“Lily!”
Petunia Evans looked up from her magazine and stared at her little sister. “Mum’s calling you.”
“I know,” Lily replied whilst turning a page. “But she doesn’t sound mad yet.”
“Lily!”
“What did you this time?” asked Petunia.
“Nothing, really. Sis, you know I never get into trouble unless I can blame you.”
Petunia grabbed a pillow and threw it at her sister, who threw it back.
“LILY!”
Both girls jumped at the sound of their mother’s voice. Lily’s shoulders dropped and she sighed. “I guess I better see what mum wants.”
“Sure.” Petunia grinned. “I love seeing you get in trouble.”
Lily stuck her tongue out at her sister before turning and running down the stairs. Petunia raced after her and they both almost collided with a very stern looking woman.
“Girls, please,” said their mother, shaking her head sternly. “I would like you meet Professor McGonagall. Professor, these are daughters, Petunia and Lily.”
The Professor smiled warmly and added, “Pleased to meet you, girls.”
Petunia only nodded in reply, and Lily managed to mumble, “Pleased to me meet you, too.”
Their mother smiled. “Lily, Professor McGonagall would like to talk to you about something important.”
Petunia saw a confused look cross her sister’s face. Lily looked at Petunia questioningly, but she didn’t understand this meeting any better than Lily did.
“I’m here to offer you a place at Hogwarts’ School of Witchcraft and Wizardly,” stated the woman.
“I don’t understand,” Lily replied.
The woman smiled and began to explain that certain people were born with magical abilities. They were called witches and wizards, and apparently Lily was one of them! She explained in-depth about Hogwarts and the Magical World, and even pulled out a stick and turned the in table into a pig, and back! Petunia was so shocked that she almost missed the woman handing Lily a letter.
Petunia carefully watched as Lily read its contents before looking up at their parents with pleading eyes, and asking, “Can I go?”
Petunia saw her parents exchange a look before her father answered, “If it’s want you want, sweetheart.”
Lily jumped up and hugged their Dad and Mum. “Thank you!”
Then Lily turned and saw Petunia standing there. “What about Petunia?” she enquired.
“I’m sorry, but your sister is not a witch, and we only allow witches and wizards to attend Hogwarts.”
“Oh,” Lily said.
In Petunia’s mind, that ‘oh’ changed everything. It was like that ‘oh’ was a magic spell that transformed the sisters into something different; both beautiful and ugly at the same time. Lily seemed to glow with the knowledge that she was a witch. Her parents surrounded her, congratulating their daughter and beaming with pride at having a witch in the family. On the other hand, Petunia felt plain, unworthy, ugly. Her parents could never be proud of her in the way they were of Lily. Lily was a witch, capable of doing amazing things. Petunia was just plain old Petunia, capable of doing only normal things.
The witch, McGonagall, was talking with her parents and Lily about Diagon Alley and school supplies, but she wasn’t really listening. Unable to take it any longer, Petunia slowly backed out of the room and climbed the stairs. No one even noticed her leave.
Once alone in her room, Petunia stared at the magazines on the floor that the two sisters had innocently read together, not even an hour before. Petunia sunk to the floor, wrapping her arms around the pillow she had thrown at Lily, and began to cry. The carefree moments the two sisters had enjoyed were at an end.
The beautiful witch can’t associate with the plain, normal girl, can she?
In that moment, Petunia convinced herself that the love the two sisters had shared was broken forever.
Unless…
There was someone who could put a stop to this and return things to the way they were before. If she begged hard enough, Petunia was sure that they could save her sister.
Petunia waited until later that evening, after her sister had gone to bed, to approach her parents.
“Mum? Dad?” she asked timidly.
“Yes, dear,” inquired her father.
“Don’t let Lily go,” Petunia whispered.
“Speak up, Petunia,” ordered her mother.
“Don’t let Lily go.”
Her mother sighed, “Petunia…”
“Please, I don’t want Lily to go away.”
Her father replied, “Petunia, this must be hard for you, but it’s what Lily wants to do.”
“But if she goes away we won’t be sisters anymore.”
“No, Petunia,” her mother answered. “No matter what happens, you and Lily will always be sisters. Lily may change, but that’s part of growing up.”
“Lily’s not a witch, she’s my sister!”
“I understand that this afternoon must have been hard on you, but we have to let Lily choose her own path,” her mother stated.
“NO! You’re only doing this because you love Lily more!”
“Petunia…”
“If you loved me you wouldn’t let Lily go!”
Her father rose. “Petunia, that’s enough!”
Petunia was crying now. “You don’t love me. You’ve never loved me!”
Her mum slowly walked over, wrapped her arms around a sobbing Petunia, and whispered in her ear, “We love you. We have always loved both you and Lily, and that is why we are letting Lily go. You may not understand now, but someday you will.”
Almost a year later, Petunia waited in the kitchen for Lily to come home. Petunia had begged and pleaded all summer, but come September, Lily had left for Hogwarts and Petunia had stayed at home. Lily wrote often, but that was no replacement for the friendship they once had. As the months dragged on, the sisters grew further and further apart. Part of Petunia still hoped that when Lily walked through that door, things would return to the way they were before: Petunia and Lily Evans, sisters and best friends.
Petunia heard her parents’ car and knew that this was it; Lily was home. The door opened and Lily entered, her green eyes sparkling with excitement. She was talking nonstop about Hogwarts, but Petunia was having a hard time following her sister’s words. Lily was talking about brooms and Quidditch, ghosts and walking suits of armor, classes and learning magic. None of it made any sense to Petunia.
“Oh, watch this!” Lily exclaimed. She drew her wand and pointed it at a teacup on the table.
Petunia heard some strange words, saw a flash of light, and then noticed a rat running on the table where the cup had been. Petunia felt the color drain from her face, her sister was a witch.
“Oops, I shouldn’t have done that. We aren’t allowed to do magic out of school.” Then Lily turned and saw her sister. “Petunia, are you okay?”
Petunia just stared at the girl who had once been her sister. She had been wrong; that school hadn’t just destroyed their relationship, it had done something much worse. It had turned Lily into an admonition, a freak of nature, some sort of monster that could wave a stick and make things happen. And her parents loved it!
Petunia saw them smiling and showing Lily approval for her new talents. They believed having a witch in the family was the greatest thing ever. Was Petunia the only person who saw what Hogwarts had really done to her sister?
Lily frowned and stepped forward. “Petunia?”
Petunia jumped back in horror. “Get away from me, you freak!”
As she turned and ran up the stairs she heard she father call out, “Petunia!”
But she didn’t care. Her sister was a freak and a monster, and it was all her parents’ fault. If only her parents had loved her, had listened to her; they would have never let Lily go to that school.
It’s their fault my sister is a freak.
Petunia flung herself, sobbing, onto her bed. There was only one thing she could do. She would forget about her sister, and stay as far away from her and all those other freaks as she possibly could. Then, maybe… just maybe, she wouldn’t get destroyed by those monsters.