Chapter 2: Lily

Lily Evans had always considered herself a relatively normal girl. She had no problem making friends, she wasn't insecure or ill mannered and she always tried to see the good in people. She loved her parents, and her older sister, even if she could be difficult to deal with at times. Lily just wrote it off as 'normal sibling stuff.' Sometimes sisters just had to drive each other crazy, it was like some ancient right of kin or something.

Despite that, she couldn't help but notice that strange things did have a habit of happening around her. Things that she just couldn't explain. It's like, if she wished really hard and she wanted it bad enough, it almost always worked out more often than not, in her favor. But as time went by she had to admit to herself that she could no longer dismiss them as mere coincidences.

It was far too convenient. She first realized it when she was 5 or 6. She and Petunia were climbing trees and Petunia was climbing so quickly she was leaving Lily behind.

"Wait for me Tuney, not so fast!"

There were bits of dirt falling into her eyes from Petunia climbing ahead of her, making it difficult to see where she was going. Despite that, she was determined to keep up with her sister and so, even though she was blinking rapidly and her eyes were watery with debris, she tried to climb faster. In her urgency, her hand missed the next branch completely, and she had the sensation of being suspended in midair with nothing to grab hold of. Her heart jumped into her throat and was instantly followed by that inevitable surge of terror. She felt herself tip forward, had opened her mouth to start screaming, expecting at any moment to crash headfirst into the unforgiving grounds below.

But, it never came. She opened her eyes to find herself safely on the ground. She was standing upright, her feet planted firmly in the dirt as if she never started to climb that horrible tree in the first place.

Lily knew that she had been about to fall, knew that by all rights she should have been picking herself up off the ground in a tangled pile of limbs and broken bones. But she wasn't. She was fine. A little shaken maybe, but otherwise unharmed.

From there, she started experimenting, concentrating hard on what she wanted to happen. She performed better when she was alone, but she had managed to show her mum and dad (who, for weeks refused to believe a word of it) by floating a pencil at the kitchen table. They were weirded out for sure, but otherwise handled it alright. Still, she wasn't allowed to do those sorts of things outside the safety of the house. It was far too unnatural.

"Look at me," Petunia said, snapping Lily out of her reverie. She stared intently at her younger sister, her brow furrowed. She re-positioned Lily's face, with her thumb and index finger cupping her chin firmly. "Now go like this..." Petunia demonstrated pursing her lips out like she was eagerly awaiting a kiss from an invisible stranger.

Lily copied her sister obediently. If she let Petunia do this, she promised she would go with her to the park later. Besides, make-up may not exactly be her thing, but it was fun to have Petunia's full attention for once and the gussying up wasn't so bad…

Petunia started to smear Lily's lips with a dark red lipstick they borrowed from their mum's bureau. Her movements were slow and precise as she filled in all the gaps, her tongue pushing against the inside of her cheek as she concentrated. Satisfied, she chose a mossy green eyeshadow that she said would bring out Lily's eyes and swept it across her lids. She finished with a thick coat of mascara, screwing the cap back on and stepping back to admire her handiwork.

"How does it look?" Lily was almost afraid to ask.

"I think it's pretty," Petunia said, shrugging.

Lily got up out of the chair she was sitting in and crossed the room to the vanity. She almost didn't want to look, for fear she actually did look how she thought she might. Lily took a deep breath and held it high in her chest, letting it out slowly in preparation for her reflection.

"Tunia!" she protested, "I look like a witch!" Petunia came up behind her stifling a giggle.

"It's definitely an improvement," she quipped.

"Oh shut up," Lily laughed. She picked up the discarded lipstick and uncapped it with a devious grin, leaning smugly against the vanity.

"What are you doing Lily?" Petunia asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing.

"Nothing," Lily responded in mock innocence as she slowly wound the tube to reveal the deep crimson inside.

"Don't you dare!" Petunia warned. "Mummy's going to kill you. She's actually going to kill you dead." Petunia took one cautious step back, eyeing Lily with trepidation.

Lily pretended to consider Petunia's threat. "Hmm, well I guess that's a risk-" she paused, "-I'm willing to take!" She bounded towards Petunia who screamed playfully and ran from the room. Lily took off after her amongst gales of laughter.

"No! Mum!" Petunia screamed, laughing. Lily caught up to her, taking a calculating dive and grabbing her sisters ankles. Petunia staggered and fell onto the floor with a loud thud. "Ow!" Petunia exclaimed still giggling.

