A/N: I decided the other Lily story was slightly dodgey... why? Because if you can't relate to your characters, they have no life. If you put a bit of you into your story, it's easier to write. So this is my second crack at it, and I have to admit, it already looks better than the other one.

Disclaimer: Do I look like I'm thirty something and have popped out a baby or two? No? Then I'm not JK Rowling, I didn't create Harry Potter and I'm doing this just for the fun of it... lemme alone.

First published: Tuesday, 21st September, 2004

If you had met me when I was younger, you would probably have received quite a shock. Huge green eyes, the kind that are bright and cheerful but analytical at the same time. An enigma wrapped in a child. Creepy, really. Eyes that don't belong in an eleven year old. I have always been, no bragging intended, fairly bright, for my age. And by fairly bright, I mean I'd correct my father's spelling mistakes on his reports when I was eight. So, I suppose it's fair to say I was a baby genius. I was super intelligent back then, but I guess I remained at the same intelligence, letting the others catch up. But it caused a rift between my older sister and I.

When Petunia and I were younger we'd do everything together. Our parents treated us just the same, fair in every sense of the word, but my extraordinarily fast learning ability created the first strain. She was jealous. So it was no surprise when I received my first letter from Hogwarts, telling me that I had been accepted in a school I'd never heard of, in a world that had only ever existed in my day dreams and fantasies, that Petunia snapped.

'Freak!' she shrieked, eyes wide, arm extended and pointing fervently at me. 'You creepy freak, now I know why you're like this!'

Maybe it was jealousy. Maybe it was her fear of being the odd one out in society, maybe it was the fact that I had somehow, unintentionally, gotten the better deal again, but we were no longer friends. According to her, we were no longer related.

I suppose I should explain. My name is Lily Evans. I am eighteen years old, in Auror training in the magical world, after seven... unusual years of learning magic and meeting some wonderful people. I'm not a harsh person, more quiet, shy, the little girl with the cloud of red hair and the deep green eyes that never wanted any undue attention, but when someone gets to me... I can't quite let it go.

So, on the day that the letter appeared, buried in out usual mail, telling me I had been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I laughed aloud.

'Good one, Petunia, nice joke.'

Petunia, sitting opposite me, fork perched delicately between her long, bony fingers, looked up and swallowed.

'Excuse me?'

I waved the letter and giggled. 'Magic? I might be young, but I'm not stupid. Nice prank, though.'

Dad leaned forwards, frowning slightly, elbows resting on the table as he munched his bacon thoughtfully. 'Show me the letter, honey?'

I held in out, my tiny hand, half the size of his, trembling slightly. I was laughing it off, sure. But what about all the funny stuff that happened? When I came home with bubblegum in my hair and Mum had had to hack off half of my fiery curls, I had cried that night. When I woke the next morning, low and behold, my hair was it's normal length! So I watched Dad's face carefully and, when his eyes widened, I blinked and my smile faltered.

'Lil... I think this is no joke...'

I snorted. My father? Down to earth, reliable daddy telling me magic actually existed? 'Sure, Dad, sure.'

At that moment my mother waltzed in, clad in her dressing gown with her dark hair curling down her back. 'Good mor- What's wrong?'

Three seconds, three steps and she had, at one glance, seen that my father had suffered a slight shock. He silently handed her the letter and, after a few moments, my mother smiled and looked up at me.

'Congratulations, sweetie.'

'Whoa, whoa, wait, hold up there! Can we just stop for a moment? Magic doesn't exist! You know that as well as I do...'

'We never said it didn't, Lily,' my father said, calmly.

'Kevin, we should explain-.' But Mum was cut off by Petunia, dropping her fork and pointing erratically at me, leaping to her feet.

'Freak!' she screeched. 'You creepy freak, now I know why you're like this! All that weird stuff you did at school, when Hannah was smacked by the door in her face when she was teasing you, when Peter ended up in a tree, that was you! I knew it, you frea-.'

'Petunia, please!'

I felt sick. I knew my face was white, I knew my eyes were wide but this wasn't a joke? No prank? I was... a witch?!

It wasn't long before I found myself, after rushing around in a daze for a month or so, at Kings Cross, with my trunk, wand, robes and my own kitten, Niamh, named after the bright golden colour of her hair. Niamh, mewed softly, clamped protectively under my arm as I wished my parents farewell.

'Now, Lily, run towards the wall over there,' Mum pointed to the barrier between platforms nine and ten. She had informed me, during that life changing day when I received my letter, that her best friend had been accepted to Hogwarts when she was younger. 'Just trust me,' she added, smiling at the horrified expression on my face.

I turned and stared at the wall. Behind me my father was shaking his head slightly, my mother smiling proudly and Petunia, standing a few feet behind them, scowling furiously. I tucked Niamh firmer under my arm, took a deep breath and ran at the wall, pushing my trolley ahead of me.