It wasnât all that bad. Those were the words that Amelia had to keep saying to herself as she did her best to mingle and enjoy the gala. In truth, it really wasnât all that bad once she had been convinced to come along, but the sheer volume of people in attendance had her seek out a quieter corner so she could take a breather.Â
Thatâs what she had been doing when she had noticed Lily heading in her direction. âI canât speak for them all, but Ministry held ones, Iâm afraid they are, yes.â Amelia replied with a small chuckle. âYouâre more than welcome to hide over here with me if you want.âÂ
âI think Iâll take you up on that, at least for the time being.â Lily agreed with a nod and a smile towards Amelia, happy to be in her company while she struggled to find her footing at the event. If it wasnât for the Order, and her friends, she was sure the whole thing would be much more painful.
âHow do you manage?â She asked, her eyes returning to the crowd as she wondered. Between the sheer amount of people, and knowing that many in attendance would be happier if she just disappeared, Lily wasnât sure how to continue, except than to find her friends and stay close.
Sirius wrapped and arm around Lily and offered a drink from his glass. He knew how tedious everything was, he was so used to the parties that he could almost predict when the next drama would burst. However, tonight, there were too many people clashing that might be hard to keep peace just by throwing firewhiskey at their faces.
âIâm glad you donât, these people are tedious. We wouldnât be friends if you were this dull.â he replied, knowing in full what she meant about not belonging, but he refused to accept that fact. Lily was a witch, no matter of her parents werenât as magical as she was.
Lily accepted the drink, making a face as the sip she took burned through her throat, before handing it back. Perhaps it would give her the courage her house was so known for, though she doubted it. Being with Sirius helped, and added a layer of comfort that she had been sorely missing since James had left her side.
âIf I ever become this dull you have full permission to disown me.â She teased, a light smile dancing on her features. Her friends helped confirm that this was her world, even if it didnât always feel like it. âI canât help but respect your ability to make it through these though.â
There was a time when this would have been the last place you would have willing found Edgar Bones. Somewhere along the lines, however, it had become something a requirement. The Order benefited from having members present at large gatherings so he pulled out his dress robes, determined to do something even if it meant pushing through what one hoped would be an uneventful gala.
Edgar smiled as Lily pulled up along side of him. âWish I could say they werenât but donât let me color your opinion. What do you make of it all?â
Thank god for Edgar, she thought, glad to be in the presence of someone who was at least somewhat familiar. Lily was still finding her footing within the Order, having only become a full member after her recent graduation, but she could tell that it was full of good, decent people. It was a relief to see so many of them around.
âI feel like itâs painfully obvious that Iâm the new girl.â She commented, shaking her head. âSchool was one thing, but this feels like a whole new playing field.â Still, she could muster a smile, and try to put on some sort of facade. âAnd you? This doesnât seem like your usual gathering.â
Severus never understood why he decided to come to this event. Yes, his mother wanted him to go but when did he ever listen to her? It was too late to turn back now since he was in the heart of the event. Severus honestly didnât know what to do, so he just stood there. Looking around, he saw no one that looked even a little bit familiar. The people all around him were all strangers and none of them looked that interesting. Still, Severus stood there like a statue, like he was unable to move at all.
He was about to go somewhere else until he heard a familiar voice beside him. Severus felt paralyzed. It had been a very long time since he heard Lilyâs voice. He didnât realize how much he missed it, how much he missed her. They were best friends and Severus ended up ruining it. He remembered that horrible day like it was yesterday. He never meant for the words to come out, but they did, and he regretted it ever since. Severus thought about her almost every single day since their friendship ended but he always wondered if she ever thought about him? Severus was afraid that he knew the answer to that one.Â
Severus sat there silently, unable to speak. He always thought about what he would say to her if they were ever to run into each other. He even thought about how he would say it but as of right now, Severus had nothing. He forgot everything he went over and was left with absolutely nothing. âDâDunno,â he replied sheepishly. Severus didnât understand why that was the only word he was able to get out but to him, it was a start.
How could she be so stupid?!
Severus was quite possibly the last person she wanted to talk to, and Lily had been doing quite a good job of completely avoiding him for the better part of the last two years. Perhaps it was harsh, but she couldnât forgive what he had done. Especially when it seemed there was no changing the way he thought.
