"Get the letters Lilly" Mr Evens said

"Get the post Lily," Mr Evans said

"Why can't Petunia get them? I'm eating." Lily fought back knowing it was worthless.

Ever since she could remember, fighting with her dad was never going to change anything. He was the stereotypical man of the house meaning that what he said happened no matter how unfair it was.

Mr. Evans just gave Lily a look which told Lily to do as he said or else. Lily sighed, finished her mouthful and went to get the letters.

As Lily walked down the hallway she thought about the prospect of her new school, where she would be going next month. She had been looking forward to it for ages since her older sister started going there three years ago.

Lily flicked through the letters. Bills, bills, letter from the hospital for her dad, more bills and a letter for her? Why would anyone write to her? It looked so formal as well. Petunia her elder sister came down the corridor wondering why Lily was taking so long. When she got to her younger sister and saw what she was staring at Petunia also focused her eyes on this strange letter. Lily voiced her thoughts out loud to see if her sister was thinking the same thing.

"It looks so formal they must mean Mum. She had the same initials as me. Just a mistype I'll go hand it to Mum"

Petunia blinked and then looked down at the letter once more, hoping that it had changed; it hadn't.

Miss L. Evans

18 Merry Field Lane

Little Whinging

Surry

"Maybe…" Petunia said "Maybe"

"Should I open it? I mean, it could be for me and then I wouldn't want mum looking at my letter before me. But then if it is for Mum I don't want to read her letter Tuney what do you think?"

"I think you have the right to open it as it does say your name and then if it is for Mum you have a reason for opening it before hand and then she can't shout at you for it."

"Thanks Tuney. That's a good idea" Lily sighed happy that her sister had helped her come to this decision and started to open the letter. She smiled when she saw it was indeed for her.

Petunia looked at her sister wondering what was in this letter. She saw her sister smiled and knew that she had been right in assuming the letter was for her. However when her sisters smiled fell from her face and a frown replaced it she started to wonder whether she had done the wrong thing in telling her sister to open the letter.

"Lily?" She asked tentatively.

"Hmm?"

"What's the letter for?"

"It's a joke. Has to be. There is no way this is real."

"What is it?" Petunia asked getting annoyed with her sister not answering her question.

"Well, apparently I have got into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I mean it's a joke but a very good one. It looks so real. I think I'll go show Dad. It might make him smile, he needs to smile a bit more. I know he is ill but he should still smile."

Lily got to her feet, for she had sat down after reading her letter, and ran along the hall to the kitchen to show her father the letter. Meanwhile Petunia slid down the wall as her legs collapsed under her and she could no longer support herself. Unlike Lily she thought it was real as she remembered what that boy said.

"You're a witch"

She was jealous of her sister, how long had she wished to have magical powers. She could do something worthwhile she could help her father. Make him better.

A knock on the door shocked her out of her thoughts as she stood up and hastened to answer the door.

Standing on the doorstep was a man with a long beard of a auburn colour. Petunia looked up at him in his brightly coloured robes. She knew what he was going to say and hated him for it.

"She's in the kitchen" she said with a sigh as she let him in.

"Thank you Petunia"

How did he know her name? He had come to talk to her sister about her new life and her new school. Well, she didn't care. What was he wearing; he looked like a freak, she decided as she walks towards the kitchen. Even if she thought he was a freak she still wanted to know what he said.

"…I understand that this is new to you but I can promise you that your daughter is a witch and we would love to have her at our school…"

Petunia got bored and drifted out of the conversation and left the room. Lily however was enraptured with what Professor Dumbledore was saying, for of course it was he. She was a witch; she could do magic.

While Lily was thinking about how amazing it would be to do magic James Potter sat on his bed looking at his letter. He had wanted to go to Hogwarts all his life. But now he just wanted to stay at home and look after his family. He could not even start to think about the possibility of leaving home for most of the year. With his parents both terminally ill all he wanted to do was look after them and help them get through the last few years of their lives. He was scared that something would happen to them while he was gone.

"Mum," He got off his bed and started down the stairs "my letter came. But I'm not sure if I should go."

"WHAT? What are you thinking of when you say you're not going to go?"

"I'd rather have a tutor and stay here"

"This is because of me and your father isn't it?"

"Well yes. But…"

"Now you listen to me James Harold Potter" James looked up. When his mother used his middle name he knew that she meant business. "You have wanted to go to Hogwarts all your life and now just because your father and I are ill you are going to stay home. Well, I'll tell you this. You WILL go to Hogwarts and you WILL enjoy yourself. If you want we can ask if you can come home once a month to check up on us, but I would prefer it if you didn't as it would spoil your schooling. Now go owl your dad that we are going to Diagon Ally and will meet him there while I'll reply to your new school"

"OK"

James got up and left to go get his owl. He knew his father would have told him exactly the same thing as his mother and he was just being silly.

"Hogwarts here I come." He spoke his thoughts and he ran upstairs, a wide grin on his face

A few weeks after Lily got her letter Lily started feeling the same way as James. She was on her bed curled up as small as she could make herself. She wanted to disappear, it was all her fault. Tuney was right she could have done something.

"all my fault, it's all my fault" she repeated as her own personal mantra. "He's dead and it is all my fault"

Petunia walked in to her sister's room, tears in her eyes. When her father died she had to blame someone and like always that someone was her sister. She went in to apologise but as she walked in she saw her sister's trunk and remembered why she wanted to be a witch in the first place. She wanted to help her father, she had tried to help him as much as she could but she had failed him. So instead of comforting her sister she shouted at her.

"It's your fault Lily"

"I know, it's all my fault"

"Well, why didn't you do something? You could have helped him you're a witch. You could have healed him."

"I know, I know" Lily moaned

"You shouldn't be a witch. You're not worth it."

"I know. I wont go. I'll stay here and make it up to you. I will Tuney I promise. I'll stay here"

"No you will go and you will see if you can stay there for ever. I don't want you anywhere near me."

"Tuney… Tuney please" Lily whined "Tuney please don't turn me away. Tuney please I need you, please"

"No. Stay out of my way. I don't want to see you"

Petunia stormed out of Lily's room. She hated telling her sister that but she couldn't say anything else. She didn't want to see her sister she looked too much like her father. She could still hear Lily talking.

"I'll go, Tuney but only 'cause you want me to. I won't let you down again Tuney I promise I'll look after Mum I promise I won't make the same mistake as a witch I'll try to help. I'll try. I promise, Tuney I promise."

tbc...

A/N: what do you think. i know it is not brilliant but i thought it was quite good. this is my first fanfiction so be nice please. and remember to review