The Marauder's Tale [MOONY, WORMTAIL, PADFOOT, & PRONGS]

X. The Second Year Begins

X. The Second Year Begins

"Do you have everything you need, love?"

"Yes," Lily replied. She had checked her trunk five times to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"Are we all set, then?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Petunia, do you want to come?"

"No," Petunia said rudely. She didn't even move her eyes from the television screen to answer her mother's question.

"Aren't you even going to say good bye to your sister?"

Petunia lifted her eyes away from the screen for the briefest of moments. "Good bye."

"Bye, Petunia," Lily almost whispered. "I'll see you at Christmas."

Petunia didn't reply.

"Well, let's go, then," Mrs. Evans said.

"Right," Mr. Evans replied. He led the way to the car, taking Lily's trunk with him.

The ride to the station was quiet. Lily was caught between conflicting emotions, and was certain that normal conversation was beyond her for the moment. She was thrilled to return to Hogwarts for her second year. The summer had seemed indescribably long. She had received letters from her friends, and had sent them letters, but it wasn't the same as seeing them everyday. She missed them, and she missed the castle. She missed her classes. But the one thing she missed most, aside from her friends, was magic.

Because she was an underage wizard, Lily wasn't allowed to do magic at home. Neither, of course, were any of her friends. But they all had contact with the magical world away from Hogwarts. Lily found herself wishing her own family were like her friends'.

She caught herself. No, she would never change her family. Her parents had been so incredibly supportive of her. They were so excited to know that their daughter was a witch. They were always asking about her classes, her friends, and her professors. They were full of questions about Dumbledore. At first she had been surprised by how intriguing they found him, but supposed that all parents were interested in their children's headmasters. Afterall, they had asked Petunia quite a few questions about her school when she first started.

Petunia. That was another matter entirely. Perhaps it was Petunia who made Lily miss Hogwarts more than anything. She was rude to Lily at every opportunity, and tried her best to make her feel unwelcome in her own house. If it hadn't been for their parents, Lily was sure her sister would have succeeded. She longed for the days when they had been close. She was still as kind to Petunia as she had always been, trying to recapture the days when they had been the best of friends.

Lily sighed without really meaning to, catching her mother's attention.

"Are you all right, dear?"

"I'm fine, Mummy." She forced a smiled. "Just excited, I suppose."

Mrs. Evans smiled. "It won't be long now. We're almost there."

They finally arrived. Mr. and Mrs. Evans couldn't accompany Lily to Platform 9 ¾, so they said their good byes on Platform 9.

"You have a good year, sweetie," Mrs. Evans said, hugging her close. "We're going to miss you."

"I'll miss you," Lily replied, blinking back tears. "I'll write to you."

"Yes, do. Let us know that you got to school."

"I will."

Her father hugged her next. "Take care, Lil."