"-and that's when Sirius got the pixie stuck in his right nostril, then he was the one flailing around. Remus was about as useful as a cheap sickle-store quality Spell-Checking quill. Since he was busy hyperventilating about flushing McGonagall's reading glasses down the toilet, he really couldn't help out with the Sirius situation. And then that's when Peter lost his grip on the potion and dropped it in the bowl while he was trying to stop the miniature sharknado he had accidentally conjured. The potion got absorbed into the flour mixture, so on top of all of that, now we had to deal with a sentient gelatinous mass of goo screaming bloody murder. And get this, the first thing it did was try to straight-up eat me and…" James trailed off.
"...and you're not listening." he finished after a moment of pause.
There was a beat of silence in the train car.
"Hmm?" Lily Evans glanced up, breaking out of her dazed trance when she realized her boyfriend had stopped talking. "Sorry, what was that?"
James Potter just looked at her, "Nothing, just talking about what happened last Tuesday."
"Oh," she said before wrinkling her nose. "When you guys tried to make pancakes for breakfast or the plot to turn all of the professors into frogs that sound like American cowboys in the evening?"
"The pancake thing," James responded easily.
The wind whistled outside as the Hogwarts Express pressed through a late December snowstorm. The furious flurries against the darkened sky created a perfect backdrop for the orange lanterns inside the train to illuminate the cabin with a warm and gentle glow.
The annual two weeks Holiday Break had begun at Hogwarts, and Lily Evans was bringing her boyfriend home to meet her family for the first time.
They sat on the same plush bench in a small compartment in the middle of the train. Lily sat by the window, her head tilted at a slight downward angle as she leaned it against the insulated walls. A large, thick, sky-blue blanket spilled over her shoulders and draped across the form of James Potter, who lay on the bench with his legs dangling off one end and his head resting in her lap.
James twirled his glasses around in one hand while Lily absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair. A comfortable silence fell upon the two occupants of the train car.
And then
"Alright, what's bugging you? You're usually never this distracted when I'm telling you about the inner workings of the Marauders." James said, breaking the quiet. His eyes locked onto Lily's face.
The girl in question groaned and massaged her temples. "Am I being that obvious?"
"Yup." James said, popping the 'p.' "So spill. What's eating you? Is it the fact that I'm meeting your parents for the first time? I swear I'll be on my best behavior. No pranking, no back-talking, no swearing, no nothing. I won't even mention magic if that's what you want. I'll be the greatest boyfriend that you've ever brought home."
"No, no, it's not that" Lily reassured him, "My parents are going to love you. It's just… my sister…" She trailed off, not entirely sure how to continue that sentence.
Almost instantaneously, James's face twisted and scrunched together as if he ate an entire lemon in one bite. "The one kept sending all of those nasty letters at the beginning of September before dropping off the face of the earth?"
"They weren't nasty!" Lily defended as if it were a reflex. "And she didn't drop off the face of the earth either. She just stopped writing." She added as an afterthought.
James gave her a deadpan stare. "I was there when you were reading them. She called you an ungrateful freak of nature. Multiple times."
Lily broke eye contact and shifted her gaze out the window. "Well… Petunia doesn't always word things kindly. She can be rather bitter if she wants to be.."
"Bitter?" James said with a snort, "I don't think that's a strong enough word to describe her. She sounds more like an asshole."
Lily snapped her head around, "Don't say that, you haven't even met her before!"
"She called you a freak! Even if Petunia is your sister, how is that remotely ok?" Her boyfriend said, getting more and more agitated.
A small smile worked its way onto Lily's face. "Alright, Petunia may not be a pleasant person," she conceded, "But she's still my older sister. That has to count for something, right? Just promise me that you'll give her a chance when you meet her, she's been through a lot recently."
James was quiet for a moment. "How is she doing?" he finally asked.
"Improving. At least, that's what my parents said in their last letter. She stayed at the muggle hospital near our house for a few days, but it looks like she's doing alright now. Tuni hasn't sent me anything since the accident, but Mum and Dad are keeping a close eye on her."
