Three Wishes for Lily

The pearly white walls of the royal winter palace were said to be impenetrable. Not that anyone had ever seriously tried taking the castle in the last few hundred years, though. The Potters had ruled over the land quite peacefully for the past centuries and had no problems with any neighboring kingdoms. This might be due to the fact that they were exceptionally wealthy and never shy in lending a helping hand to any other countries in need. It might also be due to their no-nonsense approach to foreign politics and their ability to solve most problems without any violence. Still, a castle this magnificent with walls this secure was always nice to have.

The walls were also useful for other purposes. For one, they were very practical for throwing stuff off of them to prank people walking by (never anything heavy, of course, mostly parchment with crude words and drawings on it and the occasional fruit). They also offered various ways to climb onto the roof of the castle, of you were brave enough to do so. Naturally, James and his friends had explored the entirety of the roof by the time they were twelve, meticulously mapping out every nook and cranny which could be used for hiding. The map had been Remus’ idea, while Sirius, ever the artist, had done most of the drawing. It had started with the roof, but had soon expanded to the entire castle, listing every room, tunnel, trick stair and hidden passage. They had used it to sneak out when they were younger, running around the woods after dark and looking for monsters. 

(It had all started when Remus read a book about a werewolf, which had sparked a lively and year-long debate about wether werewolves were real or not. Remus said it was a fairy tale, so the monsters were obviously made up for dramatic effect because there’s no such thing as magic, you idiots, while Sirius stubbornly claimed they existed because he’d once seen a werewolf when he was travelling through the woods with his parents some years ago. James was undecided on the matter, because while he did believe in magic, he was pretty sure most of Sirius’ stories were complete hogwash. So he suggested they go out during a full moon and look for one, then. Remus’ protests that if werewolves existed (which they did not), running around during a full moon might not be the wisest thing to do, fell on deaf ears. 

Obviously, they had never found anything. 

Though, a few times James thought he could hear a howling somewhere off in the distance. And Sirius swore up and down to anyone that would listen that he once saw a huge wolf curled up beneath a tree, sleeping. Yet when he tried showing this to James, the wolf had already been gone. 

Interestingly enough, Remus had the worrying habit of disappearing for long periods of time during these hunts, claiming he “got lost” or that he was “following a trail”. He remained firm on his opinion that magic didn’t exist and that the hunts were a total waste of time, though, so no one really knew what he was following or what he got up to during these hours. Sirius was convinced that this meant he was a secret werewolf, while James privately suspected Remus just went back inside to get some sleep.)

Now that the prince and his friends were all (at least somewhat) grown up and had left most of their maraudering ways behind, the map didn’t get a lot of use anymore. They kept the habit of climbing up to their favourite part of the roof, though, mostly to smoke and talk in peace. It was off to the side of the lesser-used tower, partially hidden by a nearby tree, so there was no way to spot it from the ground. And since Slughorn was notoriously squeamish and afraid of heights, it was the perfect hiding spot to avoid lessons, as well. 

Today was another such occasion. The three boys were huddled together, legs dangling off the wall, taking in the rays of the morning winter sun while smoking some of Remus’ supply. (He never revealed where he got the weed from, but he always had some on him. He was truly a man of mystery.) 

Like most times, they were not alone.

“Are they really going through with it, then? This marriage thing?”, Marlene asked, stretching her legs to rest over Sirius’ and taking the pipe out of his hand to take a drag. “I hear they’ve invited practically every unmarried young person in the kingdom, myself included.”

Lady Marlene McKinnon had become somewhat of an honorary member of their group. About two years ago, when she had reached marrying age, her parents had moved to court in an attempt to get her settled with someone rich and powerful as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they decided that this rich and powerful person, their daughter’s future spouse, was supposed to be none other than Sir Sirius Black. What they hadn’t considered in their ambitious scheme was the fact that Sirius was woefully uninterested in courting Marlene and that Marlene was woefully uninterested in courting men in general. (Besides, it became very clear to her very quickly that his affections lay elsewhere, even though he did not quite know it yet.)

Needless to say, after a rather short (and on both ends very uncomfortable) courtship, it was mutually decided that the two of them would not marry and instead just be friends. Which suited everyone much better.

James sighed dramatically. “I’m afraid so. I’m supposed to pick someone at the ball, apparently. But how can I marry someone I don’t know?” 

“Well, Potter, the problem is that in order to get to know your future spouse you have to actually meet new people.”

“That sounds dreadful. Could I just marry one of you instead?”, he joked, giving her a longing look. 

Marlene patted his head. “Still a lesbian, love. If you were a girl though, I’d marry you. You’d be gorgeous.”

“Awww, thanks Marls, I think you’re pretty, too.”

“No, I meant that any daughter your mother had would have to be most attractive. Have you seen the queen? I’d marry her in a heartbeat. Hell, I’d even be her mistress if she so wished.” She waggled her eyebrows.

The boys laughed while James groaned and buried his face in his hands. “Not this again! Stop objectifying my mother!”

“She’s not wrong, though, the queen is a very beautiful woman”, Sirius chuckled. 

“And she’s happily married to my father, thank you very much.”

