Lilliana Snape (Harry Potter Book 3)

Part 1

I shuddered quietly as I lay underneath my bed trying to suppress the hysteria which was fighting to escape. Ron had dared me in his last letter to switch dad’s shampoo and conditioner with bleach to prove that he does actually wash his hair and I was now hiding and waiting to hear his reaction.

As I waited I slit open my newest letters. I had three; the first was from Ron:

Lil, hello from Egypt!

Dad won 1000 Galleons in the Daily Prophet prize draw! Most of it went on this holiday but they’re going to get me a new wand when we go to get our school stuff! I’m pretty excited.

It’s awesome here; there are loads of Pyramids...some have some really weird curses. In one we saw the skeletons of muggles with like extra heads and stuff. Fred and George tried to shut Percy in one but mum caught them.

I’ve included the picture of us from the Daily Prophet.

I pulled out a newspaper clipping and grinned at a family of nine red heads all waving at the camera.

Anyway, we’re going to meet Harry and Hermione in London next week; we’re going to stay overnight and leave for Hogwarts the next day. Maybe Snape will let you join us!

Ron

I laughed again at the picture before tucking it away and opening the second letter.

Heya Lilly 

How’s everything with Snape? I hope it’s good. I’m currently in London; staying in the Leaky Cauldron after accidently blowing up my aunt Marge; it’s a long story, I’ll explain when I see you. Ron said that his family is staying here the night before we leave for Hogwarts; I think Hermione is too. It would be cool if you could come too.

Look forward to hearing that you can.

Harry.

Harry blew up his aunt?! I blinked at his letter through the gloom and frowned as I tried to figure out if he was joking or not. I sighed and then opened the third and final letter. Hermione.

 Lilly

How’s your summer been so far? Mine has been great! I’ll tell you all about it when I next see you which I hope is soon! I’m going to London the day before we return to Hogwarts to get my books and stuff and then I believe I will be staying overnight. Are you staying too? Harry’s there already; something to do with his aunt but he didn’t really explain it too well. What did he say to you?

Hope to see you soon!

Hermione

I sighed; my chances of being allowed to stay in London for a few nights were totally zero percent if my little prank worked. I started to scribble my reply.

Ron

That’s so cool! I have never been out of the country; dad says that he doesn’t have time but it seems that at the moment all he has is time. Hopefully I’ll talk him into it next year or something. I’m not entirely sure if I can stay in London overnight, though it would be cool if I could...it’s really the wrong time to ask because right at this moment in time I am hiding under my bed waiting for dad to get out of the shower...I bleached his products like you dared me to do so if it works I think that I’ll probably be grounded for the rest of my life. I’ll see if I can work him though because I’ll need to go to London at some point to get my stuff for school.

Keep your fingers crossed for me

Lil

X

I copied the letter to Harry and Hermione; editing some bits, coaxed dad’s owl under my bed and sent him off with the letters. I then waited with baited breath as the shower turned off.

Ten or so minutes later my door opened and I saw dad’s feet enter my room. “Lilly?”

I took a deep breath, crawled out from under the bed and stood up. What I saw next almost shocked me into hysterics...his hair was bright orange. “Dad; can I stay in London with Harry, Ron and Hermione until school starts?” I asked, hoping to get a yes before he notices his hair.

“Well” he frowned as he surveyed my expression...I was still trying not to laugh “I don’t see why not. I have a few things I need to do before term resumes.”

“I’ll need money...”

“And so the teenage years begin” he sighed but reached into his back pocket and handed over twenty galleons.

I grinned at him and then, because I probably won’t get another opportunity, I grabbed my camera from my bedside table and snapped a couple of pictures before grabbing my trunk (which I had packed last night) and heaving it down the stairs toward the front room.

“Thanks” I sighed as dad helped me down the stairs with it.

He nodded “is there any reason why you are in such a hurry?”

“Uhm...wait until I leave and then look in the mirror.”

His eyes narrowed “why?”

“No reason...I just think that your hair looks...really...different.” I grabbed the floo powder, dumped some into the fire and hugged him “see you at school.” I stepped into the grate with my trunk and shouted ‘The Leaky cauldron.’

I have never gotten used to travelling this way. When I arrived at the other end my head was spinning and my stomach seemed to be arriving on its own.

Harry was sitting at one of the tables on his own. He, along with most of the people in the room at the time, looked up when I skidded out of the fireplace. His face lit up and he came over to help me “you came! This is so cool.”

I grinned “I sent my reply to you about twenty minutes ago but...when I get these pictures developed, I have something wicked funny to show you.”

I paid for a room for two nights and let Harry show me to my room which was right next to his. “Ron and Hermione should be arriving tomorrow. Did you know that he’s in Egypt?”

“Yeah, he said in his letter. He also sent a picture.”

“Did he really?” Harry laughed as he pulled out a newspaper clipping from his back pocket “like this one?”

I studied it “yep, exactly like that one.”

We had a few more hours until the shops close for the day so Harry came with me to get my pictures developed in a shop I hadn’t noticed before. He laughed himself silly when he saw dad’s orange hair. I felt kinda bad but at the same time felt a little rebellious. Dad bullied Harry and now Harry has something to fall back on.