"Do you think that she'll be at the train station?"
Now it was Lily's turn to pause. "I don't know. Probably not, she's never met me at Kings Station before, so I don't think that she'll start now, especially when she's sick as she is. I know my father will be there, though, so you'll get to meet him first."
"And he'll be the first one I'll win over with my Potter-charm!" James exclaimed with the most adorable little grin Lily had ever seen.
The seventeen-year-old girl barked out a laugh. "I'm sure he will, Rudolph. Dad loves a good Christmas classic."
"I wear a clown nose when I'm in my stag form ONE time-!"
Lily couldn't tell if she was excited enough to be going home for Christmas break that butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach, or so nervous that her internal organs were tying themselves up in knots.
She had managed to pinpoint the reason for her turbulent emotions to two key facts.
The first? She was bringing home her first boyfriend home to meet her family. And that boyfriend happened to be James Potter. The same boy she had spent most of her academic career at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sending home angry, ranting letters on how he was a complete menace who bullied people, and kept trying to get her to date him with cheesy pick up-lines that never worked until they did.
Up until they had a chance to spend more time with each other as Head Boy and Head Girl of Gryffindor that year, Lily really did not build up a good rapport for him to her parents. They didn't really say anything when she first announced that she had started dating Jame at the beginning of October, other than some congratulatory words from her father and a few celebration chocolates from her mother.
So theoretically, the trip should be fine.
But Lily had a deep sense of foreboding that this visit home was not going to go as smoothly as she expected. She had a feeling that the nightmare of her sister's horrible end to her relationship was still weighing heavy on her parents heads when Lily made that first announcements, and they were too overwhelmed to properly process the news. They may or may not be as receptive when they come face to face with Lily's decision in person.
And that was the other thing. Her sister.
Lily's sister was going to be there.
She knew her relationship with Petunia was strained at best, and antagonistic at worst. As the years had gone by, and the two of them went on their own separate paths in life, a wall had been constructed between them that she couldn't seem to break down no matter what she did.
Lily remembered the days when she and her sister would roam around their neighborhood, creating fairytale worlds, and ruling the land all the way to the playground like Primary school-aged royals. With Petunia as the noble Queen of the Schoolyard, and Lily at her side as the Brave Princess of Chimneys.
The chimney thing was a phase. A result of being completely enamoured as a child by the idea that Santa Claus could fit through any chimney to deliver christmas presents. Not to mention the death defying stunts of the chimney sweeper from Mary Poppins that completely dumbfounded her as a kid. The choreography for the song "Step in Time" alone was enough to make Lily constantly humming the tune of the song years after she had first seen the movie.
She lost her goddamn mind when she discovered that the Floo Network was a method of transportation that existed in the Wizarding World. At this point every single one of Lily's friends have gotten sick of her singing 'Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee' every time they used the Floo service.
But Lily was getting ahead of herself.
The point was, that the close relationship that she had with Petunia was gone. The sisters who were thick as thieves were no more. Dashed into nothingness when Lily's Hogwarts letter arrived at the tender age of eleven, and she left Petunia behind.
Magic from the real world had destroyed the magic of their shared fantasy world.
And there wasn't a day that Lily didn't long for things to go back to the way it was before. But not at the expense of the magic that she had. And Petunia refused to agree to disagree about the subject.
Lily tried to reach out, because she missed they friendly banter and dynamic. She missed her older sister's advice and reassurance when things got bad. Missed being able to whisper secrets into each others ears with full confidence that the other would take them to the grave. Missed having that rock solid presence to help lead and guide her through the perils of childhood, and the trials of life.
So Lily tried to find that spark of wonder, that spark of fondness and joy that Petunia once had in her eye when she looked upon her younger sister.
But there was nothing but rage and jealousy whenever the topic of Magic was brought up. Nothing but cold bitterness whenever the young witch came home from the Wizarding World. Nothing but contempt, and utter disgust whenever Petunia's eyes met Lily's.
