Lily J. Potter

"Your mother was there for me at a time when no one else was. Not only was she a singularly gifted witch, she was also an uncommonly kind woman. She had a way of seeing the beauty in others even, and perhaps most especially, when that person couldn't see it in themselves."

- Description of Lily's nature

Lily J. Potter (née Evans) (30 January, 1960 – 31 October, 1981) was a Muggle-born witch, the younger daughter of Mr and Mrs Evans, and the younger sister of Petunia Evans. She learned that she was a witch as a child, after Severus Snape (a wizard boy who lived nearby) recognised her as such and told her of the existence of magic. Lily attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1971-1978. She was Sorted into Gryffindor House and was a member of the Slug Club. In her seventh year Lily was made Head Girl and began dating James Potter.

After Hogwarts she married James and they had a son, Harry James Potter, of whom she made Sirius Black the godfather. The couple, along with their friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew joined the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War; she and her husband defied Lord Voldemort himself three times. However, Lily and James were forced to go into hiding after a prophecy was made concerning Lord Voldemort and their infant son. She and James were betrayed by Pettigrew, and thus both were murdered by Voldemort on Hallowe'en night in 1981, while trying to protect their son.

Lily briefly appeared again through the Resurrection Stone in May 1998. She appeared along with James (her husband), Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. After the end of the Second Wizarding War Lily had three grandchildren through her son: James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter, and Lily Luna Potter, the last of whom was named in memory of her.

Early life


Lily was born to Mr and Mrs Evans, two Muggles of the Evans family, on 30 January, 1960. She had an older sister named Petunia, and the family lived in Cokeworth, England. At the age of nine, Lily became friends with Severus Snape, who lived down in Spinner's End, which was within walking distance of the Evans' house. However, they were apparently better off, since Petunia sneered at Snape for coming from that poverty-stricken neighbourhood.

Severus was the first person to tell Lily that she was a witch, and he went on to teach Lily a great deal about the wizarding world while the two eagerly awaited the time when they could attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry together. Originally, Petunia and Lily were quite close, but her magical abilities and her friendship with Severus caused problems between the sisters. Envying her sister's abilities Petunia wrote to Dumbledore, asking if she could attend Hogwarts with Lily.

Lily bought her wand from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley at the age of eleven. The wand was 10¼ inches, willow, "swishy", and according to Garrick Ollivander, good for charm work.

Hogwarts years
At the age of eleven, she started attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she was Sorted into Gryffindor house. She became quite skilled at Potions, attracting the attention of Professor Horace Slughorn, who made her a member of his Slug Club.

In her fifth year, Lily stood up for her then best friend — Severus Snape — when he was being bullied by James Potter, whom she considered to be an "arrogant bullying toerag". She had addressed James by his surname &mdash; James himself having called Lily by hers &mdash; and attempted to stop his bullying. Snape lashed out at her in his humiliation, calling her a "filthy Mudblood." Severus begged for Lily's forgiveness and she, in turn, asked him if he still intended to join the Death Eaters. When he did not deny this, Lily realised that Snape did not understand what was wrong with the Death Eaters.



This led to a parting of ways between Lily and Snape, as the former had already become dismayed by Snape's fascination with the Dark Arts, and his friendship with his Slytherin house-mates Mulciber and Avery, both of whom were aspiring Death Eaters. Harry would later witness the scene of his father's bullying and his mother's ambiguous intervention twice via a pensieve, as well as other scenes depicting his mother's friendship with Snape.

By Lily's fifth year, James was repeatedly asking her out, but she refused him, calling him an "arrogant toerag" because he bullied other students, particularly Severus Snape. James's best friend Sirius Black later commented that James could not resist showing off and making a fool of himself whenever she was around. Lily did not, however, hate James. While she did not approve of his bullying, she did admire how James stood up for his friends and other people who were cruelly treated by Snape's aspiring-Death Eater friends. During their seventh year, James matured somewhat, proving himself to be responsible and brave. However, it is implied that James still had the desire to bully Snape, but was willing to stop actually doing it for the sake of Lily. This led to her agreeing to go out with him; and Lily's attraction to him grew into genuine affection and eventually love. The young couple were chosen to be Head Boy and Head Girl.

