Hey guys sorry for the long wait and the big delay. I apologize very much for it and ask for your understanding, the exam phases, and the submission of theses for the university rob me every bit of my time. But I hope you all had a nice holiday season and a good start into the new year.
Chapter 3: The first steps of the cubFrom small beginnings all things spring. - Marcus Tullius Cicero
January 30, 1972, Cokeworth, England, Europe
It had cooled even further. Snow had fallen overnight and covered the roofs, gardens, yards, and streets of the mining town of Cokeworth like a white blanket. The mine that formed the center of the town had been shut down for several years, as the steel crisis of the 60s and 70s had not stopped at Cokeworth. Around this centerpiece, there were many brick row houses with small gardens. A river flowed through the town, clouded by years of pollution from the operation of the mine.
In a house just outside the city, on Shaft Street at number 9, the mood was just too euphoric, despite the bitterly cold, inhospitable weather. The reason was the coming birth of a child. The Little Family consisting of father, mother and daughter would likely welcome a new family member today. Mrs. Rose Jenifer Evans was a housewife of 29 years, now heavily pregnant in the armchair of her living room waiting for her husband Herbert John Evans to fetch the already packed travel bag with clothes for Mrs. Evans and for her coming offspring from their bedroom.
Meanwhile, the now mother of two tried to calm her firstborn daughter Petunia, who had been startled out of her digestive slumber by the frantic movements and the atmosphere in general and had begun to cry. After several quiet soothing sentences and a little lullaby, her daughter was asleep again.
Another contraction caused Ms. Evans to emerge from her thoughts and look around for her husband, who was watching her lovingly as she gently rocked one of his greatest treasures back and forth despite the contraction. He nodded silently at her and took the bag to her car, where he unceremoniously placed it in the trunk. He took the baby seat from the hallway and placed it in the back seat of the family car. He returned with the now once again awake Petunia and loaded her into the infant seat and buckled her in. Mrs. Evans had climbed into the passenger seat by this time. At a steady and moderate pace, the little family drove to Cokeworth General Hospital, where they were met at the entrance by a team of obstetricians. The heavily pregnant young woman was placed in a wheelchair, as she was unable to walk herself to the hospital due to the now increasingly frequent contractions. Herbert parked the car in the nearby parking lot. He took little Petunia in his arms and entered the hospital in search of his wife. In the delivery room wing of the hospital, a young doctor met him and escorted him to the waiting place.
At 6:37 p.m., the time had finally come. Rose Jenifer Evans gave birth to her youngest daughter. The birth was absolutely free of complications and so smooth that the doctors on site jokingly said that a divine hand had been involved. To what extent they were right with the attribute divine, however, they would never know.
Now that the little family had gained another member, the four Evans sat down together around the bedside. Rose still held her newborn daughter in her hand and admired her. Little Petunia then looked at the bundle in her mother's arms with a look that said something like who or what is that in her mommy's arms. Whereupon both parents told her.
"Petunia, dear, this is Lily Jenifer Evans. Your little sister." Whereupon the toddler looked at the bundle again and a childish grin appeared on her face. She burst into joyful gurgling laughter, which woke little Lily from her slumber. She did not start screaming but turned her little head with the auburn tufted hair towards the source of the noise. Her emerald eyes were fixed on her sister, one year older than her. She began to squeal with delight as only babies can. At this sight, the hearts of both parents melted, their daughters were so incredibly sweet and liked each other already, just after she was born.
Mr. Evans and little Lily would stay overnight in the hospital for precautionary reasons, while Mr. Evans and the now big sister would go home. Saying goodbye and being separated from each other, even if only for a short time, was extremely difficult for all family members:
Petunia, because she didn't want to leave her mommy and the laughing and squealing bundle, because as good as her daddy's songs were, mommy was always better. Mr. Evans didn't because his little Lily had just been born, he had already held her in his arms for a long time, but that wasn't enough for the former mine shift manager. For him, his girls, as he often laughingly called them, were his everything. It was always difficult for him to part with them, even if it were only to work in the car factory. Mrs. Evans found it hard because she had always liked to be near her daughter Petunia. Separating from Lily for a few hours would also be hard for her because she had not been allowed to sleep in the same bed with her newborn daughter. And so, tears were shed, hugs were distributed and kisses on the forehead of her two daughters and a last goodbye kiss was given to the husband and the now divided family quickly fell asleep after an extremely moving and eventful day.
Over the next 4 years, the Evans family's two daughters grew into young girls of five and four. Petunia had inherited the genes of both her grandmothers and had an unnaturally long, scrawny neck, blonde hair. The color of her eyes was remarkably like that of her little sister Lily, as she had green-brown eyes. Lily J. Evans had shoulder length auburn hair, an angelic face and emerald green eyes that captivated everyone who saw them. The two sisters were each other's heart and soul and could hardly be separated from each other. Whether on the nearby playground, in the kindergarten or at home - nowhere you saw one of the two alone.
While Petunia's childhood was unusual and quite normal, all sorts of strange things happened around her little sister. The first strange event happened 2 years after Lily's birth. Mr. Evans was on his way to work and said goodbye to his wife and his oldest three-year-old daughter. Two-year-old Lily, who had not yet fully understood that her father would be back tonight, began to cry violently and mumbled something that he understood with some difficulty as "Don't go, don't go." The door to the living room, which was still just open, magically fell into the lock and clicked, locking Mr. Evans and Lily, who was crying in the playpen, inside. Mr. Evans and Petunia were now standing in front of a locked living room door, both having seen the door close and lock itself magically. It took several minutes for the two times father to get his youngest daughter to stop crying. With Lily in his left arm, he unlocked the door from the inside with the key stuck in the lock and handed Lily to the completely flabbergasted looking mother. He gave the little one a last loving kiss on the forehead, kissed his wife again and left the house with a last wave.