Lily took the opportunity to advance on Petunia, crawling on top of her and shouting "There will be no mercy!" Petunia screamed and tried to wriggle out of her sister's hold, but Lily was quicker and in one fluid motion she swiped the lipstick across Petunia's exposed cheek leaving a long, dark, crimson streak.

Lily felt Petunia's muscles relax in defeat as she continued with fits of breathy laughter. "Ugh! Lily! Stop!" She pleaded, her chest heaving to try and catch her breath. "Mummy!" She swatted at her sister a couple times before Lily gave in and got off of her, cheeks flushed and still giggling.

"Well, it's definitely an improvement," she breathed echoing Petunia's earlier sentiment.

"You butt!" Petunia exclaimed. "Now I have to go wash this off." she rolled over and stomped off to the bathroom.

"Like it would help!" Lily called after her. She ducked as a towel went zooming by her head. Lily laughed again. "Maybe you can rinse out the attitude too."

"GIRLS!"

"Sorry, Mum!" Lily called downstairs.

"Oh and Lily, don't wash that off yet," Petunia said from the bathroom. "I want you to show Mummy."

Lily groaned. "Really? Must we?" Petunia nodded sharply and Lily just rolled her eyes.

"GIRLS! Breakfast!" Mrs. Evans called from the kitchen.

"Coming Mum!" the girls echoed in unison.

A few moments later there were two sets of feet thumping noisily down the stairs as Lily attempted to race Petunia to the bottom. Petunia grabbed the back of Lily's shirt and pulled hard causing Lily to stagger backwards and allowing Petunia to rocket ahead of her to the kitchen, laughing maniacally.

Andrew Evans was already seated at the breakfast table reading the morning paper while sipping his coffee, his index finger tapping on the rim of the mug absentmindedly as he read. He only glanced up when the two girls came tearing through the kitchen, breathing heavily. Their gleeful faces were a mixture of wide smiles and playful exhaustion.

Mr. Evans had a saying. If his house was a garden then he had the most beautiful flowers in the world. He loved his wife and two beautiful daughters more than anything and it was clear he thought himself the luckiest man on the planet.

"There they are!" Mr. Evans announced jovially when he spotted the girls. "Wow! I must say, Lily you look ravishing this morning," he chuckled noticing her make up.

Lily bent low in a dramatic curtsy, holding the tips of her shirt out as though she were wearing an extravagant ball gown instead of a normal gingham tank top. "Why thank-you kindly good sir, how nice of you to notice," she replied in mock falsetto.

The two girls plopped themselves into their seats. Lily immediately grabbed the flagon of orange juice and poured herself a glass. Sounds of scraping pans and sizzling bacon floated from the kitchen as Mrs. Evans busied herself with breakfast. At the table, Mr. Evans folded up his newspaper and set it aside, sniffing the air comically.

"Smells fantastic Camelia," he said loudly. "But, I just don't know if I'll be able to wait any longer. I'm getting mighty hungry..." Mr. Evans ducked his head down under the table and roared happily, grabbing at his daughters feet. The girls shrieked with delight and attempted to hide their toes against the backs of their chairs dissolving into fits of giggles.

"Really, Andrew!" Mrs. Evans scolded. "Not at the table." She had whisked out of the kitchen, burdened by two enormous plates. One was laden with hot, greasy bacon and the other held a beacon of fluffy pancakes, overflowing with syrup.

"Sorry Camelia, dear" he said joyfully. "Couldn't help myself." He winked at his girls and they continued to giggle sheepishly in response.

Mrs. Evans set the plates down in front of her husband, planting a casual kiss on the top of his head as she did so. Lily and Petunia had already started to load their plates with the pancakes. Lily begun to tuck in, chewing large mouthfuls and washing it down with a good drought of orange juice in between swallows. Petunia, who had failed to start eating, was looking carefully around the table.

"Has anyone seen the-"

The ketchup bottle shot across the table and into Lily's outstretched hand. Petunia shrieked.

"Mum! She's doing it again!"

"Lily..." Mrs. Evans warned sternly.

"What? I'm still in the house aren't I?" Lily asked annoyed.

"What have I told you about doing... doing that?"

"Not to do it outside the house. Which I'm not!" Lily retorted.

"Not in front of your sister!"

"But-"

"It upsets her."

"But-"

"Please-" Mrs. Evans sighed and then tried again more gently. "Please, Lily. Can you do that for me?" she smiled imploringly at her youngest daughter.

"Yes, Mum," Lily responded automatically.

"Good girl," Mrs. Evans kissed her daughter on top of the head as she got up from the table, taking her plate back with her to the kitchen.

