Chapter Eight:
Farewell Sister
The last few months of school sped by. Lily was no longer jeered by evil Slytherins because no one wished to be attacked for it like Snape had been. Lily still was resentful to James for resorting to violence and rule breaking in order to defend her. James knew however that she was grateful to him for preventing Snape and his gang from tormenting her daily. The final exams passed, James took them breezily, happy with B's and C's, Lily studied obsessively, and her stressful last month of school was to her well worth it. Lily passed highest in her class. On the train ride home Lily and Anise wept bitterly, promising to write, while James, comforted them both. Finally the train stopped at London, and Lily and her friends hugged once more. James, who was going home with Lily for a couple of weeks, had no tearful parting with her.
"Bye Anise! Write!" Lily called one last time, and then wiped her eyes clean of tears before turning to James.
"Lil, you look awful! Your eyes are all puffy, and red. Stop crying will you?" James teased her.
"Hey! Are you calling me ugly? If you are I'll, I'll," Lily ineffectively tried to think of a decent threat.
"Oh you don't even know what you'll do to me if I say that I was indeed calling you ugly." Then James, laughing, draped his arm over her shoulder. "Come on, you'll see everyone in three months, it's not like they're falling off the planet or something."
Lily's face suddenly brightened as she saw her mother who she saw waving by the family car. Lily threw her arms around her, and cried. "Oh how I missed you! Even with a Christmas at home, mum!"
Mrs. Evans, pleased to be hearing these words from her daughter, lightly kissed her forehead. "So you wished to be home nearly as much as I did."
"Well yes, Mum." Lily agreed. "James. this is my mum."
"I know your mum, Lil. Hello Mrs. Sarah." James chuckled remembering their first meeting when Lily's mother had insisted that he call her by her first name. Mrs. Evans' eyes were twinkling, she evidently was reminiscing about the same thing.
"Welcome James. Well get in the car both of you."
Five minutes later, both of the children's luggage had been stuffed into the trunk of the car which had taken a lot of skill and strategy to do, and they were off.
*
In no time the car pulled into Lily's driveway. Petunia wasn't waiting in the doorway as Lily had expected her to be. Lily sighed, but then recalled how distant she had been during the holidays.
"Mum. Where's Petunia?" inquired Lily.
"She's busy finishing up an essay for summer school." Mrs. Evans replied honestly.
"Summer school, why?" Lily looked shocked. While she was free to enjoy a summer which wasn't invaded by homework, her sister lacked that freedom.
"She failed Algebra," Mrs. Evans sighed, clearly still ashamed of her daughter's performance in that class.
"What's Algebra?" James looked curious.
"Oh it's a form of mathematics, it's difficult, so I can't entirely blame Petunia for doing so poorly in it." Lily's mother informed him.
"Oh, thanks Sarah," James replied cheerfully. "Well let's go say hi."
"James I don't know if she'll want to see us, considering that we have summer off from school, and she doesn't. That would just make her envy us all the more," warned Lily.
Taking her arm James told her that he would take his chances.
*
In the house Lily met Petunia curled up on the sofa with a thick textbook in her hands.
"Damn it! I still don't get this stuff!" she cried in exasperation, and threw her book on the floor.
"Petunia, don't swear!" Lily admonished her.
Petunia didn't even bother look up to acknowledge her sister's presence. She instead bent over to retrieve her Algebra homework, and stormed into her corner bedroom, with an angry slam of the door.
"Sorry James," Lily muttered, embarrassed about her family. Why hadn't her sister been pleased to see her after all those months?
James hugged her. "Don't worry Lil. It's not your problem." he assured her.
"Thanks," she whispered. Then taking her bag, she dragged it up stairs into her room, with James' assistance.
She flicked on the light switch, and gasped. All of her belongings lay in a tangled heap on the floor.
"Who did this?!" her eyes turned into tiny slits and she glared out the door, knowing full well who was the guilty person.
James had never seen Lily this angry before, and he was shocked by how intimidating she looked in her fury.
"It's okay Lil, I'll help you pick it up." he promised, and leaned over gathering an armful of her teddy bears in his hands.
"No!" Lily shrieked. "No, put those down."