Rose now alone with two toddlers took care of their two princesses, but she could not get the incident with the door out of her mind. For the keys to all the doors had already been taken out by the couple when Petunia was born and placed in a drawer in the bedroom so that the children could not chew on them or, in the worst case, swallow them. So how had the key gotten back into the lock from the second floor to the living room? A question she didn't know the answer to because Herbert hadn't taken any keys out of the drawer, had he? She would and would have to ask him about it tonight.
Even in later childhood, such or other mysterious incidents happened again and again. In elementary school, for example, several boys teased a girl whose father had died of cancer. Lily had been furious when she saw how the boys stole the lunch and stole the homework of her classmate. With her petite little figure, she reared up in front of the boys and screamed:
"How dare you, immediately give back everything you stole and apologize!"
And if that had not been enough, she stepped forward and peppered the leader of the boys with a slap. Only she had been so angry that she could no longer think clearly. Her only thought had been to show the boy how much it hurt to be treated that way. The force with which she had delivered the slap, however, was so strong that the boy fell back a good three meters like a leaf in the wind. Petunia had observed the whole confrontation and stared at her sister wide-eyed and with a certain amount of joy, excited enthusiasm, but also fear and envy.
"How did you do that Lily?"
"Tuni, I don't know... He just made me so mad, the way he treated Angi she is our friend after all...and... and...and then it all happened so fast..." stuttered the confused Lily, against all reason the strange incidents did not scare her.
Angela, or Angi as she liked to be called, looked on at the spectacle for seconds until she leapt up at Lily as if struck by lightning and pulled her into a bear hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you" she kept bringing out in tears "You two are the best friends in the whole world".
Whereupon all three pulled each other into a hug, happy to be best friends for each other. What they didn't realize, however, was that a young boy with a hooked nose had been watching them from the half-shade of a tree in the schoolyard and had seen everything. Although he was the same age as Lily and Angela and went to the same class as them, he had hardly spoken to anyone out of it. He had always been a loner, hardly speaking a word to anyone except when the teachers called on him. Even then he usually seemed absent and bored and or annoyed that the teacher had called on him. At the end of school, he had been the first to leave the grounds without even giving it another glance. But now, unseen, a smile tugged at his face, his black eyes sparkling with joy. He wasn't quite as alone at this school as he had thought. There was someone he could talk to, someone who would understand him. And that someone was also the prettiest girl in the entire school. He had to talk to her. And so, Severus Tobias Snape planned to intercept the Evans sisters after school and get into a conversation with the redheaded one of the two. But how could he talk to her alone, was her Muggle sister always with her? He would wait for his opportunity.
Time passed and the strange incidents happened more and more often, sometimes it was the discoloration of a stuffed animal, sometimes it was the disappearance of objects or the flying around of cups. Once even the schoolbook flew out of her schoolbag into her hands. However, these special moments were also clouded by a dark side. The relationship with her big sister became more stressed and different. If in the beginning Petunia's joy and enthusiasm for the events had been great, they developed more and more into fear but above all envy. Because next to the events Lily grew up to a real model student. Petunia felt more and more pushed into the shadow of her little sister and believed her parents would always prefer only her instead of treating Petunia the same way.
At the age of 10, the residents of Cokeworth saw the Evans sister now no longer always traveling in pairs, but more and more separately. The pale boy with the black hair and eyes had also realized this. A smile stole on his lips, long he had watched them and looked for a possibility to meet them alone. But today was going to be different. He could hardly wait for school to end, and when he saw the Evans sisters heading home separately at the end of the school day, he set off to intercept them at the bend in the river near the tree.
Lily ran home saddened, again she had again quarreled with her big sister. She did not understand why. What made her different from everyone else? Why did these strange things keep happening to her? Why was her sister, her role model, behaving more and more dismissively towards her?
She was jolted out of her thoughts when a boy emerged from the shade of the tree on the riverbank. She was startled, winced, and yelled:
"How dare you frighten me like that, Severus Snape." To which the latter just smiled and replied:
"I'm sorry to have startled you, Lily. Do you feel like having a little chat with me?"
"About what? I don't even know you. We've been going to the same school, in the same class for almost 4 years, and yet you've never said a word to me before."
"The incident at recess last summer just before the vacations. I saw you chase Malcolm away. I can also tell you what happened and why. But before I do, I wanted to ask you if anything else strange has ever happened to you. You've seen things that were unexplainable?"
"How do you know about it? What is it? How do I do it? Do you know how to do that?
What...?" The questions just bubbled out of her.
Severus Snape looked at her, perplexed - he really hadn't expected such a flood of questions. He took a deep breath and raised his hand, whereupon the still talking Lily paused.
"You are a witch Lily. Don't scowl at me, I don't mean that as an insult. You have magical powers and what you did was magic. Besides this world, there is another. It is hidden from Muggles, but it exists. In it exist hundreds, if not thousands of people like you and me. Witches and wizards."
"What is a muggle? And what do you mean by hidden world?"
"A Muggle is what we call non-magical people, like your parents and your sister. We wizards hide from muggles out of fear, because in the past people were persecuted by kings."
"Did Merlin really exist? And King Arthur's? And the witch Morgana?"...
And so, began the friendship between Lily J. Evans and Severus Tobias Snape. Always after school and homework, the two met, where Sev, as Lily called him, told her about magic and wizardry and tried to explain everything as well as possible. But their meetings were also often shaded with quarrels because Petunia did not want to be simply left out. Often it came to heated arguments in which Sev threw nasty words at Tuni again and again. But as always in disputes Lily went in between, she hated it when her family and friends argued. The insults were so fierce that Lily stood by her big sister more and more often, sometimes resulting in her not talking to Severus for days. Petunia, for her part, saw the pale, hook-nosed boy with the black hair and eyes as a danger who stole her time with her little sister.
July 24, 1983, Cokeworth, England, Europe
Summer. After a mild spring, summer was finally upon us. The final days had arrived for the Cokeworth Primary School Class of '83. Every student could hardly wait to go on their long-awaited vacation. Angi, Lily, and Petunia excitedly shared their vacation plans. Angi would be going on vacation to Spain with her family. It would be her first trip outside of England, already she could hardly sit still with excitement. Lily and Petunia would instead go to the southwest coast of Cornwall to spend their annual seaside vacation. The three friends vowed to write each other postcards in which they would tell of their vacation experiences.
