Lily looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her murky greeny-brown eyes stared back at her. Long reddish-brown hair hung almost to her waist. It was almost time to go. Her trunk stood packed at the foot of her bed, ready to go back to Hogwarts. Downstairs she could hear her parents busying to and fro, clearing up the dishes from breakfast.
"Vanity, vanity," mocked her sister, coming in through the door, "another thing to add to my long list of your faults. Looking for more ways to grab attention for yourself?"
Lily turned to glare at her, "shut up!"
"Oh I'm so scared! Going to turn me into a toad?" she leered sarcastically, "Oh that's right, you aren't allowed to. I can't wait 'til you go back to join the rest of your unnatural kind!" With a last disgusted look at the girl who she couldn't believe was related to her she strolled out the room.
Lily sighed and picked up her black cloak, Petunia couldn't have been more wrong. Attention seeking? As if! She'd done everything she could for the last five years to avoid drawing attention to herself. Including spells.
She toyed with her willow wand in her hand, she could risk it. She'd never been caught before, and now she'd past her OWLS she did have some sort of qualifications. Making her decision she pointed the wand at the mirror. "Apparacio media."
There was an imperceptible shimmer in the mirror and the charm settled into place. The same charm she had used since going to Hogwarts. It cast a kind of veil around her and it meant that everyone only ever saw her as average. Nothing remarkable; not pretty, not ugly, not tediously boring, not interesting. Just average. If they spoke to her or saw her she was just so unremarkable that they forgot her the next moment.
Lily was never really sure what had made her do it- no that was a lie, she knew. It was Petunia. She'd always looked up to Petunia, cared about what she thought and said; and until that day she had thought that Petunia had loved her in return. But when her letter from Hogwarts came everything had changed.
At first Petunia had been unbelieving, she laughed it off as a practical joke. But when it had turned out to be true…Lily shuddered, the look on her adored sister's face as she turned to look at her little sister would never leave her mind. The pure disgust and shame that she could ever be related to someone-something like that!
And so she had tried to be average, to fit in the only way she thought would win her approval on both sides. She'd get good marks so her parents and teachers would be pleased, but she tried hard not to fit in- not to make friends or become involved in the magical world. She supposed she had thought that someday, somehow Petunia would forgive her for being…different.
But she was wrong, and had spent five long years paying for it. She'd long given up trying to please her sister and others but she was comfortable as a nobody. It had security in it. And she knew that her parents loved her and cared about her so she didn't feel that she was missing out. Well, that's what she always told herself whenever she felt lonely.
"Lily!" Her mother was calling from downstairs. "Are you ready?"
"Yes mum," she called back.
Her dad appeared in the doorway, a wide grin on his face, "ready to go sweetheart?"
She nodded.
"Ok then," he gabbed her trunk and staggered out into the hall with it. She followed smiling at him then paused and glanced wistfully at her sister's closed door.
"Bye Petunia," she called hopefully, "I'll see you at Christmas."
"God I hope not," came the reply.
"Petunia!" her father said reproachfully, "Don't talk like that!" Both he and his wife were strict about these kinds of things. They were good, Christian people and loved both their daughters' very much. It was just that sometimes they could be so trying, and no matter how much he tried to persuade her that God loved all people magical and non-magical Petunia never seemed to listen. In fact, if anything Lily's acceptance to Hogwarts had made her turn away from Christianity completely. She didn't want to believe in a God who loved that kind of people.
Once the car was packed Lily and her parents set off for the station. They chatted good-naturedly to their youngest, who sat in the back, her owl sleeping in the cage next to her. Never once thinking that she looked any different because of a spell she had cast. To them she was always the same wonderful girl, just as beautiful and as special as the day she was born.
"Now you'll remember and write often," her mother said, breaking away from a tight hug, tears in her eyes.
"Now, now love, don't cry," said her father as he put an arm round his wife's shoulder, "but she's right you know," he said, turning to Lily with a smile, "we didn't buy you that owl for nothing."
Lily smiled, "I know, and I promise, Luna will be back often!" She gave them one last hug and took the handle of her trolley, "see you at Christmas!"
Turning she pushed her trolley though the magical wall and onto platform nine and three quarters.
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A/N: Well people? Review! I'm quite excited about this story, it has loads of plot! And explains more about Lily that fits with hp! I actually have the next chapter written so if I get lots of reviews I'll post it real soon. Not that I except bribery…except I do in the form of reviews^__^ so click that button!