Being eleven is weird. Lily tells me it's no different from being six or thirteen but I'll suppose I'll learn that. Lily's always been the smart one, the one with the brains. It always gives me such big boots to fill. She happened to be brave, smart, beautiful and often stood up for everything she believed in. If I had to picture her as anything it would be a lioness. I, however, was more like a rabbit. Startled easily and often kept to myself.
I didn't stand up for what I believed in, in fact I barely spoke at all. In many ways I tried to be like Lily. I tried making friends the other day and just ended up hiding behind the slide in the playground. I had seen her just walk up to a bunch of kids once and they all ended up laughing. Sometimes I try pretending I'm Lily Rose Evans, I soon come back to earth.
Perhaps that's why I felt nervous on my first day at Hogwarts. Waking up at nine o'clock, the first thing I did was almost throw up. Everyone would make friends and I'd be left alone. I didn't like being alone, although I spent my entire self by myself. I always had Lily by my side but I'd have to face today and every other day without her if I didn't get into Gryffindor.
"Get up, we'll be late!" Lily called, ducking inside our shared room. She took one look at me and threw herself on my bed. "You look like you were just hit around the face with a bludger." She commented, examining me.
"What's a bludger?" I quizzed, frowning. She just smiled, her answer to all my magic related questions. I could almost hear her 'you'll find out' that she had given up telling me. "Why won't you be with me if I'm not in Gryffindor?" I asked her again. I could see her roll her emerald green eyes as she answered the question for the thousandth time since she told me about the houses.
"Because we'll have different common rooms and tables. We'll see each other even if you're not." She explained patiently. "You're always welcome to have meals with me as long as it's not the feasts. Also our timetables are completely different." I nodded, absorbing the information.
"I guess I'm being stupid." I admitted, slowly swinging myself out of bed. I looked back at Lily, she was smiling widely at me before springing out of bed to make sure her owl was locked up in its cage.
I bounded up to the window and stared out of the window at the small town. Cokeworth, no one outside of it really knew much (if anything) about it. The hotel that sat around the corner from our house didn't really have a purpose other than visiting friends and family's. Often the air was thick with fumes from the chimneys of the factories based within it.
To anyone it was a prison, many people tried (unsuccessfully) to escape this hell known as a town. As for me? I liked it. Not a lot of family's had money, living pay check to pay check was a social norm. Something about not having money for luxury had a thing about building a deeper understanding to one another.
Children played in tattered clothes, two sizes too big or small. Our small family were better off than most, we had a nice lump of inheritance hidden in the house. Our parents only used it to get us clothes that fit so we could blend in at school. Even Petunia had a small array of clothes just her size.
"Bryony! You really need to get ready." Lily called, ticking her school list off. I rolled my eyes, slouching over to the drawers and picking out a quick outfit of jeans and a jumper.
"You're always like this every year and we end up getting their half an hour early." I remarked as I quickly changed. I gave her a pointed look as she gave me a stern glare.
"Just because it says eleven it doesn't mean to turn up then! It'll always be the one time we don't leave early that we'll be late!" Lily exclaimed, the same speech she's given me for the past three years. I laughed quietly to myself as I brushed my hair, tying it back in a single braid.
"Surely, a train taking us to a magical school has some form of way to know when everyone is onboard and can alter its leaving time for them." I stated, scooping up my pet cat up. I gave Cone a quick kiss on the top of his head and put him in his pet carrier. "Besides, surely they can think of a quicker way to get us all to Hogwarts. Magic exists - duh!"
"It's part of the experience!" Lily wailed frantically, her hands flying everywhere as she tried to exaggerate her point. I just nodded as if I believed her, I didn't.
"Anyway! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." I beamed at her grabbing my trunk.
"You have ten minutes! You should've been awake an hour ago." Lily informed me, tucking her red hair, the only physical trait we shared, behind her ear and began fussing over how she looked. Down to the flyaway hairs from her bunches. Like always, she looked adorable - but I'll let you try to tell her that. Honestly, I've never met anyone who cares as much about how she looks than Lily.
