Shouts, Sneaks, and Tears

Lily turned to Jane with pure fear in her eyes.

"Jane, don't let a soul near my house. And if theres a big argument, can I stay at you're place for the rest of the summer?" she said quickly, while people gathered around.

"Of course." Jane answered loyally.

"Thanks." she said and after giving her friend a quick hug, she skated off at top speed. Jane stood up on a podium the boys hadn't noticed before.

"Everyone, Lily has asked me a personal favour. Absolutely no one is to go to Lily's house. Please, her parents are home un-expectedly. There might be trouble. No one is to go to Lily's house, understood?" she shouted. Everyone nodded and some shouted out 'understood' with a mock solute.

Meanwhile

"David?"

"Yes dear?"

Rose and David Evans were being driven home in their normal car. They planned to surprise their daughters, as the janitorial staff of the clinic was on strike. Rose has been gazing out the window, scowling at how the youngsters these days spent their time. But just as a flash of red hair so like her own whizzed by from the direction of the 'skate park' she became attentive.

"Are my eyes deceiving me, or was that Lillian?" she asked her husband.

David Evans looked over from his paper. "Impossible. What would our daughter be doing in the company of such people? The trip has been long, and you are tired. When we get home Lillian and Petunia will make you some luncheon. Then we can retire for a nap."

But Rose couldn't put the matter aside.

Lily had taken every short cut she knew, and reached her house about ten minutes before she guessed her parents would arrive. When she got in, she nearly fainted at the mess from the party. She whipped out her wand, which was concealed under her arm and wrist guards, she vanished and cleaned everything in about 2 minutes.

After that she ran upstairs and vanished everything in her room her parents wouldn't approve of. She quickly got changed into 'acceptable' clothes, and ran downstairs to call Petunia. Lily swore as she didn't answer her cell. Glancing out the window, she saw her parents slowly turning onto the street. Thank goodness she was at the end of her street. E.T.A. 3 minutes.

Once again whipping out her wand, she bolted up to Petunia's room, after charming some food to cook itself. Wiping away the dust, Lily made the entire house look like the home of two girls, just as the doorbell rang. She un-charmed the food, smoothed her dress, and took a few deep breaths, while shouting, "One moment please!"

She opened the door. She feigned surprise. "Mother! Father! What a surprise!"

They smiled in their snobby way. "Ah yes Lillian, a problem came up at the clinic, so we thought it would be nice for us to surprise you and you're sister. Where is Petunia anyway?" Dave said.

"Oh, uh, Petunia is..." Lily started, forgetting that Petunia wasn't here, "she's out volunteering at the elderly home." she lied perfectly.

"Oh, she's such a dear. Now what's that I smell?" Rose said, smiling at where she believed her daughter was.

"Oh dear!" Lily acted while she ran away. She had charmed her apple pie to smell like it was burning, to use as an excuse to get away from her parents early so she could contact Petunia. She heard her parents on the stairs, taking their own luggage for a change. She grabbed the phone. This time Petunia answered.

"Pett, listen to me, mum and dad are here, surprise visit. You're supposed to be 'volunteering at the elderly home', get back here around 3 okay? Good. Got to go." she said, not giving her sister time to answer or question. She was hanging up the phone when her mother came down the stairs.

"Oh hello Mother. I was just speaking to Petunia, she's very pleased to hear that you and Father are visiting. She said she plans to be back around 3, you know how she loves helping others." Lily said in a very non-chalant and as snobby a voice as she could muster.

Rose stared at her strangely. But then, she eyed the pie on the table. "Oh Lillian, you're such a dear. When you're Father gets down we'll have some pie." she said, giving her daughter a very fake and cold peck on the cheek.

Once Dave returned, Lily and Rose were involved in a very fake discussion about "how children spend their time these days'.

"You wouldn't believe what I saw." Rose said, in that same airy voice that implied gossip.

"Oh do tell." Lily faked in the same voice.

"While you're Father and I were driving by a 'skate park' we saw a young girl that looked remarkably like you." she said, an odd twinkle in her eye.

