Lily in the Shadows

Chapter 1: A Birthday Fiasco

Ten Years Later

The gentle stroking of her hair and calling of her name woke Lily-Kathryn from her sleep. Her eyes drifted open to see her aunt surrounded by a halo of light. Petunia Dursley looked down at the little angel she was raising, her fiery hair cascading over her baby-blue pillow, her bright green eyes looking up at her as Lily-Kathryn wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"Good morning, baby, it's time to get up. Remember it's Duddykin's birthday, so we will be heading to the zoo. Isn't that exciting?" Petunia asked as Lily sat up.

"Yes." She responded, her voice dripping with sleep. Petunia pulls the girl from her bed, and they walk down the stairs, hand in hand. "Auntie, is Harry up yet?"

"Not yet, sweetheart. You go ahead and sit at the table while I wake him up," Petunia hit her fist on a door under the stairs. "Up! Get up! Now!... Up!"

Lily-Kathryn sits at the table with her uncle. She could hear her cousin thundering down the stairs and his shouts of joy. Dudley immediately went to his pile of presents and began counting them. She hugs him, wishing him a good morning and a happy birthday as her brother enters the kitchen and begins making bacon. Lily-Kathryn doesn't listen to the conversations going on around her in favour of drinking some apple juice and looking out the window. The flowers she and her aunt planted have begun sprouting. It is only when she hears Dudley begin to raise his voice that she eats her bacon, in case he flips the table. After he calmed, Lily-Kathryn went back to staring out the window. She could faintly hear the phone ringing and looked up at Petunia when she spoke.

"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction. Lily-Kathryn and Harry exchange a hopeful look of anticipation and excitement. They could go to the zoo together!! Finally, they would be able to spend time out together doing something fun; he is always left alone or with Ms Figg, so they never get to spend their time together.

"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this.

"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy." Lily-Kathryn gets up to get dressed whilst they talk things out. On her way out of the kitchen, she squeezed Harry's hand as they shared hopeful looks.

Lily-Kathryn loves her brother very much, probably more than anyone in the entire world. He is her whole world, and she his. He is her best friend, her big brother, and whenever possible, they spend as much time together as they can. So the fact that they may get to go to the zoo together is just so very exciting. She quickly walked up to her room and closed the door. Looking through her closet, Kathryn decided to wear a knee-length blue dress that complemented the redness in her hair. She paired it with black sandals and a matching ribbon in her hair. Her favourite colour is blue, well, actually her favourite colour is pink, but she is not allowed to wear pink, as it clashes too much with her hair. Her aunt worked hard teaching her how to be a proper lady and to dress appropriately for her age, whilst also maintaining dignity and complementary colours. Blues, greens, many shades of purple, and earthy tones. She loves wearing pretty colours that make her hair and eyes look pretty too.

"Lily, darling, Piers is here. Come say hello." Kathryn heard Petunia call from downstairs. She walked downstairs to see Dudley's best friend, Piers, standing with Dudley and Harry at the door.

"Lily-Kathryn, you look just as delicious as ever." Piers crooned in the smarmy way he does. Lily-Kathryn stopped at the bottom of the stairs and shifted uncomfortably. She sent him a hesitant smile as Dudley backhanded his arm.

"That's my cousin, you dolt!!" Dudley exclaimed. Before anything else could be said, Petunia and Vernon exited the kitchen, and everyone headed outside. Kathryn watched from the front seat of her uncle's car as he threatened Harry. Arriving at the zoo, Lily skips through the park holding her aunt's and brother's hands. They all walked around looking at each of the animal exhibits. Once Dudley and Piers started whining about ice cream, they all stopped at a stand. The lady asked what Harry wanted before he could be ushered away, so he got a cheap lemon pop. Lily pretended that her Oreo cone was gross and traded it with Harry. Once they walked into the snake house, though, everything calmed down. Lily followed Harry wherever he went while holding the elbow of his jacket. Her eyes looked at every snake with wonder and adoration; she loved snakes. It was a tad chilly, but her enjoyment at seeing all the little snakies kept her heart warm. As they walked, they could see Dudley running from exhibit to exhibit, banging on the glass and yelling at the snakes to move. After he wandered away from the boa constrictor exhibit with everyone, Harry and Lily stepped up. Lily got distracted looking at the pretty snake to hear the conversation going on in front of her. It wasn't until Dudley shoved Harry, and in turn Lily, onto the ground that she realised what was going on. On the way down, she scrapes her arm on a nail sticking out awkwardly from the railing; it immediately begins to bleed. Dudley and Piers had their faces pressed against the glass when it suddenly disappeared, and they fell in. Kathryn stared in shock as the snake slithered out of its cage and into the park. Her eyes followed the snake until she heard her aunt scream. Whipping her head back around, she saw her cousin and his friend trapped in the cage after the glass reappeared. Harry chuckled next to her, but stopped once he caught sight of their uncle's face. After many apologies from the zoo, everyone rode home in silence. Once home, Petunia whisked Lily upstairs and cleaned and wrapped her arm.

"Auntie, are you mad at me?" Lily-Kathryn asked nervously. Her aunt sighed and wrapped her up in a hug. She and her uncle had been so angry on the way home, voices tense.

"Of course not, sweetheart, I was just so worried about you and Duddykins." She cupped Lily's face in her hands. "I don't know what I would do without you or my Duddy." She kissed Lily's forehead, and they headed downstairs. Lily could see Uncle Vernon yelling at Harry through the cupboard and prepared herself.

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That night, she snuck out of bed and into the kitchen, where she made a PB&J sandwich, grabbed an apple, and a water bottle. Then she walked into the hall, unlocked and opened Harry's cupboard. He was lying there asleep. Lily set the food down on a paper towel and sat next to Harry. She shook him awake.

"Harry," She whispered softly. He stirred but didn't wake up. She shook him again. "Harry wakes up, it's me." Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked at Lily.

"Wha' are you doin' here? You're gon' get in trouble." He croaked, sitting up and putting on his glasses.

"I brought you something to eat so you wouldn't be hungry." She said, handing him the food. He smiled at her and ate. They sat there talking for hours until first light, and Lily ran upstairs.