It sent a pulse of despair through Lily's body, and a cold hand of guilt clenched around her heart.
Lily decided that it was nerves that were eating her alive. Not excitement.
She was nervous to see Petunia again.
Lily's dad was waiting for them when they arrived at Kings Cross Station. She spotted him by his dark brown woolen coat, as she exited platform 9 ¾ with her boyfriend in tow. His eyes met hers when Lily caught sight of him, and a large grin burst forth on his face. Her dad took his mittened hand out of his pockets and opened his arms out.
"Dad!" Lily cried out as she picked up the pace, dropped her trunk down on the ground and gave her dad their first hug since he had seen her off on the first of September. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too," He said, after releasing Lily, "Merry Christmas, Lily-flower." His smile never dropped, and Lily couldn't help but grin back.
"Merry Christmas Dad!" She replied before she heard the very distinct sound of footsteps following up behind her.
Without even looking Lily reached her arm back behind her, and not even a moment later her hand easily slipped around the crook of her boyfriend's elbow. "Dad, this is my boyfriend James."
"An honor to meet you, Sir." James said as he raised his free hand to shake with the older man.
Lily's father took his hand and stared straight into the young man's eyes. "So you are the infamous 'James Potter' that my daughter is enamoured with." He said neutrally.
Oh boy. She knew that voice.
This wasn't exactly how Lily wanted things to go, but she couldn't say that she was surprised by it.
James didn't waver under the gaze of Lily's dad. "Your daughter is a strong, and beautiful woman. I'm lucky that she ever decided to give me the time of day." he said with a light laugh at the end.
Lily felt her cheeks warm up.
Her father was quiet for a moment. And then, "Yes, you are.." he said, "My wife and I have heard a lot about you through Lily's letters. She's been writing about you since the two of you started Hogwarts, if you can believe it. You are certainly quite the character in her stories." His tone making it clear that Lily's Dad was in no way, shape, or form impressed by Lily's boyfriend.
This time James did waver under his gaze.
Lily and James turned to each other and shared a look.
This was definitely not going to be as smooth as they hoped.
"Lily-flower! Welcome back, sweetheart!"
Lily was engulfed in a massive hug before she could even cross through the doorway. It took a moment for it to register in her head before the ginger-haired teenager grinned and returned the hug two-fold.
There was nothing Lily loved more than getting hugs from her parents. Especially that first one she'd get after coming home from school.
"Merry Christmas, Mum!" Lily greeted her mother happily. Then she took the opportunity to subtly glance around over the older woman's shoulder.
Petunia wasn't there to welcome her.
Lily knew that her sister probably wouldn't greet her. Petunia had never done so when Lily came home from Hogwarts. Not even if their parents forced her.
If things went Petunia's way, she would ignore Lily's entire existence unless Lily forced her to talk with her. Despite her foreknowledge, Lily couldn't help but feel a wave of disappointment hit her.
The two broke apart and Lily's mother cupped her hand around her daughter's cheek.
"Ooooh Merry Christmas, dear! Merry Christmas! Ah, just look at how much you've grown! My goodness, they must be feeding you quite well at school, aren't they? Oh, come in, come in. You all must be freezing out there!" The older woman said as she ushered the group into the house.
"Do I get a hug?" Lily's father asked as he entered the house after her.
"Did you fill up on gas on the way back from London?" her mum asked pointedly.
"...No"
"Then no hugs for you until the tank is full."
The smile on Lily's face only grew bigger and bigger as she took in the sight of the house that she had so many fond childhood memories of.
"Mum, Dad, the decorations are amazing this year." The girl said as she marveled over the tall evergreen tree in the living room, and all of the amazing decor surrounding her. "Did you two do this all yourselves?"
Her dad took off his hat and mitten. "Of course we did. What, do you think we're going to pay someone else money when we have the greatest interior decorator in all of Britain under this roof?"
"Oh, honey," Lily's mum preened, "That's so sweet of you to say!"
"And by greatest interior decoration in all of Britain, I mean myself." He continued. Without missing a beat, Lily's mum let out an angry huff as she elbowed him in the ribs.
