Rewrite the past

Chapter 7

June 1967, old playground, Cokeworth, England

"Lily, come back here!" Shouted an angry Petunia Evans, chasing after her younger sister.

"No, Tuney!" Shouted the young red-headed girl who was running towards the old swing set.

Hermione and Severus stood from their seated position in the shadow of the old dead tree to see who made all that commotion.

"Hey, what's going on?" Asked Hermione knowing that Severus wouldn't do anything.

The two girls stopped right where they were in shock that others occupied the old playground.

After a few moments of hesitation, Lily stepped forward and said: "Nothing, really. We were just playing."

Severus sensed that the redhead lied but said nothing whilst Hermione knew exactly what was going on between the sisters.

"If you're sure," shrugged Severus turning around and sitting back down in the grass. Hermione still stood there, cautiously watching Petunia and Lily before finally turning and sitting down next to him.

"What do you know" whispered Severus once his friend was seated next to him.

"The redhead is one of us while her sister isn't."

Severus nodded at Hermione's statement.

"I'm sure that's why they're arguing. Do you think we should show that we're magically inclined, too?"

After giving this some thought, Severus nodded. "You can control your magic, you do it. But subtle, very subtle."

Hermione shuffled on her spot very subtle so that the sisters would be able to see her perform easy magic without noticing how staged this all was.

"Hey Sev, wanna see something fun?" Asked Hermione slightly louder than her usual speaking volume.

"Sure, Hermione," said Severus, sitting up and making more space between them.

Hermione held up her right hand, summoning a wilted flower that lay a few metres away from them.

The wilt flower lay there in her outstretched right hand and Severus mustered it thoroughly before Hermione continued.

She used simple wandless magic to make it bloom again, the once brown- yellow petals regained their original white-pink colour and Severus had to admit that his surprise was not even staged in that moment.

"Isn't this fun, Sev?" Asked Hermione, excited to which Severus could only nod. He already saw Hermione summoning things but never anything else. His mother had long stopped using magic in fear of being beaten more than necessary by her brutish husband.

"Excuse me?" whispered a small voice from behind them. They turned to see the redheaded girl standing only a metre behind them.

"Did you- I mean, did you make that flower bloom again or am I-" started the young freckled girl before Hermione helped the stuttering young girl.

"Yes, I did. You're not crazy or anything. My name is Hermione, Hermione McGonagall and this is my friend Severus. And who are you?"

The brunette witch smiled warmly sticking out her hand for the other girl to take it.

She could see that the redhead hesitated, looking unsure back at her elder sister. It took her a few seconds to take Hermione's hand and sit down next to Hermione and Severus.

"I'm Lily Evans and the girl over there is my older sister Petunia. It's nice to meet you two. So, you said that I am not crazy. What if I tell you that I did other strange things?"

"I'd say that that is normal. You see, we both, Severus and I, are magically inclined. I am a witch and he's a wizard, well not really yet but we'll be once we graduated from school. We can do all kinds of things but only with the proper training," explained Hermione.

Lily looked at her as if Hermione was totally mad.

"It's true, we can do things like that with the proper training. She is really advanced when it comes to small charms like the summoning charm she often uses, and she is really good with controlling her accidental magic which is probably what you've already witnessed with yourself quite a few times. I can't really control my accidental magic yet, but I am learning and practicing some spells," intervened Severus.

"My grandmother is teaching us how to do that, she's a professor at England's only school for young wizards and witches after all. Maybe she could explain a few things to you, too before we go to school."

Hermione smiled warmly seeing that she got the young red-haired girl to believe her to a certain extent.

Lily looked back at her sister who was still standing in the same spot as she was in the beginning.

"Why can't she do the things I can do?" asked the girl unsure of what to make of all this.

"You are a muggleborn witch which means that your parents aren't able to do magic either, I guess. Your sister seems to be a muggle, too. She can't do magic just like your parents. I think that a few generations ago one of your ancestors married someone of magical heritage which may have caused you to be magically inclined. It is rare but not impossible. I am a half-blood, just like Severus. My mother was a witch while my father was not. Severus' mother is a witch and his father is a muggle like your parents."

The black-haired boy nodded in agreement after summoning a nearby twig to draw in the dust.

"Lily Evans, you come here right now, or I will tell mommy that it was you who destroyed her favourite vase and not Mister Finnegan when he jumped on the settee!" Shouted Petunia from a bit down the hill.

"Why would you do that, it was Mister Finnegan and not me. Even daddy saw the cat jumping on the settee and the couch right before the vase was broken," answered Lily, standing up nevertheless.

"I guess I have to go, it was nice talking to you two. Are you here regularly?"

"Nearly every day when the weather's alright," smiled Hermione.

Lily bade the two of them goodbye before turning around and running towards her elder sister who instantly began marching off closely followed by her sister.

"She seems nice, doesn't she?" asked Hermione once the sisters were out of sight sort of trying the boy next to her who had become her best friend over the course of the past 13 months.

Severus, who was still drawing circles in the dust, answered: "I don't know, there's something wrong with her and I can't put my finger on what but otherwise she seems quite okay."

Hermione was really surprised by his answer. She had expected him to be way more thrilled as she recalled the memory the old Severus showed her where he was completely smitten with the beautiful redhead upon first meeting her.