1. Leaving Grimmuald Place
The early morning light spilled in through the slit in the curtains onto the face of a small, ten year old girl sitting in the corner of her bedroom, her back against the wall. She sat silently, cross-legged, cradling a small wooden wand with her open palms. Her green-eyes were opened wide, staring fixedly at a packed trunk with folded clothes for the day ahead on top of it. She sighed, and allowed her head to fall into her hands and her long, pin straight, red hair cascaded over her knees.
Lily Potter hadn't slept all night. She dreaded every moment that passed, because it meant that she was one moment closer to the event that she most feared-beginning her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Lily's older brothers were currently students at Hogwarts, and were very fond of their school. Her eldest brother, James, was one of the best in his class, and talked about nothing other than Quiddich, concepts that he learned in class, and friends from school that he was also very fond of, and from whom he was constantly receiving letters. A few weeks ago, he had received a very different letter as well, one that he was even more proud of. James was chosen as a Gryffindor prefect, to nobody's surprise.
Albus Potter, the middle Potter child, also tended to ramble on about occurrences at the school, but in a way very unlike that of his older brother, James. As an almost third year, he had already gotten more detentions than his parents Harry and Ginny Potter had gotten in their entire school experiences combined. Albus and his friends were constantly being caught casting mischievous spells and charms, and Albus was constantly receiving detentions, and occasional howlers that Lily had watched her distressed, angry parents write.
Even though he was constantly in trouble, Lily had always thought that he meant well, despite the way everything seemed. Albus took after their uncle George, who owned a joke shop that he and his late twin brother Fred founded themselves. He was always making jokes, and it was always quite apparent that Albus looked up to him.
Lily was the shyest of the three Potter children. She never asked questions, and rarely ever raised her voice, even when she and Albus argued. She was considerably quiet on most days, which sometimes caused her parents worry. An ideal perfect day for Lily was to sit in her bedroom and read books about magic spells, and potions, and charms.
Lily wasn't worried about failing or succeeding in magic when she dreaded her first day of Hogwarts. She was afraid that people of her own kind would dislike her, or wouldn't want to become her friend. Being compared to Albus and James-who were both as impressive wizards as they were different from each other-was another reason to fear the first day of a new beginning.
To add more reasoning, Lily was apprehensive about being away from her parents for such a long time. She had never felt safe when they were away, not with James and Albus quarrelling like they did on numerous occasions. Even when left with her grandparents, Lily still felt disconnected from her parents, and this separation made her feel uncomfortable, even in the shortest time frames.
Lily raised her head abruptly at the sound of knocking at her door. "Come in," She said feebly, watching the door swing open, her eyes just able to see over the top of her bed. Teddy Lupin's eyes scanned the room onceover before he had finally found Lily sitting in the corner of the room.
To Lily, Teddy had looked relatively normal today. He had long bright turquoise hair and eyes that were as blue as the sky; but to Lily, that never mattered at all. Teddy was a metamorphagus, which meant that his appearance was always changing. Over the years, Lily had learned how to recognize him however he looked, mainly because of his semi-crooked teeth that never changed.
She had once asked him why this was, and he told her that he simply could not change the way his bones appeared to look. She had also asked him why he never stayed the same, and he had told her that it was just the way he was. Teddy was the one that Lily seemed to open up to the most. He had known her ever since she was born, and since he was Harry Potter's godson, he was basically another one of Lily's older brothers.
Today, Teddy sat down beside Lily on the floor, as more and more sunlight seeped in through the curtains, the time to leave for school approaching.
"Little Lily is heading off to Hogwarts," He said grinning, "Blimey."
Lily forced a smile as she twirled and twisted her wand in her fingertips.
"Are you nervous?" He asked her, and her smile faded.
"A bit," Lily murmured honestly. Her head sank lower, closer to her spinning wand.
Teddy put his arm around her, pulling her close. "You shouldn't be, it's great there. I wish I hadn't ever finished," He said, "And now you finally get to put those books you always read to good use!"
