Chapter 1:
A Birthday Truth Revealed
A young lady of ten sat outside on her porch in the early morning of August 2, 1963, watching both the sunrise and the ticking of the second-hand on her wristwatch.
: �In exactly twelve seconds, I will be eleven years old.� She mentally congratulated herself.
: 11...10...9...
: Her beautiful red hair, which under normal circumstances would have been pulled back, lay sprawled against her shoulders, radiating her face like a halo.
: ...8...7...6...
: Her brilliant green eyes looked back at her through the reflection of her watch.
: ...5...4...3...2...1!
: That split second, she felt a rush of wind swoosh past her and something land in her lap. Automatically, her head flew up to see what had caused this and saw a large barn owl resting on a thick tree branch.
: She looked at it skeptically. �What in the world...Owls are nocturnal birds, and they definitely aren�t carrier pigeons...�
: Shrugging, she shifted her attention back to what the owl had dropped in her lap.
: �A letter? How peculiar.�
: She rotated it in her palm to view the wax stamp on the back. It read �Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry�.
: �Ok�, she told herself. �This is really weird...�
: She hastily tore open the envelope, quickly noting that it was made from a very thick parchment; something she imagined would have been used in the King Arthur times. It most certainly wasn�t the thin paper society commonly produced.
: Once opened, she read the elegant script:
: Hogwarts School or Witchcraft and Wizardry
: Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
: (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. or Wizards)
: Dear Miss Evans,
: We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
: Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than August 3.
: Yours sincerely,Minerva McGonagall,
: Deputy Headmistress
: �Jumping Jahosafat! What in creation was this? �Mugwump�? �Witch�? �Wizard�? �We await your �OWL�? This has got to be some really lame joke my parents are playing on me. Yes, that�s it. It�s all a joke.�
: Her eyes bulged as she saw another owl swoop down with another letter addressed to her. It read:
: 'And no, this is not a joke. We know from experience that you will not be unlike every other witch or wizard just informed of being magical. Enclosed are directions to a magical town called Diagon Alley where you will get your supplies. Travel there as soon as possible. This is indeed real, as false as it may seem.'
: �Oh my God...� Intelligence fled from her, and she was left dumbfounded.
: She glanced once more at the barn owl in the tree, shook her head in disbelief, and walked in through the door to the kitchen.
: �Lillian Paige Evans, watch your mouth! If that potty mouth of yours doesn�t stop, I�ll make it taste soap. Don�t force me into doing it on your birthday.� Her mum was a strict Catholic and didn�t like her children to take the Lord�s name in vain, especially around her, and Lily had gotten into the bad habit of doing just that.
: �Yes Mother, but look at this letter. Did you send it? Because if you did, I think I might have to give you a few lessons on how to really trick someone.�
: Chloe Evans, also a redheaded beauty, took a look at the letter and shook her head. �No, I didn�t. Why?�
: �It was strange.� She paused dramatically. �As I was sitting outside, an owl of all things delivers this into my lap. An owl! � Go on. Read it.�
: Chloe�s eyes scanned the paper. �Humph. Load of rubbish if you ask me. Just a birthday joke I suppose.�
: Lily nodded. �That was my initial reaction. Then just as I was thinking that, a second owl gave me this.�
: She watched as her mother quickly read the note, and then Lily asked, �What do you think?�
: �Well...� Mrs. Evans breathed deeply, appearing as if she�d rather avoid the subject. �I really can�t tell you. If we were basing this on reality, that letter would be in the fire pit by now. This is all beyond my belief, not to mention my good sense. After all, it is witchcraft, Lily!� She looked toward the ceiling; Lily couldn�t figure out whether she was thinking about what to do or praying for divine intervention. Chloe lowered her head and shrugged away the topic. �The Church would not approve, I can tell you that right now.�
: �So... � Lily said, avoiding her mother�s uneasy aura as well as her stern reply. �...Are we going to this Diagon Alley place?�
: �I�m not even going to think about it today. We�ve other things to think about.�
: �Like what?�
: Chloe�s expression changed drastically to that of surprise. �Like the birthday party I have planned for you, that�s what.� She paused between slicing some red peppers to take a side glance at Lily, only to find her beaming with delight. �A bunch of your friends are coming: The Wallaces, Kristy, Ashley, and the Potters. They�ll be arriving any minute now.�
: Lily�s ear-to-ear grin slackened. �Thanks a lot Mum, but... James!? Please tell me you didn�t invite James!�
: Mrs. Evans, eyebrows slightly raised, looked at Lily.. "Of course I invited him! You don't expect me to invite Mr. and Mrs. Potter and not James." Lily's parents were best friends with the Potters and secretly, Chloe and her husband hoped that Lily and James would somehow get closer, but considering the present circumstances, it seemed highly unlikely.
