The beginning – First Year - Part 3

The beginning – First Year - Part 3

The shadowy thing whispered "Lumos". Then a bright light appeared at the top of her wand.

It was Lucia. She looked startled.

"Come on, Lily! We've gotta go. Sparrow almost discovered you weren't in the common room, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to be the first this year's first year to get a detention, would you?" Lucia asked

"Of course not." Lily answered

"Me neither, and I'm risking my neck coming here now. Sparrow is too strict and he would be delighted to show to Dumbledore and all Hogwarts staff how they were wrong choosing Amos Diggory, instead of him for Head Boy, if he see us out the common room and tell a teacher, we'll get at least a week of detention."

"I know, Lucia" Lily said

"Who is this?" Lucia asked pointing at Severus

"Severus Snape." The boy said offering his hand to shake

Lucia was oblivious, remembering what Sirius must have said to her at his first opportunity.

"Well, nice to meet you too." Severus said sarcastically.

"Uh? What? Sorry, nice to meet you. I'm Lucia Rossini!" Lucia introduced herself

"Never mind!" Severus said

"You'll forgive us, Severus, but I must go. I think you must had heard enough about this Sparrow-boy to know I'll be in great trouble if I don't come back to my house's tower right now. See ya!" Lily bade farewell

"Bye!" Snape waved his hands to the girls who in just a second disappeared from his eyesight.

They were far enough when Lucia started to talk:

"Lily… Severus Snape is a Slytherin, isn't he?"

"Yep!"

"So… what were you talking to him."

"Nothing really important."

"But you look as if you were crying."

"It's just that Potter makes me nervous."

"You were rude to him, Lily."

"I know."

"So… you must apologize him."

"I will. But he was rude to me too."

"He's an eleven years old boy. What would you expect?"

"Politeness."

"You didn't show it to him."

"I know."

"So why are you still mad at him?"

"I'm not mad at him!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"So what's going on?"

"Nothing important!"

"You can tell me, Lilly. I'm your friend!"

Lily grinned " But we had already met!"

"I know, but I'm your friend. I think you're trustworthy! Don't you think I am?"

"Yeah!"

"So tell me!"

"Okay… it was just a letter from Petunia."

"From who?"

"Petunia, my sister."

"Where's the sad thing? I don't think receiving a letter from a sister would be sad. I have a nine year old sister, Paola, and we are such great friends."

"That's different. Petunia hates me."

"I fight with Paola, sometimes I say that I hate her. You know, my Italian blood… but even when I say it, I know I love her. She's my baby sister!"

"But Petunia definitely don't love me. She likes to see me unhappy, she's jealous of every little thing I have. She offends me every moment she can."

"Lily… when we offend somebody too much, it's because we like this person. If you actually don't like this person, you would just ignore he or she. You would just don't care for this person."

"But it's different. You're saying this because you don't know Petunia."

Lucia opened her mouth to reply, but them, they were in front of Fat Lady's picture.

"Goblin's beard!" Lily whispered

The Fat Lady seemed to be sleeping.

"Dammit!" Lily thought "Pleaseeee, wake up without making noises!"

For their sake, the Fat Lady woke up silently.

"Goblin's beard!" Lily repeated

The Fat Lady allowed them to climb on the common room. It was definitely empty, except for one person: James.

"What the hell are y…" Lily started, but was cut by Lucia

"Sheesh! Don't you see it's better for we to keep our mouths shut? After all, you owe him an apology"

"Okay then."

James was staring them with his usual teasing smile, and laughing at Lily.

It occurred to Lily that that smile was simply irritating, but she really owed him an apology.

"Potter, I'm really sorry the way I treated you." She said without conviction in her voice. "But, well, I suppose you owe me an apology too. You were really rude."

Lucia kicked Lily's right foot and whispered:

"Now, you're being rude again. You don't ask apologies. You wait the people to give them."

"Evans, I'm really really sorry about me saying that you and Sirius make a really really nice and cute couple and because I still think you were made for each other." He said teasingly

Lily opened her mouth to reply, but Lucia grabbed her hand and pulled her to the first year girls' dormitory.

