“Mom, please,” a young Lily Evans begged, looking anxious. “I don’t even want her here.”
“Nonsense,” Mrs. Evans said, waving this off as she peered in the direction of the kitchen entrance. “You’ve been waiting to be Head Girl since your first year, and I want the whole family together when we open that letter. Petunia, don’t make me call you again!”
Lily let out an impatient sigh and turned to her tall and balding father, who was sitting quietly in his chair.
“Dad,” she pleaded softly, “you know Petunia will only find a way to ruin this.” Mr. Evans shared a sympathetic look with his daughter and then turned to his wife who was standing behind her chair with an increasingly frustrated expression.
“Honey, she’s right. You know how ‘Tuney feels about this,” Mr. Evans said, laying a hand on his wife’s arm. “Don’t force our girls to get along; it won’t make things any better.”
“Derek,” Mrs. Evans said sharply, tugging her arm away from her husband and planting it firmly on her hip. “I said I want the whole family together, and I want the whole family together. Petunia, now.”
Mr. Evans gave his redhead daughter a pat on the knee helplessly and Mrs. Evans took her seat beside him. Lily just kept her green eyes focused on the fruit bowl in front of her, her normally pink full lips thin. A split-second later, a pair of footsteps stomped their way down the staircase and a Petunia Sylvia Evans appeared at the doorway to the kitchen, looking especially grouchy in a pair of sweats. Her brown hair was pulled into a severe ponytail and her matching brown eyes were narrowed into slits.
“Sit down, sweety,” Mrs. Evans said, patting the empty seat next to her at the small kitchen table. “Lily’s going to open her Hogwarts letter.”
Petunia looked at her mother as if she were crazy.
“Are you joking?” she demanded. “I don’t have time for this.”
“Yes, you do,” Mrs. Evans said firmly. Her plump face was stern. “Lily is about to find out if she’s going to be Head Girl this year, and the whole family is going to be here to support her. Now drop your ego and sit down. This is Lily's moment.”
“I was on the phone,” Petunia snapped, leaning against the doorway defiantly and crossing her arms. “Making a very important call.”
“Make me repeat myself one more time, and you won’t have the privilege of using one anymore,” Mrs. Evans warned. Petunia clenched her jaw and stared back at her mother.
“Fine,” she said finally, dragging her feet to the table and sitting down in the only open seat left. “I guess little miss Lily over here is the biggest priority. Let’s get this over with.”
“You can open the letter now, Lily,” Mrs. Evans said, shooting Petunia a warning glare before nodding in Lily’s direction. “We’re all here.”
Lily felt the feeling return to her hands and picked up the envelope lying patiently on the table. As she ripped it open with trembling fingers, a gold badge came tumbling out and her mother squealed in excitement. Petunia’s expression turned cold, but Lily’s emerald green eyes lit up as she abandoned the letter to pick the badge up off the floor. She scanned the inscription hungrily.
Head Girl
“Sweety, that’s beautiful!” Mrs. Evans gushed, reaching for the badge as Mr. Evans leaned in to hug his daughter.
“Congratulations, Flower,” he said into her ear. “I’m so proud of you.”
Lily smiled broadly as her dad released her to accept the badge from his wife.
“You did it!” Mrs. Evans said happily, kissing her daughter’s cheek and then robotically wiping off the lipstick stain it left. Petunia snorted.
“Mum,” Lily complained, weaseling out of her mother’s grip. But she was still smiling. After six years of living in the Hogwarts library and two years of being a Prefect, she was finally Head Girl. As Mr. Evans handed her badge back to her, Lily felt pride swell up like a balloon in her chest.
“’Tuney?” Mr. Evans prodded after a moment of silence. “Do you have something to say to your sister?”
Petunia looked startled as if she had just been caught daydreaming. She raised her eyebrows at her mother’s stern expression.
“What?” she asked blankly.
“Never mind,” Lily said hastily. “She doesn’t have to say anything, Dad.”
“Yes, she does,” Mrs. Evans insisted, patting her husband's arm approvingly. “Petunia, congratulate your sister.”
“Mum, please -”
“No, she’s right,” Petunia said, suddenly oozing sweetness. “I should congratulate you. You’re the only person I know who has the uncanny ability to be an insufferable attention hog every single day. Congratulations.”
“Petunia!” Mrs. Evans snapped. “You’ve just earned yourself a week under the stairs.”
“No need, Mum,” Petunia spat. She paused as a maniacal craze spread across her features. “I’m moving out.”
“Moving out?” Mr. Evans repeated, his expression frozen. “What do you mean you’re moving out?”
“Well, before your precious flower here decided to make herself the center of attention again, I was on the phone with Vernon, and in case anyone cares, we’re getting engaged.”
“You’re what!” Mrs. Evans shrieked, standing up in shock and causing her chair to fall backwards.
“Now, Annie, calm down,” Mr. Evans said quickly, hurrying over to his wife and putting a reassuring arm around her. “Petunia, what are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about me and Vernon Dursley. We are getting engaged,” Petunia repeated victoriously. Her mouth stretched into a wide smile as she saw her mother’s eyes grow to the size of dinner plates. “I was planning on telling you all over dinner here, but since Lily had something so exciting to share, I figure we might as well lay out all the happy news at once.”