Lily pushed a piece of pancake around on her plate moodily. Across the table, Petunia had a look of smugness on her face that was infuriating.

"So," Mr. Evans spoke up suddenly in an attempt to ease the tension, "what's on the agenda for today girls?"

Lily shrugged. "Park later...I guess."

"Ah, that will be nice then won't it?" said Mr. Evans cheerfully. "You girls will get a chance to spend some quality time." He glanced at the clock. "Great Scot! I gotta get going or I'm gonna be late!" he said in a rush. He stuffed the last piece of bacon into his mouth, downed the last of his coffee and got up from the table. He ran to the door giving the girls hurried hugs on his way. At the front door he grabbed his hat and jacket and clumsily picked up his briefcase. "Bye Girls!"

"Bye Dad! Love you!"

"Bye Daddy!"

"Good-bye dear! Have a good day at work!"

The door slammed shut followed by several moments silence. Petunia continued to chew her bacon slowly while Mrs. Evans set about clearing the table.

"May I be excused?" Lily asked politely. "I need time to get this stuff off before I can show my face in public again." She shot Petunia with an icy glare.

"Yes Lily, you may." Mrs. Evans sighed catching her daughter's tone.

Lily pushed herself away from the table and plodded upstairs to the bathroom, desperate to rid herself of the mess. After a few washes and lots of scrubbing that left her skin tainted pink, she retreated to her bedroom.

As far as bedrooms go Lily always thought that hers was more agreeable than most. It was a fair size and had two sunny windows that bathed the room in light. Her bed lay just to the right of those windows and in the morning she would often wake with the delicate warmth of the sun beaming through the glass and creating bright beams that danced and flickered along the carpet. Just outside her windows, there was a spit of roof that allowed her to sit outside like a balcony. Her walls were painted a pale lilac purple and she had a squashy white armchair where she could sit and read her books without interruption.

There were other bits of furniture strewn carefully about the room. A tall white bookshelf packed with her favorite adventures, the vanity with a big glossy mirror pushed up against the wall and a great big wardrobe that was large enough to hide in. When she was smaller, she used to pretend it was a fort and it wasn't uncommon for Mrs. Evans to find her in the wardrobe sipping tea with her dollies.

Lily crossed to her vanity and ran a brush through her hair several times before picking it up and tying it back. She considered herself in the mirror a moment, decided she didn't like it and shook it out again, instead replacing it with a thick fabric headband. This would give her the advantage of keeping her hair out of her face without the hassle of tying it back completely.

"Lily! Hurry-up!" Petunia shouted from downstairs.

"OK I'm coming!" Lily shouted back. She took one final look in the mirror, satisfied that she had all the makeup off, or at least enough that she felt confident she wouldn't make a fool of herself, and swept out the door.

Lily and Petunia walked to the playground, their sandals scuffing along the sidewalk noisily. It was a beautiful day and the summer sun was creeping higher in the sky which was a clear denim blue. The birds were tweeting merrily and somewhere in the distance the faded jingle of an ice cream truck drifted up the street. Lily hopped between the bricks of asphalt, determined not to step on any of the cracks as they continued their walk in comfortable silence.

They approached the playground which was huddled away in a basin of land and surrounded by trees on one side, thus providing it with desolate seclusion.

"Last one to the swings is a rotten egg!" Lily sang as she sprinted down the hill. Petunia took off after her sister. Lily screamed as she bounded down the hill. She was running so fast she thought she was going to trip and roll the rest of the way down, her adrenaline pumping with the anticipation of Petunia catching her up.

They came speeding into the swing set, Lily collapsing onto the seat on her tummy and making the swing sway sporadically. The girls giggled and began to swing, pumping their legs furiously to gain more height than the other. Lily started to gain more and more distance, climbing higher.

"Tuney, watch! Watch me jump!"

Petunia looked scared and her swinging faltered a little as she watched Lily continue to fly higher on her swing, making the seat bounce from the rapid retraction of the chain at its peak.

"Lily, don't do it!" Petunia shrieked.

But it was too late. Lily had let go of her swing and thrown herself forward, flying through the air like some bizarre trapeze artist, floating far too gracefully and remaining airborne for far too long. She landed nimbly on her feet, laughing. Petunia dug her heels into the gravel, skidding to a stop.

"Mummy told you not to! Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!" Petunia scolded, her hands on her hips.

"But I'm fine" Lily giggled. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."

Lily ran towards the Laurel bushes and stooped to pick up one of the discarded buds littering the ground. She waited until Petunia had come close enough to see what she was doing. She opened her palm and concentrated. She concentrated on making the flower petals move and sway independently from one another as though locked in an exquisite dance.