She smiled crookedly, still gazing at the wand in her fingertips. "I'm not afraid of magic,"
"Then what are you afraid of?" He asked conspicuously, releasing her from his one-armed hug so that he could get a good look at her.
"A lot of things," She said generally, but this didn't satisfy Teddy in the least bit.
"What type of things?" He pushed. Lily didn't answer, she only eyed him skeptically.
"Did my dad put you up to this?" She asked him, her eyes narrowed in a questioning way. It seemed like Harry to do this, since he always felt as though he didn't know his daughter as well as he should.
Reluctantly, he nodded, and then shook his head, as if he couldn't decide. "James was wondering where you were, and your dad heard me tell him that I was going to go see if you were still sleeping." Teddy began, "Albus told everyone how you seemed resentful about beginning school, and your mum asked him why, and he said that he didn't have the slightest idea. So your dad asked me to find out for them,"
Lily shook her head, looking up at Teddy, and then refocused on her wand.
"Hey! Don't be angry at me!" He said, in reply to the look that Lily had just shot at him.
"I'm not," She said defiantly, and both Teddy and Lily heard the door swing open once again.
"Lily?" Her eldest brother, James asked, searching the room for her. Both Lily and Teddy stood up almost immediately. "You look bloody awful, Lils." James pointed out, when he saw how tired Lily looked.
"I'm flattered," She replied quietly, but in a sharp, cutting tone.
"You really should be," James retorted, "Anyway, Mum and Dad said we're leaving in ten minutes, and you'd better be ready." He looked at Lily from toe to head, and then smiled smugly, "Which means, you better get going."
Lily nodded, and walked over to her trunk, silently lifting her new robes into her arms. "Thank you, James," She said as he turned to leave, his prefect badge catching a small ray of sunlight and reflecting into Teddy's face.
"See you in a few, Lily," Teddy said, squinting, then he followed James out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Lily got dressed into her robes fast, and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked long and hard, barely recognizing the weary young witch staring back at her. Lily held up her wand, trying to find the best way to look like she'd been casting spells all her life. After a few failed attempts, she brushed through her hair a few more times, and with her trunk, headed for the door.
Before she left, she took one last look at her now seemingly vacant room. She closed her eyes for a split second before reopening them, as if by doing so, she had taken a picture of exactly how it looked at that very moment. With a deep sigh, she closed the door and left.
The thought of not coming back to 12 Grimmuald Place until Christmas filled Lily as she clumsily began to drag her large trunk down the stairs. She was grateful that halfway down the flight, it had begun to float in midair for the rest of the way.
"Thanks, Dad." Lily said, grinning slightly at Harry, as he set the trunk down beside James's and Albus's. Harry nodded, as if to say that she was welcome.
"Is everyone ready?" He asked generally, and with one sweeping glance, witnessed five identical nods. "All-right then," He said, and led everyone out the door, one by one. James and Albus closely tailing him, and then Ginny, who was desperately attempting to smooth Albus's disorderly hair. Teddy helped Lily with her large trunk, as Lily threw a backward glance into the house, before shutting the door. Teddy then said goodbye to her, telling her that he promised that he would go visit Victorie this morning, and then he promised that he would meet Lily at King's Cross Station later on.
She climbed into the Muggle car, and watched Teddy apparate as she fastened her seatbelt, mirroring the way she had just seen James and Albus do it beside her. Lily thought about Teddy's motive for leaving. He said he was going to go see Victorie, but at this hour in the morning? The sun had barely risen. Lily stared out the window, watching Muggles as they strolled London's streets, living their ordinary, non-magical lives.
"How do they live like that?" James said, from the other side of the back seat, apparently thinking the same thing as Lily. "Muggles…" He added, as he saw his dad look back at them through the mirror above the dashboard.