"Why?" James looked confused. "I was just trying to help."
"No it's not you. It's Petunia, and since she made this mess, she'll be putting my room back to order, not us!" she snapped.
"Lil, how do you know that she'll do that for you?" he asked.
"Believe me, she will!" Lily exclaimed and stormed down the stairs into her sister's room.
James merely stood there in shock. The hideous transformation that had come over his friend in her anger was hardly any different than if she'd turned into a werewolf. He was tense and worrying about her still being in a foul mood when she returned to him. Shuffling into her room he gazed at it. It's walls were a bright blue, and
the bed looked very cushiony. As soon as he stepped into the hall, he heard loud footsteps on the stairs. It was Lily, she still looked angry, and James was too scared to ask her how the confrontation with Petunia had gone.
"I don't care what she says!" Lily announced determinedly. "She is going to fix this all up for me anyway."
James sighed, and gently put his hand on Lily's shoulder. "I am sure that everything will be fine."
*
An hour later they were all settled. Lily's mother forced Petunia to organize her sister's room, while Lily had a chat with her.
"Mum," Lily began. "Why is Petunia being so mean to me?"
Mrs. Evans looked troubled. "Honey,' she said in a strained voice. "Petunia is having a tough social life. Her boyfriend just broke up with her, and she feels very unloved next to you."
"What?!" Lily exclaimed. "Unloved. That girl is pampered. What is her problem?"
"Honey just give her a little time to heal. I'm sure you two will be back to speaking terms soon."
James nervously joined Lily. "You're mother's right, and if Petunia doesn't want to speak to you Lil, it's her loss," he consoled her.
"Thanks James." Lily muttered.
* That evening Lily found a note under her pillow which read "Who needs a witch for a sister? Heck, I don't even need a normal sister! ***I hate you *** Petunia."
Lily fell asleep with a sigh and she knew that Petunia would be eternally jealous of her. Never would they be friends. It was a pity, but Lily knew she was better off without her, if she was always going to be so rude, self- centered, and utterly impossible to get along with.
"Farewell sister," she murmured sleepily, and dozed off.
.
.
The last few months of school sped by. Lily was no longer jeered by evil Slytherins because no one wished to be attacked for it like Snape had been. Lily still was resentful to James for resorting to violence and rule breaking in order to defend her. James knew however that she was grateful to him for preventing Snape and his gang from tormenting her daily. The final exams passed, James took them breezily, happy with B's and C's, Lily studied obsessively, and her stressful last month of school was to her well worth it. Lily passed highest in her class. On the train ride home Lily and Anise wept bitterly, promising to write, while James, comforted them both. Finally the train stopped at London, and Lily and her friends hugged once more. James, who was going home with Lily for a couple of weeks, had no tearful parting with her.
"Bye Anise! Write!" Lily called one last time, and then wiped her eyes clean of tears before turning to James.
"Lil, you look awful! Your eyes are all puffy, and red. Stop crying will you?" James teased her.
"Hey! Are you calling me ugly? If you are I'll, I'll," Lily ineffectively tried to think of a decent threat.
"Oh you don't even know what you'll do to me if I say that I was indeed calling you ugly." Then James, laughing, draped his arm over her shoulder. "Come on, you'll see everyone in three months, it's not like they're falling off the planet or something."
Lily's face suddenly brightened as she saw her mother who she saw waving by the family car. Lily threw her arms around her, and cried. "Oh how I missed you! Even with a Christmas at home, mum!"
Mrs. Evans, pleased to be hearing these words from her daughter, lightly kissed her forehead. "So you wished to be home nearly as much as I did."
"Well yes, Mum." Lily agreed. "James. this is my mum."
"I know your mum, Lil. Hello Mrs. Sarah." James chuckled remembering their first meeting when Lily's mother had insisted that he call her by her first name. Mrs. Evans' eyes were twinkling, she evidently was reminiscing about the same thing.
"Welcome James. Well get in the car both of you."
Five minutes later, both of the children's luggage had been stuffed into the trunk of the car which had taken a lot of skill and strategy to do, and they were off.
