A/N: The tragically short lives of James and Lily Potter are the creation of J.K. Rowling. I don't want that credit.

Chapter One – Muggle-born of the Midlands

"MUM! Lily's making her books fly again!"

"Oh, Tuney, don't make such a fuss," Lily giggled, her books settling around her. She selected one of the volumes, flipped to a page, and began reading as though the events were completely normal. Which they were. Normal for Lily Evans, that is.

Lily could see Petunia staring at her, mouth gaping open. Their mother never made it in time to see Lily's mischief. Lily made sure of it. Petunia was only blamed for her wild imagination and trying to get her younger sister in trouble. Lily knew Petunia tried to ignore her sister's "quirks," so she made sure her sister was nearly decapitated by a zooming hardback every day in case she forgot.

Petunia hadn't always considered Lily's abnormalities as such. She had once told Lily that the first time she had summoned her stuffed dog to her crib, Petunia had thought it funny. Of course, neither their mother nor father had believed the tale.

It was when Lily was old enough to speak and begin learning right from wrong that Petunia had really started to grow angry. Lily never told their parents what she could do even when they blamed Petunia for dreaming up the antics of her sister.

Lily couldn't explain what she did. She had never tried. She liked to see Petunia mad – her older sister's face would get red before she started yelling for their mum. Lily found it both cute and funny.

"Girls, why don't you go outside and play?" Their mother stood in the doorway, having finally answered her elder daughter's summons.

"Okay, Mummy," Lily said, scrambling from her bed and rushing down the stairs, Petunia following somberly after her.

They found themselves at a small playground surrounded by trees and shrubbery. There was a grim view, but Lily liked to pretend they were princesses kept away from the tragic world beyond their realm. Petunia's imagination only went so far, though; she tried to tell Lily her idea of a princess didn't do such careless things as she did. Things like making books fly. But Lily insisted on pushing boundaries, even during the simple activity of swinging, listening to the rusty chains groan above their heads.

The first time the girls had found themselves alone in the playground, Petunia had thought Lily's trick funny, the pair laughing. But her younger sister's stunt had soon grown to frustrate her, making Lily want to do it more. Why couldn't she, Petunia, push her swing as high as Lily's? Why couldn't she, Petunia, land softly like Lily? Petunia had told her mother about Lily and the swing, and a warning had been given. Of course, their mother didn't understand the extent of what Petunia was trying to explain; she merely thought Petunia was exaggerating Lily's play.

"Lily, don't do it!" Petunia shrieked, knowing exactly what Lily's increasing height meant.

Lily ignored her sister's words, letting go of the chains at the peak of the swing's arc, launching into the air and flying. She was literally flying, completely in control of everything. She landed on the tips of her toes several yards away, looking back at her red-faced sister.

"Mummy told you not to!" Petunia came to a stop, creating a cloud of dust in her haste to disembark the swing. "Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"

"But I'm fine! Mummy doesn't know what I can do. Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."

Lily had discovered a new trick just the other day and had waited patiently to show her sister the next time they were alone. Selecting a fallen flower from the ground around them, Lily stood in front of Petunia. Concentrating on the flower's wilted petals, Lily watched as they opened and closed.

"Stop it!" Petunia shouted.

"It's not hurting you," Lily muttered. Her sister always overreacted. But she tossed the flower back to the ground to appease Petunia.

"It's not right." There was a beat of silence. "How do you do it?"

Lily thought for a minute, wondering how brains worked. She was only nine and couldn't possibly know why her brain was different than Petunia's. If it even was her brain that let her do what she did…

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

Lily jumped at the voice but turned to face the newcomer. Petunia shrieked and ran to the safety of the swings. Lily wasn't sure what to think of the boy before her. He was dressed oddly in shabby, mismatched clothing. His hair needed cutting.

"What's obvious?" Lily asked the boy, ignoring her sister's pleas to leave.

There was a gleam in the boy's dark eyes as he answered. "I know what you are."

"What do you mean?"

"You're…you're a witch," the boy whispered.

"That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" Lily replied. Witches were evil, dirty. Lily was a princess, not a witch. She turned away from the boy and returned to the swings.

