. Your father will be so delighted. It will be wonderful to have someone useful in the family for a change, won't it, Petunia?"

"Oh, yes. Simply marvelous," replied Petunia. Once again, Little Miss Perfect had gotten her way, and Petunia was reminded of her failures. While Petunia was tall and gangly, with colorless hair and eyes, Lily was beautiful, with violent green eyes and rich, auburn hair. It just wasn't fair! While she, Petunia, had to go back to school and live her dull and boring life, Lily would, as usual, go striding off into the land of adventures. Well, this certainly explained what was so weird about her sister... Musing angrily, Petunia swept off to her room.

Lily remained, eagerly reading her letter. She had known to expect it. He had told her all about this Hogwarts. In addition to the ordinary letter, Lily had an additional letter, explaining things that she, as a Muggle-born, might not know. It informed her that all her school supplies had been purchased and would be waiting for her on the train. A bill, conveniently converted to Muggle money, was enclosed. She was sure she could weasel spending money out of her parents. She could make them do whatever she wanted.

"Oh, I can't wait for tonight. He'll be so pleased!" she murmured under her breath.

That night, Lily waited up, sitting silently in the darkness, as she always did. Soon enough, when all else was quiet and still, a familiar hissing noise filled the room. The snake came in, and soon he was there himself, smiling his same cold smile. It was her tutor. He had come in the nights for as long as she remembered, teaching her things and giving her power. He had taught her how to always win against her parents. He had also told her that her persecution of Petunia was an excellent preparation for things to come. She did not exactly like him, but he was the source of her way of life, and they were close in the knowledge of dark things.

"Good evening, Lily. Are you prepared to start Hogwarts?" said Voldemort. "Soon, after you arrive, you will meet my other dear pupil, hand-picked as you were."
Lily smiled. She had always wanted a friend who could share in who she really was, not in the sickly sweet false front she displayed.

"No, Lily, it can't be like that." Voldemort had of course known what she was thinking. "As you are the golden child, he is to be your opposite. While you champion good, he will seem to lead your opposition. You must appear to be enemies, while being the closest of comrades. Can you do that, Lily?"

"Yes, of course, you will tell me how." She had complete confidence in him. "Who is this other servant?"

"His name is... Well, I'll arrange a meeting before you go to school. We'll leave it until then."

"Yes, my lord." He always knew best. Maybe soon then, she would have some sort of a real friend at last.

"That's it, my poison flower." Voldemort smiled that strange smile of his.

Lily shuddered. Hardened as though she was, being called a poison flower was a little disturbing. Voldemort squeezed back into his snakeskin and was gone, leaving Lily to contemplate the days ahead.

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The next morning, Lily woke surprisingly refreshed considering her late hours the night before. Feeling energized and rather malicious after he late-night conference with the Dark Lord, she decided to test a new spell on Petunia. The Dark Lord had taught it to her the week before. She would have to choose her timing carefully, however. The spell was supposed to bring the victim under the wizard's total control, but the Dark Lord had warned Lily that a victim might attempt to fight an inexperienced wizard such as Lily. Lily smiled as she heard her sister call to her mother that she was going to the movies with friends. It would be perfect... An evil glint came into Lily's eyes.

Lily waited a few minutes, then left to follow her sister. She stood behind a pillar in the theatre lobby where she could see Petunia and her friends but not be seen by them. She carefully recalled the spell word "Imperio" and pondered what she should make Petunia do. Casting her glance around, she lit on Vernon Dursley, easily the most obnoxious boy in the area, standing with some his equally loathsome sister. They appeared to be in the queue for the horror film. He was large, with almost no neck. Even at his young age, he had begun to sprout what would one day be a wonderful mustache.

Yes, thought Lily. He will be perfect.

Discreetly hiding the majority of her wand in her sleeve, Lily pointed the tip at Petunia and said softly but clearly, "Imperio!" No change was obvious in Petunia, but Lily concentrated hard and thought, Scratch your knee, yes, that's it, scratch your knee. Petunia immediately reached down with her left hand and began to scratch vigorously. Now, the fun began.

Stand on one foot!

Petunia drew one leg up like a flamingo. Her friends looked at her strangely, but said nothing.

Puff out your cheeks like a chimp!

Petunia did as she was told, then proceeded to dampen her friends with a loud raspberry. They begin to edge away.

Now, go over to Vernon Dursley.

For the first time, Lily felt a small resistance in her mind. Petunia certainly did not wish to be seen with Vernon. Concentrating as her teacher had instructed, Lily crushed Petunia's resistance. Petunia began to march towards Vernon. Lily could hardly suppress a giggle.

Throw your arms around him and kiss him on the lips!

