A/N Sorry it's been a while, I've been very busy with everything including revising for my mocks! And also I got snowed in at my friends house so I didn't have my computer ;)

Chapter 3

Lily sat in her room, painting her small toenails with Colour changing nail varnish. She hummed tunelessly to herself as she worked. She had been given the nail varnish for her eleventh birthday, the day before and had been desperate to try it out since she had unwrapped it. It glided on silkily, glimmering in the light.

"Lily! Lily, could you come down here please?"

Lily looked down at her toenails, now covered in unset nail varnish.

"Um, can it wait? Only I'm slightly...busy with something?" Her voice trailed off guiltily.

"No, Lily, it cannot wait. Come down now!" Lily got up and carefully hobbled out of her room, trying not to imagine the reaction if she got nail varnish on the new carpet. She shuffled down the stairs and into the large kitchen. Her Aunt Hermione was standing at the stove, wand out, while three large pots bubbled.

"Ah, you're here! Why are you walking so oddly? Are you hurt? Oh, what have you done now you silly child? I told you, practicing your gymnastics at the top of the stairs was a bad idea! Where does it hurt? Let me look!" Hermione's hands fluttered over Lily, protective as always.

"Aunt Hermione! Stop it your tickling me! I'm not hurt! I just... haven't had time to let my toenails dry." She grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, honestly! One of these days you're going to give me a heart attack! You're as bad as Rose! Now, it's your turn to lay the table! And make sure the knives are facing the right way this time!"

Lily rolled her eyes and got to work laying the table.

Lily Potter could not remember any life different to the one she lived with her aunt, uncle and cousins. For almost eleven years, she had been treated as their daughter, as Rose and Hugo's sister. Of course, she knew she wasn't, as Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron talked about her parents and brothers so often, but sometimes it was easy to forget that. After all, she had never known any different.

The search for the Potters' murderer had been a top priority case at the ministry for over three years, at the orders of Ernie Macmillan, the Minister for Magic, but not a single clue or shred of evidence had been found. A search for James and Albus had been initiated immediately across the whole of the global wizarding community and yet, not a single sighting of them had been confirmed. The whole Weasley family had desperately tried to keep the search in the forefront of people's minds but after years with absolutely no news, it proved impossible and the search dwindled. The Potter case took a back seat behind other new cases as thoughts of a conviction become increasingly unlikely. The Weasleys never gave up on finding James and Albus but, unable to find support for their seemingly impossible cause, there was little they could do. As time passed, the belief and hope of finding the boys alive shrunk and died.

Lily looked up as Hugo entered the room. Lily laughed at the look of disgust that spread across her best friend's face when he saw his mother.

"Oh Mum, come on! You know I hate carrots! They're disgusting!"

"Well, apparently you are the only one who thinks that so you are just going to have to put up with them!" Hermione proceeded to tip the carrots into one of the big pans.

"Please Mum! Please don't make me eat them! I'll die! I think I'm allergic! Honestly! If you make me eat them I will shrivel up and suffocate! How would you live with that? Knowing that you killed your own son? Please Mum, please don't do it!" Hugo clutched at his mother desperately.

"Hugo, stop being so childish and put a jug of water on the table. Honestly, all this fuss about a vegetable!" Hermione handed Hugo a glass jug, exasperatedly.

"Oh, Aunt Hermione you mustn't be so hard on him," said Lily with a glint in her eye. "He can't help being childish...after all he's only ten! Haha!" Lily ducked under the table as Hugo made a swipe for her, forgetting the glass jug in his hand. It flew to the ground, shattering into hundreds of pieces. One of them caught Lily in the stomach. She let out a yelp of shock mixed with pain as a large gash appeared and began to leak blood down her t-shirt. Tears sprung to her eyes and she fought to hold back the sobs of pain that threatened to escape. Salty water ran down her face and a rasping breath broke through her clamped lips.

"Hugo, you stupid boy! Look what you've done! Go and stand out of the way in that corner. Now! And watch the glass!" Hermione rushed over and carefully pulled Lily from beneath the table, sitting her on the counter. Waves of pain shuddered through Lily's body making her tremble violently.

"It's ok, Lily. You're fine, it's just a cut." Hermione placed her hands on either side of the small girl's face and looked into her eyes. "You're going to be okay. Breath Lily." Lily had been holding her breath for so long that her lips were tinged with blue. As she let air rush into her lungs a sob ripped through her chest. Hermione folded her arms around her, stroking her hair before the pain grew too strong and Lily slipped into the deep, black depths of unconsciousness.

There was a heavy blanket covering Lily, holding her down in the darkness. She heard gentle murmurings and tried to push the blanket off of her but it would not move. It enveloped her brain, surrounding her in a haze of confusion. She tried pushing again and managed to hear a voice before the blanket slipped and covered her again. She was scared. She wanted to get it off her. It made it so dark. She pushed again with all her might and a bright light shone through a small slit. She heard a voice.

"Lily? Lily can you hear me sweetie? Lily can you open your eyes?" It was Aunt Hermione. Lily managed to push the blanket further and felt something clutching her hand. Something warm and comforting. More light streamed in.

"Lily, it's me. It's Aunt Hermione. Can you see me Lily?" All Lily could see was a bright light, blinding her. She shut her eyes tightly and opened them again. The room came into focus. She was in her bed, wrapped tightly in sheets and covers. Aunt Hermione was sitting in a chair beside her, holding her hand. Everything was slightly hazy. Why was she in bed? Why did Aunt Hermione look so worried and so relieved?

"What happ-"Lily tried to speak but her voice croaked and rasped in her throat. Hermione helped her swallow a sip of water, supporting her head like a baby's.

"Don't you remember? Hugo dropped a jug and some glass cut your tummy. You're fine now, I had to use a few spells but you can't even tell that you were cut." Aunt Hermione helped Lily to sit up, fluffing up the pillows behind her.

"Is Hugo ok? Was he hurt? Was it my fault?" Panic filled Lily's mind as the thought of her best friend being hurt gripped her with fear. She couldn't bear it if something had happened to him. They'd grown up together and were as close as siblings.

"No, Lily, no he's fine. Calm down. And of course it wasn't your fault. You two were just messing around, being kids. It was no one's fault. Hugo's downstairs helping Uncle Ron make us all dinner. Let's just hope they haven't accidentally poisoned it." Hermione laughed as Rose entered the room.

"Oh Lily you're awake! Mum why didn't you say anything?" Rose rushed over and gently hugged Lily. "How're you feeling?"

Hermione stood up. "I'm going to pop downstairs and check that no joke potions are being put in our stew to turn us all into rabbits or something. Will you two be ok up here? Rose, come and get me if there's any problems." She left the room and Rose took her chair.

"So, does it hurt?" Rose looked at the covers eagerly.

"No, I can't feel a thing. I just feel kind of...dreamy. Like everything's not quite real you know?"

"Sounds like you've been drinking too much butterbeer! So you can't feel it at all? Well, that's ok then! I was all about ready to kill Hugo! He's such an idiot!" Rose rolled her eyes.

"No he's not! Don't be mean! Aunt Hermione said he didn't mean to!" Lily feebly slapped her thirteen-year-old cousin's wrist.

"Even if he didn't mean it, he's so clumsy! Honestly, throwing a glass jug at you! I mean sometimes I've felt like throwing things at you...when you're in one of your super annoying moods...but I never actually have, even by accident! What a klutz! So...you never did tell me...how does it feel being eleven?"

A/N I hope you liked it...this chapter was kind of building up their characters...next chapter ....Hogwarts kicks in!!!!! Please please please hit that review button!!!!