"No!" The boy followed after Lily. "You are. You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."

Ignoring the fact that the boy had been watching her, Lily thought about what he had said. Was being a witch a good thing? Witches did magic. Was that what Lily could do? Did she finally have the answer?

But before Lily could question the boy further, Petunia let out a cruel laugh. "Wizard!" she cackled. "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river," she told Lily. "Why have you been spying on us?"

"Haven't been spying," the boy muttered. "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway," he spat at Petunia, "you're a Muggle."

Petunia eyed the boy, recognizing, like Lily, the cruel intent of the unknown word. "Lily, come on, we're leaving." Lily followed her sister, her mind reeling with new information and questions of witches, wizards, and Muggles.

Had the boy been telling the truth? Did she finally have a name for what she was, what she could do?

"Tuney, do you think I could be a witch?" Lily asked her sister as they hurried home.

"I don't know what you are – I wouldn't believe that Snape boy, anyway. But witches are freaks. You don't want to be a freak, do you? In the company of freaks like the Snapes?" Petunia sped up her pace. "I don't want to go back to that park ever again."

While Petunia boycotted the playground, Lily had other plans and returned to the swings the next day. She had to only wait a few minutes before the Snape boy appeared from the bushes, his eyes roving the area in search of Petunia.

"She didn't come," Lily said. "She thinks we're freaks." Lily looked at the boy. He was wearing the same clothes as the day before. "But we're not freaks, are we?"

"No," the boy said with a small smile. "We're not freaks. I'm a wizard, and you're a witch. And we get to go to Hogwarts where we won't be called freaks."

"What's Hogwarts?" Lily scrunched her nose at the strange name.

"It's a school where we'll learn magic. My mum's told me all about it. It's a huge castle for just witches and wizards. For kids like us."

"When can we go?" Lily said. She loved the very idea of this school. She had to be very careful at her school now – sometimes she forgot and would accidentally make her books fly like at home. She never got caught, though.

"We get our letters when we're eleven. That's two years for me."

"Me too!" Lily squealed. "Why didn't I know about Hogwarts before?"

"Because your family are Muggles," the boy replied matter-of-factly.

"What are Muggles?" Lily asked, recognizing the word he had used to describe Petunia.

"They can't do magic. You're Muggle-born, so normally you would have to wait for your letter to find out about Hogwarts. But when I saw you fly…" The boy's eyes grew wide. "I thought my mum and I were the only ones that could do magic around here."

"How can I do magic if my parents are Muggles?" Lily asked

"I don't know. I think it has something to do with blood." The boy shrugged. "I'm a half-blood because my dad's a Muggle."

Lily noticed the boy tug at his shirtsleeve almost instinctively. "Did he do that?" she asked, noticing a purple and blue bruise on his wrist.

"Doesn't matter…" the boy muttered.

"It does…" Lily faltered, realizing she didn't know her companion's name. "What's your name?"

"Severus," he mumbled in reply.

"Severus…can we be friends, Severus?"

The boy smiled in reply.

Lily found herself slowly shrinking away from Petunia, seeking out Severus's company more and more. The temptation of learning more about magic grew with each passing day. Every encounter they had, Lily learned more and more about Hogwarts and the magical world. Her excitement for eventually entering the ancient walls of the school continued to increase. Just two more years of Muggle school and she would be in the cavernous halls, wielding her own magic wand and learning actual spells and enchantments.

When the summer ended, Lily wasn't able to meet with Severus – her mother wouldn't allow her wandering alone as the days grew shorter. To keep the idea of magic alive, Lily drew her imaginings in the margins of her schoolwork. Did she know what an actual Dementor looked like? No, she only knew that they were scary and had no faces. Did she only vaguely know what a hippogriff was? Yes, but she knew what an eagle and a horse looked like. Her favorite thing to do was draw various wands, sketching what she thought her own would look like once she was allowed to actually hold it in her hand.

The school year dragged on endlessly, but the warmth and freedom of summer arrived with fresh energy from Lily. One more year. One more year until Hogwarts and magic.