Under the schoolyard tree, Severus sat alone as usual, but he had a grin on his face.
Finally, the vacations were here, two more months and he would finally ride the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts. Together, he hoped, with the best person he could imagine by his side. How many times had he asked his mother when the letters from the school would finally come? How often had he stared longingly out of the window at the sky in the last few days, hoping to find one of the school owls. It could not be long now. He hoped and prayed to heaven that Lily would also get an acceptance letter. To him she meant the whole world. Something his mother and his father always teased him about. Around him, the other students were talking about their vacation plans or the secondary schools they would attend. Angi would be transferring to Cokeworth General School, or CGS for short. Petunia would be going there as well. Lily's father, Herbert, had enrolled both daughters there. It was one of the best schools in the area.
When the last day of school was over and the children were on their way home, he saw two large brown barn owls moving towards their housing estate. All his tension was released from him. It had happened, his prayers had been answered. He didn't think twice and ran home as fast as his eleven-year-old legs could carry him to receive his long-awaited letter.
When the Two Evans Sisters returned home from school, they were presented with an amazing sight. A large, brown owl was flying away from their mailbox. It looked at the red-haired young girl while it opened the mailbox with one claw and dropped the letter in its beak into the slot to take to the skies again right after.
They entered the family home and were greeted by their mother, beaming with joy. She took them both in a tight hug at the same time and exclaimed again and again how proud she was of them for having mastered the first step with elementary school. The inexplicable behavior of the nocturnal animal was forgotten for a while. However, when Herbert Evans came home from work, he discovered that there was mail in the mailbox. And so, he took out a heavy, brown envelope, apparently made of parchment, addressed to his youngest daughter, Lily. Alarming in his eyes, however, was the letter's exact inscription. There it read.
Ms. Lily J Evans
Sunset room
Shaft Street 9
Cokeworth
England
Who could know so precisely where his daughter was dragging? Was she being watched? Was there a pervert in the neighborhood who had been watching his little girl?
It was also curious that the letter had been written in poison-green ink and sealed by a red wax seal on the back. The seal obviously showed a coat of arms, divided into four equal-sized quarters, each of which seemed to house an animal. In the center of the seal was the capital letter H. The animals were an eagle, a badger, a snake, and a lion. With even more questions than before, he made his way to the living room to greet his family and was promptly greeted by a redhead and a blonde slug. His daughters had seen him and immediately leaned into a hug with the word "DADDY".
"Hello, my little ones, how was the last day of school?"
"It was good daddy, we got our report cards, I got top of the class" babbled the overjoyed Lily.
"And you my darling?" he asked Petunia.
"I have a good report card too" Petunia beamed back, the smile not reaching her eyes.
"That's wonderful. We have to celebrate that; you only graduate from elementary school once. And how was your day dear?"
"It was great, I got all the arrangements for our vacation done. What's that letter you're holding? It doesn't look like the regular mail."
"I was just getting to that..." spoke Mr. Evans, suddenly becoming profoundly serious.
"Lily, Petunia did you see anyone watching you. Or followed you? I am very worried. This letter is for you Lily darling. But the problem is that it's addressed to your very bedroom. Do you have any idea why? Do you know anything about it?"
Lily's eyes began to sparkle with joy and a huge smile spread across her face. Everything Sev had told her was true. She really was a witch.
"Daddy, you might want to sit down for this. I hope I can explain it well enough; I only know what Sev tells me too. I..."
"That weird freak?!" shrieked her sister.
"Don't call him a freak, he's my friend" it came back in the same tone.
"That's enough both of you, I don't want to hear that kind of tone in this house again. Okay Lily sparrow then tell us what you know. " intervened now the mother, before the dispute could escalate.
"The letter is my Hogwarts acceptance letter. Hogwarts is a school in Scotland. Not just anyone can be admitted there. If I remember correctly, a teacher will come by and explain the whole thing better than I can. All I have to do is open the letter and they'll know."
"And how darling should this school know if you opened the letter. Is someone watching us?"
"Magic"
"Don't be ridiculous little sister such a thing doesn't exist; someone is playing a trick on you here. It's probably that Snape guy. He has always seemed strange to me."
But before another argument could break out, Herbert handed his daughter her letter after a short hesitation.
"Alright, even if this is a prank, I at least want to see what it says".
Lily broke the seal and pulled out a thick, yet extremely carefully folded sheet of parchment. She unfolded it and began to read aloud:
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Principal Albus Dumbledore
Dear Ms. Evans
we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed you will find a list of all the books and equipment you will need. The school year will begin on 01 September. Since they come from a non-magical family, a teacher from the school will come to their home on July 25. The teacher will explain to their parents and them exactly what this letter is about.
With kind regards
Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress"
Silence. At first, the parents thought it was a joke, but the official words of the letter convinced them more and more. The letter seemed to be real. Unbelievable. But the silence was interrupted by a guffawing Petunia:
"You don't believe that nonsense, do you? There is no such thing as wizardry or magic! It's all just an invention of Snape's."
After a silent exchange of glances with his wife, who merely shrugged her shoulders and jerked her head toward Lily's beaming face, Herbert finally spoke:
"Petunia, dear, I don't know...Your mother and I have decided to see if this letter is a hoax or not. If it were true, we would have a real witch in the family".
"But..."
"If it is a joke, no one will show up here tomorrow. If it does happen, you can ask the person to show you magic. Then we will see what is true or fiction."
"All right, but..."
"Perfect. Now that that's out of the way we should celebrate you both graduating and go out to eat. How about that great Greek place just around the corner?"
To this question came loud cheers from the Evans sisters and a big smile from Mrs. Evans. She knew exactly how her husband always brought the family together and united them. And so, chatting loudly, the family of four made their way to their favorite restaurant. The evening turned out to be one of the best in years to come.
