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Unfelt Feelings
Chapter II - IN WHICH WE MEET LILY EVANS
Lily Evans yawned and stretched. Then she shuddered as she remembered her dream from the night before: she had been out on a date with James Potter. Eurgh! As if! Hadn't she said at the end of last year she'd rather go out with the giant squid than stuck-up, selfish James Potter? Hadn't she meant it? Now that she thought about it, she wasn't so sure. He was kinda cute, and he was, beyond the shadow of a doubt, funny.
'No, stop it,' she thought. 'It was just a dream. Just a stupid dream.' She wouldn't let herself think like that. Never. Especially not today. It was no way to start her sixteenth birthday. Looking at the clock, Lily saw it was 6:30 AM. Early riser though she was, she usually slept in 'til at least 7. Obviously not today; you only turn sixteen once, after all, and Lily was going to live, and love, every second of it.
Lily got out of bed and turned off her alarm so it wouldn't go off in an hour and wake up the whole house. She went to the bathroom and began running a warm bath. Then, on impulse, she reached into the cabinet under her sink and pulled out a citrus bath fizz and matching bubble bath. After dropping them in the tub, she stood there for a few moments and watched them fizz and bubble. Checking to see if she had everything, Lily suddenly remembered the unfinished book on her nightstand. She ran back into her bedroom and grabbed it, then, coming back into the bathroom, she undressed and got in. By draining and refilling the tub whenever the water got cold, Lily found no reason to get out until her book was done.
She sighed happily as she gingerly closed the book and set it on her counter; then, wrapping up in her white fluffy towel, she let the tub drain for the final time that morning. Lily received a shock when she glanced at the clock on the way to her closet: it was already 9:30. 'Ah, well,' she thought. 'Just have to hurry a little, I guess.' But really, she didn't see any need to hurry, so she took her time selecting her outfit. After all, she couldn't tell who she'd see that day. She definitely took her time; it was fifteen minutes before she walked back into the bathroom, carrying a pair of khaki capris and a white tank top with a red stripe around the bottom that, if she said so herself, perfectly matched her hair. She quickly applied a coat of clear lip gloss before sweeping her hair back in a clip. Lily stepped back and carefully appraised her appearance in the full length mirror. Deciding she was happy, she exited the bathroom and headed downstairs for breakfast.
As she entered the kitchen, Mrs. Evans ran over and tightly embraced her, looking close to tears. "My baby's gotten so big so fast!"
Lily grimaced ant tried futilely to squirm out of her mother's arms. After a minute or two, her mother released her, and Lily walked to her seat at the square table, clutching her ribs. As she passed her father's seat, he clapped her on the back and exclaimed jovially, "Happy birthday, Lily!"
At a sharp look from Mrs. Evans, Petunia, Lily's older sister, muttered, "Happy birthday, Freak," though her dull brown eyes and disgusted, hateful tone of voice showed only too clearly her life would be much better without Lily in it.
Lily, however, didn't care about her sister's opinion now, for though the two had once been close, Petunia had hated Lily ever since her Hogwarts letter arrived. She was too happy to let anything bother her today. Not only was it her birthday, but Mrs. Evans was taking Lily to Diagon Alley for her school supplies after breakfast. Lily just hoped she didn't run into James Potter and the Marauders, the highly popular group of troublemakers whose victims she seemed to always find herself defending.
Lily bolted down the bacon and eggs Mrs. Evans had set in front of her, then looked up hopefully and asked, sounding very much like an overeager child, "Mum, I have my supply list in my pocket, so can we go now, please? Please can we go now?"
Mrs. Evans grinned at her youngest daughter and teased, "I don't know, Lily. I think there are things I should do here first..."
"Mum! You said we could go right after breakfast!" Lily pouted. She stuck out her bottom lip into an almost irresistible puppy dog face. "PLEASE can we go now?"
"All right." Then she turned to her husband and elder daughter. "We'll be back later."
Lily beamed and ran to the car to wait for her mother. Half an hour later, they stopped outside the Leaky Cauldron, the pub that served as the gateway between Diagon Alley and the Muggle World. Lily grabbed her mother's hand and excitedly dragged her through the pub into the courtyard beyond. Pulling a long, narrow wand out of her pocket, she counted three bricks up and two bricks over from the rusty old trash bin and tapped three times. With a grating noise, the bricks formed themselves into an archway, a feat which never failed to amaze Lily.
She took off down the cobbled street, drinking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the magical alleyway. It had that magical feel to it that Lily missed out on so often, as both her parents were Muggles. She made her way to the towering snow-white building that was Gringotts, the goblin-run wizard bank, at the end of the street. When she got there, she sat down on the top step to wait for her mother. Looking around, she didn't see anyone she knew, but there were many different types of people there.
As soon as Mrs. Evans neared the steps, Lily rose gracefully and turned to go through the first set of doors into the building. Her mother, however, stopped her. "Lily, dear?" she began.
"Yes, Mum?" Lily asked politely, though she could guess what her mother was about to ask and didn't like it.
