When something threatens to destroy everything she loves, she will fight to the end to stop it.
A.N. – this is my first fanfic ever! I've already got it partially finished and unfortunately there are only about twelve chapters (so far, it'll get longer), but they're really long. It shouldn't take too long to update but it might take a little longer to answer your reviews because I'm doing this all through my cousin (who also wrote 'Sara's Niece' – CSI – check it out!). Someone hacked into our system at my house so my parents decided to get rid of our internet – SCREAMS! In order to get my story on I had to give it to my cousin. Hope you enjoy it! Read & review!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you'll recognize. Dah.
1Chapter One
"Lily!" shrieked Petunia, flailing her arms madly in a sad attempt of ridding herself of the tawny barn owl that had since extracted itself from the confusion and settled in on the deserted shelf above the clock, watching curiously as Petunia continued to shout for help. Lily, who had come hurtling down the stairs two-at-a-time, afraid her sister was in real danger, stood in the doorway with a hand on her hip and a frown curving her lips downward.
"Lily!" Petunia shrilled when she spotted her sister. "Lily, get that wretched thing away from me!" The owl, still a considerable distance away on the shelf, turned toward Lily and blinked.
"Petunia, it's nowhere near you," Lily pointed out in a voice of forced calm. "Now if you'll just calm down and stop carrying on as if you're being murdered before one of the neighbors phone the police." Though Lily knew none of the neighbors would, she also knew that the one thing her sister held in utmost importance was the image she held with the neighbors as a normal, everyday, regular-old-ordinary daughter. Petunia quieted.
Petunia pointed a long white finger in the animal's direction, her watery blue eyes wide with fear and suppressed anger. "That thing almost killed me! It came at me with its razor sharp claws and started digging into my shoulder! Look —" Petunia revealed to Lily her exposed shoulder, where Lily could barely see a faint red scratch. Had Petunia been any darker, rather than that eerie white, Lily doubted whether the wound would have been visible at all.
"I demand that animal be taken to the vet's and put down immediately," Petunia concluded pompously.
Lily took offense at those words. "Petunia, what would the vet say if I walked into the clinic with an owl? Besides, you're not seriously injured, are you?" Petunia opened her mouth to respond, but Lily cut her off. "Then why make the poor thing suffer? She's only a baby, after all."
"A dangerous baby! That horrid beast almost tore my arm apart —"
"I'm sure she did," Lily soothed, fighting not to roll her eyes lest the action increase Petunia's anger, "but I hold it on the best of authority that you'll survive the encounter."
Petunia must have noticed the subtle trace of sarcasm in Lily's voice, for she gave a wordless scream of fury and exited the living room in a huff. Lily rubbed her palm against her forehead as soon as Petunia was out of sight and sighed, disbelieving. Sisters.
"Well, Lollipop," said Lily, suddenly stern. "Do you have a letter for me?"
You had better, thought Lily, after all the trouble you just got me in. Lily knew she had a lot of explaining to do, doubtless as it was that Petunia had gone crying to Mrs. Evans that Lily had been teasing her for her deadly phobia of birds. Not that Petunia was scared of foul; it was just another ploy to make Lily look like the worse of the two for owning one.
The owl swept gracefully from its perch and landed on Lily's shoulder, obediently holding out a talon. Attached to the claw was a letter, addressed to Lily, which the girl hastily untied. Ripping open the envelope she pulled from inside a thinner piece of parchment, which she unfolded and read.
It said:
Dear Lily,
To answer your first question: yes, there have been more attacks. To answer your second: no, none of the victims' names are familiar to me, though mum and dad knew a few of the Aurors who died. Mum said to ask whether you had received the instructional packet the Ministry sent out, and told me to tell you what it said in case you hadn't. But we'll just save that for another day, okay?
Everyone is panicking. I haven't seen people this confused . . . well, ever. They're all convinced they will be attacked next, and most have either gone into hiding or locked themselves up in their homes and refuse to come out. The old witch up the street from my house barricaded herself inside and absolutely to unblock it, even when the Minister of Magic herself told her there was nothing to worry about. It's a lie, of course, as there's plenty to be worried about.
