1st of August 1994

"Hey mum, can I get some money? The girls and I were thinking of going to the cinema." Lily Evans said, coming down the stairs and entering the living room.

Lily Evans was a witch fresh from her sixth year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had red hair due to a potion blowing up on her the previous year, green eyes and a pale complexion.

"Lily, I need to talk to you. It's really important." Her mother, Poppy, said.

"Sure, I'll be 5 minutes. I'm just going to fix my hair. It does not want to sit right today." She said walking back upstairs and into her bedroom, passing pictures of children in various stages of their lives. She touched one absentmindedly, her hand lingering for a second, before moving on.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about? Is it about what is happening on my side?" she said, taking a seat on the couch beside her.

"Lily, before I say this, you need to remember that your father, Petunia and I, all love you and it doesn't change a thing."

"Mum, what is it? You can't just say something like that and then not expect me to freak out."

"Lily, there's really no easy way to say this so I am just going to say it. You're adopted. Since your birthday is tomorrow and in the magical world will technically be an adult, your father and I thought you had the right to know."

"What? I'm adopted! How could you not have told me? "

"We didn't want you to feel any less special than Petunia, or Rose. You have every right to be angry but Petunia doesn't remember; she was only a young child. Rose, she remembered and she loved you more than anything." Poppy said, taking a teacup from its place on the coffee table and swirling its contents.

"Are you going to tell Petunia? She has a right to know, does she not?" Lily stared at her mum, pleading for an answer.

"It's your decision Lily. You know how fickle your sister is and remember all too well the way she treated you after you found out you were a witch." Poppy stood and walked towards a picture hanging on the wall above the fireplace. Three girls stood in a garden, smiling, holding a lily, a rose or petunias.

"I think I should tell her. It wouldn't be right otherwise. Do you know who my OTHER parents are?" Lily asked, not moving from her seat on the couch. Poppy turned around and went to a drawer in the side cabinet.

"We don't know." Poppy stated. Her eyes full of regret and sorrow. "All we know is that you were born in San Francisco and your parents named you Payton. They handed you into a sister in a church because they couldn't take care of you."

"They abandoned me in a church, an American church. And I'm not even called Lily!" she whispered, tears leaking from her eyes.

"To us, you will always be Lily. Lily is your second first name; we gave you that name because we did not want you to feel different from your sisters. You were a beautiful baby, you had bright green eyes the day we met you, such a happy baby."

"Do you have my birth certificate mum? I want to see this for myself." Poppy pulled a sheet from the drawer and handed it to Lily.

Payton

Born to Halliwell

Born 2nd August 1977

7 Pounds 7 ounces.

Lily was starting to calm down and face reality. She turned around to her mother, her eyes full of pain.

"So I need to find someone with a connection to this church and with the surname Halliwell to find out why they abandoned me. What church was it?"

"St Joseph's church. The Sisters' name was Sister Agnes." Poppy said. Relief was evident in her voice. "I have the clothes you were left in. You were left on the 3rd of August. Not even a day old."

"I wonder who they are. They must not have wanted me. Mum, do you think we could go to San Francisco before the new term? I want to find them and ask them why." Lily said as she looked up, her eyes imploring and begging. "We could go to that church and ask them about my biological parents and try to track them down."

"Sure sweetie. I'll ask your dad when he gets in from work. I'll ask Pet if she wants to come or stay with your aunt. We can't go for more than two weeks though because you need to get your school supplies. We would also need to leave within the next week. I will tell you tonight if we are going, otherwise, we will go over the Christmas break as a family to find them. Just remember, you are our daughter, even more than you are theirs. Your father and I love you so much. The day we met you, we knew that we needed to be your parents."

"Mum, you know I will always count you and dad as my parents, Petunia and Rose as my sisters as well. I don't need a sheet of paper to tell me you are my family, my real family."

"Oh Lily, you are the kindest girl I know." Her mum replied, tears forming in her eyes. "Now, would you like to see the dress and blanket you were left in? They are so small."

"Yeah, I'd love to. I'm just going to phone Sara and tell her that I won't make it to the cinema"

"I will be two minutes, there in my room with your sister's things." Poppy left the room with a spring in her step, despite her age.

'What am I doing in Britain if I'm American? Who are my parents? Why did they leave me? What about any other family I have? This is all so confusing.' Lily's thoughts scrambled, trying to form into questions in her mind.

"Here you go sweetie." Poppy broke Lily from her musings.

"When did we move to Britain? Seeing as I am American, you had to have adopted me in America." Lily asked, taking the baby items out of the box, one by one, and laying them carefully on her knees.