Lily couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips as she listened to her parents. It was great to see that they haven't changed.
And then, anticipation built up in the girl's chest.
"Mum, this is my boyfriend, James." Lily said, and then held her breath.
James moved beside her. He raised his hand and waved with his shoulders back, and head held high in a confident manner. "Hello, Mrs. Evans. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. And may I say, you have an absolutely lovely home." He said, putting his best foot forward.
Lily thought he was doing a great job. James was staying true to his word as well, no pranking, no back-talking, no swearing, not even a single mention of magic since the two of them had gotten off the train.
Even in the car, the conversation mainly focused on James trying to make light hearted jokes about the weather and pointing out interesting Muggle things that caught his eye as they sped across the cold December roads.
Unfortunately, her father had been rather closed off for the entire ride. Anything he did say was directed at Lily, asking about how her year was going, how her grades were looking, how her friends were. He pretty much ignored anything James had to say. Lily could see that it was bothering her boyfriend, but she didn't know how she was supposed to mediate the situation. This was the first time she brought a boy home, she didn't know if this was a normal reaction or not. She was still in the process of trying to navigate these turbulent waters herself.
But James was really trying to make a good impression. He kept on smiling, kept making jokes, and kept being friendly.
Lily was so proud of his efforts. And a little upset with her father over the cold shoulder he was giving to James.
Maybe it was just a guy thing. That her dad was just being a bit too over protective. Besides, Lily knew that her mother would just love James. After all, it was her mom that had spent the last few years asking her if she'd gotten a boyfriend yet.
But Lily still held her breath as her mother narrowed her blue eyes and studied James's appearance. She seemed to be looking for something. Something that Lily wasn't sure that her mother was seeing based on the way that her mother's eyebrows creased together, and her lips tugged down into a frown.
But then in a complete 180, her mum smiled and extended her hand out. "A pleasure to meet you too, James," she said warmly. Lily released her breath as James shook her mother's hand.
This meeting was going better. Things were going to be ok.
"Now,You all must be hungry." Lily's mother said, addressing the whole group, before turning her eyes to her husband. "Darling, why don't you show James around the house? I'll be needing Lily's help putting food on the table. We should be ready in a few minutes."
Almost instantly, James shot Lily a helpless look. Lily didn't know what else to do other than give him a sympathetic shrug as she whispered "It'll be alright, just talk about Quidditch. Dad loves the concept of flying broomsticks."
She then quickly took to the task of kicking off her boots and hanging up her coat. She slipped her feet into a pair of worn, fuzzy slipper that she had gotten as a Christmas present from her father two years before. Then she nudged another pair of slippers with her toe for her boyfriend to use.
Lily squeezed James's hand in reassurance before he set off to follow her dad on what was most definitely going to be an awkward tour of the house. Then, she turned to follow her mother into the kitchen.
She smelled it be for she saw it. A mouth-watering feast lay sprawled out on every counter and table top in the room.
There was a bowl of steaming roasted potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pigs-in-a-blankets, even a plate of Lily's favorite yorkshire pudding! And resting on top of the stove was a large Turkey bathed in a kaleidoscope of brown, gold, and orange colors, absolutely baked to perfection.
"Mom, how long did it take to make all of this?" Lily asked, taking in the sight of the food in the kitchen, "Christmas is still a few days away."
"Well, I wanted you to feel welcome. I made reservations for dinner on Christmas Eve for the grand occasion, so we won't be eating at home then. This will be our home cooked Christmas Dinner this year." Lily's mother said as she quickly wiped her hands on a dishcloth and then moved to stir the gravy where a thick film had settled on the top.
Lily rolled up her sleeves. "Ok, what should I start with first? Should I grab the turkey?"
Her mother was quiet as she continued to stir the gravy.
"Mom?" Lily asked again.
"Lily-flower, I need to talk to you about something."
"What about?"
Her mother stopped stirring and turned to face Lily. "I don't think James is good for you."