In late 1977, Lily and James had a disastrous first meeting with Petunia and her then-fiancé, Vernon Dursley, which presumably took place over Christmas break, as they were both still at Hogwarts. When Vernon tried to impress James with his car, the wizard in turn boasted of his own material wealth, and a row ensued. The evening ended with both Vernon and Petunia storming out of the restaurant and Lily bursting into tears, with James promising he'd apologise and make it up (which, due to his and Lily's untimely deaths, never happened). Petunia was married by the end of 1977. Though Lily and James were invited to the wedding, Petunia refused to have Lily as a bridesmaid, upsetting her deeply. At the reception, Vernon would not talk to James, but described him as "some magician" within his earshot.

Marriage and the Order
"He thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down — kill them all —"

- Snape warns Dumbledore of the danger to the Potters

Sometime after graduating from Hogwarts in 1978, Lily and James married, the wedding took place sometime between the summer of 1978 and the autumn of 1979, with Sirius Black serving as James' best man. Petunia and Vernon refused to attend the wedding. Lily had little contact with her sister from that point.

Living off James' family fortune, the Potters became full-time members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, along with their friends Sirius, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. During the war, they defied Voldemort on at least three occasions, the first being when they refused to join his cause when he tried to recruit them.

Life in hiding and death
Lily became pregnant in the autumn of 1979. Around the same time, Sybill Trelawney made a prophecy in front of Albus Dumbledore, predicting that "the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches" and would be "born to those who have thrice defied him". The first part of the prophecy was overheard by Lily's ex-friend, Snape, who had since become a Death Eater. He loyally reported what he had heard to his master, and was horrified when Voldemort came to believe that Lily's son was the subject of the prophecy. It was the threat to Lily that led Snape to change sides, warning Dumbledore of the Dark Lord's plans, and vowing to do anything to keep the woman he still loved safe. It was Snape's continuing devotion to Lily, that made Dumbledore certain of his double agent's true loyalties.



The Potters went into hiding while Lily was still pregnant. Their son, Harry James Potter, was born on 31 July, 1980. Due to the danger they were in, Lily and James chose to keep Harry's christening a "very hurried, quiet affair" with Sirius Black as the only guest. The couple also chose Sirius to be Harry's godfather. Lily sent a birth announcement to Petunia; it was to be the last piece of information she ever sent her sister,  though Petunia would later send Lily a vase for that Christmas.

In a letter to Sirius dated around Harry's first birthday in July 1981, Lily mentioned that the family had a pet cat, and relayed a story about Harry flying on the toy broomstick Sirius had given him as a birthday present. The Fidelius Charm was placed on their home in Godric's Hollow. Their Secret-Keeper, Peter Pettigrew, was chosen as a less-likely target for the Death Eaters than Sirius Black, but he betrayed the Potters by telling Voldemort of their whereabouts barely a week later.



On 31 October, 1981 Voldemort entered their home. James told Lily to take Harry and leave while he held him off. James, however, was murdered before Lily and Harry could escape the cottage. Trapping mother and son in Harry's nursery, Voldemort, honouring Snape's request to spare her life, offered Lily a chance to step aside. She steadfastly refused to stop shielding her son, and Voldemort murdered her.

Because Lily's death was a pure loving sacrifice (she intended to die, and was not hoping to save herself) Harry was marked with the protection of her love. Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounded off the one-year old. The rebounded curse destroyed the Dark Lord's body and temporarily defeating him. Harry was left unscathed, except for a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. Thus, Harry became known as the "Boy Who Lived" and his fate was sealed. If not for Snape's love for Lily, which led to him to beg Voldemort for Lily's life, her death would not have been a willing sacrifice, and there would have been no Boy Who Lived.

Post-mortem
"Less substantial than living bodies, but much more than ghosts, they moved toward him. And on each face, there was the same loving smile... Lily's smile was widest of all. She pushed her long hair back as she drew closer to him, and her green eyes, so like his, searched his face hungrily, as though she would never be able to look at him enough."

- Lily getting a glimpse of Harry through the Resurrection Stone

After Lily and James were murdered Petunia (Lily's sister), was the one to arrange the funeral, as James had no family left. Afterward she grudgingly cared for her sister's only child. However, his mother's death would not be the last Harry would see of her. During his first year at Hogwarts he happened to stumble upon the Mirror of Erised. In this mirror he saw his parents for the first time, along with his grandparents and other ancestors. Also at the end of Harry's first year, Hagrid gave him a photo album filled with pictures of his family and of himself as an infant. In his third year whenever he encountered a Dementor he was forced to relive his parents' deaths, particularity Lily's.