“Your father’s not bad, either”, Remus remarked with a shit-eating grin on his face, looking up from the book in his lap. James flipped him off.

“Can we get back to the problem at hand, please? I’m to become a child bride.”

Marlene snorted. “You’re two-and-twenty, James. That’s hardly a child.”

“You’re missing the point. I’m meant to find and wed someone within the month.”

“How does one choose one’s future spouse, anyway?”, Remus mused.

He shrugged. “No clue. I find the entire thing very stressful, to be honest. When I was little I always thought I’d meet someone I loved and everything would just…magically fall into place. But I guess things don’t always work that way.”

“Yeah”, Sirius said sarcastically, “in real life you marry someone you absolutely despise so you have to scream at them all the time. And when that gets boring you have some kids and scream at them instead.” 

“Speaking of, how are your parents these days?”, Marlene asked, offering him the pipe. “Any news?” Sirius shrugged as he took a drag and breathed out the smoke. 

“Same as always, I imagine. Still assholes, still disowned me.”

“And Reg?”

“Dunno, actually. I haven’t heard an awful lot from him since his wedding.”

“He’s doing well”, James said. “Him and Evan went on a trip to their country estate a while ago.”

Sirius frowned. “How do you know that?”

“He wrote me.”

“He wrote you?” 

James raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Sirius, he wrote me. It’s a thing people do, you know? They write each other letters and talk about their life.” 

Sirius rolled his eyes. “No, but why is my little brother writing you letters? Why isn’t he writing me, his own flesh and blood?” 

Marlene grinned, nudging him with her foot. “Yeah, James, why are you in such close contact with Regulus?” 

He gave her a warning look. “We’re very good friends.”

Sirius frowned. “Since when?”

“Some time last year”, Remus added unhelpfully, the evil bastard. James shot him an angry look. Why were they ganging up on him all of a sudden? This was betrayal. 

Sirius’ frown deepened. “You mean when he came to court to visit me?”

“He also came here to find a rich husband”, Marlene said, still grinning, clearly enjoying herself, “and he was very thorough in his search, remember? There was one option in particular he explored for quite some time.” James pinched her foot and she yelped, kicking him. Remus let out a snort of laughter, and then, upon seeing the look on Sirius’ face, cleared his throat and quickly returned his attention to his book. 

“James”, Sirius asked, a dangerous tone to his voice, “what does she mean by that?”

The tower bell rang above their heads, saving James from answering. He shot up from his seat and brushed invisible dust off of his trousers (though they were more like tights, really).

“Oh no, is it that late already?”, he laughed nervously, “Shame, my parents are expecting me. Got to go, lads. My lady”, he bowed his head sarcastically to Marlene, who giggled and flipped him off.

“Wait, James! What does she mean by that?” But James was already running off to the other side of the roof towards the wall to climb over it.

“Oi”, Sirius yelled after him, “come back here! James! What did you do to my brother?!”

***

“Your grace, Lady Macdonald has assured us that she will be arriving with both of her children.”

“And the Meadowes?”

“They will also be in attendance. Their oldest, Dorcas, is of marrying age.”

The prince (freshly changed and only slightly late to the family meeting), who was currently lazily leaning on his mother’s throne, frowned. “Meadowes, you say? Wasn’t that the girl who bit my hand when we were little? Isn’t she older than me?”

Queen Euphemia tutted. “Dorcas is two years younger than you. And very nice, unlike you.”

“She bit me!”

“Because you kept poking at her head, James. Also, she was three years old. I dare say she doesn’t go around biting people any more.”

The prince huffed and sullenly righted the sparkly golden hat on his head. The servant continued reading from the big scroll in his hand.

“The young Lord Fenwick has confirmed his attendance, as have the Prewetts and Shacklebolts.”

“And all of them are unmarried?”

“Yes, your highness.”

James rolled his eyes. “Are we planning for a ball or a manhunt?”

“Your commentary is out of place here, prince”, his father commented. “As is your snark.”

“Excuse me, father, but you raised me to always speak my mind.” He looked out of the window, then at the big clock on the wall. “How much longer will we be, exactly? I’m meeting the others outside.”

The king sighed and got up from his throne, walking over to the window. “And what’s so incredibly important?”

“Why, our studies, of course!”

Fleamont looked down onto the snowy field in front of the window where Sirius and Remus were waiting with the horses, crossbows in hand, squabbling. They were obviously planning on going on a hunt. “Your studies”, he said, unimpressed. “Are you trying to make a fool of me?”

The prince shook his head, scandalised. “Oh no, I would never dare.”

“How do you explain the crossbows, then?”, the king gestured to the window.

(Unbeknownst to him, Remus and Sirius’ peace was short-lived. ”You there!” The teacher’s form approached the two men, looking ridiculously large in his lavish fur coat, followed by two servants.

“Oh fuck me”, Remus muttered under his breath. Sirius groaned. “Here we go. Bet he’s got another speech for us, today.”