It was almost 6 o'clock, which meant they had only more 2 hours to sleep. Lucia felt on the bed and slept. Lily just laid on the bed, holding an old doll, thinking about how her life had changed in the past two months, since she got the letter from Hogwarts.

The images walked across her head.

*****

She was playing with Violet. That was the name of that old doll. She had many others, new ones. But the only doll she really liked was Violet. She had Violet since she was a baby. Aunt Daisy, who was her father's sister and also her godmother, gave to Lily the doll the day she was born.

Violet was a red haired doll with green eyes (looked like Lily too much) and dressed a tiny violet dress.

Lily was playing with Violet, when she heard Petunia shouting.

"Help! There's an owl inside the house! Help!"

Lily laughed, but after that, went downstairs to see Petunia and the owl.

It was really strange, she thought. Then she realized there was an envelope tied on the owl's left leg. She untied it, and saw that the owl looked hungry. So she went quickly to the kitchen (they were in the dining room) and gave an oat biscuit to the owl. It ate the biscuit and flew away. Petunia was still shouting.

Lily picked up the envelope and looked what was written there. Strangely, it was for her. It was written, in huge and bright green (like her own eyes) letters.

Miss L. Evans

Florist Street, 11

Little Whining- Surrey

Lily had received other letters before, but always on her birthday, which was in March. It was late July.

Petunia looked at her envelope.

"Is this for you?" she asked in disbelief

Lily showed quickly the envelope with her name to Petunia.

"What kind of people sends you a letter tied on an… an owl? I think it must be that disgusting Vernon Dursley, our neighbor. He has a crush on you, you know. I don't know how, but he has." Petunia said

"Shut up, Petunia!" Lily shouted

"I'm older than you. You owe me respect."

"You're just two years older than me, Petunia."

"Anyway, I'm older than you."

Lily didn't answer. She ran towards her bedroom and locked it. Petunia ran after her, but she wasn't as fast as Lily. Then she started beating the door and shouting, trying to make Lily open it. But Lily didn't care. She just wanted to read the letter.

Dear Miss. Evans,

You were invited to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You mustn't know what are we talking about, thought you're a muggle born witch. I'll explain. You are a witch, you probably have noticed some strange happenings around you, things you just couldn't explain in angry moments of your life. You probably had break something or something else, when you were angry, just using your mental capability. You have magical blood in your veins. I'll finish with all those myths you must have heard about witches and wizards. We don't eat little children. We work in a whole different world, we use magic for our basic necessities. Hogwarts is just this: a school for you to learn how to use your magical skills, how to control your magical blood. We are waiting an owl (it's our way to post letters) from you (You can find one in the street you live) saying whether you want to be prepared to use your natural magical skills or just to forget about it. Anyway, the first school day is September the First and if you want to study here, you must be at King's Cross Station, Platform 9 ¾ until 11 o'clock of September the First. A list with all you'll need to study is annexed.

Yours sincerely,

Quintus Moody

Deputy Headmaster

A witch, she still remembered how her jaw had dropped. A witch…

Petunia was still beating the door and shouting. Lily decided to open the door.

"Why all this secret? All because of Vernon Dursley's stupid letters?

"Stop being ridiculous, Petunia. I'm too young to think about this. After all, Vernon Dursley is such a jerk. I f he really likes me, you can have him for your boyfriend. He disgusts me."

"The day I want Vernon Dursley for my boyfriend will be the day I dance can-can in the middle of the street."

"Would you mind betting?"

"Er… yes, of course I mind. I don't need bets to know I don't like Vernon Dursley."

"Okay…" Lily said teasingly

"And… how about that letter? What was written there?"

"None of your business."

"Please!"

"No, Petunia! Stop being curious!"

Petunia came closer and started tickling Lily.

"Lily, my angel, what was written there?"

"I won't tell you!" Lily said between laugher

"S… you want more tickle? No problem" Petunia said tickling Lily harder

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you!"

Petunia stopped tickling Lily.

"So…" Petunia asked

"Well, it's from a school."

"School?" Petunia asked without interest. "Are you sure? What kind of school sent a letter in an owl? After all, you're going to study in my school: St Mary School for Ladies. It's a joke?"

"No, it isn't. And this school is named Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts… Hogwarts… I've never heard about this school before. Is it new?"

