Disclaimer: I am sorry to say that I am not J. K. Rowling. If I were, I wouldn't have to write fanfics; I would write real books. Anything remotely familiar is hers, not mine.




My name is Lily Evans Potter; this is the story of how I fell in love with my husband, James Potter. Anyone who knows James and me would say it was impossible that we could ever get married, but here I am, married to the biggest git in the whole wide world. It really is hard to believe. Well, to begin the story, I have decided to write about how I became a witch so my children would one day understand that I was once a student just like them. It's also because I'm bedridden by this stupid pregnancy.

It's hard to believe that it was so many years ago I got that letter. That day is so easy to remember, yet so easy to forget. How could it be that I can't even remember what I was wearing the day my life changed forever? I do remember I woke up around seven that morning.

I went down to breakfast and my mum turned to me and asked, “How did you sleep?”

I don't remember how I answered. Strange, isn't it? All I know is that at some point during the meal, my father came in and sent me to bring the mail. I was never sent any mail, so I hated checking it. Why would I care if my parents got bills? If I got mail, then tell me; otherwise, leave me alone. I stormed out of the room. Now that I look back at it, I shouldn't have gotten that upset, but everything seemed more dramatic at eleven. I picked up the mail and there it was, just sitting there on the top of the pile. A letter addressed to me. I thought about all the things Severus Snape, the boy I met at the park, had been telling me the last month. It had to be true. Hogwarts really existed. I could barely process this thought as I stared at the letter before me.

The envelope was made of thick parchment, looking a lot like the paper my mum made for her scrapbooks. My name and address were written on the envelope in green. I slowly turned the letter over and saw that it was sealed with wax. I didn't think anyone did that anymore.

The seal had an ‘H’ in the middle surrounded by four different animals: a snake, a badger, a raven, and a lion. I stared at the lion, but tore my eyes away from it as my mum came in asking what was taking me so long.

I looked up at her and then down at the letter again. As I was gazing at it, I handed the rest of the mail to her. Slowly, I broke the seal, and pulled out the letter.

Right as I was about to unfold and read it, a knock sounded at the door. I looked up, startled, but quickly opened it to find a woman. She was one that should not be crossed; you could tell by the expression on her face. Stiffly, she stood at the door looking me over.“I do believe I have given you enough time to read your letter. I am Professor McGonagall. I teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have been sent to answer any questions you might possibly have. We do this for all of our students not previously exposed to magic.”

The woman stopped and looked down at me. I guess my jaw had dropped or I was staring at her like she was crazy because she continued, “Judging by the look on your face, you have not opened your letter yet. Go on, open it.” She spoke this in a gentle, encouraging way, so I decided that she was really a nice person. I opened the letter.

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 no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

I looked up at the woman in front of me. “This is a joke, isn’t it? I mean, it has to be. Tuney was right. None of this can be true." I was in denial, and though I believed Severus every time he told me something new, I just couldn't believe that it was actually happening.

“Really?” she asked me and smiled. She pulled out what looked like a stick and waved it, mumbling an odd-sounding word. Suddenly, the coat stand by our door began to float in the air, making Mum scream. I jumped a little, and staring wide-eyed, I knew then that Severus had been telling the truth. I was a witch and was going to Hogwarts.

“This explains a lot,” I said simply and returned her smile, although I think mine was more of a grin.

“It is nice to know that some students with non-magical parents really do believe me. Most only panic and tell me to leave because it could not possibly be true. I assume that because you accept this so readily, you have performed magic on accident. I tell you this not to scare you, but to warn you: magic is prohibited outside of school. I assume that you would like to go to Hogwarts?”

I turned and looked at my mum, hoping to get an approving nod. When I finally got it, I turned back quickly to look at Professor McGonagall and said, “Of course! I want to learn magic!”

“I will inform Professor Dumbledore of this and we will see you again on September 1st. Do you have any questions?”

“Well...” I hesitated before answering. This professor obviously thought that I was an intelligent girl. I didn't want her to think I was dumb, but I had absolutely no idea what to do now. “Where do I get my stuff? Does this say Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters? There's no such platform. Do I get a wand like you? Will I be considered strange because I grew up not knowing about the wizarding world? And...”

