Disclaimer: Are you people really that stupid?
*Honorable Mentions*
ally: don't worry, I'll keep writing this fic for a while!
Moonlight Lily: it's not a very good sign, is it? lol, I do it all the time!
starborn: lol, I think that was Spanish, but to be honest, I can't remember! That stinks about your computer, it happens to me all the time!
mackenzie: maybe they do live near eachother, but Lily just doesn't know it, or maybe they don't? mwahahahaha! I love confusing people like that! Wait, I'm confusing myself!
person-who-apparently-doesn't-have-a-name: hey, wait, who says you can have James?! He's mine!!!! (starts to grow really big fangs, and froth at the mouth)
ambigousjoe: haha, glad you liked the old lady! I can't wait for Lily to get her letter either, so since I'm the writer, than maybe its in the close future! lol
maraudergirl101: lol, don't u just luv her! tee-hee
mackenzie: wait, I already did you, didn't i? oh well! I hope u happy now, the next chappie is up!
Well, I think that's everyone. Now remember, if you wanna become rich and famous like all of these guys, u have to review! I don't care if u send me flowers or flames, just as long as u send my reviews! lol, enjoy the next chapter guys!
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"Lily dear, can you come down here for a moment? There's a letter here for you!"
"I've got a letter?? That's strange. I wonder who it's from?" Lily said to herself.
She quickly ran down the stairs to find her grandmother standing at the bottom, holding a letter that seemed to be made out of… parchment?
Lily slowly took the letter, wondering what it could possibly be. Lily checked the address, just to be sure it was indeed hers (her grandmother was known to accidentally give mail to the wrong people), and was surprised to see, written in green ink:
Miss Lily Evans,
Third Room to the Right,
126 Willow Road,
Helens, UK 01845
How the heck did they know I was the third room on the right?? Lily asked herself.
She turned it over and discovered it had a wax seal. As she looked more closely, she noticed that there was some sort of coat-of-arms consisting of a shield, which was divide into four equal sections, each one containing either a lion, snake, badger, or raven, with the name Hogwarts written underneath. Her curiosity had taken complete control of her now, and she broke the seal without even thinking twice about it, eager to discover what could possibly be inside.
She pulled out another peace of parchment, also in green ink, and silently read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Ms. Evans,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
"Okay….."Lily said slowly, in disbelief. "What kind of sick mind came up with that?"
"What's that dear?" questioned Lily's grandmother.
"Oh, just this letter. It's really strange, it must be a prank or something." She handed the parchment to her grandmother, as she came over to investigate.
"Hmm… how very strange. I think I've seen some letters like this before. Simply pranks of course. 'School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' such a foolish idea."
Just then, Lily's grandfather came dashing through the door, covered in dirt, with sweat beginning to form on his brow. "That darn dog! Can't even let a man get his gardening done! And all just for the sake of chasing a squirrel into the woods!"
"Oh dear. If she's gone into the woods, then that means someone will have to go in after her. Lily, dear, would you mind? I still have quite a bit of house work to get done, and your grandfather has to finish his work in the garden."
"Of course not! I was only working on some summer-homework. Which way did she go this time?" Lily asked, as she absentmindedly stuffed the letter into her pocket.
"Oh, around the back. Thank goodness you're here Lily. Your grandfather and I are getting too old to go chasing Kacy around the woods everyday. I don't know what we'll do once you have to leave at the end of the summer."
Lily laughed. "It's wonderful to know that I'm so important to you! I'll go and look for Kacy now. If I'm not back in a week, it would probably be a good idea to send a search party!"
With that, Lily set off around the back of the house.
Lily sighed. Kacy was always getting into trouble. Why, she had only been here for a week, and Kacy had already ate a homework assignment, gotten mud all over her suit-case, and dog hair all over her pillow. And of course there was the never-ending supply of doggy-kisses. Lily laughed as she remembered her arrival at her grandparents' house.
The cab driver had helped Lily get her luggage from the trunk, and then quickly took off as soon as she paid him, leaving her to carry all of her things up to the porch. She hadn't been standing there for very long however, before Kacy, her grandparents' permanently sugar-high golden retriever, came bounding out of her doggy-door, knocked Lily onto the ground, and began overwhelming her with "doggy-kisses".