: �Fine, fine.� Despite finding out that the last person she wanted to see was coming to her birthday party, she was still in a state of great excitement. If this school was real, and if her mother allowed her to go � that being an obstacle in itself �, she knew she�d have something above all those prissy, rich girls at Clydesdale School for Girls. She hated the private academy that she and her older sister, Petunia, attended. She was the only one there who was a tomboy and wasn�t interested in hookups or what other people thought of her. Being teased for wearing jeans and a t-shirt instead of a frilly dress was not her idea of fun.
: She finally decided on khaki shorts and a t-shirt from Lego Land and heard the doorbell ring just as she finished.
: "I've got it!" She ran down the stairs and ripped open the door to see her friend, Ashley standing there. "Ashley!"
: "Lily!"
: They screamed, as young girls typically do, while giving each other a hug. Lily hadn't seen any of her friends for over a month.
: "Where do you want me to put this?" Ashley asked, holding out a present wrapped in Lily's signature color, emerald, the same color as her eyes.
: "Over there," Lily pointed to a table in the corner that already had some gifts on it. "Come on! Let's go upstairs!"
: Lily and Ashley hung out in Lily's room until the doorbell rang again.
: "I'll get it!" Lily yelled, knowing it was her other best friend, Kristy.
: "Hi Krist...!" She said as she opened the door, but stopped dead in the middle of what she was saying. �Oh...� She quickly became overly-interested in the colour of her shoelaces. �...James.�
: �Yeah, nice to see you too, Evans.� He retorted sarcastically, showing off his brilliant smile and holding out his perfectly wrapped gift. His family was very wealthy, so he was wearing something between a tux and what American people called �Elvis Clothes�. Lily got the sudden urge to push both him and his suit into the rather large mud puddle right behind him. At least, slamming the door in his face would have been alright, but his parents were already walking toward the door with a banner that read �Happy 11th Birthday Lily!�.
: �Hello Mr. And Mrs. Potter. Thanks for the present,� she said, hoping to sound as polite as possible.
: �Anytime dear!�
: Kristy arrived right after the Potters and the Wallaces soon after that. Once everyone was there, they sang the birthday song � quite possible the worst rendition of the song Lily had ever heard � and then she moved on to the presents. Ashley had given her a drawing pad and some pencils, for Lily was quite the budding artist. Kristy gave her two stylish shirts, as she always did. As much as Lily loved her, Kristy obviously didn�t realize she didn�t wear them. From the Wallaces she received the most recent edition of Trivial Pursuit, her favourite game. Lastly, her parents� gift was a brush with dolphins on it, pink earrings, and a dress to match. She personally didn�t think this last gift would ever be put to use, but she kept her face looking grateful all the same. James� gift came next and surprisingly, it was her favorite one. He bought her the book �King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table� and she adored it!
: �Thank you James! Mr. And Mrs. Potter!�
: Immediately, as if eagerly waiting for the present-opening to end, everyone changed into their swimsuits and headed out to the pool. Lily was having a blast with her friends, and the party continued without any more major events until James decided he needed to cause his daily ruckus.
: Lily had just done a back flip off of the miniature diving board. It was James's turn next, and he spontaneously made up his mind to attempt the largest cannonball in the history of the world. Standing at the edge of the board with every pool toy he could find tied around his body, he jumped.
: Kristy saw what about to happen and screamed. "James! NO!" but it was too late...James hadn't seen Lily who was still submerged, and he landed right on top of her.
: "Dear heavens!" Mrs. Evans leapt out of her lounge chair and ran to the edge of the pool. "Lily! Are you alright?"
: Lily and James soon surfaced, Lily clutching her head. "Owww..."
: "Lily! Are you all right?? I am so sorry!� James tried to apologize, but stopped when he saw Lily.
: She had launched herself through the water directly at James. She had an expression matching that of a possessed serial killer.
: "JAMES! You had better pray for your life, Pretty Boy, because I am going to kill you!" Lily had never been so infuriated at anyone before; she could have been knocked out or drowned! She wanted to hit James so hard...
: She was chasing him around the pool, concentrating on all of her fury, when he suddenly flew back off the ground and landed five feet behind with a big �oomph!�
: Everyone gasped, including Lily. James just stared at her, bewildered.
: The next thing Lily knew, Mr. Potter had her by the arm, pulling her into the house. James followed.
: Lily was directed into her father's study where no one could hear them.
: James was the first to speak. "Lily! You�re a witch! Why didn�t you tell me? I�ve never seen anyone as young as you do magic without a wand! Unbelievable!"