Lily did a double take and accidentally knocked a spoon off of the counter as she flailed her arms around in a sudden burst of resolute anger. "What? Mom, no!" But before Lily could start ranting, her mother lifted a hand to stop her.
"I know you don't want to hear this," her mother said sternly, "But you need to. Both your father and I don't approve of him. And quite frankly, neither of us understand why you started dating him after almost six years of you constantly complaining to us about his behavior towards you and others."
Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd been expecting a conversation like this with her sister but not with her mother. Lily crossed her arms in front of her chest, "How can you say that when you've only known him for what, two minutes? James is a good person, and he's changed since then! If he hadn't matured then I wouldn't be dating him right now! Why don't you trust my judgement?"
"I do trust your judgement," Her mother stressed, "Just not when it comes to this. Isn't James the same person you reported to Professor McGonagall for dropping a sack full of spiders on a group of eleven years old on their first day of school last year because they happened to be in Slytherin?"
"Yeah, but-"
"-Isn't he the same person who would routinely hex other students in the halls for no other reason than because he could?"
"...Yes, but mom-"
"-Didn't he also try to blackmail you into dating him by saying that he would stop bullying others only if you became his girlfriend?"
"He was fifteen! Lots of people say and do stupid things when they're fifteen!"
"That was barely two years ago. And there are lots of fifteen year olds out there that don't try to force a relationship upon others like that. His youth does not excuse his actions."
"This isn't fair, Mom!" Lily struggled to keep from yelling and bring any outside attention to their argument, "You're focusing on all of his flaws and mistakes! Sure James can be arrogant and a jerk sometimes but he's my Jerk! And he's a genuinely good person when you get to know him!
He could have been sorted into Hufflepuff with how loyal he is to his friends! He takes care of one of his friends when they are constantly getting sick, and he even opened up his home to another friend when they got disowned by their parents! That's not something a bad person does.
James is the person who'd let you cry on his shoulder, a person who would go above and beyond to make his friends happy, and he is honestly one of the smartest people in our grade. And he gives everything his all.
He's trying so hard right now to put his past behind him and be better than he used to be. He has stopped bullying other kids, he's owning up to his actions, and Professor McGonagall wouldn't have named him Head Boy of Gryffindor if she didn't think he could be responsible.
James. Is. Different. Now"
Lily's mother sighed audibly, making her annoyance known as she pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger. "And what if he falls back on his old behaviors? What if he reverts back to the person you used to spent so many years disliking? Actions speak louder than words, Lily. You have to understand that."
"And what if he doesn't? People learn and grow and change." Lily shot back, "I just don't understand why we have to have this conversation in the first place. You're always telling me that I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but that's exactly what you're doing here! You and dad don't even want to give James a chance to prove himself!"
"This is deeper than just the cover of a book! We are judging him based on how he has conducted himself in the past, and what you've told us about him!"
"So why aren't you listening to me when I say that he isn't like that anymore?!" Lily half screamed. The sound of her slamming her fist down on the counter echoed in the sudden silence of the room.
Lily was quiet.
Her mother was quiet.
And then
"Lily-flower," Her mother said, breaking through the tension, "We're just concerned. We don't want what happened to your sister to happen to you."
Lily looked away. She didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything right now that she wouldn't immediately regret.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her mother leaning forward, trying to make eye contact with Lily. But Lily kept her eyes down.
Her mother sighed again. "We'll talk more about this later when we're both calmer. Right now let's get the food out before the boys are done." She said with a firm nod, effectively ending the conversation.
"Fine."
Once more, an awkward silence descended upon the two of them. No one moved.
Then a thought surfaced in Lily's head.
She hesitated.
"Is Tuni around?" Lily asked quietly. She hadn't seen Petunia yet, and it was slightly concerning considering what she had heard of Petunia's physical state in these last few months. Lily felt that she should have seen something of her sister by now, even if Petunia was actively trying to avoid her.
And then her mother offered Lily a smile, "She's sitting in the dining room already, just finished setting the table."
