-11 years old-

I walked out of my house, walking away from the yelling and crying. Dad and Mum were arguing over Mum taking me to get my supplies for school. I just got the letter yesterday, officially inviting me to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It said I needed a wand, school robes, a long list of books, parchment, quills, jars of ink, cauldron, and an optional cat, owl, frog, or rat. Dad was trying to convince me to not go, and just go to an ordinary school. When Mum caught word of it, she interjected and said that I am going to Hogwarts and that's final.

I couldn't believe it. I finally knew what Mum's huge secret was after all those years, I finally knew some of her past, I was told I'm a wizard, I was told that the weird things happening to me and others around me are signs that I'm extraordinary, and I discovered I belong to an entirely different world now. All these things I was told within an hour after one simple and odd post was delivered by an owl, and Mum and Dad were already telling me what to do with it.

There was no congratulations for discovering that it was the start of a new era of my life, that I could get away from the hassling at school and finally make some friends, be someone else instead of "That weird Snape kid on that ramshackle house on Spinner's End. The one with the constantly bickering parents. The one who can't afford fitting clothes or a good haircut", that I could thrive in a new world instead of suffering in this world. I got sick of the yelling and being conflicted, so I quietly slipped out the door and walked down Spinner's End. It felt freeing to not be stuck in that house anymore. When I was far enough away to not be able to hear my parents shouting, I finally felt happy and relaxed.

I looked over into a yard and saw a girl about my age, lying in her yard, playing with the flowers. I looked closer and noticed a huge bouquet of daisies was coming out of her hand. I rushed forward and tried to be quiet as I shouted "Oi! Are you mad?"

She flinched, obviously startled by me and hid her flowers. "Excuse me?"

"Don't worry, I'm harmless and I'm one too"

"One what?" she asked whispering

I whispered back, "A wizard"

She giggled, "A wizard? Oh really?"

"I saw you get a bouquet of flowers from nowhere and they're growing from your hand"

"Your mind is playing tricks on you"

"Is my mind tricking me into believing that there's an imaginary owl sitting next to you with a letter exactly like the one I got yesterday?"

"Okay, so you know. But don't tell anyone. My sister is going mad with believing that there's a mix up and they meant to send it to another Lily Evans. My mum and dad don't even know what to do. Where to go for my supplies, where's the school, nothing"

"Are they Muggles?"

"Excuse me? Muggles you say? What is that some sort of insult?"

"No! No of course not. It's a term my Mum taught me. It means they don't have magical powers"

"Oh...well yes. None of my family have magical powers. Um...I didn't get your name"

"Severus. Severus Snape"

"I'm Lily"

I chuckled, picking up her flowers, "That's funny, your name is Lily yet you sprout daisies"

She giggled, her red hair flowing in the wind and her bright green eyes shining. "Yes, I suppose that's funny"

I've never had much luck with people, most people are scared by me or my parents reputation for screaming precedes me. The fact that a random girl, who was incredibly pretty and kind, wasn't scared by me and would be going to school with me seemed too good to be true. A girl, about two or three years older than us stomped across the yard and shouted "Lily! Mum wants you inside now!"

"Tunie give me a minute. I'm talking with my new friend, Severus" Lily said loudly but calmly. She smiled at me, and I knew her calling me her friend wasn't to be polite, it was genuine. I smiled back, already wanting to spend forever with the wonderful redheaded girl with bright, green eyes.

"Lily! Now!"

Lily frowned and stood up, "Well I suppose I better go Severus. It was nice meeting you"

"Will I see you again?"

Lily giggled, handing me a daisy, "Of course you will silly. We're going to school together soon, we'll see each other everyday then"

"I meant before then"

"I'm not doing anything tomorrow"

I smiled, waving goodbye "Tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow"

I smiled, not caring for once that my pants showed my shins when they weren't supposed to, my shirt was too baggy, and Dad didn't pay the water bill often enough to keep my hair from being greasy. I didn't care about any of that at the moment. All I cared about was the fact that I already had a friend for my new school.

Over the next few days before school started, Lily and I spent almost all of our free time together. We took walks, lied in the grass, looked at our school supplies together, and talked about what we imagined Hogwarts would be like. She listened to everything I said, all of my problems and all of my dreams. I listened to her every word as well, and comforted her regarding her awful sounding older sister Petunia. Her sister was jealous Lily was special and wouldn't be stuck in this tiny little town forever. Who wouldn't be jealous? Lily and I had an entirely different world to go to and we would have amazing powers. Petunia was just normal. She would be stuck in the Muggle world forever.