A/N: Hi…so I started writing this story a few months ago and just started it again like yesterday. So I pretty much don't remember the 1st ¾ of the story and I didn't want to read it all to edit it. Basically I'm trying to say sorry if this doesn't make sense.

Disclaimer: I didn't come up with any of these concepts, as much as I wish I did. J.K. Rowling gets all the credit. I'm just someone who is unhealthily obsessed with her books.

THE LIFE OF A LILY

PART I

In the world outside children were playing, laughing, skipping. They were content with their hopscotch playing, jump-roping, completely normal world. It had been a long time since she had been able to feel like that. She could still remember that fateful day seven years ago when her world had been torn apart.

It was the best thing that had ever happened to her and the worst. It had utterly disrupted her small, enclosed world and forced her into a place she could never have even dreamed of. It had created an ever-widening rift in her family. Her childhood innocence was left behind. There was no turning back upon receiving that letter. It had taught her about so much- the prejudice from both worlds. It had overwhelmed her at first but she grew accustomed to it, hardened herself to it.

She couldn't imagine living with out her magic though. It was a definite and important part of herself. There was no way she'd ever give up that part of herself. Losing magic would be like losing an arm. It would handicap her, make her feel miserable knowing that what she once had was gone, and make her feel forever a spectator in both worlds. It was her most precious treasure, even though it was also her biggest regret, magic.

So it was with a melancholy smile that she moved away from the window, away from the safe world of her childhood, and turned back towards her room, which was filled with a hodge-podge of things from her two homes.

"FREAK!" a shrill voice screamed, "GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT! ONE OF THOSE OWLS IS HERE FOR YOU!"

She couldn't suppress the smirk that made its way towards her face as she imagined her sister's reaction. She had seen it before, but it never got old. The expression on her face- disgust and fear mingled with jealousy- never changed. It had first bothered her that her one time best friend was so upset over something as seemingly trivial as a means of communication, but times had changed. And so had she. "Having fun?" she asked sarcastically as she made her way downstairs. Her sister had pressed herself against the wall opposite the bird in the kitchen and had narrowed her eyes.

"Just get your letter!" she spat as her eyes darted from the witch before her towards the creature perched on the wood chair pushed in at the kitchen table.

"Tut tut!" the witch said shaking her head mockingly. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that you were scared!" She took the parchment from the impatient owl and watched as it flew out the open window.

Her sister drew herself up. "I am no such thing!" she said vehemently once the animal was safely out of sight. "I'm just disgusted by the unnatural world you choose to be a part of!"

"Sure Petunia," the witch said condescendingly, "Except I know that had our roles been switched you would have taken every opportunity to flaunt your powers."

"Like you haven't Lily!" Petunia said spitting out the name of her sister as if it tasted of garbage.

"Of course I haven't!" Lily replied mildly surprised at how worked up her sister was. "I wasn't allowed to do magic until I turned 17 anyway. I don't even do it that much now!"

"Whatever," Petunia gritted out as she pushed past her sister. "Just make sure that none of your freaky things come in contact with me."

"As if I'd want you touching any of my things," Lily muttered to herself as she examined the familiar Hogwarts seal. She opened it up and gasped as something rolled down to the floor with a definite clang sound. She picked it up. No! It couldn't be! A huge grin spread across her face. She had been made Head Girl!

True, she had been a prefect and a good one at that. She never could have possibly dreamed of this though! She didn't have that air of leadership or the unrelenting respect of her peers. She was just a girl who followed the rules, did her work, and reprimanded those who didn't do the first two things if it called for it.

Who could possibly be Head Boy? Lily was doubtful that Remus Lupin had achieved it. He was a pretty decent guy, but could absolutely not control his miscreant friends. Ugh! Potter and Black thought they were the best things to ever have hit Hogwarts! They were impossible. Lily could scarcely believe that there was actually someone that rude and obnoxious out there, much less two someones. Potter thought he was so funny, asking her out for a laugh and taunting her. It made her flustered and defensive, and he knew it. Lily was rather awkward around the opposite sex sometimes, especially if they happened to be quite popular and flirtatious.

Lily mentally shrugged. It didn't really matter anyway. Whoever it was had to be all right. Dumbledore would have picked him to work with her after all. He was a genius and certainly smart enough to realize just whom Lily would make the best team with.

She quickly looked over her list and nodded. Nothing else was out of the ordinary. She'd have to stop by Diagon Alley soon and pick up her supplies. Lily would definitely have to tell her parents about her new position as soon as they returned home. They'd be so proud.