*
In no time the car pulled into Lily's driveway. Petunia wasn't waiting in the doorway as Lily had expected her to be. Lily sighed, but then recalled how distant she had been during the holidays.
"Mum. Where's Petunia?" inquired Lily.
"She's busy finishing up an essay for summer school." Mrs. Evans replied honestly.
"Summer school, why?" Lily looked shocked. While she was free to enjoy a summer which wasn't invaded by homework, her sister lacked that freedom.
"She failed Algebra," Mrs. Evans sighed, clearly still ashamed of her daughter's performance in that class.
"What's Algebra?" James looked curious.
"Oh it's a form of mathematics, it's difficult, so I can't entirely blame Petunia for doing so poorly in it." Lily's mother informed him.
"Oh, thanks Sarah," James replied cheerfully. "Well let's go say hi."
"James I don't know if she'll want to see us, considering that we have summer off from school, and she doesn't. That would just make her envy us all the more," warned Lily.
Taking her arm James told her that he would take his chances.
*
In the house Lily met Petunia curled up on the sofa with a thick textbook in her hands.
"Damn it! I still don't get this stuff!" she cried in exasperation, and threw her book on the floor.
"Petunia, don't swear!" Lily admonished her.
Petunia didn't even bother look up to acknowledge her sister's presence. She instead bent over to retrieve her Algebra homework, and stormed into her corner bedroom, with an angry slam of the door.
"Sorry James," Lily muttered, embarrassed about her family. Why hadn't her sister been pleased to see her after all those months?
James hugged her. "Don't worry Lil. It's not your problem." he assured her.
"Thanks," she whispered. Then taking her bag, she dragged it up stairs into her room, with James' assistance.
She flicked on the light switch, and gasped. All of her belongings lay in a tangled heap on the floor.
"Who did this?!" her eyes turned into tiny slits and she glared out the door, knowing full well who was the guilty person.
James had never seen Lily this angry before, and he was shocked by how intimidating she looked in her fury.
"It's okay Lil, I'll help you pick it up." he promised, and leaned over gathering an armful of her teddy bears in his hands.
"No!" Lily shrieked. "No, put those down."
"Why?" James looked confused. "I was just trying to help."
"No it's not you. It's Petunia, and since she made this mess, she'll be putting my room back to order, not us!" she snapped.
"Lil, how do you know that she'll do that for you?" he asked.
"Believe me, she will!" Lily exclaimed and stormed down the stairs into her sister's room.
James merely stood there in shock. The hideous transformation that had come over his friend in her anger was hardly any different than if she'd turned into a werewolf. He was tense and worrying about her still being in a foul mood when she returned to him. Shuffling into her room he gazed at it. It's walls were a bright blue, and
the bed looked very cushiony. As soon as he stepped into the hall, he heard loud footsteps on the stairs. It was Lily, she still looked angry, and James was too scared to ask her how the confrontation with Petunia had gone.
"I don't care what she says!" Lily announced determinedly. "She is going to fix this all up for me anyway."
James sighed, and gently put his hand on Lily's shoulder. "I am sure that everything will be fine."
*
An hour later they were all settled. Lily's mother forced Petunia to organize her sister's room, while Lily had a chat with her.
"Mum," Lily began. "Why is Petunia being so mean to me?"
Mrs. Evans looked troubled. "Honey,' she said in a strained voice. "Petunia is having a tough social life. Her boyfriend just broke up with her, and she feels very unloved next to you."
"What?!" Lily exclaimed. "Unloved. That girl is pampered. What is her problem?"
"Honey just give her a little time to heal. I'm sure you two will be back to speaking terms soon."
James nervously joined Lily. "You're mother's right, and if Petunia doesn't want to speak to you Lil, it's her loss," he consoled her.
"Thanks James." Lily muttered.
* That evening Lily found a note under her pillow which read "Who needs a witch for a sister? Heck, I don't even need a normal sister! ***I hate you *** Petunia."
Lily fell asleep with a sigh and she knew that Petunia would be eternally jealous of her. Never would they be friends. It was a pity, but Lily knew she was better off without her, if she was always going to be so rude, self- centered, and utterly impossible to get along with.
"Farewell sister," she murmured sleepily, and dozed off.
.
.