Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far! I would really appreciate some detailed reviews, since I want to write a novel some day and I am trying to improve my writing. Thanks so much for reading! Also, if anyone could email me with help, I can't figure out how to get things centered and italiced in this format. I have never put anything on the internet before. If I leave it as a Word document, then there are not paragraph spaces, but if I do text format, I can't get any of those other things. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!
Chapter Three: The Business Partner
Lily started the day the same as she had started all others that summer, drinking orange juice and eating toast while sitting on her mother's favorite swing in the backyard garden. This is where Lily came to feel close to her mother. Rose Evans died of stomach cancer during the summer between Lily's third and fourth years at Hogwarts. This bench had always been her favorite place to sit and think, regardless of the weather. Lily had joined her mother on the swing every morning that summer, and had continued this tradition after her mother's death. It had been very difficult to watch her once beautiful mother wither as the cancer ate away more and more of her body. Her glossy brown hair had turned dull and limp, her clear smooth skin had turned wrinkly and ashen, and her once sparkling green eyes, the same as Lily's own, had slowly lost their luster.
Lily cherished the times she had spent with her mother on the garden bench, talking about school, friends, and her mother's memories of the past. Lily loved to hear the story of how her parents had fallen in love finally after going to school together all their lives. Lily sometimes wondered about her own future and if it included one of her current male classmates. Her mother had spent the last summer trying to provide her daughters with a lifetime's worth of advice and love.
Lily's thoughts of her mother were interrupted by a massive brown barn owl landing noisily on the backrest of the swing. He waited patiently while Lily untied the Daily Prophet from his right leg and placed one knut in the bag around his other ankle. She offered him her toast crust, which he gladly accepted before flying away to continue deliveries.
Lily hesitated before opening the paper to read the headlines. With He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named gaining power throughout the wizarding world, there was rarely happy news anymore. Each day brought new names of those who had been attacked or killed by Death Eaters. Every morning Lily dreaded seeing the names of her friends, or fellow Gryffindors. So far, they had been safe. Most of the attacks were directed at muggleborns and their families, although attacks on Ministry officials, specifically the families of aurors, were increasing. Lily was very thankful that none of her friends had family members who were aurors.
Lily forced away her fears, opened the paper, and began to read the front-page story.
FAMOUS AUROR COUPLE MURDERED BY DEATH EATERS/center
Last night, Jack and Abigail Cox, both twenty-two years old, were killed by Death Eaters in their home near Salisbury, England. Around midnight, witnesses saw bright lights flashing inside the house, presumably as the pair attempted to fight off their attackers. Judging from evidence at the scene, Ministry official say that Jack battled the Death Eaters alone for several minutes, attempting to give his wife time to flee with their daughter, before he was killed. Abigail was caught and murdered just moments before Ministry officials arrived to assist. The young couple, already renowned as skilled aurors, had assisted in the capture of at least seven known Death Eaters, and were apparently considered a threat by You-Know-Who. They leave behind a one-year-old daughter, who was saved by aurors that arrived at the scene. Events of this
nature have increased...
Lily continued to stare at the page, though her eyes stopped moving across the words. 'Twenty-two years old,' she thought. 'They should have had so much more time to live...to be together.' Lily was always saddened by the stories in the Daily Prophet, but for some reason, this story particularly affected her. She found herself feeling jealous at a couple that, despite the known risks of their chosen profession, had found the courage to love each other and start a family. She wondered how she would have felt in their position. It did not seem logical to form those kinds of attachments when the world was so unstable now. But then again... at least that had spent their time on Earth together. They must have truly enjoyed the time they had, and at least they had died together. This reminded Lily of something her mother had told her during their last conversation on the garden swing.
"Always follow what your heart tells you, my lovely Lily," her mother had said. "You rely on logic to the point of excluding emotion. You must listen to your heart first, and then use common sense to guide your actions. Love is a powerful emotion that will help you accomplish many things you could not accomplish alone. Do not become less than your potential because you are afraid to love and trust others."