"Oh it's probably just an admirer. I've seen many on my daily walks through the park, I just love watching those toddlers at play." Lily replied non-chalantly. Rose eyed her for a moment, but then, as if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Lily jumped up, excusing herself, and ran to get the door, feeling her mother's eyes bore into her from behind. When she opened the door, Petunia was standing there in a flowery dress, trying to look nice. But she was glaring at Lily.

"Petunia!" Lily exclaimed loudly, hoping to get her suspicious mother off her trail.

"Lillian, you said that Mother and Father were here?" Pett said in the same voice.

"Ah Petunia! How are you dear!" David said, opening his arms in welcome.

"Father!" Petunia said in the same voice. They had a very fake embrace.

Hours later Lily and Petunia insisted that they go to bed for their 'beauty sleep' not that Lily needed it. But unfortunately for Lily, it was only 8pm. And Officer Kaysee's shift ended at 9.

As Kaysee rang the doorbell, she hoped that the rumors about Lily's parent's being in town was true. Apparently they were, because a woman that looked in her thirties answered the door. And she looked remarkably like Lily.

"'Evening ma'am, would you by any chance be Mrs. Evans?" she said.

"Yes, that's me. Is there problem officer?" Rose responded, completely clueless.

"May I come in ma'am? I need to speak with you and you're husband about a rather delicate manner."

A bewildered Rose showed Kaysee into the living room. David looked up from his paper. After greetings had been established, Kaysee went very delicately into the subject of Lily's record. She was sure to be careful, because Lily seemed absolutely nothing like her parents. When she left to get Lily's record as proof, (David and Rose didn't believe her) Rose wanted to call Lily down.

"But surely she can help straighten things out dear." she had argued.

"I'm certain that this is all a mix up. There is no need to call down the girls, they might as well have their rest." David replied very non-chalantly.

But when Kaysee arrived with Lily's bulging file containing records of minor mischief, disturbing the peace, and underage alcohol ownership, both parents were speechless.

"B-But-" David tried to complete a sentence.

"Lillian! Come down here please!" Rose shrieked, sounding much like Petunia.

Lily woke up, groggy, and while rubbing her eyes, and assuming her mother had broken a nail, carefully went downstairs.

But when she saw Kaysee, and the file, she froze and paled. She decided that if she made this look like a mistake, she might evade a confrontation. But even as she said this to herself, she didn't believe it.

"Mother? Is something wrong?" she said in the snobbiest voice she could muster. Kaysee was taken aback by it.

"Lillian, would you care to explain this?" her father asked, in a very un-like him tone. He held the file in two hands.

But Lily's mind had gone blank. "Um..." was all she could say. As any daughter would, she didn't want to disappoint her parents.

David blew up. "That was you at the skate park! You were spending you're time with hooligans!"

Now when not tempered, Lily was a very nice girl. But she had been neglected by her parents for so long, that she all of a sudden wanted to let them know what exactly they meant to her. Plus, David had just insulted her friends. And Griffindors were known for their loyalty.

"They are not hooligans!" she shouted. Rose and David stared back at her. She had never shouted in their presence before, and they had never been on the receiving end of her temper.

But Lily wasn't done. "And just so you know, yes, I did do all of those things! And I enjoyed every second of it! Yes, that was me at the skate park, and I was having a wonderful time! But then you two just had to come and ruin it all! Yes, I go clubbing, surfing, partying, and whatever the ---- else I want! I won't put up this facade any longer! I will not pretend to be snobby while it comes completely naturally to you two! I am ashamed to call myself you're daughter!" Lily finished her rant, glaring at her parents with all the hate she had repressed for so long.

Finally, David, (Rose seemed to have lost her voice) glared, and said, "I cannot believe you! So, disrespectful! After all we have done for you! We have been nothing but kind and caring,-" he was cut off by Lily's snort.

"Kind and caring. Yeah right! I normally see you once a month in the summers, and that's too much for me! You neglect me all the time, and you have ever since you got that stupid promotion!" she shouted.

"How dare you! The promotion did nothing but good for this family, and we most certainly do not neglect you!" David shouted back. Kaysee was thinking about leaving, as this seemed to be a very family affair.