"Would you mind if I went ahead home? I have... things... I should probably take care of..." Mrs. Evans trailed off uncomfortably.
Lily knew her mother wasn't enjoying herself. The feeling that she thrived on made her mother feel anxious and uncomfortable no matter how hard Mrs. Evans tried to enjoy it. Without letting her feelings on, Lily answered, "Go ahead, Mum. I understand that you have things to do. I'll go straight home with Rhia instead of coming home first."
Mrs. Evans smiled fondly at her redheaded daughter. "Thank you, dear. Call me before you go, won't you?"
"Of course, Mum. I love you." With a final hug, Lily turned back to the Gringotts doors. Taking a last look over her shoulder, she saw her mother heading back up the street. A second later, she was lost in the crowd, though Lily knew she was going as fast as possible back to the Leaky Cauldron, the gateway to her own world.
Ten minutes later, Lily walked down into that crowd herself, now with a pocket full of gold, silver, and bronze. Glancing down at her delicate silver watch, she saw it was now 10:30. Good; that gave her plenty of time to get her shopping done. But first, she would go read some. She walked into Diagon Alley's largest bookstore, Flourish and Blotts', and pulled out her supply list. Shaking it open, Lily quickly walked 'round the store and gathered her school books, plus, of course, some books for pleasure reading. She then walked to the checkout back at the front.
"Welcome to Flourish and Blotts'. I'll be with you in just a moment," the blonde behind the counter said, looking for a place to stop in her magazine. Looking up, she said, "Oh, hello, Lily!"
"Hi, Cara," Lily answered pleasantly. Cara was Lily's cousin, older by two years and recently graduated from Hogwarts. "I need to get these, k?" she asked, setting her fairly large stack of books down gingerly on the counter.
"Sure thing, Lil!" her cousin said, ringing the books up just as gingerly and lovingly. "By the way, I'm surprised you're not wearing a skirt!"
"I could say the same thing to you," Lily pointed out; Cara was wearing a pair of blue jean shorts with a light yellow tee under her green work apron.
"Good point," Cara giggled.
"What's so funny?" Lily demanded.
"Nothing. Here you go!"
"Thanks, Cara. I'll be in the back reading for a while if that's okay with you."
"No prob. See you later!"
Lily waved goodbye to her cousin and trouped to the back, where she nestled herself in a corner and began to read. How much time passed she wasn't sure, but two books later, the bell at the front of the store rang, and Lily heard a voice coming her way that made her look up, scowling.
Unfelt Feelings
Chapter II - IN WHICH WE MEET LILY EVANS
Lily Evans yawned and stretched. Then she shuddered as she remembered her dream from the night before: she had been out on a date with James Potter. Eurgh! As if! Hadn't she said at the end of last year she'd rather go out with the giant squid than stuck-up, selfish James Potter? Hadn't she meant it? Now that she thought about it, she wasn't so sure. He was kinda cute, and he was, beyond the shadow of a doubt, funny.
'No, stop it,' she thought. 'It was just a dream. Just a stupid dream.' She wouldn't let herself think like that. Never. Especially not today. It was no way to start her sixteenth birthday. Looking at the clock, Lily saw it was 6:30 AM. Early riser though she was, she usually slept in 'til at least 7. Obviously not today; you only turn sixteen once, after all, and Lily was going to live, and love, every second of it.
Lily got out of bed and turned off her alarm so it wouldn't go off in an hour and wake up the whole house. She went to the bathroom and began running a warm bath. Then, on impulse, she reached into the cabinet under her sink and pulled out a citrus bath fizz and matching bubble bath. After dropping them in the tub, she stood there for a few moments and watched them fizz and bubble. Checking to see if she had everything, Lily suddenly remembered the unfinished book on her nightstand. She ran back into her bedroom and grabbed it, then, coming back into the bathroom, she undressed and got in. By draining and refilling the tub whenever the water got cold, Lily found no reason to get out until her book was done.
She sighed happily as she gingerly closed the book and set it on her counter; then, wrapping up in her white fluffy towel, she let the tub drain for the final time that morning. Lily received a shock when she glanced at the clock on the way to her closet: it was already 9:30. 'Ah, well,' she thought. 'Just have to hurry a little, I guess.' But really, she didn't see any need to hurry, so she took her time selecting her outfit. After all, she couldn't tell who she'd see that day. She definitely took her time; it was fifteen minutes before she walked back into the bathroom, carrying a pair of khaki capris and a white tank top with a red stripe around the bottom that, if she said so herself, perfectly matched her hair. She quickly applied a coat of clear lip gloss before sweeping her hair back in a clip. Lily stepped back and carefully appraised her appearance in the full length mirror. Deciding she was happy, she exited the bathroom and headed downstairs for breakfast.
As she entered the kitchen, Mrs. Evans ran over and tightly embraced her, looking close to tears. "My baby's gotten so big so fast!"
