Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
4. A Cataclysmic Event
Lily adores Rose, has practically since birth. She often wishes that Rose could be her sister instead of having brothers like James, who is loud and annoying, and Al, who is quiet and annoying. Certainly she knows Rose would rather have her as a sister than have to put up with Hugo, who is snotty and unsociable. They even look like sisters, with red hair and freckles, though Rose's hair is brighter and Lily's is auburn. She and Rose have a special bond, and they do everything together that they possibly can. Therefore, the arrival of Hogwarts letters is the advent of a big change in Lily's life.
On any other day, she would be jumping at the chance to be free of James and Al, to have her parents all to herself, but this means losing Rose. She would gladly play with Al every day if it meant she could stay with Rose. Of course, the world is never fair, so she is stuck with Hugo for another two years before she can go to Hogwarts. Lily wants to scream and complain at the world, but right now she's sitting on Rose's bed as Rose packs her trunk and frets about going to Hogwarts, and she can tell that Rose has enough to worry about.
"Oh, I'm going get so lost, Mum says the castle is huge! What if I can't do my homework? What if my housemates don't like me? What if I'm in Hufflepuff?" Rose wails.
"You could never be in Hufflepuff, Rose," Lily replies comfortingly. "You're way too smart for that. I bet you'll be in Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor like your mum."
"You think so?" Rose nearly sags in relief. She looks carefully at Lily's face, and maybe she can see Lily's worries written there, because she adds, "I'll write to you, I promise. Every week at least, and every day if I can." This is one of the reasons why Lily loves Rose: Rose knows just what to say to make her feel better.
On the day that they all pile into the car to drop James and Al off at the station, Lily pouts and stares morosely out the window. She hears James teasing Al about being a Slytherin and has to plug her ears at the volume of the argument that follows. She hugs Rose extra tightly before she walks onto the train, trying to put four months' worth of hugs into one. Hugo, prat that he is, doesn't hug his sister at all and only offers a grudging, monosyllabic farewell. When Lily can no longer see Rose waving from the train, she turns around, catches Hugo's flat stare, and tries not to cry.