Lily glanced up and saw that while reading she had reached her room. She caught her own eye as she looked in the mirror. She certainly wasn't ugly, but she wasn't gorgeous either. She was skinny and extremely short with small curves. Her red hair stood out immensely against her pale skin. Her green eyes were bright, almost alarmingly so. She had never had a real boyfriend though. She was shy, she supposed. Or boys were really just a waste of time. She wouldn't need them once she had a successful career. But try as she might, Lily could not completely believe what she told herself. Truth be told, Lily had never even kissed a guy. It was a fact that she didn't broadcast. After all, she was quite sure that she was part of an extremely small group of 17 year olds who had never been snogged. Potter just made it worse! He could play it off like a joke every time he asked her out, but to her it was like knives stabbing at her. Lily was quite sure that she'd die alone and never having been with a man. If only she had more confidence, then she could win someone over on personality alone. Her looks were severely lacking in her opinion. Anyone would say the same. After being asked if you were 12 repeatedly when you were really 17, you would think that there was something wrong with you too.

Lily couldn't think of anything better to do so she decided to sit and wait for her parents. They'd be back at 7. It was only 4 now, but honestly she didn't know what to do with herself. Her homework was done long ago, and she lacked any friends in the neighborhood thanks to going to boarding school, not that she had a great deal of good friends there anyway.


"Hey Honey!" Mrs. Evans called out as she and her husband entered through the front door. "I brought pizza!"

"Mum! Dad!" Lily shouted as she ran downstairs. "I made Head Girl! Can you believe it?" she asked excitedly.

They grinned. "That's great! I knew you'd get it!" Mr. Evans said.

Lily got out plates and started eating while chattering incessantly. "I'm so surprised! I wonder who got Head Boy. I hope it's not a Slytherin. I don't want to have to deal with someone who doesn't respect me…"

"Whoa! Slow down. Now why wouldn't a Slytherin respect you?" her mum asked.

Lily tensed. They had no idea about the war raging in the wizarding world. They didn't know that she was bullied and called names because of her lack of blood purity. Maybe it was time for them to know. After all, she was an adult now, and they should know that she could handle it. "Well," she began slowly. "There's a bit of prejudice in the magical world about blood purity. Some people who are pureblood feel that they are better than halfbloods and muggleborns. Slytherins are generally those wizards who fall in that category."

"That's terrible! Why didn't you tell us before?"

"I didn't want to worry you, because…well because there's a group of people who target wizards who blood isn't pure."

"Is it like a terrorist group?" her dad asked.

"A bit," Lily answered. "The wizard who heads it is known as you-know-who, because people don't like to speak his name. His followers are called deatheaters."

"And how long has this been going on?"

"Quite a while, since before I knew about the magical world. The attacks have been increasing over the past couple of years. There's no need to worry about me though. Professor Dumbledore is the only one you-know-who fears. He wouldn't dare touch Hogwarts."

"What about while you're here?" Mrs. Evans asked concerned.

Lily hesitated. "It's highly unlikely that they'd go after us. I'm fairly certain that no one from school knows where I live. There are tons of other people who are considered targets too, and we don't live in the hot zone where most of the attacks occur."

"I don't think I like the idea of you going somewhere where you could be killed."

"I've been at Hogwarts for year and nothing has happened. Nothing will happen. Magic is a part of me, and I don't think that I could happily exist without it. I won't be scared off by a bunch of mental wizards," Lily spoke out defiantly.

Her parents surveyed her. "I can tell you're stuck on doing magic. I blame your mother, you crazy stubborn redheads," her dad joked trying to lighten the mood.

"Thank you," Lily said genuinely. "It's really good to finally be able to tell you guys about everything."

"Come on!" Mrs. Evans said clapping her hands together. "The pizza is getting cold."

"Wait where's Petunia?" Lily asked curiously.

Her mother waved a hand carelessly. "Oh she's out with her boyfriend. He seems like a nice enough fellow I suppose. He is a lot like Petunia though when it comes to anything er…irregular."

Lily nodded glumly. "I see." She took a huge bite of her pizza.

After the eating was finished and the dishes cleaned, the Evans family (minus Petunia) sat down to watch some television. Lily sat herself down on a blue floral print comfy chair next to a matching couch where her parents sat. They had snuggled up close together and Lily couldn't help but smile at the obvious signs of affection. With a pang she realized that as this rate she would never get to experience something like that firsthand.

There was a sudden clap of thunder and Lily started. Rain was falling down heavily and lightening was streaking the sky. Nights like this always gave her the creeps. This was the type of weather in horror films. Lily preferred a light rain- it was her favorite type of weather.

Her parents chuckled at her reaction and commenced teasing her about it. She used to get so scared of the storms when she was younger. She had always wanted to prove that she was brave though and so she wouldn't go running to her parents. Of course the next morning the dark circles under her eyes were proof of the fact that she had stayed up the rest of the night listening and waiting.

Suddenly the door blew open with a bang. "Petunia?" Mrs. Evans asked getting up. "Did your date go well?" She walked over a few steps toward the door.

Lily and her dad got up also. Something wasn't right. Lily felt panicked. The combination of the weather and seeing no one almost sent her over the edge. She narrowed her eyes. "Mum, Dad!" she barked out. "Get out of here!" She could faintly see the outlines of people moving. She knew her magic well enough to recognize a well-placed disillusionment spell. She wasn't top of her year for nothing.