Actually...
Scratch that. Petunia surely takes the medal for vanity.
At the moment she was swooning over an older guy that was set to run his fathers oil business. He's twenty one. She's fifteen. He has money, land and a horse. Naturally, Petunia wanted him and the life she could have. Petunia forever gravitated towards the more luxurious life - she just wasn't prepared for the demands.
I can remember clearly when she came back crying, her boyfriend had broken up with her after a disastrous date in which she hadn't used the Queen's English to his parents. The horror. How on earth did she survive that?
After finally pulling my trunk down the stairs I finally managed to tuck into a bowl of cereal. "Excited?" My father, Michael Evans asked as he chewed on his own cereal. I shrugged, swallowing my mouthful.
"It's just school. I just get to learn magic tricks." I poked at the small amount of cereal left in my bowl. It had gone all soggy. I hate soggy cereal.
"I'm sure you'll enjoy it." My father had taken time off work today, to see Lily and I off. Just like he's taken every first day of school off for Lily. I knew he wasn't getting paid today - the downside of working and not getting paid holiday hours.
"I suppose." I reluctantly agreed. "There's just one way to find out." Saying I would miss my parents was an understatement. Only two people my age knew I existed, my parents constantly kept it upbeat and invited the two around for sleepovers despite one being a boy. They always made sure I felt nothing but loved.
"We have to leave! Come on!" Lily shrieked as she ripped the door open. Same old
Lily, just another year. On the way back home Dad and I usually joked about how she'd end up married to the school. Our mother would always reprimand us and tell us not to make fun of Lily for liking school. It would usually end in a massive passive-aggressive argument between mum and dad.
"I'm sure there's a boy involved." Dad mumbled to me as we sluggishly put our bowls in the sink. "I can't see why else she'd get so excited about school."
"The only boy she talks about is this James Potter. She hates him." I corrected him, as we walked towards our battered and old car outside the house.
"Ah, my poppet. There's a fine line between love and hate." Dad told me, a twinkle in his eyes. "I wouldn't put it past us to expect wedding bells in the far, extremely far - you got that Lily? Further than you can think of - future." Despite the reprimand I expected from Lily, whom had shot a disgusted look at our dad, I let out a giggle.
"I will never ever be with him." Lily informed us, taking a moment to throw my trunk into the cars boot before slamming the door shut. I bet she only put my trunk in the boot so she could slam it shut. She stalked into the back of the car and made sure to slam the door behind her. I rolled my eyes and opened the door, climbing to the middle seat. As the shortest it was my seat in the car. Just so my parents could see out the back window.
Within a few minutes Petunia gracefully sat down beside me, nose turned up and wrinkled as she looked at me beside her. Mum cheerfully bobbed her way into the passenger side beside Dad. "Who's excited to go back to Hogwarts!" She cheered as the car started and began its journey.
"I'm excited!" Lily chirped.
"I'm excited to get rid of them." Petunia chipped in.
"I'm excited to commit social suicide!" I fake cheered.
"That's the spirit." Dad smiled, seemingly ignoring Petunia's and my comments.
Thanks Dad. Nice to know you care.
"Remember, get a compartment with a bunch of first years. The people you associate with on this train ride pretty much stick with you." Lily reminded me for the millionth and one time. "No matter how much you don't want them to." Lily mumbled to herself. That sounds like it's dramatic, I'd ask her but I don't feel like I want a forty minute rant about how people need to respect what 'no' means.
"She'll be fine Lil, now come and give your old man a hug." Dad grinned, wrapping her in a bear hug anyway. She didn't have a choice. When Dad says 'give me a hug' he means 'allow me to choke you to death and gasp for air for a solid thirty seconds once I'm done'. Lily groaned, awkwardly patting his back.
"Dad." She managed to gasp out. I'm seriously impressed. This girl can talk with no air in her lungs. "I can't breathe." Dad quickly lets go of her and gives an awkward chuckle. He scratched his head sheepishly as he looked at Lily.