"When you were 6 months old darling. Your dad had a post at a university in San Francisco. We didn't know how long we would be there. We wanted another baby so much, but after Petunia we couldn't have another. A couple of weeks after you were born; your father and I left Rose and Petunia with a friend and went to visit a home. One of the women who worked there told us that a baby had come to them but the police couldn't find the parents at all. We were the first ones to see you. We fell in love instantly. Once the paperwork was out of the way, we got you home. Your sisters, they just stared at you. Rose, well she was already old enough to help with Petunia when she was born and she wanted to do the same with you. It annoyed her friends so much. She wanted to spend all of her time with her new baby sister. She constantly hovered over your crib in case you started to cry and needed something. Petunia on the other hand, she just stared at you to see if you were real. Every so often, she would go in to the nursery and check to see if you were still there. Then we got word that your father had been offered a position at Oxford, and how could he say no to that. We moved back here after he got everything settled and that was that." Poppy rambled. She held the baby clothes close and lifted a blanket from the bottom of the box. It was white with orange stitching around the sides. In one corner sat a purple 'P'.

"I need some time to think this over. It's a lot to process." Lily hugged her mum, still holding onto the blanket. "I'm going to go upstairs for a bit."

Around five, Lily heard a bang coming from the front door, when her father, Thomas, returned home. He had entered the house a couple of minutes previously and Petunia was out with friends. She grabbed her wand just in case it was Death Eaters.

"Mum, Get Down!" Lily shouted, seeing a beam of red light going towards her mother.

"Lily, watch out behind you!" Thomas shouted from his hiding place behind the couch, and ultimately giving it away.

Lily turned around to find a beam of green light heading her way.

'Oh shit.' Lily thought closing her eyes.

What Lily did not know was that she was absorbed in blue lights and disappeared for a second, just as the curse was about to hit her.

The Death Eaters all stood in awe. Coming out of their stupor, the Death Eaters rapidly threw green curses at Lily's parents while she tried to hit them with stunners. Dodging the curses before looking at each other and nodding, the Death Eaters disappeared with a loud pop. Lily rushed over to her parents who had fallen side by side on the plush carpet with their eyes wide open. Sobs racked through her body, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She sank into the carpet beside her parents, leaning back on the couch with her knees against her chest and her fingers tangled in her hair, and let the waves of emotion crash over her.

Popping sounds appeared throughout the house, unknown to Lily.

"Lily, are you alright?" Professor Dumbledore asked, kneeling beside her and blocking her view of her parents.

"They are dead. There is not any point in checking them over. I saw the green lights myself." She sobbed, looking in to the gentle face of Albus Dumbledore.

A couple of minutes of awkward silence passed as the Order and Aurors tidied up the house and watched Lily with her broken heart.

"Lily, I need you to gather your things. We need to get you out of here before Death Eaters come back." Dumbledore stated looking at the fallen box with the baby clothes in it.

"What will happen to my parents?" Lily said, wiping her tears away from her stained face.

"We will take them to St Mungo's until you and your sister make arrangements." Dumbledore nodded to the Aurors to take Poppy and Thomas away.

"I need Petunia. I have to tell her. I need my sister!" Lily heaved herself up and went to the phone, her feet like lead.

"She is not here. Lucky that she was not" Dumbledore mentioned after casting a spell to see if she was in the house.

"Where are we going to be staying?" Lily paused at the phone.

"You will be staying at headquarters in case there are any more attacks. Petunia, well we do not know where she will stay, but rest assured we will place a guard on her. You will not lose another sister Lily" Dumbledore looked at the picture of the three sisters, now hanging lopsided on the wall.

"I need to see Petunia, and then I need to go to San Francisco for a couple of days. I have to! My parents and I were maybe going to go; they hadn't told me if we were going yet."

"Lily, you cannot leave the country just now. We are at war. You would make the Death Eaters follow you and take Voldemort's reign of terror with you also." Dumbledore stated. He stood up and his voice getting louder and sterner.

"You do not understand! I need to find my parents!" Lily said, tears started to roll down her already tear stained cheeks.

"Your parents are here Lily." Dumbledore stated in a softer voice.

"My adoptive parents, yes. My other parents are in San Francisco. I have to find them. My parents and I were planning to leave this week if we were going." Lily said and looked around the room, trying to locate her parents.

"How long have you known about your adoption Lily?"

"My mum told me this morning. I was in my room when the Death Eaters attacked because I needed to think things over."

