Summary: Lily and James hate each other, but there's a fine line between love and hate. How will they finally get together?
Genre: Romance
Ships: Lily/James
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: This was written a few years a go, so bear with the immature ideas. It's cute, though g
The Fine Line Between Love and Hate
Chapter the First: A Wish Come True
[ Agent Bambi ]
Lily Evans awakened early on a warm Saturday morning. This would have been, on any other day, unusual, but not today. Today was her eleventh birthday. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she got out of bed.Before she reached her bedroom door, it flew open.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Lily! Happy birthday to you!" her parents sang.
"Here, darling, blow out the candles!" her mother said, and brought forward an enormous pink cake, with the words "Happy Birth ay" written on it.
Lily noticed there was a d missing, but didn't bother to point it out.
"Make a wish," her father whispered.
I wish … I wish that today will be a really special day! Lily wished, and as an afterthought, added, and that Petunia won't ruin my birthday.
With an almighty blow, she blew out all eleven of the candles at once.
"Now, cut the –" her mother began, but was interrupted as a colossal owl flew in through Lily's open window.
"What the …" Lily cried, and ducked when the owl dropped an envelope on her head.
As Lily grabbed it off the floor, Lily's mother wondered aloud, "I wonder who it's from?"
Lily looked curiously at the address written in curly green writing on the front of the envelope.
Miss L. Evans, largest bedroom on the second floor, London, England.
Hastily, she ripped it open.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albums Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards.)
Dear Miss Evans,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later that July 31st.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonogall,
Deputy Headmistress.
"Look, mum, read this …" Lily excitedly showed her mother the strange letter.
"Hogwarts … witchcraft, wizardry … September 1st …" Lily saw her mother's lips forming certain words.
"So, can I go?"
"Well, it's fine by me. Michael? What do you think?" her mother said, as she passed the letter to her husband.
"Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you. Of course you can go!" her father cried, and embraced her in a bear hug.
"Go where?" Petunia whined, suddenly appearing in the doorway.
"To Hogwarts – I'm a witch!"
"But – but – but there's no such thing!" Petunia insisted, defiantly.
"Here look," Lily said smugly, and passed her sister the letter.
Lily had never much liked her sister, in her opinion, she was a horse-faced cow, but for her parents' sake, she tried to be nice most of the time.
She better not ruin this! Lily thought angrily.
"No! It's not true. I'm not having a – a – FREAK in this house. I won't stand for it." Petunia screamed, and ripped the letter to shreds.
Moving towards her sister, she had only one thought in her mind: Make the cow pay! Make her pay! Get her back!
Slowly and shakily, Lily raised her hand over her head. And when she brought it down again, it collided with Petunia's bony cheek.
"You cow!" Lily spat.
"Ow …" Petunia whimpered, "Mummy … it hurts!"
"Oh you poor baby," their mother said sadly, and embraced Lily in a tight hug, "It's alright, we'll send the owl for another letter."
"But – but …" Petunia spluttered, "It's not fair. She hit me … look!"
"Petunia Dianne Evans, GO TO YOUR ROOM! And think about what you've just done!"
A week later, Lily was on her way to the Leaky Cauldron. The letter had said to go there for further instructions.
She walked inside, holding her mum's hand tightly.
"Hogwarts, dear?" said an ageing man.
"Yes, please. I was wondering how to get to Diagonal Alley?" Lily asked.
"Diagon Alley? Right this way, Miss."
He pulled out a long wooden stick and started counting bricks. Suddenly, an arched doorway appeared. Through it, Lily could see lots of people scurrying around, busily.
"First you'll need to convert your money – you can to that in Gringotts – then you can buy all your equipment," the Leaky Cauldron man advised, "But no Muggles are allowed inside Diagon Alley."
"Muggles?"
"Non-magic folk," he explained, looking at Lily's mother.
"Oh," Lily's mother said, "I'll wait inside then, alright, Lily?"
"Yep, sure, mum."
Lily set off through the doorway, alone, towards a big building with the word Gringotts on the front part of the roof.
"I'd like to convert my, erm, Muggle money into … into …" Lily told the goblin that appeared in front of her.
"Into galleons, sickles and knuts, correct?" he finished promptly.
"Uh, yeah … I think."
"Would you like to set up an account, Miss?" the goblin asked her.
"Yes, please," Lily said, remembering her manners.
"Under what name?" the goblin prompted.
"Evans. Lily Evans."
"Alright, sign here, please."
The quill swished over the page as Lily signed the piece of parchment.