Rose Evans knew her daughter well. Lily loved her friends and family, but she found it very difficult to get close to new people. She was always worried about what might happen to them, never wanting to get too attached. This fear, especially after her mother's death, had caused Lily to close herself off from new relationships. She was still popular and friendly, and intensely close with her father, Aurelia and Melissa, but only rarely was anyone outside those few able to glimpse the real Lily Evans. Despite her beauty and genuine kindness, Lily had never had a boyfriend, although not for lack of trying on the part of the male population of Hogwarts. She was simply too worried about what could happen if she became close to someone.
But as Lily sat, thinking about the poor young couple and the advice her mother had given her, she realized that she wanted to change. She wanted to make friends with new people that she met. She wanted to learn to love someone enough that she was willing to ignore the precautions that logic would normally dictate for her to take. 'Yes,' Lily Evans decided to herself, 'this year I will take Mom's advice and listen to my heart.'
Feeling better than she had all summer, Lily returned to the house.
:::::::::::::::
"Lily! Lily, where are you?" Lily heard her dad call out the upstairs window, just as she reached the back door.
"Right here, Dad," she called in through the house.
Lily heard her Harold Evans stumble down the stairs and catch himself on the banister. She giggled. Her father was kindhearted and funny, but he could be terribly clumsy.
"Petunia's got great news, Lily Flower," he said as he came through the hall to the bright, sunlit kitchen where Lily was waiting. He was still trying to regain his balance. Lily smiled sincerely at her father. He was a very handsome man, with short brown hair and gentle brown eyes. Surprisingly, he had been a talented football player in high school, and still had his lean physique so many years later.
Lily saw Petunia's bony, thin frame following demurely behind her father into the kitchen. She inwardly repressed a groan, wondering what silly announcement her sister was going to make this time. Her last "important" announcement had been that she intended to join the garden club at St. Mary's Academy, where she attended school until her recent graduation, in order to 'increase my marketability as a future housewife,' she had said. Lily had hardly found this earth shattering. Since graduation, Petunia had spent most of her time with her new boyfriend; porky, beady-eyed, sweaty Vernon Dursley. She couldn't stop talking about him, and Lily couldn't stop gagging about him.
"What is it Petunia? Gonna join the cooking club?" Lily asked snottily. She new this would disappoint her father, but sometimes she just couldn't hide her contempt. She really wanted to like her sister, but it got harder every time she came home. Petunia just glared at her smugly.
"Lily! That wasn't nice! Besides, this is much more important than that!" her father replied happily.
"Yes, Lily. Vernon was just hired at Grunnings, a drill company, and as a result, he has asked me to marry him," she said, in her most superior voice.
"Oh, so you'll be moving out soon. Well that's great!" Lily replied with a laugh. Luckily, her father was too happy to notice.
Lily spent the next few minutes listening quietly to her father and Petunia making plans for the wedding. Lily eyed Petunia's engagement ring, which seemed pitifully undersized. She wasn't sure why her father was so excited. He didn't exactly hide the fact that he found Vernon Dursley's arrogance incredibly annoying. 'Maybe he's just happy to get rid of Petunia,' Lily thought, and laughed aloud.
Harold and Petunia looked questioningly at Lily.
"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," she said, getting up to leave.
::::::::::::::::
"Lily Flower?" her father's voice called through her bedroom door later that day. Lily closed her Charms book, rolled up the essay on advanced summoning charms she had been writing, and told her father to come in.
"Henry, my business partner and his son are coming over for dinner tomorrow, Lily," he said, sitting down on her lavender bed, which was impeccably made. "Do you think you could whip up some of your amazing cooking for us?"
Lily smiled. Ever since her mother died, Lily had become the unofficial woman of the house. She cooked, cleaned and gardened whenever she was home. It had started as a way to help her father deal with his grief, but eventually, she had grown to love her role in the family. She had become very close with her father and found comfort in the fact that he relied on her.
"Of course, Dad. What would you like?" she answered happily.
"Oh, anything you want. Just make sure its edible," he said.
"Okay, so I won't let Petunia help," Lily joked.
Her father smiled. "You know, Henry's son is about your age. Maybe you two will hit it off. It would be great if you married the son of my closest business partner" he said hopefully.
"Dad, why are you always trying to marry me off?" Lily asked with a laugh. "I'm still pretty young to be worrying about that kind of stuff."