“Gentlemen! Your days of vagrancy are over. It’s time to start taking your studies seriously. Your education is of national interest, after all”, Slughorn declared, looking ever self-important. He gestured to the servants, who took the crossbows out of their hands and unceremoniously dropped a big stack of books into Remus’ arms. “We’ll be starting with law, today, followed by the royal family tree.”)

“Crossbows?” Queen Euphemia frowned and got up, as well. When she looked down, the prince’s friends were standing outside, next to Slughorn, holding stacks of books. She raised an eyebrow and turned to her husband. “I’m afraid I don’t understand, darling.”

The kind gazed outside and blinked. “Huh.” How had that happened?

“Can I go then?”, James asked sweetly.

“I suppose so”, his father said, quickly recovering from his surprise. “Make sure Slughorn teaches you to dance, as well, so you don’t embarrass yourself at the ball. When I was your age, I used to -”

“Dance through three pairs of shoes in one evening, I know”, his son finished the sentence, grinning. “See you at dinner, then.” He bowed and left the room, a swing in his step.

Euphemia chuckled and put her hand on her husbands shoulder. “But you apologized to me back when we met, telling me it was your first ever real dance. When you stomped on my feet the entire night.”

He laughed and wrapped his arm around her. “Well, you understand that I wouldn’t want to brag about that in front of our son.”

“And yet, he’s almost unbelievably similar to you in everything”, she said fondly, patting his cheek.

His face fell. “No.”

She grinned. “Oh, yes. Frightening, isn’t it?”

***

“My lord, might I have this dance?”

Sirius crossed his arms. “I don’t dance with liars.” James sighed.

“Technically, he didn’t lie, he just left some information out”, Remus commented.

“And it was Reg who wanted to keep it a secret because he thought you might not take it well. Which he was right about, apparently.”

“Of course I’m not taking it well! You courted my brother!”

“Technically, he didn’t court him, they just slept together”, Remus added, again, quite unhelpfully. James gave him an exasperated look and he smirked, mimicking zipping his mouth closed.

Sirius gasped. “Oh my god, that’s even worse! That’s vile! I’m going to be sick.” He grabbed some snow and threw it at James. “You - you scoundrel! You didn’t even properly court him! Or marry him, after you besmirched his honour!”

“Besmirched his honour?!”

“Yes! You deflowered my baby brother!”

Remus barked out a laugh. “Heavens, Sirius, since when were you such a prude? Deflowering? What is this, the dark ages?”

Sirius ignored him. “But you didn’t want to marry him, is that it, Prongs? Or court him officially? Did you not like him enough for that? Was he not good enough for you?” He didn’t wait for a response, though, just continued his rant. “You knew that Regulus was actively looking for a husband to finally be free from our parents. He was in a vulnerable position - he didn’t have his own money like I did. You took advantage of that!”

James gasped. “I did not! Regulus was doing fine! He was looking for a husband, yes, but for a love match, as well. And neither of us was in love, so honestly? No, I did not want to marry him, nor he me. He’s happily married now, anyway, so it all turned out well.”

“Does Lord Evan know about this, then?”

“I believe so, yes. And he’s got no problem with it, because, as I said, we weren’t in love. We were two consenting adults in a…well a sort of relationship”, James explained, “and now we’re not anymore. And, I repeat, he’s happily married and we’re still on good terms.” Sirius was still frowning, but looked a little calmer, now.

James sighed. “I’m truly sorry I didn’t tell you I slept with your brother. Believe me, I would never have kept a secret that big from you if he hadn’t asked me to. But I’m not sorry it happened.” He stuck out his hand again. “Now will you please dance with me? I can’t practice with Remus because he’s rubbish at it. No offense.”

“None taken”, Remus said, smiling, from where he was leaning against a nearby tree.

Sirius huffed. Then he sighed. Deeply. “Alright, but ask me properly.”

James grinned. “My lord, would you do me the honour of dancing with me?” He bowed, even taking off his hat with a flourish.

Sirius pretended to fan himself. “Why of course, good sir, I thought you’d never ask.” The prince took his hand and led him into a dancing formation.

“Lord Lupin, could you play some music for us?”

Remus rolled his eyes, then started clapping the rhythm to some waltz while the two of them stomped around in the shin-deep snow. It was a little ridiculous, to be honest. Not even Sirius managed it quite as gracefully as usual, even though hours of rigorous dance lessons his mother had made him take when he was younger and natural talent made him one of the best dancers at court. All in all, not the best conditions for a dancing lesson, but, well, the king had told them to practice, hadn’t he?

While James twirled him under his arm, Sirius gave him a coy look over his shoulder. “Your highness, I have decided to allow you to ask me for my hand in marriage.”

The prince dipped him low. “Terribly sorry, but I can’t do that, dearest. You see, I have already dedicated my life to hunting and maraudering. I would have no time for a husband!” Sirius gasped dramatically and fell out of his arms into the snow.

Remus pretended to faint. “But prince, what of your future children? And your duties?”

Laughing, Sirius got up out of the snow. “As my uncle Alphard used to say: this goat is not for milking!”

“Or as the little girl said - when hell freezes over!”, James said as he launched a snowball in his direction.

“Your highness! My lords!” At the far end of the snowy hill they were on, Slughorn appeared, book and walking stick in hand, looking quite frantic. “Your lessons!”