Lily grimaced ant tried futilely to squirm out of her mother's arms. After a minute or two, her mother released her, and Lily walked to her seat at the square table, clutching her ribs. As she passed her father's seat, he clapped her on the back and exclaimed jovially, "Happy birthday, Lily!"
At a sharp look from Mrs. Evans, Petunia, Lily's older sister, muttered, "Happy birthday, Freak," though her dull brown eyes and disgusted, hateful tone of voice showed only too clearly her life would be much better without Lily in it.
Lily, however, didn't care about her sister's opinion now, for though the two had once been close, Petunia had hated Lily ever since her Hogwarts letter arrived. She was too happy to let anything bother her today. Not only was it her birthday, but Mrs. Evans was taking Lily to Diagon Alley for her school supplies after breakfast. Lily just hoped she didn't run into James Potter and the Marauders, the highly popular group of troublemakers whose victims she seemed to always find herself defending.
Lily bolted down the bacon and eggs Mrs. Evans had set in front of her, then looked up hopefully and asked, sounding very much like an overeager child, "Mum, I have my supply list in my pocket, so can we go now, please? Please can we go now?"
Mrs. Evans grinned at her youngest daughter and teased, "I don't know, Lily. I think there are things I should do here first..."
"Mum! You said we could go right after breakfast!" Lily pouted. She stuck out her bottom lip into an almost irresistible puppy dog face. "PLEASE can we go now?"
"All right." Then she turned to her husband and elder daughter. "We'll be back later."
Lily beamed and ran to the car to wait for her mother. Half an hour later, they stopped outside the Leaky Cauldron, the pub that served as the gateway between Diagon Alley and the Muggle World. Lily grabbed her mother's hand and excitedly dragged her through the pub into the courtyard beyond. Pulling a long, narrow wand out of her pocket, she counted three bricks up and two bricks over from the rusty old trash bin and tapped three times. With a grating noise, the bricks formed themselves into an archway, a feat which never failed to amaze Lily.
She took off down the cobbled street, drinking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the magical alleyway. It had that magical feel to it that Lily missed out on so often, as both her parents were Muggles. She made her way to the towering snow-white building that was Gringotts, the goblin-run wizard bank, at the end of the street. When she got there, she sat down on the top step to wait for her mother. Looking around, she didn't see anyone she knew, but there were many different types of people there.
As soon as Mrs. Evans neared the steps, Lily rose gracefully and turned to go through the first set of doors into the building. Her mother, however, stopped her. "Lily, dear?" she began.
"Yes, Mum?" Lily asked politely, though she could guess what her mother was about to ask and didn't like it.
"Would you mind if I went ahead home? I have... things... I should probably take care of..." Mrs. Evans trailed off uncomfortably.
Lily knew her mother wasn't enjoying herself. The feeling that she thrived on made her mother feel anxious and uncomfortable no matter how hard Mrs. Evans tried to enjoy it. Without letting her feelings on, Lily answered, "Go ahead, Mum. I understand that you have things to do. I'll go straight home with Rhia instead of coming home first."
Mrs. Evans smiled fondly at her redheaded daughter. "Thank you, dear. Call me before you go, won't you?"
"Of course, Mum. I love you." With a final hug, Lily turned back to the Gringotts doors. Taking a last look over her shoulder, she saw her mother heading back up the street. A second later, she was lost in the crowd, though Lily knew she was going as fast as possible back to the Leaky Cauldron, the gateway to her own world.
Ten minutes later, Lily walked down into that crowd herself, now with a pocket full of gold, silver, and bronze. Glancing down at her delicate silver watch, she saw it was now 10:30. Good; that gave her plenty of time to get her shopping done. But first, she would go read some. She walked into Diagon Alley's largest bookstore, Flourish and Blotts', and pulled out her supply list. Shaking it open, Lily quickly walked 'round the store and gathered her school books, plus, of course, some books for pleasure reading. She then walked to the checkout back at the front.
"Welcome to Flourish and Blotts'. I'll be with you in just a moment," the blonde behind the counter said, looking for a place to stop in her magazine. Looking up, she said, "Oh, hello, Lily!"
"Hi, Cara," Lily answered pleasantly. Cara was Lily's cousin, older by two years and recently graduated from Hogwarts. "I need to get these, k?" she asked, setting her fairly large stack of books down gingerly on the counter.
"Sure thing, Lil!" her cousin said, ringing the books up just as gingerly and lovingly. "By the way, I'm surprised you're not wearing a skirt!"
"I could say the same thing to you," Lily pointed out; Cara was wearing a pair of blue jean shorts with a light yellow tee under her green work apron.
"Good point," Cara giggled.
"What's so funny?" Lily demanded.
"Nothing. Here you go!"
"Thanks, Cara. I'll be in the back reading for a while if that's okay with you."
"No prob. See you later!"
Lily waved goodbye to her cousin and trouped to the back, where she nestled herself in a corner and began to read. How much time passed she wasn't sure, but two books later, the bell at the front of the store rang, and Lily heard a voice coming her way that made her look up, scowling.