I'm worried sick about my parents. They leave for work more often nowadays, and they're gone for days on end. I'm in constant panic, wondering if someone will show up with my mum's arm in a miniature little casket, my dad's right leg in its own little wooden box . . . Oh gosh! I don't think I can stand the prospect of them leaving me anymore. Not to mention the fact that I'm here in this gigantic mansion alone most of the time when they leave. I'd be practically powerless against these maniacs! I haven't even graduated school yet! Oh, Lily!
How's life in muggle-world? Petunia any better?
Please write back as quickly as possible,
Alice
Lily read Alice's letter over again, not entirely sure what to make of it. Alice Chambers was one of Lily's best friends from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the school Lily attended for most of the year. Alice came from a long line of pureblood magicfolk, so she had been introduced to magic before Lily had ever entertained the idea. Although a very talented witch, Alice had the worst memory of anyone Lily had ever met.
But for Alice to sound this distressed, something had to be really wrong. Lily vaguely recalled a few students mentioning an article or two in the Daily Prophet (the Wizarding newspaper) about raids, but nothing had ever been this serious.
Alice's letter, usually a source of comfort and reliever of any homesick feelings Lily had for the Wizarding world, did nothing but shift Lily's mood to one of paranoia and worthlessness. Lily couldn't help but feel useless, sitting here brooding over petty arguments with Petunia while people were dying.
What use am I? Lily thought miserably. Like Alice said, I haven't even graduated school yet. What use will I be in the real world, when people will need my help? I won't be able to help them. I can't even help one of my best friends when she's worried like this.
Lily was broken out of her reverie by loud wail, followed by a shout, emitting from the kitchen.
"LILY!" Lily cringed. She knew when her mother used that tone of voice it meant nothing good for the person she was using it with.
Slowly, Lily raised herself from the couch and slunk down the hallway to the kitchen where Mrs. Evans spent every afternoon. Her steps slowed to a stop outside the doorway, but she knew it wasn't wise to test her mother's patience. Steeling herself, she swung open the door.
The kitchen was a rather cheery place, with sunlight streaming in through the lace curtains and bathing the room in a bright glow. The polished countertops gleamed in the sunshine.
Lily spotted Mrs. Evans sitting in a chair, Petunia on her lap as she rubbed her daughter's back and whispered comforts in her ear. Mrs. Evans shot Lily a reproving glance as Lily awkwardly took a seat on the opposite side of the room and shifted self-consciously.
"Lily," Mrs. Evans began, "did you call your sister a name?"
Petunia caught Lily's eye between huge fake sobs and grinned nastily.
"No!" Lily exclaimed incredulously, looking between her mother and sister. She had the sudden temptation to give Petunia good slap and reprimand her for acting so childishly.
"She did!" Petunia cried dramatically in between sniffs. "She – she saw me with that creature and just exploded in laughter! Then she called me a fool and said I didn't – didn't . . ." Petunia let out a loud cry and buried her face in Mrs. Evans shoulder.
"Mum," started Lily, "I swear I didn't —"
Lily locked eyes with her mother. Lily had inherited her mother's brilliant green eyes, and it was amazing how penetrating they seemed to be now as each stared directly into the other's soul.
Mrs. Evans spoke up tentatively, "Petunia, perhaps you misunderstood your sister's meaning —"
"I knew you'd side with her!" Petunia whined, her shoulders heaving as false sobs wrung her body. "You always side with her!"
"I'm not siding with anyone."
"Are you going to punish her?" demanded Petunia at once.
Mrs. Evans sighed. "Seeing as this is her first offense —"
"I knew it! I just knew it!"
Lily gaped at her sister, too shocked to say anything. It wasn't as if outbursts such as this weren't normal happenings, as they were, but Lily simply didn't understand her sister's logic. Since when had anyone sided with Lily?
"What would you have me do, Petunia?" Mrs. Evans inquired impatiently.
Petunia smirked smugly. "I say Lily should be confined to her room until tomorrow morning."
What!
Mrs. Evans turned to Lily. "Do you agree with that punishment?"
"No," Lily said, "as I didn't do anything I should be punished for."
"Petunia, could you please go to your room for a moment while I have a little discussion with Lily?"