Fire filled Lily's eyes. (Not literally) "One year after the promotion, you drag Petunia and I to all of these events and gatherings during which you scolded us for not acting like all the other children there! Two years after, you start taking us out to these dinners, and you punish us if we don't refer to each other by our full names! You force us every year, to take a family photo so you can show all you're snobby, stuck-up friends! Three years after, you buy another house in London, and leave us here! Fourth year, I give up confiding in you, because you shove me off, just just saying it's a faze. You pay more attention to you're patients than to you're own daughters! Worried about school is not a faze! Fifth year, you make a sort of schedule including what me and Petunia have to say, and do, for all of your visits! Sixth year, you learn that I had been made prefect, which, might I add, happened in Fifth year, and therefor you drag me out to London to all of your precious parties while I just wanted to stay here all summer and have my own parties! The only reason I didn't complain was because I knew that it would be a waste of breath since you never listen to me! And Seventh year, well, look around you!" Lily finished, out of breath, throwing her arms out exasperatedly. Kaysee was standing, shell-shocked, at the front door.

David, however, was raging mad with fury and embarrassment.

Shaking with fury, he ordered "Go to your room, Lillian. We will be leaving for London, tomorrow, and your coming with us. Permanently."

"What?" Lily said, startled by this.

"That's right," he said, (sounding like Uncle Vernon in the first book) "We have arranged for this house to be sold, and you and your sister will be returning with us to London tomorrow. And I think it's a good idea to take you out of that school, I believe its a bad influence."

"You can't do that!" Lily shouted. Kaysee had left by now.

"Watch me. Your not of age yet, and therefor you go where we go. When we get there, I will sell all of that stuff and get you some real school supplies." he said, sounding triumphant.

Lily smiled wrily. "Shows how much you know. I'm 17 now, and of legal age in the magic world. Or did you forget my birthday like the second year?"

"Did you seriously expect us to let you go on in that world of yours? NO! You will get a normal job at the clinic. The only reason we let you go in the first place was because we thought it would be good to know all that stuff! As long as your under my roof, you'll follow my rules!" David finished with a most un-like him sneer.

Lily thought. She surprisingly kept her cool. And that allowed her to think logically. She didn't want to follow his rules, so why not leave?

"I intend to become an auror when I'm out of school, and nothing is going to stop me. Look at how much you know about me. You think that I'm some stuck-up snob like yourselves, and that I would bow down to your every command. Well, I'm not. I'm exceedingly popular around here, because I have the biggest and longest parties. I might just leave this dump." she said cooly. The startled looks on her parent's faces gave her an immense amount of satisfaction.

"B-But think about what your saying Lillian-" Rose started.

"My name, is Lily." she said, then tromped up to her room. She magiced everything to shrink so it would fit into her trunk, she was leaving. She could stay with Jane for the rest of the summer, then, she would be on her own. Aria hooted uncomfortably as she was taken from her cage.

"We're leaving Aria. Don't worry, we'll be Absolutely fine." Lily soothed her pet as she scribbled a note to Jane.

(I just realized that I haven't described something. When Lily's parents were nice, she and Jane were inseparable. Jane was there when Lily got her letter, and Lily for Jane's. Yes, Jane is a witch. How do you think that podium got there? Anyway, Jane has been going to Buexbattons, because her father went there. Lily is the only one (other than Aria) with whom she could be herself, because Jane would know if she was acting. Jane also has a twin sister, Veraline. But if it wasn't for their looks, people would think they aren't even related. Both girls are 17, but Lily doesn't know to much about Vera.)

"Take this to Jane's place, I'll meet you there, okay?" she told her. With a be-careful hoot, Aria flew out the open window. Just as Lily heard her parent's running up the stairs.

"Colloportus." she said, pointing her wand at the door. She saw the doorknob turn, and her parent's surprised voices. Taking the last item, her photo album of 'the old days' and placing it in her trunk, she went to the window. Lily herself had planted some very strong (magically enhanced of course) ivy there, and it led all the way down. She put her trunk out the window, levitating it before it hit the ground. With an annoying pang, she realized that her parents were talking about fazes again, saying that she just needed time to cool off, blah blah blah. As a present, just for her parents, she took her large supply of dungbombs and rigged it so that when and if they broke the door down, they'd get a nice present.