James grinned. “Are you in the mood for lessons today, lads?”

“Not particularly”, Sirius answered.

Laughing, the three of them jumped onto their horses and took off through the woods.

(”This isn’t a teaching position”, Slughorn panted to himself as he leaned against one of the trees and righted the hat on his head, “this is a punishment.”)

***

“How are you going to get out of this one then, Prongs?”, Remus asked as they tied their horses to a tree. “Realistically, I mean. I doubt the king will let you off the hook very easily.”

This was something he’d been thinking about, as well. Normally, when James Potter didn’t want to do something, he simply did not do it. But this time, it seemed to be a little trickier than that. He could just refuse to choose a spouse, of course, but then his parents might just make the choice for him. Arranged marriages might be a little old-fashioned, but not entirely uncommon, especially not in royal families. He shrugged. “Dunno. I’ll think of something, though. I always do, don’t I?”

“Worst case scenario, you just do what I did”, Sirius jokingly suggested, “you run away.”

James brightened up. “Yes, that’s a brilliant idea! We could all go live in the woods together without any responsibilities!”

“Oh no”, Sirius shook his head, “You misunderstood. I’m not leaving this place. Your parents are brilliant, mate. Besides, I’m not made for life on the road. I think I’d positively die without a regular hot bath. Not to mention, what would we eat? It’s the middle of winter.” James frowned and Sirius clapped him on the shoulder. “But if you want to run away, go for it. I totally support you.”

“Well, I’m not running away on my own. That’d be boring.” He looked to Remus for support, but he shook his head. “Sorry, mate, but no.”

The prince sighed deeply and adjusted the crossbow on his shoulder. “I suppose pulling a prank at the ball would be pointless, as well.”

“Might I suggest simply talking to your father?” Remus says. “Make him understand the pressure he’s putting you under. And, maybe, try to understand him, as well. Your parents love you. They aren’t getting any younger, you know, and I imagine they just want to see you and the royal line settled and secure in case anything happens. And they might even want to retire at some point.”

“Always so sensible, our Moony”, Sirius teased. “Talking about it. Where’s the fun in healthy communication when you can just continue to misunderstand one another?”

Remus gave a wry laugh. “Of course you of all people would say that.”

The sound of little bells ringing interrupted their conversation. They shared a look and quietly walked to the edge of the small slope they were standing on to look down. There was a big, burly man riding a sleigh on the path below them. The floppy hat on his head was bobbing along to the rhythm of the horses, falling further and further down his face. He seemed to be sound asleep.

A grin spread over the prince’s face. “Gentlemen,”, he whispered, “are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

His companions smirked and Remus quietly pointed to an empty bird’s nest which was balanced on a tree branch, just above the road. James nodded and motioned for them to hide behind some bushes through which they had a good view onto the scene below. He got his crossbow ready and waited for the perfect time to shoot. This was the key to pulling a good prank, he had found: patience. Something which he usually lacked, except in these moments. The sleigh advanced and he held his breath.

As his finger ghosted over the trigger, James found himself thinking about the dreaded marriage again for some reason. And how he really would not mind getting married, actually, if it was to the right person. It made him pause for the fraction of a second.

What a strange thought to have right now.

Just as quick as it came, the thought was gone and his finger pressed down. He let out a breath.

The prince’s aim was flawless. The arrow hit the nest straight on, tumbling down and landing right in the man’s lap. He woke with a start, instinctively pulling the sleigh to a stop, blindly patting around to find what had hit him. James watched as the man pulled the hat back from his eyes and looked around in confusion before inspecting the nest. There was something in it, apparently, which he put in his pocket.

Sirius grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “Nice one, James.”

***

Back at the Evans’ estate, things were a little chaotic. Outfit planning for a ball, as it turns out, was hard work. Well, some of them were certainly harder at work than others.

While Lady Evans and her daughter admired the materials Hagrid had brought with him the evening before, Lily was busy cleaning the floor.

Petunia wrapped herself in the light green, shimmery silk and pinned it to her frame, while her mother tried out different fabrics and colours against it. For now, her dress was, apparently, going to be a mix of green, white and orange fabric. There was no accounting for taste, Lily supposed.

Hagrid stood in the corner of the room, close to the door and was subtly beckoning her over. Lily looked back at her stepmother, who was busy with fussing around Petunia, and went over to him.

“I didn’t forget you, Lils, don’t worry”, Hagrid smiled. He searched around in his pocket and dug out a twig with three hazelnuts on it. “These really fell right into my lap, just as I was dreaming that we were at your wedding.”

She took the branch and smiled at him. “That’s so sweet, thank you.”

Unfortunately, this had not gone unnoticed by Lady Evans. She stomped over. “What is that? What did you give to her?” She stuck out her hand, demanding to see it.

Lily rolled her eyes and handed her the nuts. Her stepmother turned them around in her hand and laughed. “My, what a nice present. For a squirrel.” She threw them back at Lily, chuckling to herself. “Start cleaning up. Make yourself useful.”

