Part One

Lily

Sometimes people surprise us.

- Isabel Pullman, Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Chapter One

Okay, so you're about to know about the happenings at Hogwarts. They're ridiculous. Ludicrous. Strange. Out-of-the-blue. But they're important to me because they – they affected me greatly. They changed my entire life.

A barn owl flew to our house as I started to look for my copy of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them. Stupid thing. It just disappeared as if it were hit by an incantation which makes the receiver invisible. Anyway, when I was thinking about all that, the owl handed me over a letter. There was a knock and my older sister, Petunia, entered, determinedly not looking at me. As if that would annoy me. But I'm used to that – Petunia started to avoid me since I was eleven. It's a long story.

"What's that?" she asked spitefully, noticing the letter clutched in my hands. "Another letter from the freak place?"

I chose to ignore her criticism about Hogwarts and opened the letter, and I quote:

Dear Ms Evans,

We are most pleased to inform you that you are the newly chosen Head Girl of Hogwarts. Here is your badge; make sure you do not lose it.

A list of new schoolbooks and equipment is below.

Yours sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

My mind was swimming as Petunia snatched the letter from me and started to read. Head Girl?! That must be impossible! Maybe McGonagall was playing a trick on me. But I knew for a fact McGonagall wasn't the sort of person who played pranks on students. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact.

Before I could stop her Petunia screamed: "MUMMMM! DADDDDD! SHE'S HEAD GIRL! IN THE FREAK PLACE!"

Great. All I needed was more attention. But when Mum and Dad got into my room, they said, "Really? Oh Lily, we're so proud of you! And Petunia, don't call Hogwarts a freak place!" Beats me how they remembered Hogwarts's name.

I saw one look of jealousy and spite in Petunia's face before my parents started to recite about me getting a prize for being Head Girl and wondering loudly about what prize would they give to me. But I was only half-listening.

I thought about who'd be Head Boy. Maybe Remus Lupin, he would be Head Boy, he was made a prefect with me. Or maybe someone from other Houses. Well, I knew one person who'd never be Head Boy: James Potter.

James Potter and I have been enemies since we first set foot on the Hogwarts Express. He – I don't know, insulted Snape in our compartment. Severus Snape was my best friend – until he did something I'd never forget.

In our D.A.D.A. O.W.L.s, Severus Snape called me 'Mudblood'. Mudblood is a very offensive term of Muggle-born witches and wizards. It's a disgusting thing to call someone.

Sometimes I thought of Severus not being friends with disgusting Slytherins: Avery, Mulciber, Lestranges, Rosier, et cetra. He'd still be friends with him….

Anyway, Potter is an arrogant toerag who bullies almost everyone in Hogwarts who insults him, with occasional helps from Sirius Black, his best friend. I don't understand why he's got so many friends. Except….

Ever since the incident at the D.A.D.A., James Potter got noticeably, um, mature. I hate to tell this, but it's the truth. He doesn't jinx people anymore (well, except Snape, but he jinxes him too so I don't care about him jinxing Snape. Anyway, this was exactly what Mum and Dad said:

Mum: "Oh John, look at this! Lily's Head Girl!"

Dad: "Wow! That's almost everyone in the family!"

Mum: "We must congratulate!"

Dad: "Sure! I'll buy pizza today! Pepperoni or Hawaiian?'

Mum: "How about both? "

Dad: "Of course! Hello, I'd like to buy extra-large peperoni and Hawaiian, with coke and cider! Yes, my name is John Evans, and this is the address…"

I chose not to look at Petunia's face, which was positively burning with jealousy. Her face was so hot an egg would be fried instantly. Dad hung up the phone and said, "Kids, come downstairs in a few minutes! We're having a pizza party!"

I tried to say something to Petunia but too late – she stormed from my room before I could even open my mouth. I sighed and drew out a photo from my desk drawer. In the photo, there were two girls laughing at something – Petunia and me. We used to be best friends. But ever since the letter from Hogwarts came, Petunia started avoiding me. She acted as if magic was phony-baloney stuff that wasn't real use to everyone, but I knew what she really thought.

It was Severus Snape who told me about – to use Petunia's phrase – "abnormality". We were swinging in the swings in a playground. I was showing Petunia about a flower that opens and closes its petals. Suddenly Snape showed out of nowhere and said out of the blue, "You're – you're a witch." At first I didn't believe him, Petunia in the main credit because she poured cold water at him. But – a year later, a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry arrived, telling me that I was a witch and I would go to this Hog-thingy a month later.

I like about Hogwarts and my connection to magic. But there's one thing I hate about them: the relationship between me and Petunia cracked like a fragile eggshell, which would crack if you poke it.