Lily's Secret

Chapter 1



The sky was a dark, scary shade of blue. Every few seconds there was a great crackling and it would light up, giving everything an eerie glow. It wasn't raining though. Lily Lamont was gazing out of the taxi window, too deep in thought to notice the storm. She had a strange feeling in her......it was sort of inspirational, like she had some important role to play in the world. She couldn't really put her finger on it, but she was definitely feeling dreamy, almost like none of this was happening, like she didn't really exist. It was weird.
The girl sitting beside her, Petunia Lamont, had tears trickling down her face. She was gazing intently at Lily, her sister, trying to put the picture of her in her memory permantely. How her auburn hair sparkled strangly in the lightening and how her green eyes were so thoughtful and....mysterious....like she had a big secret. Petunia
muffled a sob and turned her head away.
Mr. Lamont, a big man with brown hair and big ears, casually nudged the steering wheel. He was whistling Christmas carols to himself, blissfully at ease with all the world, as usual.
Mrs. Lamont was sitting in the front passenger seat, her heart pounding terribly, her stomach turning over and over, her skin clammy and cold. Terrible thoughts and memories rushed through her mind....things she'd never told anyone, things she hadn't even allowed herself to think of for many years. Several times she came THIS close to telling the taxi driver to turn around, but she could never quite manage it.



Finally the taxi driver pulled up to a curb in front of King's Cross Station where the three ladies stepped out of the car. Mr. Lamont was not willing to step out into the rain, so he waved cheerfully and blew a kiss to Lily from inside the car.
"Well," said Mrs. Lamont, her voice unusually tight, "I guess this is it. Petunia, say goodbye to your sister."
Petunia turned her head and refused to say anything. She was still sobbing.
"Petunia," said Lily weakly, "you aren't going to see me for four months at least. Can't you just forget everything for a second and.......and........." but her voice stopped working. She blinked her eyes furiously, trying not to cry.
Petunia made a strange gurling sound as if she was trying to say something but at the last minute decided not to. She gave Lily one last look and in her eyes, Lily saw quite clearly how much she had hurt her. At that point, she nearly decided not to go at all. Nearly.
"Lily, you're going to miss your train. Why don't you go ahead and just get on it, I'm sure Petunia will write you a letter when she calms down, ok?" said Mrs. Lamont.
Lily took a deep breath and nodded her head. She gave her mom a quick hug
and without looking back at Petunia, boarded the Hogwarts Express, almost wishing none of this had even happened. She had never felt so dejected and out of place in her life.

