Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
About this story: This was actually a Mirror of Erised challenge from 3 years ago that I completely forgot about. Oops? But I found the beginning just sitting sadly in a long-forgotten Word document and decided to take it up again. Hope you enjoy. Concrit always welcome.
Petunia Evan idolized her older sister. Smart, pretty, and always sparing time for her younger sister, Lily Evans was the epitome of a thoughtful sister and daughter. Lily's one fault, if it could be called that, was her attachment to fantasy novels. Lily had been an avid reader from a young age when she would haul around a collection of picture books and use her innocent, gap-toothed smile to lure unsuspecting passerby—that is to say, her kindly neighbors—into reading with her. As she grew older, the picture books were replaced by short chapter books on school and friendship and finally, at the age of eight, her first full-length fantasy novel. She was hooked and could, from then on, always be seen curled up with a new book under the great sycamore tree in front of her home. Indeed, the speed with which she devoured these new books was so astonishingly fast that the neighbors were left wondering if Lily Evans spent her time doing anything other than read, for she was often found with one book in the morning and another later that very afternoon!
This would have been an altogether insignificant occurrence, if not for the fact that Lily Evan's behavior began to change ever so slightly as she flew through dozens of stories about witches and giants and magical lands. She began to talk of goblins and unicorns and elves, not merely in the context of her novels, but as if they might appear at any moment to join in her conversation. Lily also appeared to believe that the stories of flying witches were true! And Petunia knew just whose fault that was.
About a year ago, sometime between her fifth birthday party and the day their cat ran away, a new boy had moved in down the street. A weird boy, with ugly clothes, a funny name—Seth? Sam? something less normal, she suspected—and a sincere belief in magic. Lily had taken him under her wing within minutes of the moving vans leaving.
In fact, the boy was now so much a part of their family that, much to Petunia's dismay, he was accompanying them on their annual trip to London! And already getting into trouble! In an instance of very un-Lily-like behavior, her sister had let him lead her off for twenty minutes and seemed totally unrepentant when they reappeared. Instead, she kept chattering excitedly about a magic mirror she had found that showed her as a witch, riding a broom amongst dragons and faeries! Surely, Lily exclaimed, she had been shown her future!
Petunia turned and glared at S-kid. How dare he play tricks on her sister, using freaky technology to show her the impossible only to dash her hopes later! Because, just for a moment, Lily looked like she had gotten everything she had ever desired.