Lily Evans scowled and threw "The Pearl" on the floor of her room. What a boring book.



As she contemplated how it was possible for someone to write a book as awful at that, she gazed around her tiny bedroom and sighed. An upturned trashcan littered the corner near the door, and bits of paper, gum wrappers, and orange peels were strewn around the rest of the room. A decrepit poster of a cat in a basket stared at her from the opposite wall, and she ignored the huge rip in its center. Her room was so messy that she didn't notice the dark shape on her window until it started tapping on it.



Lily slowly lifted her head and her eyes widened. An owl was flying outside her window, and it had something tied to its leg.



Lily loved birds. Her librarian knew that very well too, since Lily had read every single bird book on the shelf. Lily had read enough to know that owls were nocturnal, and that it was strange to see them during the day. It was also strange to see them in the middle of the city, on the 12th floor of a London apartment complex. Lily stared.



The owl rapped on the window a second time, and Lily jumped up and opened it. As the gray bird glided in, she saw that the thing on its leg was a letter – addressed to her. With her eyebrows positioned as high as they could go, Lily untied the letter, and the owl immediately flew off.



She blinked, and then turned her attention to the envelope in front of her. The address itself was very precise, and she wondered briefly how they knew exactly where she slept.



Her amazement doubled when she unfolded the thick piece of parchment inside the envelope.



* * *



"Dear Miss Evans,


"We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into one of the most prestigious institutions of magic in Britain: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.



"Although this letter may shock you, for you may not believe in magic, we assure you that we are completely in earnest. You have been born into a Muggle family, which refers to people who are not magical, unlike you.


"Enclosed is a list of school supplies that you will need for your first year. They may be purchased in a place called Diagon Alley, which is in located off of Thaire Street, in London. Enter a small pub called The Leaky Cauldron, which is to be found between a bookshop and a record shop. Note: Only you will be able to see the pub, so make sure you point it out to your parents. The people in there will show you to Diagon Alley, where you may exchange your Muggle currecy for wizard gold.



"You will also need to take the Hogwarts Express to go to Hogwarts. The train leaves at platform 9¾ at eleven o'clock sharp. To get onto the platform, walk through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Do not be afraid. If possible, try to do it in a way that doesn't attract the attention of the Muggles at the station. We are sorry, but your parents will be unable to get on the platform.


"Yours Sincerely,

Jacqueline Hunt,

Deputy Headmistress"



Arilla Evans finished reading Lily's acceptance letter aloud. She scanned it again, in total bewilderment, before handing it to her husband.



When she'd first read it, Lily had been just as shocked at the letter as mother now was. But after that shock had worn off, she'd begun to think that going to a school for magic would be the best thing that's ever happened to her.



To her great delight, her parents agreed with her. They looked up and smiled.


* * *



Lily Evans waved goodbye to her parents and her sulky sister Petunia and turned to examine the platform. If she didn't know better, she'd be afraid. But since everything else in the letter had proven true, she took hold of her trolley and walked casually towards the barrier.



And she went right though.



The train Lily would be taking to Hogwarts was crimson in color and had a steady current of steam swirling out of its engine. Since she had come half an hour early, most of the compartments were empty. She picked one at random and packed her stuff in it, and then walked back onto the platform to watch the witches and wizards pour in through the magical barrier.



There were people and animals of all sizes. Owls, cats, toads, and other magical creatures were adding their cries to the din. Teenagers, children, and adults were pushing past trolleys and their pets as they made their way towards the train that would soon be departing. Farewells were being bidden and tears were being shed, but the overall expression on the faces of the strangers were happy and friendly.


As Lily watched the smiling faces rush past, a small girl with wispy blonde hair caught her attention. She was struggling with a trunk that looked much too heavy for her, and Lily ran over to assist her.



"Need any help with that?" Lily asked politely.



The girl looked at first startled, but then quite grateful. "Oh – thank you so much! This thing weighs a ton! My name's Amanda Hawkins – Mandy for short." Mandy smiled tiredly. "And you are…?"



"Lily Evans. Here, you can sit in the compartment I'm in. It was empty–" Lily pushed open the door, only to find herself confronted with a nervous looking boy her age with light brown hair. "–last time I checked." She looked at him anxiously.



He looked startled and said quickly, "Oh! Were you here first – I'm sorry, I didn't know! The luggage, it… I wasn't sure…"



"It's okay," Lily assured him hurriedly. "Don't worry. You can stay here too." He looked uncertain. "I'm Lily Evans. And this is Amanda Hawkins."



Mandy smiled. "Just Mandy."



"Remus Lupin." The boy flinched, which puzzled Lily. She sat entered the compartment and helped Mandy stow away her trunk.



"So…are either of you two from Muggle families too…or is it it just me?" Lily looked between the two curiously.



"My parents are Muggles too," said Mandy. "You should've seen their faces when I got that letter…"



"Pure blood." Remus grinned uncertainly. "For ages I think. My parents went to Hogwarts too. They said I'd have a great time. I dunno, though… And I was so surprised when I got accep-" He stopped abruptly.



"You were surprised? But your parents went, didn't they?"



"Well…" At this Remus flushed a little. "It's supposed to be the best school isn't it? Not everyone gets in, you know. There are other magical schools. I was just glad to have gotten into Hogwarts." He did look a bit relieved, Lily noticed.



"My sister, Petunia, wasn't too happy about it. She's three years older than me. She got really jealous when I got that letter. I guess it is kind of unfair, to the Muggles. I'm sure magic would make life so much easier for everyone," Lily mused.



"Yeah!" Mandy nodded her head fervently. "I mean, there wouldn't be any problems at all! Just wave your wand, and-"



Remus snorted.



"What?" Mandy demanded.



Remus looked at them disbelievingly. "You honestly think magic would solve all your problems? Ha. I wish." He looked extremely morose. Mandy raised her eyebrows at Lily, but said nothing.



Lily had to admit that Remus was right. She also assumed that there was at least one big problem in his life that magic couldn't fix, judging by the way he was acting. She sighed, and turned to look out of the window.



A/N: Thanks for reading this. I think it has promise. Even if its only a *little* bit of promise. Please "be a responsible reader and review." You don't know how much it means to us writers who are unnoticed and unloved! One review can mean a huge difference! :) Thank u sooo much! (I might actually add some plot to this story if I get some reviews... If I dont, well, this will be the sad end. And I'll go back to writing poems like a normal unnoticed fanfic author.) - Robbie