In Harry's fourth year, while duelling with Voldemort in the Little Hangleton graveyard, they experienced Priori Incantatem, and shades of his mother and father and others whom Voldemort had murdered, came out of Voldemort's wand to help Harry in his escape from the graveyard. In Harry's fifth year, he entered Severus Snape's memory of being bullied by James and Sirius Black via the use of Pensieve and saw his mother standing up for Snape. In 1998, he relived that same memory of Snape's, as well as many others containing his mother, in the Pensieve after Snape's death. The memories revealed that she and Snape had been best friends since their childhood and it also brought to light Snape's unrequited and continuing love for Lily, years after her death.



Finally, during the Battle of Hogwarts, when Harry believed himself to be walking to his own death, he used the Resurrection Stone to bring back the spirits of Lily, James Potter, Sirius Black,(Godfather) and Remus Lupin. Both James and Lily told Harry that they were "so very proud of him", proud of his outstanding courage and strength, and assured him that they would stay with him until the very end. Harry described their very presence as his courage, the reason he was able to keep putting one foot in front of the other, with Lily smiling at him, and James nodding encouragingly.

Many years after Lily died, her son married Ginevra Weasley, and fathered three children. Harry's only daughter, Lily Luna Potter, was named in memory of her paternal grandmother.

Physical description


Lily was a beautiful woman. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders and bright green almond-shaped eyes. Apparently, her bright green eyes were extremely distinctive, because every person who knew Lily would always see them in Harry.

It is commented by her aged son, Harry, when he travelled back to the past he cited that she was extremely beautiful even in the face of death.

Personality and traits
"Lily Evans. One of the brightest I ever taught. Vivacious, you know. Charming girl."

- Horace Slughorn describing Lily's personality

Lily was known for being a vivacious, talented, and popular student. She became Head Girl in her final year at Hogwarts. She was also an all-time favourite of her Potions Master Horace Slughorn. Slughorn noted that she was witty and charming, as well as having a knack for potions. Remus Lupin once described her as an uncommonly kind person with a habit of seeing the best in others, even when they could not see it themselves.

Lily was also a woman of sound moral principles, and would stand by them no matter what it cost her: though her actions were ineffective. On at least one occasion she called out James Potter and Sirius Black for their bullying of her friend, Severus Snape. When she realised — through an insult that Snape gave her in a moment of angry humiliation — Snape's devotion to Voldemort's genocidal cause (of which she was a target of at the time) as well as his increasingly deep fascination with the Dark Arts, caused her to refuse his apology for the insult, and ended her friendship with him permanently.

Though she had a sharp tongue and had no problems in standing up to others when she was in a temper, Lily was still the type of person who would give others a second chance when they had proven themselves worthy of it. The most notable instance of this quality would be how she finally agreed to date James after he had matured out of his bullying ways, despite the fact that she did not have a good opinion of him during their early school years.

Lily's and her husband's most celebrated virtues were their courage and capacity for self-sacrifice: defying Voldemort three times as members of the Order of the Phoenix, and even dying to protect their son. It was also noted that Lily was very much like her son, Harry. Lily's strength is commented on by her grandson, Albus, in that she would understand her fate and the fact that she would never see her son grow up.

Magical abilities and skills


"She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was!"

- Professor Slughorn regarding Lily's talent

Since even Lord Voldemort was willing to overlook her Muggle-born status and ask her to join him, it can be deduced that Lily was a very powerful witch. She was able to conjure a corporeal doe Patronus (a mark of superior magical ability ) and it was also noted that Lily had a particular talent in Potions.


 * Love: Lily displayed a tremendous amount of love throughout her life. She lovingly sacrificed herself for her only son when she was twenty-one years old. It was this sacrifice that enabled Harry to survive the Killing Curse and protected him for sixteen years after her death.
 * Potion s: Lily was an excellent potioneer, possessing a "instinctual understanding" of the subject.
 * Charm s: Lily's wand was said to have been good for charms work. This implies that she must have been proficient in this area of magic. Lily was able to make "singing teapots" and could also effectively conjure a corporeal doe Patronus, a very advanced piece of magic.
 * Duelling: Lily (along with her husband) was able to defy and escape Lord Voldemort three times, which showcases her talent in martial magic.
 * Transfiguration: Lily was revealed to have been skilled in Transfiguration. When home from Hogwarts she "turned teacups into rats" and was able to transfigure a lily petal into a fish.
 * Control of underage magic: Before attending Hogwarts, Lily was revealed to have already had a level of control over her magic, which was a rare skill. She was able to slow her descent through the air after jumping off a swing, and to control the petals of a flower.