There was a gasp from the other side of the room. “Hagrid? Where’s the lace we ordered? And the pearls?”, Petunia whined.

The stable master shrugged. “You didn’t order any, my lady.”

“Are you calling her a liar?”, Lady Evans asked, already bristling.

“No m’lady, I just -”

“You’ll have to go back and get them, of course.”

“But mummy, you won’t send Hagrid into town to get us lace and pearls, will you?”

The lady smiled. “No, you’re right. We’ll just go into town, ourselves! Hagrid, tell them to get the carriage ready!” Hagrid bowed his head and left, while Petunia squealed with joy and walked over to where Lily was crouched, sweeping ash off of the floor at her stepmother’s order.

“Do you want to ride to town with us?” She smiled sweetly. When Lily nodded hesitantly, she threw her head back cackling. “God, the people would fall over in shock if they saw you.” Lily stopped working for a second to give her an unimpressed look.

“Cinderella! You’re lazing around again!”, Lady Evans yelled. “Didn’t I tell you to clean?”

Fuck off, Lily thought to herself, but continued sweeping with the little broom in her hand.

“Girl! Do it neatly!”

You want neat? I’ll give you neat. Lily threw the little broom to the side and grabbed the big broom, furiously sweeping the ashes right in her stepfamily’s direction, creating a cloud of ashes. Petunia and the lady started coughing.

“Cinderella! Stop that!”

Well, at least the floor was clean now.

***

Hedwig gave her a disapproving hoot when she entered the little room. “I know”, Lily sighed, “I look like a mess. Don’t ask.”

As punishment for her earlier stunt, Lady Evans had made her climb up inside the chimney to clean it, which meant that she was almost entirely covered in ashes now. Again. But their visit to town ensured that they’d be gone for a few more hours, at least, so Lily had decided to ride into the woods again and make the most of her free time.

She gently coaxed the owl off of the little jewellery box and onto her hand, where she lovingly stroked her feathers. “I got some treats for you, want to see?”

Hedwig shooed. She had a special weakness for dried meat, so Lily made sure to nick some from the kitchen every once in a while. With a grateful nip to her finger, the owl flew onto the drawer to enjoy her food.

Lily dug around in her apron and pulled out the little hazelnut branch Hagrid had brought her. She hadn’t had the time to take a proper look at it, until now. She found they looked quite pretty, prettier than most other hazelnuts. A little shimmery, even, though that could just be the light. Let her stepmother say what she wanted, this was a truly sweet gift. She decided to put it with her other treasures in the box.

“The lady is furious with me, Hedwig”, she said bitterly as she took out the mirror and the rag to clean herself off again. “I’m not to leave the estate at all anymore.” Well, this was not that big of a restriction, honestly, seeing as the lady and Petunia were out for the day, but still. It was the principle of the matter.

Lily thought about the last time she’d snuck out and had to smile a little, despite herself. It had been exiting. Fun, even. And - well. The prince might have been a bit of an idiot, but his smile had certainly been pleasing. Very, very pleasing.

She had liked the challenge in his eyes. It had made her feel - something, at least.

“I’d just like to know when I’d see him again”, Lily murmured to herself.

Hedwig shooed. She looked up to find the owl scrutinising her, then moving her head.

“What?”

The owl kept staring at her.

“What is it?”

She stuck out one of her wings, pointing to the jewellery box. Confused, Lily took it and looked inside. “The comb?”

Hedwig shook her head.

“The earrings?”

Again, she shook her head.

“The…nuts?”

Hedwig ruffled her feathers. A yes, then.

“What am I supposed to do with them?”

The owl huffed impatiently and gestured with her wing, as if to say go on. Lily frowned and took the branch out, inspecting it again, when one of the nuts suddenly fell off and hit the floor with a ping. She cursed and went to pick it up when - what was that?

The nut was cracked open on one side. And there was something sticking out of it. Lily pulled on the…something, just to find out that it was a green feather.

…Why was there a feather sticking out of a hazelnut?

Confused, Lily pulled again, only for the nut to crack open completely and fall to the floor along with its contents. Its…extensive contents, it seemed. Because, suddenly, there was an entire stack of clothes on the floor, neatly folded. It looked like a hunter’s outfit: an expensive looking top and leather vest combination of some sort, some colourful tights (which looked surprisingly warm), a green velvet coat with fur lining inside and a little hat with a green feather on it. It even had a pair of brown boots.

Lily blinked, absolutely baffled, looking from the shells of the nut to the clothes, then turning to Hedwig. “Is…is this for me? Did you do this?”

The owl just blinked, looking a little smug (if that was even possible for an owl), but otherwise gave no answer. It was clear what she meant though: Go put it on then.

So, Lily did. Because - well, what else was she supposed to do? Gifted horses and all that.

