Beyond the Universe - Jily AU

7. The War Against Snape

Thursday October 20th, 2016, 6:35 AM

"Lily! If you aren't down the stairs this instant, there'll be hell to pay!" The screeches of her mother climb up the stairs and meet the ears of the teen who rolls her eyes in annoyance while tying her hair in a ponytail.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she yells back, swiping a notebook off her desk and shoving it in her backpack. "Calm down!"

"Lily!" her mother bellows again.

"I said I'm coming!" she shouts, exiting her bedroom and thundering down the stairs.

"You're always running late, every single morning!" her mother berates, tugging her coat on over her shoulders.

"First of all," Lily rolls her eyes, "it's not every single morning, as you put it. Secondly, I'm not even that late!"

"Yes, you are, don't argue with me!"

Glancing at her watch, she defends, "I don't have to leave for another ten minutes!"

"Exactly! Tell me something, Lily. How are you supposed to get ready for school, eat breakfast, and get out the door on time if you can't even wake up on time?"

"Contrary to what you believe, I don't require an hour and a half to get ready in the morning like Petunia."

"Don't drag me into this mess!" snaps the blonde, bony teen sitting at the kitchen island, scowling at her yogurt parfait.

"Just set a damn alarm and get up on time," the mother of the two girls sighs in defeat, her face softening at her firstborn. "I have to leave for work early today. Apparently there's been some issues at the office and I'm the only one that can fix them. Like always. 'Cam, the computers are malfunctioning! Cam, the printer isn't working! Cam, we have too many clients!'" she rolls her crystal blue eyes, the corners of her wine red colored lips curling into a frown. "I'll see you girls after school," she pecks Petunia's forehead and wraps her arm around Lily for a brief hug before slipping into a pair of black heels, grabbing her purse, and walking out the door.

"Hey, Tuney-"

"Don't call me that," the horse-faced teen grumbles at her sister, abruptly rising to her feet and whisking her bowl off the counter before discarding it in the sink.

"Fine. Petunia, have you and Verm- Vernon decided on a date for the wedding yet?" Lily attempts to spark a short discussion between her sister.

"Ages ago," she tosses her long, shiny, almost fairy-like hair over one shoulder. "It's set for June 24th. Mum made me schedule it after school's over for you, or it'd be in April," she glares at Lily as if she were looking at stubborn mildew invading an otherwise pristine bathroom.

"I look forward to it," Lily lies, nodding her head stiffly as she grabs a bagel from the pantry, turning her back on her sister so she wouldn't see her expression of annoyance.

"Yeah, just don't ruin anything. Freak," Petunia spits, sneering at her sister before storming out the front door.

Sighing in defeat, Lily spreads strawberry cream cheese across her bagel, swallowing back tears fueled by her sister's words.

There was once a time where Lily upheld the role as Petunia's best friend; there was a time where her mother hadn't put her sister above her; a time where her family felt complete; a time where she didn't have a care in the world, a time where she didn't struggle to hold her composure after the dramatic exits of her sister.

Yet nothing is gained from dwelling over the past, or the memories sweeter than lemonade, Lily thinks as she nibbles her bagel, except for the tsunami of melancholy that follows and submerges the forming memories of the present.