Frozen Lily

Chapter 1 - "Why were you not in Hufflepuff"

I woke up pretty early this morning; 9am. Well, early for me. I usually stay in bed 'til around 12 in the holidays, until my annoying younger sisters come in and jump on my bed or something. But today is different. It's September 1st and (as usual) I've still not packed my trunk.

I can hear my mum clattering about downstairs, haphazardly bewitching pots and pans. I've tried telling her to get a house-witch to help her with the cleaning and cooking and so on, since housework is definitely not her magical forte. But as always, she turned down the idea, tutting at me like a a thing that tuts.  "We don't need one, I can manage - or I would be able to if you weren't so messy... the twins can get by fine without exploding something every morning, why can't you..." and she rambles on and on about how the twins are so perfect in every way possible. Fact: they're not.

Miley and Riley are demons on earth. They put on this cutesy adorable little facade whenever mum or dad's around but as soon as they leave - snap. It's gone in an instant. "I need your brand new shirt" or "I'm going to be in Gryffindor. You're supposed to be in Hufflepuff or something - why even are you a gryffindor? Only awesome people like Harry Potter are a gryffindor"  I normally tune out by then. But the thing about them I hate the most is the dreaded "Where's your makeup? We're gonna be like Nicki M!" - fact #2 : they're 10. And they want to play dress up as Nicki Minaj. Not only is that almost completely unnatural, they want to use my makeup to further their weirdness. You wouldn't guess it in their 4'8 inches of golden curls, baby blue eyes and angelic voices.

But normally nobody notices it until it's too late - take my best friend Mia for example. I invited her round once in the summer holidays. Never again. She started off by trying to be nice to the twins - "I'm Mia, Lily's friend from school..." And polite ways of saying "No, my hair is wavy naturally, I don't bewitch it..." And (she surprised me, I would have yelled at them had they said this to me) "Yes, I'm a muggleborn - no I'm not germ infected, why on earth would you think that?!" I physically shoved them out of my room then, and pushed my wardrobe in front of the door. I've got a pretty nice room, with plain white walls and light wood furniture. My room's pretty big and I do have a neat little alcove with my bed in that's awesome for movie nights, but that's not the best part. My walls aren't white because I live in a lab. My mum promised me that as soon as I turn 16 next June she's going to teach me the charms to change the colour of my walls whenever I want.
Mia escaped with a well planned "i'm not feeling too well, i'd better go" to my mum, and whirling away in a cloud of ash by Floo Powder. Since then she's had the sense to politely decline when my mum asks her round.

Eventually, almost ten minutes after I originally woke I clambered out of bed and trudged towards the bathroom throwing some pieces of clothing into my trunk on the way. Luckily the twins are still asleep - benefits of them not yet being old enough to come to Hogwarts. I dread to think of next year. I showered and dried my hair, stepping out of the bathroom and into my room. The clothes I laid out last night are still on my chair; jeans, a white tank top and a red plaid shirt that I usually use as a jacket. I pulled them on and pulled on my black converse before hurriedly emptying my wardrobe into my trunk and dragging it out of the corner of the room and out into the hallway.

It takes me almost a minute to turn my trunk around in the tiny corridor, which is only one person wide. Eventually I pull it down the stairs with me. "LILY! WOULD YOU GET DOWN HERE NOW PLEASE!" My mum is yelling. I hurry down the last few stairs and head into the kitchen, dropping my trunk down by the door. "I'm here, I'm here... no need to yell," I reply, before plonking down at the bowl of cereal and starting to munch.
"I did ask you nicely to get up three times - we're going to be late at this rate..." I tuned out and finished my bowl of Coco Pops before sprinting upstairs and brushing my teeth.

That out of the way, I ran my hands through my hair and glimpsed my reflection in the hall mirror before I ran outside to my mum's car. Great. Haystack hair again. In the car I managed to restore it to some of its silken glory, but the 'surprised golden retriever' look was still evident. I huffed and watched the ash-grey buildings go by in the fog.
"If there's no traffic we may make it to King's Cross before 11..." My mum hoped aloud. But of course, the one day I need London to come through and not have any traffic, is of course going to be ruined.

We get to King's Cross at 10:56 and leg it to the barrier. Pushing through tightly-knit crowds, we materialise through the barrier, trunk in tow, and make it onto the platform as the clock turns to 10:59. I hurriedly allow my mum to kiss my cheek before I pull my trunk on board the red steam engine and the clock chimes. I glimpse my mother through the door and raise my hand in farewell.

So dramatic.

Except for the fact that it's Smelledith walking down the corridor, cronies behind. Meredith and I go way back, not in a positive way though. We used to be neighbours; best friends in fact, but she turned on me at Hogwarts. Life happened and now we're mortal enemies. I turn the opposite direction and look for a compartment. Of course, me being late means that it's all full. I walk briskly down the corridor and eventually I spot Mia in a compartment with some of the other Gryffindor girls in my year. I slide in and smile at them - Chloe, Jess and of course Mia. I slip my trunk into the overhead shelf and plonk down next to Mia, gently pushing her tawny owl, Mignon's cage aside.The usual catch-up chatter ensues. "How was your summer? What did you do? Where did you..." I smile and reply to each of them, taking care to ask about pets and siblings and if anyone else had trouble with Longbottom's 2 foot Dittany essay.

The city outside melts seamlessly into hills and forests and valleys and I allow myself a little nap on Mia's shoulder. "Wake me up before the trolley gets here, I want to buy some food..." I yawned. "I'm starving..."