The clothes turned out to be just as comfortable, soft and expensive-feeling as they had looked. They also fit Lily perfectly, as if they were tailored specifically to her figure. And, to her utter delight, the clothes themselves seemed to be just as magic as the hazelnut they had fallen out of. She had felt a little sorry about putting them on when she was still mostly covered in ashes, but the second her skin touched the fabric, it was clean. Not only clean - it was practically glowing. And her hair, usually a lost cause on days like these, arranged itself into a neat little bob when she put the hat on, hiding its true length. It wasn’t a hairstyle Lily had ever considered going for, but as she admired herself in the mirror, she had to admit that it gave her a certain flair. Her hair colour wasn’t muted, for the first time in forever, and though she could certainly be mistaken for a young man in the outfit, she felt more like herself than she had in years. Lily let out an amazed laugh.

“Well?”, she asked Hedwig,. “How do I look?” She gave her a little twirl and the owl hooted excitedly. She grinned, feeling immensely confident.

When she stepped outside, carrying her father’s hunting gear, Nicholas whinnied loudly. It seemed that he, too, approved of her outfit.

***

It was a known fact all throughout the kingdom that the prince was an excellent hunter. He was famous for it, actually. And even though rumours concerning the court and royal family were usually greatly exaggerated (for example the rumours about Sir Blacks countless affairs. He did not, in fact, get around quite as extensively as reported, even though he was quite popular with the ladies. And several men, as well. But that’s beside the point.), the tales about Prince James’ shooting skills were not. Anyone who’d ever been hunting with him could attest to the fact that he not only had a natural talent for shooting, but for riding a horse, as well. (He seemed to be unusually in tune with his horse, a beautiful grey one, who he was also rumoured to speak to from time to time, though no one could really confirm this.)

So it came as no surprise to most that he won most royal hunts he participated in. This only happened about once or twice a year, though, as he usually liked giving others the opportunity to win one of the coveted prices for the hunt. Because he didn’t really need the price, anyway, seeing as it always came from the royal treasury.

Today was one of the rare occasions he participated, and, as expected, he was on a roll. Not even Sirius, the only one to sometimes match his skills with a crossbow, could keep up with him today.

“Well done, your highness”, Sir Moody, head of the royal guard said after he’d managed to hit the target while galloping. “If you manage to hit a bird of prey, you’ll be the winner of today’s royal hunt.”

James looked up to where he was pointing and saw a lone bird of some sort, most likely a falcon, flying above their heads. He grinned and nodded, getting into position with his fellow competitors. At this point in the hunt, it was down to three of them.

Moody himself went first. He had once been one of the most legendary fighters in the kingdom, famously losing a leg and an eye in a battle against a group of fanatics who’d terrorised the countryside a few decades ago. (People said this incident had left internal scars as well as external, and that he had lost his mind after it. Which was true to some extent, though no one who really knew him would say he was truly crazy. Just a tad paranoid, which was quite appropriate for the head of royal security, after all.) And even though his weapon of choice was a sword, he was quite an impressive shot with a crossbow, as well.

His arrow got quite close to the bird, but missed it.

Sirius was second. His shot got even closer, yet not close enough. He let out a frustrated groan and nodded at James. “Your turn, prince.”

James took a deep breath, angling his crossbow just so and taking aim. The bird was but a little speck in his field of vision at this point, having flown even higher up now. Even if his aim was true, the arrow would most likely not reach it anymore. The prince lowered his weapon and turned to the others.

“It’s already flying too high.”

There was a sudden shriek from above. Everyone looked up to find the bird falling from the sky, having been struck by an arrow. A servant collected it from the body as it fell into the snow - a shot right through the heart. The hunting party looked around in confusion.

“Who fired that arrow?”, James asked. The servant handed it to him and he inspected it. It didn’t look like one of his, that was sure, but it looked completely ordinary.

Another arrow hit the one he held in his hand, splitting it and making it fall to the ground. He blinked in surprise and picked it up. Another perfect shot. But who made it?

Someone tapped his shoulder. It was Remus, who pointed to a figure approaching through the trees.

A young hunter stepped towards the party. He (- or she? They?) was wearing a green velvet coat, lined with fur, a green hat and quite unusual tights. James himself was no stranger to colourful or patterned tights - hell, he was wearing striped ones, today - but even he did not own ones with little leaves on them. They were pretty, though. As was the mysterious hunter. They (he was still undecided on how to refer to the person in his head but thought a gender-neutral term might be the best way to go) had dark red hair peeking out from under their feathered hat and the brightest green eyes he’d ever seen. Adorable little freckles were spread over their nose and cheeks and he found himself a little mesmerised by them.

James felt like he had seen this person before, but couldn’t really put a finger on it.

“Forgive me”, the hunter said, coming to a stop a few feet away from him, “it was my arrow.”

The prince stepped closer, studying the hunter from head to toe. He didn’t recognise them at all, which was strange. Anyone who was dressed in clothes this fine would have to be a noble person of some sort, so he’d have to at least know their name. “Who are you?”

A smirk. “You looked like you were done shooting, so I thought I’d try my luck.”

James took another step closer, examining the hunter’s weapon. “It’s an ordinary crossbow”, he murmured, amazed. So this person really was just that talented.

“Your grace, should we continue with the hunt?”, Moody asked.

He shook his head. “No. The best shot has already demonstrated what they can do.” He turned to the royal guard. “What’s the price for today’s hunt?”

“This ring”, Sir Moody said, handing him something from his pocket, “from the royal treasury.”