Harry glanced at Lily, as if he knew that she had been wondering the same thing. "They don't particularly believe magic exists," He said simply, "They have other things, like telephones and—"
"Tele-whats?" Albus said, his eyes widening as if they were speaking of aliens taking over the planet. Harry chuckled quietly, before explaining the Muggle means of communication, and its popularity. He also threw in a story about how once, their Uncle Ron had tried to ring him once, but he had no idea how to use a telephone-and really got Harry's own uncle Vernon very angry with him. Ginny laughed, "That does sound quite a bit like Ron," She said from the passenger's seat.
They arrived at King's Cross Station, not very long after. The Potter boys excitedly evacuated the car swiftly, leaving Lily in the dust. Lily studied her surroundings nervously, as she attained her belongings from the Muggle Car's trunk. Harry slammed it shut, and smiled at Lily kindheartedly, and ruffled her hair.
"I remember my first time on the Hogwarts express," He said to her matter-of-factly. "I didn't know a thing about magic at all-I had only just found out that I was a wizard. I was very nervous."
He patted Lily's shoulder as she tried to imagine a time when her father had ever been nervous. She had barely any luck. Harry always seemed like he could never fear anything, or so Lily thought.
"But then I ran into your grandparents, and your mother-" He continued, and Ginny smiled as she approached Harry from the other side, clasping his hand gently as they walked along, "-And all of your uncles who were in school then, and in no time, I had gotten to know your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione very well, and we had become great friends."
Lily knew very well why her father had begun telling her this. He seemed to have a way of finding out what's wrong in any situation with anyone, even Lily. Somehow, he was aware that Lily was afraid of rejection, and he was only trying to make her feel excited for the next seven years upcoming. As far as Lily was concerned at the moment, he was fighting a losing battle.
"Lily, don't let your brothers make you feel pressured to be sorted in to Gryffindor, either," Ginny added, looking into Lily's drained face, her barely-awake green eyes that matched her father's.
"I won't," Lily murmured. There was no need for Albus and James to pressure Lily about possessing the desire to be sorted into Gryffindor; for Lily had done all the work for them. Lily was gravely afraid of being sorted into any other house, for fear of being the only non-Gryffindor member of not only her immediate family, but of most of her relatives.
They approached the portal to platform 9 ¾ in a matter of steps, and James and Albus began arguing over who should enter first. James seemed to be winning-while he waved his prefect badge in the air threateningly.
"Why don't you let Lily go first?" Ginny suggested.
"Me?" Lily said, surprised, "But I'm-but-why?" She whined.
"Go on, Lily," Harry urged her, and Lily's eyes widened.
"You aren't serious about this, are you?" James asked indignantly as Albus scowled at both his parents and his sister, who was trembling, and detesting how she was now the center of their argument.
"She's only a bloody first year," Albus muttered so that only Lily and James could hear, "She hasn't even been on the Hogwarts Express yet!" He added, this time aloud.
To Lily's great relief, the Potter family then heard voices coming from behind them. Familiar voices, whom they were soon greeted by. Ginny embraced her brother Ron with one arm, as Harry followed her, greeting his two best friends affably. Lily soon found her cousin Hugo at her side. He was gripping his trolley, containing a standard sized trunk underneath an owl cage.
"Like him?" He asked Lily, as he beamed, "'got him today for an early birthday present. 'Still haven't named him yet. Do you have any ideas?"
Lily looked at the golden-brown owl, whose eyes gawked nervously at all of the movements all around him. Lily felt sorry for it. The owl was just as nervous about going to Hogwarts as she was.
"I haven't a clue." She told him, still gazing at the frightened owl.
"I think he should name it Beaky," Lily's cousin Rose said, as she came up behind Lily the same way her brother Hugo had. "But Hugo hates that name," She shrugged, and turned her back feigning indifference as she walked to converse with Albus and James.
"Beaky is a stupid name," Hugo explained, "Figures. Rose named her owl 'Winger.' I don't reckon it gets worse than that." He and Lily shared a laugh, as the adults looked nervously at their watches before bidding their children to get onto the platform.
"Why don't we let Rose go first," Hermione said, indicating Rose, "Then James and Albus can go next, and after, Lily and Hugo." Everyone nodded in agreement. Lily's Aunt Hermione seemed to be the peacemaker in any family argument.