Kacy was soon followed by Lily's grandparents, who were just as happy to see her.
After the usual exchange of phrases such as "Now who is this beautiful young woman who has come to see us?", "You've grown so much since the last time we saw you!!", and "You're so thin, hasn't your mother been feeding you, over there in London?", they helped her with her bags, and led her inside as Kacy ran ahead of them and tripped Lily's grandfather in the process.
Besides the fact that her grandparents could sometimes be unbelievably boring, Lily loved staying with them. Their home had that out-in-the-country feeling that she loved so much. Each room was filled with old family belongings, which had been passed down through generations.
Her grandparents lived on a huge property. The house itself sat on a lake of deep green grass, with a few humongous oak trees, which Lily had spent most of her childhood climbing. The grass ran all the way down the driveway. On the right side of the house, and field of wild flowers began, and wrapped around behind the grass in the back of the house. On the left side of the house, a thin forest of oaks, pines, maples, and other trees that Lily didn't recognize began, and wrapped around the back of the large field in the back of the house. All in all, this house was very different from Lily's modern home in the busy suburbs of London.
It didn't take Lily long to discover the path that Kacy had taken. In fact, she would've had to have been an idiot to have missed it. I mean, the dog had knocked over a flower pot, a bird feeder, ran through a HUGE puddle of mud, which was slowly expanding from a garden hose that had been left un-attended, and then ran up and over the picnic table, leaving a pattern of doggy foot-prints on its freshly washed surface. The trail of muddy-prints continued to the edge of the field, where they were replaced by newly made path through the flowers, caused by Kacy's huge body.
"God Kacy, there better not be any ticks in here!!" Lily muttered to herself, as she started through the field.
Lily had been walking for about 10 minutes, without any sign of Kacy other than the trampled grass, when she came to the edge of the forest.
Lily stood there for a moment, reluctant to enter the foreboding depths of the forest. There was something about it that just gave Lily the creeps. She always felt like someone was watching her whenever she ventured into the shadow of the trees.
No, that's silly! Lily told herself. No one's watching me.
And just how do you that??
Suddenly, all the memories of the strange voice in the car ride came flooding into her mind. She had been so surprisingly busy lately, with helping her grandparents out, and doing summer-homework, that she had somehow completely forgotten about everything. Even James and Sirius. The thought of the two boys caused a slight pang in her heart. She realized that they were barely acquaintances, but the fact that they had not wanted to talk to her again still upset her. Lily quickly swept this thought from her mind, and continued her witty conversation with the mysterious voice.
That's just childish to think that "someone's watching me". I mean, come on? How could that be possible? My grandparents' house is the only one for miles!
You THINK that your grandparents' house is the only house for miles, but how do you really KNOW that there isn't another one, maybe out in these very woods, that you don't know about?
What are you talking about??
Oh, wouldn't you like to know!
Ok, this is really getting weird now!! I've got to stop freaking myself out here, and try to find Kacy before she gets into even more trouble! Lily told herself, and attempted to block the unknown voice from her mind.
Lily entered the forest, and quickly picked up on where Kacy's trail continued. As she began to follow it, she thought she heard faint barking farther up ahead.
Hey! Where are you going???
To find Kacy!!
No! Wait, I mean. You can't go in there!
And just why is that?
It's not safe!!
Please! I'm going to find Kacy, and you can't change my mind!
The anonymous voice inside Lily's head seemed to give up, because there was no a response to Lily' last remark. At this point, Lily didn't really care much, though.
It was getting dark, and despite it was mid-June, there was a cool breeze and Lily began to shiver a bit.
"Kacy! Where are you??" Lily called out desperately. Suddenly, she heard Kacy barking from up ahead. It wasn't her usual, I'm-barking-because-I-feel-like-being-annoying bark, it was more urgent, and hairs on the back of Lily's neck rose at the sound of it. Something was wrong.
(a/n evil, aren't I?? please don't get ticked at me for leaving you all with another cliff-hanger, but I promise, this time I'll up-date a lot more quickly, I've got basically the next two or three chapters all worked out in my head, now all I have to do is some how succeed in writing them down on paper, well actual type them, but you know what I mean. Don't forget, the more you R&R, the quicker my fingers type!)
