The Evans were a normal family. Mrs. Victoria Evans was short and slim with dark brown, curly hair that reached down to her waist and was kept in a high ponytail and emerald eyes that shone in the sun. She also had a picture-perfect smile, with straight teeth and full, bow-shaped lips. Mr. Richard Evans was tall, at least half a foot taller than his wife, and was built leanly, with straight, auburn hair and warm brown eyes. He had a wide grin that lit up his face and a dimple on his left cheek. The Evans also had three young girls, Petunia, Lily, and Hermione all tall and willowy like their father.
Petunia was the eldest and had her father's straight hair, but her mother's color and a mix of their eyes, with bright green flecks in warm brown eyes. Lily, a year younger than Petunia, also had straight hair but hers was a flaming red and had bright green eyes like her mother. Both of the older girls also had their mother's perfect smile and were quite the mummy's girls. Hermione however, was a year younger than Lily and took after her dad in most ways, though she did have her mother's hair, with brown eyes that showed her every emotion and a wolfish grin, with a dimple in her left cheek. She was a complete daddy's girl and she had him wrapped around her little finger.
They grew up in Cokeworth, where they were doted on by both their mother and father and any adult in the neighborhood, really. Lily would always help Victoria in the kitchen, knowing the best tips for anything having to do with baking. Petunia would always walk around the neighborhood, greeting the old woman across the street or asking if she could help the young mother down the road. Hermione would snuggle up on Richard's lap as he read her stories and would jump into his arms as he brought home her favorite sweets and roll her eyes playfully as he called her princess.
Petunia, was a safe girl, content to live her life far away from the edge, and was very protective of her younger sisters. She was a nice girl but she was always looking for gossip and if you got on her bad side, she had a mean streak as wide as the English Channel.
Lily liked to live life on the edge, she was reckless and had a hard time biting her tongue. She was also very fierce and never gave up without a fight. She was always fighting for the underdog, and wouldn't stand for bullies. Lily was a loyal friend, no doubt, but was very judgy and assumed things right off the bat.
Hermione was a lot calmer and quieter than her sisters with a soothing voice and a very intellectual mind. She was very clever and quick to think on her feet. She loved chocolate and pies and would love you forever if you got her some. However, if you hurt anyone she cared about, she would give you a shoulder so cold, you'd freeze. Her rage simmered and bubbled for a long time, and she would give you lots of patience before she snapped, but when she did, you'd feel as though you were the lowest person on the planet.
Hermione never raised her voice while Lily and Petunia would yell themselves horse. Lily would take a bullet for anyone while Petunia and Hermione would stay hidden. And Petunia wouldn't hesitate to call someone out while Lily and Hermione only glared. But, all the girls were caring and stubborn as an ox and brightened up their dull neighborhood.
Our story starts on a summer day at the park when Hermione was eight, Lily was nine, and Petunia was ten. Hermione was on the swings, laughing as Petunia pulled her feet forward and let her go. Lily was sitting on the swing beside her, not moving as she looked at a flower in her hand. Suddenly Lily gasped as the flower petals slowly came in and then bloomed again.
"Tuney, Mione, look," she smiled down at her hands, "look what I can do." Petunia looked over to her and looked shocked, then wariness filled her face.
"How are you doing that?" Petunia spat. Lily shrugged. "Well stop, it's unnatural."
"It's because you're a witch." A boy's voice sounded out. The three girls looked over to see a boy, hollow faced and wearing patched clothes that were a little small. Petunia's face instantly turned into a snarl, she took a breath.
"That's not very nice," Petunia told him matter-of-factly. "You should say sorry." The boy looked at her and held his head up even higher.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand, muggle." He spat out the last word and looked at Lily. "I'm Severus. Severus Snape, I'm a wizard, you're a witch." Lily looked at him thoughtfully.
"How do you know?" She asked curiously. Petunia, however, wasn't having any of it. She looked at Severus with disgust, then grabbed Hermione's hand, who had gotten off the swing, and stood in front of her a little.
"My mum's a witch. And I've seen you do things others can't." Severus told her.
"Have you been watching me?" Lily asked him, outrage on her face.
"Only a little. And only because you're like me." At this Petunia gripped Hermione's hand harder.
"Why have we never seen you then?" Hermione asked, walking to stand next to Petunia instead of slightly behind her.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I've been hiding." He said in a dismissive tone.