The next day, one person in the Evans family could hardly sit still. The reason for Lily's excitement was obvious to everyone. The avoidable visit of the perhaps existing teacher at the ominous school. At about 11 o'clock the front doorbell rang. This sound had a remarkable reaction from the four residents. Lily squealed happily, Petunia dropped a plate, Herbert and Rose Evans winced violently.
Mr. Evans now got up from the armchair where he had been reading the newspaper and strode with measured steps to the front door to open it. At the door stood a middle-aged woman in a strange getup. She wore a floor-length green and black cloak. The woman's face looked like someone who demanded respect and gave it to her counterpart and yet a certain severity. On her nose she wore glasses with square lenses.
"Good morning Mr. Evans. My name is Minerva McGonagall, I have come to you on behalf of Hogwarts to speak with you about your daughter, Lily. May I come in?"
For a second Herbert said nothing. He was too shocked that this did not seem to be a children's prank but reality. Then he replied in a friendly tone and with a small smile:
"Good morning Ms. McGonagall. Please come in. I believe the nature of such a conversation is not conducted in the open. Indeed, my daughter has been eagerly awaiting this moment ever since she opened her letter."
With a confused look on her face, the witch followed the father of the family into the living room. There everything was still as before. The broken plate on the floor, Petunia frozen as if in shock, and Rose Evans standing on the sideboard. Lily rocked back and forth sitting on the couch, unable to hold on any longer. It was real. At the stranger's entrance, the mistress of the house sprang into action, walking toward her and extending her hand in a friendly manner.
"Good morning Ms., my name is Rose Evans, and I am Petunia and Lily's mother." She turned to her children each time and said:
"Petunia, Lily please welcome our guest." Whereupon the two daughters walked over to the woman, shook her hand, and sat down on the family couch. Petunia, remembering that the broken plate was still on the floor, got up from the couch and was about to grab the hand brush and dustpan when the strange woman began to speak:
"Oh, dear please don't bother. I'll take care of it if I may." She addressed the last part of the sentence to the parents of the siblings who nodded kindly. From the pocket of her cloak, she took out a wooden stick and pointed it at the pile of broken pieces. She flicked it a quick motion and the shards settled perfectly together as if by magic and floated onto the sideboard.
"As I have already explained to her husband, my name is Minerva McGonagall, I am a teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason for my visit is her daughter Lily. Your daughter Mr. and Mar. Evans has a special talent. She has magical powers and is a witch. I don't mean that as an insult."
Here she paused briefly to note the family's reactions. But instead of interrupting her, the parents smiled kindly and Ms. Evans signaled Ms. McGonagall to continue. Minerva McGonagall for her part was puzzled by the friendly interaction with her. She a witch, complete stranger to this household was treated kindly and at eye level. That did not happen often. Often heated arguments arose with the parents of young witches and wizards from Muggle families. This family, however, seemed to be a prime example of acceptance and reasonableness towards the unknown. She cleared her throat and continued:
"Which of you two young ladies is Lily J Evans?"
Whereupon the redhead shyly raised her hand and looked at her future teacher with enthusiasm from her green almond-shaped eyes.
"Hello Ms. Evans, it's nice to meet you, I am Professor McGonagall teacher of transformation." And held out her hand, which Lily took without hesitation and shook. "What amazes me is that they are so accepting of this? Not to be rude but how..."
"Professor, my husband and I have always believed that just because someone says certain things don't exist or other things are impossible, it doesn't mean they are true. Almost 30 years ago, mankind sent a man to the moon. Until then still completely unimaginable. Why should it be so far-fetched that magic is real? I studied history before I met Herbert, all myths, sagas, or legends are oral traditions of events. What interests me, however, is why in this day and age no one seems to know about them, dismissing them as old wives' tales," Rose said calmly, with a gentle look in her eyes.
Prof. McGonagall opened her mouth to speak but closed it again immediately.
Disbelief was written all over her face. If only all Muggles would be so open-minded.
"You never cease to amaze me Mar. Evans. In fact, the society of witches and wizards has been living underground since the Middle Ages, the time of the great witch burnings. Since then, there has been a secrecy agreement, the content of which states that the society of witches and wizards should stay away from the society of non-magical and live separately. Great interaction with the non-magical world should be avoided and in general. The only exception is a case like theirs, where a witch or wizard is born into a non-magical family. Through complicated, complex spells, these are then tracked down and representatives of the magical community, usually teachers at the schools are sent to initiate the families into this secret. Only the immediate family and family members who have permanent and frequent contact may be initiated. Friends from other non-magical families may not."
"Okay, I can certainly relate to that. This dark chapter in human history has certainly fostered deep paranoia. But, before we talk further, may I offer them something, coffee, tea, water?"
"Thank you very much for your offer Mrz. Evans. I will be happy to have a cup of tea."
After this short break, everyone was now sitting around the living room table on the armchair and couch again. Petunia, however, was lost in her own thoughts and no longer followed the conversation as attentively as before. Was there an unpleasant thought gnawing at her? Why was Prof. McGonagall only talking to Lily and not to her as well? They were sisters and should both be witches then. They had always done everything together until now, would that change now? Would she be replaced by others? Why didn't her parents pay attention to her anymore and were with Lily with their full attention? Envy and jealousy drilled further and further into her heart and poisoned her thoughts. The initial joy had long since faded, giving way to the thought that her sister was abnormal, a freak. And she wanted nothing to do with such people. She was now following the conversation not at all deeply immersed in her own dark thoughts and therefore did not notice that her family and the teacher at this freak school were talking about buying school supplies for her sister in a place called Diagon Alley. She was torn from her thoughts by her sister who tapped her energetically:
"Tunia, come on we're going. The two of us are having a real adventure."
Whereupon Petunia, despite her bitterness, had to smile. Just the two of them and Mom and Dad. Just like always. This thought made her forget the gloomy thoughts. Around one o'clock, the family set off with Professor McGonagall to London to buy school supplies for Lily. Lily was hardly able to contain her excitement. When they entered the dingy old pub, she looked around in all directions. Her head didn't seem to stand still anymore. However, she was not the only one, her parents perceived the new environment with astonishment. From the strange style of dress of these people, added the lighting by wax candles and the strange creatures, which for everyone else seemed completely normal.
