Lily Evans sat looking out of her bedroom window on the evening of August twenty-fourth, 1977. It was one of the few peaceful moments that she had managed to achieve over the last three weeks, and she was lucky to even have this quiet moment away from the world. Everything seemed to be moving far too fast for Lily's taste lately, especially since her sister Petunia's engagement to fat, narrow-minded Vernon Dursley a few weeks prior. In fact, Lily strongly suspected that the only thing keeping her sane was her friend Medea McKinno, Marlene McKinnon’s younger sister. Medea, who had spent the last two-and-a-half weeks at Lily's house, was emotionally strong and cunning--both qualities which seemed to balance out Petunia's coarse personality.

While Medea wrote a letter to her mother, her long, black hair coiling on the parchment, Lily continued to ponder. How much would things change by the end of the wedding tomorrow? Would Petunia move out immediately? Before she left, would she even bother to say good-bye to Lily? Lily knew that the only reason she had even been made a bridesmaid for her sister's wedding was because of her mother's desperate pleas.

She was just beginning to wonder if there was any way to recreate the love that she and Petunia had shared as young girls when an owl dive-bombed through her window, missing her right ear by inches. Lily, startled at the sudden upheaval from her thoughts, shrieked and punched the owl across the room, causing it to knock over a stack of books.

Medea, frightened by Lily's scream, jumped and sent her ink bottle flying through the air, covering everything in splashes of ink.

This, of course, happened to be the moment that their friend Ava White Apparated into Lily's bedroom. She started to say hello to her friends, but only managed to get out, "H-" before Medea's inkbottle collided with her nose. Ava stumbled and tripped over Lily's spooked cat, Leverett, causing Ava to topple onto Lily's bed, where the owl was sitting trying to get the ink out of its feathers. The owl squawked indignantly and dropped the letters it was carrying onto Lily's bed, then swooped out of Lily's bedroom and into the room next-door, ink falling from it with each inch it flew.

Lily flinched as she heard a scream coming from the next room. Ava and Medea began to snigger behind their hands, but Lily knew that Petunia would not be happy with an ink-covered owl flying into her bedroom.

The girls heard a thump, and even Lily couldn't help giggling as Petunia shrieked, "EFFING-OWLS-ALL-THE-TIME!" She also had a difficult time keeping a smile off of her face when she saw Petunia's appearance: Petunia's blonde, once-perfect up-do was now lopsided, with strands of hair sticking out and brown feathers stuck in. Apparently, she had been trying out a new tube of mascara when the owl had interrupted her, because a large black streak was stretching diagonally from her left eye to her chin and she was waving a black, feather-spotted applicator in her ink-spattered hand.

"Is this", she asked Lily in a deathly whisper, "your idea of a joke?"

"No, Tunie, of course not!" Lily began as the owl flapped back into Lily's room and through the open window. "It just--the owl--I-" Lily stuttered to a halt when she saw the look on her sister's face and watched her inhale slowly. Lily knew what was coming.

"YOU FREAK!" Petunia screamed, tears welling in her eyes. "You owl-mailing, wand-waving, toad-carrying, cat-loving FREAK! I will not let you ruin my wedding! You should be thankful that I'm even allowing you to be a bridesmaid tomorrow, and I'll have you know that it is only to make Mother happy!" With this, Petunia stormed into her room and slammed the door, and Lily was sure that she could hear sobs coming from next room a few seconds later.

Lily's eyes began to brim with her own tears, and she hurried to wipe them away, but Medea still managed to see them (Ava was still massaging her nose where the inkbottle had hit it, and therefore wasn't noticing much of anything).

"Lily, honey," Medea whispered, wrapping Lily in a hug. "It's okay, it'll all be okay."

"I just want so much for us to get along!" Lily sobbed into her friend's shoulder. "I try so hard to act like a Muggle around her, but she won't let me in! I just don't know what to do anymore!"

Ava came over and hugged Lily as well, whispering, "Shhh, it's alright, it's all okay, it'll all be okay," and rubbing Lily's back.

"She just doesn't understand magic," Medea explained, still holding Lily. "She'll come around, Lily, I know she will." Although she was still holding back her own tears, Medea (always the practical one) managed to pull out her wand and mutter, "Scourgify!", causing the ink to disappear and grateful for not needing to worry about using underage magic now that she and Ava were seventeen (Lily’s birthday did not come until August 30th).

Lily looked up when she heard the spell. "Thank you," she murmured. She sat down on her bed and pulled the letters towards her, trying to compose herself. "They're from Hogwarts," she announced, and gave Medea her letter.
Medea glanced at the front and laughed. "They never miss anything, do they? Listen to this: 'To Ms. Medea McKinnon, vacationing at 5644 Melanie Way, London, Lily Evans's pull-out trundle bed'."

Medea's light-heartedness had succeeded: The girls all laughed, including Lily.

Lily reached onto her desk and pulled a letter opener from under a pile of papers. She slit the top of her envelope open and pulled out a heavy, golden badge. Without looking at it, she tossed it onto her pillow and proceeded to look at her school supply list.

"What's this?" Ava asked, picking up the badge, her bright blue eyes burning with curiosity. "I thought Prefect badges had 'P's on them?"

"They do!" Medea squealed, grabbing the badge from Ava. "But this isn't a Prefect badge!"

"What?" Lily asked, careful not to let herself believe what seemed to have happened in the chance that her hopes would be dashed.

"Give me your letter!" Ava demanded. She grabbed it and rifled through the contents, finally pulling out a short letter. "Aha! I knew it! 'Dear Ms. Evans, We are delighted to inform you that, in light of your outstanding leadership skills, you have been chosen as the Head Girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the year of 1977-8. While you will receive a full description of your new post and duties upon arriving at Hogwarts, we feel it is necessary to tell…'" Here Ava trailed off, glancing nervously between Medea and Lily.

"What?" Lily asked, beginning to get worried as well. "It's necessary to tell me what?"

Medea began to read over Ava's shoulder. Suddenly, she grew tense and looked at Ava, her dark eyes apprehensive. "You'd better tell her," she advised.
Ava gulped and continued to read: "...we feel it is necessary to tell you that your Head Boy for the year will be James Potter."

Medea felt sure that someone on the end of the block could hear Lily's scream.