NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Chapter Two: Witch
This chapter is best read in:
Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, Chapter 33: The Prince's Tale.
If this causes any issues, I will remove it.
Summer, August 1969.
The summer seemed to be at its peak. The sun was so scorching that day that there were no children in the park, only Lily and Petunia, as usual, playing once again on the swings. Behind one of the bushes was the boy who always watched them. He wore his father's oversized and tattered coat, which hung loosely on him because he was so skinny. Unfortunately for him, he was also wearing a huge shirt his mother had made for him; in fact, it looked more like an apron than anything else. He was short, with olive skin, black, medium-length hair, and his bright eyes were fixed on the red-haired girl.
"Don't do it again, Lily!" Petunia warned, stopping her swing abruptly. She frowned, gripping the chains tightly, but it was too late. Lily had already jumped from the highest point of the swing, her carefree laughter mixing with the breeze as she floated through the air as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The grass crunched beneath her feet as she landed lightly. "Mum told you not to do that, Lily! I'm telling her! I'm telling her!"
"But it's fine!" the younger girl replied, laughing. "Look at this, Tuney! Look what I can do."
Lily picked up one of the flowers that had fallen to the ground and held it in her fist. Petunia, with a mix of curiosity and disapproval, slowly approached her sister. When she was close, Lily opened her hand confidently. The flower, withered by the sun, began to regain life. It floated and spun a few inches above her palm as its petals opened and closed, as if it were alive again.
"Stop it!" Petunia shouted.
"It doesn't hurt anything," Lily assured, but the flower, which had momentarily regained its life, wilted along with her smile. The younger girl gently let the flower fall to the ground. "I thought you'd like to see it."
Petunia frowned, but she had turned her gaze toward the flower, which was slowly descending until it was floating a few inches off the ground.
"That's not right," she murmured, lacking conviction. Despite her reproach, she couldn't help but let a flicker of curiosity shine in her eyes. "Aren't you going to tell me how you did it this time?" she asked, her tone slightly hurt.
"That's pretty clear, isn't it?" said the boy as he emerged from his hiding place.
Petunia let out a shrill scream, stepping back a few paces as her face turned slightly red with surprise and anger. With her arms crossed, she looked the newcomer up and down, shooting him an annoyed glance for interrupting.
Lily, for her part, despite being startled, remained where she was. Her curious gaze fell on the boy; there was no fear in her eyes, only a mix of surprise and something else… perhaps interest.
Suddenly, the boy felt so embarrassed that a faint blush crept across his cheeks.
"What's so clear?" Lily asked, her voice sounding more nervous than she intended. She doubted he had witnessed her trick; it was clear he had been hiding for quite a while.
He looked both nervous and excited at the same time. He glanced briefly at Petunia, who had stepped back to the entrance of the park, before murmuring,
"You're… a witch."
Lily, offended, opened her mouth indignantly.
"Is it nice to say that to a girl?" she snapped, lifting her chin defiantly. With determined steps, she turned around and joined her sister.
"Wait!" the boy shouted, even more flushed as he chased after her. When he caught up, both girls looked at him disapprovingly.
"It's true, you're a witch! And there's nothing wrong with being one!" the boy repeated to Lily. "My mum is one too, and I'm a wizard. I've been watching you for a while, and I'm sure you are."
Petunia's laugh was like a splash of cold water.
"A wizard!?" the older girl shrieked, regaining her composure after the scare the boy had given her with his unexpected appearance. "I know you! You're the Snape boy. You live at the end of Spinner's End, by the river," she said disdainfully, as if that place were the worst in the world.
"Why were you spying on us, huh?" Petunia continued, accusatory.
"I wasn't spying on you," the boy protested, blushing again. "Besides, I don't have to spy on you," he added with disdain. "You're a Muggle."
Petunia didn't understand that word, but she caught the condescending tone that came with it.
"We're leaving, Lily!" she said in a shrill voice. Her little sister obeyed without protest and walked away, casting a disgusted glance at the boy. He stayed where he was, watching them disappear down the path of the park. Nothing had gone as he had hoped.