Possessions

 * Wand: Lily's wand was 10¼" long, made of willow, and had an unknown core. The wand was described as "swishy" and "nice for Charms work" by Garrick Ollivander.
 * Potters' Cottage: Lily owned this cottage in Godric's Hollow along with her husband James during the final weeks of the First Wizarding War. This is where she and her husband were murdered and her son Harry was marked as the "Boy Who Lived". The cottage still stands as a reminder of what happened that Hallowe'en night in 1981.
 * Cat: This was a pet of the Potter family. What happened to it after the attack is unknown.

Evans family
"You didn't just lose a mother that night in Godric's Hollow, you know. I lost a sister."

- Petunia showing her affection for Lily Lily had a close relationship with her mother and father. They were very proud to learn that Lily was a witch and favoured her over her sister Petunia. She had a happy home life.

Lily initially had a close relationship with her older sister, Petunia. The two girls played together and when Lily began demonstrating magical ability, Petunia was "torn between curiosity and disapproval". Petunia was disdainful of the friendship Lily struck up with Severus Snape, the poor, young wizard who had taken to spying on Lily and who first informed her that she was a witch; in turn, Snape was quite insulting to Petunia for being a Muggle. When Lily was invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Petunia wrote to the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, requesting that she be permitted to do the same. Although his refusal was kind, Petunia became very bitter, and jealously deemed her sister a "freak".

Their relationship seems to have deteriorated greatly afterwards, and even as an adult, Petunia resented that her parents were proud of Lily's magical abilities and took out her enmity on Lily's son, Harry. However, despite the bitterness on Petunia's end, the two appeared to still be in contact; Harry, as an infant, was said to have "smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent [Lily] for Christmas". Petunia also grudgingly took Harry in, at Dumbledore's request, after Lily's death.

James Potter


Lily's relationship with James Potter was initially a volatile one. They first met on the Hogwarts Express just before the start of their first year at Hogwarts, at which time Lily was angered by James' and Sirius Black's mockery of her best friend, Severus Snape. Although James was a talented Quidditch player, well-liked by most, Lily considered him an arrogant bully and treated him with contempt. This was likely motivated partly by James' hostile relationship with Snape.

By his fifth year, James started to have romantic feelings for Lily, and would show off to try to impress her, without success. It is not known whether he asked her out more than once. It seems that, by that time, James had "deflated his head a bit" and "stopped hexing people for the fun of it". She eventually began going out with him and married James. The two joined the Order of the Phoenix after graduating, in addition to getting married and having a child, Harry James Potter.

Her Patronus took the shape of a doe, while her husband's was a stag.

Harry Potter
"Harry, you are so loved. Mama loves you. Dada loves you. Harry, be safe. Be strong."

- Lily's last words to her son



On 31 July, 1980, Lily and James' first and only child, Harry, was born and they loved their son more than anything. On Hallowe'en in 1981 they sacrificed themselves at  21 years old in order to save him from Lord Voldemort, when he was just an infant. Albus Dumbledore always maintained that Harry's love for his parents and the love they had in return for him, was his greatest power.

Harry barely knew them, but nevertheless regarded them with great reverence and fiercely defended their memory if anyone spoke ill of them. In 1995, he punched Draco Malfoy for insulting his mother, and he was frequently at odds with Professor Snape, who taunted Harry that James was not the great man others made him out to be. An incident that Snape would have delightfully used as an example was witnessed by Harry in the spring of 1996, when Harry accidentally watched James bullying Snape with no provocation (other than the already-existing animosity between them,) in one of Snape's own memories, during Harry's Occlumency lessons. Harry began to question how his mother even came to marry James when she clearly despised him for acting in such a way, though Remus and Sirius later assured Harry that his father had changed his ways, having matured enough to become Head Boy and eventually win Lily over.



