Chapter 1: The Arrogant Owl
It was too early in the morning for anything to happen.
The walls of the Evans family house were beautifully decorated in appropriately homey attire and a tasteful wallpaper that didn't hurt anyone's eyes unless stared at for too long. Pictures of a husband, a wife, and two daughters were evenly spaced through the hallway that leads from the small but functional kitchen to the equally small but functional bedrooms.
As meticulously placed as each picture frame and table was for the optimal magazine-like appearance, the walls were unfortunately thin. Thus Lily Evans, the second and youngest daughter of the household, awoke to her elder sister's shriek.
Lily pulled her face from under her curtain of hair and checked the clock. It read nine a.m. in the morning. Yes, much too early, especially since Lily was very used to sleeping in during the rainy summer months while she waited for school to start again.
"Lily!" she heard Petunia, her wonderfully shrill sister, yell again. She counted the steps as they thundered down the hall until the door to their shared bedroom flew open and hit the wall with a loud bang.
Lily hid under her mess of hair and pretended she could sleep through the earthquake of noise.
Petunia was not convinced. "Get your rat out of the kitchen!" she demanded, crossing her arms.
Quiet, Lily thought to herself, just pretend I've died in the night and my ghost is haunting Madam Brandal's. She imagined books and the smell of dust mixed with the fresh flowers in the window. Madam Brandal probably wouldn't mind a ghost. It fit in nicely with her poor lightly but wonderful selection of literature.
"I know you can hear me," Petunia said, stomping over and tearing the covers off her sister. "Mum said to take care of your vermin!"
"It's not a rat," Lily said, defeated and forced to respond now that she had a face full of morning air. She sat up and pushed her hair from her eyes to better glare. "It's an owl. Just give her a treat and let her out."
Petunia huffed and sat on her bed across the room to glare back. "I'm not touching it, I already told you. It probably has fleas and who knows what else. And it's not my responsibility. Mum told you to take care-"
"Honestly," Lily huffed and searched the ground for her robe. The floor was scattered with loose leaf paper and scrolls. Petunia could make war over anything, Lily thought bitterly.
"She just wants to know she did a good job. It'll get her out of your hair if you just fed her instead of screaming." Finally finding her robe under the pile of books, Lily pulled it on only to find it inside-out. She resolved to leave it.
Petunia huffed. "It's absurd," she said. "Birds don't deliver mail, and owls don't stay in the kitchen! I'm trying to eat breakfast, not visit a barn."
"Why are you home?" Lily asked. She hadn't meant it to come out so sharp but the rude wake-up clipped conversational skills. She didn't like Petunia most times but she didn't like fighting with her either. Nor did she actually want to continue this conversation.
Petunia stared at her younger sister as if looking at an alien that smelled rotten. "It's Saturday," she said.
It was? Since when? Lily blinked back at her sister and then looked over to the calendar taped to the wall. Tuesday was the last day ticked off. Perhaps she should start paying better attention or she might miss the beginning of term next month. She cast a glance at the potions book that had fallen off the bed when she had finally succumbed to sleep and cursed at bending the pages. She'd been brewing a lot this week.
"Oh," was all Lily said to her sister and then tugged on her slippers to fend off the damp air. Despite the summer heat that sometimes proceeded nightfall, every morning was a rainstorm. The house carried the rain in the walls and through the floor and Lily always felt somewhat damp whenever she was home.
She made her way into the kitchen where a magnificent eagle owl sat on the table, picking at Petunia's abandoned bowl of cereal. This was not her beautiful barn owl, Archimedes. No, this owl was as proud as his owner and turned its orange eyes on Lily immediately with a stony gaze that made her feel as if she had been scolded.
"We meet again, Godric," Lily said, sinking into a chair at the table and plucking the letter from under his talons. "What has the prat got to say this time?" She read the envelope, which only said "Lily Evans" in sloppy ink.
Godric gave no hint of the contents of the letter and stared at her, expecting payment. Lily sighed, contemplating reading the parchment or tossing it. What good would it do if she wasn't going to respond? What did he think was going on, that all her letters were getting lost?
Probably. He was arrogant enough to think she'd write back but her owl would get lost. Then again, Archi hasn't returned from Mary's…
Rising, Lily called to the guest owl as she made her way to the breadbox that held an assortment of knickknacks like pens, owl treats, and business cards but no actual bread. She pulled out an empty bag of "Mr. Emmet's Owl Feed" with crumbs at the bottom and frowned at Godric.
