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They're in: Summer after Sixth Year

Recap: "... Yes, I have two daughters. My Petunia, she's so beautiful! Just like you!" Lily could hear her mother smile through her words.

"Thank you!" the girl seemed to be flattered, "but what about your other daughter?"

Her mother's smile faded and her voice took a solemn note. "I don't talk about her much. She was such an adorable child! I really don't know how she got so ugly," her mother shook her head and continued, "I tried to make her beautiful, I really did..."

Lily had heard enough, she went back to her dressing room and changed back into her normal clothes, unaware that she had tears streaming down her face. She left the store with out telling her mother, she didn't even notice.

She walked to the nearest park and sat on the swings. I always knew she thought I was ugly.. but to hear her say it... A fresh wave of tears engulfed Lily. It was well past dinner time when she arrived home.

THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REWRITTEN (6/06)

Chapter Ten: The Change

Lily crept quietly up the stairs to her room and closed the door slowly, hoping that it would not make a noise. She sat at her desk and pulled out her razor blade and look longingly at it.

Should I? Or should I not? These thoughts raced back and forth across her mind, urging her to pick one as she put the razor against her arm and took it away. She put the razor against her arm again and closed her eyes, her mind begging her to make a cut.

She pressed.

Her eyes flew open as she saw the tiniest drop of blood run down her arm. She had done it. At least, she begun to.

She pressed harder and made a line across her forearm. She knew that if she really wanted to die she'd do it "down the street, not across." Random thoughts began to pour through her mind. Relief because her stress was ebbing away with the pain. Happiness because she did something she had forbade herself to do for so long. Regret because she had broken her promise to James.

James.

All of her thoughts screeched to a stop and landed on James. She had promised him not to do it. She told him she wouldn't. Oh, what would he say if he saw her now? With a bloody razor blade in her hand?

It was too late now. He didn't care about her anyway. He hadn't spoken to her since the "incident." All that mattered now was being accepted by her family, she had hated her life for so long, now was the time to do something about it.

abc.

Lily woke up the next morning feeling different than she had in the past few months. She felt as if she were ready for a change, not for just any change but a change that would change her whole life.

But she also felt happiness, the happiness she felt after she... Oh no, did I really cut myself last night? She ran her fingers along her arm, dreading anything she might feel that would be out of the ordinary. One, two, three. Three cuts.

Her eyes welled up with tears. "I don't want to do this anymore... I can't do this anymore... I'm going to die if I do." Tears fell down her cheeks, leaving wet trails, allowing other tears to follow their trail. "I am going to be beautiful."

She changed and brushed her teeth, ready to make an appearance downstairs with her mother.

But her mother was not there. "Mum?" Lily said, wondering if her mom was even home. She spotted a note on the refrigerator: Out. -Mum.

Wow, Lily thought, not very informative. She grabbed a nearby pen and wrote underneath her mothers words, Out, too. Won't be home till late. Really late. -Lily.

Lily grabbed her money and walked out of the house, mustering up courage to go through with her plan. She was going to go to a beauty salon, and she was going to go through some very different changes.

She no longer cared that her mother didn't want her to change her appearance. In fact, it was very confusing. If her mother thought that she was so ugly, why didn't she let her change her looks to be beautiful? Her mother could be very perplexing.

As she walked into the beauty salon, she wasn't sure if she was going to do it, but the broad lady at the counter called out, "Next!" and Lily was the only person left waiting. Lily walked up to the broad lady and the lady asked, "What do you want?"

"I'd like you to give me a make over. A complete and total makeover. I want to be utterly unrecognizable," Lily was surprised at how the words just tumbled out of her mouth.

The fat woman raised an eyebrow and replied, "That'll take money, do you have it?"

Lily smiled and pulled out a wad of cash. She had saved every dollar she had ever gotten since her fifth birthday.

"Good," the woman smiled greedily and yelled out, "Camille! This one wants a makeover, do it." As a second thought, she told Lily, "She's our best. You're in good hands."

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It was quite a few hours (felt like a whole day to Lily) before the woman named Camille was done. Camille spun her around and Lily was now facing the mirror.

Lily's hand raised to touch her hair, her skin, her face. She was truly utterly unrecognizable. She was beautiful. Her eyebrows were waxed, her pimples had magically disappeared, and her skin was glowing. Her legs still stung a little from the wax Camille had used, but the sting was fading away after Camille had put lots of lotion on her legs.

She looked thankfully at Camille and whispered, "It's like magic." Camille gave her a wink and then gave her the total.

After Lily walked out of the salon, she cringed at the clothes she was wearing. She walked along the avenue, searching for a store that would carry cute clothing.

She spotted a small store called Height Venue. Lily had always wanted to enter this store but had never had the chance too. She held her breath and walked in, hoping that she would be able to find something that fit her taste.

A few hours later, Lily emerged with many bags. The lady at the register thoughtfully suggested Lily call for a taxi and was now waiting for the taxi to come and take her home. It was almost 8 o'clock, her mother surely wouldn't care where she'd been.

Her last stop was a local gym that she had seen in passing many times and joined the gym.

But what would she say when she saw the physical change that Lily had gone through?

The taxi stopped in front of her house and Lily paid the fare. She walked up to her door and put her key in the lock. Holding her breath, she walked in and spotted her sister at the kitchen table, preparing biscuits for tea.

Petunia gasped when she saw Lily. The biscuits fell from her hands and onto the table. She quickly got up and ran to the living room, presumably where her mother was, "Mum!"

Her mother entered the kitchen and also gasped when she saw her daughter. "What did you do?" she questioned.

"I-I... I wanted to be pretty, Mum. I heard what you told the girl at the store yesterday. I know how you feel about me. I just want to fit in, Mum. Why couldn't you just love me for being me?"

abc.

It was eight in the morning and she was still tired despite the fact that she went to bed around nine. Her mother was happy for the transformation, but she didn't deny anything that Lily said. She also got mad once she found out how much Lily had spent and her penance would be finding her own ride to the train station that morning even though "the change" had occurred a couple of months ago, near the beginning of summer.

By the time she was ready and the taxi she had called for was at the station it was 10:30. She wheeled her cart with her luggage into the station and looked around, hoping that no one was looking at her when she stepped through the barrier.

Instantly, she saw dozens of people: parents, students, and younger siblings, eager to get a peek inside the Hogwarts Express. She sighed with relief and found herself in the train and looking for an empty compartment.

She quickly found one and sat tiredly on the seat. Her mind was reeling with questions. Would this year be any different? What would people say? Why had she decided to do this?

But most importantly, what would James say?

A/N: Thanks to those who had already review this chapter: Emrisah, SilverMist4, groovygeek, Ashley Donnan, instar, taniita, reena-blue, FalconMistress17, and Swishy Willow Wand.