Even Lily could hear the dripping sarcasm in her sister's seemingly complimentary comment.
“At this age?” Mrs. Evans demanded, her hand over her heart. “Have you lost your senses?”
“Yelling’s not going to solve this, dear,” Mr. Evans said firmly into his wife’s ear. He turned to Petunia and said with bitter disappointment, “I’m sorry you feel like Lily is always the center of attention, but you have just crossed the line. Go up to your room and we will discuss this later.”
“Fine by me,” Petunia said smugly, turning to leave, “I never wanted to leave my room to begin with. Oh, and congratulations again, dear Lily,” she added over her shoulder.
Lily stared at her sister’s receding back in shock.
“Do you think she and Vernon are really engaged?” she heard her mom whisper tearfully. Lily turned around to see her parents talking in hushed tones near the sink.
“I don’t know,” Mr. Evans admitted in a low voice. “You know ‘Tuney. Sometimes she gets so upset, she’ll say anything to get a rise out of us.”
Mrs. Evans took a shaky breath and leaned her forehead against her husband’s chest. Lily watched as her father put his arms protectively around his wife and murmured comforting things in her ear. Glancing back down at the badge in her hand, Lily realized the celebration was over. Sighing, she stood up and made her way up the stairs. As she passed Petunia’s bedroom she paused. Hesitantly, she knocked on the door.
“Sod off,” Petunia said loudly. Lily bit her lip for a second and then chose not to listen to her sister. She turned the door handle and poked her head in.
“Can we talk?” Lily asked, a hint of anger in her voice. Petunia was sprawled out on her bed, staring up at the ceiling where she and Lily had once painted stars to mimic the night sky. At the sound of Lily’s voice, she turned to look at the door.
“What part of ‘sod off’ did you not understand?” she spat. Lily opened the door wider and stepped inside.
“Are you and Vernon really engaged?” Lily asked skeptically. Petunia grabbed one of her pillows and chucked it in Lily’s direction.
“I said go away,” she repeated with more force, turning her back towards Lily and staring out her window. “You’re the last person I want to talk about this with.”
“No,” Lily said firmly, catching the pillow and tossing it on the floor next to her. “You ruined a really special moment for me and I want to know whether or not you were telling the truth.”
Petunia Evans slowly rolled over to look Lily straight in the eyes.
“You want to know if I’m telling the truth? Do you really think I would lie about something like this?” she asked, looking more and more offended by the second. “You’re so bloody irritating, Lily! You’re not the only one who has special moments, you selfish git. Just because no boy has ever given you an ounce of attention... Well, I’m glad you go to your disgusting little boarding school. I can’t wait until you leave again.”
Lily shook her head, fuming. Only her dear sister Petunia could turn a situation like this around and make herself feel like the victim. It was one of her many talents, much like her talent for knowing everyone's business all the time, even when they would much rather her keep out of it.
“Fine,” Lily snapped. “I’m leaving Sunday. Mark your calendar.”
As she turned to leave, she heard Petunia yell, “It already is!” Lily slammed the door in reply.
Barely able to make it down the hall without turning around and hexing Petunia, Lily reached her own room and fell on her bed, her badge still clutched tightly in her hand. She couldn’t wait to leave either. Every summer she made an attempt to fix things with her horse of a sister, and every summer Petunia found a new way to make her life miserable. It was beginning to occur to Lily that she and her sister may never come to terms, that what happened years ago may never be healed. The thought made Lily both sad and frustrated.
Ever since Petunia Evans found out that her sister had been invited to study magic, she had harbored a not-so-secret jealousy. She had even discretely written a letter to Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, pleading him to invite her too, but to no avail. Lily continued to live the dream and Petunia continued to live a normal muggle life.
“Lily?”
Lily sat up to see her mother and father standing in the doorway with a piece of cake in their hands.
“What’s this?” she asked, a slight smile spreading across her face as her parents walked in and perched themselves on the edge of her red bed.
“To celebrate,” Mrs. Evans said, giving her a weak smile. “I baked it this morning.”
“We knew you’d be Head Girl,” Mr. Evans said, giving Lily a fond clap on the back. “We wanted the whole family to celebrate together, but under the circumstances…”
“Eat up!” Mrs. Evans insisted. “Tell me if you like it, it’s your favorite.”
“It’s great Mom, thank you,” Lily said, taking a bite and finding it to be a rich vanilla cake with raspberry filling.
“We’re proud of you,” Mrs. Evans reminded her as she and Mr. Evans stood up to leave. Lily let both her parents give her a kiss on the forehead before they filed out.
“And we’re sorry about Petunia,” Mr. Evans added, turning around at the doorway. “It’s tough on her. You know how hurt she was when you got your first letter, it’s only worse now that you’re Head Girl there.”
“I know you feel like we’ve said it a million times, but just give her some time,” Mrs. Evans said. She gave one last smile and shut the door behind her, leaving Lily alone with her Head Girl badge, her slice of cake, and her thoughts.