James walked back over to the mystery hunter and reached out his hand. The person mustered the ring, then hesitated. They suddenly looked a little shy.

He smiled. “But it’s yours. You’ve earned it.”

They put their hand in his and he slid the ring over their gloved finger. It fit perfectly.

Now that he was looking at it closely, he found that it was a very unusual ring. The top of it was covered with colourful gems, making it look like the petals of a flower. He looked up and met the hunter’s gaze, seeing a little blush cover their cheeks and nose, right where the freckles were. He held their hand and the eye contact a little longer than strictly necessary.

“Are you going to show us some more of your skills?”, he asked, voice low.

They smirked.

“How about a cone on that tree over there?” The prince pointed to the tallest tree in their vicinity and a bundle of cones right at the top of it. An impossible target, really, considering how far away the tree was, let alone the tiny cones growing from it.

The hunter snorted. “Every little girl can hit those”, they said. As they got in position to shoot, James stepped behind them to try to observe their technique over their shoulder. The hunter turned their head and gave him a wink before pulling the trigger.

There was a clatter, then a rustle, and a cone fell from the tree. James blinked in wonder, looking at the tree and then the hunter for a second, then ran over to where everyone was starting to gather around the cone. It was struck right through the middle. A perfect shot, yet again.

“It seems you are no longer the best marksman in the kingdom, your highness”, Sir Lupin remarked.

The prince laughed. “It certainly seems that way.” He needed to ask this person their secrets - how were they doing this? How could one hit such a small target from such a distance? And with such grace, no less.

He turned around to ask them for some lessons, maybe, but the hunter was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did they go?” Sirius asked.

James didn’t answer. He had spotted a little figure off in the distance, rapidly riding away on a horse. He ran over to his own and jumped up, taking up the pursuit. “Come now”, he urged his horse, “we can’t lose them now.” (Edna was his horse’s name, actually, though is not really relevant to anything else in this story.)

As soon as the rider disappeared into the treeline, however, it was as if they’d vanished from the face of the earth. James couldn’t find a single trace of them as he rode around the woods aimlessly. Frustrated, he pulled his horse to a stop, when he heard a rustling up in one of the trees in front of him.

A head peeked out from behind the trunk, high up in the tree. Whoever it was had long, brownish hair and was wearing strange, ragged clothing.

“You there!”, he called up, jumping off, “has a young hunter perhaps ridden past here?”

There was a snort from somewhere up in the tree, which he interpreted as a yes.

“So there has?”

The head peeked around the tree again, from the other side this time. “But wherever you look, in the entire forest there’s only an idiot and a chicken without feathers”, the person said cryptically.

James frowned. “Come down from there! I want to talk to you properly.”

“Come up here, then!”

He put his hands on his hips, a little exasperated. “I’m telling you, come down here!”

“And I’m telling you to come up!” The bossiness in the person’s tone made him think of another one he’d met in the woods once.

He let out a laugh. “We’ve seen each other before!”

“Huh, I can’t recall. You’d have to remind me of that.”

“Yes, we have. You’re the girl from a few days ago.” James walked around the tree, trying to find the best spot to start climbing. “This time you’re not getting away, though!”

That was how Sirius and Remus found him a few minutes later: trying to climb up the tree and miserably failing at it. “What are you doing there? Where’s the hunter?”, Sirius asked.

James lost his footing (again) and slipped down the few feet he’d managed to climb up so far. “We’d have to ask her!” He gestured up the tree, very conscious of the fact that he probably looked quite ridiculous.

“Ask who?”

“The girl who ran away from us a few days ago, remember?”

Remus glanced up at the tree. “There’s no one here, James.”

“Yes there is -”, he looked up, blinking in confusion. He felt like he was going mad. “Where has she gone now?”

***

“Cinderella, the ribbons!”

“Cinderella, fetch me the silk!”

“Cinderella, where did you put the necklace?”

Lily ran to the other side of the room, quickly fetching the heavy silver diamond necklace her stepmother planned on wearing to the ball, carefully carrying it over to her. (It was a diamond necklace that had once belonged to her mother. Not that that was important in the moment, but it’s still a detail worth mentioning.) Lady Evans sneered and ripped it out of her hand, as if her touching it could make it lose its value. A servant placed the piece around her neck and helped her with the clasps of her dress.

It was a few days after her little adventure in the woods. The evening of the ball had arrived, which meant that the estate was, once again, in a flurry. Petunia had had several pearl-related mental breakdowns in the past few hours alone, while the Lady yelled at everyone that looked at her funny. As usual, Lily had gotten the brunt of it, but now that they were almost ready and all crises - pearl-related or otherwise - seemed to have been averted, her stepfamily was in much better spirits.

“Hagrid!”, Lady Evans yelled as the servants carefully balanced a hat on her head, “lay carpets from the front door to the carriage.” Lily’s eyes bulged out of her head when she saw the hat - it looked like the roof to a house, or a bird, or a big sail. There was a long piece of white fabric hanging down from it and trailing behind her stepmother as she made a turn about the room. It looked horrific, truly.