Lily felt a flush of something coarse through her body. Whether it was relief or dread, she couldn't tell. "She set the table? So she's doing better, right? Acting like her old self again? "
"Oh she's acting like her old self again, alright. Avoiding anything related to Christmas, hiding away in her room, refusing to talk whenever she hears the word 'magic'. You know how she gets in December, particularly around... the Holidays..." her mother trailed off.
Lily could practically hear the 'particularly around you' part that went unsaid. "So she really hasn't changed, has she?"
"Well, she is a little bit more," Her mother paused, as if she was looking for the right word, "Fragile" she decided. "Definitely a lot more withdrawn from what I've seen, and it is certainly not the Winter Blues putting her in that mood. But enough about that, you can talk to her at the table yourself. Here, take the turkey over to the dining room and put it in the center. Off you go, then!"
Petunia was sitting at the head of the table.
One hand folded in front of her while the other cradled her slumped head. She wore a pair of pitch black sunglasses that completely obscured her eyes, and the curtain of hair that obscured the rest of her face dipped down so low that the ends brushed against her empty plate.
Lily inhaled sharply, and almost dropped the plate of turkey when she saw her.
It was only then, when Lily was standing in the doorway to the dining room, seeing her sister for the first time in four months, that it finally hit her that Petunia was sick. Really sick.
Her sister was literally paler than a sheet of paper. To the point where it almost seemed like her skin was as transparent as the Hogwarts ghosts. She looked like she had lost half her weight since the summer, and there was a noticeable tremble in the hand resting on the table despite her not moving it otherwise.
In short, Petunia looked like she'd been through hell, and she hadn't quite managed to make it back all in one piece.
Lily wasn't sure how long she stood there, just staring at her sister's destitute form. It was one thing to hear about Petunia's condition in letters, but an entirely different thing to see it in person.
This was what Dursley did? This was what he reduced her sister too?
Petunia didn't even move when Lily enter the room. Her older sister sat there in that position, frozen in place as if she'd been petrified by a Basilisk or a Gorgon.
It was unnerving.
Usually Petunia would snap at her. Start criticizing her looks, her posture, her generally outdated knowledge of the latest muggle pop culture. Or even just wordlessly make it clear that she was going to ignore Lily for the entire visit by sending one of her famous death glares at her. But Petunia didn't do any of this.
She was just… there.
Just existing at the table. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Slowly and carefully, Lily walked over the dining table and placed the turkey in the center. Her eyes never left Petunia, and Petunia didn't stir. Not once.
Lily risked a glance back in the direction of the kitchen.
She could hear her mother moving around, gathering armfuls of dishes to bring to the table. And further in the house she could hear the muffled sound of James talking animatedly about something, and her father actually engaging him in conversation. Lily couldn't tell what they were talking about, but the fact that they were both talking to one another was still a massive improvement from their interactions in the car.
Their voices were getting louder. They were coming closer.
Lily turned back to the table, pulled out the chair next to her sister, and sat down. She cleared her throat.
"Merry Christmas, Tuni."
And Petunia looked up.
Author's Note:
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And if you don't celebrate it, go out and treat yourself to something nice. You deserve it ^.^
In honor of the holiday, here's the longest chapter to day with over 5,000 words in total of Lily's point of view. Yeah I really had too much fun writing from her perspective, and it has a lighter tone than the last chapter (other than the argument Lily had with her mom). Also, this story is now over the 20,000 word mark! Yay!
I really wanted to dig deeper into the relationship between the entire Evans family and how they would receive James because there really isn't all that much information about them, or at least none that I have found. So I've taken some liberties with them. I also feel like Mr. and Mrs. Evans would be a lot more paranoid about who their daughter decided to bring home after the disaster with Vernon and Petunia (Dania)
Next chapter will most likely be up in time for Christmas, but no sooner since I'm going to be super busy in these next couple of weeks.
Thank you so much for all of your support! If you liked the chapter, please feel free to leave a review, it really helps me with my motivation to write this story :D
Until next time!
~Lost-In-The-Muse