"Lily, I must insist that you stay at headquarters, until it is safe enough for you to go to San Francisco."

"I need to see Petunia then before I go." Lily stated. She stopped walking and crossed her arms.

"Very well, but, you will have two Aurors and a member of The Order with you." Dumbledore announced and two Aurors and an old man stepped forward.

"Mr Hudson will take you to headquarters. We will pack everything in your room and set up your room at Headquarters." Dumbledore said and they walked up the stairs, leaving Lily in the hall by herself.

Lily picked up the telephone receiver and dialled in Petunias friends' number.

"Hey, Jodie, it's Lily. Is Petunia at your house?"

"Yeah she is. Do you need her back home?"

"Yes. Can you tell her to be real quick though?"

"Sure. I will talk to you later Lily. Happy birthday for tomorrow." Petunia's friend said.

"Bye!" said Lily and she put down the receiver.

"She will be here in about five minutes. Could one of you tell Professor Dumbledore that please?" Lily looked up towards where her room was. "Petunia doesn't like magic so I would appreciate it if it were only you three here when I tell her."

"Yes Miss Evans. We will be back promptly."

Lily sat down on the couch trying to understand all that had happened. She had found out she was adopted and her adoptive parents were killed, all in one day. The sound of the front door slamming dragged Lily from her musings.

"Lily? Where are you?" a voice shouted from the hall.

"In here Pet!" shouted Lily, wiping tears away from her eyes.

"Hey. What's wrong? Why are you crying?" questioned Petunia, her eyes full of concern.

"You might want to sit down Petunia."

"What is it?"

"Mum and dad are dead." Lily said, even more tears started leaking from her eyes.

"What do you mean they are dead?" said Petunia, her voice full of confusion. "They can't be dead!"

"Yes they can. Bad wizards killed them. They came here looking for me. Mum and dad got caught in the fight. Dad saved me, but ended up getting himself killed." Lily recounted, tears now freely rolling down her cheeks from her red, swollen eyes.

"So it is your fault they are dead." Petunia said, her voice rising.

"No! It isn't! It's Voldemort's fault! He sent the bad wizards here." Lily said softly, as her throat grew hoarse from all the crying.

"After you!" said Petunia, standing up from her seat on the couch. "How can you even be my sister?" she shrieked.

"I am your sister, just not biologically anyway." Lily whispered, standing up from the couch and walking over to the fireplace.

"What are you trying to say?" Petunia asked, hearing every word.

"What I am saying is that I'm adopted. They abandoned when I was one day old. I was going to tell you tonight. She told me this morning." Lily said. Her voice was full of anguish and pain.

"I don't ever want to see you again!" Petunia cried as she ran towards the stairs "It's your fault they're dead!" she shouted once she reached the top

Lily sat on the couch, her eyes leaking more tears than they had ever done.

"Miss Evans, we must leave." Mr Hudson said, coming back into the room upon hearing Petunia's room door slam shut.

"Give me two minutes. I need to tell Petunia I can't stay here." Lily said calmly and took to the steps.

"Petunia, you have to stay with Aunt Georgie. You can't stay here, it's not safe. She will look after you. I am going to stay at my school. My headmaster is going to station people around." Lily said as she walked closer to Petunia and placed her hand on her arm.

"Get away from me! You FREAK!" she shrieked again.

"This will be the last time you see me then, at least until the summer. After the next school year I am leaving for San Francisco to find my other parents but I will come by and see you before I go. You are still my sister and I don't need a sheet of paper to tell me that. "

"You are not my sister. Sisters don't get each other killed and then get their parents killed. Go to San Francisco, see if I care!" Petunia said as she pushed her sister from the room and slammed the door in her face.

"I did not kill Rose! I was five years old and she was driving. How could I have killed her?" Lily shouted at the door, sinking to the floor and hugging her knees. Sobs wracked through her body, her breath hitching in her throat. She tried to calm down, but she could not. The day had been too much for her to handle. Finding out she was adopted, her parents being murdered in front of her eyes and then her sister blaming her for the deaths of everyone around her.

"Mr Hudson, I am ready to go." Lily shouted from the hall after composing herself. She looked at the portrait hanging on the wall. Rose was on her left and Petunia on her right. She had neither of them now, Rose died twelve years previously and now Petunia had all but disowned her.

"Lily, are you sure that you are ready to go?" the man asked, coming in from the hall and looking at the portrait.

"Yes. If I don't leave now Petunia will blow a gasket." Lily answered, talking one last look around the room before disappearing with a pop.