For Petunia, the time of wonder began as soon as she entered the pub; the Evans sisters' parents would not have noticed him at all. Petunia, however, saw him without any problems. She asked her parents why they absolutely had to go to this old pub. This comment earned her a thoughtful look from her guide. When asked what was going on, she said she would come back to it later.
The tour of the pub ended in the backyard in front of a brick wall and a trash can. But before anyone could ask a question, Professor McGonagall drew her wand and tapped the brick, which was three above the garbage can and two to its side. The brick slumped inward and it was followed by many more until in seconds an archway, large enough for the five passersby, opened. Behind the archway, a breathtaking picture emerged. A huge shopping street and hundreds of passers-by who strolled busily along the seemingly endless passage.
The stores, which were lined up close together, were crammed with the strangest goods. From strange-looking herbs in jars to offal from various animals, it seemed, to a store full of brooms. Professor McGonagall led the group past the various stores at a brisk pace. Despite the bustle of the shopping street, the family noticed that the passers-by hurrying past them had a driven, even hurried expression on their faces. And so, they passed a bookstore called Flourish and Blotts, a magical pet store, a store for strange, ancient-looking characters and shapes, until finally they stopped in front of a large snow-white marble building. The door jambs and the decorations on the columns to the left and right of the large door seemed to be made of pure gold. This building was apparently also guarded, small, green-brown skinned beings in ancient armor and armed with axes stood at the entrance. Above the huge door was written in golden letters "Gringotts". They walked toward the huge door, but the guards made no effort to stop them, on the contrary, with a bow they opened the door. When Lily asked what this was and who these beings were, her companion answered:
"This Mar. Evans are Goblins. They run the banks in our world. They are very honorable and conscientious about their craft and take their activities very seriously. Although many in our community, do not want to acknowledge this because they are not wizards or witches, they are of great influence and power. Never cross a goblin or Gringotts. When you have banking business to do here, always address them with full respect and the goblin standing before them as Master Goblin or Master and then the name of the goblin. "
And so, the group of five entered the huge entrance hall. To stand in front of another double door. On the right wall, the family could see a plaque with a poem that sent a shiver down their spines.
"Stranger, you come right in,
Take care, however, and remember it,
Whoever wants to serve the greed of sin,
And wants to take, not earn, He will lose in agony.
If you search in these halls
A treasure that you fall for,
Thief, be warned and tell yourself,
More than gold awaits you here. "
"A warning everyone should take to heart." The professor clarified.
They passed through the second archway and found themselves in a gigantic banking hall with dozens of counters, all of which seemed to be manned by goblins. The family looked in vain for a human employee. Their guide looked around for a free counter and discovered a counter where a goblin had just started counting a bag of rubies. But the rubies were not as big as the ones Petunia and Lily had seen on TV in a documentary. They were nearly the size of fists. Lily who couldn't help but count and apparently faster was the goblin sitting in front of them. A nameplate in front of him read Stonetusk.
"Excuse me Master Stonetusk, but the rubies they count are 28 in number." Burst out of the little redhead.
The goblin looked up in surprise, it was extremely rare that a wizard or which addressed him by his name, let alone came to meet him. To hear this from a little girl was more than unusual. He would tell his superiors about it and keep an eye on the young witch, she could be different from the rest of the magical community.
After some back and forth, the Evans exchanged enough pounds into galleons that would be enough for Lily's school supplies. The family said goodbye with a slight nod of the head to the banker, who in turn bowed his head and replied, "May your hoards always be filled". The following shopping trip through the different stores and their goods happened as if in a flash. From capes and pointed hats as school uniforms, to a simple brass cauldron for brewing potions and the various, sometimes very disgusting ingredients, to the various textbooks for their courses. Lily and Petunia practically had to be carried out of the bookstore because they could hardly separate themselves from the various rows of shelves and their contents. As a pet, the family bought a small owl to keep in touch with each other. The only piece of equipment still missing was Lily's wand. Which, her father joked, would make her a full-fledged witch, to which everyone laughed heartily. The family entered the last store, which, according to Professor McGonagall, made the best wands in all of Europe, and where she had also purchased her own.
Buying the wand turned out to be an incredibly special experience. In all the other stores it had been so crowded that they had to fight their way to the counter, but here there was silence and the store seemed to be deserted. Upon entering, a chime sounded and after a few seconds, an old man with milky eyes emerged from the back of the store. He introduced himself as Mr. Ollivander, the apparent owner of the store. Without asking which of the two sisters needed a wand he looked at the two sisters and after a moment's hesitation and a long look at Petunia he turned to Lily.
"Now Miss Evans, which hand is your wand hand?"
Irritated by the knowledge of her name, the addressed opened her mouth, but also quickly closed it again, after a few seconds she returned with a surprisingly firm voice:
"I'm left-handed, Mr. Ollivander."
After this answer, she took a tape measure out of his pocket and measured all the lengths on her left hand. Too fascinated by the thought of soon having her own wand, she didn't notice how the tape measure did its work by itself and Mr. Ollivander disappeared behind several rows of shelves. They could hear him muttering indistinctly, and the sound of boxes and crates being pulled out reached their ears clearly. Several minutes passed the magic booth maker again appeared in front of them, loaded with several oblong boxes. He opened one of them and handed the completely upset Lily a wand with the words.
"Try it, just swing it a little bit. This is willow wood, 10 ¼ inches, supple and pliable. The core is made of the hair of a unicorn's tail. Both are symbols of purity but also for virginity. This wand is great for Charms."
Lily grasped the white-yellowish wand. An unprecedented feeling ran through her. It was as if she felt the forest with all its inhabitants, and the glow of the moon on her. The moment she wielded it, she enveloped the whole room in darkness and the full moon shone from the ceiling.
Silence. The family, the professor and the old wand maker were too perplexed about connecting the wand to the young witch. But it was quickly broken when it burst out of the old wandmaker, "By the Beard of Merlin, a 100 percent match, on the first try. And the event...we can expect great things from you Ms. Evans."
