The Marauders: Year Three | #Wattys2016

Freak

Freak

Lily Evans woke up on Christmas morning and for the first time had not even the slightest excitement about the holiday. She stared at her bedroom ceiling dreading having to admit that she was awake at all. She clutched the blankets to her chin and listened to the sounds of her parents up and moving about, the tones of their voices echoing through the walls of the house as they talked to one another. She loved them dearly, but she wished that she'd stayed at Hogwarts, like she'd done last year. (Though perhaps her dreams of the holiday at Hogwarts might've looked a bit different if she knew the havoc James and Sirius had been wrecking on the place.) She thought about the crackers and the feasts and the twinkling candlelights in the Great Hall and the joy of awaking to find the house elves had placed presents all about her bed...

"Lily, dear, are you awake?" her mum knocked on the bedroom door.

The time had come.

Lily sat up, "Coming mummy," she called and she sighed as she pushed the blankets away, rolling out of bed. On the chair by the closet was the folded set of new Christmas pyjamas her mother and father had given her the night before to wear today. It was a Christmas tradition that everyone in the family have a new pair of matching pyjamas to wear on Christmas day as they sat about the tree and enjoyed their time together. It had gone on as long as Lily could possibly remember - and even further, for there were photos of her and Petunia when they were newly born in matching pyjamas in their father's arms. This year's were green with white lace along the ankle and candy cane shaped buttons. She tugged it on over her head and braided her hair the muggle way (this was the worst about being away from Hogwarts - the no magic bit - it made doing her hair nearly impossible). She pulled on thick fuzzy socks, red ones to complete the Christmas theme. Finally, she could stall no more, and she went downstairs.

Petunia was already down there, wearing her Christmas pyjamas, and sitting on the floor by the tree. This was another Evans family tradition - a photo of the twins by the tree together in their Christmas pyjamas. Mr. Evans was looking through a large black camera, cranking the film, and checking to see that Petunia was positioned just right. "Lily -- in you go!" he waved to where he wanted her to sit and she knelt down beside her sister.

"You should be hugging this year!" Mrs. Evans said, "It's been such a long time since we did one with you girls hugging!"

Lily and Petunia exchanged glances, then Lily hesitantly leaned toward Petunia and wrapped her arms around her sister. Petunia didn't move.

"Lily and Petunia, my magical little garden!" said Mrs. Evans, smiling.

Only Lily noticed that Petunia had cringed at the word magical.

The moment Mr. Evans had snapped the photo, Petunia pulled away and got up to move to the other side of the Christmas tree.

The whole holiday had been like that thus far, beginning at Platform 9¾, when her father had met her at the train alone, saying that her mother and sister were waiting in the car. Lily had known instantly that it was because Petunia refused to come out to meet her at the train. She'd stowed her wand in her bag with a feeling of hollowness overcoming her. She'd wished then that she could reboard the Express and go back to the castle right then and there.

There was a horrible moment, too, at the dinner table, when Lily had asked for the salt and Petunia had basically refused to hand it over - "Conjure it yourself, since you're so good at magic at that little freak school of yours!" Petunia had said.

Lily had shook her head, "I can't because --"

"What good is magic if you can't even use it to make something as simple as salt?" Petunia had snorted.