A few weeks passed and summer for lily evans remained as uneventful as it always did. She read books and lounged around the house, although there was far less pizza in her life than there normally was. She had called once, thinking it couldn't possibly be as awkward as she imagined it. She was right. It was worse.
Right now lily was laying across the couch in an extremely odd position that consisted of her head hanging off the couch, one leg out straight in front of her and the other hung over the back. She had a book extended in front of her face, trying to read upside down because it was simply more comfortable this way. It hurt her arms but it was comfortable otherwise so it was a bit of a give and take situation. After a while her eyes went fuzzy and she dropped her book, sighing in boredom, then groaning when she realized she had lost her page number.
"Lily," she heard her mother call
"Yes, mother dearest?" she answered
"Where are you?" came her mother's voice from the dining room
"Living room!" she yelled back
"Where?" her voice was getting closer
"Here!" she waved her foot wildly
"Oh! Good grief, you're weird." her mother muttered
"Love you too." lily joked rolling off the couch
"There was something i had to tell you…" she fiddled idly with her apron "oh! Your sister and vernon are coming back over for dinner tonight."
"Why?" she groaned
"Because he's my boyfriend." came a piercing voice from the other side of the living room
"Hey, petunia." lily turned with a fake smile
"Hey, freak." petunia said curtly before walking right past her and out the back door
"Quite the catch isn't she?" lily asked her mother rhetorically
"Oh, be nice." she replied, but lily could tell she didn't really mean it. Her mother realized just as much as she did how much of a pain petunia could be.
"Anywho," her mother continued in a singsong voice "i'm making lasagna tonight and i was wondering if you wanted to make the salad. You cut the cucumbers better than i do."
"Ah yes, the most sought after talent a girl can have."
…[...[]...]...
A couple hours later lily stood in the kitchen, chopping cucumbers as only she could do. Apparently. Lily's mother was taking the lasagna out of the oven and humming along to the radio. It was a boxy thing that her mother kept on a stool by the window. It was on almost all the time at a low volume, but her mother turned it up when she was cooking or cleaning. Lily had grown so accustomed to it that sometimes when she was at hogwarts, alone in her dorm or in the library she expected to hear it playing.
She finished the salad and begun setting the table. Not long after, to her dismay, vernon and petunia arrived. The dinner was quiet and, except for vernon's loud opinionated talk about everything from the 'ridiculously absurd clothes' people were wearing to current politics. One thing was always the same, though. Whatever he was talking about it was always negative. Finally petunia cleared her throat and he stopped.
"Mum, dad," she started "vernon and i have something to tell you." Lily was slightly offended she wasn't included in the target audience, but she was used to it so she simply stabbed another piece of lettuce with her fork and stuffed it in her mouth.
"We're engaged."
Lily stopped chewing. Blank stares were all around the table. Her sister was getting married to this great whale of a man sitting across from her, this negative, horrible walking encyclopedia of drill bit knowledge.
"I'm glad you're getting married, petunia." her mother said forcing a smile. Lily couldn't tell how she felt about this all, if she was glad or disappointed, she just looked shocked.
"Yes, congratulations." her father agreed
Petunia turned her scrutinizing stare to lily, who only then remembered she had salad in her mouth. She swallowed it and opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out.
"I see." petunia snapped and lily actually felt bad for a moment. Petunia stood up and left quickly, not bothering to shut the door behind her. Vernon mumbled something and followed her immediately. Lily groaned and let her head fall to the table.