Lily gulped apprehensively as she watched Rose run full speed ahead, pushing her trolley, right into a seemingly solid brick wall. Only, right where she should have made impact, she disappeared, and entered platform 9 ¾.
"Are you ready for this, Lily?" Her uncle Ron asked her, clearly knowing that she wasn't, and trying to change her mind. "There's no need to be nervous," He added conspicuously as he stood beside her and her father.
Lily shook her head, as her father ruffled her hair. "It's going to be all right," He said softly, grinning at her slightly as she looked up at him. James and Albus backed their trolleys a good running distance away from the wall, so that they were only inches away from where Lily and Hugo, and the rest of the family stood.
"Watch how it's done," James shot back at Lily and Hugo, who nodded resentfully. Albus laughed at Lily's recoiling expression, and elbowed James. Then, they abruptly stopped, as their mother snapped at them for doing so. Soon, they too, bounded through the wall.
Hugo elbowed Lily in the ribs excitedly, and she looked up at his beaming face. "It's our turn!" He practically shouted, and Lily fabricated a small respondent smile. They both grabbed their trolleys and backed them at the distance where James and Albus had just started.
Just run straight into the wall, Lily reminded herself promptly. Soon, she and Hugo began sprinting at an even pace. They approached the wall swiftly. Lily braced herself for impact with the tan-brick wall, but she found herself on the other side of it when she opened her eyes.
Albus, James and Rose had found another part of their large family-their uncle George, and Aunt Arpelina with their cousins Freddie and Roxanne. Lily glanced over to them once or twice, and then watched her parents and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron join them.
"What do you think of 'Goldie'?" Hugo asked Lily, commanding her undivided attention. She shook her head at him.
"He's not a fish you know," She retorted quietly, "What about Hermes?"
"Where did you get Hermes from?" He asked her imploringly, while smirking.
"I was reading Greek mythology," Lily answered matter-of-factly, ignoring his sneering expression, "It's actually rather interesting," She added.
He laughed. "I'm not naming my owl Hermes." He said, making a disgusted face, and Lily shrugged.
It was about time for the Hogwarts express to depart, and Lily's stomach was full of butterflies, her heart was racing, and her palms were sweating. She pushed her trolley, following her brothers toward the train, and greeting the rest of her family members along the way. She had almost reached the train, when she heard a large crack!, coming from behind her.
Lily jumped. She whipped her head around and looked behind her to find Teddy laughing at her. "I didn't scare you, did I?" He asked her, still snickering.
"No," Lily lied, and she pushed her trolley forward a few more feet. The truth was that Teddy wouldn't have scared her if she hadn't been so worried about heading off to Hogwarts in the first place. He laughed again once more.
"You don't think I'd let you go without saying goodbye, did you?" He asked her, and she slowed down so that she could have enough time to talk to him before boarding the train.
"I thought you had already said goodbye," Lily replied quietly, "At my house, remember?"
"No, I just had to help Victorie get ready," He explained, "She's awful nervous as well, except she's in her seventh year," He scratched his head as Lily stared at him blankly, "I do expect that you know that, 'coz after all she is your cousin."
"You read my mind," Lily muttered, approaching within feet of the train. She stopped briefly, to watch her brothers and cousins get on board. They were all so excited, so happy. However, they were all so outgoing and talkative, whereas she had always been shy and had kept to herself and a select few for her entire life.
"Go on," Teddy pushed, wearing a sly smile, "Don't let me hold you up!"
Lily smirked. "You weren't." She said, slightly twisting her mouth into a grin, and soon enough, she found herself waving goodbye to Teddy and her family, right before the doors of the Hogwarts Express closed behind her.
A/N: Incase you didn't notice, I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter. I'm also an American, so I tried to make myself sound British as I wrote. If I misused slang or anything, or even refrenced the books wrong, please let me know! Please give me feedback, and tell me how my writing is, even if you absolutely hate this! Thank you so much for reading!