The young witch hardly noticed the rest of the conversation and the return journey to Cokeworth. It was more a blur of impressions and snippets of conversation.
Professor McGonagall had led the small family to their parking lot near Charing Cross Road and then said goodbye. Silently the family drove home, too much had happened on this otherwise ordinary Saturday. Once home, Lily took her new school supplies to her room and was overjoyed. She was really going to Hogwarts; it was no longer a dream but a reality. She fell asleep with a smile.
The next few weeks until the first of September were more uneventful. Lily spent a lot of time with her new textbooks and Sev, much to the displeasure of Petunia, who felt more and more left out. It didn't help that her parents were beaming with joy and enthusiasm and were extremely proud to have a witch in the family, even if it was only within their own four walls.
A good two weeks before the start of the new school year for the two Evans sisters,
Petunia was at the end of her patience and her nerves. It was always Lily here and Lily there, never getting her parents' attention in her opinion. A bitter envy had eaten deep into her heart over the last few weeks, but also fear. Fear of losing her sister despite all the circumstances, even if her sister affirmed that this would never happen, this instinct, like a premonition was impossible to shake off. She wanted to go to that school too, no matter what the cost. With this in mind, she decided to write a letter to the principal, asking kindly and politely if she too could go to this school. She sat down at her desk and began to write in her most beautiful handwriting:
"Dear Professor Dumbledore,
my name is Petunia Evans and I...
An hour and a half later and satisfied with her work, Petunia folded up her now finished letter, put it in an envelope and stole away to her sister's room. To her immense relief, the owl her father had bought was not hunting prey today but was sitting in the closet by the open window, as it had been the last few days. Quietly, trying not to wake her sister, she crept towards the owl. The animal watched her intently with its yellow eyes. She lifted the letter and whispered softly:
"Take this letter to the principal of Hogwarts".
The beast stared at her for a moment, then without warning it swooped down, grabbed the letter with its claws, and flew out the window into the night. Petunia stared after the beast for a few more seconds, a silent prayer that she too could go to Hogwarts, and finally slipped out of Lily's room.
Several days passed and so far, no answer had come from the principal and the elder
Evans sister was getting impatient. There were only 10 days left until the first of September. She had to go there. The Evans family owl had returned the very next day, proudly presenting a dead mouse in its beak but no letter. And so dejected, she sat alone in her room staring at the slowly darkening horizon. Suddenly she sat as something moved on the horizon. She could no longer think clearly, she was trembling with excitement. Finally. So engrossed in her feverish thoughts, she startled up as the owl perched in front of her and stretched out a leg. On the leg was a letter.
She untied him, her hands shaking, she stroked the owl's head briefly before it took to the air again and disappeared into the evening. She closed her window, sat down at her desk, switched on the light of the lamp, and began to read.
"Dear Ms. Petunia Evans,
Thank you very much for your letter. I am extremely sorry that my reply has been so long in coming, I apologize for that. The reason for this is the nature of your request. You must understand, Ms. Evans, that not every person can be admitted to our school and that everyone must meet the criterion of being magical. Which brings me to your concern and a certain problem.
I have learned from Professor Minerva McGonagall, your escort through Diagon Alley, that they were able to see the entrance, the Leaking Cauldron. This is actually a classic sign that they have some degree of magical powers. The problem, however, is that no Ministry of Magic detectors have found a magical signature like that of your sister.
Therefore, it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that your application for admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been denied. However, I will continue to investigate this phenomenon and if anything changes in your situation, I will contact you.
In the hope that you are well,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Stunned, she stared at the sheet of parchment. She was rejected. The last sentence that he would contact her if the situation changed was forgotten. Her heart and thoughts turned cold. Hatred towards everything magical and her sister. Envy burned deep into her insides. With a silent cry of rage and tears of anger and disappointment, she crumpled the letter. She vowed to never want to have anything to do with this nonsense again. These freaks were not normal, her sister was a freak, and she would not talk to freaks again.
However, her outburst had not been as unnoticed as she had thought, Lily had quietly stolen into her room. She approached her big sister, thinking to comfort her. She didn't know why she was sad, but she wanted to help her Tunia, her great role model.
"Tunia, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"YOU...YOU FREAK, it's all your fault. It's always you that mom and dad pay attention to. It's always Lily, here and Lily there. Never do I get the attention. Mom and Dad may think of you as something else, but you are nothing but a freak. I never want to have anything to do with someone like you again. Why don't you GO to that freak Snape and your whole weird gang...?"
Lily stood before her, completely flabbergasted, her eyes wide open. Tears rolled down her usually radiant face. She began to sniffle. What had she done to make her Tunia say such mean things to her, to insult her? All she ever wanted was to be like her. But before she could even say something back, both her father and mother entered the room.
Both looked as if they could not believe their ears. For a moment, neither said a word. Until Mr. Evans asked what was going on and why Petunia was talking down to her sister and insulting her. The argument that would then break out would split the family and their usually harmony. Many things were said that were exaggerated and due to the jealousy of the eldest daughter of the Evans family, many tears were shed. Both by mother and by the two daughters. However, the parents were consistently on the side of their youngest daughter, she could now once least of all for their situation and was here the victim. Several days passed in which neither of the two sisters spoke a word to each other. Petunia still furious and jealous about the unfair fate and Lily out of fear and sadness about her sister's behavior, but three days before the first of September, they tried again. They managed to make peace, albeit with several near escalations. Lily was incredibly important to clarify this matter, her sister was incredibly important to her and quarrel with her was the worst for her.
On the first of September 1983, the family set off for London to take Lily to Kings Cross Station. They were told during the visit by Professor McGonagall that nonmagical people would not be able to enter the secret platform and would have to say goodbye in front of the disguised portal. After a tearful goodbye from her parents, a grumpy but now not so rejectionist goodbye from her sister, the young witch pushed her luggage cart toward the barrier and disappeared from the non-magical world.