*********************

The first compartment was completely full with seven or eight very jolly
looking kids, so Lily walked into the next which was the same, and on through the train feeling very lonely and awkward. Finally, in the very last compartment, she found an empty seat next to a girl who looked about her age. She had dark, extemely-curly hair, and she had tried to force it into two braids but at least a third of it had fallen out, and the part that hadn't fallen out was sticking out in many different angles. She was buried in a book. In fact, she was so buried in the book that she did not even notice Lily come in.
"Excuse me......." said Lily shyly.
The girl jerked upright, "What? Who are you?"
"Hi, sorry I startled you. My name is Lily Lamont---I was just wondering if it would be ok for me to sit here?"
The girl set her book down, revealing her large eyes that were so intensely blue that they could have nearly passed for purple.
"I'm Mackenzie Dippet. I don't mind, in fact I wish you would sit here. It's actually Severus Snape's seat but he sort of smells. I can't stand smelly people. Please sit here!
"Ok but where is Severus Snape?" Lily asked.
"Who knows. Well I mean, he's on the train, naturally but I couldn't begin to tell you where. It's a long story, really."
"Oh."
Mackenzie sighed. "Fine, I'll just tell you. Ok do you know Sirius Black?"
Lily shook her head, "I don't know anyone. My family's not magic."
"Oh," said the girl after an awkward pause, "Anyways, Sirius Black (whose family isn't magical either, as far as I know) hates this kid named James Potter (I guess you don't know him either) who comes from a long line of very noble wizards--some say he descended from Godric Gryffindor himself.
"Sirius hates him because James Potter told him that the only way you can get on this train is to dance around in a circle while singing "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer", so he did it, not knowing any better, and nothing happened except everyone standing around laughed at him. I guess he hates being laughed at (who DOESN'T?). Anyways, so he told James Potter to come to the back of the train and fight him like a man, but James didn't show up on time, so he went after him."
"Where does Severus Snape come in?" Lily asked confusedly.
"Oh, he was sitting in this compartment and he hates James Potter (I think it's one of those family feud things, the Snapes and the Potters have hated each other as long as anyone can remember) so he just wanted to see him get beat up. Also he wants to be friends with Sirius, but if you had been here earlier you could tell clear as day that Sirius can't stand him. No one can, really, I mean, he smells," said Mackenzie as if that settled it.
Lily wanted to laugh but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Well we don't hate him just because he smells," Mackenzie continued, "I mean, but that doesn't help him at all. Actually it's mostly because he acts like he's better than everyone else just because his dad has a high position in the Ministry. My grandfather was the bloody Minister of Magic, but you don't see me strutting around like I own the world," she muttered to the side, "I don't really know Severus, to tell you the truth, this is just a bunch of gossip that I got from my friend Sheila Shickaboo on the way to the Hogwarts Express. Her father drove us. Sheila's father works for the Ministry of Magic and they get invited to all those business parties, so Sheila knows lots of people. We still get invited to all the Ministry parties even though my father is dead and no one in my family works there anymore, because my grandfather used to be the Minister. Before that he was actually headmaster at Hogwarts. Mother never wants to go though."
"Oh, I see," said Lily softly.
"Sheila was sitting in here but she left when Sirius left. She knows a lot of people and I guess she wanted to talk to them, as well as see the fight. I'd like to see it too, but I have too much reading to do. I'm reading Quidditch Through the Ages, it's really very enlightening. I plan to try out for the house team, but of course not until next year. First years aren't allowed to be on the Quidditch team. But still, it can't hurt to get ahead, can it? I mean, Quidditch is a very complicated game. Mother never lets me play it when I'm at home though, she thinks it's too dangerous. But sometimes I sneak out and play anyways. I simply love sports. And quidditch is simply the best sport ever invented."
Just then, a skinny boy of medium heighth with wild black hair and dark blue eyes came bursting into the compartment.
Lily shrunk back in her seat, not wanting to have to talk to anyone. She was shy as it was, but she was also feeling miserable and low. It was really all she could do to keep from bursting into tears right then and there.
"You're James Potter right?" said Mackenzie.
"Where did that ugly little slimeball go to? I bet he ran away, the filthy coward! No matter, I'll find him on my own----"
"If you're talking about Sirius Black," said Mackenzie, "he left about five minutes ago to look for you. He thought you were too scared to show up."
"He did! Oh well. I guess I'll just sit here and wait for him. No use searching the whole bloody train. Hello," he said to Lily, "I don't think I've ever seen you anywhere...."
Lily looked up and unconsciously flashed a smile. "I'm Lily."
"James Potter," said James, grinning awkwardly as he held out his hand for Lily to shake. Then there were a few awkward moments of silence.
"SO........what house do you all think you'll be in?" James asked.
"I'll be in Ravenclaw for sure," said Mackenzie, "my whole family has been in there. What about you two?"
"Anything but Slytherin. I think I'd go on a violent rage if they put me in there. My whole family has been in Gryffindor though, so I guess I'll probably go there. Where do you think you'll go Lily?"
"I don't know....." she said blushing. She really wasn't in the mood for an interview. Especially as she knew nothing at all about magic.
"Her family isn't magical," Mackenzie whispered.
"Really?" said James, looking surprised, "there are times when I wish my family wasn't magical, then I wouldn't have so much to live up to. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Because lots of times if one kid from a muggle family turns out to be magic, all of them will."
"I have a twin sister. She's not a witch though," Lily said with an odd little quivver in her vioce.
Just then the door burst open and in came Sirius Black, followed by a dozen or so other kids of various ages.
"There you are, Potter. I thought you were too much of a sissy to show up," said Black.
"In your dreams kid. I've been waiting for you here for some time actually."