The few times he ever saw his parents were in pictures given to him by Rubeus Hagrid, through a vision within the Mirror of Erised, as spectral forms which came out of Voldemort's wand during Priori Incantatem, as stored memories within the Pensieve, and again as spectral forms when he "recalled" them during the Battle of Hogwarts, by using the Resurrection Stone. Lily's spirit was described as looking at Harry as if she couldn't do so enough, and Harry asked his mother to stay close to him as he approached the Death Eaters' camp, and certain doom. Both James and Lily told Harry that they were tremendously proud of him for being so brave and strong despite all the pain and suffering he had endured, and gave him the support he needed to sacrifice himself to Voldemort.

It's also seen that Lily calls Harry by a name of affection, she has on different occasions referred to him as "sweetheart". Harry eventually named two of his children after his late parents and godfather, James Sirius Potter, and Lily Luna Potter. When her youngest grandson, Albus, time-traveled to the day before her death he noticed the love in which she placed the blanket over her son and that she clearly treasured and loved her son deeply.

Severus Snape
Severus Snape lived near the Evans family when he was a child, and soon began spying on Lily after he noticed that she was a witch. The two became friends when he started telling her about the wizarding world, and were best friends until their fifth year at Hogwarts, despite being sorted into different houses. Lily became increasingly dismayed by Snape's friendships with people such as Avery and Mulciber, who disdained Muggle-borns and who practised the Dark Arts. There is no evidence to suggest that Lily reciprocated the romantic feelings felt by Snape, but she was best friends with him and could grow to love him romantically. However, Snape called Lily a "filthy Mudblood" in a fit of anger and humiliation, it was the last straw for Lily. When she later asked him if he still intended to become a Death Eater and he did not deny it, she severed all ties with him. Despite the ending of their friendship, Snape still loved Lily. When he realised that it was Harry who Voldemort had fixated on as his enemy mentioned in the Prophecy, Snape begged him to spare Lily's life. He however, showed no concern for the life of her son or husband. Voldemort agreed to this request and offered Lily several chances to step aside. Her refusal to do so even though she had a choice is what created the magic that protected Harry.

Lily loved Snape as her best friend and tragically for him, might have returned his romantic love if he had not once been consumed by the Dark Arts. The deep, unrequited love Snape held for Lily for almost all of his life also influenced his Patronus, which took the form of a silver doe - the same as hers, caused him to spy on Voldemort for Albus Dumbledore. He also protected her son until his own death, where he told Harry "Look at me", wishing to see Lily’s eyes once more before he died as it was the only part of Harry that resembled his mother, the rest looking very much like his father.

Lily's second grandson, Albus Severus, has both Lily and Harry's eyes and was named in honour of Snape.

Marauders


Lily met Sirius Black on the Hogwarts Express at the same time she met James. She disliked them both, as they quickly began teasing Severus Snape, Lily's best friend at the time (though it was Snape who had initiated the argument by mocking the other boys' preference of House). When Lily and Sirius were both sorted into Gryffindor House Lily remembered him from the train, and turned her back on him when he made room for her at the Gryffindor table.

However, during their later school years they might have become good friends, and Lily eventually married Sirius's best friend, James Potter. Sirius, Lily, and the Marauders became members of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War and fought in several battles against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. When Dumbledore casted a Fidelius Charm to hide James, Lily, and Harry from Voldemort, they originally wanted to make Sirius their Secret Keeper. They knew Sirius to be completely and utterly trustworthy, and Lily sent him at least one letter and a photograph of her family during her time in hiding. However, Sirius had proposed that Peter Pettigrew be made Secret Keeper instead, thinking that Voldemort would not expect a "weak, talentless thing" like Peter to be given a such crucial role. This turned out to be a fatal mistake, as Peter had turned traitor and become a spy for the Death Eaters. Barely a week after the Fidelius Charm was performed, Peter betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort, leading to them being tragically murdered. Sirius was deeply devastated; he attacked Peter and attempted to kill him.

Sirius was also godfather to Lily's son, Harry Potter, and they shared an intimate relationship; Harry regarded Sirius as a mixture of friend and older brother, and Sirius viewed Harry as an exceptionally brave and matured adult with rights to knowing difficult truths, fully capable of shouldering burdens that many wizards much older and wiser than he could not.



Lily's relationship with Remus Lupin is not known. In the movies, Lily and Remus are portrayed as friends, though there is no info related to their relationship in the books. When Snape insisted there was something strange about Remus, Lily answered that she didn't care about what the Marauders did; most likely, she had also realised that Remus was a werewolf, but didn't care. After graduating from Hogwarts, Remus helped James and Lily hide, and would have willingly died for his friends rather than betray them to save his own skin. When James and Lily died, Remus was devastated, and initially believed, along the rest of the wizarding world, that Sirius had been a traitor.