"Would you settle for a biscuit?" she asked, on the search again. No wonder Petunia had a fit. Godric was almost twice the size of Lily's owl and had the attitude of a thug when not receiving due payment. Lily herself had been slightly intimidated the first time the grand creature had flown in through the window and landed in front of her with such an intense gaze.
Finding an old package of biscuits, she returned to the table, letter and owl, and tossed it a slightly-stale but still tolerable sweet. Godric took it willingly but didn't budge.
"What now?" Lily asked. The bird only stared. "I'm not paying you. This is hardly the Daily Prophet."
Still nothing. Finally, she resolved to just open the bloody letter and see it if had any hint of how to get rid of the bird.
Dear Lily,
How do you fair this wonderful day? It's raining here but perhaps it's better where you reside. You deserve some sunshine on your holiday.
I'm hoping you've read my previous letters but in the case that they've ended up in the rubbish bin instead of your lovely hands let me reiterate the main points.
I am deeply sorry I've caused you pain by exposing the darkness in your friend. I do not share those views and never have and would never stand for anyone using that term, to you or anyone. I would hope you thought higher of me than that but perhaps my pranks may have cast a different light. I only like a bit of fun, you see.
I would love to hear all about your summer but alas, I fear any attempt you've had to contact me thus far has failed. Perhaps it's your bird or some other terrible luck so I've instructed Godric to stay and await your response. He'll only fly back to me with your letter in claw.
Please send Godric back in good time with some response. I don't want any bad blood between us, Lily. Gryffindors need to stick together!
Always yours,
James Potter
At the bottom, in a different kind of handwriting was another note.
Evans-
Toss Potter a broom already, even if it's just to throw him off it. He's driving us mad.
Black
Unlike Potter's owl scratch, Sirius's handwriting was particular and neat. Nothing like the five-year-old handwriting of a pretentious James Potter.
Lily reread the letter to be sure of its contents, then looked back at the bird.
"There's no way I can get you to leave otherwise, is there?" she asked.
Nothing.
She slammed the letter down on the table before falling into her chair. What a cheap trick. He was holding his bird hostage for her response. A response to a ludicrous apology he didn't understand and probably didn't mean and she didn't have enough time, patience, or words to explain it to him.
Petunia entered, changed from her nightgown into a new stylish dress, and glared at the bird on the table still picking at the stale biscuit.
"What's it still doing here?" she asked, turning her cold gaze to Lily.
"Waiting for a response," Lily said. "The owner gave it an order not to leave until I've responded."
"Well, get to it then." Petunia pulled the cereal bowl away quickly as if fearful of being bit by the owl and crossed to the sink. "Why mum and dad allow them in the house is beyond me," she muttered under her breath.
"I don't have a response," Lily said, ignoring the latter comment. "That's the issue. I don't want to talk to him."
"I thought all you freaks stuck together?" Petunia asked. "Secret club and all that."
Lily thought about Severus and his comment. Then the disappearances in the Prophet and the ongoing talk of "blood purity" seemed to be surging. The last week of school still haunted her dreams.
"Apparently not," Lily answered Petunia, flicking a piece of biscuit towards the rubbish bin. The truth was, she didn't know what to think of the entire ordeal. Severus made his true beliefs known and Lily could never forgive that. But the years of studying together, sneaking away to avoid the sneers and hurtful jokes, the sheer amount of friendship built tugged at Lily's heart.
Lily wanted to ask him why. She wanted to hit him. She never wanted to see him again.
Which was probably why she had been avoiding him ever since that day. He and Potter and Black. What did you say to friends that betrayed you? Lily didn't know. She only knew what Petunia said when betrayed. "Freak." For someone so thin and breakable, Petunia knew how to cut. She could give dark witches a run for their witchery.
Lily wasn't sure she wanted to cause that same pain to anyone. Even someone that thought her a lesser creature.
She noticed Petunia was staring at her now from the sink and Lily sat up. The look in her eye was not something Lily recognized, at least not from Petunia. It was a gaze from a professor deciding judgment.
"I'm going out tonight," Petunia said finally as if declaring something important. She raised her chin ever-so-slightly. This was a subtle movement Lily knew well from her sister. Distaste but duty. "Vernon wants to try a new restaurant and I have a new dress I want to show him. You should come."