"Stop it!" Petunia shrieked.

"It's not hurting you!" Lily demanded as she crumpled the blossom and threw it back onto the ground indignantly.

"It's not right." Petunia said staring at the discarded flower that lay wrinkled on the turf. "How do you do it?"

"It's obvious isn't it?"

A small skinny boy had appeared suddenly from behind the laurel bushes. He had sallow skin, and long dark hair that hung in curtains framing his thin face. He wore horribly mismatched clothes: a yellowing smock shirt, an oversized dark, faded blazer that swallowed his hands and baggy patched trousers that would have been falling down if not for the bit of wash line tied around his waist. Petunia screamed and took off towards the swing set. Lily looked affronted but stood her ground, hands on hips.

"What's obvious?" she asked cooly.

The boy looked embarrassed as Lily spoke, he was looking at his shoes and color crept high on his cheekbones. He chanced a glance at Petunia haunting the swing set and then leaned in to Lily, lowering his voice so she wouldn't hear.

"I know what you are." He breathed.

"What do you mean 'what' I am?"

"You're… You're a witch" the boy whispered slowly.

Lily looked offended. Her eyes widened in surprise, her jaw tightening and her eyes narrowing.

"That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"

Without another word she turned her back on the stringy boy and stalked off towards her older sister, nose in the air.

"No, wait!" the boy called after her. He started to run after them, his shirt sleeves flailing through the air at his sides. Lily had retreated to the swings along with Petunia, one hand holding onto the iron framework if only to put something between her and the strange boy. She was quite obviously uncomfortable.

"You are, you are a witch. I've been watching you for awhile. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."

Petunia laughed shrilly, caught somewhere between the need to shame the boy and genuine disbelief.

"A Wizard!" She scoffed. "I know who you are," she said, "you're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river," she told Lily acidly. "Why have you been spying on us?"

"Haven't been spying…" Snape said uneasily. "Wouldn't spy on you anyway," he told Petunia maliciously, "you're a Muggle."

Petunia spluttered with resentment, her mouth opening and closing as though she were trying to think of some spiteful retort but was unable to find the words. Clearly she didn't understand what the Snape boy called her and she was struggling to regain her composure. She 'humphed' haughtily.

"Come on Lily, we're leaving!" she said shrilly. Lily glared at Snape as they passed, stalking off after her sister.

"Wait!" Lily heard him call after them. "You are a witch Lily! If you want, I'll be waiting for you by the river! Tomorrow then!" he shouted. There was a brief pause then he added, "There's nothing wrong with it!"

There was a sudden flash and the river and bridge that divided the town sprung suddenly into Lily's mind. Her heart sped up, the picture painted so vividly in her mind's eye she could have been watching it on a television set. She faltered slightly with surprise, but before she had a chance to understand what had happened it was over. Gone.

She understood that somehow the Snape boy was the one responsible, but she couldn't explain how she knew. She just did. She chanced a glance behind her and saw a lone black figure retreating back the way it had come. She could tell by his stature, even at this distance, that he was disappointed. His shoulders slumped and his hands were stuffed inside his pockets his head hanging low, staring at the ground in front of him as he trudged forward. He didn't see her look back.

For the rest of the day Lily couldn't get the boy out of her mind. She kept replaying the events at the park on repeat hoping to discover some other clue that he may have indeed been telling the truth. Something other than the vision. When that failed to turn up anything new, she sifted through her own thoughts and memories, connecting the evidence through incidents in her own life.

What the boy said did make a lot of sense. It would explain how she was able to do things that nobody else seemed able to. At least, not anyone she knew. At least not anyone she knew until -

"Snape" she whispered desolately into her pillows.

Lily rolled over and tried to calm her whirling mind. Tomorrow everything would be made clear she decided. Tomorrow she would see the boy again and ask him all the questions that were eating at her from the inside. Then maybe, she could make a well informed decision on whether or not she could trust him.

'Tomorrow,' she thought, as she drifted off silently into a restless sleep. 'Until, tomorrow.'

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed this fic! If you have read and haven't reviewed...well then you should ;) I just wanted to pop on here to say that just like in the first chapter, there were lines borrowed directly from The Deathly Hallows "The Prince's Tale". I don't own these lines or what happens in this part of the story. I've just changed perspective and rewritten it. There were a few minor changes I made to fit the flow of the story, (Mostly a few added lines) but it remains pretty much the same.

*Minor Re-editing*