âRight.â Her words were terse, and she averted her eyes, focusing on a nonexistent wrinkle on her dress. She gave her hands occupation in smoothing it out, avoiding the anxious wringing that was sure to come soon. Merlin, why did it have to be him? âWell. Certainly seems like your kind of crowd.â
Alice gave Lily a pointed look. âFirst, no matter how many charms are on it, the dress is still beautiful. And second, if you did put in all that work on it, you have even less right to be dismissive. I never mastered that sort of spell, and I grew up in a magical house.â The housework charms didnât come easily to Alice the way they did to her mother, although she wasnât at all upset about that. âAnyway, Iâm doing quite well. Iâll be better when I can go home and take these shoes off but I canât complain. How are you?â
âOh, well theyâre really not that hard. I could show you sometime!â Lilyâs words stopped though, as she was struck with how they might be perceived. She had always adored Alice, but realized that not many who had grown up with magic needed, or in most cases, wanted, her help. Still, she believed Alice was different than the others, and that much was reassuring, at least. âEnchanting the shoes is my next order of business. Especially if Iâm expected to get this dressed up frequently.â Lily smiled, glad to at least be around a friend. âIâm alright. I still feel like a fish out of water, though,â she smiled a bit, before redirecting the conversation to the other woman. âAnd you? Did you drag Frank here as well?â
Beaming, he squeezed her hand. Heâd grown up attending events like this, of course, but they had become immensely better when he and Sirius became friends and they could make mischief. Now he had a feeling that being here with Lily would be even better than being with Sirius - no offense intended toward his brother, of course. âAh, thank you. I tried to make my mother proud but it just too so much Sleakeazyâs to get it manageable. Next time, Iâll just embrace the fact that she wonât be happy with my hair short of some miracle.â
âYour poor mother,â Lily teased with a grin. She had met the woman at Christmas, and immediately gotten along with her - something that she hoped was a good sign. All the same, it wasnât surprising to hear that she had rather strong opinions about Jamesâs hair. She wondered, briefly, if her own mother may have made a comment about her hair, or about any of it. Lily had purposefully keeping the woman in the dark. She knew that Lily had a flat, that she was training to work in medicine, and that was all. It was safer that way, or at least, thatâs what she had to tell herself.
âIs it odd to feel like a child here? I donât think Iâve ever experienced anything like this. Ever.â
Once upon a time, events such as these were simply expected of Andromeda. Years had passed, opinions had changed, and the witch had found herself more so tense rather than enjoying herself to its full. Looking out for familiar faces had become a pastime; when she had spotted Lily, she hadnât even hesitated to greet her, a friendly smile on her face as she pondered the womanâs question.
âIt could be worse,â Andromeda answered truthfully, glancing at the crowd from behind her champagne. âI was subject to many of these when I was a child that were a lot stuffier.â She paused for a moment. âAnd less tolerant.â
Lily could only imagine what true pureblood events were like, though she thought she could paint a fairly decent picture based on the less kind purebloods she knew. She knew how much strength it would have taken for Andromeda to leave all of that, and how much of a risk it was, even now, for the older woman to be seen talking with her. It was the sort of thing that made her respect her instructor even more.
âI donât think Iâd ever want to experience that.â She admitted, looking down for a moment. âItâs odd. I donât fully feel like myself. It doesnât feel like my world, or, not yet, anyway.â
for a quick second, molly thought she had picked up fred quick enough where it wouldnât cause his brother to start fussing. but she was proven wrong because george started fussing pretty soon after he realized his brother wasnât right next to him.Â
hearing a voice ask if she could help, molly looked over at lily, happy it wasnât a complete stranger. she knew the other woman in passing, but not very well. she knew, though, that lily was apart of the order and there was some sort of blanket trust in that which allowed molly to have some kind of comfort in passing her child over to lily. âthank you, honey,â she said, picking up her other baby when lily had fred.
The baby came quickly, and Lily hardly had time to think before she was scooping him up. She knew the twins were Fred and George, and maybe it was awful to admit, but she wasnât quite able to tell which one was in her arms and which one was in Mollyâs. She couldnât imagine how the woman managed. Still, she couldnât help but hold a high level of respect for her.