Lily flicked another piece of biscuit at Godric, who tried to nip her finger in irritation. They glared at each other for several seconds before Lily truly heard the words.
"Wh-what?" she asked, startled, and turned to her sister.
Petunia seemed to be second-guessing her decision. "You should come," she said, matter-of-fact. "Associate with proper people."
Lily wondered if Petunia would want to know that's what certain wizards said about their own kind but didn't dare ask out loud. Maybe it was because her mouth was too busy hanging open in astonishment at her sister, her very own elder sister that hated everything about Lily, inviting her out with her fiance.
And Lily would automatically respond with "No thank you," - or more likely a "not in hell" - because she couldn't stand Vernon and his boring way of offending anyone in a room. But the last time Petunia had offered Lily anything had been before the witch had boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time. They had been warring ever since. And Lily was tired of fighting.
"Yeah," she heard herself saying before she realized it. "Alright. Thank you."
Petunia gave a sharp nod. "Eight o'clock," she said. "And wear something normal." She stretched the last word out like explaining a complex idea to a child.
Lily only nodded and watched her sister stalk out of the kitchen, hearing her steps disappear down the hallway.
Godric met her eyes, unimpressed by the latest development. Of course, the Potter owl wouldn't care. And he didn't seem impressed by stale biscuits.
"Come on," Lily said. "Let's go buy you some treats."
She dressed and found Godric still perched on the kitchen table. She resolved to just leave it and wrote a note to her parents and headed out into the rain.
Spinner's End was not a pleasant place and Lily moved quickly down the road spurred on by memories more than the drizzle frizzing her hair. Town was a trek away but Lily didn't bother with cars and she was still a year off from apparating so walking was her only option.
The pet shop wasn't magical by any means and only sold cats and dogs along with the occasional rabbit but getting to London was difficult during the summer and Lily had made a deal with the owners. She pushed open the door while holding her breath to keep the smell from overwhelming her. The older woman at the counter looked up from her catalog.
"Was wonderin' when we'd be seein' you in," she said with a smile and hacking cough.
Lily cleared her throat when the smell finally reached her nostrils and gave a forced smile. "I lost track of the calendar," she said. "I hope it wasn't a burden."
The woman, Bertha, waved a hand before using it to help push herself to her feet. She disappeared behind the shelves of pet food but her voice carried over. "A few days in the back is nothin' to worry over," she said. "Only hopin' that owl isn't starved."
"No," Lily confirmed and walked to the cage of puppies that yipped up at her. "She's brilliant."
"I've been seein' her about," Bertha said from further back in the shop. "Aren't owls nocturnal?"
"Only some," Lily answered automatically, the conversation the same as the last time she had visited the shop. And the time before that.
"And you're not scared she go flyin' off and get missin'?"
"She's safe," Lily said. She tried petting a brown dog she didn't recognize but it attempted to nip her and she pulled back. Dogs didn't like her much. Or perhaps she didn't like them after an incident with a neighborhood stray.
It eyed her as Lily moved onto the cats. They were tiny little things, orange with smushed faces that mirrored their mother. Lily stuck her fingers through the cage bars and brushed them against their fur. She'd like a cat if it didn't spell the demise of her beautiful owl. And Archimedes was the only communication to her parents during school. Maybe after graduation she could get one.
"Here you are!" Bertha came back into view with a large bag she placed on the counter with a harsh thud. "Your usual order."
"Thank you," Lily said, pulling her crumpled notes from her purse. She counted out the proper amount. Much more than she'd have to pay at Diagon Alley but it was a special order and she didn't have much choice.
"Take care of yourself," Bertha said with a smile.
Lily smiled and took the bag with a huff and walked out. It was heavy but she was used to lugging a schoolbag full of ancient textbooks. She started down the street, spotting Madam Brandal's Bookshop. Perhaps she could sneak in for a minute and see if there was anything new on the shelves.
His stance alerted her to his presence first. She didn't know when she had started identifying his slouch but Lily could easily pick out Severus's slim, drooping figure through the window of the store. His back was to her, scanning the shelves for something in the fiction section. Lily wondered if he searched for her. That section was her favorite spot, not his. Maybe he was waiting there to make another attempt at apology.
Her heart tugged at her chest, urging her forward but her feet stayed in the puddle on the street. Her old friend had called her something vile, hung around evil people who believed in evil things, and was researching things she didn't agree with. But he was still a boy trapped in a house who had always deserved better. Did all those things make him evil? Did they make him an exception to her time?