Jerkily, Petunia obeyed, hugging and kissing a very surprised Vernon. Lily did laugh now, but her laughter was masked by the laughter from all the other young people in the theatre. Lily released Petunia from the spell. Petunia's head jerked up as she released Vernon. She immediately turned flaming red. She spun on her heel and tried to rejoin her group of friends, but they backed away, forming a circle that excluded Petunia. Petunia, cheeks still aglow, turned and ran from the theatre. Lily smiled again. She had done well.

Later that night, as Lily prepared for bed, she walked by Petunia's room. The door was cracked, and Petunia had flung herself across the bed and was weeping piteously. Lily smiled maliciously, proud of her handiwork, but was suddenly struck by a pang of another emotion. What could it be? Not anger. Pity? Yes, that was it. Lily's mouth formed a small "O" of surprise. How could she feel sorry for Petunia? She was merely a testing ground, an experimental study for Lily's powers. Hadn't the Dark Lord said it was so?

Quickly, she shoved the pity far down in her chest, allowing the gloating sensation to return. As she went to bed, she reminded herself of her success, and soon enough, her conscience was troubled no more.

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A week or two after Petunia had become a virtual outcast, Lily lay awake in bed late, as usual. She was, however, rather more excited than usual, as tonight was the night that the Dark Lord had promised to let her meet her new friend. Finally, the Dark Lord entered her room. He silently smiled a thin-lipped smile at her for a long while. Lily was bursting with questions, but hard experience had taught her that she was not to speak first. Finally, the Dark Lord said,

"Well, Lily, shall we go on a little journey tonight?"

"Yes, of course! Is it far?"

"Rather far for a Muggle, but for us, only an instant. Hold onto my cloak, now, and we'll be going."

She reached out and took hold of his cloak, and suddenly, they were in completely unfamiliar territory. Lily gulped. She had never traveled magically before, and it left her stomach rather unsettled.

"Wh-where are we?" she asked.

"Your new friend's home, of course."

Lily supposed that she had better not ask more questions. Once she had gathered her wits, she realized that the countryside looked rather like the wild moors found in northern England. She was very glad that she did not have to live a place such as this.

"Well, Lily, shall we go and meet him?"

"Him?"

"Yes. Ah, that's where he makes his home." Her tutor nodded towards their left.

Lily looked for a house, but found none. Then, her eyes lit on a small makeshift hut nestled at the base of a large, rocky crag. As she watched, rather dismayed, a boy about her own age emerged and approached. He had jet black hair that was closely cropped and straight white teeth. He might have been attractive but for his nose, which was large and hooked.

"Good evening, Severus."

Severus bowed cursorily and looked with undisguised curiosity towards Lily.

"Ah, yes. Severus, this is Lily. Lily, Severus."

As she had been taught, Lily dipped a brief curtsy. "How do you do."

"Hi," replied Severus, obviously trying not to laugh at Lily's attempt to curtsy in pajama bottoms.

"Lily," said the Voldemort, "you can be yourself around Severus. You, too, Severus."

Lily immediately felt a pleasant release of tension. She had not known that it stressed her to be so perfect all the time, but here, where she didn't have to be, she felt much lighter. She noticed, too, that Severus was smiling.

"I'll explain later what both of your roles are going to be at Hogwarts. I'll leave you two to get acquainted." Such a friendly phrase sounded odd coming from such a cold mouth. He continued, "Lily, I'll bewitch this flower here. Just pick it, and you'll return home. Do not stay too late. Portus!" The flower in question trembled and turned blue, then back to normal. And then he was gone.

"Well..." said Severus. "How did you get to be here?"

"We flew, I think..." answered Lily.

"No, I mean how did he pick you?"

"I don't know exactly. He always says we were fated to be together."

"He picked me because of you."

"Why?"

"My name. When you rearrange it, it spells something interesting."

"And what would that be?"

"I think I'll let you figure it out!" Severus laughed in an odd, but charming, way.

Lily laughed, too. It was so nice to have a real friend at last. Suddenly, she noticed a pink glow creeping over the horizon. She jumped up.

"I have to go!" she said.

"Me too."

"Well, bye, I guess..."

"Bye."

Lily reached out toward the flower. When her hand was an inch from it, a large male figure suddenly appeared right behind Severus, next to the crag. Automatically, her fingers grasped the flower.

In the instant before she was jerked away, she saw the man grab Severus, whirl him around, and hit him hard across the face, then jerk back his hand as if he had been burned as Severus fell to the ground. Then Lily felt a jerk behind her navel, and she was home again in a rush of sound and color.

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Lily landed on her bed with a soft thump. The image of her newfound friend being beaten lingered in her mind. She had a strange urge to go back and help him. On impulse, she grabbed the flower that had brought her home, hoping that it would return her to Severus's rocky home. It did not. She sighed, frustrated that she was unable to do something to help him.