Later on, Remus grew close to Lily's son, Harry Potter. He taught Harry the Patronus Charm, and protected him throughout the Second Wizarding War, while Harry ended up becoming godfather to Remus's son Teddy.

Despite Peter Pettigrew's cowardly nature, Lily became more friendly with him as she warmed to James, even affectionately referring to Peter as "Wormy," from his nickname "Wormtail." When James and Lily went into hiding from Lord Voldemort, Lily and James trusted Peter enough to make him their Secret Keeper, though only at Sirius' suggestion to use someone less obvious than himself for the role. By then, however, Peter had already become a spy for Voldemort, and he betrayed his dearest friends out of fear for his own life; one time Peter saw Lily and James while they were in hiding, Lily noted that he "seemed down." After Voldemort murdered Lily and James, it is possible that Pettigrew felt some regret for his treacherous, heartless betrayal; in 1998, Pettigrew unintentionally saved Harry from Lord Voldemort, who was trying to kill the boy through Pettigrew's silver hand, by briefly hesitating when Harry reminded him of his life debt. This one, tiny impulse of mercy, however, led to Pettigrew being killed by the same hand.

Horace Slughorn
"Your mother was one of my absolute favourites!"

- Horace Slughorn discussing his affection for Lily to Harry Potter



During her time at Hogwarts, Lily demonstrated extraordinary talent in potions, becoming one of Potions Master Horace Slughorn's "all-time favourites" and a member of his Slug Club. Slughorn considered her to be one of the brightest students he had ever taught, while being known to also teach students like Tom Riddle, and knew her to be a vivacious, charming, talented, if sometimes cheeky girl; he even stated, "I don't imagine anyone who met her wouldn't have liked her...very brave...very funny...", though he was surprised by her Muggle lineage.

Lily also gave Slughorn a present, probably as a token of her respect and love for him as her teacher: a bowl of water, on which a petal from a lily floated, and as the petal sank, it transformed into a fish, just before it reached the bottom. He described it as "beautiful magic, wondrous to behold", and named the fish Francis. When Francis suddenly disappeared one day, Slughorn realised that Lily had died, and her death haunted him for many years. Harry Potter used Slughorn's sympathy and grief for his mother's death to his advantage while under the effects of Felix Felicis, persuading Slughorn to give him the true memory of Tom Riddle's inquiry about Horcruxes, by encouraging him to be as brave as his mother was, and claiming that it would undo whatever great wrong he had done.

Albus Dumbledore


Albus Dumbledore was Lily's Headmaster when she was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When Dumbledore invited Lily to attend Hogwarts, her sister, Petunia, became jealous, and sent a letter to Dumbledore requesting to be enrolled in Hogwarts as well. Dumbledore answered Petunia that she could not, though in a way Lily found to be "very kind". During Lily's years at Hogwarts, Dumbledore became very fond of her, seeing her as a talented witch with a pure, kind heart, and eventually appointing her Head Girl.

After Lily and her friends graduated from Hogwarts, they became members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation Dumbledore founded and led. When James and Lily became targets of Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore offered to be their Secret Keeper in an attempt to protect them, but the role went to Peter Pettigrew instead, at Sirius' suggestion. This turned out to be the couple's death sentence, as Peter betrayed them to Voldemort, who found them and killed them. Dumbledore was deeply upset by their deaths, and dedicated the rest of his life to keeping their son safe. He eventually became Harry's mentor, often telling Harry of the love and goodness of his parents, and continually insisting that Harry's love for his parents was his greatest strength and a source of incredible power — "the power the Dark Lord knows not".

Minerva McGonagall
"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I don't want to believe it...."

- McGonagall on hearing about the death of Lily and James



Minerva McGonagall appeared to have a close relationship with Lily during the First Wizarding War. McGonagall was the Transfiguration Professor and also the Head of Gryffindor House while Lily attended Hogwarts. Lily's relationship with McGonagall is not known.

After Lily left Hogwarts, both she and McGonagall became members of the first Order of the Phoenix and fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. After Voldemort found and killed the Potters, McGonagall was devastated to learn of Lily's death, and that of her husband, James, to which she actually broke down into tears. Professor McGonagall was fond of Lily's son, and protected him as best as she could throughout his time at Hogwarts.