I looked at Professor McGonagall’s face and saw that she wasn't prepared for this. I stopped asking questions and said, “I really just need to know about where to get my stuff and the how to get to the platform.”

McGonagall looked at me and smiled. “You can get everything you need at Diagon Alley. Now, to get there you need to reach the Leaky Cauldron, in London. Only witches and wizards are able to see it.” She handed me a piece of paper with the address. “Go in and talk to Tom, the bartender. He will tell you what to do if you explain your circumstances. Do you understand?”

“Yes ma'am, I understand. Ask Tom how to get into Diagon Alley.”

“Now, the train. The Hogwarts Express leaves from Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, and yes, there is such a place.” I got another rare smile from her. I was beginning to really like Professor McGonagall. “To get there you need to walk straight through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. I know that sounds strange, but since you are a witch you will be able to get through. I am sorry to say that your parents will not be able to, but they can take you to the barrier. When you get on the platform, you will see the Hogwarts Express. I believe you can make sense of the rest.”

“Yes ma'am. Um... Will you be there?” I asked.

“No, I am afraid not. Teachers must already be at Hogwarts. They hardly ever take the train. Now, I believe you asked if you would be considered odd. I hate to tell you this, but by some, you will be. Do not take notice of them. They will think that they are better than you because they are 'pure-blood,' but it is not true by any means. Some of the best witches and wizards I know are Muggleborn.” With that, she looked at one of our clocks and finished, “I am sorry, and I am sure you have many more questions, but I must be going. There are other students I must see. Have a good day, Miss Evans, and I will see you on September 1st.”

She smiled at me and disappeared.

“Mum! Did you hear all that? I’m a witch!” I yelled at my mum. “We have to go to London!”

“Of course, dear.” My mum finally tried to calm me down. “This is great! We can go and get your supplies when I drop Petunia off at the shopping center.”

When my mother dropped Petunia and her friends at the shopping center near the Leaky Cauldron, a very curious thing happened. I said goodbye to her and she only shrugged silently. Surprised, I wondered why she was acting that way, but now that I look back at that moment, I know that it was just jealousy. The whole way to Diagon Alley, mum was raving about how wonderful it was that I had been accepted to Hogwarts. Neither of us could stop talking about how amazing it was going to be when I could do magic at home.

Now that James and I are married and he has met Petunia, he says she's a neat freak and needs to be hospitalized for being an obsessive compulsive if her house is that clean. Maybe James is only upset because we're not allowed to visit her since he accidentally knocked over a vase and made a complete mess. When he pulled out his wand to fix it, she threw a royal hissy fit and screamed for us to leave and never have contact with them again.

She never use to be that uptight; we used to be the best of friends. We would play in the mud together when we were little, once even having a contest to see who could last the longest without cleaning her room.(Of course, with my competitive nature, I won.) I suppose, thinking about it now, Petunia started her obsession with all things clean and normal after she found out that I was a witch. I wonder if it was her way of proving to my parents that she was just as good as me.

Well, anyway, my mum and I walked into the pub Professor McGonagall had told us about and were quite startled by Tom, the bartender. He had teeth then, although he had lost half of them already and looked as though he would lose more soon. We weren't quite sure if we could trust his gummy smile, but I didn't think there was any other option.

“Excuse me, sir,” I started, wondering how formal I should be. "Do you know how I can get into Diagon Alley?”

“Oh, Professor McGonagall sent you?” At my nod he continued. “This way, I'll show you.”

He led us to the back of the pub and tapped one of the bricks with a wand that he pulled out of his shabby robe's pocket. I stared as the wall melted before my eyes. As Mum gasped, I realised how much easier it was for me to believe in magic than for her. I had done some magic before and Severus had been there to explain most things to me. Tom pointed us to Gringott's Bank, where Mum shrieked at the sight of a goblin even before we approached the counter to exchange our money. A young boy that looked my age heard my mum cry out and watched us curiously as we were handed new coins. He had obviously figured out that I was a Muggleborn and that my mum was a Muggle because he came up to us as we were leaving the building.

It is impossible to call an eleven-year-old hot, but I could definitely see the potential. The boy had the cute face that every eleven-year-old has, but what surprised me was his eyes. They were a deep hazel colour that stared around wide-eyed at everything. When the boy came up to us and I looked at him, I blushed after seeing the simple look of pleasure at meeting me. I tried to imagine why he had felt that way.