In comparison to her, Petunia’s outfit was almost boring. Her dress was red, orange and light green, with big puffy white sleeves. She had forgone a hat and had instead opted for a big hairdo, fixed to her head with white, pearly needles. She looked quite pretty, all things considered, and she herself seemed to think so, as well.

“Cinderella! How do I look?”, she asked, walking over to where Lily was cleaning up some buttons and pieces of fabric.

“Very pretty”, Lily said, her smile tight.

“Very pretty?”, the lady scoffed from the other end of the room, “she looks incredible!”

“Don’t you want to come with us tonight? Don’t you fancy it?”, Petunia asked, voice sweet.

“I know I’m not allowed”, she answered quietly. Lily knew this was a trick question. She knew it was just another way for Petunia to get under her skin. And yet the child inside her held out the hope that if she asked nicely this time, if she was just good enough, that they might actually let her come. She cleared her throat nervously, knowing she sounded a little desperate. “But…maybe I could just stay outside and watch through the windows, at least?”

Lady Evans let out a laugh. “You, come with us? And who would tidy everything up? And iron the clothes?”

“It’ll all be done by morning, I promise!”

“Well”, the lady said, an evil smile spreading on her face, “if you haven’t got enough work, then I’ll give you some.” She walked over to the oven in the corner of the room, where they kept some corn and lentils for drying. Lily’s heart sank as she grabbed the two large buckets and poured them together to mix, already knowing where this was going. She made to take the bucket her stepmother was holding, to get started with the work, when the lady held it out of her reach, grinned and dumped everything on the floor, right by her feet.

The floor which she had freshly cleaned, not an hour ago.

Lily sucked in a sharp breath, trying to contain her rage and bite her tongue while the lady smiled in glee at the shocked expression on her face.

“When we get back”, she said calmly but with an unmistakable threat in her tone, “I want not a single grain to be left on this floor, do you hear me? Lentils to the right, corn to the left.”

She got as close to Lily’s face as her hat would allow. “You’re nothing, girl”, she hissed. “Don’t you ever forget that.”

Lily felt the blood rush to her cheeks and had to fight back tears as she looked down at the pile of grains that would probably occupy the next hours of her life, just because this woman had willed it so. Realistically, her stepmother could make her do anything she wanted, and she was well aware of it. Lady Evans smiled again, before turning around and leaving the room.

Her face was still burning as she crouched down and started picking the grains apart, one by one, trying to calm down her breathing and the waves of shame threatening to pull her under. Petunia walked over, the train of her dress trailing after her.

“And when I get back”, she said, while drawing a heart in the grains on the floor with her high-heeled feet, “I’ll tell you how many times I danced with the prince.” She grinned and turned around, holding out the fabric of her train. “Hold my train for me, will you?”

Lily grabbed hold of it and pulled, hard, not moving an inch from her position on the floor. Petunia gasped and turned around, scandalised.

“I would only dirty it. Hold it yourself”, Lily answered, also smiling sweetly.

Her stepsister huffed and followed her mother out of the room.

The entire estate had gathered around to watch their departure. Petunia’s smile was blinding as she arrogantly waved to them all, while her mother sat smugly beside her. As the carriage left through the gate, Lily felt the heat of her stare.

Honestly, she had never had a lot of hope to able to attend the ball, but in moments like these the reality of her situation truly sunk in. She could go on as many secret adventures in the woods as she wanted, it did not change the fact that she had next to no power over her own life. She was stuck here, for the foreseeable future, and her dreams of going to balls and hazel eyes were just that - dreams. Unwillingly, she felt tears welling up in her eyes again. 

Peter, who stood next to her, nudged her with his elbow. “Don’t cry, Cinderella. There’ll be loads of other balls for you to go to. And if you want, we can dance together in the courtyard tonight!” It was a testament to how sad she was that she couldn’t even manage a smile as he mimicked a very bad waltz.

Minerva hit him over the head lightly with his own hat. “Get back inside, silly boy.”

He bowed sarcastically. “Of course, your highness.”

The cook chuckled, then turned to Lily and gave her a sad look. “I wish I could help you, I really do.”

“It’s just not fair”, she murmured, feeling like a petulant little child.

“Now, now. You’re not usually one to mope around. Whining about one’s situation never helps.”

She sniffed. “What does, then?”

Minerva raised an eyebrow. “Making the best of it. I believe you to be an intelligent young woman, Miss Evans. Do not let that toad decide over your life. One lost battle does not signify you lost the war.” She sighed. “Now, I will be going back inside before I freeze to death. I suggest you do the same. And who knows, there might even be some cake left if you decide to pay the kitchen a visit tonight.” With a wink, she went off into the kitchens, leaving Lily standing alone in the courtyard.

She looked off into the horizon, where it was already starting to get dark, and took a few calming breaths. Minerva was right, she thought. Despairing over her situation would not make it any better. The only thing to do was getting back to her job and trying to finish it as soon as possible, so that she might at least get some cake and have some decent sleep tonight. 

(Lily would, as it turns out, not sleep a wink that night, but it would not be because of grains on the floor. She would also never make it into the kitchen for Minerva’s cake.

But all in good time.)