"I don't know."

"Hogwarts School for what? Ladies, like St Mary's?"

"Nah! Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Petunia laughed

"Lily, you can be funny when you want to. Vernon Dursley is ugly, but he's not reason enough to all this!"

"Who talked about Vernon Dursley? I'm talking about my future school."

"Are you really serious, Lily?"

"Of course I am."

"So stop being stupid. There's no witchcraft school nowhere in the world. Somebody is just joking."

"But there's a long book list, and after all, who would want to tease me?"

"I dunno."

"So…"

"Where's the letter, Lily?"

Lily handed to Petunia the letter. Petunia read it startled. How could Lily be a witch? She was so… adorable. And fragile, and docile. She couldn't be a witch. No way. It must be a joke.

"Lily, did you believe in any of these words?"

"In all of them."

"Why?"

"Remember cousin Malcolm's 12 years party?"

"Yeah!"

"Remembered when cousin Anne teased me about my red hair?"

"Of course. I've never seen you that angry before."

"Yes, and I felt a strong desire of kicking her. But as I'm polite, I didn't. But after this, all the apples in the apple tree felled on her. And you know that that apple tree is very strong. We have to use force when we want an apple."

"Coincidence. After all, the wind was strong that day. It must had been that."

"It must be much coincidence. In the same day her beautiful straight hair turned in a bushy hair."

"Hormones changes people's hair and stuff."

"It was very suddenly."

"Lily… you're old enough to stop believing in fairy tale!"

"It's not fairy tale, Petunia. Whatever you want to think."

"Witch's tale, then."

"Better, but it must be true. Who would send me a letter tied on an owl's leg?"

"I really dunno. But I'm sure it wasn't from a Witchcraft School."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because witches don't exist. They're just a legend. I think you've read too much Snow White. But I thought you liked Snow White and the dwarfs, not the evil witch."

"The letter says that witches aren't necessarily evil. They just have magical blood. We have magical blood."

"Let's supposed it's true. I have the same blood as yours, though I'm your sister. Why didn't I received the letter."

"I dunno. I dunno much about witches."

"See?"

"Well, Petunia, let's see if I get more letters."

Petunia just nodded and left Lily's room.

Petunia ran as fast as she could towards her own room. She wanted with all her heart to know that this letter Lily received was just a joke. But something inside her kept telling her it was true. Intuition.

Why would she be upset about Lily being a witch? She herself didn't really know, but she was upset. Really upset, though.

Why? Because Lily was her baby sister. Because her Lily wasn't going to be in the same school as hers. Because Lily wasn't like her. Because she would lost her baby Lily… now she must hate Lily as hard as she could. She didn't want to miss her. Not at all.

After all, she herself always wanted to be a witch. She often played Snow White with Lily when they were young. Good old times, she thought between sobs. She was the WITCH. She liked it. Lily was always Snow White…

She was jealous of Lily, she knew it. Like she had never been before. She used to blame her parents for giving better presents for Lily. Actually, her presents wasn't better than hers. Lily was better than she, Petunia. It was what she had always thought. Lily was prettier, smarter, funnier, more friendly, adorable, lovely… but Petunia loved to show the opposite, as if she thought she was prettier, smarter, and everything else.

Petunia decided: she would hate Lily until death, because of this. Lily was being a witch instead of her. She would hate the whole magical world for her whole life. They were stealing her baby Lily from her. Her baby sister. It was unforgivable.

"Damn Lily, damn all the witches and wizards!" Petunia mentally shouted between real sobs and tears. Then she felt strangely asleep.

Lily was really happy. Not that she have ever imagine she was a witch, but because she always thought about herself thinking about a normal girl, like everyone else. Now she knew she was… different. She didn't decide whether it was good being different or not.

Her parents were out. The very minute they arrived, Lily ran towards them to explain. It was a very odd experience.

"Mum, dad! I have something to tell you." Lily yelled from the stairs

She went downstairs and then, she handed the letter to her mother, who was more tolerant.

Her mother eyes ran over the letter, and then… she didn't look shocked (this was something very ODD).