âTheyâre adorable,â Lily cooed, speaking to Molly, but not taking her eyes of the baby in her arms. She was in no place to even entertain the thought of having her own, but still, there was no replacing baby cuddles. âDo the others just adore their new baby brothers?â
when: june 1st, 1978
where: ministry summer gala
who: lily evans && anyone
She knew, on some level, the importance of making an appearance at an event like this. Even if Lily could feel the disapproving looks from some, and even if her dress was started to dig in, it was important to be a part of wizard society. Still, she couldnât shake the thought that many of the patrons would be happier if she had stayed home.
Still, she would grin and bear it. Spotting a familiar figure, Lily made her way through the crowd and to their side, sighing as she shook her head. âAre all wizarding events like this?â
James and Lily had come separately, on account of not living together, and he was bouncing on his toes as he waited for her to arrive. It still didnât feel real to him that they were dating - he wondered if it ever would. Because Lily was so amazing and he definitely did not deserve her in his life at all. He was very glad that she had given him a chance though. He finally caught a glimpse of her and pushed through the crowd - gently, he didnât actually push - and grinned when they finally met up. âLily! You look -â He paused to glance at her dress, although he didnât need to see it to know she looked incredible. âYou look amazing,â he finished, reaching for her hand. It definitely didnât even begin to express how beautiful she was, but it was a good start.
Lily had been running a bit late, and she hated it. She knew, reasonably, that this wasnât the sort of thing that one had to be precisely on time to. Certainly the Minister wasnât taking timed attendance. Her dress had taken a little longer than anticipated, some of the charms not cooperating right away. Still, she made it, and after a quick scan of the crowd, her eyes landed on James, and her face lit up. âJames!â She took his hand in a mixture of excitement and security. A small part of her still felt a bit wrong being her, but with James nearby, it would all be okay. She just had to keep telling herself that. âThank you,â she blushed a bit at his compliment, before getting a good look at him. âYou clean up well, Potter!â With her free hand, she reached up and gave his hair a quick tousle, a few strands returning to their naturally messy state. âThere. Now youâre you.â
Alice patted Frankâs arm and stepped away as she spotted James Potter moving away from Lilyâs side. As a firm believer in young love, Alice didnât want to interrupt anything but she did want to see Lily - who, like most of the rest of the participants - looked truly amazing and put Aliceâs dress to shame. Not that she was bothered in the slightest; she had never been the sort of girl to enjoy dressing up in frilly frocks, and nothing would ever change about that. She refused to feel badly for that fact about herself. âLily, you look amazing!â Reaching for a quick hug, she glanced over Lilyâs dress and shook her head in disbelief. âThatâs a lovely dress.Â
Lily had sent James on his way, insisting that he locate his friends before the lot of them could cause too much trouble, but was pleased that she wasnât alone for too long. She had always looked up to Alice, and admired how the woman was always so confidently herself. Perhaps some of it could rub off on her, Lily thought. âAlice!â She exclaimed as she came closer, wrapping her in a huge, before shaking her head. âThank you, but itâs nothing, really. Half of it is charms, and it might fall apart at any given moment...â Her voice trailed and she laughed a bit at the thought. âLook at you! How are you doing?â
âYou can say that again.â Lily slumped into a chair beside Sirius, already feeling quite over her dress, and particularly her heels. âI know itâs important to make appearances at these sorts of things...â her voice trailed, and she became quieter as she leaned closer to her friend, âBut I canât help but feel like I donât belong.â
having just given birth to her set of twins, molly didnât often get out of the house. the twins were only a few months and with two of them, it was twice the work (on top of the three older boys she had to take care of). she also wasnât all too comfortable taking them out very often, as they were still so little. and with that came not being comfortable leaving them home alone with their brothers and her parents while her and her husband made an appearance at the gala. they were only a few months old and while she trusted her parents more than anyone, it was more to make herself comfortable.
when the weasley couple made their entrance at the gala, a twin with each parent, molly transfigured a bassinet for their twins, both parents putting them down in it. arthur walked off to get a drink for them while molly took a glance around the room. one of the twins started to fuss, so she picked him up before the other one started to fuss as well. the last thing she needed was to be in public with two fussing babies.
Lilyâs ears had perked when she heard the sound of a baby fussing, and she turned a bit, before her eyes landed on Molly Weasley. She didnât know the woman incredibly well, but knew enough to know her to be kind. Moving carefully through the crowd, she could only hope she wasnât overstepping any boundaries.
