Lily Potter And The Secret Bewitchment

Chapter One - The Next Generation

"Lily, could you get down here please?"

The voice of Ginny Potter calling her youngest child shattered the sleepy silence surrounding an old muggle farmhouse, which happened to be the home of the only living Potters. Ginny looked around at her stone kitchen whilst waiting for her daughter. The black muggle oven had a pot of bubbling porridge on the stove, and sitting in the room, waiting patiently at the table was Ginny's husband, Harry Potter.

The Harry Potter.

Ginny was married to the boy who lived, a now ministry official who defeated the dark lord himself when he was a mere child. Yet, to Ginny, he had always been just hers. Her man, who loved her, who was special not because of what he had done, but because of why he had done it. He loved her back, despite her lack of fame or fortune. Ginny's thoughts sent her into a spiral about her time at Hogwarts, especially her first year.

Lily appeared in the kitchen, ending that replay of memories involving tatty school books and old diaries. Lily looked slightly annoyed. She had never been a morning person, and it was barely eight o'clock.

"Something came in the post this morning sweetheart. It was delivered by an owl." Ginny's eyes twinkled as her daughter's eyes widened. Lily Potter wasn't tired anymore. She could see this letter had an unmistakable seal on the back, the mark of a very special place.

Wordlessly, Lily took the envelope from her mother. She opened the envelope and pulled out the folded pieces of parchment inside. The top one was the letter she had been waiting for, no doubt about it.

Dear Miss Potter, Lily read aloud,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lily looked excitedly at her father who smiled wearily back.

Term begins on September the First, and please ensure you have all required books and equipment. Enclosed is a list and a ticket to board the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross platform 9 and ¾.

We await your owl by no later than 31st of July.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Maleficus Vector, Headmistress and Arithmancy teacher.

Lily looked eagerly at both of her parents.

"When can we go to Diagon Alley and buy my wand and books and things? I want to get a head start and read all my books!"

"Sorry Lily, but we need to wait for the boys to come home for the summer. Their letters won't come until late July, and that's more than a month away." Harry didn't like to have to tell Lily that, but he really couldn't take more time off work. It wasn't an especially busy time at the Ministry but Harry always had meetings to arrange and events to prepare for.

"I can't wait two months, Dad! I really want my textbooks to read."

Ginny Potter looked into Lily's eager face and saw a reflection of her former self,  a young girl desperate to get to Hogwarts and feel a connection to the magic she yearned to discover, to harness.

Harry simply laughed at his small daughter's eagerness.

"Maybe you can buy the textbooks, but ONLY the textbooks, today. That is if your mum doesn't mind taking you?" He looked inquiringly at Ginny, who sighed and said,

"Fine. We can go this afternoon but we need to do lessons this morning. You need to catch up on your maths work, I'll set you some questions to complete out of the textbook and then you need to do some English comprehension. Sorry Lily," she added at the crestfallen look on her daughter's face, "but muggle education is important too."