: Lily was struck with sudden awe. "James! How do you � I mean, what do you know about �." She stuttered until realization came over her eyes. �...So it IS true!�
: Mr. Carson Potter chuckled. "Let me answer for him. You see, James, his mother, and I belong to one of the oldest, pureblood wizarding families in existence. And I am the Minister of Magic, the head of all things magical in Britain. You must trust me on this, for it is all real. I was notified by the Hogwarts Headmistress that you would probably have a hard time believing your letter. Your Catholic family makes it no easier.�
: Lily, caught up in the drama of the moment, nodded her head, not at all interested in religion. "Wow, I can�t believe this is real. So I�m a witch, huh? What do we get to do? Zap people with light beams that shoot out of our hands? Grow wings and fly?� Her face lit up. �Ooh! Please tell me I get to fly!�
: James laughed so hard he was clutching his sides to breathe. �Zap people? Grow wings? You are too funny!�
: �Well, evidently I have no idea what being a witch means.�
: �That�s alright, Lily. We don�t expect you to. Magicals don�t �zap� people nor do they fly, not without the aid of something that can fly, that is. Magic doesn�t protrude from our hands, either. It comes from our wands.� Mr. Potter provided.
: Lily found herself blushing furiously at how much she didn�t know. �Well then, what is the Minister of Magic? Is that like the king of the magic world?" She asked him seriously. Almost immediately after she asked, she had an epiphany and gasped excitedly. "Ooh! Do you get to rule?!"
: This last statement made James and his father roar with laughter. James was wiping away tears. "King!?" There were more laughs. "No Lily! He�s more of the president of a ministry that deals with all magical affairs.�
: James was on the floor, laughing still while Mr. Potter was recollecting himself. He cleared his throat and smiled. "Now that you know this is no joke, we need to get back to the matter of what happened outside.� He crouched to her level and looked her straight in the eyes. �Lily, do you know what you just did out there?"
: "Not really.� Lily idly played with her hair, hoping not to draw attention to her lack of magical knowledge. �I was just thinking about how mad I was at James. The next thing I knew, my forehead started hurting and James was flying through the air."
: Minister Potter inhaled deeply before answering. "You're going to be surprised when you hear this, maybe even a little bit scared, but you should know, Lily, that I have never in my whole life known anyone as young as you to do such powerful magic such as levitation without a wand! It is very rare and only found in extremely powerful wizards! Statistically, there are only a handful of people every century with that ability. This is really quite tantalizing and I have to alert Dumbledore of the situation immediately. It boggles my mind to think that a muggle-born with no training whatsoever could do that, and I hope this power isn�t dangerous to you. Just try to keep it under your hat until Dumbledore or I inform you otherwise. I don�t want anything to go amiss with this. Do you understand?
: "Yes sir.� She gulped, not knowing how to react to this news. As far as she was concerned, this was too much for an eleven-year-old to digest. �I understand."
: "Good girl! Just restrain from using your power until you get to Hogwarts. I�ll need to put a memory charm on all your muggle friends out there. They can�t know anything about this, and if I know any better, they�re probably all already gossiping about it. Your mother is probably having confession with the priest already.�
: Lily unexpectedly giggled.
: �...Just be sure to go to Diagon Alley very soon and I'll expect to see you at the platform on September first. Don't forget what I said!�
: Mr. Potter turned on his heel and left the office to go perform the memory charms. James had remained, probably to tease or spite her since his dad was gone.
: �James,� she warned. �Today I found out I have super powers, so let me think.� Lily paused to think, then continued. �Not only that, but you almost drowned me, and I�m worn out. You�re not on my good side, so don�t even think about � .�
: �Well,� he interrupted her and smiled. Or was that a smirk? Lily couldn�t tell; she was too lost in her own thoughts. �I was just going to congratulate you on beating me at something for once in your life. I never did get angry and send someone across their backyard. Pretty cool, but don�t get used to it.�
: �Potter...� She glared at him, not needing to say anything else. James got the picture.
: �Alright! I�m going...� He made his way to the door, then turned around again before he left. �Looks like we�ll be seeing each other around, Evans.�
: She rolled her eyes in a good-natured manner. �Looking forward to it.�
: ~~~~~~
: Later that evening, after she had taken a lengthy bubble bath to clear her mind, Lily flopped down on her bed and recollected all the day�s events. She had received a mysterious letter, two letters as a matter of fact, had a fun party which was made even better by slamming James against the wall with her highly-intelligent brain, and, to top it all off, she was told that she could legally leave Petunia for nine straight months every year. She was excited beyond all comprehension and took no time in determining that this was by far, the best birthday she had ever had.
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