"Now, Lily—"
"How do you know her name?" Petunia asked him rather rudely, then without waiting for an answer, she said, "nevermind, we're leaving anyway. Come on Lily." Hermione followed Petunia with a look of wariness on her face but Lily hesitated. Petunia looked back and quickly snapped, "Lily. Let's go."
With a sigh, Lily gave Severus a slight wave and followed behind her sisters, running to catch up.
The next day they went out to the park again, and Severus approached them again. However, he was even ruder to Hermione and Petunia then last time. This time he actively ignored them as he told Lily all about the wizarding world. So, while Hermione and Petunia played on the swings and on the slide and monkey bars, Lily sat with Severus in the grass.
The two quickly became best friends and over the years Petunia and Lily's once tightly knit relationship began the long process of unraveling. They snapped at each other more and each hung out with Hermione separately instead of all together. Hermione, for her part, tried to keep the balance but felt herself side with Petunia more often as while Severus was openly hostile to Petunia, he was just dismissive of the quiet girl.
Soon came Lily's eleventh birthday, when she got her Hogwarts letter. Then, when their parents invited Severus over for dinner that night to celebrate, he looked directly at Petunia, saying to Lily, "I told you." Petunia lost it.
"You do know that just because you have magic doesn't make you special, Lily." She spat out. "So go on, go to this school and you'll just be surrounded by Severus Snapes all the time." She huffed and looked cruelly at Severus, "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy." She then stalked out of the room, head held high and not looking back. Hermione then slipped out and followed Petunia up the stairs and into her room where she was sitting on the floor leaning against her wall.
"Tuney?" Hermione softly called, sliding down the wall next to her, "are you okay?"
"Yeah, I—" Petunia started, then looking at her little sister's face, her eyes filled with tears. "It's hard, you know? Mummy loves her helping in the kitchen, and you are totally Daddy's favorite, then Lily has Snape, who is all, I don't know, proud of telling her about magic, and where does that leave me?" She sobbed softly, tears streaking down her face.
"Oh, Tuney. You're still her big sister and mine, and you've got much better friends then
Severus Snape." Hermione told her, wrinkling her nose at the name of Lily's friend. "You know, I don't like him much either. He's very rude. Plus, all the neighbors like you best." Petunia gave a small laugh and hugged Hermione close to her.
"Promise me, that we'll always be this close, and you'll never let your friends be like that." Petunia said softly, looking at Hermione's soft brown eyes.
"Well to do that, I'd have to have friends first." Hermione joked, smiling when Petunia giggled.
"Mione, you could be really popular if you wanted. You just need to be less shy."
"I know, but I like being a loner. I have a few friends, but no one really gets me. Plus you always hang out with me and I'm sorta friends with your friends." At this, Petunia smiled her perfect smile and got up, offering her hand to Hermione, who took it.
"Well, I think Snape is gone and we can have dessert now." Hermione giggled and showed her dimple as a wide grin crossed her face.
It was the next year when they went to platform nine and three-quarters at Kings Cross Station in London when the line that was drawn already so taunt, stretched even more and snapped. Lily was rambling on and on about Hogwarts.
"And Severus says we'll be placed into houses and it's just going to be so brilliant. And I'll, of course, tell you all about it at Christmas. And, I'm just so excited."
"Enough, Lily." Petunia snarled, "we get it. So have fun, at that school with all the other—" she faltered, "other freaks." Lily looked shocked and started to turn red as rage was reflected on her face, but before she could start, the train's whistle blew. She turned her head and saying bye once more, she went off to find Severus.
The car ride home was tense and quiet. Victoria was mad at Petunia, Petunia was mad at Lily, and Hermione and Richard were saddened by the fact that the two sisters, once close, were torn apart by something so small. Once they got home, Victoria looked furious and as soon as they were in the house she snapped, "Petunia, go to your room, and stay there until dinner. Understood?"
Petunia nodded and stomped up the stairs. Hermione watched her go with a frown on her pretty face. Then she looked to her father and gave him a hug, then settled down with him on the sofa to read.
