A/N: Hello, everybody! I just want to say that anyone who reads this fic has impeccable taste, and should R&R because it would be much appreciated.
Disclaimer: All characters, settings and events that you recognise are the sole property of J.K.Rowling, and anything else is mine… All mine!
Rating: This fic is probably just a G, but may go up to PG-13 later, depending on where the story goes.
Summary: Lily has been at Hogwarts for four years now and is going to start her fifth in September. Her sister, Petunia, looks up to her in every way, and her boyfriend, James Potter, is the sweetest guy in school. Nothing lasts forever, so everyone says. Lily is about to find out, first-hand.
Chapter 2: One Week
A week had passed, and not an hour went by when Petunia didn't ask about the letter (she had even jumped on Lily's bed at four o'clock in the morning!). Lily was finding it increasingly difficult to ignore her previous doubts, and had even taken it as far as writing to Professor Dumbledore.
One morning, while she watched Petunia on swing, Lily saw Concord, her owl, swooping gracefully through her bedroom window. With a backward glance at the witch-hopeful, she wandered upstairs. Once in her room, she fed Concord some owl treats, and unrolled the message tied to her leg.
Dear Miss Evans,
With reference to your letter of July 15th, it is with regret that I must inform you that Miss Petunia Evans is not a witch and will therefore not be invited to study here, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore.
Lily took a deep breath. Her fears had just been confirmed, and she would have to tell Petunia.
"Petty, come and sit down," she called as she stood on the porch once again. Clutched in her left hand was the letter, her knuckles turning white. When Petunia had sat down on the bench, Lily launched into her explanation of how not all members of the same generation in a family were necessarily magical, and watched as her younger sister became more and more confused. Giving up on skirting around the subject, she pushed the letter into Petunia's hands. This time, only deep-set confusion showed, followed by a myriad of feelings, anger, sadness, and disbelief. Petunia opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next few weeks were full of ups and downs for both Lily and Petunia Evans. Lily had managed to cheer Petunia up enough to come downstairs and see her aunt approximately two weeks later, but soon after, the feelings became unbearable, and she retreated back to her bedroom. Her sanctuary, so it seemed.
It came to the night of August 31st, and Lily had decided on an early night in order to be well awake to meet her friends the next day. Climbing under the covers, she turned off the CD player. Not a minute later, she could hear Petunia's door opening, and soft footfalls made their way downstairs to the kitchen, to get a drink of water, no doubt. But what Lily heard next was not at all what she had expected.
"…got to be up… six o'clock… Kings Cross…" Lily Evans heard her father say.
"…not…"
She crept out of her room and sat by the banister at the top of the stairs.
"Petunia, you won't see her until Christmas! You have to come and say goodbye to her."
"No. I'm not going."
"Petunia, you are going, and that's that!"
"I won't go and say goodbye to a liar, and a freak!"
"Lily is not a liar, and is certainly not a freak - she has the same blood as you do!"
"She has lied to me ever since I was seven, dad! She told me I would be a witch too, but that's ok, I don't want to be a freak like her anyway. And what about Uncle Richard? You always called him a freak, and he's your brother!"
"Old Dick is different - he's an accountant!"
"I don't care! I will not go anywhere near Kings Cross or Lily tomorrow, and I hope she doesn't come home at all!"
Refusing to listen anymore, Lily ran to her bedroom and pulled the covers over her head, hoping that sleep would soon come. To her disappointment, only the sounds of angry footsteps followed. There was no sleep, and no escape from the horrors of the argument from downstairs. Not even her Eagles LP could ease the shouting that was replaying over and over in her head. She had never suspected that Petunia would hate her so much for something she did out of love…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seemed days since she had left her bed, but it was, in fact, only a matter of hours. The pain had become a dull throb, and the silence in the car was unbearable. Petunia had point-blank refused to leave her room, and so Lily's parents were less than talkative. Only Mr Evans was trying to make light of the situation.
"So, Lily, are you going to meet James at the station again this year?"
"Of course, dad. I always do."
"He always seemed the good sort. I remember when he offered to carry your books when you were just eleven - very gentlemanly, he was. I wonder how he's doing… Well, it will be great to be back with your friends again, eh?"
"Yeah," she replied, emotionless.
Walking up to the gateway to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, she saw James waving to her.
"Hey Lils," he called, "how was your summer?" he leaned in to kiss her cheek, but she sailed straight on past, through the barrier, head bowed. He looked at her parents, but they were none too helpful, merely nodding their heads and walking away again, worried expressions on their faces.
He went through the barrier onto the platform to find his girlfriend, but before he could take another step, he was bowled over by a lightening-speed, three-wheeled trolley. After it, ran a small dumpy boy with tatty, thin brown hair and a rather geeky pair of thick black-rimmed spectacles that had never gone out of fashion because they had never been in.
"Sorry, James," he gasped as he leant down to help his friend to his feet. "Trolley got out of control - Snape tripped me."
"No problem, Pete," James replied. "Uh, on your travels, you didn't happen to see Lils, did you?"
"No, why? Doesn't she usually wait for you on the Kings Cross platform?"
"Yeah, but I think something's up."
"Well let's go find her. She's probably in our usual compartment already. You know her."
"Yeah."
"Congratulations on becoming Prefect, by the way."
"Thanks. Lils got a badge too," he said proudly.
A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed the first chapter, your encouragement is greatly appreciated. I would also like to say that constructive criticism is always welcome, and please, please, please point out things you do or don't like, or I'll never improve.