With one last look around at her previous sanctuary for the last seven years, she smiled and climbed out the window, and grabbed her bike. Then, with her amazing charming skills, she shrunk her trunk to fit in her pocket. Then she rode off to Jane's house.

Jane knew Lily so well that she had already informed her parents that Lily would be staying with them. Of course, they had agreed whole-heartedly.

The doorbell rang, and Jane wasn't surprised to see Lily standing there, eyes slightly red and puffy.

"Oh you poor thing! Come on, we'll get you cleaned up." Jane said, taking Lily into a hug. After greetings with Jane's parents, Mr & Mrs Parker, Jane took Lily to the guest room, and asked where her things were.

Lily smiled and took out her trunk.

"Now I wish they taught us that at Beauxbattons!" she said with a laugh as Lily began unpacking. Soon, the room was filled with Lily's things, but she had left her photo album back in her trunk.

"Oh Lily, I meant to ask you, do you know of a place called Hogwarts?" Jane asked hopefully.

Lily stopped piling her books on the desk she had packed, and looked at Jane with curiosity. "Yeah, why?" she asked back.

Jane shrugged. "Well I signed up for this exchange thing at my own school, and I was hoping-" Lily had cut her off by squealing and hugging her friend. Lily did a little dance.

"Your coming to Hogwarts! Your coming to Hogwarts! Your coming to Hogwarts!" she chanted.

"Oh my goodness! I forgot that was your school! Wahoo!" Jane started dancing as well. A head poked into the door, curious, and laughed lightly at the sight of her sister and her sister's best friend dancing around squealing. Jane saw her.

"Oh gosh Vera your not going to believe this! The school we're transferring to is where Lily goes!" Jane said, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Your a witch Vera?" Lily asked curiously.

"Of course she is! Now Lily, Vee and I are going to sit down while you tell us everything there is to know about Hogwarts." Jane said, and dragged her sister over and sat on the small couch Lily had packed.

Lily laughed and sat down on her bed. She started with Quidditch, then went to explain the houses and sorting.

"Well, I hope that I get to be in the same house as you Lilsy." Jane said happily.

Then she went onto the subject of classes. She noticed that Vera seemed much more attentive when she reached Herbology.

"They never had that sort of thing at Beauxbattons, and I really enjoy plants so I did extra research." she admitted shyly. Vera seemed to be the shy sort, while Jane was much more outgoing.

Then, Lily laughed at the look of distaste on Jane's face and the look of curiosity on Vera's when she reached the library.

"You know, if I didn't know better I'd never guess that you two are twins." she said happily. Both had identical shoulder length dirty blond hair, and the only thing different about them was their eyes. Jane had her father's chocolate brown eyes, while Vera had her mother's sky blue eyes.

But then, Jane asked Lily to explain Quidditch again.

It was midnight when Mrs. Parker came up and insisted that they all go to bed, and was pleased to know that Lily would help her daughters when they got to their new school. Vera went to bed obediently, while Jane put up a really good, but friendly argument and every excuse in the book. But then she sulked off to her shared room with her twin.

When she was Finally alone, Lily got out of bed and opened her trunk. She took out the book, and looked threw it. Several tears hit various pages.

Lily decided to go for a walk. She didn't want to get caught, so she expertly dropped from her window, (only a few meters off the ground) and walked. About twenty minutes later, she found herself outside Genevive's bar. Lily went in, needing someone to talk to.

As she left two hours later, one thing Genevive had said still rang in Lily's mind. "Life is hard. You can either be afraid, and waste it away. Or, you can be brave, and live life to it's fullest. I know that you're not afraid. You'll be happy, one day."

The reason that Lily had never had a boyfriend was only known by Jane and herself. She was afraid of heartbreak, of being abandoned. Like she was seven years ago. She was terrified of it.

She climbed back into her window, and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Blurb added on the twenty third, when i'm spell checking and editing this chapie! heehee...i'm evil, aren't i, keeping the answers to so many of your questions...well, i managed to cure Poster's Block, but i might get a relapse if u don't keep up the reviews. (hint hint)