"Alright, your safe number is 935 and … here is your key," the goblin produced a tiny golden key from his desk and warned her, "If you lose this key, then in turn, you lose your safe here at Gringotts."
"Yes, sir," Lily replied, pocketing the minute golden key.
After she had exchanged her Muggle money for galleons and sickles, and a few bronze knuts, Lily headed out into Diagon Alley.
"Sirius, look at that broom … only 750 galleons!" a voice cried.
"James, we don't have that much galleons!" another voice replied (probably Sirius, Lily thought), "Though it is a great broom …"
"James, Sirius, wait here, I'll be back in a sec, alright?" an older voice said.
"Sure, dad."
Two minutes later, Lily heard Sirius' voice complain, "Lets go to the Ice-Cream Parlor, it's boring here."
"But dad said –"
"Who cares what he said! I'm hungry!"
"Well, I'm staying here, how would we find him if he didn't know where we were?"
"Fine, we'll wait … though I think its totally stupid …" Sirius muttered bitterly.
"Just go, then!"
"Fine, I will!" running backwards away from his friend – straight into Lily.
"Sorry," he apologized before hurrying away towards the brooms.
Lily decided that she had better start shopping for her Hogwarts things, she had wasted too much time already.
She looked back at her list.
"Three sets of plain work robes … black," she muttered.
She looked around and spotted a shop called Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. Chimes sounded as she pushed open the door of the shop.
"Hogwarts, dear?" a young witch inquired.
"Yes, I need some black work robes, a pointed black hat … a pair of protective gloves and a winter cloak …" Lily read off her list.
"Yes, just go down the back and I'll be with you in a moment."
Lily emerged from the shop carry a large bag, filled with her clothes for Hogwarts.
She looked back at her list, and seeing she need to buy all her books, went towards a shop she had spotted earlier – Flourish and Blotts.
"Hi, I'd like to buy the Hogwarts books, I have the booklist here," she said to a little man with a balding head.
"No need for that, I've got the books right here," the man said, handing her a huge pile of books.
Lily paid the man, and stumbled outside.
"Next, a wand …" Lily said, looking up in search of the right shop.
"Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC," she read aloud and headed into the shop.
"Hello, I need a wand, please," Lily said politely.
"Yes, what was your name?" a youngish man asked.
"Lily Evans, I'm about to start Hogwarts," Lily added.
"Yes, I remember your great Aunt Beatrice, she came in here once. A fine wand, 14 inches made of dragon heartstring, perfect for dueling, though I doubt she did much of that," he grinned. His expression grew more serious, making him look older, "Now for your wand … lets try this. 12 inches made of phoenix tail feathers and dragon heartstring, give it a wave, now."
Lily felt a little silly as she waved the wand around.
"No, not that one. Here try this one," he said, taking back the wand and giving her a new one.
Lily grabbed it and waved it slowly.
A stream of stars popped out, like fireworks.
"Yes, that's the one. Ten and a quarter inches, swishy, made of willow. Good for charm work," he told her.
Lily paid him with gold galleons before leaving the shop, now in search of a cauldron, a set of phials, a telescope and a set of brass scales.
She hurried into another shop and bought the equipment. She looked back at the list in her hand.
"Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad," she read quietly. She still had quite a bit of money left in her wallet, so she walked down to Magical Menagerie.
Lily walked into the shop curiously, thinking about what animal she could get. Definitely not a toad, they were too slimy in her opinion. She didn't much like birds, so owls were probably out of the question, which only left a cat.
Lily approached the counter, "I'd like to buy a cat."
"There's a cage over there," a young witch pointed distractedly, and continued furiously scribbling on a piece of parchment.
Lily looked inside the cage. There were all sorts of cats. Big, fluffy white cats, brown alley cats, orange tabby cats, black cats, striped cats. Then a small little mound of black fur caught her eye.
"I've chosen one," she called to the young witch.
"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming."
When Lily pointed at the little cat, the witch told her, "That's a half panther cat, that's almost full size, in a couple of years maybe it will reach adult size, which isn't much bigger. They're tiny, they are."
She pulled out the little cat (which was barely bigger than Lily's hand, by the look of it) and handed it to Lily.
"Uh, is it a boy or a girl?" Lily asked.
The witch turned the cat so its stomach was showing then replied, "Girl."
Lily paid and strolled outside.
She went back into the Leaky Cauldron, and after finding her mum, went outside to the car.
"And look, mum, I got a little kitten too. She's half panther, almost full size."
"Aw, isn't she sweet? What are you going to name her?"
"Pink Panther, if I can figure out how to charm her pink."
- TBC -