It was on Hermione's birthday, September 19th, that she paled. They hadn't talked about how Petunia and Lily fought since the first, and when they were eating breakfast, an owl landed on their windowsill and pecked on the glass pane. When Victoria stood up and got the letter, she gave it to Hermione and smiled as she told her it was from Hogwarts. Hermione took the letter and glanced at Petunia, who looked at her with a neutral face, and opened it reading aloud,
"HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Ms. Hermione Evans,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress"
Hermione swallowed and looked up. Victoria was beaming at her while Petunia looked at her with an unreadable expression. Richard got up and pulled her into a big hug, swinging her around like he did when she was little.
"Looks like we're going to Diagon Alley again." He said into her hair. Petunia looked at her, then clearing her plate, she silently made her way upstairs and into her room. Once she talked with her parents a while more, she got up and made her way upstairs. She gently opened Petunia's door and went in, laying on the bed next to her older sister.
"You're not mad at me right?"
"No," Petunia sighed, "it's just unfair, you know? Now you and Lily get to go to school together and I'm left out, again."
"Tuney, you know you'll always be my big sister." Hermione started, "and no matter what you do or how far apart we are, I love you. Always and forever." Petunia looked at her and smiled.
"Always and forever." She agreed.
That Christmas was the tensest Christmas that any of the family had ever had. Lily was, of course, delighted that Hermione was coming to Hogwarts and told her everything.
"And I'm in Gryffindor and Severus is in Slytherin, and that was hard at first but now we've worked it out so that we can still hang out. Also, there is this boy named James Potter.
He is such a toerag, you'll want to avoid him. Oh, and Peeves, he's the poltergeist, so incredibly annoying. I've also got new friends, Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon mainly, I do hang out with Alice Burke sometimes. You're going to love Hogwarts!" Lily blabbered on and on about Hogwarts and everything magic until Petunia finally stomped off. Lily looked up and sighed.
"Lils, I'm excited, I really am, but we'll have tons of time to talk about Hogwarts over the summer. Maybe just try to talk about family things, yeah?" Hermione intervened. Lily blushed and nodded, then went to help Victoria in the kitchen. With only Richard and Hermione left in the room, Hermione made her way over and climbed into her father's lap.
"Daddy, what's going to happen if Lily and Petunia never make nice?" She asked, sounding like a little girl instead of the mature young woman she acted like.
"I don't know princess, I don't know," he said wistfully, then picking her up bridal style, she squirmed and squealed as he made his way to the kitchen to say, "Hermione and I are going for a drive," then tossed her into the front seat of his car, and climbed in on his side. As they drove around, Hermione was dimly aware that she was crying. As Richard glanced over at the daughter so much like himself, his eyes softened.
"What's the matter, princess?"
" I don't want everything to change. Already Tuney hates Lily, just for going to Hogwarts and I don't want Tuney to hate me. And if we do send letters like you and mum and Lily, then I don't want Lily to hate me either. And Lily is looking forward to being in the same house, but I don't think I'm brave enough to be in Gryffindor." She sobbed, finally letting her worries break down the concrete wall she built.
"Princess," he sighed, "you know that Petunia would never hate you, and she doesn't hate Lily. And not everything is changing, your mother and I still love you very much and want the best for all of you. And Lily won't hate you for sending letters to Tuney, she could also send letters if she wanted. And finally, of course, you are brave enough to go into Gryffindor. But you would also do well in other houses."
Hermione wiped her tears, she looked up at Richard with wide doe-like eyes, "you really think so?"
"I know so," he replied confidently. "Now, it wouldn't be Christmas without apple pie, and there is no better apple pie than Betty's Pies, so on we go." He looked at her with a grin and was pleased to note that an identical grin was stretched onto her face, both of their one dimples showing.
The next summer was magical, Lily and Petunia had made up, sort of, but Hermione was going to take what she could get, Diagon Alley was even more majestic than Hermione dreamed, and once Snape learned she was a witch, he had been begrudgingly nice to her. And as quickly as the summer came, it was over, With Hermione and Lily getting on the Hogwarts express. Hermione had hugged her mother tightly before moving on to her father, who picked her up and spun her around, then hugged her tightly once more and whispered, "now remember, no matter what anyone else says princess, no boys!" to which she giggled at. Hermione then looked at Tuney with tears in her tawny eyes. She wrapped her arms around her older sister and smiled.
"Stay out of trouble, yeah?" She whispered.
"Me, you're the one with no parents," Tuney exclaimed. "Stay safe and I love you, always and forever." Hermione grinned.
"Always and forever." Then with Lily chattering on beside her, Hermione made her way to the train.