When I looked up again he thrust out his hand,saying, “My name is James Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you. I couldn't help but notice your mother's reaction to the goblin and thought I might be able to help you with your shopping.”

I was really surprised at how well-spoken he was. He had obviously been exposed to higher social classes and adults a lot. I looked up at my mum and we both shared a glance that said, “Well, we don't know our way around, and I'm sure nothing bad can happen from it.”

"We would love your help.” I smiled at him and tried to sound as classy as him,continuing, “My name is Lily Evans. You have probably guessed that I am Muggleborn with not the slightest idea of where to go. It would ease my mind greatly if you would guide us through Diagon Alley.”

“Wow. You fake it just as well as I do,” James said and smiled. “I hate being formal, but my mum insists that I use that type of language around adults. Anyways, I assume that you're going to be a first year at Hogwarts this year, meaning that you'll need just about everything that I'll need so I'll show you around.” He flashed another grin at me. “Stay here. I'll go find my mum.” Then he was gone before I could get over the fact that he was treating me like he had known me all my life.

“Mum?” I looked over at her to see a disgusted look on her face. Not knowing why, I asked, “Are you okay?”

“What?” She tore her eyes off of the spot where James had been and said, “Oh yes. Everything is fine... I just don't know if I want you going to school so far away if all the boys act like that...” She drifted off and I couldn't believe my ears.

“Mum! You can't be serious!”

“No, but I am!” a voice said right behind me. I jumped and turned so quickly that I fell over. Luckily (in his eyes, I'm sure), James had come back just in time to catch me.

“Thanks,” I mumbled and looked at the ground, embarrassed that he had to stop me from falling.

“Sirius! I didn't think I'd see you today again. And... that joke wasn't funny even the first time you told me it. What happened to you dear old mum dragging you off?"

James obviously had met this boy earlier that day. I couldn't really make sense of their conversation.

“You know me... always the funny one!” The other boy flashed a grin at me, then turned back to James. “I ditched Mum so I could do my actual shopping. I think I finally lost her when she went down into Knockturn Alley.” He looked at me again and must have seen my blank face because he then asked James, “Who is this? Are we having company during our fun afternoon of shopping?” The last sentence was dripping with sarcasm. I got the impression that he didn't like to shop very much.

“This is Lily Evans. She's Muggleborn, so I was going to help her do her shopping, if it's okay that she comes along.” He turned to me and with a grin continued, “This is Sirius Black. We met earlier today. He's going to be a first year too!”

“Sirius,it's so great to see you again! Does your mother know you're still here?”

A very sweet-looking woman with light brown hair that was cut short and beginning to gray had walked up and hugged Sirius. Her eyes were the same a James. Hazel with the perfect amount of curiosity thrown in. Then she turned to me smilingly.

“So this is the 'really pretty girl' the has agreed to the amusing presence of my son."

Surprised, I blushed, not really knowing why. I had never actually thought about myself as being pretty or not.

James quickly gave his mum a look that said, “How could you tell her I said that?”

"Be careful about encouraging James. He'll never leave you alone now.” Mrs. Potter smiled and I knew she was kidding, but Mum didn't seem too happy.

“My name is Karen Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you. It's nice to meet someone that my daughter will know at school. It was very kind of your son to offer us help,” my mum said, making herself smile.

“I'm Sarah Potter. Would you care to get a drink? James and Sirius know this place like the back of their hands; they can show Lily around.”

Mum couldn't help but smile at her, genuinely this time, and agree to go.

“Lily, I want you to be very careful. I don't know anything about this place, so make sure you stay close to James and Serious, was it?”

“Sirius Black, at your service, ma'am. Lily will be very safe with us; we never get in trouble.”

I felt a little uneasy about this, but I knew we would have fun.

“I'll introduce you to my husband. He works at the Ministry of Magic and talks to non-magical people all the time. He'll love to meet you,” Mrs. Potter said as she and Mum walked away. James's mum yelled over her shoulder to him, “Meet us at the Leaky Cauldron in an hour. One hour, you hear?”

“Yes, Mum!” James yelled quickly, then turned and grinned. “Excellent, they're gone. Now the fun can begin.”