Order of the Phoenix
During the First Wizarding War, Lily was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and would have fought alongside many of its members during the First Wizarding War. She appeared to be friendly with some members, such as Rubeus Hagrid, Elphias Doge, and Marlene McKinnon, as she appeared to be very upset when she learned about the McKinnons' death, crying all night.

Etymology
The given name Lily comes from the name of the flower, which is a symbol of purity. Specifically, the lily is often associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary; one type of the flower is known as the Madonna lily. Greek mythology also links lilies to the Muses and to the goddess Hera, and the flowers continue to be representative of purity and love in Europe. In China, lily means "forever in love", and the flowers were thought to be capable of averting evil.

Lily's maiden name was Evans. Evans is a Welsh or English surname derived from the given name Evan. As a Welsh name, Evan means "young warrior"; it can also be considered a form of the name John, (named after the apostle John) meaning "God is gracious and merciful".

Lily's married surname is Potter. Potter is a very common surname of English origin. It traditionally refers to the occupation of making pottery. Beatrix Potter was a well-known English children's author. Potter's Field is the name for a burial ground for the unknown or unclaimed dead, particularly soldiers and orphans; It is first mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, the Potter family had many members that fit that description. The Potter Box is a model for making ethical decisions developed at Harvard University. Rowling has also commented that she has liked this name since childhood, due to a relationship with two friends who were named Ian and Vikki Potter.

