Lily Potter did not believe that she or Casey Weasley were ready for the Halloween party, but Casey had insisted that this would be the best way for them to reenter British society. The two had dressed at Casey's instruction - the twelve year old girl was sporting chain mail and leather, pulling off a very convincing knight. And Lily had dressed as her favorite literary character, Jane Eyre. The festivities were just beginning, so Lily was not getting too cynical quite yet. She felt good in her costume, she felt good having her cousin so close, and she almost felt good about being closer to home and closer to family.
Then again,close to family reminded her of how much resentment she had towards them. Not that it was their fault. But she would never stop being the daughter of the famous Harry Potter, sister to heartthrob James Potter. She would never be Lily Potter, who was simply Lily. Mostly because no one cared for her to be anything more than the relative of greats. Her talents in Potions did not matter as much. Her desire for love was not nearly as important as her obligation to live up to her family name.
Being home also meant she was now in this lottery-mess of a marriage law. Some poor sucker was going to be forced into joining homes with her. Lily was not ready to settle down - ready to have someone love her, yes, but she was certain there would be a good few power-hungry older men vying for her hand in an attempt to raise their own status. Little did they know, she would be looking for a man who lowered her status as much as possible. The one positive to this whole terrible law was the fact that she would no longer be a Potter.
Time in America had helped her. She felt like the year and a half had helped prepare her to face her peers. No one knew she was a werewolf, of course, save for Casey - who would never, ever breathe a word. As she looked around, she was less frightened of the people who were supposed to be her friends. This was her last year with them. She did not know what her graduation would mean for Casey, but she knew she would be able to move on and find something to do with her life. Or, so she hoped.
She turned to her side to ask Casey what they were to do first, to find that her cousin was not by her side. "Casey?" Her eyes widened and then she slowly took control of her expression, forcing any shock or fear off her face. The crowd was thick, and they had merely been separated. No need to panic. She could interact with these people... right?
- Spoiler:
Casey's costume
Lily's costume
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