*The beginning of the end*

A whale's coming to dinner

It was already halfway through the summer and the time was dripping by oh so slowly for Lily. She had no one to spend everyday with. Of course she wrote to her friends, but it was hardly the same.

That day whilst Rose, Petunia and Lily were all eating breakfast a barn owl swept in through the window. He placed a letter next to Lily; she fed him a piece of her bacon whilst she opened the letter.

"Yeah, coz an owl delivering a letter is so normal" said Petunia sarcastically, as she stood and left the kitchen in a mood (as always).

Lily read the letter

To lovely Lily,

Jokes, you're not lovely at all! My mum said that I could have a friend round for the rest of the summer! So here's me, asking you! I would love you forever if you came! So Lily darling want to come to my house on Friday? I'm so bored here please! You know you want to! :D

Love you

Alice

Your favourite person in the whole world!

Merlin, please Lily I'm begging!

xxx

"Mum, can I go to Alice's on Friday? And stay for the rest of the summer? I'll probably get all my stuff for school with her!"

Rose laughed as her youngest daughter jumped in her seat "Of course! Of course! But don't forget Vernon is coming for dinner tonight"

"How could I forget?" Vernon was Petunia's boyfriend, they were getting serious. So according to my mother it was time we meet him, as a family.

Lily quickly scribbled a note back to Alice telling her where to pick Lily up, and headed to her room. Lily pulled out a book and began to read.

"LILY!" Tuney cried as she came through the door to Lily's room, without knocking!

"What?" Lily snapped.

"Someone's at the door for you" she sung. Lily frowned, who would be at the door. She jumped off her bed and ran to the front door, where none other than Severus Snape stood.

Lily closed the door behind herself. "What do you want?" she spat

"I'm sorry, Lily, I didn't mean to call you –"

"Mudblood? I know! But it's not just about that! Don't you see? It's Voldemort! He's already separating us! You – you want to be on is side, I don't! It's not just you and I anymore, not just house rivalries, it's on a much, much bigger scale! People could die! But it doesn't matter, as long as you can be a lovely, little Death Eater!" her eyes narrowed into slits at the end.

"Lily, I'm –"

"Sorry? Sorry is just a word! It means nothing! Just go, Severus, just go" he slowly turned and walked back down the path.

"I'm so sorry" he whispered, but Lily pretended she couldn't hear and walked back into her house.

Lily changed into a nice white summer dress, so that she was ready for dinner tonight, and pretended to continue reading her book. When memories of her and Severus were flicking through her mind.

"Lily!" Rose called up the stairs "Lay the table!"

"Okay!" Lily shouted back, she jumped of her bed, ran a brush through her hair. Before walking to the dining room and laying the table as she had been asked to do many times.

Rose and Petunia were making the dinner and Lily wasn't sure what her dad was doing.

Then the doorbell rang, Lily went to answer it but Petunia was already in the hall.

"Have I got anything on my face?" she asked.

"No, no. You look great!" Lily told her sister sincerely. Tuney smiled at her. Tuney actually smiled at her! The first smile since that day, the day she got her letter!

Tuney rushed to open the door, smiling at Vernon. This is the first time Lily would meet the guy. As he came into view Lily was shocked to see who – or more like what was standing in front of her.

He was fat, with a red face and little piggy eyes. He had a blob of blonde hair on the top of his head. In Lily's mind he resembled a whale.

Lily realised that both Tuney and the whale – um Vernon were staring at her. Lily plastered a big fake smile on her face.

"Vernon, this is my little sister Lily. She's normally at a boarding school, but its summer so…" Tuney trailed off.

"Nice to meet you Vernon" Lily smiled, reaching out to shake his hand, which he shook, some what weakly. Her dad would not be impressed.

The evening passed with a delicious meal, unfortunately the company wasn't as good. Lily quickly found out that Vernon was dull and completely well – without any better words – boring!

He didn't speak about anything interesting, and when he did speak it was all in the same boring drone.