"Hello mudblood," a harsh voice whispered in her ear. The door slammed shut and they removed their disguises. "I've been looking forward to this for quite a while."

Lily's wand was in her pocket. She drew it quickly, but she didn't stand a chance. She was outnumbered 5 to 1. With a quick disarming spell her wand went soaring across the room. Lily stood tall, "Why are you here? Why now?" she spat.

"We figured it was time to pay you a visit. There are far too many mudbloods and muggles polluting the world," another spoke in a raspy tone. "Enough talk. Let's do what we came for," he called out.

Lily's parents were shaking. They knew very little about magic. They had just found out about deatheaters a couple of hours ago for God's sake! It all seemed to real, too rushed. They fought down their fears. They weren't going down without a fight.

Lily saw the spell being cast but had no time to intercept it. The cruciatous curse slammed into her mother's body and her tortured screams filled the air. It broke Lily's heart. "Stop it!" she screamed a minute later once she had found her voice. She struggled against the two men who were holding her in place.

The one with the raspy voice who she deemed as the leader taunted her. "Stop?" he asked. "Well if you insist." He turned back towards her mother. "Avada kedavra!" he shrieked in an almost inhuman voice.

Lily yelled but could only helplessly look on as the sickly green light ripped away her mother's life. Mrs. Evans dropped to the floor, an expression of pain mingled with fear. She looked pale and her eyes were open wide. Tears poured down Lily's face, and her hurt only worsened as she took notice of the look of pure anguish on the face of her father.

He sunk to his knees, not able to balance himself. "No!" he gasped out in shock and disbelief. The love of his life, the mother of his children, was obviously gone.

"Oh yes," a death eater next to him said, and Lily was sickened as she realized that he was surely smirking behind his mask. Emotional and physical torture to them was like playtime was for children. "One down, two to go."

"You think you're tough," Lily spat out. "You're weak and vile, killing the defenseless, outnumbering them." Two cruciatous curses hit her simultaneously after that statement. It was agony beyond agony. Lily wanted to die, to see her mother. She distantly heard screams in the background but it didn't seem to connect that they were her own.

And then the curse was lifted, leaving Lily fumbling for air. Her father was pale and watching her with pained eyes. He was shaking horribly, and Lily was sure that he had experienced the same curse while she was under it. She met his eyes. Mouthing a silent 'I love you,' to him she tore across the room to her wand.

Her father yelled out and the five men all turned to him for an instant, which was all that Lily needed. She had her wand safely in her hand. Her dad smiled briefly and sadly at her. He knew he wasn't going to make it, but at least now his daughter would have a chance.

"Stupefy!" she shouted, hitting one of the wizards in the back. He fell forwards and crumpled on the floor.

The other four circled around her. "Look at the mudblood!" one teased, "She thinks she has a chance!" The others laughed and through a few curses at her, but she blocked them. Her dueling skills were quite impressive, especially considering the fact that she had had 6 different defense teachers.

Her dad inched towards the telephone and began dialing. The leader spun around, "Now now!" he admonished. "We can't have that! More muggles would just make a bigger mess, and we're running short on time."

Lily couldn't stop it, that evil spell, for the second time that night she watched someone die. Her father froze with a defiant look on his face. His brow was creased with concentration, as he had tried to dodge. But alas, his reflexes were not quite fast enough. Lily choked down her vomit that was threatening to erupt from her mouth. She wouldn't give these creeps the satisfaction.

She held her own for a while, but the combination of shock and after pain was setting in. She was tiring out quickly. She needed help. A leg locker curse caught her off guard and she tumbled to the floor.

"I'm surprised," one said, "I didn't think she could last that long. I would've figured that she'd have run for it."

"Nah," another sneered, "She is a Gryffindor after all, foolish and headstrong."

Lily spat at their feet and the leader smacked her hard across the face. "Don't disrespect your betters!" he barked at her.

"I don't see any of my betters," she replied with a glare.

"We're right here mudblood," the fourth one said, and with a flick of his wrist she was slammed into the wall behind her.

Several pain curses hit her over the course of the next hour or so. They just wouldn't end it. She wanted to die so badly. No one would even miss her. Her parents were gone, her sister hated her, and she had no good friends. Finally she gathered her strength. "Why won't you kill me? Scared?" she taunted, hoping that they'd take the bait.

She hit the wall again. "We are killing you, just slowly. You're dying right now actually. We're just getting our parting shots in," the leader said. A series of rapid crack sounds were heard and Lily dimly recognized them as the signals of someone apparating. The leader swore, "The ministry is here! We have to go!"

The five men portkeyed away (the stunned man had been enervated.) but not before yelling out a loud morsmorde. The dark mark rose in the sky, but Lily was too tired and sore to see it.

The door burst open and ministry members came filing in. She was safe. She had made it. Darkness consumed her, and she knew no more.