Petunia's eyes widened as she looked irately at Mrs. Evans. She let out a loud sob, threw her hands in the air, and ran out of the room.
"Sometimes I worry about her," mumbled Mrs. Evans, shaking her head. "You think about what she'll be like when she's off on her own, and it causes you to worry."
Lily noticed for the first time how old and vulnerable her mother appeared, and an involuntary shudder shot up her spine. It was unnerving seeing her willful, stubborn mom so . . . helpless. Lily began to wonder if Mrs. Evans had been sleeping well; there were large purple bags beneath her eyes and her face was drawn and worn, her hair dull and stringy and void of its normal sheen.
Mrs. Evans turned her defeated stare to Lily. "I do hope you'll turn out alright, Lily," she said with a wistful smile. "You always have been capable of dealing with your own problems, haven't you?"
Lily didn't know what to say, so she simply kept quiet and let her mother continue.
"You know what would please me more than anything in the world, Lily?" Mrs. Evans grinned wearily at her youngest daughter. "To meet the man you marry."
Lily flushed. "Mum, that's a long step off . . ."
"No, it's not. You're of age, you're beautiful," Lily blushed, but Mrs. Evans ignored it as she ranted, "and any boy who wouldn't go after you must either be blind or completely ignorant. But I trust you to choose the right boy, one who will love you for you and not just because you are lovely. And when you do find him, I would like to meet him."
"Alright, mum," Lily consented. Poor mum, Lily thought sadly. She didn't want to disappoint her mother, but she knew it was nearly impossible to find Prince Charming. She had already searched, without any result.
"I know what you're thinking," Mrs. Evans said suddenly. "And don't. You never know when you'll find him. He could be right under your nose, someone you had never thought about before, or someone you had ignored. Or he could be out there right now in the most obvious of places, just waiting to find Cinderella."
--
Lily stepped cautiously into the attic bedroom she shared with Petunia and glanced around. The horse-faced girl was on the other side of the room on her mattress, staring out through the window at the back garden.
Lily tried not to make her presence known as she tiptoed to her bed and lay down.
"It's funny, isn't it," said Petunia without looking away from the window. "How much you loathe childhood when you're a child. All you want is to be an adult, off on your own, free of any authority or attachment to your past."
Lily sat in a stunned stupor, listening. She knew her sister was right. She had felt the same way as a child, but now, as an adult, things were so different.
Petunia sighed. "Sometimes, all you ever dream about is being a kid again, dressing your little sister in old floral dresses and watching her smear lipstick all over her face." Petunia sniffed, and Lily felt tears pricking at her eyes. "But then again, dreams change as you grow older and you meet . . . new people . . ."
Lily left her position and joined Petunia's side, wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulders.
"You've always been my big sister, Petunia," Lily whispered. "Nothing could every change that. Nothing. Not an argument, not our differences, not anything. You understand that, right?"
Petunia slowly nodded, then turned to look Lily in the eye. Petunia's watery blue stare searched Lily's own, as though looking for something, before quickly averting her gaze to the floor.
"There are some things," Petunia whispered.
Lily tried not to let her confusion show. "Petunia, you know I'll always be there for you."
Petunia sniffled. Rising from her seat, she moved toward her dresser and pulled from the top drawer a piece of blue satin cloth. With fumbling fingers Petunia pulled back the corners.
"Oh my . . . Petunia . . ." Lily breathed, staring at the item in Petunia's palm. It was a ring. A thin band of gold, inset with many tiny jewels and one large diamond right in the center.
"See?" Petunia said. "There are . . . there are some things that can tear us apart."
Lily glanced up at her sister's hesitant expression. "Petunia," she said in a daze. "Petunia, you're getting married! When can I meet him?"
"Do you want to meet him?" Petunia looked hopefully up at Lily.
"Of course!"
"Be quiet," Petunia implored, her smile faltering. "Mom and dad don't know."
"You haven't told them?" Lily questioned, raising her eyebrows.
Petunia shook her head. "I was planning on telling them tomorrow at dinner."
"Can I come?" Lily bit her lip, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"We'll see."
A.N. – well? What did you think? Good? Constructive criticism is appreciated – review!