"So… you're a witch." Her mother said calmly

"Yeah" Lily replied

"Well, I won't say that I didn't expect this, because as a matter-of-fact I did" her father said

"You did?" Lily asked astonished

"Yes, WE did." Her mother replied

"How?" Lily asked

Her parents glanced each other, then, her mother said:

"Well, Lily… you showed some… supernatural powers. Since you were a baby. You used to move things with your eyes and… well, first, I didn't want to believe you were a witch or something, but then… I saw it wasn't an evil thing."

"But how did you realize I was a witch, not that I only HAD supernatural powers."

"We did some research." Her father said "Your blood has a substance which even the doctors didn't new what it was."

"They thought it was a new virus" her mother continued

"But then… they find out that it wasn't noxious. But they still didn't know what it was." Her father said

"We were desperate, when we find a good soul. Arabella Figg. A good woman. She told us the truth about witches and wizards. She told us you were one of them." her mother said

"Of course, we didn't believe at first. But then… she showed us some magical powers. It was amazing. She told us you were going to receive a letter, THIS letter, when you were around 11 years old." Her father said

"And here you are. We know all this stuff about muggles and all. When we discovered the truth about you, we bought many books in a place called Diagon Alley, where Ms. Figg told us we were going to find some stuff about witches and wizards, and studied them, you. We know we are Muggle, and all this stuff. I'll give you the books. Ms. Figg told us it's better for you to read it before Hogwarts."

Lily looked at them astonished. It was too much information for only a dayMs. Figg, a witch? Her parents knowing about witches?

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lily asked in a hoarse voice

"We thought it wasn't the right time. After all, we didn't have SURE you were a witch. We had almost sure." Her father replied

"Ms. Figg is a witch?"

"Yes, she is." Her mother answered

"All this time, when I and Petunia were there and she took care of us. Was she a witch then?"

"I said yes, Lily." Her mother repeated

Lily took a long breath and said this time calmly.

"Okay then. Where are the books."

Since that day, she read all she could about witches and magical world.

*****

Lily came back to the reality when Lucia shook her arms.

"Earth to Moon!" Lucia shouted in Lily's ear

"Ouch!" Lily complained "Are you trying to make me deaf?"

"Well… no, but you have to wake up!" Lucia replied

"Where's everybody… I mean… the other girls?"

"Patricia Wilson and Konstanze Angelkort you mean?"

"Whatever."

"They went downstairs to have breakfast."

"Oh!"

"I know you want to know about the boys."

"Of course not! How can you know? You don't know me."

"I know you, Lily. When I can trust a person, is because I know exactly who they are. That's why I trust you, that's why I'm your friend. And I know you are, or you'll be a friend of mine."

"Well, thank you. But I didn't want to know about the guys."

"Okay, so I won't tell you."

"Lucia! Okay… I WANT to know about them."

Lucia grinned, and said

"They vanished when we went upstairs to sleep. That's why James was there. He was waiting for the others."

"How do you know? You were sleeping."

"Didn't you wonder how could I be in the common room when you woke up and were talking to the boys? I have Divination skills. It's a pity we don't have Divination until the third year."

"Ja… well… Potter told me in the train that he was glad there wasn't Divination in the first year. He said that Divination didn't really exist, that it was the witches and wizards' art to fool Muggles. They love to go to those places to know about their future."

"There are some muggles who really do this to muggles. Even witches and wizards. But it's necessary to have the skill to do this." Lucia replied calmly

"I do believe you." Lily said " All you said, at least what I know, was correct. And you knew where I was when I was talking to Severus, even though the castle is huge."

"Yeah. I knew it. But, please. Avoid him."

"Who?"

"Snape. He's not that trustful. He's inconstant and he'll make a decision in the future that will change all his life."

"He's just a friend."

"Okay"

"And… Lucia… why were the boys going out?"

"Because they want to do a map. Only the short one was still sleeping."

They put on robes and went downstairs to the breakfast.

There was an odd thing happening.

To be continued

Please, review it! You can say if it's nice or bad. Praise or blame me, pleaseeeeee!!!!! I've find a beta-reader, so I think there's no grammar mistakes now (ALELUIA!). I'm evil, aren't I? I love leaving cliffhangers. But it's how I can make you look forward to the sequels.