Jily One-Shots

Happy Birthday, Lily

i. when you're seven years old

You're so happy you can barely speak. You're seven. Finally seven. You love the number seven. You're starting middle school in the summer and you just feel so grown up. It's awesome. You can finally go to school with your sister and you two will be the best of friends there as well. You hear the knock on your bedroom door and you know it's her because it's your secret code.

Knock. Knock knock. Knock. Knock knock knock. Knock. Knock.

You run to open the door for her and you're yelling as soon as you see her on your doorstep. She laughs at your excitement and hugs you tightly. The bear hug, as you two called it.

"I'm seven, Tuney, seven!"

"I know, kiddo, I know! Happy birthday, Lily flower!" You get a bit annoyed because she doesn't stop calling you a kiddo and by your child's nickname even when you're clearly already a grown up, but you don't say anything because you don't want to argue with her today. Not today.

"LILY! TUNEY! COME DOWN, BREAKFAST'S READY!" You hear your mom calling from downstairs and it only takes one shared look with your sister for you two to start racing there. It's a common thing for you to do, and it usually ends with your mom giving you a lecture about not running inside the house. But you know she's not going to say anything today, at least not to you, because it's your birthday and she's always a lot nicer on those days.

And as soon as you get downstairs you're greeted by your mom's warm hug and a kiss on the forehead. And the smell of breakfast fills your nose and it's chocolate chip pancakes, your favorite. A few minutes later your father walks in the kitchen and he picks you up and spins you around for just a little moment before putting you down and complaining about his back because you're getting older and bigger every year. And everyone laughs at it because you couldn't be smaller than you are and your father gives you one of his crushing hugs where you can barely breathe, but you don't complain because you feel like you're home.

And when you ask if you're friends are coming over later, your parents tell you no, and before you can complain about it, your father lays a hand on your shoulder.

"Not today, sweetie." Your mom says, and your father explains it.

"Today is going to be just us, Lils. It's your birthday, and birthdays are family day. So that's what we're going to make of it."

You don't say a word to argue about it, because you don't care. You like family day. Your parents don't leave for work and you play with Tuney in the garden while they're making lunch and after lunch they sing you 'Happy Birthday' and you eat that delicious chocolate cake your mom makes. On the afternoon you all spend time together playing and it's the most fun you've had in a long time. And really, you don't even care about gifts, not even that you actually got that doll you wanted so badly, because you're with your parents and your sister and it couldn't have been better. You couldn't have been happier.

ii. when you're eleven years old

You wake up like it's any other of your birthdays, although you know it's not. You hear your sister knock on your door and you can't contain your excitement when you open it. It's today. This is the day she had been talking about for over a year with Sev, the day her life would change forever. Her sister hugs her and laughs at her excitement, even though she doesn't know exactly why you're that happy. You haven't told her about everything Sev has told you. You know she wouldn't approve it. You two go downstairs and your parents hug you, but they have no idea of what's going through your head. You wonder if the news are going to come through an owl or if someone's going to come to explain everything to her family. You wonder if any of it is actually true. Hogwarts.