âCan I help with one?â Lilyâs voice was gentle as she offered, her eyes meeting Mollyâs. She knew the Weasleyâs werenât as harsh about blood lines as other families, but at an event like this, it was best to be careful. âOnly if you want, of course.â
âoh, it was actually quite the find! hidden in the racks of my favorite secondhand shop by the new flat. of course, i spruced it up quite a bit...â
key facts
full name: lily josephine evans.
age: eighteen.
birthday: january 30, 1960.
employment: healer in training, focusing on emergency healing.
blood status: muggleborn.
allegiance: the order of the phoenix.
traits: +Â dependable, sociable, sincere, perceptive
     - blunt, finicky, indecisive, strained
full bio below
TW - parental death, mentioned before the paragraph that contains it!
Lilyâs early years were filled with the simplicities and joys of a typical muggle family - her father was a professor at a nearby university, her mother, a homemaker. Their two daughters were the light of their lives, and Lily Evans rarely wanted for anything in life. The shelves were full of books, and the kitchen always had something cooking. Lily found joy among the characters of the novels she read, imagining her and Petunia within the pages, living out the grand adventures her favorite heroines faced.
Things began to get more complicated as her magic began showcasing. Suddenly, her older sister, her best friend, wanted nothing to do with her, and Lily found herself growing closer to the neighbor boy. He didnât judge her, he understood her, and he taught her about a world that seemed like a fairytale - a world where sheâd find a new home.Â
Suddenly, Lily started her own adventure, though she soon found it was nothing like the books she had cherished. Nothing could have prepared her for her first moments in the wizarding world - not Severusâs descriptions of Diagon Alley, or the pages of Hogwarts: A History that she had poured over. It was so much more, and even at only eleven, Lily knew she had found her place.
At first, her sorting into Gryffindor didnât quite make sense to the young girl. She didnât see how she was brave, or daring, or any of the other traits that it seemed that her housemates had in spades. In second year, when she stood up in defense of another student being bullied, she supposed she could see it a bit more. She took an early liking to her classes, and soon, Lily was thriving in her new environment. She found friends in the girls she shared a room with, and a genuine excitement for the subjects she was learning about.Â
As her time in school went on, it became clear that there was something unsavory, something unkind, and something altogether awful brewing beneath the surface of the wizarding world. Lily noticed the looks she got in corridors, the eyerolls and mutters. It would have been foolish to act like it wasnât happening, but, as a student trying to straddle two worlds, there was little she could do besides raise her chin, and keep going.
It all came to a head in fifth year. Hearing that word fall out of Severusâs mouth, and directed at her, was all Lily needed to cut him out of her life. It took a lot for Lily to stop trying to see the good in someone. Severus reached that point that day.
(TW: parental death) In sixth year, her world came crashing down again, when she was called into the Headmasterâs office and told that her father had succumbed to cancer. Joseph Evans had been Lilyâs favorite person in the world, and if she hadnât been sure before, she was then - she had to go into Healing, in some capacity. After returning back to school, she began studying with Madam Pomfrey.Â
When the owl came before seventh year, delivering with it a shining pin and a new title, Lily didnât tell her mother or sister. Petunia, of course, wouldnât have cared, she was far too entranced with her newest beau. Her mother had never quite recovered from her fatherâs death, and with the way the wizarding world was turning, Lily had already been keeping much of her world hidden from her mother. The less she knew, the less danger she could ever be in.
Her seventh and final year at Hogwarts brought surprises and uncertainty. The war wasnât a surprise, they all knew it was coming. Getting into the Healer Training program, though a delight and a personal victory, didnât feel like a surprise. What was a surprise were the budding feelings that she started to feel towards James Potter - a classmate she had once detested, one who had made her eyes roll to the back of her head on more than one occasion. But something had changed in him, and Lily was intrigued.
Now, a fresh Hogwarts graduate, Lily stands on a precipice, carefully balancing the two worlds she belongs to. In one - the one that contained the same joy and wonder of her eleven year old self, she joined the Order the moment she could, vowing to fight for a future, for those who would come after her. The other is the world of her childhood, the world that took her father, and the world that has her mother in the dark. Lily can only believe sheâs made the right choices, and only time will tell if she did.
