Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters etc.

This is a new and updated version of A shoulder to lean on. It will be broken up into smaller chapters, but there will be more of them! It has been rewritten and improved! Hope you enjoy! (be nice in the comments Plz)

(This takes place before the summer before 7th year)

"Protago" Lily yelled. She barely managed to cast the shield charm in time to deflect the vase racing towards her. Not once had Lily used magic in one of their fights, but this time she didn't have a choice. She and Petunia had fought before, what siblings didn't, but never in the past seventeen years had they fought like this! There they were, standing in the Evans' living room, the shattered vase in the corner, and wilted flowers scattered across the carpet. The decorative pillows, once neatly arranged on the couch, now lay scattered across the room.

"GET OUT! LEAVE FREAK!' Petunia screamed from her spot across the room. 'Take all of your unnatural shit, and get the fuck away from me! Get out of my life! I never want to see you again! I wish you were never born!" Petunia's face was bright red and her eyes filled with hatred. Lily had never seen her sister look at her like that.

"Tuny, please!" Lily said, tears rushing down her face! How could this be happening? Things were getting better between them, at least before she met Dursley! Lily put down her wand, and tentatively took a step towards her sister. "Don't!" Petunia yelled, and Lily stood still.

"Petunia, come on! Please!" Lily pleaded. She raised her arms in surrender and tried again. "Please, just talk to me. We were best friends once, and I know things haven't been perfect these past few years, but we're sisters! What changed? why can't we even try to get along?"

"Friends? We were NEVER friends!' Petunia smeared. She began to move towards Lily. 'I would never be friends with one of your kind!" . Lily couldn't believe the words coming out of her sister's mouth. "Petunia!" Lily cried desperately.

Petunia carried on as if she hadn't heard her and with each insult she moved closer and closer to her little sister."You are a FREAK! You're not normal. A mistake. You were not meant to be in this world, you should be with the rest of your type. I'm done with you and your freakishness running my life. Mum and Dad might be blinded from the truth, but not me. You were never meant to be part of this family!"

"But I'm your sister! We are supposed to accept each other no matter what."

Petunia had reached Lily. "Get it through your head. WE ARE NOT SISTERS." And with that Petunia slapped Lily across her face leaving a bright red handprint on her cheek. That is all it took to finally break Lily. She could take being called a freak, hell compared to what some purebloods called her, freak was a compliment. She could take the screaming and the fighting, despite how much it hurt, she could take it. But never had Petunia slapped her with that much hate, and never had she said those four words.

Lily used to believe that Petunia didn't actually hate her; that the name calling and mean

comments were just a mask for the jealousy and hurt that had been slowly building ever since Lily received her acceptance letter; since she left her sister behind. But she now saw just how wrong she had been. For a moment the Evans sisters stood still, the destroyed living room forgotten, just two girls, staring at each other. Both were breathing heavily, but only Lily had tears streaming down her face. Lily searched her sisters face for any sign that things could be repaired, that they could cool off and talk things out; she came up empty

Something inside Lily finally broke. She couldn't take it. Her heart felt like it had been ripped out. She couldn't breath, she had to get out of there away from those hate filled eyes staring unblinkingly at her. In one motion, Lily stuck her hand in her pocket, drew her wand, turned on the spot and disapparated.

…

Over the past two years Lily Evans and James Potter had slowly become all started that day in 5th year, the day of the O.W.L.s, the day that sev- No Snape had called her that unforgivable word, the day she lost her best friend. But the reality was that she had lost him long before. Lily had tried to maintain their friendship, believing that houses didn't determine friendships. But he changed. Lily wanted to believe that he wasn't really like the douches he hung out with. That he would never use that word, but deep down Lily knew who he was becoming and what that meant. Knowing that, still didn't prepare her for that moment; the comment still hurt.

But something happened that evening, as she was studying in the library, James Potter approached her, and after a moment he sat down at her table. He apologized. Apologized for what happened earlier, and for all of the times that he teased her, embarrassed her, played mean pranks on her. He sat with her and listened, letting her speak. That one conversation, a simple act of humility and kindness changed everything.

Lily did lose a friend that day, but she also gained one, well actually two and a half; James, Sirius, and their friend Peter considering the fact that those idiots were a package deal, Although, truth be told, Lily never felt as close to Peter as the others. She and Remus had been friends for several years, often reading or studying together, she could never understand why he was friends with the other "marauders" (as they called themselves), but over the next couple years she would understand. And though she would deny it to anyone who asked, Lily began to have feelings for one James Potter.

…...

Lily didn't have a destination in mind, as she turned on her heel. She just knew she had to get out of the place she had once thought of as her home; anywhere was better than where she was. Somewhere safe, somewhere comforting, somewhere not here were the only thoughts on her mind. The squeezing, and spinning feeling finally stopped and Lily felt her feet hit the ground. She opened her eyes and looked around, wondering where it was she appeared. The first thing she noticed was the rain. "Great!' she mumbled to herself, 'as if this day couldn't get any worse."

She then looked up, and there in front of her, was a massive iron gate, and a large stone wall, spanning as far as she could see on either side. There on the gate, just above the magical lock, was the family crest she had come to know so well. She had only been here a couple of times, but the gates to Potter Manor never failed to intimidate her. It looked like something you would find guarding a castle with its tall metal rods and large square stone pillars on each side of the gate. Even though she and James were good friends, Lily was still surprised to see that this was the first place that come to mind when she disapparated. She then realized that she was quickly becoming drenched from the rain. Unsure of what she should do, she made a list of her options.

Her best friend Marlene was in France with her family. Alice was currently visiting her boyfriend Frank. Dorcas was with Mary, who already has four brothers, so there really isn't any room for her there. It was almost the full moon so that took Remus out of the equation, and Lily really wasn't close enough with any of her other friends to show up unannounced looking for a place to stay. And on top of all that she was beginning to become very wet and very cold. That left one option. Lily pulled out her wand, mumbled the incantation, and walked through the gate.

She hurried up the path to the main house. By the time she reached the door, she was dripping wet and soaked from head to toe. Finally out of the rain, Lily took a moment to calm her breathing. As she approached the massive oak door, Lily hesitated for a moment, suddenly nervous. What would she say? How would he react? Maybe she should go! Where could she go? No. They were friends, and Mrs. Potter had told her many times that she was always welcome. It was going to be fine. "Lily, stop being dumb and just knock!" she said to herself. Lily lifted her hand, and knocked on the door.