No reviews for the last chapter since I turned it in right before they stopped taking new chapters. But here's the new one.
It Didn't Start This Way
Chapter 3 - Witch
“There,” Trin declared, setting the headdress on top of Lily’s hair. “You’re ready.”
Lily smiled at Trin’s reflection. “Thank you, Trin. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
Trin snorted in an unladylike way. “Don’t give me that flattery crap. You know I don’t like it.”
Lily chuckled softly, as she pulled the veil over her face. She sighed and examined herself once more. She stood straighter and looked straight into her reflection's eyes. “Here we go,” she whispered.
Trin smiled softly as she put a comforting hand on Lily’s arm. “Don’t worry, Lils. You’ll do just fine. You look ravishing. Come now,” she ushered Lily toward the door. “The wedding is about to begin."
As she opened the door, another bridesmaid in a matching dress rushed toward Lily. "Oh Lily! How lovely you look! Oh, if I could look even remotely like you when it's my turn, how wonderful that would be!" Fainne sighed wispily. She patted Lily's head. "You look so beautiful. Oh Lily, you're all grown up. Oh, look, I'm getting all teary-eyed before the wedding starts." She wiped away a tear that was trickling down her reddening cheek.
Trin patted Fainne's back. "We need to get started, dear," she reminded her friend gently.
Fainne jumped, remembering her duties. "Oye, Nymphadora!” she called to Sirius's cousin, the little bridesmaid, who had fallen asleep in a chair nearby. “Come now, quickly! Take Lily’s train there.”
The little girl, with vivid pink hair, scampered over and dutifully picked up Lily’s train. The child smiled brightly at Lily, lifting Lily's spirits significantly. Lily grinned back at the girl when Nymphadora stuck out a tiny pink tongue.
Trin turned back to Lily and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “There now. All ready? Good.” Trin led them to the room right outside the main hall. She opened the door a crack and gave a signal to the organist. Immediately, the slow wedding march began to play.
The two doormen opened the double doors for the young bride. Trin and Fainne walked in ahead of Lily, to set the tempo, as they had practiced so many times before. Lily’s emerald eyes lit up as floating candles danced over the crowd who were waiting to watch the marriage. When the door opened and the music began, all eyes turned to the bride.
And there... standing at the alter was the frantic-looking James Potter, whose worried frown quickly turned into a stunned stare, when Lily appeared at the door.
Lily, seeing her husband-to-be there at the alter, waiting for her, almost ran down the aisle into his comforting arms, where she would be protected from the unblinking stares of all those around them. However, as her friends had instructed her, she held her head up high and smiled. She kept her eyes locked with James’s hazel ones as she began her long walk down the aisle, at the slow and steady pace she had practiced for weeks before.
As she walked, she noticed that wherever she stepped, flowers sprung up as if welcoming her. She smiled at this magical charm placed on the carpet and remembered the first day that magic had entered her life...
---
Lily grumbled to herself while walking back into the heart of the city, occasionally asking Selena for her opinion on the situation. Selena, however, kept her mouth shut, waiting for Lily's mood to go away. This seemed to help Lily more, and by the end of the day, the two girls were laughing and joking as if the whole incident never happened.
“So, which secondary school will you be going to?” Lily asked between swallows of her ice cream, when they had stopped for a snack.
Selena seemed to turn paler than usual before recovering herself. “Oh, um... Malvern,” she replied smoothly.
“Lena! That’s not fair! I’m going to Moira. We’ll never be able to see each other!” Lily complained loudly, receiving disapproving stares from the people around them.
“Oh, it won’t be that bad," Selena tried to sound relaxed. "I’ll still come and see you on the winter holidays. We will definitely spend time together, during the summer,” Selena smiled unconvincingly.
Lily looked hurt. “Yes, well, it won’t be the same.”
Selena shrugged sadly. “Well, time does change some things.” She glanced at her watch. “I think it’s time to go back. Your mum’s probably already waiting for us.”
