A/N: Again I do not own Harry Potter in any way shape or form. Although I wish I did…sigh
Chapter Five
The Truth Revealed
A pair of rusty swings creaked in the moonlight on a cold January's eve. A light snow blanketed the frozen ground, illuminating all that stood in the darkness. A merry-go-round squeaked in the distance as it slowly turned with the chilling breeze. A figure stood alone on the playground, his dark hair contrasting greatly with the snow around him. After brushing off the crystal powder, he plopped in to a swing and stared at the ground, his feet turned slightly inward. He swayed back and forth, sneakers never leaving the earth, and glanced upward every few seconds, as if waiting for someone.
That someone was Lily Evans.
Another figure came trotting across the snow-covered alley, crunching louder and louder as it made its way toward its destination. Lime green wellies clambered over a sandbox heaped with white dust and closed in on the inhabited swings. A petite girl stood before the dark-haired figure, wearing a plaid woolen cap over her long crimson locks. Her hair was stick straight and flowed down to her buttocks, which were sporting a pair of her sister's old jeans- ripped in the knees and covered in flowers. Petunia had never worn them that way, but Lily wanted to make a statement of her own with the second hand trousers.
The girl landed in her swing with a thud, not bothering to wipe it off, and shivered at the wetness seeping through the denim. She rotated her head to look at the boy beside her, her olive green eyes filled with concern.
"I'm not going back to school."
"I seem to remember having this conversation before, and I think it turned out alright," the girl said matter-of-factly, a smirk forming on her lips.
"This time is different, Lily. You don't even know what happened-"
"That's because you won't tell me what happened!" she snapped.
"Well it's not like I want the whole world to know, it wasn't a very pleasant experience."
"Oh, so I'm the 'whole world' now am I? Geez, Sev, you'd think you could tell me."
An uncomfortable silence passed between the two as the merry-go-round continued to screech in the background.
"People are going to find out anyway. You could just tell me first hand so I won't have to decide on a rumor. I might make one up myself. And I'd pick the most far-fetched, absolutely jaw dropping-"
"No you wouldn't," the boy said quietly, his greasy strands falling in his face. His coal black eyes were still mesmerized with his sneakers and his hands gripped the chains beside him, as if they were the only things keeping him from falling.
"Ugh, yes I would!" Lily scoffed as she shot him a glance of utter distaste.
"You're starting to act like Tuni, spreading rumors and such. Shut up in a house with her over the holidays hasn't done you much good, has it?"
The redhead's jade eyes turned scarlet as she jumped out of her seat and swelled up with anger. Her right hand clenched in a fist, she jabbed a pointed finger in her opponent's face as her hair whipped wildly behind her.
"How DARE you compare me to Petunia!" she bellowed, her voice rebounding off the trees.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, I just…" the boy finally looked up at her with saddened eyes. He looked a mess, and Lily immediately took her seat, slightly embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, too," she muttered.
"You really want to know what happened? Fine. It happened on my birthday. My-"
"I noticed you didn't have a party! I haven't seen you in nearly three weeks, don't think I've forgotten-"
"Lily, please," Severus said in a serious tone. "It was my birthday, and my father had one of his…episodes…"
"Oh, Severus," Lily's emeralds sparkled in the moonlight and she touched a hand to Severus' knee.
"He-he left us, Lily. He just couldn't take it anymore, and he left. The man just exploded on us. He did bad things, horrible things, and he left," he held back the tears as Lily's mouth dropped to the floor.
"But why, Sev? Why on your birthday, of all days? Had he been drinki-"
"When wasn't he drinking, Lily? But no, or I guess not, I don't know- that wasn't the main reason-"
"Well what was?" the girl's eyes stared deeply into his, longing for a reply.
"You just wouldn't understand."
"Don't give me that, Severus, you know good and well I would. I know you better than anybody and if you think for one minu-"
"Stop, Lily, please. I've tried to tell you before, but…" he trailed off, shifting his eyes back towards the icy ground.