Suddenly, she realized how strange it was for her to want to help someone. She helped people all the time because it was part of her "good girl" role. But somehow, meeting Severus had made her actually want to be nice. Maybe this was having a real friend was about after all. Uncomforted, she drank the bottled sleep potion that Voldemort eft her so that her nightly escapades wouldn't show in baggy eyes or yawns. She fell into the deep, drugged sleep, awaking fully rested when her mother entered the room five minutes later.

"Good morning, Lily-billy!"

Lily rolled her eyes at her mother's annoying endearment.

"Hi mom."

"Don't forget that you have to catch the train today. I can't believe my little baby is going away at last."

Her mother leaned in for a hug. Lily neatly slipped by her and bounded out of bed. How could she have forgotten? Today was September first, the day to catch the Hogwarts Express! Suddenly, she froze, having caught a glimpse of her fully-dressed self in the mirror. Surely, her mother would notice that she had just jumped out of bed wearing clothes, complete with shoes! Fortunately, Lily's mother was too involved with jabbering about how much Lily would love school as she smoothed the bedcovers.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief as she made rummaging noises and then pantomimed pulling on her clothes. Her mother turned around and hugged her tightly.

"I'll miss you so much!" she said.

"Oh, you too, Mama!" Lily replied with as much fake emotion as she could muster.

Later in the morning, her family bade her farewell discreetly near the barrier separating platforms nine and ten. She crossed over on her own. Once on the other side of the barrier, she looked for the faces of her soon-to-be friends. Voldemort had picked people that he felt would be in the same house, Gryffindor, as she would be. Spotting one girl, she walked over.

"Hi! I'm Lily Evans! Aren't you excited?" Lily gushed.

The girl looked a little surprised, but then blinked, and was caught in Lily's spell. Catching on, she introduced herself and counted Lily as a friend. Smiling and laughing on cue, Lily thought to herself. "Easy as pie!

Just then, a certain hook-nosed boy walked by, lugging a large trunk. Per Voldemort's request, Severus had made his hair greasy and his appearance generally unpleasant. He scowled at everyone who met his gaze. Lily was glad, however, to notice that he seemed to bear no marks from the assault she had witnessed. Catching Lily's eye, however, he scratched his nose with his left hand, their secret signal for a plan to begin. Lily took her cue perfectly.

"Eww!" she said, in a stage whisper. "Look how gross his hair is. He must never shower."

Lily's "friends" laughed appreciatively.

"Yeah, bet he's a Slytherin." added another girl.

And it was done. Lily and Severus, enemies from the first. As Severus jerked his head away and moved off, Lily watched. Then, he looked over his shoulder, met her eye, and winked. She smiled a little half-smile, and they knew that they were partners in crime. But no one knew who had the harder part.

After a mind-numbingly superficial train ride, Lily was glad to disembark at Hogwarts. She yawned slightly as she rode the traditional boats across the lake. For all she had been told about the place, she might as well have been there before. One final piece of manipulation, and she would be perfectly placed to enact her master's plans.

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Although she was rather jaded, Lily still felt some awe as she entered Hogwarts. It was incredibly big. She took a deep breath, for she alone of the first-years knew the test of the sorting. While the others chattered the same old gossip about spells and trolls that had been used for centuries, Lily concentrated on what she had been told. Being properly placed to do Voldemort's bidding was essential. She had never truly failed him, but her insides grew clammy with the thought of facing his full wrath. She had, of course, been punished, but only for small things, and the consequences had been meaningful but small. Suddenly, the door to the Great Hall swung open, interrupting Lily's thoughts.

"First-years will follow me, please!" A witch in her thirties beckoned the nervous students forward. This had to be Professor McGonagall who had become the Transfiguration teacher after Professor Dumbledore had become Headmaster. Lily, still struggling to remain her calm, proceeded into the hall. The inevitable roll call began.

"Black, Bellatrix!"

"Danforth, Edward!"

And soon, "Evans, Lily!"

Lily walked forward, suddenly filled with calm. She perched on the stool and plopped the hat on her head. "Ahh," it whispered. "What an interesting mind. But a servant of power, that much is clear. Better be –"

"Wait!" thought Lily. "You know that I am sent, and you know my plans." It was a statement, not a question. From her lessons, Lily knew that the hat could not be fooled with magic or trickery. It could only be controlled by truth.

"Yes, I serve power, like a Slytherin," continued Lily. "But I also live someone else's life. I am not who I seem, and I serve a dark master under the nose of the leader of good. Isn't that brave?"

"Well," the hat thought, and chuckled. "I suppose what you say is true. Better be—GRYFFINDOR!"

As Lily rose triumphantly and took off the hat, it whispered a final comment. "I think we have great things to expect from you, Miss Evans."