"Well, I won't be around forever. I want to know that both of my daughters will be taken care of. I might not like that Vernon Dursley much, but at least he will provide for Petunia. Now we just have to find someone for you."
Lily laughed. She knew that her mother's premature death had left her father feeling very vulnerable about his own life. She appreciated his concern, but experience told her to steer clear of anyone her father tried to foist on her.
"Dad, the last guy brought his own silverware to the restaurant and drank his soup with a straw," she said, giggling at the memory of her worst date ever.
"Well, you don't have to date this one. Just give him a chance. Besides, his mother died this summer, so he could probably use a little sympathy," Harold responded, getting up to leave. "Thank you, Lily. For everything."
Harold smiled down at his youngest daughter affectionately. He knew she wasn't really angry about the dates that he had sent her on, and reflecting back, he decided he really hadn't done a very good job of choosing a boy with enough substance for his multifaceted daughter. Maybe this one would be different.
:::::::::::::::
Lily spent most of the next day preparing for the dinner party. She cleaned, vacuumed, dusted, and of course, cooked. She had made her favorite chicken with potatoes, salad and fresh baked bread. For dessert, she made an individual vanilla custard for each person. Petunia was preoccupied with planning her wedding, meaning that Lily had been free to enthusiastically participate in all domestic pursuits without her bothersome interference. Lily was humming softly to herself and wiping off the already spotless kitchen counter when her father shooed her up to her room to get ready.
Lily took a quick shower and put on her new green sundress. After she dried her hair, grumbling at the slowness of using the muggle method, she looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. 'Not bad,' she thought, smiling. She played with her flaming red hair, her favorite part of her appearance, and finally decided to leave it down. Lily's mood was so cheery that she was even looking forward to meeting Harry's son. She felt hopeful that this boy would actually be interesting. 'Who knows. This could actually be a fun night,' she thought as she skipped out of her room.
Just as Lily was bouncing down the stairs, the doorbell rang. She stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath to prepare for her role as hostess, and opened the door with a wide smile on her face.
She was about to say hello to her father's friend, when she glanced at his son and saw a disturbingly familiar head of messy black hair. As their eyes locked, her mouth fell open and her greeting was completely forgotten.
"Potter!?"
Chapter Three: The Business Partner
Lily started the day the same as she had started all others that summer, drinking orange juice and eating toast while sitting on her mother's favorite swing in the backyard garden. This is where Lily came to feel close to her mother. Rose Evans died of stomach cancer during the summer between Lily's third and fourth years at Hogwarts. This bench had always been her favorite place to sit and think, regardless of the weather. Lily had joined her mother on the swing every morning that summer, and had continued this tradition after her mother's death. It had been very difficult to watch her once beautiful mother wither as the cancer ate away more and more of her body. Her glossy brown hair had turned dull and limp, her clear smooth skin had turned wrinkly and ashen, and her once sparkling green eyes, the same as Lily's own, had slowly lost their luster.
Lily cherished the times she had spent with her mother on the garden bench, talking about school, friends, and her mother's memories of the past. Lily loved to hear the story of how her parents had fallen in love finally after going to school together all their lives. Lily sometimes wondered about her own future and if it included one of her current male classmates. Her mother had spent the last summer trying to provide her daughters with a lifetime's worth of advice and love.
Lily's thoughts of her mother were interrupted by a massive brown barn owl landing noisily on the backrest of the swing. He waited patiently while Lily untied the Daily Prophet from his right leg and placed one knut in the bag around his other ankle. She offered him her toast crust, which he gladly accepted before flying away to continue deliveries.
Lily hesitated before opening the paper to read the headlines. With He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named gaining power throughout the wizarding world, there was rarely happy news anymore. Each day brought new names of those who had been attacked or killed by Death Eaters. Every morning Lily dreaded seeing the names of her friends, or fellow Gryffindors. So far, they had been safe. Most of the attacks were directed at muggleborns and their families, although attacks on Ministry officials, specifically the families of aurors, were increasing. Lily was very thankful that none of her friends had family members who were aurors.
Lily forced away her fears, opened the paper, and began to read the front-page story.
