Lily Evans woke up on the morning of September the first feeling as though she was going to be sick. She shakily extended her small, graceful hand and turned off her alarm clock, which was ringing in her ear. Her heart pounded as she neatly pulled off the covers of her bed and took a deep breath. She wasn't normally this nervous on the first day of term. However, this day was different than the rest of her first days. She was going to Hogwarts, a school for magic. Lily Evans was a witch.
It had come as a total shock that hot summer day when the letter came in the post saying that Lily had been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As she read it, her eyes wide with wonder, she took the whole idea as a joke. Surely her big sister Petunia was in on this. Just by looking at her list of supplies she knew it had to be a hoax- cauldrons? wands? But then again, Petunia had never been much of a practical joker. And when she showed her parents, it had become obvious that Lily truly was a witch.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans were thrilled at the idea. Their little girl; a witch! Extraordinary things like this never happened to the average, middle- class Evans family. They were very proud at this unique and exciting discovery. Petunia, on the other hand, who was a year older than Lily, seemed to think that having a witch in the family was similar to having a family member with some odd, incurable disease. However, Lily did her best to ignore her. She was so curious about this new world that she was asked to be a part of; a world where magic existed not only in her favorite stories, but as a part of everyday life.
She got up gently and smoothed out the covers on her yellow and pink, flowery bed. It matched everything else that she had in her small, organized bedroom -- from her curtains to her walls.
She pulled on her miniscule jeans and neatly pressed sweater, then walked over to the mirror. She didn't like the appearance that was staring back at her. She was the only one in her family with red hair, and she didn't like being different. She was tired of being called "Ginger" at her school; but then again, she wouldn’t be going back there, would she? She was also a very small girl, even for eleven. She was barely five feet tall and was so skinny that her new school robes seemed two sizes too big for her tiny frame. The only things that Lily really did like about herself were the eyes that she had inherited from her father. They were a deep, shining green, and when they caught the light they seemed to glimmer like emeralds.
"Lily! We need to leave in a few minutes!"
Lily whipped around at the sound of her mother's voice. 'I guess this is it,' she told herself. She grabbed her trunk, took one last look at her room in hopes that she wouldn't be too homesick, and walked out.
On the stairway she met her sister, who looked like she had just eaten a rotten egg. If someone saw Lily and Petunia walking down the street, no one would have guessed that they were sisters. Petunia was tall and leggy, but in a very awkward way. She had an extremely long neck and blonde hair that she always wore in a bun. Petunia didn't fit in with her family very much, in physical features or personality.
"So... you're going then?" she asked in a rather resentful tone.
"Yup," Lily smiled, trying to ignore her sister's grimace.
They stood on the stairwell for a moment, staring uncomfortably at each other, obviously at a loss for words.
"All right, then!" Lily said suddenly and cheerfully. "See you at Christmas, Petunia."
Petunia's mouth crinkled into a sort of thin scowl. "Right, bye then," she said without emotion.
Lily shrugged and walked down toward the kitchen. She had never been exactly close to her sister, but ever since she found out she was going to Hogwarts, Petunia had been downright cold. She didn't even seem to care that she wouldn't be seeing her sister for four months. Lily tried to shrug it off, but she couldn't deny the fact that it hurt her feelings.
When she was swept up in a giant hug by her father, however, her spirits lifted.
"My little Lily! Off to school! Oh, I'm going to miss you, darling," he exclaimed.
"I'm going to miss you too, Dad."
Lily's mother came into the room and kissed her on the cheek. "Our little witch! I have a surprise for you." She opened up her closed palms and revealed a scrawny little black cat with big brown eyes.
"Oh, Mum!" Lily squealed in delight, scooping the kitten up and stroking his head.
"He's a present from us, because we know that you'll make us proud, Lily."
Lily looked up at her parents, who were beaming down at her. It was going to be really hard to leave home. What was waiting for her there at Hogwarts? Would she fit in? She was afraid that when she got to King's Cross, a great big clown was going to jump out in front of her and scream, "April Fools!" But it wasn't April, and when she arrived and looked up at the massive scarlet steam engine, it seemed very real. She took in her surroundings. There were hundreds of students, her age and older, kissing their parents goodbye, clutching strange animals and big trunks like hers. It was just then that she realized that it wasn't a dream. She was actually going to this school for magic. She felt a million emotions at once; excitement, apprehension, anxiety, fearfulness, and nausea. She took a deep breath, hugged her mother and father, and stepped onto what was the platform for the beginning of her brand new life.
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James Potter woke up late on the morning of September the first.
"James! You're going to miss your train!" he heard his mother's magically magnified voice bellow throughout the house. He wiped the sleepiness out of eyes. He was ready to protest for five more minutes of rest, when he suddenly realized what day it was.
He popped up out of bed and opened his curtains. The tall, floor-length windows let in all the light of day. James' room was very spacious, with high ceilings and walls and a large fireplace. He made his way across the floor littered with old socks and magazines with moving pictures of Quidditch stars. He opened his wardrobe and got dressed.
He looked in the mirror at his reflection and cringed. What was he wearing? His T-Shirt was way too tight and the jeans that he was wearing were uncomfortable. 'How can muggles stand to wear this rubbish?' He thought to himself. He didn't want to wear it, but his father said that it was important to go to King's Cross in disguise. It was kind of annoying, but James had been waiting his entire life to go to Hogwarts, and a little thing like having to dress weirdly wasn't going to rain on his parade. He noticed that his black hair was looking as untidy as ever. His mother was constantly telling him to brush it, but it made no difference. It would never lie flat; and he was starting to like it that way. His hazel eyes twinkled with excitement- this was going to be the best day of his life.
He glanced over at his top-of-the-line broom, gleaming and resting in a case on his windowsill; he wished he could bring it, but first years weren't allowed their own broomsticks. It wasn't fair at all, in James' opinion. He would have to wait until next year to join the Quidditch team. He gathered up the rest of his stuff and hauled it downstairs without giving his room a second glance. He would not miss it, he had decided. Hogwarts was going to be too exciting.
He had heard his parents talk about Hogwarts ever since he could remember. When he was a little boy, he would beg them to tell him all about the classes, the Great Hall, and even the Giant Squid. He could hardly believe that now it was his turn to see it all first hand. There was so much to experience, and he had seven whole years to do it.
When James entered the sparklingly clean, white marble kitchen, he walked in on his mother at the kitchen sink in her apron, magically scrubbing the dishes with her wand.
"So, Mum..." he grinned, puffing out his chest. "How do I look?"
He watched as his mother's eyes became glassy and her bottom lip began to quiver. She dropped her wand and the sink began to overflow with bubbles. "Oh, James," she shrieked and grabbed him into a back-breaking embrace.
"Oi, mum, let me go!" he struggled out of her grip, rumpling his hair.
"It's just... James, you're my only little boy, and you're so grown up now, leaving for school already!" she sniffled, rushing to grab her wand again and clean up the mess. James was used to this treatment, being an only child. "What are we going to do without you around the house all day?"
"There, there, mum," he said, patting her on the back. "It'll be Christmas before you know it."
James' dad suddenly appeared in the doorway with a handsome grin, much like his son's, that made him look much younger than he actually was. "Ready, James?"
James returned the identical smile. He had never been more ready in his life.
Platform 9 and 3/4 was everything he had imagined it to be and more. The second he looked at the great scarlet train, he couldn't wait to get on. He heaved his stuff up in through the doorway, kissed his parents, and hopped aboard. 'So, this is it,'' he told himself, looking around. 'This is going to be brilliant.'