Behind the scenes

 * In the films, Geraldine Somerville plays Lily as an adult, Susie Shinner plays her as a teenager, and Ellie Darcey-Alden plays an even younger Lily in the film adaptations of and so is one of the 14 characters to appear in all 8 film adaptions. J.K. Rowling was asked to play Lily in the Mirror of Erised scene in PS FA, but she refused the part because she said that she was "not cut out to be an actress because she'd mess-up somehow."
 * Technically, Geraldine Somerville is one of just over a dozen actors and actresses to have appeared in all eight Harry Potter films and played the same character, one of only three adult actors to do so (the others being Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman). However, several films do not feature new footage of her and are simply short clips from other films.
 * Lily is portrayed by British actress Annabel Baldwin (alternating the role of Moaning Myrtle as well) in the original West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
 * Inspired by a famous writer Mary Ann Evans, who wrote under pseudonym.
 * In the Harry Potter novels, Lily is mentioned to have died aged twenty-one, yet in the films she appears much older. This could be that she is seen with Harry in the mirror at the age she would be at the time, had she been alive (31), though this doesn't make sense as she still appears to be older than 21 in memory-flashbacks, photographs and during the Priori Incantatem scene. So it's most likely that just like Severus Snape in the films (the character is in his 30s, Alan Rickman is in his 50s-60s) the character herself is still in her 20s. However she merely looks like she is in her early 30s.
 * In the novels it is often mentioned that Lily had bright green eyes and that Harry had the same eyes. In the films it is often remarked that Harry has his mother's eyes, but it is never stated what colour they are. Also in the films, Harry has blue eyes and young Lily has brown eyes.
 * In, Remus Lupin mentions that Lily had been there for him at a time when no one else was. This statement may or may not be canon, as the books never imply that Lily knew Lupin well until after she started dating James.
 * Susie Shinner did not appear as Lily in the "Snape's Worst Memory" segment of, although a promotional image showed her in costume.
 * In, Voldemort taunts Harry by calling Lily "your filthy Muggle mother" rather than "Mudblood", even though she's a Muggle-born witch.
 * Note that in, the Tom Riddle coming out of his diary uses the term Mudblood. Although, it should be noted that Voldemort, believing in total blood purity, wouldn't care for technicalities and likely considered Muggle-borns as "bad" as Muggles themselves.
 * In European folklore and in the infamous treatise on witchcraft, , the combination of dark red hair and bright green eyes was considered the mark of a witch, thus it is notable that Lily Evans possesses this exact colouring.
 * In, there is an additional sequence after Aragog's funeral where Horace Slughorn describes a gift given to him by Harry's mother, Lily. One day, he'd found a bowl in his office with a small amount of water in it, upon which floated a single petal from a lily. As he watched, the petal sank into the water, and just before it reached the bottom, it transformed into a fish. Slughorn was delighted by what he considered a beautiful piece of magic, and kept the fish for many years, naming it Francis. On the night of 31 October, 1981, the night Lily Potter died, Francis disappeared from his bowl, and Slughorn knew right then and there what had happened to Lily.
 * Lily's younger grandson and her son are the only Potter members to inherit Lily's eyes. It is very clear they are Lily's eyes, most people comment that Harry has her eyes, and looks very much like James. Harry, when looking into Albus' eyes, comments they were indeed Lily's eyes.
 * Lily and Order of the Phoenix member, Nymphadora Tonks, are very similar. They both married a Marauder; Lily married James, and Nymphadora married Remus Lupin. They both are related to Muggles (Lily's parents and Nymphadora's paternal grandparents) and have one son, Harry Potter and Teddy Lupin, both sons were only babies when their parents died fighting Dark forces and both sons have inherited something from their mothers: Harry his mother's eyes, Teddy his mother's Metamorphmagus abilities.
 * Lily and her daughter-in-law Ginny also are very very similar to each other. They both have red hair, they both married a Potter: Lily married James; Ginny married Harry, they both were popular in school, both weren't afraid to stand up for their friends: Lily when the Marauders harassed Severus Snape, and Ginny when people ridiculed Luna Lovegood by calling her Loony Lovegood.
 * Lily and her grandson Albus Severus Potter are also very similar. They are both the second born child of their families. Albus inherit her bright green eyes through her son Harry who also has her green eyes. Both have been antagonised by their older sibling, Petunia was jealous of her magical abilities and called her a freak, Albus is picked on by his brother James.
 * Rubeus Hagrid revealed that Lord Voldemort tried to recruit James Potter and Lily Evans before they left Hogwarts. While this is understandable for James, it was revealed by Rowling that Muggle-borns such as Lily can be permitted to join the Death Eaters, but only in extremely rare circumstances.
 * J.K. Rowling said that like Ginny, she was a popular girl.
 * Lily Evans' life bears some resemblances to that of the character Lilias Craven in Marsha Norman's stage musical adaptation of Francis Hodgson Burnett's novel , having died prematurely, been part of an unrequited love triangle, and having passed her eyes on to a young relative.
 * Lily's name continues a pattern of flower names in the series. For instance, in the generation during the First Wizarding War, there was her and Petunia Evans. A lily and a petunia are both flowers. In the generation of the Second Wizarding War there was Narcissa Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Fleur Delacour, Poppy Pomfrey and Lavender Brown. In the generation after the war there was Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's daughter, Rose Granger-Weasley. There was also Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley's daughter, Lily Luna Potter.
 * Other than Minerva McGonagall, Lily is the only known Head Girl. It can however be assumed that, like prefects, one head girl is chosen out of the 7th years every year by the headmaster.
 * Though Harry bears a great resemblance to his father, it is often noted that he has Lily's bright green eyes. In a 1999 interview, Rowling stated, "Harry has his father's and mother's good looks. But he has his mother's eyes and that's very important in a future book". That future book was . In Snape's death scene in that novel, after having passed on his memories to Harry, he whispers to Harry: "Look... at... me..." In one of Snape's memories, it is revealed that Dumbledore persuades Snape to protect Harry after Lily's death by mentioning the fact that he has "precisely" the same eyes as his mother. His last words to Harry were simply a desire to see Lily's eyes before he died.
 * Lily's initially negative opinion of James is not shown in the films, and the purely strong and close romantic attraction between them seemed to develop much sooner.
 * Ellie Darcey-Alden who plays young Lily Potter in, actually has brown eyes, unlike how Lily's eyes are described, Daniel Radcliffe's eyes or Geraldine Somerville's eyes.
 * In the films, particularly Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Lily has a habit of calling Harry "sweetheart".
 * J.K Rowling had said that if Severus wasn't so involved in the Dark Arts, and didn't start to display a very prejudiced attitude toward non pure-bloods, Lily might have considered dating Snape, rather than just being friends.
 * Interestingly, Lily's surname means "young warrior" this could have been foreshadowing the birth of her son, Harry, who was described as a "young warrior". Also, Lily herself was also a young warrior, having fought in the First Wizarding War at age 21.
 * When asked if Lily knew the effect she would have standing in front of Harry, J. K. Rowling stated in an interview; "No - because as I've tried to make clear in the series, it never happened before. No one ever survived before. And no one, therefore, knew that could happen." Additionally, when asked if Voldemort or anyone else using Avada Kedava ever gave someone a choice, and they took the option to die, she said "They may have been given a choice, but not in that particular way."

Appearances

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Notes and references
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