Lily nodded glumly. “I suppose so.”
The two walked back silently, each with their own thoughts of the upcoming year.
Mrs. Evans noticed the sad silence that had come between the two usually talkative girls. “So, did you two have fun today?” she asked, trying to make conversation.
“Yes,” the two of them answered, at the same time, neither sounding too enthusiastic.
“Ah, that’s nice,” Mrs. Evans replied, unconvinced.
As soon as Selena disappeared into her house later, Lily immediately started spilling her troubles out to her mum.
“It’s not fair! We’ve been friends ever since we were toddlers, and now we have to go to different schools! How come I can’t transfer there, or she can’t transfer here? It’s not fair!” Lily complained in a child-like voice.
Mrs. Evans smiled softly. “So, that’s what’s been bothering the two of you,” she nodded understandingly. She looked at Lily’s distressed face and comforted, “Don’t worry Lily. You’re a fun-loving girl. You’ll make so many new friends. Besides, you’ll still see her on holidays, I reckon.”
“That’s what Selena said,” Lily huffed, “though it won’t be the same.”
“Oh, sweet. Of course it won’t be the same. You can't expect nothing to change. If it was up to me, for example, you and Petty would still be in your diapers sleeping safely in your cribs. That won't happen though, will it?”
All Lily could do was sigh.
When they got home, they were surprised to find Petunia already waiting outside, glancing nervously around her. As soon as she spotted her mother's car, she hurried over, looking over her shoulder every once in a while as if someone was chasing her.
“What’s the matter, Petty?” Lily asked as she climbed out of the car. “You look as if you just saw a ghost.”
Petunia just pointed to the house anxiously. Lily looked at her, puzzled.
“Petunia? What’s the matter, sweet?” Mrs. Evans asked, concerned.
Petunia just shook her head and motioned them to follow her into the house.
As soon as the door opened, a barn owl flew right up to them and landed on Lily’s arm. Petunia shrieked in surprise, and Mrs. Evans gasped. Lily, however, just stared at the barn owl’s big eyes. The feeling of the owl's talons grasping her arms seemed so familiar, it made Lily tingle with anticipation. Something was happening; she knew it.
“Petty! Is this your idea of a joke? Are you keeping it as a pet?” Mrs. Evans asked incredulously.
“No, Mum! Of course not! Right after you left, this owl started pecking the window. I ignored it, of course, and it seemed to go away. But then, that... that... bird flew in from the chimney!” Petunia explained, through gasps.
Mrs. Evans was at a loss. She'd never seen an owl during the night, much less during the day. She was just about to tell Petunia to telephone the police when something caught her eye. “What’s that?” she asked out loud, pointing at an envelope at Lily’s feet.
“I don’t know,” Lily replied, bending down to retrieve it, keeping the owl steady on her arm at the same time. What was written on it made her gasp, almost making her drop the envelope and causing the owl to let out a loud hoot. Her emerald eyes snapped up to meet her mother’s blue ones, as she whispered barely audibly, “Mum, it’s for me.”
Without another word, Lily immediately began tearing the envelope open and drinking in the information on the first sheet of parchment she picked up. Her eyes scanned the page quickly, before handing it wide-eyed to her mother and sister to read.
After they read it, Mrs. Evans dropped the parchment.
“A witch?” Mrs. Evans whispered, watching her youngest daughter in amazement.
Lily's eyes turned to her mother and sister. “But there is no such thing as witches, is there?” she asked incredulously. “They only exist in our fairy tales...” she said halfheartedly, trying to convince herself that it was all just a lie; a wonderful lie, but a lie, nonetheless.
Petunia sniffed and her eyes hardened. “Of course they don't exist, Lily,” she snapped. “I told you to stop believing in those fairy tales.”
Mrs. Evans kept staring at Lily, dazed. At last, she spoke. "There has to be a logical explanation for this."