Arriving on the platform, she looked for her best friend Sev and discovered him a short time later, accompanied by his mother. Sev had told her that his father was a Muggle, like her parents, and therefore could not come with her to the platform. The greeting was warm, but still short, since it was already shortly before 11 o'clock, the departure time. Both of them heaved their heavy trunks into the carriage together and went in search of an empty compartment.
The train had already left London and still the two had not found an empty compartment. However, they came to a compartment at the end of the train that was occupied only by two boys. One of the two boys had raven-black wild hair and the other black-brown hair. Both were looking in their direction when the two friends wanted to go on to the last compartment.
The boy with the raven black hair wore glasses through which Lily could clearly see the wide-set eyes. His mouth was slightly open, and he stared at her for a moment until it burst out of him, "WOW, she looks like a goddess dropped from heaven." How right he was to be with this exclamation, he would not know until after his death.
Lily blushed clearly up to the hair tips of her without already red hair. Following an impulse to make new friends, she replied:
"Thank you, and who are you? My name is Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape, is this seat taken?"
"Hello Lily, I'm James Charles Potter and this is Sirius Orion Black. Sure, there's a free seat here. Have a seat."
The hours passed and within the train compartment they laughed and talked a lot and got to know each other. Lily learned that James, like Sirius, came from one of the old wizarding families, the Blacks, and the Potters. The topics changed from all sorts of things, but mostly it was Lily who told how it was to live in the Muggle world, since both James and Sirius had had little to no direct contact with her. What she did notice, however, was that Sev had become more and more withdrawn throughout the conversation. They had now arrived at the topic of schoolhouses; James asked the two friends in response:
"And you Lily, Severus, which houses are you going to?"
To which Severus arrogantly replied:
"Slytherin of course, the best house ever."
"Can't be, Gryffindor is the best." James pushed back.
"Sure, if you're as stupid as you are, Potter, you have no idea."
"Hey Sev, don't say that, it's mean. James can think what he wants, and you can think what you want." Lily now straddled the two jumped up boys to keep them apart and to end the quarrel. She knew such arguments only too well from the boys at school when it came to soccer, such a drama she had rarely experienced. When they had both calmed down, Sirius, who had not yet said anything on the subject, turned to her:
"You haven't even said which house you'd like to go to Lily".
"That's right, I didn't either. And I don't have a favorite. My dad always says that you can't make such decisions anyway and that fate alone determines it. So, you only get what's there, so I don't care which house I get into, but it would be nice if it's one where I know someone already."
While she was saying this, both boys were thinking the same thing: "I hope she comes to my house and forgets about this idiot."
In order not to reignite the topic, the four children now talked about trivial things. Time went on and on, and when it finally got dark, the conductor announced that they would be arriving at Hogwarts shortly and that they should change into their school uniforms. The change of clothes was completed in no time at all, so Lily was the first to return to the compartment, ready and groaning. The cloaks of the three boys were absolutely not fitting as they should with a "boys" and a roll of her eyes she fixed the three of them their clothes, blushes rising to all three of their faces.
The train finally stopped after what felt like an eternity and the four children entered Hogsmeade station for the first time in their lives. A lantern, held by a huge, bearded man, waved in the darkness. The call of "First graders. First graders over here!" shifted across the now packed and completely crowded platform. They pushed through the crowd and followed the giant down a path through a short section of woods. As they came around a bend, everyone let out shouts of excitement and amazement. Perched high on a cliff above a lake was a gigantic castle. Even in the darkness, which only the moon seemed to illuminate on this cloudless evening, they recognized many battlements, towers, walls, and hundreds, if not thousands, of small brightly lit windows. The giant snapped them out of their torpor and led them to a boat dock where many small boats lay. Lily eagerly boarded with her 3 unknown girls. During the crossing they introduced themselves as Marlene McKinnon, Alice Fortescue and as Sally Jackson. The four girls were just too electrified and couldn't wait to enter the castle. Climbing the steps to the portal of the castle, the four talked about everything they had read so far, or in Alice and Marlene's case, already experienced. In the entrance hall, they were greeted by Professor McGonagall, who gave them a short speech and lesson about "The house is your family" and asked them to get ready before the selection ceremony. They spent the wait outside the doors of the Great Hall swearing eternal friendship to each other and to be there for each other no matter which house they would be placed in. The excitement gripped them again with full force, the doors were opened and in a neat line of two they entered the Great Hall.
The hall, as its name implied, was huge. At four large and long oak tables sat hundreds of students. The hall was lit by thousands of free-flying candles. To Lily's excitement, the ceiling of the hall actually reflected the night sky above the school, which was starry. Just like it was described in her book Hogwarts - A History. She was getting nervous despite all the euphoria, all the older students staring at her and her new classmates. One look at her new friends told her that the others didn't seem to be doing any better. Sev, too, looked even paler than usual.
In front of the head of the hall on a three-legged chair lay an old, patched, wide brimmed hat. The entire hall was looking at it as if something were about to happen. When absolute silence fell, the tip of the hat straightened on its own and a mouth opened a crack at the brim. A hum as of a melody of a song sounded in the hall. Lily was amazed, this old hat really sang. Incredibly. He was singing about the four different houses and their characteristics and about the dawning of a new era, an era without fear and division. Of unity and harmony. It was beautiful, moving, and yet so serious. She held her promise again to herself, not to abandon her new friends and Sev, no matter what house they would come to. The song ended, the hat bowed as best it could with its tip to the four house tables, which in turn had erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
The last notes of the song had just faded away, when Professor McGonagall already stepped forward with a long roll of parchment next to the hat and the chair:
"When I call your name, please step forward and sit in the chair and put your hat on."
"Abermore, Elli," a young girl with brown hair braided into twin pigtails stepped forward and put on the hat. A few seconds later the hat called out loudly.
"RAVENCLAW", the second table from the left clapped loudly, Elli took off the hat and hurried to her new house.