"So, Lily what do you do at your little boarding school?" he asked in that god forsaken voice.

Petunia kicked her under the table; did she actually think Lily was about to go 'Oh we do spells and potions! Because we want to be amazing witches and wizards when we're older!'

"Oh, you know? Maths, English, Science the normal" Lily answered politely

"Do you have to share a room?" he asked

"Yes, I share with four other girls"

He turned to face Petunia "I don't think I'd be able to share a room, could you?" he asked, stupid pig!

"Oh no, I need my space" Petunia lied. Lily knew she was lying as they used to share a room, and Tuney hadn't minded in the least.

Finally it was time for Vermin – sorry Vernon to leave. Thank God! The four Evans sat in the sitting room.

"So, what did you think?" Tuney asked happily.

The room muttered "great" "good" and "wonderful"

"Seriously, you guys!"

Lily stood "If you like him, I like him" she said genuinely.

"Thank you!" she said hugging her shocked little sister "Mum, dad?

"If he makes you happy" Dave said

"I think he's perfect for you" Rose said, topping Dave's comment.

The next day Lily went downstairs, an owl flew in placed a letter on her lap and left. Lily looked up in shock, but the owl had already left.

She turned the letter over, the Hogwarts official seal. She screamed in anticipation, it was her OWL results!

Rose and Dave ran down the stairs in their pyjamas. "Lily! Lily! Is everything alright" her mother screamed.

"Yes! Yes! It's my OWL results!" Lily cried

"Oh good, you scared us" Dave laughed sitting on the nearest coach.

"Well open it!" Rose smiled sitting next to her husband.

Lily quickly opened the letter and read the parchment inside.

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS

Pass Grades: Outstanding (O) Exceeds Expectations (E) Acceptable (A)

Fail grades: Poor (P) Dreadful (D) Troll (T)

LILY COLLEEN EVANS HAS ACHIEVED:

Ancient Runes: E Arithmacy: O Astronomy: O Charms: O Defence Against the Dark Arts: O Divination: E Herbology: P History of Magic: O Muggle Studies: O Potions: O Transfiguration: E

She clapped her hands together and squealed in joy. She did better then she thought she would! Only one fail, and really who cares about Herbology. She got better then she thought she would in Divination, Transfiguration and Ancient Runes. And the rest were Outstandings! She couldn't be happier!

"Let's see darling!" Rose shrieked, unable to contain it any longer. Lily wordlessly handed her the parchment too damn excited to talk.

"Oh, Lily, I'm so proud!" Rose jumped hugging her daughter. "I'll make pancakes!"

Rose ran to the kitchen and started on Lily's favourite breakfast. Oh it was a good day!

Later that day Lily went into the garden, her mother sat on the small brick wall, smoking.

"You know, smoking will kill you" Lily said sitting next to her.

"Nobody's perfect" Lily's mother replied "I've been smoking since I was only eleven, and yet the friends I've met recently, in the last few years, don't know. Why? Because I'm scared, scared that they'll judge me straight away.

"Lily, I'm going to tell you what my mother told me so many years ago…when you see someone and have a conversation, you can't really tell what they're like. You can know someone for years and never know who they are. You may think you do, but you don't.

"When people meet me they see a perfect house wife. I'm not perfect – no one ever is. It's dumb and stupid to think people are."

"In the world there isn't just black and white areas, there's a whole lot of grey. The person you hate most in the world my turn out to be the one you love most"

"You never know what people are truly like, and you never will. Everyone has secrets and everyone lies. You can never know if the person you're speaking to is acting as them"

"The world is complicated, Lily, nothing is ever easy. But try to do the right thing, it's bloody hard, but head towards the white area, the area of good, you'll never get there, no one ever does, but get as close as you can."

Lily sat in silence, thoughts running through her mind. Her mum had never spoken like this before.

But she was right; you can know someone for years and never truly know who they were. Hadn't she proven that with Severus?

Everyone has secrets, everyone lies but how do you know what's true and what's not?