"But what?" she moved her head down in front of his face, forcing him to meet her gaze. Their eyes found one another and she whispered, "Tell me."
"My letter came on my birthday. My mother says the first one always does. That's how she kne-"
"Oh, Sev, where were you accepted? I got mine from St. Edmund's on Christmas Eve, best present I ever got! Tuni was thrilled as you can guess, ha ha, but it's not like we'll be in the same dorm or any -what?"
"Will you let me finish?"
"Oh, right, sorry," a blush creeped up Lily's face and she hastily turned her head the opposite direction.
Severus stared straight ahead, as if working out how to phrase what he wanted to say. He'd been down this road before, and knew he'd have to be very delicate.
"Do you remember Hogwarts, Lily?" he asked in a light tone.
"Our game? Oh, Sev, we haven't played that in ages! A bit old for that now, don't you think?" she said with her brows lowered.
"But you do remember it?"
"Well, of course. We only played it every day for three or four years. How could I forget?"
"Do you remember when I told you about it the first time?"
Lily's almond eyes crinkled and she looked to the sky with a smile."Yeah, you told me you weren't going to go to Kindergarten. Like you had a choice, Sev."
"Well, I did."
"Oh, really? Do tell."
"I already told you, Lily, but you didn't take me seriously."
"Codswallop! Sev, you just didn't want to go to school so you made up a story. And to think I almost believed you! I'd like to think I'm not quite as gullible anymo-"
"LILY! It's the truth! My letter was from Hogwarts and I'm a wizard! That's why my father left- he thinks we're barking. My mother was hiding it. She's a witch- and you're one too! I know it."
"Severus, stop. If you didn't want to tell me why then you should have just left. Any time you want to avoid something you just use that childish story! I'm not five anymore, Sev, I'm not going to fall for it. It was a stupid game, nothing more. It's not the answer to all your problems."
"NO, it's the reason for them-"
"I'll concur. So drop the story and face reality, Sev-"
"This IS reality! I knew you wouldn't understa-"
"NO, I won't ever understand, because you continue to lie to me! You know, you're the reason Tuni doesn't like me anymore. She nearly hates me because of you. And it's this juvenile 'magic' rubbish that's tearing us apart. I don't want to see you anymore until you can be honest with me. Guess I won't see you in school tomorrow," Lily sobbed as she sprinted from the swing set, loping through the snow.
Tears froze on her bright red cheeks as her strawberry mane lashed in her wake. She didn't dare look back at the fraud behind her, burying his distraught face in his hands, his dark stringy locks nearly grazing the white fluff beneath him.
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A week after the 'playground incident', as Lily liked to call it, the redhead awoke with a breathtaking smile that slowly spread across her freckled face. Her bright green eyes popped open with vigor and turned toward the sunlight beaming through her window. She pointed her toes under her covers and arched her back, stretching her arms out as wide as they could reach. A yawn escaped her lips and she swung her legs gracefully over the edge of her daybed, rotating her shoulders and tilting her head from side to side. The young girl hoisted herself up on her tiny palms and gently placed her feet on the ground, daintily making her way to her dresser. She took her bronze-plated brush in hand and carefully stroked it through her beautiful long hair.
'Today is my birthday,' she thought, and hummed to herself as she combed her ruby ringlets.
'Cheer up sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean? To a- daydream believer and a homecoming quee-'
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" a shrill voice screamed from next door.
A great scuttle could be heard from the adjacent bedroom and Lily scrambled out in to the corridor to investigate. Her father already had a foot in Petunia's door and Mrs. Evans was right behind him.
"What's a matter, poppet?"
"HER! SHE DID IT- I KNOW SHE DID! It ALWAYS has to do with HER!" Petunia shouted as she pointed a finger in contempt at her bewildered sister standing in the doorway.
"Petunia Rose! Calm down- Lily's been in her room all morning, what could she have done?" her mother asked sensibly. "Oh, and happy birthday, love," she added with a smile, turning towards her younger daughter.