"Black, Sirius Orion," and so the boy stepped out of the train compartment and sat down on the chair, the hat on his head. Apparently, however, many had assumed that his selection would be extremely quick, but quiet murmurs spread through the hall when, after about five minutes, he was still sitting in the chair until the hat finally announced "GRYFFINDOR." With that one-word, absolute pandemonium erupted throughout the hall, especially at the far-left table, the Slytherins. Many of them had their mouths hanging open, seemingly unable to believe this. But Sirius didn't mind the chaos that had ensued, just grinned, and headed for the lions' table. It took Professor McGonagall several attempts until a girl named "Blue, Cinthia" stepped forward and silence fell once again until the Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers as they had gained a new member.
And so, it went on and on, Amelia Bones, a red-haired girl became another Hufflepuff, the Carrow twins became Slytherins, a boy named Doyle became a Gryffindor, until finally it was "Evans, Lily Jenifer."
Lily stepped forward and put the old hat on her head. For a moment nothing happened, but then a piping voice began to speak in her ear.
"What have we here, my goodness".
The young witch flinched noticeably. Where did the voice come from? Who was speaking?
"I am the Talking Hat, the voice that will put you in your house young lady. I speak to you through your thoughts."
"WOW, that's amazing. Excuse me, do you have a name. I was always taught to call someone by name" the redhead thought back.
"That's a surprise, in all the time I've been assigning students to their houses now, no one has ever asked my name. Very polite, thank you. But I have to disappoint you, I don't have a special name, call me Hat."
"All right. Good evening hat, would you please sort me into a house? And how does that work?"
"I will look into your head and then judge you... Let's see …. You are obviously very polite, but also shrewd and clever, inquisitive, ... what do we have here...have an urge to prove yourself, both with books and in life? Ohhoohh I see loyalty, in such great measure very rarely. But also, stubbornness and determination by the beard of Merlin, I haven't had to make such a hard decision in a long time. Where do I put you? You'd fit in all the houses, but I think you'd best go after: GRYFFINDOR. "
While Lily sat in the chair and the hat had to decide, two boys became visibly nervous. James Potter and Severus Snape were both hoping that their Lily would come to their house and they would have a chance to get to know her better. For a beaten minute, they prayed to all the forces in the universe, known and unknown to them, hoping that their wish would come true.
When the hat finally blared "GRYFFINDOR" down the hall, James was immensely relieved. Almost his entire family had always come to this house, so his chances were good. Severus Snape, on the other hand, looked dejected, aware that his chances of having his Lily for himself had now rapidly diminished, for he was sure that he would come to Slytherin, the nest of vipers. A friendship between a lion and a snake was not welcomed by either side of the houses. But he still had to try, he couldn't give up now. Losing his Lily would be the worst thing.
The now new lioness thanked the hat for its placement, placed it back on its chair, and hurried to the far-right table to thunderous applause. She sat down and was greeted joyfully by her classmates. Now that the tension was over, she enjoyed the excitement and fevered with her nine friends over which house they would get into, hoping so much that at least one of them would get into her house. She was not disappointed, Marlene and Alice both got into Gryffindor. Sally, on the other hand, became a Hufflepuff, but that still didn't stop the three young lionesses from gossiping enthusiastically with the other table. However, when Severus came to Slytherin, Lily clapped but was looked at quizzically by her housemates. She replied that he had been a friend since childhood, and she didn't care which house he belonged to.
James, much to his relief, also arrived at Gryffindor and was met by an enthusiastic Sirius, who patted him on the back several times. They were joined by a rather shy but thoroughly friendly boy who had a large scar across his face. He introduced himself as Remus. James' childhood friend Frank also sat down with the three. He too seemed relieved to know at least one familiar face. A silent, thoroughly chubby boy named Peter also sat down with the new first graders.
Severus was clearly saddened, although the hat had sent him to Slytherin as expected, he was now separated from his Lily. He did know some of his new classmates, there were many prominent names like Black, Malfoy, Rowle or Crouch, whom he had known through his childhood. But his Lily was missing.
The ceremony was over, and the chair and hat were carried out of the hall. At the head of the hall stood the table for the teachers, among whom was an older man with long white hair, a crooked, almost broken nose, half-moon glasses and a long snow-white beard. This man turned out to be Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster. He gave a short welcome speech, greeting the old students and encouraging the new ones. After that, he devoted himself to the school rules and passed on the admonitions and regulations of the janitor to all students; for example, it was forbidden to enter the forest on the school grounds or even to cast spells in the corridors of the castle. He also gave a particularly strong warning about a willow tree on the school grounds that would lash out if approached. He concluded by announcing that it was now time to eat and wished everyone a good appetite.
In a blink of an eye, plates, and bowls laden with food from all over the world appeared before the students. The tables groaned and protested under the sheer weight of dishes. Everyone helped themselves and the new first graders introduced themselves to each other and got to know each other better. After this feast, including dessert, all the plates disappeared again as quickly as they had come. Professor Dumbledore rose once more and sent the students to bed, wishing them a good first night in the castle. He concluded his speech by singing the school anthem, which the entire school, with the exception of the teachers and a few Slytherins, sang along enthusiastically.
The students rose and headed to their common rooms. The first graders were led by the prefects of their respective houses so that the new ones could not get lost. They walked through a seemingly endless maze of stairs, hallways, and corridors. Lily had quickly lost track of them but noticed that they were climbing higher and higher and had turned west. They stopped in front of a portrait of a pompous lady in a pink dress. The prefects explained to the first graders that their common room was on the other side of the painting and was protected by a password. Prefect Felicia Summers told them the password was " bos cervi."
the portrait folded to the side and opened, and they finally entered. Inside, the girls and boys split up and were led to their respective dorms. The boys, however, were still admonished that they were denied access to the girls' dormitory and could expect a nasty surprise if they tried.
In the first-grade girls' dorm, Alice, Elizabeth, Marlene, Megan, Lily, Lucy, Sophie, Olivia was getting ready for bed. All of them were extremely tired but still excited about what tomorrow would bring. For a while they talked and exchanged ideas, got to know each other, but gradually sleep overcame them and they fell into the land of dreams. One thing was clear to them all, a great and exciting adventure had begun.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave me constructive criticism, I will read and answer it in any case, although it may take some time.