FAMOUS AUROR COUPLE MURDERED BY DEATH EATERS/center
Last night, Jack and Abigail Cox, both twenty-two years old, were killed by Death Eaters in their home near Salisbury, England. Around midnight, witnesses saw bright lights flashing inside the house, presumably as the pair attempted to fight off their attackers. Judging from evidence at the scene, Ministry official say that Jack battled the Death Eaters alone for several minutes, attempting to give his wife time to flee with their daughter, before he was killed. Abigail was caught and murdered just moments before Ministry officials arrived to assist. The young couple, already renowned as skilled aurors, had assisted in the capture of at least seven known Death Eaters, and were apparently considered a threat by You-Know-Who. They leave behind a one-year-old daughter, who was saved by aurors that arrived at the scene. Events of this
nature have increased...
Lily continued to stare at the page, though her eyes stopped moving across the words. 'Twenty-two years old,' she thought. 'They should have had so much more time to live...to be together.' Lily was always saddened by the stories in the Daily Prophet, but for some reason, this story particularly affected her. She found herself feeling jealous at a couple that, despite the known risks of their chosen profession, had found the courage to love each other and start a family. She wondered how she would have felt in their position. It did not seem logical to form those kinds of attachments when the world was so unstable now. But then again... at least that had spent their time on Earth together. They must have truly enjoyed the time they had, and at least they had died together. This reminded Lily of something her mother had told her during their last conversation on the garden swing.
"Always follow what your heart tells you, my lovely Lily," her mother had said. "You rely on logic to the point of excluding emotion. You must listen to your heart first, and then use common sense to guide your actions. Love is a powerful emotion that will help you accomplish many things you could not accomplish alone. Do not become less than your potential because you are afraid to love and trust others."
Rose Evans knew her daughter well. Lily loved her friends and family, but she found it very difficult to get close to new people. She was always worried about what might happen to them, never wanting to get too attached. This fear, especially after her mother's death, had caused Lily to close herself off from new relationships. She was still popular and friendly, and intensely close with her father, Aurelia and Melissa, but only rarely was anyone outside those few able to glimpse the real Lily Evans. Despite her beauty and genuine kindness, Lily had never had a boyfriend, although not for lack of trying on the part of the male population of Hogwarts. She was simply too worried about what could happen if she became close to someone.
But as Lily sat, thinking about the poor young couple and the advice her mother had given her, she realized that she wanted to change. She wanted to make friends with new people that she met. She wanted to learn to love someone enough that she was willing to ignore the precautions that logic would normally dictate for her to take. 'Yes,' Lily Evans decided to herself, 'this year I will take Mom's advice and listen to my heart.'
Feeling better than she had all summer, Lily returned to the house.
:::::::::::::::
"Lily! Lily, where are you?" Lily heard her dad call out the upstairs window, just as she reached the back door.
"Right here, Dad," she called in through the house.
Lily heard her Harold Evans stumble down the stairs and catch himself on the banister. She giggled. Her father was kindhearted and funny, but he could be terribly clumsy.
"Petunia's got great news, Lily Flower," he said as he came through the hall to the bright, sunlit kitchen where Lily was waiting. He was still trying to regain his balance. Lily smiled sincerely at her father. He was a very handsome man, with short brown hair and gentle brown eyes. Surprisingly, he had been a talented football player in high school, and still had his lean physique so many years later.
Lily saw Petunia's bony, thin frame following demurely behind her father into the kitchen. She inwardly repressed a groan, wondering what silly announcement her sister was going to make this time. Her last "important" announcement had been that she intended to join the garden club at St. Mary's Academy, where she attended school until her recent graduation, in order to 'increase my marketability as a future housewife,' she had said. Lily had hardly found this earth shattering. Since graduation, Petunia had spent most of her time with her new boyfriend; porky, beady-eyed, sweaty Vernon Dursley. She couldn't stop talking about him, and Lily couldn't stop gagging about him.
"What is it Petunia? Gonna join the cooking club?" Lily asked snottily. She new this would disappoint her father, but sometimes she just couldn't hide her contempt. She really wanted to like her sister, but it got harder every time she came home. Petunia just glared at her smugly.