On the first day of the summer holidays, Lily found herself waiting patiently for Severus to arrive in their favorite spot. The river glittered in the sunlight while Lily sat in the shade of the tree behind her.

"You came back."

Lily hadn't heard Severus arrive, and the sound of his voice startled her.

"Severus!"

She jumped up and hugged him, smiling wide.

"Hi, Lily."

She stood back to take him in. He was taller, or at least his pants were much shorter. But he was otherwise unchanged. His clothing choices were still as eccentric as ever, and his hair still hung in sheets over his face, hiding him from the world.

"How have you been, Severus?"

That day, they didn't talk about magic. For once, Severus talked of his life at home, talking for hours about his father, his mother. Lily didn't mind not discussing magic. Her friend needed her. And she was going to be there for him, no matter what. But it was all the more difficult to depart, Severus returning to the yelling, Lily entering a home that glowed with warmth and love.

"Where were you today?" Lily's mother asked as Lily washed her hands at the kitchen sink.

"I was down at the river, reading." Lily saw that Petunia was eying her pointedly.

"Were you with anyone?" Petunia questioned, looking meaningfully at their mother.

"No one. I was alone. It's really peaceful down there," Lily lied easily.

"Maybe you can go tomorrow, Petunia. It would be good to get out of the house. I don't know why you wanted to stay in here all day."

"Yeah. Maybe." It was a grumble.

Lily knew that Petunia saw right through her, knew that her sister at least suspected that she had spent the day with Severus. But it didn't stop her from returning to the riverbank the next afternoon.

It was another summer of magic. Severus regaled Lily with stories that his mother had told him about school. He listed the many things magic could make easier.

"I'll never have to make my bed again!" Lily exclaimed upon learning that a simple wave of her wand would make the chore nonexistent.

Severus smiled. Lily was always more interested in practical charms even though her "teacher" kept trying to interest her in potions. Severus had even snuck one of his mother's old Potions books from home one day, showing Lily all that the boiling cauldron could yield.

"You'll still have to make your bed until you leave Hogwarts. The Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school – you get letters."

"But I have done magic outside school!" She thought of flying off the swings, making flowers bloom before her eyes, selecting her next book from a hovering stack.

"We're all right," Severus assured her. "We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But once you're eleven and they start training you, then you've got to be careful."

Lily was only half listening. Magic. Hogwarts. It seemed so wonderful.

It seemed like a dream.

"It is real, isn't it? It's not a joke? Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts. It is real, isn't it?" Lily wasn't sure she could handle the loss of magic if Severus had indeed been lying to her all this time. But he wouldn't do that. Would he?

"It's real for us," Severus said, smiling at Lily. "Not for her." Because Petunia was a Muggle. Lily could learn magic, but Petunia couldn't. Was that why Petunia was so mad at her? "But we'll get the letter, you and me."

"Really?" whispered Lily, trying hard not to believe Severus wholeheartedly just in case he really was lying. She didn't like to be disappointed.

"Definitely." Severus's smile, so hopeful and confident, spoke the truth Lily hadn't believed in his words.

"And will it really come by owl?" Lily whispered.

"Normally. But you're Muggle-born, so someone from the school will have to come and explain to your parents."

"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"

"No," Severus said, looking at Lily from behind his sheet of hair. "It doesn't make any difference."

Lily hadn't seen Severus since that day. He had hurt Petunia on purpose, Lily just knew it. She had spent the rest of the summer apologizing to Petunia, making her promise not to tell on Severus, even if he did deserve a scolding. But not from his father. Lily would never do that to him, her friend.

But oh, how she wanted to find him one year later.

"Hello! You wouldn't happen to be Lily, would you?"

"No, sir. I'm Petunia. Lily! Mum! Dad!"

Lily had heard the knock at the door from her bedroom upstairs, but Petunia had raced from her own room to greet their visitor. Now, Lily descended the stairs to see a short, white-haired man standing in the doorway.

"I'm Lily," she said as she reached the entryway.

"It's nice to meet you, Lily. I'm Professor Flitwick."

Professor? A Hogwarts professor? Lily's eyes widened at the very thought.

Lily's parents appeared from the kitchen, answering Petunia's summons.