"Sorry, forgot my own strength." Lily cracked a smile and gave him a quick hug. "I'm just going to miss you, kid. Things aren't the same when the Evans aren't together."
"I'll write once a week." Lily promised, smiling at him. He acted as though he was shocked.
"Once a week? More like three times a day." Dad gasped, adopting a look of feigned hurt. "Why, Bryony. You'll write to me three times a day, won't you?"
"Once a week, Dad. I'm sure I'll be busy." I laughed as he pulled me in for his infamous bear hug. Almost instantly I felt the air leave my lungs and I struggle to get a gasp of air. Safe to say that by the time he had finished hugging me I had to take deep gulps to stop the stinging in my chest.
All of a sudden, at that moment, I realised how much I was going to miss my parents. I have them an awkward hug at the same time, taking a deep breath. "I'll miss you." I admitted, finally taking a step back. The step back was necessary. It took everything not to fling myself at them and beg them to let me go home with them.
Somehow in the pit of my stomach I knew it was the end of something. I was never quite sure what.
Despite that feeling I turned around and boarded the train. Lily stood with me by the window, waving to our parents as a want of steam billowed across the platform. Slowly the train pulled away. We must've stayed there for five minutes, even after our parents disappeared from view.
"Do you ever get used to it?" I asked softly, feeling completely isolated without the two people who cheered me up no matter what.
"I'll let you know if I do." Lily said softly, crossing her arms over her body. "Do you want me to sit with you?" She asked me, her eyes glancing at me.
That was the thing about Lily, she was intense, crazy and like a hurricane the way she ran around. She had a softer side, a side I often saw. She truly cared about everyone, something I wish I could do. Lily saw things in people even when there was nothing to see to others.
"No, you've spent all summer together. You should go meet your friends." I smiled at her, I remembered her excited rambles about seeing Severus, Marlene, Alice, Beatrix and Janice again. It would be unfair to intrude or pull her away.
"Are you sure? I remember how scared I was in my first year. Thank god I had Severus." Lily mused, watching me carefully.
"I'm sure. I'll just go make friends." I assured her. She gave me a smile and a wave as she headed off. Okay, didn't take a lot of convincing. Now can someone tell me how to make friends? They should make a guide on this. Ha, maybe I should write it.
Then again, I have the social skills of a snail.
Taking a deep breath, I wandered down the train - the opposite way from Lily. If she saw me she would surely drag me in to sit with her. I would be induced to the torture that is thirteen year old girls. Guys, the newest fashion trends, magical school stuff I don't know and houses. That's was just a guess from what I've heard this summer from Lily.
Finally, I found a semi-empty compartment. A sole figure sat, staring out of the window broodingly. I slowly opened the door. One to one I could deal with, but definitely not groups. "Do you mind if I take a pew?" I asked. I wanted to slap myself. Why must I be like this.
"I suppose it wouldn't be so terrible if you were to join me." He responded in a bored tone. I could already tell, he's be Mr. Popularity. His amazingly warm personality would bring all the friends in.
I sat down, the mysterious type always interested me. For eleven years old (I assume he's eleven) he sure was mysterious. "I'm Bry-" I began to introduce myself.
"I don't care." Isn't he just a ray of sunshine? Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact I'm terrible at making friends I'd just walk away. I put his awful personality down to me. "I'm going to be in Slytherin." He announces, not sounding particularly thrilled about it. Most people are usually proud of the house they want or are in.
"Don't leap for joy, or anything." I mumbled. He said nothing. Just silence. "It can't be that bad." He shrugged his shoulders. He may actually be worse than me at being social. "So how about the clouds today? Looking particularly grey."
"We're in England. The clouds are almost always grey." He stated. Okay. That was obvious. I literally asked for the bluntest answer ever. "Blood status?"
"Muggleborn." I responded. Lily had explain it to me. Without a word he rose and walked out.
Oh come on!