"Lily! That wasn't nice! Besides, this is much more important than that!" her father replied happily.
"Yes, Lily. Vernon was just hired at Grunnings, a drill company, and as a result, he has asked me to marry him," she said, in her most superior voice.
"Oh, so you'll be moving out soon. Well that's great!" Lily replied with a laugh. Luckily, her father was too happy to notice.
Lily spent the next few minutes listening quietly to her father and Petunia making plans for the wedding. Lily eyed Petunia's engagement ring, which seemed pitifully undersized. She wasn't sure why her father was so excited. He didn't exactly hide the fact that he found Vernon Dursley's arrogance incredibly annoying. 'Maybe he's just happy to get rid of Petunia,' Lily thought, and laughed aloud.
Harold and Petunia looked questioningly at Lily.
"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," she said, getting up to leave.
::::::::::::::::
"Lily Flower?" her father's voice called through her bedroom door later that day. Lily closed her Charms book, rolled up the essay on advanced summoning charms she had been writing, and told her father to come in.
"Henry, my business partner and his son are coming over for dinner tomorrow, Lily," he said, sitting down on her lavender bed, which was impeccably made. "Do you think you could whip up some of your amazing cooking for us?"
Lily smiled. Ever since her mother died, Lily had become the unofficial woman of the house. She cooked, cleaned and gardened whenever she was home. It had started as a way to help her father deal with his grief, but eventually, she had grown to love her role in the family. She had become very close with her father and found comfort in the fact that he relied on her.
"Of course, Dad. What would you like?" she answered happily.
"Oh, anything you want. Just make sure its edible," he said.
"Okay, so I won't let Petunia help," Lily joked.
Her father smiled. "You know, Henry's son is about your age. Maybe you two will hit it off. It would be great if you married the son of my closest business partner" he said hopefully.
"Dad, why are you always trying to marry me off?" Lily asked with a laugh. "I'm still pretty young to be worrying about that kind of stuff."
"Well, I won't be around forever. I want to know that both of my daughters will be taken care of. I might not like that Vernon Dursley much, but at least he will provide for Petunia. Now we just have to find someone for you."
Lily laughed. She knew that her mother's premature death had left her father feeling very vulnerable about his own life. She appreciated his concern, but experience told her to steer clear of anyone her father tried to foist on her.
"Dad, the last guy brought his own silverware to the restaurant and drank his soup with a straw," she said, giggling at the memory of her worst date ever.
"Well, you don't have to date this one. Just give him a chance. Besides, his mother died this summer, so he could probably use a little sympathy," Harold responded, getting up to leave. "Thank you, Lily. For everything."
Harold smiled down at his youngest daughter affectionately. He knew she wasn't really angry about the dates that he had sent her on, and reflecting back, he decided he really hadn't done a very good job of choosing a boy with enough substance for his multifaceted daughter. Maybe this one would be different.
:::::::::::::::
Lily spent most of the next day preparing for the dinner party. She cleaned, vacuumed, dusted, and of course, cooked. She had made her favorite chicken with potatoes, salad and fresh baked bread. For dessert, she made an individual vanilla custard for each person. Petunia was preoccupied with planning her wedding, meaning that Lily had been free to enthusiastically participate in all domestic pursuits without her bothersome interference. Lily was humming softly to herself and wiping off the already spotless kitchen counter when her father shooed her up to her room to get ready.
Lily took a quick shower and put on her new green sundress. After she dried her hair, grumbling at the slowness of using the muggle method, she looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. 'Not bad,' she thought, smiling. She played with her flaming red hair, her favorite part of her appearance, and finally decided to leave it down. Lily's mood was so cheery that she was even looking forward to meeting Harry's son. She felt hopeful that this boy would actually be interesting. 'Who knows. This could actually be a fun night,' she thought as she skipped out of her room.
Just as Lily was bouncing down the stairs, the doorbell rang. She stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath to prepare for her role as hostess, and opened the door with a wide smile on her face.
She was about to say hello to her father's friend, when she glanced at his son and saw a disturbingly familiar head of messy black hair. As their eyes locked, her mouth fell open and her greeting was completely forgotten.
"Potter!?"