The Evans Sisters
Some parents pit their kids against each other. Not always intentionally, but intention doesn’t excuse actions. An accident is not an ample excuse for an experience; stepping on an unseen ant does not change its death.
The Evans family were such a beautiful case. The sisters who fought for the role of the perfect child — one who needed the validation, one who just wanted her sister. Petunia and Lily Evans.
Of course, the competition isn’t ingrained since birth. No, that’d be far too simple.
At first, when she was born, Lily was the star in her parents’ world. The little goddess who sprinkled their dreary lives with light. Every one of her giggles, loud and rambunctious, startled them into a new uncomfortable normalcy.
A few months after a birth, they must’ve grown fed up and into their lives came Petunia. All in the same year. And then, ever since she’d been born, it’d been Petunia this, Petunia that.
No matter what Lily did, somehow she could never be as perfect as Petunia. Petunia with her small rosebud lips, perfectly plump while Lily’s were thin. Petunia who’d been born thin and maintained that slim figure while Lily had always been a tad chubby.
Lily had an untamed mess of fiery, orange curls while Petunia had a lovely, muted red. Lily was explosive. In her laughter, her anger and her excitment. Uncommon and rare; you’d think it’d make her interesting. But Petunia was quiet. Where Lily was rowdy, Petunia was respectable. Petunia was polite.
Lily had to work hard for everything she got, but little, pretty Petunia was the apple of her mother (and father’s) eye. She’d barely had to ask.
Petunia. Petunia. Petunia.
Lily didn’t want to grow resentful of her sister. Petunia shared all of her new dolls with Lily. She indulged in all of Lily’s fantasy games. It’d just be nice if their parents noticed her for once.
“Petunia, what a lovely drawing! You’re quite the little artist!”
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, Lily honey. Your father has a work event. I don’t think we can make it. We’ll make it up to you.”
She’d thought maybe school would be different. It was a small public school near their house, just until they turned eleven and moved to another for first form. Lily hoped it’d be different.
But school became a mimicry of home. Petunia was ushered into a group of giggling, pretty girls. A very exclusive group of girls.
“She looks nothing like you. Are you sure you’re related?”
“She’s a tad bigger than you, isn’t she?”
“Yea, she has a bit of a tummy and you don’t!”
Not everyone could be stick-thin like Petunia without trying. And god, Lily tried. She tried so hard. Meal portions shrunk. Runs became more appealing. And yet, the chub wouldn’t go away. Maybe she’d never be pretty like her sister.
“Is she your twin?”
“Oh heavens no. We’re far too different for that. Just my sister.”
She didn’t know what stung more: being the practice child, now abandoned and forgotten or the fact that even her sister stopped starting to care. Absorbed in her own little world, Petunia was too busy delighting at the attention to even notice Lily shrinking away, both in size and personality.
Perhaps if she’d paid better attention to her sister, they’d be closer. Maybe if Petunia hadn’t joined in the exclusion, the tables wouldn’t turn against her.
“All the kids at school make fun of me Tuney.”
“They’re not exactly wrong, are they? I mean c’mon Lily, couldn’t you just try a little harder?”
Only one person dared to speak to her. Only one dared to break the silent rules put in place: ignore Lily Evans. Then again, they did like to ignore him too.
Severus was the first one who never really cared she wasn’t like her sister. In fact, he seemed to think it was a good thing.
“Why’d you want to be like her anyway? You’re much cooler as you.”
Lonely afternoons were now spent with Sev, as they raced around the neighbourhood and in the fields. Anywhere that didn’t have people, really. It was nice, with Severus. He didn’t comment on her tummy and never told her to not eat so much. He also didn’t mock her laugh, or how loud she was. He was quiet, true, but he made as many quiet jokes as he could just to startle one of those explosive laughs from her. No one had ever quite cared enough to do that before. It was quite nice.
Even if she still missed the lack of love from her parents.
“How lovely, darling! Oh, how lucky we are to have such a talented daughter!”
“Lily, we’d just… we’d like to be proud of you too. Like we are for your sister.”
All Lily had wished for was a chance. A chance to show her parents she was special too. A chance to win their love.
No sooner than she’d wished it, it’d come true.
Lily’s magic was be a game changer. Suddenly obnoxious, imperfect Lily, Petunia’s sister became interesting Lily, the witch. Or, if you asked Petunia, she became weirdo Lily, the freak.
It happened in tidbits. Lily sneezing and the flowers on the kitchen table wilting. Lily getting annoyed at Petunia’s silly friends and their argument about hair and the girl’s hair promptly coming undone, turning from blonde to a light pink.
Then, staring enviously at a bird and dreaming to fly and the wind tossing her up in the air as she shrieked in delight.
She hadn’t been alone when it happened either.
Severus was delighted, Petunia was horrified. And Lily was overjoyed. Finally, something that made her special!
And finally, her parents took notice. It was what she’d always wanted. So why did it feel so wrong?
“Lily, darling, it’s marvellous!”
“Oh, forget your sister. She’ll get over it when she gets her own magic.”
Was it evil of her to wish the magic was hers and hers alone? So many of her things were tainted by Petunia’s perfection, was it really so bad to finally have something of her own?
She was a child, she didn’t know any better. Maybe if she did, she would stop wishing so desperately.
Lily got what she wanted, in part. Her parents attention. They adored her magic. But really, that was it. They’d spent so much time adoring perfect Petunia, they couldn’t ignore their sweet darling come Lily.
Sure Lily got their attention. Petunia never once truly lost it. Her mother remained thick as thieves with Petunia — the duo best friends in a way Lily could never dream. Her father chased away Petunia’s admirers, guffawing all the while. He’d never had to do it for Lily.
Instead they scorned her for her friendship with a boy nothing like the higher class citizens they’d wanted her with. Severus wasn’t rich by any means — and neither was Lily, but her family could afford to live far more comfortably than her friend.
Severus was rarely in his house. He wasn’t welcome in Lily’s. Not her rule, but one she had to follow. Petunia rarely got denied by their parents. When Severus had been trying to show Petunia magic, failed horribly and dropped a tree branch atop her, he’d been officially banned. Lily couldn’t blame her parents for the decision, but she could hate them for it.
Petunia’s friends would fill the house to the brim, often kicking Lily out but Lily couldn’t have her single friend over? Due to an accident he’d apologised for?
Sure he’d taken the apology back once he’d realised her parents favouritism but still.
Couldn’t she have anything? The attention? The love? Was she doomed to be forgotten forever?
Competition between siblings can never be healthy. In the case of the Evans sisters, something had to give. When Lily got her Hogwarts letter and Petunia didn’t, the golden daughter made it clear what was going to give.
Lily gained new friends, a family even, but she lost the one she been given.
But if little Lily could see her now, a saviour of the Wizarding World. Pined after desperately throughout her school years, an academic weapon and oh so loved.
A neglected little girl would be able to see herself standing in the heart of all the chaos, surrounded by her own chosen kindred. Laughing, possibly, in that obnoxious way she’d been conditioned to hide. Smiling brightly, shimmering like the jewel she was.
Lily Evans, one of the brightest witches of her age. Lily Evans, popular and loved amongst her wizarding peers. Lily Evans, select member of the exclusive friend group all wished to be a part of. A group of friends that cared so deeply for her wellbeing, doing everything they could just for her.
She’d have a seat reserved at the highest tables and all she could ever dream. All except her sister. And this Lily would learn to be okay with it. She was so much stronger and smarter than she knew.
And such is the tale of the wonderful Lily Evans.