I have always known I was different than my friends and family. I always craved something more, I could feel the power that circulated around me. The electricity in the air. I noticed things other people didn't see. Mother always said it was my imagination running wild.

"Oh, Lily, not again with your silly little imagination. Come on down to the real world."

"But, mother! I'm not imagining things. That man fixed that broken vase."

"Of course he did sweetie."

I didn't connect with anyone for awhile, but that was okay. I wasn't going to stop believing there was more out there that I was missing, my imagination was magical and it was mine. And for 10 years it stayed just that way, my imagination. A dream that I wanted so badly to be real.

Until one day I met a boy at the park, small and pale with long black hair. I'd seen him around before, lurking, always watching. My sister, Petunia, always told me not to go near him, she'd heard he was bad news.

"His parents are the ones that are always yelling, remember, father told us not to go around that house."

I always kept my distance from that house, from him. But one day while I was swinging on the swing, I watched him play with a small flower. He'd pluck the petals, one by one, but then they'd grow back. And he'd do that over and over again. He even made the flower petals change colors.

I jumped off the swing and ran over to him, I knew what I saw definitely wasn't part of my imagination. This was real. It was all real.

"Excuse, what in the world did you just do to that flower?" I sat down in front of him, excitement pulsing through me.

"Um, nothing? I think you're seeing things." He hid the flower behind his back.

"I saw you pluck those petals, I watched them grow back and change colors. You did that!"

"You have a silly imagin-" I put my hand over his mouth, I was getting very angry.

"Don't you dare say I have a silly imaginations, I am not imagining this. I saw what you did, I want to do it too. I won't tell anyone if that's what you're afraid of"

"Do you promise?" He looked me straight in the eyes, up close he didn't really look as terrifying as Petunia made him out to be.

"I promise," I held out my pinky, I was going to make this official.

He looked at my pinky for a minute and then laughed. He wrapped his pinky around mine, and we were sworn to secrecy.

"I'm Lily, it's very nice to meet you."

"I'm Severus."

That's the day everything changed. Severus told me all about the world that I knew was out there. About how his parents were wizards and so was he. We talked about the magical creatures, and about the school young witches and wizards went too. He told me about muggles, people with no magical powers. I was excited about everything I had learned that it took awhile to realized I wasn't part of that world.

"My parents aren't magical. They're not wizards. I'm not a wizard." I felt my spirits deflate.

"What are you talking about? You said you've seen things your whole life, you said you've felt things. Any ole' muggle couldn't see or feel the things you do. There are witches and wizards who come from muggle families. From what you've told me, I know you're one of them."

It started getting late and we went our separate ways, but every day we met back at the same place. He'd tell me more stories, sometimes he'd sneak books from his parents library. After several weeks I still hadn't managed to make any magic happen. I tried so hard but nothing would change or grow or do anything at all. I watched Severus show me how a thousand times. I felt that he started to believe I was just a muggle like my entire family. I started getting sad and jealous. My visits with him became less, I tried to distance myself from the world I craved to be in. Being around him and knowing all I was missing tore me apart.

After awhile I stopped going to the park all together. Severus would write me a letter and have it delivered through the mail, begging me to come hang out. I'd read them over and over again, but would never reply. As much as I wanted to distance myself from the world I wanted to belong in, I couldn't completely cut myself off.

One evening after dinner, Petunia came marching into my room.

"I see you're not hanging out with Severus anymore, did you realize he's as weird as I've been telling you?" Her face was smug, her attitude was borderline mean. For awhile she was my closest friend, and then once I started hanging out with Sev she turned on me.

"We've both just been busy that's all."

"Busy being freaks?"

"Excuse me?" I could feel my checks burn. I didn't like being called names, especially not from her.

"Come on Lily, you know he's a freak and by association so are you."

"Severus is amazing, Petunia. You could only wish to have a friend like that."

"I guess you would settle for anyone as friend, Lily, considering you don't have any. I would never be friends with someone like you. I can't even stand to be around you anymore."

What she said really stung me, I started seeing red. My anger burned through my body, I knew trouble would start if I didn't end the conversation now.

"I think it's time you get out of my room." I pointed toward the door, which then flew open all on it's own. Petunia looked at me, her eyes wide, slightly terrified.

"You are a freak." She left the room and the door slammed shut behind her.

My heart was racing, I finally did magic, on my own. I felt different, I felt free. The part of me that held all my magic has been uncapped. I could feel the power through out my entire body, begging to be wielded.

I grabbed my coat, and ran out of the house. I need to tell Sev right now.