He shifted towards the window and Lily ducked her head before hurrying home.
Godric sat on the window ledge when she got home and shook the rain from her coat. He turned to glare at her before spotting the bag and flying over, clutching her shoulder painfully.
"Hey, hold on!" Lily hung up her purse and ripped a hole in the bag with her finger. Godric dove for a treat before she could get one out and she swore as she felt the sharp pain.
"Bloody Potter," she muttered as she made her way to the sink. Godric returned to his sill, now content, and attended his feathers. Lily continued her washing her bloody finger and cursing.
"Where's the fire?" the deep voice of her father asked from the doorway. He looked over his daughter's shoulder and clucked his tongue. "That's a harsh one."
"He's as impatient as his owner," Lily answered, wishing she could cast a simple charm and be done with it. She loved her muggle house and upbringing but sometimes it was just plain inconvenient being stuck muggle for the summer. If blood purists had such issues with them, why did they subject their youth to a magical ban every summer? Did magical families even obey the non-magic laws or was it just muggle-borns? Did home-schooled witches and wizards have to agree to summer hiatus or were they restricted all year round?
"And who's that?" her father asked, interrupting her thoughts. He made his way to the table and pretended not to read the letter still sitting there. "A boy?" His tone had changed to teasing.
"Unfortunately," Lily said, through clenched teeth. She wrapped a towel around her finger and held it tight against the sting.
"Oh," was all her father said, unwilling to get into a romantic conversation with one of his daughters. "You go out?"
"Had to get treats for Archi. Where's mum?"
"In the city, looking for work," he said. "Put some tea on, yeah?"
Lily started the kettle. "Petunia's going out tonight," Lily began slowly, trying to figure out what she was asking. "With Vernon."
"I figured as much," her father said as he picked up the paper and ruffled through it.
"She asked me to come."
Her father looked up from the paper and back at his youngest daughter. He hid his surprise quickly behind a smile. "That's great, petal."
Lily leaned over the counter. "I don't understand why, dad."
"Because she's your sister, Lil," he said. "You two should spend more time together. Your mother and I are always saying that."
"Dad," Lily said in a blank tone. "She thinks I'm a freak."
"Oh come now, she's just sensitive." He waved a hand in the air as if to erase years of built-up anger and torment between them. Lily imagined them float out the window and get run over by a passing car. "She loves you and this proves it. You really ought to go."
Lily suppressed a whine. She wasn't five, she shouldn't pout but anything having to do with Petunia made her want to scream and shout. "I don't understand why she's inviting me out now, though," she said, trying to communicate all the thoughts in her brain. "And with Vernon. She's never wanted me to associate with her friends before."
Her father sighed and finally put down the paper. He rubbed his eyes before looking up at his daughter. He was quiet for a few long moments and Lily felt thoroughly studied as if he was seeing her after years of casual glances.
"You're both growing up," he said in a tone Lily wasn't completely familiar with. "And when you grow up, you find you change. Your relationships and feelings are different. You understand more. You and your sister - I think she sees that there isn't so much keeping you apart anymore."
Lily breathed in his words and swallowed them like water. They were uncomfortable and made her chest ache. She needed to cough to clear her chest.
"People can really change that easily?" she asked.
"At your age?" Her father gave a laugh. "Oh yeah. You kids will change your minds over and over again. How many favorite songs have you been through this summer."
"That's not the same thing," Lily pouted. "I have a year's worth of music to make up for in two months!"
Her father laughed harder. "You keep this up, though, and you'll need a new record player by September."
Lily wanted to point out that Petunia already had a new tape deck but moved to pull the kettle off the stove instead. She liked her Bowie on record anyway. She hated leaving her music at home during the school year. Studying wasn't the same with old witches singing ballads about kelpies and bad love potions on a barely-functioning wireless. She preferred ABBA. She glanced at her finger, wondering if she'd ever stop cursing and rejoicing magic at the same time.
"You won't be here for dinner then?" Her father asked as Lily brought him a mug of tea.
"I suppose not," she said, unable to think of any reason not to go. "If you think it's a good idea."
Her father placed a hand on her shoulder. It was large and covered it easily. Lily felt warmed after the chill of the rain outside.
"You're a wonderful girl, Lily," he said and kissed her head. "People will see that."
She didn't want to tell him she thought he was wrong.