Lily was too busy being congratulated by her simpering new friends to hear the names, "Pettigrew, Peter" and "Potter, James." She barely glanced at the new arrivals as they joined the Gryffindor table. Lily smiled happily. Her job for the day was done.

That evening, however, Lily was unsure of what to do. Her master always came to her at night, but that was hardly practical in a dormitory. She retired to bed with her year-mates, but on sudden inspiration, she returned to the common room for a glass of water.

At first, she was disappointed, for Voldemort wasn't in the room. But soon enough, she was rewarded. His snake-like face appeared in the fire.

"My smart little pet." She shuddered. The idea of Voldemort crooning was revolting. "This will be our new way of talking. But wait until later. No one monitors the fires because it is so obvious, but we would hate to have to erase some other little girl's mind, wouldn't we? His head began swirling away. As he went, he said, "And be prepared to work tomorrow night. Your most important lesson awaits you." And he was gone. Lily returned to bed, excited and a little scared at what the morning might bring.

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Lily awoke the next morning with a strange sense of foreboding sitting like a rock in the pit of her stomach. No, she wasn't afraid of her first real day of Hogwarts...she was afraid that a lesson that could give Voldemort such pleasure could be nothing good. She was beginning to think that perhaps her master's methods weren't always in her best interest. No! Immediately, she rid herself of these thoughts. She was, after all, a pawn, and she knew it. But if she had to be a pawn to live her life, well then, so be it.
Her day proceeded normally enough. Her favorite class was Potions, which was taught by a kindly old gentleman named Professor Dotage. She knew she would like learning all the concoctions and brews that could bottle fame and stopper death. She liked it so much that she almost felt bad for stealing the ingredients for the instant sleep potion she used daily. Almost, but not quite.
Her other classes were boring. All of her teachers praised her magical ability, commenting how unusual it was to have such a skilled student at the beginning of the year, especially from a Muggle family. Lily smiled sweetly and sighed on the inside. They had no idea...
She received exactly what she expected from her fellow Gryffindors. She had already become somewhat of a leader to her dorm-mates, who soon followed her lead. She even noticed that as she adjusted the angle of her scarf, three girls mimicked her. Making a mental note, she realized she could have some serious fun in her role as a trendsetter.
She ate very little dinner, nominally because all the food was heavy and fattening, but she actually had very little appetite. The lesson, which she had been putting out of her mind all day, was quickly approaching. She pretended to go to sleep with all the others, but lay silently awake in bed for a long time. Just like home... she thought. Finally, about one o'clock in the morning, everyone in her dorm had been asleep for hours. She crept silently out of bed and slipped downstairs to the common room. It was, of course, deserted. She dropped on her knees in front of the fire and waited for Voldemort to appear. He did, soon enough, but this time, all of him, not just his head emerged from the harth.

"I would not ordinarily attempt such a brash act as to place myself totally in such a magically protected place. However, tonight is so important to you, and me, that we must go away. Hold tightly to my cloak, and we will travel."

Throwing some powder into the fire, he stepped into it and beckoned her forward. She followed and grasped his cloak. As he muttered something, they began to spin very fast. Lily felt as if she were literally traveling through miles of chimneys. Who knew, maybe she was. She felt very disoriented when they finally arrived. They were on a moor similar to, but not the same as the one on which Severus made his home. Some ways distant, Lily could see a farmhouse. Nearer, there was a rabbit hutch.

"Tonight," said Voldemort. "You will learn the real means of controlling people."

"But I already know about Imperio..."

"That is simply a trick of the mind, a simple toy for creating playthings." Voldemort waved his hand dismissively. "Tonight, you will learn something infinitely more powerful."

Suddenly without warning, he cried, "Crucio!" pointing his wand at Lily. Lily fell to the ground, screaming with pain. She couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't feel anything but the all-encompassing pain...

Then, it was gone. She lay panting on the ground, in shock at what Voldemort had done. How could he do that to her, his favored pupil, his treasured student?

"Get up," he said impatiently. "Now its your turn!"

With a flick of his wand, he magically extracted a rabbit from the nearby hutch, and placed it on the ground in front of Lily. She raised her wand, but her hand shook madly.

"I...can't..." she mumbled, confused and distressed.

"Then I will do it through you, the first time. Submit."

He placed her under the Imperio curse, and she floated dreamily along, until an overwhelming hatred invaded her. The rabbit was evil, it was the cause of all her distress, she hated it, she wanted to hurt it. And "Crucio!" bubbled out of her mouth. The rabbit twitched and made an awful noise on the grass. And a sense of maddening power filled Lily. She hated herself, she knew she was an awful person, but she had the power. She had control over all kinds of living things. And she hated it, but she knew, from that moment on, she couldn't live without it. Looking up at her teacher, he who had corrupted her so, she realized that she, too, hated him, but she couldn't live without him.