The Serpent's Daughter

Chapter 3: The Weasley Boys

The next morning, Lily woke up to the soft light of dawn filtering through the tall windows of her room at Hogwarts. She lay still for a moment, blinking at the unfamiliar surroundings, and the events of the previous day came rushing back. The orphanage. The fire. The maid. Dumbledore. Severus. Magic.

Magic.

She sat up, her heart racing as she remembered the small fireball she had conjured. Her hands trembled as she stared at them, trying to make sense of everything. She was a witch—a powerful one, they had said. But what did that mean? How was she supposed to control it?

A soft knock at the door startled her, and she quickly pulled the blankets up to her chin. The door creaked open, and Severus stepped in, his dark robes swishing quietly behind him.

“Good morning, Lily,” he said in his usual calm, steady voice. “Did you sleep well?”

Lily nodded, though she wasn’t sure if it was true. She had barely slept, her mind too full of questions. “Are we going to start today? Learning how to control… this?” She gestured vaguely at her hands.

Severus gave her a small nod. “Yes, we’ll begin today. But first, there are some people I want you to meet.”

Lily frowned. “Who?”

Severus stepped aside, and three boys stepped into the room, each with bright red hair and wide, curious eyes. The first boy, the tallest and clearly the oldest, gave her a kind smile. The second, a bit shorter but stockier, looked at her with a grin of excitement. The last one, who seemed closer to her age, shuffled his feet nervously, glancing at her with a mix of curiosity and shyness.

“This is Bill,” Severus said, nodding to the oldest boy. “He’s fifteen.”

Bill gave a friendly wave. “Hiya, Lily.”

“And this is Charlie,” Severus continued, motioning to the middle boy, who was practically bouncing on his heels. “He’s thirteen.”

“Hi, Lily!” Charlie said with a grin. “It’s cool to meet you.”

“And this is Percy,” Severus finished, gesturing to the youngest of the three. “He’s ten.”

Percy gave a small, polite nod. “Hello, Lily.”

Lily blinked, feeling a little overwhelmed by all the new faces. “Hi,” she mumbled, clutching the blanket. “Why are they here?”

“They’re the Weasleys,” Severus explained. “A family of wizards who have been coming to Hogwarts for generations. I thought you might like some company your own age. Bill, Charlie, and Percy are staying here at the castle for the summer.”

Lily looked at the boys again. They all seemed friendly, but something about them made her feel nervous. “Aren’t they… older than me?”

“A little,” Severus admitted, “but that doesn’t matter here. Hogwarts is a place where wizards and witches of all ages can learn from one another. Besides, they’re all very eager to help you.”

Bill, Charlie, and Percy exchanged glances, and then Bill stepped forward. “We heard you’re pretty powerful, Lily. That’s really cool. Charlie and I are going to help you with your magic, and Percy’s great at explaining things.”

Lily blinked in surprise. “You’re going to help me?”

“Yeah!” Charlie exclaimed, his eyes bright with excitement. “We love magic, and we can’t wait to show you all the awesome stuff you can do! Don’t worry if you mess up at first. It happens.”

Percy, standing quietly beside Charlie, nodded. “It’s important to learn control early on,” he added in his calm, proper voice. “Magic can be dangerous if not handled correctly.”

Lily bit her lip, unsure. She had already seen how dangerous her magic could be—she didn’t want to hurt anyone else. “What if… what if I mess up? I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Bill knelt down beside her, his voice gentle. “It’s okay to be scared, Lily. We’ve all messed up with magic before. But we’re going to be here with you, and we’ll help you every step of the way.”

Lily glanced between the three brothers, her fear slowly ebbing away. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have them around. “Okay,” she said softly. “I’ll try.”

Severus gave her an approving nod. “Good. Let’s begin.”

---

Over the next few weeks, Lily spent her days learning how to control her magic with the help of Severus, Bill, Charlie, and Percy. Though she was much younger than them, the boys treated her like an equal, and they never laughed when she made mistakes—no matter how many times her spells went wrong.

On her first day, Charlie had suggested they start with something simple: levitating a feather. Lily had felt ridiculous at first, staring at the feather with all her might, but with a few encouraging words from Bill and Percy’s careful instructions, she had managed to make it rise a few inches off the table. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

Charlie was always full of enthusiasm, eager to show her new tricks and challenge her to try spells that were more advanced than what Severus had planned. Bill, the calm and patient one, often had to reel him in, reminding him that Lily was still learning. Percy, meanwhile, was meticulous and precise, always ready to explain the theory behind the magic in detail—though sometimes he got a little too technical, and Charlie would have to nudge him to simplify things.

Despite their age differences, the four of them grew close, and Lily found herself looking forward to their lessons each day. Bill’s kindness, Charlie’s infectious energy, and Percy’s quiet encouragement made her feel safe and accepted in a way she had never felt before. They didn’t treat her like a little kid, or a dangerous witch—they treated her like a friend.

One afternoon, during a break from their lessons, the group found themselves by the lake. Charlie was trying to convince Lily to go swimming with him, splashing around at the edge of the water, while Percy sat on the shore reading a book.

“Come on, Lily!” Charlie called, waving her over. “It’ll be fun!”

Lily hesitated, watching the water with a mix of curiosity and caution. “What if I accidentally do magic in the water?” she asked nervously.

Charlie laughed. “That’d be awesome! Besides, Bill and Percy are here. We’ll keep an eye on you.”

Bill, lounging on the grass nearby, gave her a reassuring nod. “Don’t worry, Lily. You’re getting better at controlling your magic every day.”

Encouraged, Lily smiled and dipped her toes into the water. It was cool and refreshing, and for a moment, all her fears melted away. She waded in after Charlie, splashing playfully as they laughed together.

As she swam with her new friends, she realized something she hadn’t felt in a long time—happiness. She was still scared of what her magic could do, but here, with Bill, Charlie, and Percy, she felt like she belonged.

For the first time, Lily wasn’t just a scared little girl with strange powers.

She was a witch. And she was learning to control her magic, surrounded by friends who believed in her.