"May we help you?" their father asked.

"I'm Professor Filius Flitwick. I've come regarding Miss Lily's placement at my school."

"There was no mention of a home interview…"

"Oh, no, Mrs. Evans. You've never heard of my school. If you would allow me entry into your home, I would be delighted to explain."

"I don't know…" Lily's mother looked at her husband.

Lily couldn't let them turn Professor Flitwick away. "Is your school Hogwarts?" she asked in a whisper.

Professor Flitwick smiled down at his future student. "It is indeed. How do you know about Hogwarts?"

"I have a friend – he's a wizard."

"Lily, what are you talking about?" her father stepped forward, placing his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Severus Snape," Petunia jeered. "He lives in Spinner's End. He's been telling her about magic and Hogwarts and dementors for years now. He's freaky."

"Is not," Lily mumbled in reply, not wanting to bicker with her sister in front of the Hogwarts teacher.

"I suppose there's no harm in hearing what you have to say, Professor –"

"Flitwick," the tiny wizard supplied Lily's father.

"Please, come inside," Lily's mother beckoned.

The Evans family and their guest arranged themselves in silence in the living room where Lily was presented her letter. Heavy parchment, a purple wax seal.

She would be going to Hogwarts on 1 September. Just over a month away.

"As your daughter seems to already know, I suppose I should tell you the hard facts of the matter," Professor Flitwick began. "Your daughter is a witch."

"Sorry?" Lily's father leaned forward, moving his head as though he couldn't have heard the little man correctly.

"I'm a witch, Daddy. I can do things. Magical things," Lily told him.

"I told you, didn't I, Mummy? I told you," Petunia pouted in a corner.

"I don't understand," Lily's mother said, her eyes roving from Lily to Professor Flitwick in turn. She didn't seem to have heard her elder daughter.

"I teach at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is a school that teaches young witches and wizards how to control their magic. Lily is a witch and is being offered a place at the school. However, there are many things I have been instructed to tell you before you make a decision.

"I will tell you this frankly: the wizarding world is at war, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. We are threatened by one of our own. It is a dangerous time for all. But I want to assure you that Hogwarts is a stronghold, a safe place where it is even possible to believe there isn't a war being waged throughout the country."

"I'm sorry, a war?" Lily's father interrupted. "Wouldn't we know if there were a war in Britain?"

"Not in those words, Mr. Evans. But you have felt the effects, I'm sure. I understand that you work in the city. Strange, the fog in the area, isn't it?"

"The fog hasn't lifted for the better part of eight months. It's downright depressing if I'm being honest."

"Your elder daughter has the answer, Mr. Evans. It is not fog that you are surrounded by during the work week but dementors."

Lily gasped.

Professor Flitwick turned to her. "Your friend told you about dementors?"

"They guard Azkaban…they suck away all the happiness."

"Foul creatures – but they aren't at Hogwarts," Professor Flitwick said upon seeing the horrified expressions on Mr. and Mrs. Evans' faces. "There are magical ways of dismissing dementors, magic that Lily will learn at Hogwarts."

"We can't – how can we send our daughter to a place where war would be knocking at the gate?" Lily's father spluttered.

"I can't make the decision for you. But please understand that Lily learning to control her magic is in her best interest."

"Daddy, please!" Lily said, turning to her father. "Severus says that Hogwarts is so magical. And he told me that bad things can happen if you don't learn to control your magic. I really want to go, Daddy. Please."

"Is that true? Is not learning how to control her magic dangerous?" Lily's mother asked Professor Flitwick.

"There have been cases of suppressed magic destroying a witch or wizard, yes," Professor Flitwick responded, his eyes downcast.

"And you say it's safe, this Hogwarts?" Lily's mother questioned.

"Yes. Quite safe. At the moment, there isn't any place safer."

"David, I think she should go. I think we should let her go."

There was a moment where Lily's father seemed to contemplate the situation. He sighed deeply before speaking. "Okay. Lily's a witch. She's going to school at a place called Hogwarts. What's the next step?"

Lily squealed and threw herself into her father's arms.

She was going to Hogwarts.