Chapter 1 The Beginning of It All
Lily woke up at around seven o'clock on July the twenty-fifth and went down to the kitchen in her family's large Victorian-style manor. She went about her morning just as she would any other; eat whatever her mum set out for her, do whatever chores were on the list next to her breakfast (her parents worked a lot so Lily and Petunia were often at home by themselves), then run upstairs and grab one of her beloved books. She'd spend hours on her balcony, curled up on an armchair reading.
This morning, however, Lily was less than an hour into Prince Caspian when the cover of the book was almost ripped off. Lily caught a glance of an owl swooping past her. No, she had to be going crazy! Psht! An owl! "I must be going crazy,"she thought. But her "crazy" imaginings were proved to be true when Lily heard a "hoot" come from her desk. Turning around, she saw a large tawny owl perched on her chair, with a thick envelope tied to its leg.
Lily was confused. "What the-"
"LILY!" Petunia called from the bedroom doorway. "Lunch is ready, and if you plan on eating, you'd better hurry up and get down here!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Lily assured her sister. "I'll be down in a few minutes. I've got to..." Lily searched for an excuse. She knew good and well Petunia would call her a nutter and get her parents home from work to investigate if she said anything about an owl in her bedroom, and she didn't want that to happen. "I've got to finish up this chapter, then I'll be right there."
When she was sure that Petunia was gone, Lily slowly started approaching the strange creature that was still perched on her desk chair.
"Okay, then." Lily took another cautious step towards the owl. After a few more steps, she just started walking. Surprised that it hadn't flown away yet (with all Petunia's yelling), she slowly picked it up and retrieved the letter from it's leg. It flew out the doorway leading to her balcony and off into the distance.
Turning over the envelope in her hands, Lily spotted a wax seal, keeping the envelope closed; a badger, a raven, a serpent, and a lion arranged themselves around a large letter 'H'. Lily carefully opened the thick envelope and four pieces of parchment fell to her desk. She picked up the top piece and read over it.
Dear Ms. Evans,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Lily was completely stricken with shock. Little Lily Evans - a witch? It did explain a number of strange things that happened to take place around her. She chuckled to herself as she remembered the time Petunia's pillow had turned into a roach after she had ripped Lily's favorite drawing to pieces. She'd never considered before the possibility of being a witch. It actually made sense. Still, Lily couldn't help thinking that it might me some sort of foolish prank. After all, she wasn't very gullible (especially for an eleven-year-old girl).
Still shocked, Lily read the other three pieces of parchment. One was a list of supplies that she would need were she to attend Hogwarts; another was a ticket to the train that would take her there (which confused her quite a bit). But the letter that she was most interested in was the last one she read. This letter stated that a volunteer witch or wizard would arrive at her home the next day at noon to explain everything about the magical world to her and help get her supplies at a place called "Diagon Alley". "I have to tell mum!"
Lily ran down the spiral staircase leading from her bedroom to the dining room, hoping to get a hold of her parents. Now she didn't care if her parents were called off of work because of her; this was important. Instead of entering an empty room, however, at the bottom of the stairs, she came across Petunia, undoubtedly having a petty conversation with one of her friends from school, or with Vernon Dursley (her latest love interest).
"Petunia, I need to use the phone."
Petunia held her hand over the receiver, obviously not wanting her acquaintance to know that she communicated with her sister. "Why should I cut my conversation short for you?"
"Petunia, please, it's important! I need to call mum and dad!"
"Five minutes, no more," she said, before turning her attention back to the phone, informing who turned out to be Vernon that her mum was home, and needed to use the phone.
Lily rolled her eyes at Petunia's horrid behavior, then picked the phone up off its holder and dialed her mum's office. Rrrriiiinnngg! Rrrriiiinnngg! Lily began to get worried. What if her mum didn't answer? Rrrriiiinnngg! Rrrriiiinnngg! She was really worried now? Oh no! What if something's happened to mum? I don't want to be stuck here with horrid old Petunia for - "Evans Bookhouse, where the imagination - "
"Mum?" Lily interrupted before the phone-answerer could even finish their intended phrase.
"Yes, Lily dear! What is it?"
A wave of relief swept over Lily. I can't break the news to her at work; she'll have to come home. "I need you to get Janet to run the store for the rest of the day. You've got to come home, Mum! I've got something really important to tell you, and I don't think it should be said over the phone."
"Lily," Mrs. Evans said with a little dread in her voice, "have you done something you shouldn't have? You haven't broken the law, have you?"
"No, Mum. I haven't done anything wrong - I think. Just please come home."
"Okay, then. I guess Janet can handle things around here for a while, if your news is as important as you say it is. Lily, dear, if you can wait, please do. I don't like leaving Janet alone like this. She hasn't really worked here that long."
"Mum, trust me, I can't wait." Lily hung up with her mum and wondered how she would tell her that she was a witch. Lily herself was excited about the whole idea (as she concluded after some thought), but she wasn't really sure what her parents would think of it. She decided on just hading her mum the letter when she walked into the door.
Lily waited in the hallway, peeking out the window every now and then. When her mum finally drove up, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for the decision that could affect her life forever...