Petunia had taken the envelope from Lily's hands and was beginning to rave, her voice climbing octaves. “And look at this! 'Platform 9 3/4'? There is no such thing. Honestly, Lily, what type of people do you go to school with?"
Mrs. Evans looked sharply at Petunia, and Petunia instantly fell silent. She turned her gaze on her youngest daughter, who was still wide-eyed with shock.
"Mum?" Lily spoke timidly. "Is it true? Am I truly a witch?"
Mrs. Evans shrugged helplessly. "That, I cannot say definitely. Perhaps, we should do a bit of searching. To see if there are... others," she chose her words carefully.
Lily nodded, but Petunia, at these words, exploded in an anger, never seen before by Lily or her mother. "What? What researching?!You can't just walk up to someone and ask, 'Do you know anything about a witch school?' You can't just sit down to tea with your friends and remark casually, 'Did you get a letter from this witch school? Mine came with an owl!' They'll put you in the nut house for sure!"
"Petunia! You're not helping the situation. If you can't handle it, I suggest you return to your room!" Mrs. Evans scolded sharply. Immediately, Petunia shut her mouth, though she glared at Lily. Mrs. Evans turned back to Lily, who gaped at her sister in surprise. "Never mind her, Lily. Could this be a joke? Lily?"
Lily, still looking shaken, shook her head slowly. “I don’t think anyone would do something like this.” She turned back to the envelope. She took out one ticket and two other pieces of parchment. “Look. Here is the train ticket. And here,” she held up one piece of parchment, “seems to be instructions to some place.” She read the parchment out loud for the benefit of her family.
“'Dear Miss Evans. It has come to our notice that you have been deprived of the wizarding world. It is probable that you think this to be a lie. I assure you that it is as serious as it can be, for nothing is better for a growing witch than to develop your powers. This is where Hogwarts comes in. Your school supplies can be found in Diagon Alley. To reach Diagon Alley, please head north of London to a pub called the Leaky Cauldron at Charing Cross Road. Speak to the manager, Tom, there and mention Diagon Alley. He will show you what to do. Once you have reached Diagon Alley, your first destination is Gringotts. Please, if you can, put a small fortune into the bank for further use. The goblins will help with the money transfer. Then, you will have the money to spend on your school supplies. We hope you see it fit to attend Hogwarts this school year.'"
“Powers?” her mum asked, after Lily finished.
“Goblins?” Petunia repeated meekly, her face looking even more sunken in than before.
“Well, there’s all the proof we need,” Lily sniffed. She had overcome her shock and now was almost trembling with excitement. “I’m a witch.”
Petunia gasped sharply and snapped, “Do not say such things. What if someone hears you?” She glanced frantically around, as if waiting for a mob to come crashing through their doorway.
Lily looked ridiculously at Petunia. “I thought you of all people would be happy. I know I would be happy, and proud, to have a sister who’s a witch.”
Petunia grimaced at the word, but kept her tongue.
Mrs. Evans sighed. “Well, let’s see your school supply list.”
Lily handed the other parchment to her mother who read the list and returned it to her daughter. "I'm glad they told you where to find all this. Otherwise, you'll have a lot of trouble finding these in normal stores in London."
Lily’s eyes were wide with surprise. “I’m a witch...” she whispered to herself. Then, louder, “I’m a witch!” She started jumping up and down chanting, “I’m a witch!”
Mrs. Evans smiled. Lily bounded up to her and gave her an enveloping hug. She started toward Petunia, but Petunia moved quickly away. Lily stopped her antics and tilted her head to one side, confused.
“Stay away from me,” Petunia whispered. She edged toward the stairs, as if afraid of a contagious disease. When she reached the foot of the stairs, she ran up as quickly as her skinny legs could take her.
Lily shrugged her shoulders, though she was hurt on the inside. She spent the rest of the day outside in her yard, reading the letters over and over again.