"OH! That's right! Happy birthday, pumpkin! Did you get a goo-"
"Can we get back to me, please?!?" Petunia said in disbelief.
Her flaxen hair was nearly standing on end, leaving Petunia looking rather frazzled. She had a few scratches here and there, and her pale blue eyes were blazing with fury. Her rail thin frame bore a long, peach-colored dressing gown, untied in the front and hanging loosely off one arm, apparently having come undone in her scuffle-with whatever it was. Her malevolent glare never left Lily's perplexed one as she clenched her fists in anger.
"That-that- thing came crashing in here and tried to attack me! It clawed me to death and nearly pecked my eyes out!"
The harried teen, with arms folded patently across her chest, was glowering at the corner- where a tawny screech owl was perched atop her bedpost. All eyes turned toward the peculiar bird, watching 'the beast' as it twitched its head about the room. Lily's eyes fell on the owl's scrawny leg, and what appeared to be a letter tied with golden string.
Mrs. Evans was the first to move, striding over to the creature and picking it up with a delicate hand. She lifted the bird above her head, mere inches from her highly teased crown, and examined the golden-brown plumage she held between her slender fingers.
"Oh look, Lily, it's got your name on it. It must be a birthday present! But who would send you an owl, of all things? Probably your great-aunt Posy, she's getting on in years you know."
"Poor bird's as blind as a bat, probably thought she was sending you a decorative pillow."
"Flannery! She's not that old," she snapped as she shot her husband an agitated look. "Maybe your brother sent it as a joke, I mean how else would it know to come here? Do you think he's outside?"
"Finbar? Nah, doubt he even knows it Popkin's birthday," Lily's father said, ruffling her meticulously brushed hair.
"Well, I'm going to check- owls don't just fly in through people's windows every day," the woman said as she peeked wildly through the curtains. "The neighbors must think we're nutters!" her hands flew up beside her and she made a mad dash out of the room.
Mr. Evans rolled his eyes and gave Lily a quick wink before exiting the vicinity, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he fell in stride behind his wife. Flannery Evans was a man of average height, his once blazing red hair graying considerably at the temples. His eyes were a deep ocean blue, but round as opposed to Lily's almond-shaped ones. A man of great work ethic, Flannery was a local milk man- delivering dairy to the homes in Manchester for nearly forty years. His temperament was usually of a kind and joking matter, but Lily definitely knows where she gets her fiery temper.
Redirecting her attention to the owl, and completely ignoring Petunia, Lily cocked her head and furrowed her brow- noticing something rather peculiar. Not only did the shining emerald ink bear her name and precise address, but also displayed a very unusual coat of arms.
She slowly crept toward the bizarre creature, flitting its tawny head about the room. Petunia watched in silent horror as her sister delicately pulled apart the tattered string, allowing the letter to fall gently in her hand. The owl immediately spread its wings and took off through the door and out of sight, only to be seen moments later soaring skyward out the window.
Turning the buff-coloured envelope over in her fingers, she read:
Miss Lily Marigold Evans
Second Bedroom on the Left
13 Holly Drive
Manchester, England
On the top left corner an intricate crest bearing a lion, serpent, badger, and eagle surrounded a beautiful cursive "H." The back of the folded parchment was sealed with a glossy crimson wax, HOGWARTS stamped across the close.
Lily took off like a gun shot out of the house and down the street, nearly trampling Mrs. Evans begonias on the sidewalk. Still wearing her dressing gown and red hair bouncing in her wake, not even Davy Jones himself could keep her from speeding down the lane toward Spinner's End.
A/N: Well, I'm afraid that's all I've got so far. I have not "abandoned" this story I can assure you, this is just all I have written so far. I have the entire plot laid out until the 'fateful end' portion- minus a detail here or there- and I really like where the story is going so far (I hope you do too!) Please review and let me know what you think, I really appreciate it!!