a.n. – Well, you can guess what I'm doing this late at night: PROCRASTINATING! My favorite 'P' word besides 'Prongs.'*grins widely* Yes, yes anyway, back to the procrastination at hand. You see, because of the recent tragic events that happened in our country (oooh yes you guess it I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! Yek yek yek.) I have to write an essay about why I'm PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. I have a pretty good beginning but other than that, I happen to be stuck! So I've decided to whip out some 'writing magic' out of these worn out fingers at… 10:15 P.M. This chapter's mainly about getting back on track with the plot about Lily's parents… so it might be another snoozer until the plot really actually kicks in. Don't you hate explaining everything?
And to ~*Hermione*~ - Don't fret, dear. Lily gets to King's Cross in this chapter.
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Two days later, Lily quietly opened the back door, which, to her astonishment, was unlocked. Her house was dark and quiet.
Everyone must still be asleep… She thought with relief, letting her tensed muscles relax.
"Lily, darling! Is that you?" Candice Evans said, her ears pricked up. She set down her thick romance novel and stepped out from the study. She found her daughter, who'd been missing for almost a week, standing rather calmly in the center of the kitchen.
Lily cringed as though her mother would strike her. "Hello."
"Oh, Lily! We were so worried about you!" Her mother said, throwing her arms around Lily's neck over elaborately. Lily was practically strangled as her mother's grip tightened.
"Mom! I'm fine, really!" Lily protested.
Her mother pretended not to hear that and bluntly commented, "You're father won't be too pleased to find you here after all the searching he ordered."
Lily repressed the urge to roll her eyes. What did she care if her father went out searching for her? He'd only done it probably to win over her mother.
"And why shouldn't he be pleased to see his youngest daughter?" Lily asked scornfully.
"Oh you know him, he's so intent to get you out of the house." Her mother replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Lily stared at her mother in shock, the sting of her words settling over her. "What?"
"Lily, darling. You must understand-"
"WHAT DO I HAVE TO UNDERSTAND? I understand perfectly! You all hate me and wish I were never born! Well… well, I'll show you all! I'll run away and never come back!" Lily shrieked lividly. And pushing her astounded mother aside, she stomped up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door.
She paced back and forth, grabbing this and that and shoving it into the trunk she'd purchased in Diagon Alley. Lily spotted her robes and other assortments of magical trinkets and stuffed it all in as well. Her mind was still racing with threats and anger, and she was determined to the leave the damned house that had taken her happiest days and her father away. After much struggling with the huge, awkward thing, Lily managed to shove her trunk out her open window. She slowly eased herself over the ledge and climbed down the long tangles of vines growing alongside her bedroom window.
She dropped cat-like on the ground a few moments later and picked up her trunk. She turned around to gaze at the house she'd spent eleven years at, a small tear trickling down her cheek. She might never see it again . . . Days flashed in front of her eyes. Happy days. Days she'd never see again.
Something brought Lily reeling to her senses and made her remember that she had to get to Hogwarts somehow. Or this whole thing was pointless..
"How in the world am I supposed to get there?" Lily cried aloud, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"Follow the Yellow Brick Road, sweetheart." Said a sardonic voice. Lily whirled around. There was a man leaning casually against a tree with dirty blond spiked hair and a goatee. He was wearing a black leather jacket and tinted aviator sunglasses hanging off his white t-shirt.
Lily thought it was quite rude to be called 'sweetheart' by a perfectly queer stranger.
"Who are you?"
"Name's Daniel, but everyone just calls me Danny." He said, flashing his same Cheshire cat grin.
"What are you doing here?" Lily asked, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice. This was becoming an awkward situation. Then again, how many people show up looking ready to go to a party leaning against a tree at midnight? And oddest of all, her front yard tree?
"Here to help you, babe. Dippet sent me." He said casually.
"How dare-" Lily spluttered, turning a deep shade of red.
"Chill out, sweetie. It's all cool." Danny said, waving it aside.
"Who is this Dippet?" Lily asked, not liking this boy's manner at all.
"Headmaster at Hogwarts. Sends me out to do the dirty work." He replied.
"Dirty work?" Lily asked, genuinely confused.
"Collecting Muggles, princess." He said, rolling his eyes.
"Don't call me a princess. I can handle things perfectly well myself, thank you." Lily said coldly. This man was getting on her nerves.
"Oh?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"You don't believe me?" Lily asked dangerously, her eyes flashing.
"You look like such a delicate flower. You could break." He replied bluntly, studying her.
Lily tried to ease away from his sight, and shifted her weight. Her previous anger had been replaced with uneasiness "So- what do you do now? Once you've 'collected' me and all?"
"Well what do you think, princess?" He said with a mock voice of puzzlement.
"Don't be so rude to me, you barbarian." Lily snapped.
"Temper, temper little Miss Tigress." Danny said, waggling his fingers in that oh-so-annoying mother mannerism.
Lily rolled her eyes. She hated boys she couldn't control. (A/N: Oh that poor girl. She can only IMAGINE what I have planned for James to do to her.)
"You were saying?" Lily asked, veering off topic.
"Kings Cross, nice place. Bit over publicized if I say so myself." He said, examining his nails.
"I know where and what King's Cross is, you prat. How are we going to get there?"
"For someone so pretty, you sure got nothing underneath." He replied.
"Yes well someone as handsome as you I would think could afford better manners!" Lily retorted indignantly.
"Handsome? Me? I'm touched, princess." Danny said, pulling a face.
"My name is Li-ly, so don't call me princess." Lily said, slowly annunciating her name so the point was taken.
"Whatever, princess." Danny replied.
"How are we getting to King's Cross?" Lily repeated, knowing her argument was lost.
"Again, someone with your looks, nothing underneath." Danny said, "We in the wizard world always travel by ways of either Floo Powder, Portkeys, Apparition or Muggle forms of transportation that have been enchanted to fly. But in this case, we're just going to use brooms." Danny said.
"You're too young for Apparition, dear lady." He continued.
"A broom?" Lily asked, the thought of flying a cleaning utensil repulsing her. "What's next? I have a cat named Midnight?"
Danny shrugged and pulled something from the side of the tree. A glistening brown broom – so dark, it was almost black – was held by his eerily long fingers.
"Shooting Arrow, very latest model." He said, running a hand over its sleek surface.
Lily didn't know how to reply, as she didn't know a thing about flying broomsticks.
"Do you intend me to fly on that… that… thing?" she spat.
Danny nodded. "How else are you going to get to Hogwarts?"
"I-I don't know."
He grinned. "Ladies first."
"Whoever made up that rule should be killed." Lily muttered the broom rising up slightly she swung her left leg over it.
Danny mounted the broom so he was sitting in front of her. "If you get scared just hang onto my shoulders, ok, princess?"
Lily gulped and nodded.
Danny kicked off the ground and Lily's stomach lurched.
Good Lord, what have I gotten myself into? Lily wondered as the night air whipped her long red hair (A/N: IT RHYMES!) carelessly in different directions. Lily looked down, despite what people tell you not to do and saw London and it's bustling Friday night life as big as ants.
"WON'T WE BE SEEN?" Lily yelled, the wind whipping in her ears.
"We're flying above the clouds, princess!" He yelled back.
Lily, feeling foolish, blushed as she looked down again to see her feet occasionally going through a cloud.
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Exactly an hour later, Lily's feet hit the pavement. She was on her way to Hogwarts.
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A/N: WELL! That took long. : -D Thanks to EnglishBrat, my most humble editor.
* cough * yeah right.